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PT6A posted:Ah, that's harsh. I didn't run that particular risk; I ended up splitting my bottle of Tondonia with the staff at my favourite restaurant in Madrid before I got on an airplane. That dude should go to Rioja and stop being a pussy.
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Jul 6, 2015 11:40
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FaceEater posted:That dude should go to Rioja and stop being a pussy. He was in Spain shortly before I was, no less, although not in Rioja. Apparently (this was between getting upset about the wine I bought, and him having full on paranoid delusions that I was "out to get him") I did Spain wrong, because I liked different museums than he did. And, yes, if that sounds crazy, it's because it's loving crazy! I've never seen someone so insistent on being contentious about liking different things while travelling. EDIT: Everyone should go to Rioja, though, so in that sense it's very good advice.
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Jul 6, 2015 18:15
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Has anyone here done some or all of the GR20 who has any recommendations about how to do it? My girlfriend and I have a week in mid August and we're thinking about heading down there and doing ~4-5 days of it, and then ~2-3 days at the beach somewhere. We have cheap flights that go into Bastia, Ajaccio, and Bonifacio so it's easy for us to start anywhere really. Any recommendations on which parts of it would be the best to do, and how frequently you can come across bus stops where you can decide "gently caress it we've done enough, let's go to the beach for the rest of the vacation"? We're in decent shape and are fairly regular Alpine hikers, but it looks like if we try and do half (Calenzana -> Vizzavona or Conca -> Vizzavona) it's going to be too stressful to try and swing it in ~5 days. From looking at Google Maps it looks like there are really not many towns or even roads on the GR20. E: Google Maps' estimated walking time for the GR20 is also hilarious; you'd have to be a goddamn Olympic gold medalist to do the whole route in 36 hours of hiking-time. E2: apparently one of the stages is closed; Cirque de la Solitude was shut down in June 10 (2015), so who knows if it'll be open again by mid August. I guess we start from the south and avoid having to wait around for a shuttle that I bet comes twice a day. These logistics are a nightmare to figure out, and I speak French fine. Saladman fucked around with this message at 21:39 on Jul 6, 2015 |
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Jul 6, 2015 21:09
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So I'm looking to visit Rome around late July for around five days with my family. Anyone got any general advice for us such as where to stay, how to get around, where to eat etc. We're planning to visit all the cliche tourist destinations (Collisseum, Sistine Chapel, St. Peters Basilica) though if anyone has any recommendations for some lesser known places to visit that would be appreciated too.
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Jul 6, 2015 22:24
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Visit San Clemente if you want to grasp how old this city is. It's a medieval church built on an even older church which again is built on top of an ancient Roman villa.
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Jul 6, 2015 22:59
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Best part about Rome is having an amazing dinner, paying very little, then going for a wander through the streets at night with a gelato. You can (and should) get lost and find amazing ancient buildings that you've never heard of before. Whereabouts are you staying? I'm not exactly a tour guide but maybe I can give tips for dinner etc. Generally speaking don't eat at places with English menus outside, pictures of the food, or anywhere within a stone's throw of a major tourist destination. At the very least duck down a few side streets first and check prices. You can always ask how much cover or service is (the classic tourist traps have coperto AND servizio AND expect a tip) and then bugger off without sitting down. If you get american-style customer service rather than a grumpy old man then you're in the wrong restaurant.
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Jul 7, 2015 00:24
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Rome: Borghese Gallery is worth it. You'll need reservations if you don't already have them. Carve out time to walk the grounds around it for an hour or so. Spend some time walking around Trastevere and grabbing a meal. There are definitely "tourist" restaurants even in Trastevere so do some research even if you are walking around over there. Some of the lesser known places that we didn't really plan were cool to bump into. The place where Julius Caesar was murdered is now ruins that are a cat sanctuary. The Roman baths turned church on Piazza della Republica was really cool (church's name escapes me at the moment). I'm sure Piazza Navona and Campo de Fiori are on your list... if you make it to that area then try to walk through the Jewish ghetto as well. Piazza del Popolo was neat and also had some great churches to check out right nearby. It's not a bad walk to start here and then head towards the Spanish steps. The streets between Popolo and the Spanish steps are the high fashion shops in Rome if you are with someone that might be into that, like my girlfriend was. Don't go to the Vatican on a Saturday if you have the choice. Walk into any church you see. I am not religious and doing this was one of my favorite parts of being in Rome. All of them are amazing. There are two metro lines and they work OK if you happen to be staying near a station and where you want to go is also near a station. Otherwise, we found the bus system worked pretty well. There is a bus line that basically does loops through the tourist spots. Be wary of gypsies/pickpockets on public transportation though.
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Jul 7, 2015 04:08
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The view from the top of the Wedding cake is pretty great and I remember it not being very expensive to take the lift to the roof. The museum was bit meh though. Also San Clemente is great.
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Jul 8, 2015 21:58
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Hoo boy. Looks like I should have booked August accommodation in Spain more than a month in advance.
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Jul 8, 2015 22:03
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Has anyone been in Krakow recently? The last time I was there was 8 years ago, so I'm looking forward to seeing how things have changed over the past couple of years. Any places specifically to check out that have sprung up in the past few years?
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Jul 10, 2015 21:35
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Okay, am going to buy train tickets now going from CDG to Brussels to Ghent. I will be arriving at CDG on the morning of 10/1 (Thursday), and flying back the morning of 10/10 (Saturday). I'm doing the Belgium part first, just curious what you thought: 10/1 - Arrive in Ghent in the afternoon, walk around, sleep 10/2 - Day trip to Brussels 10/3 - Day trip to Bruges 10/4 (Sunday) - Some other  city, or take the train back to Paris that day. 10/5 - Paris, since it's a Monday a lot of museums are closed so just walk around and do whatever 10/6 - Use day 1 of two day museum pass 10/7 - use day 2 of museum pass 10/8, 10/9 - undecided 10/10 - fly back in morning I'm wondering about any other possible Belgian cities. Is Antwerp any good? Also wondering about going from Bruges to Ostend or something else along the water. Also wondering about checking out Maastricht NL since I never went that far south in March.
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Jul 10, 2015 21:45
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So is getting an OV-Chipcard the best idea for getting around in the cities in the netherlands? I was thinking of getting one at the hook of Holland station when I get there, taking the NS rail to the Hague with my day pass and getting to my hostel with the city rail. Next day getting back to Hague central and buying a one way ticket to Amsterdam on the NS rail again.
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Jul 11, 2015 15:09
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FAT CURES MUSCLES posted:So is getting an OV-Chipcard the best idea for getting around in the cities in the netherlands? I was thinking of getting one at the hook of Holland station when I get there, taking the NS rail to the Hague with my day pass and getting to my hostel with the city rail. Next day getting back to Hague central and buying a one way ticket to Amsterdam on the NS rail again. I just bought individual tickets. It's only a 1 euro difference iirc. I took the train from the airport to Amsterdam, and from Amsterdam to Haarlem, the Hague and Utrecht
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Jul 11, 2015 20:53
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actionjackson posted:I just bought individual tickets. It's only a 1 euro difference iirc. I took the train from the airport to Amsterdam, and from Amsterdam to Haarlem, the Hague and Utrecht Do you have an recommendations to see in Haarlem and Utrecht? I have 8ish hours to kill between the ship arriving and check-in time at the hostel.
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Jul 11, 2015 23:34
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FAT CURES MUSCLES posted:Do you have an recommendations to see in Haarlem and Utrecht? I have 8ish hours to kill between the ship arriving and check-in time at the hostel. Utrecht has a decent art museum but otherwise I'd just find a terrace somewhere to have a beer in the sun.
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Jul 12, 2015 05:04
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Go to Delft if you can, it's beautiful and easy enough to walk around in for a few hours whereas Utrecht is much bigger and a longer walk from the train station
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Jul 12, 2015 09:29
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What are some good cities to visit in central / eastern Europe? I live in Rome so it's a crying shame I've been focusing my travel on the western half so far. The list of countries in Europe I've visited isn't long so I'll just list those: Italy, UK, France, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal. Any comments on Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Poland, Lithuania? I'm not a third world tourist so I'd rather avoid places that would see me beaten and robbed or sleeping on roach-infested floors because all the hotels got shut down in the last war and never reopened. Residency Evil posted:Has anyone been in Krakow recently? The last time I was there was 8 years ago, so I'm looking forward to seeing how things have changed over the past couple of years. Any places specifically to check out that have sprung up in the past few years? Interested in hearing an answer to this as well.
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Jul 12, 2015 14:22
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Sulla-Marius 88 posted:What are some good cities to visit in central / eastern Europe? I live in Rome so it's a crying shame I've been focusing my travel on the western half so far. I cannot speak for any of the other countries, but Hungary is interesting. Budapest is a fantastic city with a nice mixture of "Eastbloc" and "Vienna", some fantastic sights and a very special atmosphere. Language is sometimes an issue (very old people speak German, with young people you have a chance that they speak English, middle-aged people, especially in lower paid jobs, might not really speak either), but it doesn't really cause all that many problems, so I wouldn't worry about it. It's also pretty safe, the usual pickpocketing you get in popular tourist places and big cities aside. That said, I would probably stick to Budapest unless you specifically want to see something else, because I didn't find the rural areas all that interesting. It's worth seeing!
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Jul 12, 2015 14:48
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Sulla-Marius 88 posted:What are some good cities to visit in central / eastern Europe? I live in Rome so it's a crying shame I've been focusing my travel on the western half so far. There is no place like that in Eastern Europe. It's much safer there than in WE cities. I was in Krakow last year and it was just a sleepy tourist town, not at all dangerous. I liked the milkbars and the Jewish restaurants. Gdansk is really fun too:  Also Poland is a place where you can take a long distance bus for less than 10 euros and get free coffee, wifi and a free snack on board. Nothing about it is dangerous or uncomfortable. The toilets all have seats on them. If I ever get back to Europe I think I want to go to Plovdiv.
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Jul 12, 2015 14:51
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I was more worried about Romania and things like that, we have a friend whose boyfriend is from there and they went back to his town for a wedding and she said while it was very interesting she doesn't know if she'd go back without a local to steer her clear. Maybe I'm remembering that wrong or maybe he's from a rural area
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Jul 12, 2015 15:01
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Go to Slovenia! I was going to go last year until I had to cancel my trip and I'm super bummed about it.
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Jul 12, 2015 15:44
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Sulla-Marius 88 posted:What are some good cities to visit in central / eastern Europe? I live in Rome so it's a crying shame I've been focusing my travel on the western half so far. You're more likely to be beaten or robbed or get a roach-infested room in Rome or Milan than in Ljubljana or Krakow but go ahead and tell us more about your ideas and concerns about central / eastern Europe. Would you prefer a bed or do you want to sleep in a ditch like locals? Is electricity important to you?
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Jul 12, 2015 16:20
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Sulla-Marius 88 posted:I was more worried about Romania and things like that, we have a friend whose boyfriend is from there and they went back to his town for a wedding and she said while it was very interesting she doesn't know if she'd go back without a local to steer her clear. Maybe I'm remembering that wrong or maybe he's from a rural area I hear that Romania is pretty hosed up compared to the rest of Eastern Europe, with feral dogs roaming the streets even in Bucharest. On the other hand, I've heard that Hungary, Slovenia and Poland are all beautiful places to visit and as safe as anywhere in Western Europe (Croatia and Czech Republic, too).
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Jul 12, 2015 16:28
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Doctor Malaver posted:You're more likely to be beaten or robbed or get a roach-infested room in Rome or Milan than in Ljubljana or Krakow but go ahead and tell us more about your ideas and concerns about central / eastern Europe. Would you prefer a bed or do you want to sleep in a ditch like locals? Is electricity important to you? This. When I first moved to Bolzano, my German and Italian flatmates asked me where I wanted to travel to first. I said Budapest. They stated that they would never travel to Croatia, Hungary or Poland because they believe the people to be racist and homophobic. Then they proceed to tell me, not more than an hour later, that a former work colleague where we all work was severely beaten (along with his boyfriend) for being gay in public. This occurred very near the main piazza on a Saturday night when the streets are filled with people and not a soul intervened. They left the flat two weeks later to go on a 10 day jaunt around Sicily. Sicily is a part of a country where a violent homophobic attack happened to a friend of theirs' not five minutes from home, but they do not include it on their list of banned countries. But beautiful Budapest, Split, Krakow, Poznan... no, I heard that they are unevolved cavemen that club women and African immigrants over the head.  Poland, for my money, is the cheapest and best option for me in Europe. I was in Krakow in 2012 and spent most of my time there drinking coffee at cafes, wandering through the many, many Catholic cathedrals and eating stuffed goose necks in Kazimierz. The only downside to Krakow were the stag parties. A group of middle-aged British men nearly ruined our tour of Auschwitz. Who the hell goes there as part of stag party? Poznan is quite well preserved as well. Even Warsaw is worth visiting for a few days. Quite a lot of greenspace there, something like 40 percent of the total land area is greenspace, tops in Europe. Budapest is quite lovely as well, beautiful architecture and women and interesting night life. Unfortunately, the ruin bars have been found out and are quite touristic. Similar to Prague, where you have a cathedral and castle on top of a hill overlooking the river and city center. Budapest is one city where you definitely have to use public transportation. The subway tunnels are either burrowed extremely deep into the earth or in the case of the oldest one, the line is buried only a few meters below the surface. This is the line that will take you to the Opera House as well as the famous baths and Heroes' Square. Least importantly, I ended up taking a photo from near the Danube looking both at the main (?) cathedral and looked at the window of a restaurant next to me. Dennis Quaid and son eating sushi. It was from around this vantage point:  So, I guess any trip to Budapest isn't complete without taking a photo here and bumping into an A-lister.
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Jul 12, 2015 17:02
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Doctor Malaver posted:You're more likely to be beaten or robbed or get a roach-infested room in Rome or Milan than in Ljubljana or Krakow but go ahead and tell us more about your ideas and concerns about central / eastern Europe. Would you prefer a bed or do you want to sleep in a ditch like locals? Is electricity important to you? Like I said, I got a discouraging story from a friend's trip to Romania and I don't know anything about eastern europe beyond some of the political and economic and military problems of their recent history. I'm not saying they're terrible or I'm going to get murdered, I'm saying those are things that concern me whenever I consider where to go, and I look that poo poo up in advance for western europe as well. I don't even like London but thanks for making me out to be some racist old lady?
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Jul 12, 2015 17:07
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Sulla-Marius 88 posted:Like I said, I got a discouraging story from a friend's trip to Romania and I don't know anything about eastern europe beyond some of the political and economic and military problems of their recent history. I'm not saying they're terrible or I'm going to get murdered, I'm saying those are things that concern me whenever I consider where to go, and I look that poo poo up in advance for western europe as well. I don't even like London but thanks for making me out to be some racist old lady? You said: Sulla-Marius 88 posted:Any comments on Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Poland, Lithuania? I'm not a third world tourist ... You implied that these countries are third world. I don't know if it's racist but it's definitely arrogant and ignorant. Slovenia borders with Italy for fucks sake, how do you know so little about countries around you? You're an Internet-using, Europe-travelling adult who apparently knows very little but is at the same time quick with denigrating comments. Also FYI since you mentioned "all the hotels got shut down in the last war "... Out of those five countries, the only that was in a war since WWII is Slovenia, and it was a ten-day skirmish 25 years ago.
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Jul 12, 2015 17:34
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PT6A posted:I hear that Romania is pretty hosed up compared to the rest of Eastern Europe, with feral dogs roaming the streets even in Bucharest. On the other hand, I've heard that Hungary, Slovenia and Poland are all beautiful places to visit and as safe as anywhere in Western Europe (Croatia and Czech Republic, too). Romania is generally safer than most of western Europe, you're way more likely to be robbed or pick-pocketed by a romanian in Barcelona or Milano than in Romania as most of our criminal elements have been migrating west since 2007; and there aren't many stray dogs left as the government has spent the last few years euthanizing them all. Sulla-Marius 88 posted:I was more worried about Romania and things like that, we have a friend whose boyfriend is from there and they went back to his town for a wedding and she said while it was very interesting she doesn't know if she'd go back without a local to steer her clear. Maybe I'm remembering that wrong or maybe he's from a rural area What town in what region? I haven't experienced or seen any kind of crime or violence for more than 10 years, but I live in Constanta which is the biggest tourism destination in the country and the second richest city after Bucharest. Probably in poorer regions (in the east or deep south) there are more dangerous places, but those aren't anywhere close to touristy areas. The region most popular with foreign tourists, and the one you'll end up visiting if you come to Romania, is Transylvania, which is extremely safe. Also, with its medieval cities, castles and the Carpathian mountains, it's the most picturesque place in eastern Europe, rivaled only by Croatia. Bucharest is also very safe, but not really worth visiting unless you're into night-life or weird mixes of architecture (Bucharest is a mix of communist brutalism and massive Paris-style palaces built before WW2; there's also Casa Poporului, the biggest and most expensive civilian building in the world if you want to see something really ridiculous) Oh and am having a big laff at someone from Rome fearing that Romania is unsafe
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Jul 12, 2015 18:43
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3peat posted:Romania is generally safer than most of western Europe, you're way more likely to be robbed or pick-pocketed by a romanian in Barcelona or Milano than in Romania as most of our criminal elements have been migrating west since 2007; and there aren't many stray dogs left as the government has spent the last few years euthanizing them all. Fair enough, I don't have any personal experience, so it's good to hear that it has improved from what I heard.
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Jul 12, 2015 18:45
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I'm sorry, that's not what I meant at all. I was trying to make a hyperbolic joke along the lines of about not wanting to see soldiers get blown up in Ukraine, I wasn't trying to disparage any countries, I just meant that I'm not a very bold traveller so I'm looking for places that are accessible. I would normally have expressed that better or apologised better but I'm having the shittest loving week so this is the best I can do
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Jul 12, 2015 20:09
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FAT CURES MUSCLES posted:Do you have an recommendations to see in Haarlem and Utrecht? I have 8ish hours to kill between the ship arriving and check-in time at the hostel. Uretcht was kind of eh. Haarlem is just great to walk around in, it's so compact and peaceful. I stopped at a very nice cafe in a tiny alley called de Overkant (last pic). Here's a few pics I took there.     
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Jul 12, 2015 23:25
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Sulla-Marius 88 posted:What are some good cities to visit in central / eastern Europe? I live in Rome so it's a crying shame I've been focusing my travel on the western half so far. Yeah, Poland is most definitely not "third world." I've been to Krakow many, many times (although not recently) and have never felt unsafe. My understanding is that it (and Poland as a whole) has only gotten safer/more Western with the influx of EU money over the past 15 years or so. You'll be more than fine, especially if you stick to the touristy areas around the Old City. Either way, I'll post a trip report when I'm there in a few weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing how much it's changed. On another topic, has anyone here been to Istanbul? Thinking about a trip next spring.
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Jul 13, 2015 01:22
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Yo not sure if this is the right place I'll be in Berlin from the 16th to 19th anyone want to hang out around town? I'll pay for lunch and stuff if you want!  Edit: found the Germany thread, will leave this here just in case. Xun fucked around with this message at 02:22 on Jul 13, 2015 |
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Jul 13, 2015 02:13
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Budapest in Hungary is loving amazing. Everything is built on a grand scale of avenues and squares, plazas etc like Paris, but with it's own regional charm. I was there in July '14 and I'm definitely going back. It probably has more in common with Vienna than Paris but regardless it's a lot less cramped than either of them and absolutely beautiful in the summer. Everything there is half price due to their economy and having never adopted the Euro (Greece are you taking notes?)
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Jul 13, 2015 03:17
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Late to the party here but I was just in Kraków last week and its super great (but Poznań is still the best), go check out Kazimierz and if you go while its still hot outside, go just outside of Kraków to the southwest and you'll find Zakrzówek, an extremely beautiful lake that used to be a stone quarry, it's surrounded by cliff faces so it forms kind of a canyon lake thing, take some beer and go for a refreshing swim when you get tired of tourism because it rocks. Trams 18, 22, and 52 go there from Stradom stop in Kazimierz. Also it makes me sad to see people diss Poland, Poland is the Best Country.
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Jul 13, 2015 08:35
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Prague is very touristy but touristy for a reason, it's one of the finest old towns in Europe, only somewhat sullied by all the souvenir stores. It's also very satisfying to pay for a pint of beer with a single coin (which is roughly worth a euro) and get change. Try to avoid going over a weekend when it's jam-packed with British stag nights.
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Jul 13, 2015 09:19
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I'm in Verona and will be heading to Treviso tomorrow. The connection I looked up will involvea 40 minute wait at Venice Mestre Staton for a 20 minute trip to Treviso Central, are there sny alternative methods to reach Treviso?
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Jul 13, 2015 11:54
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Fragrag posted:I'm in Verona and will be heading to Treviso tomorrow. The connection I looked up will involve a 40 minute wait at Venice Mestre Staton for a 20 minute trip to Treviso Central, are there sny alternative methods to reach Treviso? I believe your only other option by train would involve a layover in Vicenza instead of Mestre. I see that the wait in Vicenza is around 20-25 minutes on Trenitalia's website. Every Italian will tell you that Mestre is a place of poo poo. But you are there for only 40 minutes, so no worries.
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Jul 13, 2015 12:15
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Hadlock posted:Budapest in Hungary is loving amazing. Everything is built on a grand scale of avenues and squares, plazas etc like Paris, but with it's own regional charm. I was there in July '14 and I'm definitely going back. It probably has more in common with Vienna than Paris but regardless it's a lot less cramped than either of them and absolutely beautiful in the summer. Everything there is half price due to their economy and having never adopted the Euro (Greece are you taking notes?) Prices have actually been slowly rising the last few years. I remember the differences between going in 2004 and in 2010, where restaurants etc. have become more "expensive" (they are still fairly cheap in comparison). The more interesting thing, however, is that many of the brands etc. are not substantially cheaper than they are elsewhere in Europe, while the average income certainly is quite a bit lower than say in Germany. So it's not necessarily a shopping paradise. However, groceries etc. are cheap (especially bread) and cafés are still very affordable. The same was true for tourist appartments etc. (at least a few years ago). It's a great city and really, really worth a visit
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Jul 13, 2015 13:47
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What is the best telco in the UK? I'm about to move for a 3 month uni exchange. I'll be living in London.
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Jul 13, 2015 16:48
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Harley C posted:What is the best telco in the UK? I'm about to move for a 3 month uni exchange. I'll be living in London. Presumably what you care about is data with phone calls and SMS in case of emergencies or in case you have friends who are are time travelers from 2006 and lack smartphones with WhatsApp and FB Messenger installed? In that case, Three is probably the best.
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Jul 13, 2015 16:58
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