Job Discussion Forums

[tornpr1nce]

I recently moved to Krakow and I�m finding it a very nice place to live. I�m still adapting to the brands available here and haven�t found an equivalent of some of the foods and services I regularly used in the UK. A few things also seem a bit strange to me and I was hoping someone who has lived here a bit longer might be able to help me with a few questions.

Is there a fruit juice concentrate that you mix with water (like Robinsons or Ribena) available in Poland and if so what are the brand names? I drink about 10 pints of liquid a day and hate to drink plain water, so I�m currently going through cartons of fruit juice at an incredible rate.

Is there a law that says you have to cross roads on crossings and you can only cross when the green man is illuminated? When the road is clear I just cross, but I�m usually the only one and everyone else stands there and wait for the green man despite the totally empty road. Something seems to be up and I�m wondering if I should be waiting for the green man.

My other two questions are specifically about Krakow.

Firstly, where can I buy wood in or around Krakow? I need to buy some plywood to make a small modification in the house but can�t find any wood yards.

Secondly, is there a DVD rental shop someone near the centre of Krakow? I actually saw one when I was in a taxi but couldn�t work out where it was despite walking around for hours, so if anyone could give me a street name I�d be extremely grateful.

Thanks a lot for any help you can offer, especially with regard to the fruit concentrate drinks.

[Alex Shulgin]

You're right about the green man. You have to wait for the green man! Otherwise you're breaking the law and are liable to a fine if you're seen by a police officer. And as you're an expat the fine might be a bit bigger than for a Pole.

Re: Ribena. That brand is only sold at the Brtish embassy shop in Warsaw (or at least it used to be) and you won't be allowed to use that shop (unless you're a diplomatic official from any country). However there are Polish versions which can be quite similar. Any supermarket or mini-market should stock what you're looking for. It's called 'syrop', it comes in many different flavours, go for the one which say either 'malinowy' (raspberry) or 'owoce lesne' (forest fruits, tastes most like ribena).

For wood try:

Castorama ul. Zakopiańska 62 A
Tel: 269 24 69

Praktiker al. Pokoju 67
Tel: 602 304 058

Obi al. Bora Komorowskiego 31


For DVDs:

for rental try
Beverly Hills Video
ul. Szymanowskiego 14
Tel: 423 44 68


Your best source of info is http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/krakow/en/ (but it's down at the moment...)

[tornpr1nce]

Thanks a lot for that fantastic response. You've been extremely helpful and I'm very grateful for all the answers. I'll definately have to get some Syrop before my fridge shelves collapse under the weight of all the fruit juice

Thanks also for the link. I'll have a look at that when it comes back online.

[biffinbridge]

If u r in Krakow go and see Maurice Morgan in O'Morgan's Irish Pub,(he's the owner).He'll tell you about Poland,he's been there years.He'll probably get the squash for you too.

[tornpr1nce]

I got the wood from Obi today which was nice easy to get to, which is good because I got the wrong size and will have to go back tomorrow. I could have sworn it was 2.45cm to an inch rather than 2.54

I also went to the DVD rental shop and joined up. At the prices they charge I�ll never miss a film. Certainly a lot better than Blockbusters insane pricing in the UK.

I also got the Syrop and found they�re not joking with the name. It�s a little too sweet for my taste so I�ll have to get used to drinking water. Also, it only seemed to be available in 330ml bottles rather than the 3-4 litres I was hoping for.

Thanks again for all your help.

Biffinbridge, I saw that Irish pub when I was looking for somewhere to watch the England game. I decided an Irish pub may not be the best of places to watch an England game, but I�ll have to go in there at some point.

[Alex Shulgin]

Syrop and water plus lemon juice is better than just syrop.

If you are drinking a lot of fruit juice then get it at the supermarkets. It's much cheaper there. A packet of orange juice (clippo) at the corner shop costs 5.45PLN, at Le Clerc it's 3.20PLN.

Don't drink too much tap water. You can get pure stuff at public springs (or at least you can in Warsaw, I can't imagine Krakow being any less 'cultured' than Warsaw), they're literally small places with taps where you can get free spring water. Ask the people at your school about the locations of ones near your apartment.

[Olivia]

Definently never drink syrop on it's own.

It's best diluted with water, or added to tea instead of sugar, or over pudding or kisiel.

Good luck!