This peaceful country sitting at the crossroads of East and West has a difficult history of invasions. Rebuilt many times after heroic struggles, Poland, with its heritage of Copernicus and Chopin, has wonderful museums, music houses and many centers of great learning. Poland is endowed with rich forests, mountains with good skiing and pretty lakes. The oldest salt mine is here as well as some of the last operating passenger steam trains in the world. Poland is a very special place with very special people.
Capital: Warsaw
Population: 38, 710,000
Area: 120, 754 square miles
Language: Polish.
Time: GMT + 1 ( GMT +2 from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October)
Electricity: 200 Volts AC, 50z
Geography: Poland is in located in the northern area of Continental Europe and borders the Baltic Sea which is to the north. Russia and Lithuania border Poland to the northeast , Belarus and the Ukraine to the east, the Slovak Republic and Czech republics to the south and Germany to the west. The country is relatively flat except for the Tatra Mountains along the southern border with the Slovak Republic.
International Airports:
Krakow - Balice Airport (KRK) is 10 miles from the city. Scheduled busses and taxis are available.
Warsaw - Okecie Airport (WAW) is 6 miles from Warsaw and can be driven in 15 minutes. Scheduled busses take twice as long.
Wroclaw - Strachowice Airport (WRO) is 5 miles from town. Taxis and scheduled bus service is available.
Tipping: In Restaurants a 10 % tip is expected. Porters should be given loose change and taxi drivers should have the fare "rounded up."
Shopping: Shops open at 8:30 am and close by about 6 or 7 pm Monday through Friday. On Saturday shops will close by 2 pm. Silverware and jewelry are popular items as well as embroidery and dolls in regional costume. Hand-woven rugs are a good value.
Food and Drink: "Bigos" is the national dish which is made up of fresh cabbage, sauerkraut, onions and meat. Fish is a good selection with many menus offering unique fish dishes. Carp is popular served in a jellied sweet and sour sauce. Herring is also very popular. Vodka is served chilled in Poland and is inexpensive. Most other alcoholic drinks, except beers are a little pricey and out of range for the locals. Soft drinks are plentiful.
Social: Poles are very friendly toward visitors. Most do not know English but will try to communicate. The country is conservative and even more so in the countryside. Roman Catholicism is very strong in Poland and disrespect for the Church is considered in bad taste at the very least. Clothing is casual but neat. Unkempt attire is looked down upon.
Business: Dress for business meetings is conservative. Business suits are always worn. Business cards should be exchanged. It is not necessary to have cards in Polish as long as the telephone and fax numbers are clear. First names are seldom used on the first meeting. Let your counterpart suggest first names and then follow.
Climate
Summer in Poland are usually warm and sunny. Spring and fall are mild with crispo morings and occasional showers. Expect that by October a lot of rain will fall. Winters are cold and breezy with good snow in the mountains. | 