“On the Baltic Sea they put up screens like houses, play loud music and open cans”

A dream and long-awaited vacation can turn into a nightmare if we end up in a place overcrowded with tourists who do not respect the space of others. As our interlocutors complain, this is the norm on the Baltic Sea. – Instead of a fresh sea breeze, there was the stench of cigarette smoke and beer fumes. Instead of the sound of the waves, Zenek’s singing from a portable loudspeaker. The beaches are covered with bottle caps, pets, beer cans and glass from broken bottles. Plus the screams of wives thrown into the water by their drunk husbands, the squeals of children running around unattended and the loud comments of tattooed hunks who judge women as if they were Top Model jurors. Well, you can’t have a better rest – says Sandra. What behavior on the Baltic Sea irritates Poles the most?

Screens like houses

Poland is unique when it comes to the presence of beach screens. You won’t find such a sight in Spain, Turkey or Greece. Moreover, Poles who go on holiday abroad also leave their screens at home. So why do we allocate space on the beach at the Polish seaside? Many people list this as one of the most annoying beach practices. – On the Baltic Sea, they build screens like houses, play loud music and open cans. They think that if they isolate themselves, they can do anything. Moreover, this screen does not take up as much space as two adults need. Then you have to move on one leg because there is nowhere to put your foot – they reserve half the beach for themselves! – Iza gets irritated.

2327312251 Jota Buyinch Photo / Shutterstock

The smell of barbecue

When getting ready for the beach, some people pack buns in their backpack, others pack a barbecue. And they regale everyone around them with the smell of grilled sausage. – Nothing pisses me off more than grilling with a smelly charcoal grill on the beach. I have never encountered anything like this abroad, and I have visited many countries, but unfortunately it is a Polish condition. That’s why I don’t relax in Poland, says Sandra.

There is no clear prohibition of lighting a barbecue by the sea in Polish law. However, on a crowded beach this may be considered a public nuisance and a fire hazard. As a result, the city guard has the right to give us a fine of up to PLN 500.

Smoking cigarettes and throwing pets in the sand

Just like barbecue smoke, beachgoers are also bothered by cigarette smoke. Although a smoking ban has been introduced on some Polish beaches, e.g. in Gdynia and Gdańsk, and is enforced by the City Guard, in most seaside towns there are no clear regulations. And even if they are, few people follow them. – Some people do not understand that if someone is a non-smoker, they can smell an irritating stench from several dozen meters away, not to mention that it is poison for a passive smoker. The height of selfishness – says Adam.

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Disco in the morning

Do you want to relax and listen to the sound of the sea, and your neighbor decides to treat everyone around you to his favorite music from a portable speaker? Many people would prefer to avoid such attractions on the beach. – Musical tastes vary, and besides, people want to relax on the beach. After all, buying headphones is not a problem nowadays – emphasizes Iza.

The beach is not a toilet

Our interlocutors also point out that a major problem is the lack of public toilets near Polish beaches. Therefore, many tourists relieve themselves in the sea or in the dunes. – It happens that parents let their children sit next to a neighbor’s screen, or bury a serious matter in the sand. This is too much… – says Ola. If she had to sum up her holiday at the Polish seaside, she would use three words: crap, rudeness and trash. – No sensible person goes to the beach in the summer months – he says at the end of our conversation.