TheBritish make up a significant ex-pat community in Poland. They come with a reputation for long hours and hard work, but all work and no play make John Bull a very dull boy. So what do my fellow countrymen do to amuse themselves when not working?

It seems there is a core of ex-pats that want to spend as much time as possible out of Warsaw. They go away for weekends in search of the real Poland. No patch of Polish turf is left unexplored from the cities (Cracow is often mentioned) to the towns (Sandomierz and Kazimierz Dolny) to the wilds of the northeast (Białowieża). In the summer, ex-pats can be found exploring the lake district, in the winter, the skis come out for long weekends.

But what about Warsaw? "Warsaw might not be one of the most attractive cities in Europe," according to one ex-pat, "but there can hardly be a city in Europe with more beautiful women." No surprise then that one of the favourite pastimes of ex-pats are Polish women. "I cannot think of a more pleasant way to pass time than to take a seat at an outdoor cafe on Nowy Świat, order a glass of wine and watch the girls go by," said Mark Atkinson. For others, the midnight ramblers, it is the bars and clubs of Warsaw.

The young corps of diplomats at the British embassy had little difficulty reeling off a string of names when asked for his favourite places and things to do. Nobo, Labo, Klubo Kawiarnia, Bar Below at Kwai, Melodia, La Republic Latina, Lemon. The latter is open 24 hours-just the place for ex-pat barflies.

The fact that the ex-pat Brits tend to spend three to four nights a week out on the town, eating, drinking or dancing the night away should please the local proprietors of bars, clubs and restaurants. It seems that ex-pats are keen, individually or collectively, to do their best to contribute to the Polish economy through a programme of spend, spend, spend. For those who are less keen to spend, there are enough freebies around town through the endless business mixers, where consultant meets consultant.

Brits also fancy a bit of hot and spicy, and seek out food that reminds them of home. So off they go to the few Indian restaurants dotted around town to get their weekly curry fix. Sunday morning brunches are also popular.

But not everyone seeks excitement. Philip Barclay at the British embassy says that he makes his "excuses and leaves" when talk swings 'round to bars and clubs. Philip and his wife Emma tend towards the more sedate, playing bridge, riding ponies and singing madrigals in choirs. Philip also likes to visit old cemeteries. Well someone has to do it.

Another long-time ex-pat, Iain Haggis, doubles up as a disc jockey during his free time, providing music and patter for parties and the like. Iain once hosted his own programme on Radio Plus, where he was a director.

Many ex-pats are eager to join health clubs but less eager to use them. They are more likely to go to Suparom Thai for a Thai massage. Those with an athletic bent tend towards tennis and squash.

Other interests that popped up were the cinema (quite popular) and shopping (less so).

But it seems we have very few culture vultures in our crop of ex-pats. One told me his Polish was of a high standard but found the theatre in Warsaw strictly for Polish audiences (well it would be). The Opera and National Philharmonic hardly showed up on the radar screen, but it is well known that there are the odd exceptions who do their bit for culture.
Leslie Sheldon