|
pylb posted:My father is part Dutch and my mother's from Brittany, so I really shouldn't be complaining about bad food and bad weather But but but the kouign-amann is the food of the gods!
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2013 16:05
|
|
.
|
|
| # ? Jun 5, 2024 02:53 |
|
|
Senso posted:But but but the kouign-amann is the food of the gods! And I love a good galette saucisse ! The food part was specifically aimed at dutch food.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2013 17:05
|
|
|
pylb posted:I'm French and didn't find your comments offensive. Just thought you'd been unlucky with the young people you had approached, because they can usually handle basic English. It was an incorrect assumption, I apologise. I just always thought what with the closeness of European countries there was a lot more crisscrossing between each other. It seems a shame not to. I went to Chartres today. Very impressive, but on the subject of food I had the most delicious lunch. It was a slice of crusty bread with stewed pears, honey and some sort of cheese melted over it. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant. It was just near the cathedral. EDIT - Now I just had a French dessert where the waitress handed me an entire bottle of rum and said to add as much as I liked to it during the course of the meal. I'd have done so if the restaurant weren't so small and I didn't feel so self-conscious after the second pour.... Octy fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Dec 3, 2013 |
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2013 17:48
|
|
|
Well it's claimed there are enough French people living in London that it could count as the sixth largest French city.
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2013 20:15
|
|
|
pylb posted:The food part was specifically aimed at dutch food. StroopWaafels 
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2013 22:50
|
|
|
Doctor Malaver posted:StroopWaafels That's about it though. (saying this as a Dutchman)
|
|
#
?
Dec 3, 2013 23:04
|
|
|
Jeoh posted:That's about it though. (saying this as a Dutchman) Gouda & smoked gouda!
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2013 09:09
|
|
|
So I was in Prague for five days and absolutely loved it. There was so much to do, and performances every night for pretty decent prices in amazing old churches or halls. Now I'm in Vienna, and it seems really bland in comparison. Everyone has told me oh you'll love vienna it's amazing! But tbh, I feel like it's not that great. Am I missing something great? Admittedly, being able to go to the opera for €4 is incredible. I leave in the morning, so this post is probably a bit late, but for future reference, are there some suggestions that I may have overlooked? E: I should add, the Christmas markets in Vienna which are the real reason I came, are beyond all my expectations. They are fantastic.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2013 12:19
|
|
|
smilehigh posted:So I was in Prague for five days and absolutely loved it. There was so much to do, and performances every night for pretty decent prices in amazing old churches or halls. I was underwhelmed with Vienna when I visited too. Which Christmas markets did you go to? Did you go up the tower in Stephansdom? If so, how much did it cost and was it worth it?
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2013 13:01
|
|
|
DNova posted:I was underwhelmed with Vienna when I visited too. Which Christmas markets did you go to? Did you go up the tower in Stephansdom? If so, how much did it cost and was it worth it? I went to the Schönbrunn markets, which were good. The ones near the Hofburg, which were small and kind of average. And also the Rathaus one, which is magnificent and glorious and huge. I didn't go up the tower at St. Stephens, I do not like tall towers with narrow windy steps. And I can't remember how much it was, sorry. I'm currently waiting for the premiere of La Bohème to start, for which I payed a whopping €4. Standing or not, I have a very, very good view - front row parterre.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2013 18:45
|
|
|
Places I liked in Vienna when my wife and I went this summer: St. Stephen's (the audioguide is REALLY good, and I've been to a lot of cathedrals - explains a lot of the "math" that went into building the cathedral and I felt like I came away with a pretty good understanding of the history of Vienna in general) The Modern Art Museum (basically for the WTF? aspect of it) Naschmarkt (I'm a sucker for public markets, I can't help it) Prater (good evening fun, my wife and I liked to watch people get launched in space or fall from space, aren't much into roller coasters and thrill rides ourselves, they have some cool biergartens there) Schönnbrunn Palace (again, for some reason we found a really good audioguide, been to lots of palaces with so, so explanations of things, including many of the greats across Europe. This one was really good) Absolute favorite experience in Vienna, do this or you suck at life: Go outside of town to a Heuriger. Preferably one that is visited only by locals. My wife went twice, got really, really wasted on house wine and had a lot of fun watching the locals and enjoying the occasionally free music. You suck at life if you don't do this. Otherwise, we didn't find Vienna to be any different from any other big city in Europe we've been to. The people aren't as friendly as other parts of Austria, Germany, or The Czech Republic. The people there, in my opinion probably take theirselves a little too serious, compared to the rest of Austria which is usually totally chill, including places like Innsbruck and Salzburg. That's my experience. LaserWash fucked around with this message at 19:31 on Dec 4, 2013 |
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2013 19:26
|
|
|
smilehigh posted:I went to the Schönbrunn markets, which were good. The ones near the Hofburg, which were small and kind of average. And also the Rathaus one, which is magnificent and glorious and huge. No worries, I'm just curious. The Rathaus christmas market is huge but way overcrowded, at least on the weekend evenings. Did you happen to notice if they were selling little stuffed pigs at the Schönbrunn market? LaserWash posted:St. Stephen's (the audioguide is REALLY good, and I've been to a lot of cathedrals - explains a lot of the "math" that went into building the cathedral and I felt like I came away with a pretty good understanding of the history of Vienna in general) Hmm, that's interesting. I would never have considered the audio guide until you said that.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2013 19:47
|
|
|
LaserWash posted:Places I liked in Vienna when my wife and I went this summer: I'm staying across the road from Naschmarkt, I too am a sucker for markets so this is fantastic. Especially on Saturday when they have the flea market in addition to the normal farmers market. I haven't been to a heuriger yet, but I have 2 more days in Austria outside of Vienna, so I shall have to try that.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2013 20:19
|
|
|
First day in Rome. I'm staying way out (comparatively) near the Via Flaminia. It's a good 25 minutes to the Vatican by bus but on the upside my flat is enormous and there's a takeaway pizza joint round the corner. Rome is quite intense though which isn't helped by the sheer number of fellow tourists. Maybe there were just as many in Paris and London but it didn't seem like it. We were basically herded through most parts of the Vatican Museums. The Basilica was somewhat better and there was a nice procession going on while I was there. I meant to go up in the cupola but they don't accept cards, so I'll try and remember it for another day. I do accept that this is Rome and there will always be lots and lots of people around, but if it's much worse on the weekend, should I leave and go somewhere like Ostia Antica?
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 16:15
|
|
|
Octy posted:First day in Rome. I'm staying way out (comparatively) near the Via Flaminia. It's a good 25 minutes to the Vatican by bus but on the upside my flat is enormous and there's a takeaway pizza joint round the corner. Rome is quite intense though which isn't helped by the sheer number of fellow tourists. Maybe there were just as many in Paris and London but it didn't seem like it. We were basically herded through most parts of the Vatican Museums. The Basilica was somewhat better and there was a nice procession going on while I was there. I meant to go up in the cupola but they don't accept cards, so I'll try and remember it for another day. Rome is really crowded in the weeks leading up to Christmas. If you go in January or February it's comparatively isolated (not really, but like how Paris and London were two weeks ago).
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 16:30
|
|
|
Ah, if only I could have visited in those months! I dislike crowds but I'll just have to make the best of it somehow. It's not every day you get to go Rome after all. EDIT - Just did my shopping. I bought whiskey flavoured beer among other things. This is a great country. Octy fucked around with this message at 17:18 on Dec 6, 2013 |
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 16:48
|
|
|
Yes to Ostia Antica. My favourite place in Rome or near Rome. Also, if you don't know already, got to the Forum or Palatine Hill (technically the same area as once you're in one, you're in the other) and get a combo ticket which includes the Colosseum. That way you can skip the queue there. I think you can even just buy the single ticket for the Colosseum at one of those entrances maybe. The Baths of Caracalla are well worth a visit, impressive and much quieter than the historical centre and in the same vain The National Roman Museum and Baths of Diocletian are a great visit too and were much less crowded than the other museums and sights in the centre despite being right beside Termini.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 17:26
|
|
|
Ooo, I hadn't considered those. I've got a couple of things down to visit each day but I'm not sure how long each will take. As expected I spent the entire day at the Vatican but I don't think it'll be the same for my Pantheon and Imperial Forums day, so I shall definitely try to remember the baths.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 17:49
|
|
|
To get away from crowds try Assissi. My wife lived the peace and quiet, after spending time in Rome. There is a cathedral and a basillica dedicated to St Francis (one near the train station and one in town) and one church to St Clare, both of whom are buried in town in their respective cathedral/church. I found both cathedrals to st Francis really interesting, one contains the small church that Francis first led from. The other has a "high" newer church that was built on top of the older "low" church. The basilica in town has some frescoes done by Giotti that may be familiar to you. The people are really friendly and they really like their limoncello.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 18:47
|
|
|
Seconding both Diocletian's Baths and the Roman Museum, you buy one ticket and you get in to 4 museums for 3 days. One of these is the Museo Natzionale Romano Palazzo Massimo, lots of art (especially mosaics, frescos and sculptures) from the Empire. Also around Termini is Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri which is you know, just a massive cathedral designed by Michelangelo, and also features a Meridian-line sundial which was pretty cool. Not far from Termini is Cavour (one metro stop) which my wife and I decided is where we'll rent an apartment the next time we visit Rome. Along Via Urbana and Via Leonina there were tons of interesting little shops and restaurants, it seemed like a real neighbourhood and a nice place to just wander around.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 22:49
|
|
|
Since there doesn't seem to be much of a place to post stuff regarding Russia, I figured this is the closest thread. I was planning on doing Russia/Ukraine in Summer 2014. Can anyone with experience comment on this? - 4 days St. Petersburg - Red Arrow to Moscow - 4 days Moscow - Train to Kazan (stopover for a day). Train to Irkutsk (trans-siberian) - 3 days in Irkutsk - Fly to Volgograd - 3 days in Volgograd - Train to Odessa (Ukraine). Comments on the StP or Moscow parts? I've been reading they're expensive as poo poo and don't feel the same as other parts of Russia, hence trying to get out to Irkutsk and Volgograd. Any other cities that are recommended? I'm trying to stay away from anything south of Rostov-on-Don. I've been learning Russian since May and have been going to a community drop-in Russian speaking class which will hopefully help out over there.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2013 16:37
|
|
|
Now I can testify as to the greatness of Ostia Antica. It seems linear at first and I was thinking it wouldn't take more than an hour but then the path splits and you're just about invited to explore these ruins up close. You keep going and suddenly a theater, an actual theater is there, besides temples, shops and baths. It took me three hours to get from one end to the other, all underneath the blazing Italian sun. It's meant to be winter here but I felt hot enough to strip down to a T-shirt.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2013 08:00
|
|
|
I'm vegetarian, but my girlfriend isn't. Does anyone know of a reasonably nice restaurant in Berlin that has vegetarian dishes that aren't just an aftertought? I'm thinking around 150 euros total for the two of us.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2013 19:51
|
|
|
Recommendations on where to stay in Dublin? Looking for private hostel/B&B type situation, maybe 100 euro a night max for 2 (if that i is possible, I remember Dublin being hideously expensive the last time I was there).
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2013 04:51
|
|
|
The Erland posted:I'm vegetarian, but my girlfriend isn't. Does anyone know of a reasonably nice restaurant in Berlin that has vegetarian dishes that aren't just an aftertought? I'm thinking around 150 euros total for the two of us. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g187323-c40-Berlin.html Voila. (Seriously TripAdvisor is really accurate, particularly for anything with > ~30 reviews). Although on closer inspection, #2 is a shnitzel place and #5 is a Mexican restaurant, so I don't know how reliable it is, maybe it means they serve beans. In any case there are some vegan restaurants on the list, which will give a poo poo, unlike most Mexicans.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2013 17:54
|
|
|
Saladman posted:http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g187323-c40-Berlin.html I see some good suggestions for myself, but I'm actually looking for normal meat-serving restaurants that also makes good vegetarian food. If I'm treating my girlfriend the restaurant shouldn't only accommodate me. I guess I should have made myself more clear, sorry.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2013 18:01
|
|
|
Edinburgh goons, here's another question: where's your favorite cheap eats in the city besides the ones listed in this Guardian article?
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2013 20:24
|
|
|
Opioid posted:Since there doesn't seem to be much of a place to post stuff regarding Russia, I figured this is the closest thread. I hope you really like lovely old Russian trains because that's all the second half of your trip is going to be.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2013 20:57
|
|
|
Cometa Rossa posted:I hope you really like lovely old Russian trains because that's all the second half of your trip is going to be. I hope he likes drinking vodka with Russians because that's all the second half of your trip is going to be.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2013 22:34
|
|
|
jyrka posted:I hope he likes drinking vodka with Russians because that's all the second half of your trip is going to be. this sounds fantastic. But really, I realize it'll be 4 days on the trans-siberian which in the grand scheme of things isn't that huge. I'm balancing it out with more days in the cities and exploring. 1 day to kazan, 1 day in kazan. 3 days to irkutsk, 3 days in irkutsk. So how is my second half only lovely old russian trains when i'm only on trains for 50% of the time? I'm normally onboard with setting people straight that plan to see 5 countries in a week, but I thought this was a bit more balanced. I only get 1 shot at russia with this visa so I want to see as much as I can which includes interacting with russians in a lovely class train car.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2013 06:10
|
|
|
bewbies posted:Recommendations on where to stay in Dublin? Looking for private hostel/B&B type situation, maybe 100 euro a night max for 2 (if that i is possible, I remember Dublin being hideously expensive the last time I was there). I was there a month ago and stayed at the Ariel House, which is a really cute B&B - the breakfast is actually charged separately, but it's excellent and totally worth it. I don't remember the exact rate but it was definitely under 100 euro and I booked at the last minute. FWIW, I didn't think Dublin was particularly expensive, but I was coming from New York and went to London afterwards, so I guess it's a matter of perspective.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2013 06:52
|
|
|
We've been back from Europe for a week now and going to a Champion's League match was the best thing ever. Even if it was below freezing in Madrid and there wasn't the normal amount of crowd participation I see on TV, it was still super fun. I highly recommend it to anybody who goes, though there's no StubHub equivalent in Europe so you'll either have to trust some sketchy-looking websites or find a local friend who can help you score tickets.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2013 09:22
|
|
|
I have to say the Italians don't understand how to price their stuff at all. They totally overcharge for things like the Capitoline Museums (13 Euros) but severely undercharge for a lot of their Roman stuff which actually needs the money for ongoing maintenance and restoration. A standard ticket for Ostia is 8 Euros but I got in for 4 Euros as a concession. That's a whole day's worth of poking about in this ancient town contributing to its degradation, as opposed to being limited to four hours in the Museums. Even the reduced ticket for the combined Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Colosseum is about 11 Euros. I can't imagine the standard ticket is much more but someone feel free to enlighten me. I'd happily pay the standard price if I wasn't running out of money after England and France where I didn't take advantage of the EU 18-25 thing. I just think they could easily increase the prices. People aren't going to stop coming because after all, this is Rome.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2013 16:56
|
|
|
Opioid posted:this sounds fantastic. I'm not trying to talk you out of your trip or anything, but I think you're underestimating the time and distances involved. To be fair the Trans-Siberian is more of an experience itself which will dull the pain of 4 days on a train, but Volgograd to Odessa is a pretty huge distance. For reference, I did Kiev to Belgrade, which looks about the same on a map, and I was on a train for 36 hours. There are only so many times in a few weeks that you'll want to be on a train for that long.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2013 17:12
|
|
|
Yeah, the longest single train trip I've done was 19 hours (Stockholm to Abisko) and by the end of it you kind of just start wishing for death.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2013 18:31
|
|
|
Cometa Rossa posted:I'm not trying to talk you out of your trip or anything, but I think you're underestimating the time and distances involved. To be fair the Trans-Siberian is more of an experience itself which will dull the pain of 4 days on a train, but Volgograd to Odessa is a pretty huge distance. For reference, I did Kiev to Belgrade, which looks about the same on a map, and I was on a train for 36 hours. There are only so many times in a few weeks that you'll want to be on a train for that long. Ahhh good to know! I was just concerned about the quality of the airports over there and not being able to keep my bag with me, hence the train from Volgograd to Odessa. I'll probably fly that leg too then to give myself a break after that train heavy week. Any idea if it's easy to just grab last minute flights over there? I hear that in Western Europe with all the budget airlines it is possible to walk into an airport and grab a flight for where you want to go. It's a foreign concept to me in Canada but sounds quite useful.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2013 19:06
|
|
|
Opioid posted:I hear that in Western Europe with all the budget airlines it is possible to walk into an airport and grab a flight for where you want to go. Piggybacking: is this actually true? I've heard it many times also, but I can't imagine packing and going to the airport without a ticket bought.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2013 19:48
|
|
|
Opioid posted:I hear that in Western Europe with all the budget airlines it is possible to walk into an airport and grab a flight for where you want to go. Not if you want cheap tickets it isn't. If you have enough cash to throw around, you can maybe do that in big cities. But in smaller airports with a limited amount of connections that won't work and I also do not know anyone that goes to the airport without a ticket.
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2013 19:53
|
|
|
By American standards yes, it's true. You can almost always find a flight between any two major European cities for under $200, no matter how late you book. The thing is that booking ahead will often find you flights that are under $50, so you're still paying a lot more to do it late, it's just still less than an equivalent flight in the US would be (no matter how early you booked it).
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2013 20:46
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 5, 2024 02:53 |
|
|
My sister, who has lived in Lithuania as a student for the last few semesters, is applying for her residence permit. She tried to visit a friend in Scotland for a couple months so she wouldn't overstay her Schengen visa, but UK immigration didn't like her reasons for being there, stopped her at Edinburgh airport, took her to Dungavel House detention center, and deported her back to Vilnius (this was pretty traumatic ordeal for her, an experienced traveler). She had to very quickly book a ticket back to the USA and now has a black "refused entry" stamp in her passport. She is worried that the information sharing between the Schengen zone and the UK immigration will make it hard for her to get back to Europe to resume living in Lithuania. LIthuanian immigration is notoriously slow and still has not given her an answer on her residence permit. She does have a lawyer in Lithuania who is helping with the permit, but she doesn't have a lot of confidence in them. She was told that she would still be able to come back to the UK, but since they told her a lot of things that turned out not to be true, she's afraid that all of this might make it harder for her to travel in Europe. She was fingerprinted, photographed, searched, and refused access to her documents, some of which were never returned to her. Needless to say she never wants to be in that position again. Anyone have any insight as to the potential travel problems this misadventure was?
|
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2013 21:16
|
|
