April 22nd, 2004 | The lowdown by Jara Gatti

Poland Checklist

THINGS I WISH I KNEW ABOUT POLAND BEFORE I WENT:

That ticket people will not indicate to you verbally or in writing if you need to switch trains somewhere unless you ask them repeatedly to do so.

That train stops often do not have name signs hanging anyplace that they can be spotted while on the train.

That train stops are not announced or noted in any way.

That trains are not heated, nor do their doors close automatically. It is very cold in Poland.

That oftentimes when trains are sitting at the station there are no signs to indicate where or when the train is leaving and gates are neither numbered nor acknowledged. When getting on a Polish train, you must ask your fellow passengers where the train is going. Be prepared for others to do the same to you when they board.

That bus stops often do not have names, let alone timetables.

That people line up side-by-side rather than behind each other, and that if you get in line behind someone, the rest of the crowd will assume you are with that person and go ahead of you.

That if you reach for a product at a kiosk, stand or small store, you will offend the proprietor, be refused service and ordered out of the establishment to starve

That people are much nicer if you approach them in Polish - any Polish, bad Polish, pidgin Polish, etc, even if they don’t know English.

My recommendations to you, before embarking on a trip to Poland:

Above all, do not, under any circumstances, enter the country in winter.

Use www.Bahn.de (click on international guests for English), where you can get timetables for any trains in Europe, to plan out your trip. Show the ticket issuers these timetables and ask them to confirm it for you. Make sure they know if you are a student or under-26, because there are discounts on tickets. Then, have them write your schedule down for you. (Do means to, and a little squiggle that looks like a Z or a 2 means from.)

When approaching a train station, watch like a hawk for signs. You might just be able to figure out where you are before the train lurches away from the platform.

Don’t drink the water.

The people are, in general, very friendly. I was helped randomly at least once a day while I was in Poland. However, until I started trying to use my few Polish phrases with proprietors, they were rude and uncooperative with me. Saying proszc, (proshjay, please) can work wonders. And if you keep in mind that Poland is an Eastern European country and therefore not subject to the level of convenience and logic that you may be used to, you should be fine.