Poles
Apart
Wizz It in flight magazine
Since Poland became part of the European Union four years ago,
Brits and Poles have become better acquainted than ever, thanks
in part to cheaper flights back and forth. But what do they
really think of each other and are the stereotypes justified?
To find out, we took five London-based Poles to the city's Bar
Polski (a place none of them had ever visited) to discuss life,
the universe and pierogi dumplings.
| Name: |
Krystyna Adamek |
| From: |
Katowice |
| Age: |
34 |
| Occupation: |
Chartered accountant |
| Time in the UK: |
15 years. I get back to Poland about four times a year. |
| Favourite thing about the UK: |
I love the fact that it's so cosmopolitan and multicultural. |
| Misses most about Poland: |
Obviously family and friends, and snow. |
| Name: |
Kasia Kmieckowiak |
| From: |
Poznan |
| Age: |
28 |
| Occupation: |
Administrative assistant for skin care charity the British
Association of Dermatologists. |
| Time in the UK: |
Five years |
Favourite thing about the UK:
|
I like shopping here. |
| Misses most about Poland: |
My family, the food and friends. I can buy Polish food
here but still, it's not the same as my mum cooks. |
| Name: |
Alex Trzaska |
| From: |
Warsaw |
| Age: |
29 |
| Occupation: |
Nanny |
| Time in the UK: |
Three years |
| Favourite thing about the UK: |
It's so laid back compared to Poland - there's
not the same pressure for women to get married and have
babies. |
| Misses most about Poland: |
My family, my cat, the food, decent beer and decent
vodka. |
| Name: |
Ola Blaszkiewicz |
| From: |
Wroclaw |
| Age: |
23 |
| Occupation: |
Tourism student on internship with Polish Tourist Organisation |
| Time in the UK: |
Three months |
Favourite thing about the UK:
|
London's so multicultural: you can find a little bit
of China here, a bit of Asia and of Poland. I don't like
the crowds though. |
| Misses most about Poland: |
Family, the food and not having to stand in queues.
|
| Name: |
Karol Habiak |
| From: |
Wroclaw |
| Age: |
24 |
| Occupation: |
Tourism student on internship with Polish Tourist Organisation |
| Time in the UK: |
Three months |
Favourite thing about the UK:
|
The multiculturalism and how you can find everything
in one place in London - different shops, different
shows. |
| Misses most about Poland: |
Definitely family and the tranquillity, it's so hectic
here in London, too much hustle and bustle. |
Ola: In England now you can go to a Polish
church, you can buy Polish food, you can go to a Polish restaurant
and the only difference is you're paying in pounds not zloty.
Karol: I think the perception of Poles
here is generally good. They constantly report that we are hard
working.
Krystyna: ...which is
surprising because we don't have that reputation at home. Maybe
it shows if you pay people a decent wage they do their best.
Everyone I know wants a Polish cleaner or builder.
Alex: Everyone I know
wants a Polish girlfriend!
Karol:
I think maybe some people think we still have Communism in Poland
and are part of Russia, we are not part of Europe and are totally
unindustrialised.
Krystyna: People
think that we have a Cyrillic Russian alphabet and that we are
a small nation, in fact we have a population of 40 million people,
people find that surprising.
Alex:
People think because the Pope was Polish we are in church bowing
down all the time.
Ola: And that we
have really cold weather but in fact we have beautiful summers,
hotter than the UK.
Kasia: I met
an American once who asked me 'is it true there are polar bears
in Poland?'
Karol: In Poland tourists
go to see Krakow and Warsaw and Zakopane.
Alex:
And Auschwitz and Wieliczka salt mine.
Ola:
They know that we have a lot of world heritage sites.
Krystyna: and they expect cheap alcohol
Alex: and pretty girls!
Ola:
I think they drink too much when they visit Poland.
Alex: The police find English men sleeping
in fountains.
Krystyna: I think we
can handle our drink better! We don't drink as fast as English
people, we like to drink a lot but we take our time.
Alex: We don't drink until we lie on the pavement.
Krystyna: Tourists tend to buy communist
relics that we would quite happily get rid of and they go to
places Lonely Planet tells you to.
Alex:
Tourists go to visit churches but don't go to worship.
Krystyna: Polish people would go skiing in
Poland but that's something that tourists don't really think
about, also going to the Baltic sea, it's a beautiful coastline,
though the sea is freezing! You would fly to Gdansk for that.
The whole Masuria district in the north of Poland we call 'land
of a thousand lakes'. The East part is very popular with tourists
but the West is not and that is probably the more beautiful
though there is no big tourist infrastructure.
Karol:
A place that is really underestimated by tourists is Bieszczady
national park, south east of Krakow, near the Ukraine border.
It has forest, mountains, there are bears and you can go wolf
watching.
Krystyna: In Bialowieza
national park in the northeast of Poland there's a bison reserve
and there's a village nearby on the corner of Belarus where
there's a mix of Christian orthodox, Catholics, Jews and Muslims
living together and you can visit mosques and synagogues. You
would go from Warsaw.
Karol: If you
have the chance in your life to visit a Polish wedding, don't
miss it!
Alex: In the mountains they
can go on for three days of dancing, eating etc
Ola:
In Poland you should try Pierogi dumplings.
Alex:
...and Polish sausage
Ola: ...smoked
cheese.
Kasia: ...Kotlet Schabowy,
what you would call schnitzel, meatballs and bigos, a kind of
sauerkraut with meat in it.
Krystyna:
You should try Zurek, white borsch which is a soup you have
in a bowl made of bread.
Everyone:
mmm
Alex: Remember to keep cash with
you because you can't pay everywhere by card, but beware of
pickpockets. And if you are going to ask directions, a lot of
young people will understand English. You don't need to speak
LOUDLY and S-L-O-W-L-Y!
Kasia: when
they go to Poland people will be made very welcome.
Alex: Just be open minded.
The Poles' tips on Wizz Air destinations:
Katowice
A good base for visiting Krakow, Auschwitz the mountains and
anywhere in the south of Poland. Visit the old town of Mikolow,
Pszczyna and its palace and take a boat tour through Tarnowskie
Gory, a former lead and silver mine.
Longman Bar, Gliwicka str - A bar/club/restaurant good on Friday
and Saturday nights and open on public holidays.
Zloty Osiol, Dworcowa - possibly the only vegetarian restaurant
in Katowice
Pan De Rosa, Dolina 3 stawow - some traditional Polish food
and a pretty lakeside setting.
Wroclaw
Besides the old town, don't miss the Botanical Gardens and the
Japanese gardens in Szczytnicki Park. Also the giant Raclawice
Panorama circular painting with special effects depicting a
scene from the Polish-Russian wars.
Kurna Chata, 7 Odrzanska St - cottage style restaurant with
typical Polish fare.
Spiz, Rynek Ratusz 2 - micro brewery pub.
PRL Pub, Rynek-Ratusz 10 - retro music and dancing in Communism
themed surroundings.
Poznan
See the area around the old town hall, one of the oldest cathedrals
in Poland on the small island of Ostrow Tumski and the artificial
Lake Malta where you can hang out with the locals, catch rowing
competitions, festivals, play golf or ski on a dry ski slope.
W Starym Kinie, Nowowiejskiego 8 - popular music pub with live
concerts and DJs
Czarna Owca, Jaskolcza 13 - famous club with five differently
decorated rooms
Blue Note, Sw. Marcin 80/82 - club playing jazz and other
music.
Warsaw
Visit the oldest and biggest cemetery in Poland, the old ghetto
and the old streets where there are still WW2 bullet holes in
the walls. Don't miss the view from the top of the Soviet era
Palace of Culture.
Restauracja Polska, ul. Nowy Swiat 21 - renowned for good
traditional food.
Literacka, Ul. Krakowskie Przedmiescie 87/89 - arty hangout
with Polish food and desserts.
Blikle Café, ul.Nowy Swiat 33 - historic café
with famous cakes and pastries
Gdansk
It's the birthplace of Solidarity, so visit the Solidarity museum,
also visit the oldest gothic cathedral in Europe. See the 500m
long pier at nearby Sopot, and go to Hel - a pretty peninsula
with sea on either side of you.
Goldwasser restaurant, ul.Dlugie Pobrzeze 22 - Named after the
local liqueur served with real gold flakes.
Harnas Restaurant, ul.Moniuszki 9 - rustic mountain style hut
serving hearty food.
Viva Club, al. F.Mamuszki 2 - party right on Sopot's beach.
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