Tourism in Poland

Hey Lyzko you have some very weird opinions.......

Well, from the 60th floor of a Manhattan skyscraper the world looks different. 🤷‍♂️

@Miloslaw,
People have been paying off the Catholic Church in order to curry favor w/the local politicos in exchange for union jobs since the beginning of time!
It's called "business as usual", buddy, and it's alive and well.

How then do you explain English teachers who speak broken English getting paid for their instruction? Or there are medical personal who are paid to dispense key information, yet who never seem to know anything.

The list goes on and on.
Corruption persists.

Where? What country are you writing about?

Good luck getting an answer.

Lyzko gets his ideas about Poland from early 1980s exploitation films.

Bribing the church for access to political leverage - lol.

Among other places, the good ol' US of A!
Don't be such a choirboy.
Furthermore, if people didn't bribe in Eastern Europe under the Commis, one couldn't survive, that is, not easily.

I'm about as far away from a choirboy, as Poland is from being considered a member of the West.

-//-

Do you have anything to share which originates later than 1990?

1990, 1890, 2025, same difference, pal.
You can take the boy/girl outta the country...
Finish the rest.

What works or worked in Banana Republics or Eastern Europe especially, works here at home.

Oh yes, add Ireland to the mix.
.

I will take this opportunity to repost this which is relevant. Decrease of bribery in Poland:

wiadomosci.wp.pl/koniec-kopert-pod-stolem-tylu-polakow-zna-kogos-kto-bierze-lapowki-7243805708617856a

Eastern Europe, and Banana Republics (like Kenya), have now an infinitely much more advanced ecosystem of financial technology compared to you in the United States.

I can pay all my government dues in Russia, without ever leaving my NYC apartment. I can execute payments in seconds. I don't have to carry any documents on me - because they are all available in the cloud.

The last time I paid a bribe to a traffic cop in Russia was probably more than ten years ago.

The last time I was extorted for a bribe by any other official, was probably when I was in college.

-//-

America lives in the absolute Stone Age when it comes to interactions with the government and the financial system.

Unlike Russia, not to mention Belarus, tourism in Poland is definitely growing - travelers who want to visit the Central/Eastern Europe start and usually end either with Poland or Czechia.

If you really had a choice - would you rather visit Krakow and Warsaw, or St. Petersburg and Moscow?

I'd like to visit Moscow or St. Petersburg, but it would likely be a stressful experience which would defy the tourism purpose.

And the Church here still accepts bribes in the form of "contributions".

Why???

Novichok asked me the same questions....

Why do you think you would have a hard time in Russia?

The only people from the west that had a bad time in Russia recently:

1) A women's basketball player that brought a container of marijuana oil into a Moscow airport

2) A former US Marine who got caught spying

3) A WSJ journalist, who was recorded soliciting classified information from officials

4) A redneck that decided he wants to enlist in the Russian army

-//-

If you manage not to bring drugs into Russia, commit top level crimes equivalent to treason and espionage, and don't get involved in the war in Ukraine:

YOUR VISIT WILL BE AS PEACEFUL AS VISITING COPENHAGEN.

-//-

Is it normal for you Westerners - when traveling - to engage in political activism or outright espionage?

In summary - I'm afraid Russia is a police state. If you are coming from the "West" - expect scrutiny and possibly spies on your neck. Just my general perception. In Poland, it feels much safer and worry-free.

This is fear not founded on anything.

Why would Russia jail and otherwise abuse a Polish tourist?

Recently a Pole died in Russia. But this man had a strange belief that the war between Russia and Ukraine was not actually a real thing, and decided to see for himself.

If you don't do anything as stupid as driving through the front line - you should be OK.

After President Kaczynski's tragic one-way journey to Russia, it may take an entire generation before ordinary Poles feel ready to resume cheerful and enthusiastic travel there.

For no reason, simply because this tourist would be Polish, i.e. a Western (from the Russian point of view) European.

I will be going to Zakopane from Kraków this summer. Does anyone know if the train is a better option than the buses? I got a minibus from Raba Wyżna, which is roughly the half-way point, to Kraków a few years ago and it took about an hour and 20 minutes. That wasn't even in the summer when roads are likely to be busier. Just not sure which is the best option. Any advice welcome other than renting a car. No way am I driving in Poland.


I think I would be stressed just trying to get there. Coming from the UK means going to either London or Manchester in person to get biometrics done, then registering those at Moscow airports, intensive security checks on arrival, evidence of registering with local authorities on leaving the country etc. It's a lot of hassle.

I looked into it before the war as I really wanted to go but given the current situation, I think visiting will be a long time coming :(


Not necessarily a hard time but I think I'd find it difficult to relax. One of the things I wanted to do was photograph some of the beautiful metro stations but I've read that some people have had problems doing just that.

Why not? Because of right-hand traffic?

Been in Poland twice, it's nice... but getting expensive. ****

That's good...if only wages could keep up.

Inflation is never good. Wages will go up, but typically only about two times less than the real inflation.