No guest this week - just Peter and John, armed with microphones, questionable opinions and 21 increasingly random questions.

In this special guest-free edition of Pole-ish, the hosts turn the spotlight on themselves. They tackle everything from beaches vs. mountains, Warsaw vs. Kraków, and Żabka vs. Biedronka, before John reveals his own answers to the Five Big Questions usually reserved for guests.

Along the way, John discovers a new scuba diving community in Kraków, Peter stumbles across the historic town of Olsztynek, and the pair discuss one of Poland's most beloved icons - the legendary Fiat 126p "Maluch".

There's also a deep dive into the curious history of Czernina, the traditional Polish duck-blood soup once used to reject unwanted suitors, plus plenty of the usual banter, disagreements and cultural observations.

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Read our blog: www.pole-ish.eu

Write to us: peter@pole-ish.eu

Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish Podcast’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Centrum Nurkowe Nautica: http://www.nauticadiving.pl/

Polski Fiat 126p ‘Maluch’: https://www.motor1.com/news/62725/soviet-bloc-cars-were-weird-polski-fiat-126p/

Czernina: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czernina

Jesień – Tańcuj (z filmu ‘Chłopi’) - Various Artists: https://open.spotify.com/track/1TwTHhkLEU4XcDRobMAUaW?si=a5fa1028d1a24248

Pole-ish Guest Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68kYaLG4XYgcjRdSjzzgcW?si=de7065757241400c

Football, history, bureaucracy, seafood, bicycles and a lot of affection for Poland - it can only be Pole-ish!

In this episode, Peter and John welcome Mike Giammattei, an American former Army Reservist who came to Poland on deployment, met the woman who would become his wife, and ended up building a life in Gniezno, Poland's historic first capital.

Along the way, Mike shares his experiences of bristling at Polish bureaucracy, working in logistics and his frankly bizarre love of Ipswich Town - not exactly one of English football's most glamorous clubs.

Elsewhere, Peter reports from the Baltic coast with some surprisingly salty facts, John reflects on a seafood extravaganza in Kraków, and the pair discuss cycling culture in Poland and the Netherlands.

This week's Pole of the Week is the extraordinary Irena Sendler, the Polish social worker who helped save around 2,500 Jewish children during the Second World War.

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Read our blog: www.pole-ish.eu

Write to us: peter@pole-ish.eu

Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish Podcast’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

RJ’s Goals – in memory of Mike’s brother: https://www.instagram.com/rjs.goals?igsh=NXJrb3VwZ2dmY2dw

Kapitan Konrad: https://en.kapitankonrad.pl/

Dutch Reach Project: https://www.dutchreach.org/

Polish National Anthem (Mazurek Dąbrowskiego): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BWvhox662o

Ipswich Town Football Club: www.itfc.co.uk

New Haven Pizza: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven-style_pizza

Delta Dawn – Tanya Tucker: https://open.spotify.com/track/7GH8qNOm2gEKryVUyVzkmt?si=5bdd431f9c1c491f

Pole-ish Guest Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68kYaLG4XYgcjRdSjzzgcW?si=de7065757241400c

In Episode 19 of Pole-ish, we ask what makes someone leave Britain behind to build a new life in Poland.

Communications consultant Tom Lane swapped the drizzle of West Midlands for the sunlit uplands of Poznań after falling in love during the Covid years. He shares the story of moving to Poland, navigating the post-Brexit maze of paperwork, getting married across two countries, and launching his own communications business in a foreign language and culture. Along the way, the conversation explores Polish bureaucracy, learning the language (obvs), football, community spirit, quality of life, and how Poland for Tom increasingly feels more like home than the UK.

Elsewhere, Peter and John discuss Czechia, Nashville, amber, Żabka, churches, and the welcome return of the legendary 666 bus to Hel.

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Read our blog: www.pole-ish.eu

Write to us: peter@pole-ish.eu

Follow our socials: search for ‘Pole-ish Podcast’ on BlueSky, Xwitter, YouTube and Facebook.

Return of the 666 bus to Hel: https://notesfrompoland.com/2026/05/31/polands-666-bus-to-hel-returns-in-new-form/

Polish amber: https://culture.pl/en/article/amber-poland-a-history-crafted-in-resin

UNESCO Heritage Sites in Poland: http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/pl

Polish National Anthem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland_Is_Not_Yet_Lost

Myslovitz - Długość dźwięku samotności: https://open.spotify.com/track/0DqRsfmMvauRib1AsgpOP2?si=de6e5c9309ae4c01

Pole-ish Guest Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/68kYaLG4XYgcjRdSjzzgcW?si=de7065757241400c