Enjoy your meal

I have noticed that in Poland people really like to wish a nice meal. When I am sitting and eating people who I know at least in some extent always say "smacnego" which means "enjoy your meal" in Polish. If they wish you a nice meal they might just walk by so it does not mean that they would sit with you or stay talking with you. If somebody would say to me "enjoy your meal" in Finland I would expect the person to sit and eat with me. Moreover it is not that common to wish a nice meal for your friends with who you eat in Finland.

Small water pipe

Small water pipe

In Poland you can find bars where you can smoke water pipe like in Turkey and Spain. In Poland having small water pipe like in the picture is common. Especially among women it is common to smoke water pipe. You can see people smoking small water pipe in a tram, shopping mall, street or nightclub. It does not smell so smoking it anywhere is acceptable.

How to greet in Poland

Before I have written how people greet in Spain and in Turkey. Polish have also their own rules for greeting. When you meet for the first time with same sex or opposite sex you shake hands like in Finland. After establishing some kind of friendship with the opposite sex you give one kiss. Polish men like to shake hands and women give kiss to their female friends. When man and woman have a close relationship they might exchange two or three kisses.

Rack for waiting with bike

Waiting point

In Lodz there is one long bicycle road which goes through the city. In many points you have to be waiting traffic light to change from red to green. For these waiting points there are racks which makes waiting more comfortable. You do not have to get off from your bike and you can move quicker after the light changes to the green. I had never before seen such racks for cyclists.

How people drink in Poland, Finland and Spain

Polish have the reputation of drinking a lot of vodka. When Polish go out and drink they drink in a different way than Spanish or Finnish. Here I will explain how I see the drinking culture when drinking with friends in Poland, Spain and Finland.

In Poland people might be drinking only vodka the whole night. Among friends they have few bottles of vodka and they like to drink it as shots. They might be taking one shot every ten minutes and after shot having a little sip of juice or soft drink. In bars they also serve shots where they mix different flavors. There are also many different vodkas which have flavor of lemon or something else.

In Finland people usually drink many beers and if they want to get more drunk they do it by taking shots. Shots are treated like some extra for beers. Drinking with friends also involves often sauna. Drinking rum or whiskey is rare because those are more expensive than vodka. As alcohol is very expensive people tend to buy the cheapest.

In Spain people like to mix vodka with different soft drinks. It is important to put first ice, then pour the alcohol and last the soft drink. Spanish also tend to prefer more rum or whiskey instead of vodka. The most typical place to enjoy your drinks is outside in a park even it is illegal. In Spain you can find also bars what are specialized in serving shots but in my opinion there is stronger shot drinking culture in Poland than in Spain.

Naturally in every country you can find people who drink beer, take only shots, make drinks or drink all kinds of alcohol in a one night but the descriptions above is in my opinion a typical way to drink with friends in each country. I would say that in each of these countries people like to drink to get drunk.

Dogs wearing a mask

Dog with a mask

In Turkey my flatmate got bitten by a street dog. In Poland you are more safe from dog bites because it is fairly common that dogs wears a mask like in the picture. Not all dogs wear it but it seems to be much more common than anywhere else I have been. On the other hand some owners let their dogs run completely free in the city center.

Sales booth on the street

Strawberries on sale

In Poland it is not so strict that where you set up your sales booth. This lady has appeared to sell strawberries in this spot next to the rather busy cross but she is the only one. There are also another ladies who are selling strawberries in another cross on my way to work. My guess is that they are not paying any rent for their spot. The lady in the picture was still in the same spot when I returned from work so police had not sent her away. In Finland you see sales booths only in a market place.

Beer with syrup

Polish beer

Spain is not the only country where beer is mixed with something. In Poland mostly women like to mix their beer with strawberry syrup or with some other flavor. This syrup has a strong taste as you need add just little bit. Syrup gives different color and taste to the beer. I also tried beer with syrup and it makes beer taste more sweet. It is also common to drink beer with a straw. Not only the girls use the straw, you can also see men drinking beer with a straw.

Floorball match in Warsaw

Yesterday I had the last floorball match of the season in Warsaw. That was my third match and third goal in Poland. Here you get all the time hits on stick and pushing from back. All the time faults so not proper floorball. Even two sticks broke in the match. We lost the match 7 - 5. For the next season some tactical training is needed.

Piotrkowska

Statue in Piotrkowska

In Lodz there is basically one street called Piotrkowska where all the social life is happening. You can easily switch to different place as everything is close. There are basically all the bars, restaurants and night clubs. That makes that the street is always full of life. There are not many shops for shopping though near the both ends of Piotrkowska you can find a big shopping mall.