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BMX Ninja posted:It is kind of weird. I've been to places like Egypt when the temperature was regularly in the high 30s/low 40s and I was fine with it. I think a lot of it has to do with humidity, since in Ireland higher temperatures often come with high humidity. Also in Egypt the temperature would drop by 15-20C after sunset whereas in grey overcast Ireland a daytime temp of 26C might only drop a couple of degrees at night. This is extremely accurate - my house is pretty old (1860-ish) so in hot weather it's grand because it takes days for the ambient temperature to catch up to the outside, but if it's cold and windy it can get extraordinarily cold. Last winter when we had about 10 days of easterly gales, the temperature in the kitchen never got about 3 degrees (37f) so cooking meals meant putting on extra clothes and working fast 
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Jul 29, 2019 07:59
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My wife and I visited a coffee shop in Amsterdam yesterday and after wandering around for a while, decided to stop at a bar and get water. After we finished and left a few euro on the table, she pressured me to go up and ask how much the water cost. A little (very) stoned, the five euro price we were told didn’t bother me at all until the morning after. Were we conned? Afterwards all we could do was laugh. If I ran a bar immediately next to a dispensary in a legal state, I’d do the same thing.
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Jul 29, 2019 13:17
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Was it a bigger bottle of water that you both shared, or what? That's expensive, but you were also likely in central Amsterdam by the sound of it, and there's always that little bit extra to bleed tourists. Not sure 100% how it is in the Netherlands but you can usually also insist on tap water and they'll give it to you, but they might not be super keen on it.
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Jul 29, 2019 13:42
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Everyone hates weed tourists. Paying five euro for water is about the most harmless con you might run into.
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Jul 29, 2019 13:49
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Apathy420 posted:My wife and I visited a coffee shop in Amsterdam yesterday and after wandering around for a while, decided to stop at a bar and get water. After we finished and left a few euro on the table, she pressured me to go up and ask how much the water cost. A little (very) stoned, the five euro price we were told didn’t bother me at all until the morning after. I lol'ed at your username and post combo. No idea how much water you got, but if it was a 1L bottle for €5 that's a pretty reasonable price, and €5 for a half liter seems also within a normal price range. Also I know you were super high and this probably explains everything, but just in case not, normally just go to any grocery store and buy a bottle, or a convenience store if it's late and beyond normal store hours. Going into a bar as a couple and both of you ordering a water is like something an ill-informed alien would do after landing on Earth and putting on their human disguise. HELLO FELLOW HUMANS. WE ALSO LIKE TO DRINK LIQUIDS. LET US CELEBRATE. ZUM WOHL. Saladman fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Jul 29, 2019 |
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Jul 29, 2019 14:08
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They were two little glass bottles, about a half-pint cup each. Live and learn, I guess. It’s a beautiful city, though, we’ve spent the morning going through the museum quarter and ogling Van Gogh paintings. We had only dipped inside because my wife had gotten paranoid and thought someone had followed us from the (admittedly sketchy, off-the-path with only a few folding chairs inside) shop we had bought a gram from. The night was a continuous comedy of errors to be remembered for years to come.
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Jul 29, 2019 14:49
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Im in Berlin, i forgot how old fashioned it is. No card payments anywhere, no wirking atms except Euronet scam ones. Wish i could have dissuaded my wife from going to topography of terror. Its a glorified wikipedia article, pictures and text.
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Jul 29, 2019 15:40
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Anyone got any solid tips on things to do in Lisbon or Portugal in general? Or a Portugal thread in general. Would be much appreciated.
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Jul 29, 2019 15:41
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Apathy420 posted:They were two little glass bottles, about a half-pint cup each. Live and learn, I guess. It’s a beautiful city, though, we’ve spent the morning going through the museum quarter and ogling Van Gogh paintings. Yeah I'd guess a normal price would be more like €2.50 for one of those miniature glass water bottles, like the size of those miniature Schwepp's bottles they use to make gin and tonics, but I'd guess it's more likely their standard price and they gouge everyone than that the bartender scammed you out of €5 because you were high.
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Jul 29, 2019 15:48
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Shibawanko posted:Im in Berlin, i forgot how old fashioned it is. No card payments anywhere, no wirking atms except Euronet scam ones. I'm also in Berlin and have been dying of heat the past couple of days. I was actually surprised the ticketing machines accept card because when I checked before going most info told me they didn't
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Jul 29, 2019 16:18
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Shibawanko posted:no wirking atms Have you tried walking into a bank? I hear they have ATMs.
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Jul 29, 2019 16:34
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Nice piece of fish posted:Anyone got any solid tips on things to do in Lisbon or Portugal in general? Or a Portugal thread in general. Would be much appreciated. You absolutely must visit the aquarium and take a day or two to go to Sintra (Pena Palace was my favourite!) Go for drinks in Bairro Alto but don't bother getting there until after 10/11pm. Eat some fish anywhere that doesn't have a tourist menu outside. Lisbon is really lovely. It has a decent Metro system too so don't feel too obliged to stay bang centrally.
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Jul 29, 2019 18:08
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Going to have approximately 24 hours in Prague as a glorified layover (I have a hotel room booked so some of that time is for sleep but...) if I want to make the most of those 24 hours I assume I mostly just want to wander around the old city, but if there is one absolute must have meal I would love to be pointed to it. (Similarly, where should I go to get myself good and plastered on a Saturday night in Prague alone when I’m not actually sticking around for a while.
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Jul 29, 2019 18:55
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Bollock Monkey posted:You absolutely must visit the aquarium and take a day or two to go to Sintra (Pena Palace was my favourite!) Fantastic! Deeply appreciated! Got any good recommendations for lunch places that you liked?
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Jul 29, 2019 19:36
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Nice piece of fish posted:Fantastic! Deeply appreciated! Got any good recommendations for lunch places that you liked? Nope, we just wandered into wherever looked good and didn't have a tourist menu. Go up some of the cobbled streets around Bairro Alto and see what takes your fancy! We had a mediocre lunch in Sintra because we went to the first place we saw after getting off the train, and a diabolical meal at the beach in Cascais, but everything else was lovely. This article might be helpful?
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Jul 29, 2019 20:52
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What's a tourist menu. A menu in english?
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Jul 29, 2019 21:32
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netcat posted:What's a tourist menu. A menu in english? generally all in English or half local language/half English, quite often with pictures of the dishes too if a restaurant has one of them on a stand outside and/or somebody trying to get you to choose their place then it's probably aimed at tourists and not very good quality
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Jul 29, 2019 21:43
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Apathy420 posted:They were two little glass bottles, about a half-pint cup each. Live and learn, I guess. It’s a beautiful city, though, we’ve spent the morning going through the museum quarter and ogling Van Gogh paintings. But well, it seems like a fair punishment for that dumb sequence of events. Amsterdam is not a good city for paranoia, there are always people everywhere at all hours around the center so it's easy to imagine you are constantly being followed. Nice piece of fish posted:Anyone got any solid tips on things to do in Lisbon or Portugal in general? Or a Portugal thread in general. Would be much appreciated. Julio Cruz posted:if a restaurant has one of them on a stand outside and/or somebody trying to get you to choose their place then it's probably aimed at tourists and not very good quality
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Jul 29, 2019 23:14
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Julio Cruz posted:generally all in English or half local language/half English, quite often with pictures of the dishes too If it has an outside part inside a sort of plastic glass enclosure its probably a tourist restaurant
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Jul 30, 2019 01:40
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Everywhere in the world, I've found that someone spruiking out front for the restaurant is usually a bad sign. Honestly, stick to Google reviews (particularly the ones in Portuguese) as it tends to prioritise local reviews. Also be aware that in Lisbon there's a handful of scam restaurants. The smooth waiter talks you inside, and as you sit down they talk you into having their special fish platter with a bottle of wine. Sometimes the food is okay, sometimes it's just microwaved garbage, but all of the time the price is hundreds of euros. It's on the menu, but you didn't check (and they didn't show you). From memory one of these scam restaurants is run by a notorious pickpocket from the trams who realised he could make more money with less risk by scamming legally  I think a page or two back in this forum there's a thread about Lisbon and Portugal which you should still be able to find, but it had little traffic and got locked/archived.
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Jul 30, 2019 02:48
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Nice piece of fish posted:Fantastic! Deeply appreciated! Got any good recommendations for lunch places that you liked? I'll recommend this one. Zé da Mouraria R. João do Outeiro 24, 1100-341 Lisboa, Portugal +351 21 886 5436 https://maps.app.goo.gl/a6bJjsVYf3HgHRuu9 It's only open from 12 to 4pm and is pretty packed if you come late but the menu is small and high quality. We got a huge platter of duck rice that would have fed 4 people for like 14 euros. And the fish dishes that we saw were also really good looking.
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Jul 30, 2019 07:40
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Thanks very much for the advice, couldn't find that old portugal thread but I'll make do with the great advice given.
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Jul 30, 2019 08:40
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Nice piece of fish posted:Thanks very much for the advice, couldn't find that old portugal thread but I'll make do with the great advice given. here it is: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3845764
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Jul 30, 2019 09:34
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Thanks a lot, don't know why I missed it! Really appreciate it, Portugal has been wonderful so far.
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Jul 30, 2019 10:53
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If you're ever up in Porto, grab lunch at Petisqueira Voltaria sometime. Little tiny place in an alley between Rua des Flores and Rua de Mouzinho da Silveira, with like five or six tables, so there might be a bit of a wait if you go during the busy hours, but the food is crazy good and the family that runs the place are great people. Their black pork cheek sandwich might be the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. Their francesinha is pretty drat good too, though (though I think the one at Cantinho Dos Sabores in Guimarães has it beat by a hair). Speaking of Guimarães, there's this place down a tiny alleyway near the Largo da Misericordia, Adega dos Caquinhos, that is similarly awesome. No real menu; you just get some of whatever hearty food the sweet old Portuguese grandma who runs the place has been cooking all day on the stove (and some of the house wine, of course), and it's loving delicious.
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Jul 30, 2019 20:24
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CaptainPsyko posted:Going to have approximately 24 hours in Prague as a glorified layover (I have a hotel room booked so some of that time is for sleep but...) if I want to make the most of those 24 hours I assume I mostly just want to wander around the old city, but if there is one absolute must have meal I would love to be pointed to it. (Similarly, where should I go to get myself good and plastered on a Saturday night in Prague alone when I’m not actually sticking around for a while. I don't know enough restaurants to be able to vouch any, but I do recommend stopping by Petrin Hill and checking out the fruit trees. We were there in mid-August last year. Apricots and plums all over the place.
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Jul 30, 2019 20:33
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Karenina posted:I don't know enough restaurants to be able to vouch any, but I do recommend stopping by Petrin Hill and checking out the fruit trees. We were there in mid-August last year. Apricots and plums all over the place. eat the ones off the ground; they might be fermented and you can get real hosed up for free
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Jul 31, 2019 14:34
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unpacked robinhood posted:If you're staying this long you can get a Navigo Decouverte to move around. Sweet. Thanks. I am finally starting to plan stuff.
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Jul 31, 2019 15:17
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Boot and Rally posted:In that part of Europe consider Flix Bus instead of a train. They have bathrooms. Wow, only €20 for a 5-hour direct ride from Budapest to Zagreb, and the pictures look decent inside. Now I just need to buy a new backpack, and confirm my friend's availability. Unfortunately, he's moving on the second weekend of my trip, when I was planning to be in Croatia. Riptor posted:eat the ones off the ground; they might be fermented and you can get real hosed up for free I love the post/user title combo.
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Aug 1, 2019 17:13
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webmeister posted:Everywhere in the world, I've found that someone spruiking out front for the restaurant is usually a bad sign. Honestly, stick to Google reviews (particularly the ones in Portuguese) as it tends to prioritise local reviews. The flip side to this is that if you are in a very tourist-central location with lots of such restaurants, don't go wandering around aimlessly looking for an "authentic" dining experience while you starve to death and piss off your travel companions. Many times these restaurants are in scenic locations (e.g. main squares), and while the food may be sub-par you will make up for it with good views. I have a friend who always makes a point to get the best <insert local food here> wherever he visits. The problem is that he spends half a day traveling to the outskirts of town doing it, wasting time he could otherwise enjoy drinking an overpriced beer at a nice central location. We all want to be savvy travelers who eat at authentic local establishments, but sometimes that is not in sync with limited timeframes and the reality that you are in fact a tourist.
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Aug 1, 2019 20:04
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Looking at a British Isles trip next year. Ha anyone done any of the Trafalgar tours? Like this https://www.trafalgar.com/en-us/tours/t/amazing-britain/?season=presale+2020&tripcode=bhil Yea? Nay? Is there an alternative company we can look at? We'd like to hit a little of everything, but while most of the reviews are positive, the one negative I keep seeing is that this is a rushed trip. Can't tell if that's genuine complaint or some people just being whiny.
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Aug 3, 2019 02:58
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CzarChasm posted:Looking at a British Isles trip next year. Ha anyone done any of the Trafalgar tours? Like this https://www.trafalgar.com/en-us/tours/t/amazing-britain/?season=presale+2020&tripcode=bhil Yeah I don't even need to look at that itinerary, a quick glance at the map is all you need to know that's insanely rushed. Just do it yourself it's not that hard.
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Aug 3, 2019 03:08
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CzarChasm posted:Looking at a British Isles trip next year. Ha anyone done any of the Trafalgar tours? Like this https://www.trafalgar.com/en-us/tours/t/amazing-britain/?season=presale+2020&tripcode=bhil The entire island of Great Britain in 10 days, including arrival and departure days? And presumably jetlag? I'm amazed people still gave 4 stars with review text like "too frantic, better to see one less place and see others well." FWIW the island of Great Britain is 60% of the size of California, so it's like the size of the state if you lopped it off at Santa Rosa and only took everything south of that parallel. You can make your own decisions of course, but this is like the equivalent of doing [California wine country+Big Sur+SF+Tahoe+Yosemite+Death Valley+LA+San Diego+Joshua Tree] in 10 days. Is it theoretically possible? Yeah. Is it enjoyable? Actually I'd enjoy the California trip more; natural wild beauty lends itself to a roadtrip style itinerary way more than the UK does. e.g. Day 2 - London -> Stratford Upon Avon -> York -- That's a full 5 hours of being bussed (or trained? Train is faster at least, but more of a hassle regarding schedules and having to be in a specific place with your luggage), followed by: Day 3 - York -> Durham - Edinburgh — Another 4 to 5 hours. I don't even know why they would bother stopping in York.I can't quite tell if it's a group tour or not, but in either case just organize your own trip and do half as much. Their itinerary looks like 15 days would be minimum for it to not be hellish, and 20 days for it to be sane. Great Britain is big. Also this itinerary has absolutely no time to sit down and eat at any restaurant, if you care about food at all. Just find stuff you want to see and book it yourself, it's easy and will save you a bunch of money.
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Aug 3, 2019 03:29
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Yeah honestly I wouldn't touch that trip with a barge pole. Even by group tour standards it looks rushed. I'll also highlight that Trafalgar are generally aimed at older folks, so you'll likely be the only people there under 70. Assuming you're American, the UK is probably the easiest international travel destination you're ever going to visit. Pick out a handful of things that interest you and design an itinerary around that, then book your train and flight tickets accordingly.
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Aug 3, 2019 04:29
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Yeah, that tour would suck. Hours a day being hauled around on a bus spending a few minutes gawking at each attraction before being herded back on, and likely the included meals will be a bunch of lovely reheated Aramark food from tourist trap "restaurants" that cater solely to OAP bus tours like yours. The UK is dead simple to book on your own, and to get around. Just decide what you want to see and make your own itinerary; it'll be cheaper and you'll have a much better experience overall.
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Aug 3, 2019 12:08
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Plus you can search for guided tours in the cities you're visiting if you want to be led around through the highlights in a day or something. This thread is pretty down on package tours in general but there are still better options than the one you picked, it is really full. Look at the itinerary again and pick out what's really important to you: do you really want to visit Bristol, York and Glasgow on a 10 day tour of the UK? You could do 6 days in London and 3 in Edinburgh with day trips to Stonehenge, Stratford on Avon, Hadrian's wall, whisky tasting, whatever plus you wouldn't have to spend all day on a bus every day. There are lots of Stonehenge tours from London here that have a bunch of reviews (I booked a tour of the Alhambra using this site and it was fine) so look around there if you want the guided tour experience without the endless bus ride experience. Plus it's really nice to be able to unpack in your hotel for a few days instead of constantly moving every single morning at 7am.
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Aug 3, 2019 14:04
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Hey y'all, planning a trip to Amalfi and we have just two days in Rome beforehand. We were wondering what the best way of getting into the vatican is. Is a guided tour worth it? Or would we be better served by just buying skip the line tickets and walking around ourselves? Also, is it reasonable to also do the Colosseum that day?
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Aug 4, 2019 00:05
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Argona posted:Hey y'all, planning a trip to Amalfi and we have just two days in Rome beforehand. We were wondering what the best way of getting into the vatican is. Is a guided tour worth it? Or would we be better served by just buying skip the line tickets and walking around ourselves? Also, is it reasonable to also do the Colosseum that day? Buy your Vatican museum tickets in advance so you can skip the hour-long line. Guided tour up to your personal preferences. Saint Peters is free entry. Yeah it’s reasonable to do collosseum with Vatican on the same day. Keep in mind that the Roman Forum is huge and takes minimum 2-3 hours to walk around and it is adjacent to the colloseum. Normally I’d say forum+collosseum is an entire day, maybe also with baths of Caracalla if you like doing stuff fast (or tbh skipping Caracalla if you’re not a ruins type of person). 2 days in Rome is not enough even to do the Tier One Must Sees, just fyi, but Amalfi is great too and of course you can’t do everything.
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Aug 4, 2019 00:16
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The real bonus to the guided tour in the Vatican is the back door into St Peter's. If you're not in a group (and I'm not sure all groups have this), there's a LOT of extra walking. The Sistene Chapel is in the very back of the Vatican museum and the plebes then have to walk all the way back out, around the whole complex, and back to the front door of the cathedral to stand in line there again. I think it's technically possible to do the Coloseum in the same day, but 1 you'd be really rushing and 2 I think admission to the forum was bundled together with the Coloseum with the Roma pass so we didn't have to stand in line for the Coloseum if we went through the forum first. I can't remember exactly but it was a good deal.
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Aug 4, 2019 00:24
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greazeball posted:The real bonus to the guided tour in the Vatican is the back door into St Peter's. If you're not in a group (and I'm not sure all groups have this), there's a LOT of extra walking. The Sistene Chapel is in the very back of the Vatican museum and the plebes then have to walk all the way back out, around the whole complex, and back to the front door of the cathedral to stand in line there again.
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Aug 4, 2019 03:10
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