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NoSpoon posted:Flights between Madrid and Valencia are pretty cheap, so close enough to instantaneous. When you factor in time getting to/from both airports, it's probably the same speed (or slower than) taking a train. (E: Including going through security, checking in 30-45 minutes before takeoff, getting your luggage at the end if you checked it, etc.) Saladman fucked around with this message at 09:43 on Jul 20, 2010 |
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Jul 20, 2010 09:41
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Doctor Malaver posted:On the Balkans/Eastern Europe you don't have such problems - as a minor you can buy whatever you want and get wherever you want unless you look 12. 16 is the drinking age in most of continental Europe for wine/beer. I've never been carded in a bar in Europe, so I have no idea about that. It might be 18 but if you try 3 bars you'll probably get into 2 of them, in any country in Europe. That's all guesswork, but the worst that can happen is they tell you 'no.' Re hostel: Can you just have your friend check you both in? Just have her/him get a room for two, and have you be elsewhere (e.g. outside) and come back later. This works in hotels, anyway; I've never tried it in a hostel. Maybe someone else knows.
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Jul 21, 2010 18:43
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Jedi Knight Luigi posted:Are traveller's checks really necessary? What sort of situation would merit their use? None. Traveller's cheques are an outdated nightmare, don't get them.
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Aug 23, 2010 17:49
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JeffreyAtW posted:[...] Tell me all about Rome! All of Rome is overly-touristy. That list looks pretty good (though I've only been to Rome as a tourist) and will certainly take up all of your 'a few days.' Flyingfoggy posted:Prague You can skip Greece in winter too, since the islands aren't as fun then, and if you want to see Athens, you should instead go to the British Museum. Also, since you're a study abroad student, you can skip days of class on either Friday or Monday, and then a lot of those places are meaningfully-doable in a long weekend. Pretty much the only European cities that I've felt demanded more time than 3-4 days are Rome, Paris, and London.
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Sep 22, 2010 07:16
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Zosologist posted:Alternatively, my sister does have a car but I'm not sure how feasible it is for 3 English only assholes to go gallivanting across the continent finding rooms on the way. Also I'd imagine having a car in the major cities (Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome ect.) would be more trouble than it's worth. It's very feasible, but having a car in major cities is definitely more trouble than it's worth. If you're planning to spend most of your trip in major cities, I'd leave the car. If you've been around Europe before, I'd recommend the car and hitting smaller towns; if you haven't, I'd recommend trains & planes and hitting more major sites. Northern France is going to suck in late November, but it won't be any worse than Britain sucks in November, so I guess it depends on how sick you are of London's weather by the time you leave. Spain and the French & Italian Rivieras should be nice though. Stereotypes are usually based in reality, but they're still just stereotypes, and also English is widely spoken and understood, particularly by younger (< 50) people, even in France. Some people will be dicks, some won't. My spoken French is pretty awful, but other than a few food service industry people, I've never had anyone be rude to me about it (usually they switch to broken English fairly quickly into the conversation).
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Oct 1, 2010 09:35
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DownByTheWooter posted:Never snows there? Really? That is really surprising to me - I always thought Switzerland = Winter Wonderland Geneva -usually- sucks, but there actually is a cool celebration they do the second weekend in December (Sunday the 12th this year): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Escalade so it might actually be worth going to. I went last year and it was literally the only time I've enjoyed being in Geneva, out of a lot of time spent there. Also it does snow in Geneva--greazeball is somewhat exaggerating. All of Switzerland is definitely not a winter wonderland though. Snow covers it from the majority of mid-December->early-March but not continuously. Geneva is about as cold as Berlin or Munich. The surrounding mountains around the cities are always covered in snow, but most of Switzerland's "big" cities are at the lower points in the country.
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Oct 3, 2010 21:47
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greazeball posted:I guess technically it does snow here occasionally, 2 winters ago we got 4-5 nighttime dustings that melted by lunchtime and last winter (which was extraordinarily cold and snowy according to the locals) we had about 6 inches over 2 days and then a long cold snap so everything was covered in ice for 2 weeks (because the plows and salters were all in Lausanne). Oh, well then. Last winter was my first winter living here, and Morges was snow covered for about 50% of mid-Dec->end of Feb. (The dirt, not the streets/sidewalks.) I guess I'll look forward to this winter being nicer. VVVVVV F. Saladman fucked around with this message at 18:24 on Oct 4, 2010 |
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Oct 4, 2010 16:37
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DeathChill posted:I've been looking at trains and planning sites and I've yet to find anything about train departure times. It seems as if everything is done whenever. Are there a constant barrage of trains going everywhere that I don't have to worry about catching a specific train at a specific time? It depends where you're going, but usually no (unless it's a shorthaul trip, in which case: yes). Each country has its own system, so you'll have to look on their train system's website for schedules, e.g. Switzerland: sbb.ch, Germany: bahn.de, France: tgv.fr . They won't have each other's schedules, unless it's for a train going between Paris and Cologne or something.
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Oct 11, 2010 17:47
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Ziir posted:I'm also thinking probably I'll go to either the German or Swiss Alps. I think the idea then would be to take a train to some kind of village near the base of the Alps and then go hiking up somewhere. It doesn't have to be a one day hike but in the end I want a view similar to the one in the picture. You can do this pretty much anywhere in the Swiss Alps no problem, but (IMO) hiking in the snow blows, even with snowshoes or climbing skins. A sleeping bag rated for -6° will be acceptable for most of the Swiss Alps (since you're in a tent too) unless you're camping above 2500m... which I wouldn't recommend anyway. Also, most hikes in Switzerland have refuges (shelters), so you don't actually have to pitch a tent if you plan it right. Plus if you do that, you'll meet fellow crazy people who like to hike in winter. Most of the winter hikers will be people who ski down off-piste. The mountains near Interlaken will have the most people, if you want companions, and the mountains of the canton of Valais will be the opposite. People probably go winter hiking in the canton of Grauebunden also, but I don't know as much about it. I would expect it's even more sparsely hiked than Valais, except maybe around St. Moritz. You'll 100% need ski pants or something similar. Jeans will soak up water when you hike in the snow and make you hate your life, and maybe give you hypothermia. Similarly, fleeces suck in snow since they get wet and never dry ever (but they're okay if you have a waterproof jacket over it). Also keep in mind that weather conditions can change fairly quickly in mountains, and you don't want to get in a bad situation due to poor planning. Make sure you have a phone that works, and make sure someone knows where you're going. All of the Alps above 2000m are snow-covered, and will remain so until May. If you're hiking with a partner, I wouldn't worry as much. PS: "German" Alps? Oh, you mean Austrian Alps... (half joking, half serious).
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Oct 25, 2010 21:16
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Ziir posted:I was completely serious. I don't really know much about the Alps other than it runs through Germany as well and that the most famous ones are apparently in Switzerland. Did I say something funny or? Germany doesn't have any 'real' Alps; just (a very small amount of) foothills. The only 'peaks' literally form the border with Austria, and they're not even all that high. I've actually never heard the term "German Alps" before; I thought you were using a jingoistic German term (jokingly) for the Austrian Alps. (-> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alpenrelief_02.jpg is the Alps drawn on a political map.) Hiking in winter is extremely lonely if you're by yourself. The hike itself is fine, but remember that it's pitch dark by 17:00-17:30p, and the first light won't appear until ~7:00 (or even later, if you're on the west face of a mountain). That leaves you with like 14 hours to sit in a tent and be cold and lonely, or in a refuge drinking with Schweizers. Romantic is overrated unless you're an emo 19th century poet. Since learning how to ski with a bunch of Swiss people on off-piste mountain trails is not really a viable 'starting level' way to learn how to ski unless you've always wanted to see the inside of a rescue helicopter, your only option is snowshoes (which is certainly a viable way to climb). The snow will all be soft snow (as opposed to ice), so hiking boots/poles are useless. Landsknecht linked the site I was trying to think of. If you do the French Alps, some of the Grande Randonnees go through them (e.g. GR 5), and they're all well-marked trails with refuges every now and then. VVVVV If you go with a group then genuine camping might be fun. On that note, I'm not sure if you're legally allowed to start fires, but my guess would be "no except in emergencies." Saladman fucked around with this message at 12:44 on Oct 26, 2010 |
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Oct 26, 2010 11:54
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Reverse Jesus posted:I'm thinking of travelling from London to Venice by train. If you want to see the scenery, just actually go there. Passing through by train will give you a glimpse at best, or (more likely at this time of year) a cloudy experience where you can't much except the base of the mountains. I'd recommend saving your money and just buying a planet ticket from London to Venice, then using the €350 (extra cost of train vs plane + cost of hotel room in Zurich) you saved on going to Lake Maggiore or Lake Como, but I guess you're really determined to not fly? (If you're thinking about this trip in April or later, then you probably will get good scenery out the window of a train. If you do it in winter, it's iffy.)
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Oct 28, 2010 06:25
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Soapy Joe posted:I scanned the thread but couldn't see my question. Forgive me if this is a double. You're allowed 90 days out of 180, but they don't have to be contiguous, so the 3 months max isn't exactly true. However, if they suspect you of overstaying, I imagine the burden of proof would be on you to show that you'd been in Turkey for 2 months or whatever. Usually a passport would be this proof, but if you didn't get stamped (or if you're lying), you'll need to show train/plane tickets that showed when you left. You don't have to stay out for any length of time, unless you've hit your 90-of-180 days quota, in which case, you have to stay out for 90 days. If you were in Turkey for 2 weeks, then you'd need to wait 76 days, etc. Unixbeard is right about Switzerland and the Schengen visa, but not all of the EU is covered in Schengen (->UK), so if you go to the UK, it is considered 'being out of Europe' wrt your visa. (I'm like 80% sure about this, maybe someone else can confirm.) The visa agreement between the EU and Canada is multi-entry, so Eric Bauman's two-month-leave thing won't apply to you. (Tangent: I'm pretty sure all countries with visa agreements consider the stamp to be a mutli-entry 'visa'. Also you might technically have to leave for 2 months anyway, but not because of multi-entry, but instead because you've stayed in Schengen for 90 of the last ~120 days or whatever.) That said you're a Canadian in Italy, so if you overstay your visa you will PROBABLY be okay, but it can be bad if you get caught (can't go back to Schengen for 5 years, and/or pay a €1500 fine or something like that). I have two expired Schengen work visas in my passport for Germany and Switzerland, and I've never been stopped while flying int'l in Frankfurt, Paris, London, or Rome. However, I've been checked all 3 times I've flown int'l out of Geneva and been required to show my Schengen residence permit. ^^^^^^ Just saw your post above. If you're ALREADY overstayed on your visa, then you might seriously consider not going to Switzerland, where the stereotype holds very, very true that they love paperwork, and they love doing it correctly and to-the-letter. I've been checked on land borders twice for proper documentation (out of ~20 crossings), and checked flying out every single time I've flown out of Zurich or Geneva. If you're driving and overstayed on the visa, I would recommend crossing the border NOT on the autostrada, since usually the minor border crossings aren't even manned (e.g. go up the west side of Lago Maggiore instead of the autostrada from Milan to Lugano). Saladman fucked around with this message at 17:56 on Nov 4, 2010 |
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Nov 4, 2010 17:46
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pinegala posted:I'm a 21-year-old American college student who has never traveled without family and am planning on visiting a friend who's studying abroad in Dublin from Dec. 14th to Dec. 31st (who similarly hasn't traveled abroad without family). We originally planned to spend 3-4 days in Ireland, 3-4 days in Sweden (Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo), a week in Italy (2 days Rome, Sienna, 2 days Florence, 2 days Venice), and 3 days in Switzerland (Lugano, Lauterbrunnen, Lucerne). I'm a little concerned about : Unless you're a vampire (?) take out Sweden, add 2 days to Rome, a day to Ireland, and a day to Switzerland. Also: go to sleep on your flight. Take drugs if necessary. Jetlag is awful, and Iron Man 2 or whatever other terrible movie they'll show on the plane isn't worth losing a day in Europe over.
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Nov 11, 2010 12:49
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pinegala posted:Thanks! Would it be too late to make reservations on the 18th considering it's Christmas/holiday season? No. You can even buy them day-of––trains don't really fill up ever. Sometimes they run out of seats and you have to stand if you didn't reserve a seat, but even that is relatively uncommon.
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Nov 12, 2010 14:17
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several wet dogs posted:... have no idea where to start with the rest of France. Cannes is definitely out though, ugh. WikiTravel isn't as helpful as it was with Italy; I can't seem to get info on anything but vineyards. Surely France has more than that! The Annecy-Geneva-Chamonix area is nice if you like mountains and scenery and if you want to go skiing for a day or two. (Geneva is almost completely devoid of culture though, unfortunately and surprisingly.) All of northern France (particularly Normandy of course) is neat if you care about WW2 history at all and it has some very nice 'countryside Europe' scenery, best visited in mid-April or later, after spring has made the plants look nice again. Lots of Apple orchards and Apple specialties, but you're missing the primary season for that. South of France (Cote d'Azur) is nice if you like beaches, and excessive opulence (well, mainly just Monaco). Don't go to Marseilles. Oh and lots of vineyards. The Pyrenees are also nice for scenery, I hear, but I've never been there. If you end up going to Spain though I'm sure there are places there worth stopping like Andorra. There's probably cultural stuff to do in France outside of Paris, but other than WW2 sites in Normandy, I've never really heard of much. I'm not really sure why "Easter Season" would be a bad thing or spite you, but as Omits-Bagel said, it's not particularly commercially exploited (at least, not even on the same planet as Christmas, by comparison). I love Christmas's commercial exploitation though, bringing out markets and other unique seasonal events all over Europe. If you're really concerned about getting lost, buy a GPS (or if you have an iPhone, download Navigon, although it's almost as expensive as buying a real GPS). You can get one for ~$100 from Garmin or wherever. Otherwise paper maps, street maps scattered around major cities, and/or strangers will help you. Wikitravel and LonelyPlanet are the best 'general travel' sites I've found besides here. TripAdvisor is good for specifics once you've already selected what cities you want to go to. Saladman fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Nov 13, 2010 |
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Nov 13, 2010 20:31
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Argue posted:I may be going to Zurich around January or February. I've seen the city before, though, so I'm wondering what else I could do the next time. I don't want to fly halfway around the world and stay there for only two days, so if I extend to a week, I should have maybe 4 days of free time. What can I do in that amount of time? I'll be by myself, so I'm probably not going to be inclined to do things you'd normally do with friends. If you only have 3 or 4 days and have to fly out of Zurich, I'd just stay within a couple hours of Zurich. If the weather's nice, going to Zermatt or Interlaken or St Moritz would have beautiful stereotypical Swiss winter wonderland scenery. I wouldn't count on nice, clear weather though, so have a backup plan for doing something cultural, like going to Milan, or hitting the Basel->Bern->Lucern->Zurich circuit (1 day each is plenty). If you don't have to fly back out of Zurich, you could do pretty much anything in continental Europe depending on your tastes (but not the UK!). My vote would be on Rome, since it will be relatively warm, unless you're used to cold, dark weather, which I would guess you're not since you're a citizen of a "third-world" country.
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Nov 16, 2010 22:16
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Argue posted:Those are great suggestions; I was pretty worried 4 days wasn't enough time to go anywhere. (and for the record, 18 degrees Celsius is a cold day for me and we only get either sun or rain) English will get you by fine anywhere in Paris, Switzerland, Milan, or Rome. For Switzerland, if you stay in hostels, I'd budget $400/4 days for all your activities (including travel). If you stay in hotels, then more like $700/4 days. Milan, Paris, and Rome are all going to be similarly priced to Switzerland if you stay near downtown (which I would recommend doing). You could also go to Nice or Barcelona or something, but if you haven't been around Europe much, it's probably more interesting to start with one of the bigger sites and not another city that's on the same cultural/touristic level as Zurich.
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Nov 17, 2010 17:32
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greazeball posted:Wow. Gonna have to disagree with you on this, Barcelona loving rules. Zurich's not bad but... wow. I was there for a week a couple years ago, and I was bored after 4 days and just ended up spending the rest of the time on the beach. I'm not really into drinking / night culture though, especially not in a foreign country when I don't speak any of the native languages. The Sagrada Familia is cool and the Olympic Park is alright and they have the Picasso Museum and a few other things, but I wouldn't put it even in the footnotes for a map listing Paris, London, or Rome. Feel free to educate me, though.. [Edit: I actually did like Barcelona, I just didn't understand the rave. I also like sitting around on the beach.] Saladman fucked around with this message at 15:53 on Nov 18, 2010 |
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Nov 18, 2010 14:24
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Grenyarnia posted:Alright so I'm trying to work out my budget for my 2-week trip to Europe later next month and was looking for some help. I really have no idea how much I will be spending since I am unsure of the cost of things. €15 for a decent sit-down place. €5 at a normal club. €1.50-per-transit-without-discount. Prague will be somewhat cheaper. If you need to save money, then cutting out food would be the easiest, especially since German food isn't particularly haute cuisine.
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Nov 20, 2010 16:50
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Limastock posted:Im going to Europe from the US with my wife on the 18th of december to the 31st and I had a few questions that hopefully arent boring or stupid like how much does blah blah blah cost Landsknect answered the rest, so I'll say what everyone else will: Your itinerary is way, way, way too crowded. Cut out 2 cities and distribute it to the rest for the love of God. I'd probably cut out Amsterdam unless you smoke weed and/or are a Van Gogh fetishist and cut out Prague because Paris and Berlin are cooler (although I love Prague). Also I can't imagine why you're going to Zurich if you're only going to be there for two separate afternoons, unless flying from US->Zurich was much cheaper than to Paris, Amsterdam, or Frankfurt. I'd cut out Zurich before Prague or Amsterdam, but I guess you already have the tickets. Saladman fucked around with this message at 13:37 on Nov 26, 2010 |
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Nov 26, 2010 13:34
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Doctor Malaver posted:It turned out [my companions] were dull and a huge burden on me so after a few days I ditched them. I felt great then and enjoyed my new freedom... but after a week I started getting lonely. Then I heard some girls speaking my language in Prado and made friends with them and traveled together for the rest of the trip. This is pretty much how travel has been for me. I don't like travelling solo for more than even just a weekend. I've also found, at least for me, it's harder to meet people as a traveller in Europe than elsewhere, but that might be because I can't just go up to any foreign-looking person on the street and say in English: "hi, you are also a foreign traveller, let's grab a drink" like I can in Asia or Africa. Now I just save up my money and vacation for times I can go with someone I know I want to be with. YMMV as Dr. Malaver said. It's definitely worth trying out solo travel; some people love it.
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Nov 30, 2010 13:13
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Reverse Jesus posted:I'm thinking of going to NY alone for a week or so. I have friends who want to go too, but they're not interested in shopping or exploring, more going clubbing every night. And they mainly want to go to LA but maybe spend a few days in NY. I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. You'll manage. Also LA and NY are about as far away as Lisbon and Moscow. I really agree with Ziir a couple posts above. I love spending days by myself (or with a girlfriend/very close friend) and not with "other people," but at nights it's great to meet up with, or meet, casual acquaintances. I would never plan more than a weekend trip with someone I hadn't either spent time living with or travelled with before; you really do see a different side of people. Also don't tell people about your travels unless they ask. No one likes someone who talks about their travels all the goddamn time (this forum notwithstanding, since we all come here specifically to hear or ask about other people's experiences).
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Nov 30, 2010 23:51
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Ziir posted:OK, I've decided I'm going to Paris in January with some friends. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which arrondissement we'd want to stay in/avoid? Rent an apartment from somewhere like http://www.vrbo.com/. It's so much nicer than a hostel and if you have 4-5 of you, it won't really be any more expensive when you break it down, especially in low season (January). I pretty much always do this when I go on vacation with several people. e.g. http://www.vrbo.com/19978 is €700/week for 3 people, which breaks down into €33pp/day, and it's right next to Notre Dame. It's nicer than even a fancy hotel, and at 1/6th the price. Saladman fucked around with this message at 09:11 on Dec 5, 2010 |
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Dec 5, 2010 09:08
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Limastock posted:Ok one last question; what do I do with my phone? Im on tmobile and my wife is on verizon, should we just leave our phones home to avoid extra charges? Verizon phones won't even work in Europe, at all, so you might as well leave it at home. You might want to bring your phone just in case, just leaving it off unless there's an emergency.
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Dec 18, 2010 00:34
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wins32767 posted:I asked my folks to look into the car rental details the last time we chatted on Skype, I'll hopefully know soon. They knew from their own experience that you can't drop a car off in a different country than the one that you pick it up in but their initial thoughts were that same country/different city were ok. The point about Trier is a good one and that Versailles suggestion is awesome. You can rent a car in one country and drop it off in a different country; I've done this probably a dozen times. You'll usually get hit with a one-way fee, but this is true even if you return it to same-country-different-city. Sixt has been my favorite car rental company in Europe, but YMMV, so check them all.
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Dec 21, 2010 08:23
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Grenyarnia posted:Quick question about eurail reservations. I am taking the train from Brussels to Berlin with a switch in Cologne. Do I need to pay for two separate reservations? Also, do reservations give you an assigned seat? If so, is there any way to ensure that the person I am traveling with sits next to me? No. Not necessarily; you usually have to pay extra (~€5) to reserve a seat. Otherwise you can sit in any open seat. If you buy them at the same time, you'll be seated together unless the train is already full. If you buy them separately online, I don't know any way to make sure you're seated together, but if you call / do it in person / have one person buy both tickets online, that will be fine. Limastock posted:Im in prague and its the most awesome place ever. To the guy thinking about renting a car i would never ever do that. People drive crazy here and there are hardly any traffic lights. Having driven through downtown Prague several times and spent a fair amount of time driving around Czech, I never really felt it was any different from the rest of Europe. Czech Republic's accident rate is not the highest in Europe either, nor is it even close. Greece has the worst drivers in Europe, statistically by fatal road accidents. Germany is pretty bad too. http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp6/pdfdocs/RAS_2007.pdf Czechs owned cars before 1991.... Skoda is Czech, and they make / always have been a pretty significant manufacturer. VVV VVV VVV [E: I didn't notice re: pedestrian safety in Prague, but you're probably right. Where I'm from, pedestrians don't have right of way, so I don't really notice when it's that way or not in a country. It actually kind of bothers me when I'm in a country (e.g. Switzerland) where a car stops for me at a crosswalk if there's not a red light.] Saladman fucked around with this message at 12:50 on Dec 28, 2010 |
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Dec 27, 2010 19:51
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Anyone know particularly cool things to do in Paris on New Year's Eve? I don't have any reservations for a club or bars or anything, and I imagine tickets are impossible to get now. Is there like a cool fireworks show over the Seine or should I just wander around Latin Quarter?
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Dec 30, 2010 14:07
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tourgon posted:Lots of fireworks around the Eiffel Tower, many people walk along Champs-Elysees and celebrate around the Eiffel Tower (or from a bit further away with a view to the Eiffel Tower). Expect something like this https://wi.somethingawful.com/87/87ff126f5ce7e7db6a96df852403fbbafb6da261.jpg They didn't do a fireworks show this year! (Extremely foggy.) There were just sporadic fireworks all around the city from about midnight until about 1:00. Oh well. We did the rest of the walk all along the Seine from 11th to the Eiffel Tower and back. It was nice and crowded everywhere even when we got back at 4am.
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Jan 1, 2011 12:04
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schoenfelder posted:This summer I will be going to Crete, Greece, and I was wondering what would be the easiest way to get to Spain(train, bus, ferry, etc) with the exception of air travel(I hate plane, also poor). I'm not sure if it would be easier to take a ferry from Crete to mainland Greece or to just take it to Italy. Also I would like to know about the visa situation(I'm American.) when traveling through different countries in Europe. You don't need a visa for any country in Europe except some of the ex-Warsaw Pact states that hate America and long for the Soviet Union (e.g. Russia, Belarus and uh... I think that's it). Also, as Schoenfelder said, any option besides a plane will be awful, insanely slow, and literally four to five times more expensive unless you speak every language from Crete to Barcelona and can fast-talk your way onboard merchant ships (in which case it will be beyond insanely slow, potentially awful, and probably a similar price to flying).
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Jan 17, 2011 13:04
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insomniac doze posted:Thank you for the information. I knew that taking ferries, trains etc. would be more inconvenient but I didn't realize to what degree, so I think afterall I'll just have to take a flight there. Can you tell me any information about the security at customs? I've only flown to Asia so I don't have anything to compare it to. Flying within the Schengen zone (essentially: the EU, minus the UK & Ireland, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) is exactly like flying domestic in the USA used to be. So, unless Crete is special for some reason, all they'll do is make sure your ticket name matches your passport-or-Greek-residence-card name and run your bag through the x-ray machine. You won't have to do customs or anything (but you also won't be able to duty-free shop...)
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Jan 17, 2011 15:57
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Magic Underwear posted:What the hell does this mean? Why should I bring receipts with me to europe? I've never heard of this happening ever. I wouldn't bring receipts unless you're bringing like 6 Macbook Airs and a suitcase full of iPads.
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Jan 17, 2011 23:12
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Ziir posted:Not trying to poo poo up the thread or anything cause I understand what you're saying but 1) we're comparing anecdotes and 2) who the hell even keeps a receipt these days? Most of my big purchases are done online, and the ones that aren't are either second hand (SA Mart) or at places like Best Buy they keep a record of all purchases in their computer tied to my name so there's no point. Off topic, but you really should keep your receipts until the bill comes in the mail, assuming you bought it with a credit card. I never keep receipts for anything I buy in cash, though, which is most of my big ticket purchases are (cars, computers, cameras...). poo poo can happen, but if you bring your receipts with you to Europe for all your electronic equipment, then you should probably go to a psychologist to get yourself checked out and get a prescription for something to make you not insane. On a related note, if you go to Israel, be careful for your Macbook, because the Israeli Customs people might shoot it. http://www.cultofmac.com/welcome-to-israel-we-shot-your-macbook/23431 Makes the TSA's passenger rape or European Customs baggage theft not look so bad. E: http://lilysussman.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/im-sorry-but-we-blew-up-your-laptop-welcome-to-israel/ (original article, which shows that the Israeli Customs people who did that were actually insane. in case someone tries to defend them on a "yeah but it could've been a terrorist laptop" basis, which it absolutely could not have been, and the customs people were just total assholes.) Saladman fucked around with this message at 13:07 on Jan 18, 2011 |
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Jan 18, 2011 13:02
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Ziir posted:All of my German friends over here have told me the exact same story about how they once met a Swiss or Austrian guy/girl at a hostel in another country (most often times it's Australia, or New Zealand...) and had to resort to communicating in English because he didn't understand them. 99% of Swiss Germans also speak High German, so if they couldn't understand Swiss directly speaking to them, that's because the Swiss were intentionally being dicks. Which wouldn't be the first time in history that's happened. OptionalBreakfast: Your most realistic course of action is probably to apply to school in Europe. Since you're married, if you or your wife gets in, both of you will get a visa. The same applies for a job, but without engineering or medical-field degrees, you're going to have a hard time unless you have some sort of personal connection. International School might work with her MsEd; she'd probably have a pretty solid shot at TASIS or somewhere similar. In general they will prefer Brits or Irish to your wife, though. Her MsEd will put her on par with a 22 year old drunkard Brit with a BA in classical studies. [E: All Brits are drunkards.] E: If your wife gets a real job first, it means you'll get a working (spouse) visa, at which point you can get a janitorial job or similar. However, if you don't speak German or at least Turkish, they won't hire you. Most of the people working manual labor jobs in the US speak Spanish; think about how much harder it would be to get those jobs if you speak neither Spanish nor English (I assume, I have no anecdotes to offer). Saladman fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Jan 24, 2011 |
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Jan 24, 2011 00:34
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scr0llwheel posted:The girlfriend and I were thinking of going to Germany this summer (I posted for recommendations about it a while ago, thanks for that!) but due to scheduling issues, we might not be able to make it in the summer. It depends where you go and where you're from, but yes, in general, Germany is quite cold in December. It's also pretty dark, like sunset of 4pm in Berlin in December. I would not go to Scotland in winter, because you'll get like 4 hours of daylight a day and it will be depressing, but on the other hand, everything touristy will be cheap and empty. I would recommend the French Riveria, Spain, or Italy, if you're going to Europe in winter. All of them will be dark, though—Naples is at the same latitude as NYC. Maybe I'm harping on light too much though—it won't matter quite as much for a tourist as a resident. Saladman fucked around with this message at 18:20 on Jan 24, 2011 |
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Jan 24, 2011 18:15
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Neris posted:Most of Europe is either damp and cold and dark early, or freezing cold and dark early, Austria included. Europe in December is not your best bet, but I'd imagine the Christmas markets in Hamburg would be lovely. Sorry, I was exaggerating on Scotland a bit—it's actually ~7 (overcast) hours according to http://www.jgiesen.de/daylight/ (with sunset at 2:45pm if the UK decides to stop using GMT!) I went to Rome-and-environs last year for Christmas and it was awesome, lively, and light-jacket weather (~60F in the day, 45 at night), so that would be my vote. I went to the French Riviera this December for a week, and Paris for NYE, and neither was as fun as Rome, but YMMV.
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Jan 24, 2011 19:38
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^^^^^^^^^^^ In my opinion, spring and autumn are the best times to go, since there won't be many tourists, but the weather will also be nice and most things will still be discounted for 'off-season' before May 1 and after Oct 1 (except the high season of Dec 22-Jan3)Ziir posted:Honestly I don't think it's worth it to go out of your way to visit a Christmas market. There's a "world famous" Christmas market where I live now and it was nothing special. If you want an idea of what it's like, just think of an American style state/city fair. You know that section in the fairgrounds where they sell souvenirs and food? That's the Christmas market. Except everything is much closer together, the huts are decorated in Christmas decor, and the shops sell things you'll never buy like wooden carvings and candles. And there's more people crowding around everything. The fatty food is nothing special, just your regular all sorts of wurst, crepes, deep fried fish, pizzas, french fries, etc. I guess drinking Glühwein out of a tiny shoe shaped glass might be neat if you've never tried it before, but I hated the taste of it. Thank you—I thought I was the only person in the world who thought Christmas markets were not special or particularly interesting, since they have crap-markets that are 99% identical in the US. I do like being able to buy spice wine (I love it) and churros on the street, but I think that's the only thing I've ever done at a Christmas market.. Saladman fucked around with this message at 08:53 on Jan 25, 2011 |
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Jan 25, 2011 08:51
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scr0llwheel posted:I absolutely, completely, 110% agree and wish we could go back again during these seasons. Our schedules just won't allow us to take extended time off anytime soon except during Christmas 2011. Yeah, I'd recommend skipping Europe in favor of somewhere else like Morocco or Thailand or Mexico or Oz or wherever. Europe for the Christmas season is actually more expensive even than summer, but many things will still be closed for the holidays and it will be dark and cold. (Although if you're from WVA, it will probably be pretty much the temperatures you're used to.)
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Jan 25, 2011 18:36
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kissekatt posted:I'm going to Paris with my family for an extended weekend trip (Thursday noon - Monday noon) next week. Two of us have been to Paris before, three haven't. I have been considering visiting Versailles. On the one hand I'd like to actually see Versailles, but on the other hand it's over an hour in total travelling time back and forth and it might be the wrong season (bare gardens and similar) so I'm currently leaning against it. Any thoughts? If the weather is nice and sunny and warm, Versailles might be nice, but if it's rainy and/or cold then I'd skip it. Also it's the wrong season for the gardens (as you said), though they can still be nice if the weather is. I went there in November a few years ago and enjoyed it. The Louvre, Rodin, or whatever museums could fill up as much time as you're interested in. Also you could just walk around the Moulin Rouge area (near Sacre Coeur).
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Feb 26, 2011 22:37
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BexGu posted:I have a upcoming Ski Trip to Chamonix, France mid March. Now, seven days of skiing is pretty intense so I plan on taking a day or two off and travel. The group I'm going with has the option of spending a day in Geneva, Switzerland, Annecy, France, and/or Torino (Turin), Italy. Does any one have any recommended/review of those three areas? Geneva 2/5: Geneva kind of blows, but since you're probably flying in and out of there (?) I guess it's worth an afternoon or morning. Honestly unless you want to buy something at more-expensive-than-in-your-home-country prices, there's really nothing to do there except see the Jet d'Eau, the super lame flower clock, and uh... walk around. If you're really into watches, I think Patek Phillipe and/or Rolex have a museum, but I've never been. CERN is nearby, and you can visit if you reserve a spot a couple months in advance. (I've never done that, but really should...) Annecy 2.5/5: Annecy is a quaint little town, but again there's not much to do besides wander around and go into shops. It has a bid for hosting the 2016 Olympics, so it might've changed some in the last year since I've been there. When I went (March 2010), they had some sort of festival which was neat—there were literally hundreds of people in 1700s ballroom dress, wearing those olde tymey masquerade masks. Otherwise I think I would've been bored there after about an hour. Tornio 3/5: Torino has a sort of quarter-French three-quarters-Italian feel to it--much more like Milan than Rome or Florence or Venice. The Shroud of Turin is there (limited viewing hours for only part of the year) which is kind of neat in a "tell other people I've done that" way. This city is my favorite of the three you listed, and the only one I could imagine spending a full day in. It's also my least favorite big Italian city, although if I ever go to Naples, maybe the two could compete in that category. Chamonix is fun and full of drunk Brits, and you are going to hear more British than French while you're there. I'm pretty sure your week ski pass covers the whole mountain range up to Verbier (the season pass does), so you could check out the Swiss side of the Alps while you're there. Aiguille de Midi is awesome, so even if you don't go up there to ski, go up there (on a clear day). La Mer de Glace is neat and melting at a truly astonishing rate, so you should go check that out while you're there. Skiing has been absolute poo poo in Chamonix/Verbier this year, but they got fresh snow there last week for the first time in (literally) a month, so you might be lucky. Unless you really feel like you have to travel to cities, I'd just stay in the Chamonix/Verbier/Geneva region and enjoy the outdoors for a week. If you have a car, then I'd check out the little villages around Chamonix, although that's really only one day, as they're all identical. Depending on when you go, you might be able to do some amazing hikes in Valais, just over the border on the Swiss side near Martigny and/or Sion; the mountains have been outrageously warm this year (still cold, but not icy).
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Mar 1, 2011 12:30
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Sweevo posted:Where you go depends on a lot of things, but York and Edinburgh are both worth a look, maybe Warwick Castle if you like that kind of thing, although they put on a lot of cod-medieval, renaissance fair-esque crap because American tourists expected it, so it's a bit touristy these days. I loved the cod-medieval renfair-esque crap they had at Warwick castle and thought it was pretty unique compared to the drab nothing-ever-happens-except-on-special-events-days at most historical castles. (My two cents.)
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Mar 1, 2011 12:33
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