1936 On the Continent

LUTOSLAWSKI
    TABLE OF CONTENTS

POLAND
    Y OU might do worse than come to Poland. Let us see first of all how it can be done. Travelling to Poland is quite easy. The first thing to be done is to obtain a visa—which costs nothing if the purpose of the journey is non-lucrative, with only pleasure as its aim, which seems to fit our case. The journey will be presumed to be such if one books directly to a Polish health resort and produces the ticket at the Polish Consulate.
    London to Warsaw takes twenty-six hours by the shortest railway route, eight hours by air, and three and a half days by the sea route, via Gdynia.
    It is also possible to enter Poland by road, and then one has the choice between shipping the car to Gdynia from London or Hull (75s. per ton and some wharfage dues) and driving through other countries before reaching the Polish frontier at one of the favourite entrance points on the Berlin-Poznan road, the Vienna-Cracow road, or on the beautiful road which crosses the Tatra mountains from Czechoslovakia to Zakopane.
Motoring is Difficult
    Driving for pleasure in Poland would only be possible, however, from April to November. It is true that the Monte Carlo Rally competitors starting from Tallinn have to pass through Poland in the middle of winter, and they do so, but this feat should not be regarded as an encouragement to would-be imitators. It would be unreasonable to expect English surfaces on Polish roads, but the principal ones are tolerable, and they improve from year to year owing to the efforts of the Government. Strongly built cars with an ample ground clearance and a good engine stand more chances of survival than do sports models born somewhere between Oxford and the Kingston by-pass, and with their spiritual home at Byfleet.
    Spare parts for the more important makes can be readily obtained, but not all the British makes have agents in Poland. Ford and Fiat have the best network of service stations. Petrol pumps will be found on the main roads, but not in the more remote villages.
    Considering the cheapness of all forms of transport in Poland, it would perhaps be better to rely on them rather than risk an inconvenient breakdown. It all depends on one’s fund of enterprise and courage. Mr. Bernard Newman, of H.M. Office of Works, has plenty of both, and he has toured Poland on a push-bike. He describes his adventures in “Pedalling Poland.” His journey was amusing and eventful, but perfectly safe, and throughout his wanderings, which led him into distant parts of the country, he never encountered any serious inconvenience, even though he did not know any Polish to begin with.
    This should be sufficient to dissipate the harassed doubts of many people who anxiously declare that they would feel lost “because of the language.” Mr. Newman never felt lost for a second, though he went to places which the average tourist is hardly likely to reach, and where there was far less chance of being understood in a foreign language than there would be in the towns and spas. French and German are largely known, and there are many people with a working knowledge of English—even in the villages, where there very often is a farmer who has once been to the United States.
Cost of Living
    Assuming that we have chosen the simpler railway route, we would probably enter Poland through Zbszy, the frontier station on the Berlin-Warsaw line. The customs people are not terribly strict and there is no currency control whatever, so that no difficulties need be anticipated here. But the visa is essential, and it cannot be granted at the frontier itself—it can, however, be obtained at the Polish consulate in Berlin.
    The Polish currency is the zloty, containing one hundred groszy. There are, at current rates, 26 zlotys to the pound; a penny is thus worth roughly 10 groszy, which simplifies reckoning. A zloty is worth about rod.
    Living is cheap. The railway fares are quite moderate, and there are various reductions for tourists (enquire at a travel office). A porter takes 50 groszy for carrying 50 kgs. of luggage; a taxi charges 1 zloty for the first kilometre and 50 gr. for the next; a cab ride in Warsaw up to a distance of 4 kilometres costs 1 zloty, but it is better to fixthe price beforehand and avoid possible discussions with the driver. A tram fare in Warsaw costs 20 gr. irrespective of the distance travelled. A decent meal costs 1.50 zl., and a dinner in a first-class restaurant can be had for 4 or 5 zl. A