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If you're just going there for a few days/weeks, then ATM when you're over there. If you're talking about the permanent move where you want to transfer assets over, wire transfer, which generally costs $30 on either end.
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Jul 7, 2018 03:22
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But bring at least a week's worth of cash and try to open (or have someone open one for you) a bank account there before you leave the states. US banks can be insanely incompetent when it comes to international bank transfers so you want to have money to tide you over while you wait 5 business days for poo poo to process and it will help if you can give instructions in person and get a contact name at your bank.
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Jul 7, 2018 04:53
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There's a group of us 8 of going to Oktoberfest in Munich this year on the middle weekend (tent days 9/30 and 10/1). We're planning on doing about 4 days total in Munich and environs, and then all heading to a second country. We are basically deadlocked between Croatia and Greece. Any thoughts on which is a better option for the first week of October? It seems like it's off season for both and there's some concern that Croatia will be a little too slow. Everyone we know has said very positive things about but they've also all gone in the summer. I've read a fair amount of reviews that say early off season is nice, but I don't know if those are from old people who are just glad all the kids are gone. Greece feels like a little bit more of a known quantity, which is a plus or minus depending on which part of the group you talk to. I'm leaning Croatia but some people are arguing hard the other way and there are some really cool pictures from Santorini (leading island, but not decided). No one has been to either country, which is mostly how we wound up deciding on these two options. Time available would be from about Tuesday to Sunday, at least 4 full days plus partial travel days. So Greece trip would be a day or so in Athens and then flying to Santorini or elsewhere. Croatia trip would maybe involve more movement as hanging out at various islands between Split and Dubrovnik seems like a thing to do there. I'm looking into just getting us on a small sailboat for that trip, but that may be slightly expensive, or if the weather sucks, a gigantic mistake. I've gotten one quote that's in most peoples' price ranges but still feels like a big bet on a specific kind of trip. Group age ranges from about 28 to 40. We encompass a wide range of attitudes towards vacationing, so the ability to relax and enjoy some beautiful surroundings, eat awesome food, have a little adventure (hiking/snorkeling, kind of stuff), and maybe spend another night or two getting kind of crazy are all things we're looking for.
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Jul 7, 2018 19:54
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Santorini is, hands down, the most interesting and beautiful geological formation I have ever been to, and I've been to a lot of places. I even remember seeing it from 30'000 feet several years before going there, without knowing what it was, and thinking "holy poo poo that island looks amazing." If you can get a direct flight from Munich I'd be all in for that. If it's like 7 hours of transport and you have to fly through Athens then eh.. Greece first week of October is fine, everything is open and the sea will still be swimming temperature. Santorini is much easier to get around with a car, and stay the hell away from Fira during the day when it's overrun with pensioners on cruises. If you don't want to rent two cars then TBH I would skip Santorini as it's pretty hard, if not impossible, to get around the island on public transit and the cabs are run by a mafia, 3 cabs across the island round-trip would probably cost more than your flights, if you could even get 3 cabs simultaneously. E: It also depends on your budget. If your budget is not very high, then Croatia is probably a better bet. Or some island other than Santorini, which is super expensive if you want to really enjoy it. IME YMMV ETC Saladman fucked around with this message at 22:38 on Jul 7, 2018 |
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Jul 7, 2018 22:35
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Drone posted:So at least I've narrowed it down to a general area. Any hidden gems in Denmark? Copenhagen seems expensive as hell. So depending on how far north you want to go, the Jelling monument near Vejle (as previously mentioned) is a fairly big deal. Anyway, what are you into? History, nature, art? For nature there is the Wadden Sea national park For history there is The Frøslev Camp where Danish resistance fighters were imprisoned in WW2, and collaborators (mostly from the German minority) were imprisoned after WW2, Sønderborg Castle with exhibitions on the history of the region, the Tirpitz Museum set in a WW2 gun battery. For a pretty view go for a walk on Knivsbjerg, the focal point of the German minority. I'm not really into art museums, but Brundlund Slot is supposed to be good. That's just off the top of my head. edit: If you want to go for a stroll on a pretty little island there is Barsø. It's only a 15 minute ferry trip. Per fucked around with this message at 22:47 on Jul 8, 2018 |
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Jul 8, 2018 22:33
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So, stupid me, with my stupid spontaneous planning of this trip, didnt book tickets for Neuschwanstein (Disney Castle in Bavaria). For the days I am in Munich, I cant book online but it says there should be tickets available on the day. My problem is, its summer and busy and the earliest I can get there on the Bavarian train ticket is after 12 (train gets to fussen at 1155, gotta bus to the ticket place). How likely am I to get a ticket? I can leave munich at 830 and get there an hour sooner but the ticket starts at 9am Ive put in a booking for the other castle but I have to wait until tomorrow for them to get back to me and confirm. Ive heard the tour is kinda poo poo, is that true? Do I miss much? My plan is to spend the rest of the day in the town and hiking the area, I want to see the sunset there too. I can get an 1130pm train back to munich. Alternatively I find another way to fill my time in munich (Dachau, museums) and stay in the town overnight afterwards. I also want to spend a full day in Salzburg after munich and fussen is the wrong way
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Jul 9, 2018 21:40
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Can anyone speak to the value of a Swiss Pass? Ideally my travels include all of Switzerland and Provence next April/May.
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Jul 9, 2018 23:21
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I've done the math a few times and it only really works out if you want to spend all day on the train every day (tickets are generally priced by distance). It's usually cheaper to get the half-fare card and buy tickets normally through the app or at the station. The only clear benefit to the Swiss pass is convenience as you don't have to book tickets.
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Jul 10, 2018 07:59
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So my wife and her parents are doing a first time trip in Europe. Father in law went to Germany and Netherlands for work 30 years ago and mother in law went to France as well. My wife has never been to Europe and is basically “winging it”. So far they landed in Frankfurt, went to the town of Mainz, and is slowly making their way up the Rhine and into the Netherlands. They stopped along Cochem and Luxembourg, Koln and now are in Amsterdam. As much as my wife loves english medieval history, she’s kind of done with castles, churches, and town squares. Which I’m kind of disappointed in her because we never get sick of Buddhist temples and we can track the change in religious art styles and Buddhist sects. It’s only a week and parents in law (65 and 60 years old) only have 11 days left before going back to Frankfurt and flying to China. I’m going to meet up with her in London and spend a week there. After London we will pick up a goon buddy and do a road trip around midlands and England. Anyways, my inlaws will be spending 5 days in Amsterdam, and 2 days in Rotterdam with 4 days to spare. I’m not Dutch and I’m racking my brain for stuff to do.
She’s loving Europe and eating bread everyday and getting happily fat. She also loves the Netherlands, there might not be the same number of prestigious sights compared to Paris or London, but the density is amazing and it’s easy to get around compare to Rhineland. She’s also thrown off how you can get different country or small town vibes once you cross the border. Man I miss Europe and wish I can watch the World Cup there. Except being in England, god english football fans are trash
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Jul 10, 2018 09:07
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birds posted:Can anyone speak to the value of a Swiss Pass? Ideally my travels include all of Switzerland and Provence next April/May. Yeah, like Greazeball said, the Swiss Pass is really only economical for inter-city commuters. For tourists who don't care whether they minmax their $ value but instead just care about convenience, it's also really nice. But, it's almost always cheaper to just get the half-fare card and buy tickets at the station — or the supersaver tickets if you really care. Or if you REALLY want to save money, you can just take the Flixbus's between cities and skip the half-fare card altogether, although I think Flixbus only goes between the major cities right now. Also depending on what you want to do, you might want to rent a car in Switzerland, drop it off in Geneva, take the train to Marseille or Nice or wherever, rent a car there. That depends on what you want to do in both countries and how much you care about freedom of movement vs following timetables and not having to deal with driving. In Provence a car is also nice if you want to do anything that's not on the coast, but if you're just going to major cities I wouldn't bother. Saladman fucked around with this message at 12:18 on Jul 10, 2018 |
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Jul 10, 2018 12:16
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I literally don't think I've ever heard a good story that resulted from "hey, maybe let's just eat a space cake." Edibles have led to the worst stories I've ever personally heard from drug use outside of opiates. If they want to get weed and don't do it regularly, then just smoke it, at least that way they won't OD themselves into 8 hours of couchlock.
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Jul 10, 2018 12:21
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Saladman posted:I literally don't think I've ever heard a good story that resulted from "hey, maybe let's just eat a space cake." Edibles have led to the worst stories I've ever personally heard from drug use outside of opiates. If they want to get weed and don't do it regularly, then just smoke it, at least that way they won't OD themselves into 8 hours of couchlock. Yeah agreed
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Jul 10, 2018 13:28
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Saladman posted:I literally don't think I've ever heard a good story that resulted from "hey, maybe let's just eat a space cake." Edibles have led to the worst stories I've ever personally heard from drug use outside of opiates. If they want to get weed and don't do it regularly, then just smoke it, at least that way they won't OD themselves into 8 hours of couchlock.
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Jul 10, 2018 15:31
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greazeball posted:I've done the math a few times and it only really works out if you want to spend all day on the train every day (tickets are generally priced by distance). It's usually cheaper to get the half-fare card and buy tickets normally through the app or at the station. The only clear benefit to the Swiss pass is convenience as you don't have to book tickets. Saladman posted:Yeah, like Greazeball said, the Swiss Pass is really only economical for inter-city commuters. For tourists who don't care whether they minmax their $ value but instead just care about convenience, it's also really nice. But, it's almost always cheaper to just get the half-fare card and buy tickets at the station — or the supersaver tickets if you really care. Or if you REALLY want to save money, you can just take the Flixbus's between cities and skip the half-fare card altogether, although I think Flixbus only goes between the major cities right now. Thanks y'all. Yeah the half fare card does look like a better option. While I plan to see as much of Switzerland as I can, my primary purpose for going is to volunteer in the Alps for a few months so I don't need the museum discounts or anything.
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Jul 10, 2018 18:35
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Spending 6 days in Scotland. Do I stay in Edinburgh or Glasgow?
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Jul 11, 2018 11:00
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Edinburgh, hands down.
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Jul 11, 2018 11:38
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Neither. Head out in to either the mountains of the Cairmgorms or the islands of the Hebrides.
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Jul 11, 2018 11:44
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I love Scotland. The first time I went there I visited both Glasgow and Edinburgh, and Edinburgh had a lot more interesting stuff to see. From Edinburgh I also took a trip to Stirling which has a William Wallace monument where they keep saying Braveheart isn't an accurate depiction of history. The second time I brought my car and I went on a trip through the Cairngorms and to the Isle of Skye and did a lot of short hikes. It was absolutely gorgeous. Don't forget to stop at a whiskey distillery. It's real hard to say which I enjoyed more. I think the latter, but really, take one option now and do the other one on your next trip to Scotland.
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Jul 11, 2018 17:09
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Skye is one of the most beautiful places on earth so a trip to Scotland without Skye is a waste imo
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Jul 12, 2018 15:35
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If you've got time, sure, but it's close to a full day's drive either way, and trying to do it on public transport's a complete non-starter.
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Jul 12, 2018 18:10
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caberham posted:So my wife and her parents are doing a first time trip in Europe. Father in law went to Germany and Netherlands for work 30 years ago and mother in law went to France as well. My wife has never been to Europe and is basically “winging it”. Whenever you go to the Van Gogh Museum, book your tickets online before hand. I did it for the earliest slot and had the place practically to myself. It took less time than I anticipated, I saw pretty much everything but the gallery in the lower level that does the rotating exhibits of other artists and did mutiple gift shops and was out of there in just over 2 hours. The ticket line was full when I got out, had to be 500 people there. This was a rainy Tuesday morning in December, I'd hate to imagine what the line is like peak summer. I hadn't planned to see the Rijkmuseum, but since it was there and I had the time, I went there next and was surprised I was able to just walk up to the counter and get a ticket, no waiting. Once again, I doubt this is the case during peak summer tourist season, so buy your ticket online if you can. I didn't do a whole lot more in my day and a half in Amsterdam, took a canal cruise with a boat full of noisy Chinese tourists and forgot to grab headphones so I didnt hear the commentary, but it was relaxing and I got some nice pics. Also went to the Albert Cuyp market to eat some street food and wander around the stalls.
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Jul 12, 2018 18:32
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caberham posted:[*]Eat Dutch food, stampotten, pancakes, Harring, bitterballen, the works Moeders for some Dutch food, I also always tell people to go to Kartika for rijsttafel. There's an Escher museum in Den Haag that's set in a palace, which is a pretty cool combo.
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Jul 12, 2018 22:35
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Oh yeah told my folks to try rice table. They liked the food but Amsterdam wasn’t cheap, oh well. Thanks for the recommendation. In the Netherlands so far they have been to Amsterdam, both museums Volendam, Edam, Marken The will be stopping by Giethoorn? I’m telling them to go to Delft and Hague And they will go to Rotterdam Kinderdijk And maybe Belgium if they have time, if they get bored early they can go back to Frankfurt before their flight for a day since they have never been
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Jul 13, 2018 05:48
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So just found out I am going to be in Dubrovnik from Saturday-Tuesday this week. Any suggestions on what to do/day trips/stuff to do off the beaten path. Would like to do some outdoorsy stuff maybe a hike or rent a kayak but am open to pretty much anything. I think Sunday is going to be pretty locked down with the World Cup Final but other than that totally free.
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Jul 13, 2018 18:41
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Going to the following places for the first time next week: - Amsterdam (3 days) - Stockholm (3 days) - Berlin (3 days) - Brussels (2 days) - Paris (5 days) - London (7 days) - Cambridge (1 day) - Lisbon (3 days) Any key things to check out? My girlfriend has sorted a bunch of stuff but I'm keen to get some goon opinions too.
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Jul 15, 2018 07:19
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What's better for searching restaurant reviews on a map in London these days? Yelp or Google maps?
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Jul 15, 2018 07:21
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Is TripAdvisor not dominant in England like it is in all of continental Europe? Yelp over here seems to be overwhelmingly ratings by American tourists, and Google usually has like 10% as many reviews as TripAdvisor for any given restaurant. E: just checked Yelp here for the first time in a couple years and man it is still so American-taste-centric and I don’t see any reviews in German or French. Saladman fucked around with this message at 09:46 on Jul 15, 2018 |
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Jul 15, 2018 09:22
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Red_Fred posted:Going to the following places for the first time next week: For Stockholm I'd recommend the Vasa museum (can't go wrong with fuckoff huge 17:th century warships, even a hilarious failure like that one) and Skansen, where if the historical stuff of the open air museum doesn't grab you also has a zoological section. Depending on weather, there are also tours of the archipelago that might be nice, or simpler tours of the city from the waterside. There's plenty of museums too, ranging from niche things like the ABBA museum (because of course there's an ABBA museum) to more general ones for art, history, natural history, military history, photography etc. (I'd have recommend the royal coin cabinet for an interesting niche/geeky one, but sadly it appears to be temporarily shut for relocation.) There's also Gröna Lund, an amusement park, a number of botanical gardens or wandering through the old town, to name a few other possible things to do. Stockholm is quite pedestrian-friendly, so getting around is rarely an issue, and there are various passes that lets you use the underground lines freely - the Stockholm Visitor Center among others can help you find the best solution.
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Jul 15, 2018 10:32
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greazeball posted:What's better for searching restaurant reviews on a map in London these days? Yelp or Google maps? I’d stick with google maps. My experience matches Saladman, in that Yelp is 99% Americans complaining that things aren’t exactly like back home. Google also highlights reviews by people who’ve posted a lot of reviews in that city, so if weeds out the lovely tourist reviews. For Stockholm, consider checking out Drottningholm palace as well. It’s the one the royals still use, on an island west of the city. It’s a nice half day trip, though if you’ve been to a bunch of palaces already it won’t be too impressive.
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Jul 15, 2018 13:47
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webmeister posted:I’d stick with google maps. My experience matches Saladman, in that Yelp is 99% Americans complaining that things aren’t exactly like back home. Is it actually worse than TripAdvisor? Dear lord, how is that possible? Mind you, all travel-related reviews are like that, it seems. "I got a free upgrade from economy to business class, and the stewardess gave me oral sex, but I was rather put off by the the fact that I had to ask her, and also I feel the salmon was slightly underdone. 2 out of 5 stars." PT6A fucked around with this message at 14:05 on Jul 15, 2018 |
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Jul 15, 2018 13:59
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I haven't used TripAdvisor in years so I couldn't tell you, but I'd guess Yelp is mildly better than TA. Maybe. They both have the same issue though, which is that you're essentially relying on reviews from people who don't know poo poo. Though one suggestion I have for Airbnb reviews is to look at length rather than words. Someone who leaves a five sentence review is probably much more satisfied than someone who leaves a five word review, even if they've both rated it 5-stars and said positive things.
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Jul 15, 2018 14:45
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PT6A posted:Is it actually worse than TripAdvisor? Dear lord, how is that possible? TripAdvisor is the same, but you also have people who are from France or Germany or wherever who post, whereas Yelp is exclusively American tourists or American expats. So many one or two-star reviews because "waiter was disinterested and left the table for 6 hours and never came back." Well bud, welcome to almost every single restaurant in Europe, since Europeans don't like waiters hovering over them the entire meal. But yeah basically you have to look through the top 50-100 places (for a big city), then look at the pictures and kind of estimate based on the reviews. If you just take the top reviewed place it's either (a) somewhere kind of OK that's next to a major landmark, or (b) a gelateria/bakery/misc. dessert place.
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Jul 15, 2018 14:46
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Thanks! I had pretty good luck with Google maps reviews when I was in Barcelona for a conference but I was wondering if there was a different app with local cred here. Was in the states last week and saw a yelp review that started, "It took 15 minutes to get my Uber Eats delivery but don't let that out you off." What kind of insane baby expects their delivery to arrive in under 15 minutes?
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Jul 15, 2018 15:47
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Red_Fred posted:Going to the following places for the first time next week: Because all the museums and art galleries are free in London you can hope between them more than if you were paying a chunk of money to get in to each one. That said, they all tend to have a permanent programme of one-off special exhibitions that do require paid entry. For example the British Museum currently has 'Rodin and the art of ancient Greece' which has got good reviews. I'd check out the websites of all the big museums and galleries to see if they have anything on that grabs your fancy (then book to go to them during the work-week to avoid crowds). One slightly lesser known gallery is 'The Queen's Gallery' where they have temporary exhibitions using the royal collection; the current focus is the Indian subcontinent. If you're in to science/engineering I do recommend a quick pop-in to the Science Museum to see the main hall which spans from the oldest surviving stream locomotive to the Apollo 10 capsule (the only Apollo module outside the US.). I also like the trip out to Greenwich to see the navel and observatory stuff (you can take a river ferry from near Westminster rather than the less interesting underground)(highlight: the jacket Lord Nelson was wearing them he got shot. Hole and blood still present...) Under no circumstances, no matter how tied and 'I just want to eat' you are, ever enter an Angus Steakhouse.
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Jul 15, 2018 17:10
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My favourite hobby is going to tripadvisor and reading the one-star reviews for places like the Louvre and the Sagrada Familia.
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Jul 15, 2018 17:24
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Going to be in Ronda, Spain from Sept 5-12. There's a music festival the 6th-9th (reason for going) but does anyone have any other recommendations?
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Jul 15, 2018 17:26
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HookShot posted:My favourite hobby is going to tripadvisor and reading the one-star reviews for places like the Louvre and the Sagrada Familia. We have similar hobbies. I love looking up google reviews for cafes in like, Kandahar or Raqqa or rural India. Lots of real gems hidden away there, although I can never tell if google translate’s Pashto really captures the essence of the original text. I also like looking up reviews of mountains and other natural sites. “Mont Blanc was okay but could be taller.”
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Jul 15, 2018 18:39
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Red_Fred posted:Going to the following places for the first time next week: Don't try to do 7 countries in less than a month. Cut Stockholm and Brussels at a bare minimum.
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Jul 15, 2018 21:08
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Red_Fred posted:Going to the following places for the first time next week: I guess your tickets are already set, but if your housing is not already set, you might consider taking one of those places and instead of spending it in a big city, go somewhere a little smaller in the countryside somewhere. All of those cities are massive except for Cambridge. At least take some day trips to get into the countryside. Big cities have a lot to offer but, at least for most people, they get kind of exhausting and same-y after a while. Like, how many famous art museums and national capitals can you see in a month? Three or four, maybe? If it's not set, I agree to the other person who said cut out one or two stops; also your order is weird. Why are Amsterdam and Brussels not consecutive? (Also IMO skip Brussels, go to Bruges or some trappist brewery or Antwerp or something.) Like cut out Brussels and 2 days of London and spend those 4 days in the Algarve and rent a convertible and drive around eating at little seafood places in the middle of nowhere. E: I've been to all of those cities—though some not very many times—and I can't think of anything that's really amazing natural-wonder-of-Europe countryside within a < 90 minute travel time from any of those cities but there are some great smaller towns nearby like Sintra to Lisbon or Fontainbleau to Paris or Bruges to Brussels. I've been around London a lot and none of my daytrips have really made a lasting impression except Brighton, which was "wow, this sucks" and Oxford which was really nice. Everything else kind of blurs together, like every town center is a bunch of 1930s-1960s 3 story-tall brick buildings and row houses with Marks and Spencers everywhere. I was always visiting people who were making the plans though and I tend to remember far less of my vacations when someone else arranges it, so YMMV. Anyway, do try to get somewhere outside a massive European capital city besides the 1 day in Cambridge. The Normandy coast around Etretat is absolutely stunning, for instance, but a little far. Loire Valley, same issue. Both are theoretical daytrips but the hassle of renting a car and the exhaustion within such a tiring trip probably make it not worthwhile unless you can do an overnight stay somewhere. You could maybe take a night out of Paris to do the Loire Valley, i.e. rent a car morning in Paris, drive to and overnight in Loire, spend the full day in Loire, return car in Paris in the evening. I would generally not recommend packaged bus tours unless you're both 70 years old and afraid of everything. Saladman fucked around with this message at 22:10 on Jul 15, 2018 |
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Jul 15, 2018 21:49
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Saladman posted:All of those cities are massive except for Cambridge. At least take some day trips to get into the countryside. Big cities have a lot to offer but, at least for most people, they get kind of exhausting and same-y after a while. Like, how many famous art museums and national capitals can you see in a month? Three or four, maybe? I would tend to agree with the first point that capitals blend together if one does the same kind of activities in every one of them. However, at this time of year with the kind of weather we've been having Stockholm can certainly offer some very easily reachable countryside within less than 90 minutes from the center by ferry to the archipelago. There are both guided tours that last somewhere between 2-4 hours and ferries going to specific islands depending on what ones preferences are, and enjoying a beach or going for a forest stroll so very close to the city doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg (which tends to be why people do not recommend Stockholm, I've noticed) Anyway, I'd say the Skansen open-air museum might not be a bad destination if one wants something a bit different from regular art and history museums, at least if one's interested in historical settings since it has gathered together examples of historical living spaces and conditions from all over Sweden, and can easily soak up quite a bit of time if one is so inclined. I won't argue about the merits of going/not going to Stockholm, but if they go there, there are absolutely things to do that do not involve typical museums and city centers and which do not have to empty the bank. But yeah, if its possible, I too would advice trying to find varying things to do in each city to avoid having it all blur together at the end. Allow yourselves to sit down and chill with a coffee and a cinnamon bun and just soak up the atmosphere for a bit, it might help separate the cities. Inepta Lacerta fucked around with this message at 12:06 on Jul 16, 2018 |
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Jul 16, 2018 00:22
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