Different things in Poland. Part 4

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
13. Melody in the traffic light of Gdansk.
It is natural to have sound in the traffic lights so blind people can also cross the street savely. We have it in Finland also, but Gdansk has their own tune. It is not the basic PEEP - PEEP - sound, it is something different. It is hard to explain, so listen to yourself.

14. Public toilets have separate toilet section.
First I though it is just some of the toilets, but everyone I have visited so far has it. When you go in, you enter the hand washing section. Then after another door there is toilets. There is always the door between.

15. Cleanliness
This is actually something my mom pointed out. Even though some buildings are old, the streets are really clean. There isn't cigarette butts or trash all over the place. In the festival people were picking up their own trash. It seems that Polish kids are taught to keep streets clean and if not, there is cleaner who sweeps the streets in the morning.

16. Going to the doctor
This is the thing that gets me every time I have to see a doctor abroad. I can just walk in and get a appointment. No long waiting lines, no huge bill after it, no expensive tests. They see me and they write me description for antibiotics. Just like that. It is awesome and scary at the same time.

Different thing in Poland. Part 3

Part 1
Part 2
9. Somersby Beer drink.

Somersby in Finland is well-known for its delicious ciders. When I saw Somersby here I was going HALLELUJA! in my head. Then I realized it's not the same.. It is okay, but the after taste is little bit too much beerish in my opinion.

10. Unisex toilets

Many places have unisex toilets.  I'm not sure if it is gender equality issue here or just practicality, it is much more easier to have unisex toilets. Either way, it is amazing and the way things should be.

11. Paying with cards.

Cards are way more common than cash. You can pay with contactless payments like paypass almost everywhere and it is desirable. Most surprisingly - you cannot pay with cash in the festival, only cards we accepted. At least in the Open'er Festival.

12. The forest.

It is so different when comparing to Finland and at the same time it reminds me about Korea. Tall trees, walking routes, really easy place to get lost. When you go in it feels like entering a fairytale.

Different things in Poland. Part 2.

Part 1
5. Drivers give you a way 
... even better than in Finland. I have spent most of my life in Finland where it's quite save to cross the street. So it shouldn't be a surprise for me if drivers are polite. But geez, here you don't have to think can you cross the street in the crosswalk because everyone stops. Right away. You just need to walk. And it is awesome.

6. Traffic light are extremely fast.
Seriously. It is almost impossible to cross the street with green light. You need to run if you don't want to wait another green.

7. Light switches are wrong way.
At least at our home. No one believes me and I'm the only one who gets annoyed by it, but I'm sure that in all the houses I have lived in Finland the light is off when the switch is down. Here it's on. You can imagine how many times I have forgotten to turn off the lights..

8. Windows open two ways.
This is apparently normal in many European countries but for me it is the first time to actually realize it. All of our windows can be opened both vertically and horizontally. I have never seen it in Finland. But again, this might be only our house.

Different things in Poland. part 1

When I was in Korea, I did these "different things in.." posts and now that I'm here in Poland, I will start posting same kind of posts. So here we go.

1. Architecture
This is obvious one. The architecture in Poland is totally different from Finland. Poland has more colors, many different kinds of houses next to each other.. For me it is just beautiful.

2. People who seem to be from 80's.
Yeah. I have seen so many young people who seem to be right from 80's. One day we saw group of young punk kids and it was amazing. But it might be only me who thinks people wear same clothes as 80's.

3. Women always leave the elevator first.
This has caused little confusion for me. First days I always wondered why no one leaves the lift. Then I learned I have to be the first one leaving if there's only men and me. I heard it's because old elevator etiquette.

4. There is more than one railway company. 
In Finland there is only one railway company, VR, owned by government. So for me it's always surprising to see many railway companies.