Moving to Warsaw for a few months!
August 15, 2013 7:51 PM Subscribe
I'm moving to Warsaw this winter for a few months. I'd love your help in figuring out where to live, cool things to do, etc.!
I'm going to Warsaw for a few months this winter to do some research. I'm excited and a bit nervous.
- What kind of clothes do I need? I've never been in really tough winter. What do I need to bring? What can I buy there? How do people survive long winters?
- What will drive me crazy, and what will make things easier for me?
- Side trips to take and places to see within Poland. I've been to Gdansk and Krakow. I'll be traveling to Berlin and other nearby countries -- but what other cities should I visit WITHIN Poland? I have had my fill of sad sites like concentration camps, salt mines, etc. and would love to see beautiful places, natural settings, etc., artistic places.
- Apps for functioning in Poland. In the US, I use Yelp, Spotify, apps to find out when public transportation will arrive, etc. What are the equivalents?
I'm going to Warsaw for a few months this winter to do some research. I'm excited and a bit nervous.
- What kind of clothes do I need? I've never been in really tough winter. What do I need to bring? What can I buy there? How do people survive long winters?
- What will drive me crazy, and what will make things easier for me?
- Side trips to take and places to see within Poland. I've been to Gdansk and Krakow. I'll be traveling to Berlin and other nearby countries -- but what other cities should I visit WITHIN Poland? I have had my fill of sad sites like concentration camps, salt mines, etc. and would love to see beautiful places, natural settings, etc., artistic places.
- Apps for functioning in Poland. In the US, I use Yelp, Spotify, apps to find out when public transportation will arrive, etc. What are the equivalents?
I live in Poland.
In the winter, I always remind myself that it will feel much colder at the end of the day. For some reason, I tend to put on too few layers and then suffer. So I dress the way I think I need, and then put on an extra layer or take an extra scarf.
Wear a hat and gloves.
Look out the window in the morning and see what people are wearing before you head out.
If it's really cold, wear leggings or tights under your regular clothes. I sometimes put on two pairs of socks, too.
Buy yourself a proper long winter jacket WITH A HOOD if you don't own one already.
Walk outside a lot, the lack of sunlight will get to you.
There's a lot happening in Warsaw, culture-wise, look out for posters, check out the local websites and Google translate them. I live in a different city so not sure what other websites the locals use, but a good one is http://cjg.gazeta.pl/CJG_Warszawa/0,0.html
Other cool cities to check out: Wrocław (a beautiful city), Malbork (a large medieval castle within an hour train ride from Gdansk, closed on Mondays). Zakopane, or the Polish mountains in general (ask your local friends about the best times to go).
Feel free to memail me with any questions.
Have fun!
On preview, sorry about the link, I cannot seem to make it work, just copy and paste.
posted by M. at 10:57 PM on August 15, 2013
In the winter, I always remind myself that it will feel much colder at the end of the day. For some reason, I tend to put on too few layers and then suffer. So I dress the way I think I need, and then put on an extra layer or take an extra scarf.
Wear a hat and gloves.
Look out the window in the morning and see what people are wearing before you head out.
If it's really cold, wear leggings or tights under your regular clothes. I sometimes put on two pairs of socks, too.
Buy yourself a proper long winter jacket WITH A HOOD if you don't own one already.
Walk outside a lot, the lack of sunlight will get to you.
There's a lot happening in Warsaw, culture-wise, look out for posters, check out the local websites and Google translate them. I live in a different city so not sure what other websites the locals use, but a good one is http://cjg.gazeta.pl/CJG_Warszawa/0,0.html
Other cool cities to check out: Wrocław (a beautiful city), Malbork (a large medieval castle within an hour train ride from Gdansk, closed on Mondays). Zakopane, or the Polish mountains in general (ask your local friends about the best times to go).
Feel free to memail me with any questions.
Have fun!
On preview, sorry about the link, I cannot seem to make it work, just copy and paste.
posted by M. at 10:57 PM on August 15, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
I moved to Scotland from the US. It took me two winters to learn how to layer.
The trick (one of the tricks) is to get everything in the right sizes so that everything fits on top of everything else and the bottom layers aren't too baggy and the top layers aren't too snug (Topshop is a good source of oversized cardigans for me and Uniqlo's HeatTech tops are like tights for your upper body).
Don't be afraid to wear two cardigans together (like this: http://tinyurl.com/ne73khk) or a cardigan on top of a jumper on top of a dress or t-shirt (on top of a HeatTech tank top). All this goes under your coat (and if you can't close your coat, you can cover the gap with a scarf!).
Fashion note: I wear all this with skinny jeans or leggings or short skirts and tights so I don't drown in fabric, and I stick to a limited (mostly neutral) color palette so that everything matches everything else.
posted by 4bulafia at 9:02 PM on August 15, 2013