The Old Town is a bustling tourism hub, with cobblestone alleys and medieval buildings reconstructed after WWII. At its heart is Rynek Starego Miasta, a busy square lined with burgher houses and upscale Polish eateries. Nearby, St. John’s Archcathedral dates back to the 14th century.
What can Polish travelers expect from his first visit to an U.S. airport? LOT Polish Airlines explains
LOT Polish Airlines has launched the campaign “Without visas to the USA”, aimedto encourage as many people as possible to apply for American visas and to do so correctly. For the purposes of the campaign, the website www.bezwizdousa.pl has been started, where it’s possible for travllers to get familiar with how to meet the required criteria for being granted a visa. With the campaign, LOT also helps Polish passengers to understand what is required from them once they land in the US. So what does a first-time traveller need to know?
We have landed happily in the USA. And what now? Only the last hurdle at the custom and immigration control and all the opportunites the United States has to offer will be waiting for us.
In addition to picking up your luggage, you will have to talk to an immigration official. It’s a standard procedure that everyone who comes to America passes through. It does not matter if they come with a visa or from a country which is encompassed by a visa-free travel program – a conversation is obligatory and it will always take place in English.The situation in which Polish passengers are denied entry into the US is extremely rare – people who have correctly defined the purpose of their trip have no reason to worry. However, if it turns out after arriving in the US, that our actual reason for arrival differs
from the one declared (for example, if there is a suspicion that you have arrived on a tourist visa but plan to find a job), an immigration officer may come to the conclusion that you have violated immigration regulations. Then the traveler may receive a decision to refuse entry to the USA and is sent back to the country of origin. Severe violation of the law, may even result in a temporary ban on entering the US. Otherwise, you will be able to appeal the decision, but only after returning to Poland by filling out the form on the website of the Department of Homeland Security (www.dhs.gov/trip).
An immigration officer will definately be interested in the your customs declaration that you have filled out on the plane. A passenger can also expect a couple of standard questions, for example about the places you plan to visit in the U.S. There is nothing to fear: most of the questions have already been answered when you filled the DS-160 document necessary for being granted a visa. The official will also take your fingerprints. At the official’s request, place your thumb and four fingers on the special glass panel. A photo of you will also be taken on the spot. Then just a stamp in your passport and you have passed through immigration.
Take your passport with a long-awaited stamp, your checked baggage and at the customs control point hand over the customs declaration. It may happen that you will be randomly selected for a personal check. It’s also a standard procedure that you do not have to worry about. Just remember not to bring things with that are forbidden to the US, usually the main problem is different kinds of food. When you leave the departure hall, the United States is open for exploration and it is up to you what you want to do and see in this great and beautiful country.
US to EU in Warsaw: Abandon Iran Nuclear Deal
The United States Vice President, Mike Pence, didn’t pull his punches at Thursday’s session of the two day conference entitled the “Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East” being held in Warsaw, and attended by foreign ministers and senior officials from 63 nations. Departing from his prepared text, Pence demanded that France, Germany and the United Kingdom give up the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and stop trying to break US sanctions on Iran.
“The time has come for our European partners to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and join with us as we bring the economic and diplomatic pressure necessary to give the Iranian people, the region and the world, the peace, security and freedom they deserve,” Pence said in his speech.
The conference which was orgainsed jointly by the US and Poland was originally planned to focus on Iran, although following criticism the US State Department denied that it was aimed at any single country. However, comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others before it started made clear that one of the goals of the Warsaw comference was to rally governments against Tehran. Pence’s speech put this beyond doubt.
”The universal view of those who spoke last night at this conference was that Iran has actually become more aggressive since the JCPOA was signed, not less,” Pence said. “The United States reimposed sanctions that should never have been lifted in the first place.” While those Middle East countiries that had recently put pressue on Iran were praised by Pence, harsher words were directed at the Europeans.
“Sadly, some of our leading European partners have not been nearly as cooperative — in fact, they have led the effort to create mechanisms to break up our sanctions,” Pence complained. “Just two weeks ago, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom announced the creation of a special financial mechanism designed to oversee mirror-image transactions that would replace sanctionable international payments between EU businesses and Iran.”
“They call this scheme a Special Purpose Vehicle,” Pence said. “We call it an effort to break American sanctions against Iran’s murderous revolutionary regime. It’s an ill-advised step that will only strengthen Iran, weaken the EU and create still more distance between Europe and the United States.”
The European powers, and EU officials in Brussels, insist that the JCPOA is worth preserving because it has successfully halted Iran’s nuclear weapons program — an assertion that Pence rejected in his speech. Pence said that the US is prepared to intensify sanctions to bring the Iranian regime into submission, while the EU has in the past stated that it views the reimposition of sanctions as illegal.
Speaking later, the Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki, described the conference as a “huge step in promoting a future of peace and security” in that conflict-ridden region. Choosing to concentrate on the wider scope of the conference, which included issues such as missile proliferation, energy security, emerging cyber-based threats, counterterrorism, migration crises and humanitarian aid, Morawiecki said that Poland was “committed to play its role in addressing refugee and humanitarian challenges, but most of all peace challenges in the Middle East.”
He told the conference “to avoid conflicts that result in refugee and humanitarian crises, we must ensure stability and sustainability in the region”, adding: “And we must employ politics when we talk about it – because peace is, in the end, a political good.”
In a joint opinion piece published by CNN on the eve of their co-hosting the conference, Poland’s foreign minister Jacek Czaputowicz and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said they sought “solidarity from all countries this week in Warsaw” and that “our goal is to forge stronger partnerships and advance our common security goals in a region riddled by conflict.”
After Mike Pence’s speech, it seems that US EU solidarity on Iran is in rather shorter supply than might have been hoped. On Iran, Poland is now caught between its position as, in Mike Pence’s words “one of our most crucial allies and a major player in world affairs” and its membership of the EU. It is a fine line to tread, but if the birthplace of “Solidarity” is able to help restore US EU solidarity on Iran, Poland will have gained much from the conference.
History Of The Polish National Opera
Opera was first brought to Poland 30 years after appearing in Florence, by Royal Prince Ladislaus IV Vasa. In 1628 the Prince invited the first Italian opera troupe to Warsaw. For more than 170 years the Grand Theater has been the leading opera and ballet theatre in Poland. The process of building it started in 1825 and ended in 1833. During WW 2 it was almost completely ruined.
Poland Daily Travel – The Royal Route
The Royal Route in the capital of Poland was once a communication route that led southward from the Warsaw’s Old Town. It begins at Warsaw’s Castle Square and ends in Wilanów.
AKO awards its King Przemysław’s Medal to Rev. Stanisław Małkowski
The President Lech Kaczynski Civic Academic Club (AKO) in Poznań has since 2011 awarded its medals to outstanding Poles in recognition of their contribution to national community in politics, culture, arts, religion, science and other fields. The medal bears the name of King Przemysław II, who renewed the Polish monarchy in the XIII century.
Among the recipients of the medal, which is awarded annually, are two former Prime Ministers, the late Jan Olszewski, and Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of the ruling Law and Justice party.
This year’s medal has been awarded to the Rev. Stanisław Małkowski from Warsaw, a former chaplain of the “Solidarność” Trade Union, who has a long and honourable record of opposing the communist regime and supporting religion and patriotic activity.
The medal awarding ceremony will take place in Poznań on Saturday, 23 February. On 4 p.m. a mass will be said at the Franciscan church at Wzgórze Przemysła (near the Market Square). Immediately afterwards, at 5 p.m. the awarding ceremony will be held at the Działyński Palace in the Market Square.
Tamara de Lempicka – The Great Art Deco Painter
Tamara de Lempicka was a Polish Art Deco painter, but spent her life mainly abroad. one of the best artists of her times was known for depicting aristocrats as well as quite a fair amount of nudes.
She used to describe herself as “I was the first woman to make clear paintings” and later told her daughter: “and that was the origin of my success. Among a hundred canvases, mine were always recognizable. The galleries tended to show my pictures in the best rooms, because they attracted people. My work was clear and finished. I looked around me and could only see the total destruction of painting. The banality in which art had sunk gave me a feeling of disgust. I was searching for a craft that no longer existed; I worked quickly with a delicate brush. I was in search of technique, craft, simplicity and good taste. My goal: never copy. Create a new style, with luminous and brilliant colors, rediscover the elegance of my models.”
LOT Polish Airlines has launched an information campaign for Poles planning to visit the U.S.
LOT Polish Airlines is behind the “without a visa to the US” campaign, which aims to lower the number of rejected visa applications, in order for Poland to be allowed to enter the Visa Waiver Program. It’s entirely realistic that it could happen within the next year or two, meaning that Poles would finally be able to enjoy the benefits of visa-free travel to USA. For the purposes of the campaign, LOT has launched a website www.bezwizdousa.pl, where people are able to get familiar with the details of how to correctly fill out a visa application while also allowing Poles to explore the many interesting travel destinations that America has to offer.
According to official statistics, it’s highly unlikely for a Pole to be denied a visa to the U.S. Only 5 out of 100 fail to obtain a visa after aapplying. Once the traveller has received the visa, some practical information about what to expect after the arrival in the U.S. is usually appreciated, especially for first-time travellers.
ELECTRICITY: First of all, remember to pack down a travel adapter Due to the differences between the Polish and American power grid, don’t expect to be able to charge electronic devices bought in Poland or Europe once in the U.S. It’s worth buying the necessary adapter already in Poland, but it isn’t difficult either to buy one in USA.
AMERICAN DOLLARS: Cash is always useful and it’s best to exchange some Polish zloty into dollars before going to the airport. The exchange rate will be easier on your wallet. A card operated by American ATMs will also be useful. Visit your local bank well ahead of the planned trip to get the necessary information.
TAX SYSTEM: When shopping inr US stores, it should not surprise us when it turns out that the price at the cash register is different from the one seen on the shelf. All this is due to VAT being added for the total price first at the cash register. The tax rate can be differ quite significantly from state to state. In many states, the level is around 7% but in some states, such as Delaware or Oregon, VAT on purchased goods amounts to exactly 0%.
ROADS: The car is the king in the United States – there is not a grain of exaggeration in this statement. We shouldn’t be surprised if people will give us distances not in kilometers or miles, but in the amount of hours needed to overcome them. Most of the highways don’t come with a cost for the motorist, especially in the western parts of the country. The farther east we travel though the more likely that we will eventually come across a toll booth. Payments are usually collected at the exit of a highway and amount to approximately PLN 10 for 100 miles (160 km). Trips across certain bridges or tunnels can also come with a cost.
While travelling by car on American roads, pay attention to “carpool” lanes in which only cars with with a driver and a passenger or passengers are allowed to drive. Parking in the USA is not the cheapest – especially in big cities. Due to the large number of cars, finding a parking space in the city center can take some time. In rush hour, traffic jams can significantly change the estimated time of arrival. Due to the long distances travelled, the issue of gasoline is crucial in the U.S. and Americans are fighting for the price to stay low to a far higher degree than in most European countries. Compared to Polish prices, gas is much cheaper. One liter in the U.S. currently costs around cost only around 70 cents (2,7 zlotys).
As a result, renting a car and going on a road trip will allow you to see much of what USA has to offer and it won’t be as expensive as you might think.
Get a visa, pack a bag and fly to the U.S. to explore all that the country has to offer. Safe travels!