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hackbunny fucked around with this message at 03:54 on Jul 2, 2020 |
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Sep 8, 2016 17:19
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dogboy posted:On the other hand the whole region is rather densly populated though, so maybe looking in other cities might be an option for you? The only problem with that is that public transport seems to shut down pretty early in Belgium, there are no night trains and few night buses.
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Sep 8, 2016 18:17
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Traveling to Spain and Portugal in November (I live in the U.S.), and I'm looking for electrical outlet adapters. It looks to me like both countries I'm visiting have the same outlet, type f, which looks like this: Does anyone have any adapter recommendations so that I can plug my stuff in? I've had cheap poo poo in the past that fit so badly it would just fall out of the socket, so I don't mind spending a few dollars more for something that promises to work.
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Sep 8, 2016 18:33
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Any adaptor that goes US to Schuko or Europlug will work fine. Europlug is SLIGHTLY thinner than Schuko but all Europlugs work in Schuko (not vice-versa though). If you care about snugness make sure it's a Schuko adaptor, although I think you're more likely to find Europlug. FYI though, a Schuko adaptor will not work in Italy or Switzerland (maybe some other countries too) whereas a Europlug would.
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Sep 8, 2016 18:54
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IceAgeComing posted:I've got a job in Brussels starting in the first week of October for the winter and I'm trying to find somewhere to stay over that time and I'm struggling to find anything particularly cheap. I was wondering whether anyone had any experience of doing this, and what I should be checking to make sure that I'm getting something good? The only sites that I have are the ones that I was recommended by the folk that are employing me and they're all flats that are slightly outside my budget and a single flat share site which looks dodgy as gently caress... There are certainly some regions you should avoid, like Molenbeek or Anderlecht. The regions are the University (ULB/VUB) are much nicer. For website immoweb.be is pretty good. You could also check if there's some international community from your country in Brussels, it's a very multicultural city and chances are there's a region with tons of people from your country in it (who can help you get a place). That said, while I work in Brussels I don't live there. In fact, pretty much nobody working for my company (finance) lives in Brussels. If your company pays back your travel expenses (that's very common here) it could certainly be a good idea to look outside of Brussels as well.
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Sep 8, 2016 20:52
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jackpot posted:Traveling to Spain and Portugal in November (I live in the U.S.), and I'm looking for electrical outlet adapters. It looks to me like both countries I'm visiting have the same outlet, type f, which looks like this: http://m.thewirecutter.com/reviews/travel-guide/#adapter
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Sep 8, 2016 23:52
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That's beautiful, thanks
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Sep 9, 2016 15:28
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I love going to modern art museums. Trying to choose between these 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_d%27Art_Moderne_de_la_Ville_de_Paris or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_National_d%27Art_Moderne The National Museum seems to be more major than the City of Paris one. That would probably be my choice. But is the City of Paris one worth it too? I don't have a ton of time in Paris. Separate question: Are Bayeux and/or Rouen worth it? Comb Your Beard fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Sep 10, 2016 |
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Sep 10, 2016 17:00
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I've never been to Rouen but Bayeux absolutely isn't worth going to unless you like shuffling around rooms looking at a piece of old cloth.
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Sep 10, 2016 18:17
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Is there a good resource for getting an up-to-date rundown of how your US phone will function in Europe? All the websites I'm finding are from like 2004. Sepcifically, I've got an iPhone 6 (virgin mobile) and am going to Venice next month; some sites say it's fine, some say you have to call your carrier, some say that you'll get charged a hojilliion dollars for even setting foot in Europe without your phone in airport mode, etc. Virgin's website has lots of info for calling internationally from the US, but I couldn't find anything about using the phone abroad. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Thanks!
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Sep 10, 2016 22:17
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iPhones are world phones
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Sep 11, 2016 06:13
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I'm currently writing this on an AT&T iPhone 6 in Geneva. The phone itself will work fine. It's the phone plan you have that you should worry about. You should contact Virgin and ask how they work. You might be better off looking for a European SIM to use.
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Sep 11, 2016 08:22
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caberham posted:iPhones are world phones As of the 6S they are. I've been hearing that Verizon has an SKU to themselves for the 7 because of the CDMA thing, but that just means it's got a CDMA radio on top of the other ones it would have anyway.
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Sep 11, 2016 08:32
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I think most phones will work in Europe nowadays, it's all about the carrier. Call your carrier and see what the plan is. If it's terrible, think about if you really need a phone. If you do, you have to get your unlock code. If your carrier is nice and you're out of your required contract period, they should give it to you for free (legally, they have to). If you're still under contract, you're probably going to have to pay some shady website $20 to unlock it for you. Make sure you do this before you leave, because it can take some time. Then, when you get to Europe, you have to find a SIM card. Note that most cards only work in one country, so you're going to have to get multiple cards for multiple countries. Depending on what country you're in, you might be able to find them in general stores, or you might only be allowed to buy them at certified cell phone stores. For my trip, we were going to too many different countries and it was too much of a pain to find a store that was open and in a convenient location, so I ended up just going without a phone and using wifi wherever I could. It wasn't ideal, but it was doable.
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Sep 11, 2016 18:16
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FYI, T-Mobile comes with free unlimited 2G data and texts in Europe. And at least in Spain the 2G was pretty fast. http://www.t-mobile.com/optional-services/international.html
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Sep 11, 2016 19:08
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So..My wife and I are going on our honeymoon pretty unprepared; (the wedding just took so much planning). However, we ended up booking a decent flight but I feel like I am spending to much as is. So currently we have about 5,000 to do this. Flight Round Trip: 1400 (total) to paris. 1 day in paris: 300 Flight to Rome: 260 1 day in rome: 201 We are there from the 12th-24th of September, yes tomorrow is our flight! So we have a long list of stuff we want to do in Rome before we head to a family friend in Bordeaux on the 21st. We are spending a week in Italy and I am not sure if we should stay at just 1 hotel or hop around due to logistics and it being our first time there. I am a historian and can't wait to go to all the sites (that I have yet to book due to logistics and hotels). Any suggestions before we free ball it? I can't believe I didn't make a post here a long time ago. If anyone could help us, you would be a GD saint.
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Sep 11, 2016 23:12
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Anybody have tips for getting a rental car near Paris? The automatics look outrageously expensive and I don't know to drive stick.
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Sep 12, 2016 00:54
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Deception posted:So..My wife and I are going on our honeymoon pretty unprepared; (the wedding just took so much planning). However, we ended up booking a decent flight but I feel like I am spending to much as is. So currently we have about 5,000 to do this. There are far, far worse fates than a week in Rome in September. You'll probably want to take the Leonardo Express train into Rome from the airport, which will dump you in Roma Termini, the central bus/metro station. While you're there, pick up a Roma Pass. Almost everything you want to see that charges is free/discounted with that, and it's a full pass to all public transit in the city for its duration. You can skip every line for the prepaid stuff, including the Colosseum. It will not get you in the Vatican. For that you will need to buy tickets on site or here. The advantage to online is skipping the lines, but each ticket gets a surcharge and you have to be there in your chosen 30 minute window or you lose it. I'd use the site as a gauge to see if it's crowded -- if time blocks are selling out the day before, you might need to book online. If there are tons of options you probably won't be in much of a line and you can save that money. Rome can easily eat up a week (or a lifetime) on its own, so it's probably fine for you to get a single hotel for your week. Is that "201" in dollars or euros, and is it your price per day for a room, all inclusive, or what? I'm not great with hotels, so aside from Tripadvisor I don't have a ton of advice. The area immediately around Termini isn't super nice, and has several tourist trap type places, but it is super cheap if you book ahead and there are still a few good cheap trattorias around. Though there's enough wifi around to get by, if you have the chance to go to a TIM (Italy's national carrier), Vodaphone, or other wireless place you can get a 2 gig prepaid data plan for like 5 euros and it's incredibly helpful. There will be stores all over. Hope this is at least a start.
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Sep 12, 2016 00:57
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Tricky Ed posted:There are far, far worse fates than a week in Rome in September. You'll probably want to take the Leonardo Express train into Rome from the airport, which will dump you in Roma Termini, the central bus/metro station. While you're there, pick up a Roma Pass. Almost everything you want to see that charges is free/discounted with that, and it's a full pass to all public transit in the city for its duration. You can skip every line for the prepaid stuff, including the Colosseum. It will not get you in the Vatican. For that you will need to buy tickets on site or here. The advantage to online is skipping the lines, but each ticket gets a surcharge and you have to be there in your chosen 30 minute window or you lose it. I'd use the site as a gauge to see if it's crowded -- if time blocks are selling out the day before, you might need to book online. If there are tons of options you probably won't be in much of a line and you can save that money. Big help, the 201 (USD) is the the one night we booked at Via di Torre Argentina 47, some hotel on trip adviser. We wanted to see some places outside of Rome, like Pompeii, Florence, Tuscany, or Venice. I understand the sheer amount of things that there is to do there, in terms of phones however, we have the iphone 6s, does it not work with wireless or is it just that much more convenient to pick up one of the following pre-paid phones from TIM? Thank you in advance for all the information you have shared. I'm going through your links as I type this. EDIT: Ok this looks great, thank you so much for the information. When you say the area around Termini you are talking about the suggested Roma passes correct? Just making sure I understood, and for the carrier information, those pre-paid's, is it something I use in my phone and something I throw into my phone? I'll do more research just feeling the sweat right now, flight leaves at 2:58 PM tomorrow. Freaking out a bit but this was a HUGE help! Deception fucked around with this message at 01:30 on Sep 12, 2016 |
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Sep 12, 2016 01:08
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Comb Your Beard posted:Anybody have tips for getting a rental car near Paris? The automatics look outrageously expensive and I don't know to drive stick. Don't.
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Sep 12, 2016 04:52
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Deception posted:Big help, the 201 (USD) is the the one night we booked at Via di Torre Argentina 47, some hotel on trip adviser. We wanted to see some places outside of Rome, like Pompeii, Florence, Tuscany, or Venice. I understand the sheer amount of things that there is to do there, in terms of phones however, we have the iphone 6s, does it not work with wireless or is it just that much more convenient to pick up one of the following pre-paid phones from TIM? Thank you in advance for all the information you have shared. I'm going through your links as I type this. With a week in Rome you will be much better off just spending it in Rome and not wasting your time by travelling to places. You could do a day trip to Pompeii, but I wouldn't recommend more than that. Last time I was in Rome (other than just passing through in transit) I was there for two full weeks and there's still so much I'd like to see and will likely go visit again. Take your wife to Ciampini Gelato, it's a trillion times better than any other ice cream you will ever have. Waci posted:Don't.
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Sep 12, 2016 05:10
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Comb Your Beard posted:Anybody have tips for getting a rental car near Paris? The automatics look outrageously expensive and I don't know to drive stick. Given your requirements it's unlikely you'll find a good price on an automatic. Automatics are always $40+ more expensive than manuals and locations within Paris usually charge a premium location fee. It comes down to the transit connections of the place you want to go. If the place you want to go has decent to good transit options then don't rent a car. On the other hand, if the connections are poor, very time consuming, or more expensive than the rental, the car would be worth it. Don't rent one just for Paris though. I rented a car at Gare Montparnasse to go to Vimy Ridge, Ypres, and Passchendaele since it couldn't be done in a day by public transit. Sure it was a bit expensive, but it was worth it and it was a pretty nice day trip driving around those places. If you are looking to go somewhere outside of Paris then try to rent a car at the train station closest to the way you want to leave the city. As said, I rented from Gare Montparnasse in the south, but had to get to the NE. It was a massive pain in the rear end driving through Paris in the morning and using the Boulevard Peripherique at night. Dreadful both times.
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Sep 12, 2016 05:51
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Deception posted:Big help, the 201 (USD) is the the one night we booked at Via di Torre Argentina 47, some hotel on trip adviser. We wanted to see some places outside of Rome, like Pompeii, Florence, Tuscany, or Venice. I understand the sheer amount of things that there is to do there, in terms of phones however, we have the iphone 6s, does it not work with wireless or is it just that much more convenient to pick up one of the following pre-paid phones from TIM? Thank you in advance for all the information you have shared. I'm going through your links as I type this. Your iPhone will work with wifi over there (it's universal), but I didn't encounter a ton of open, free, hotspots. Having a prepaid SIM (you can just throw it in your iphone) means you can always have access to maps and translations, especially if you do make excursions outside of Rome. I was mainly referring to ease of transit. If your hotel is close to Termini, you've got easy access to almost everywhere in Rome, but like most big train stations, Termini isn't in the nicest part of Rome itself. The Roma pass will get you on any bus or metro citywide, which will take you to any museum or historical site you want, and then you can use your Roma pass to get in to that site and skip the line for tickets. It's pretty great. As for getting out of Rome, you certainly have the opportunity to do it, but if you don't I'm sure you can find enough to amaze you. I would not recommend driving in Italy if you don't have an Italian-speaker with you. I had that AND my phone's GPS and we still took 3 wrong turns trying to get our car back to the rental car return office in Rome. You can look at the train schedules here. It looks like there's a high-speed link to Florence (You want Firenze S. M. Novella), Venice (Venezia S. Lucia), or Naples (Napoli Centrale). All of those cities have their own version of the Roma Pass (Florence, Venice, Naples). They all do roughly the same things: get you on public transportation and get you into museums. Florence is in Tuscany and the old city is well worth experiencing for a few days. You'll probably want to stay near the Arno river. Venice will be the farthest away and most expensive to get to. It's also pretty confusing, since most of us think in terms of roads and it doesn't have any. Many hotels list their locations as "Venezia Mestre" or "Venezia Porto" which are actually on the mainland, or "Lido de Venezia," which is a separate island from the main city. Naples is where you'll go for Pompeii. Once you're in town you can take a local train to Pompeii Scavi, which is right by the ruins and I believe has buses to the hiking trail to the crater. The crater is a hell of a climb. Unless you're a regular runner I wouldn't suggest trying to do it and the ruins in the same day. I can't tell you a single thing about the rest of Naples except that it apparently has its own rules for driving that are more crazy than the rest of Italy. I've personally done a 2-3-3 night vacation in Venice-Florence-Rome, and felt like I could have used an extra day or more in each. Heck , the Vatican Museum + Sistine Chapel took me an entire day, and the Basilica was another day entirely. If you're really into history you can probably spend your entire week in any of these places (Except maybe Venice - it's 3-4 days). Rome is the densest and it's fun to just wander around in and stumble upon something you didn't expect. Google knows what transit lines to use, and that'll help you a ton. Uh, other advice... be aware of "Terrazo" pricing, which will be about 3x the price you see listed on a menu outside the restaurant. Try not to eat in a place where you can see a monument or other famous place directly, you'll pay for the view more than the food. Have some Cacio e Pepe in Rome. Take the bus to Piazzale Michelangelo if you go to Florence. Keep your hands in your pockets on the metro/trolley/bus. Use your hotel safe. Take pictures. Tipping isn't usually expected. Maybe leave the change from your order if you're really happy. Have fun!
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Sep 12, 2016 05:54
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Tricky Ed posted:Your iPhone will work with wifi over there (it's universal), but I didn't encounter a ton of open, free, hotspots. Having a prepaid SIM (you can just throw it in your iphone) means you can always have access to maps and translations, especially if you do make excursions outside of Rome. Thank you for the glorious amount of information, you got me a bit worried about how much time I will have! I am the history freak, she isn't so I doubt I can go to all the places I want, haha. The location and logistics piece is the only thing I am worried about, hopefully my phone allows for the sim, I saw a youtube video on how to pop the sucker out. Yeah, I never used a SIM card @_@. Should I be worried about hackers and such? This may be a dumb question but should I wipe my phone before going just in case? Just asking because I never used a SIM and don't want all my poo poo wrecked when I get back to the states. Regardless, this is valuable information I appreciate the time you spent sharing your knowledge, my wife says thank you fellow goon  . It has put this poor planner's mind at ease....for the most part! Have a good week and I'll try not to stress the hell out!
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Sep 12, 2016 06:07
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There's a cat rescue center in the ruins of torre argentino open from 12-18 every day. If either of you like cats, and since it's right next to where you're staying, go there and have your heads exploded by cuteness.
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Sep 12, 2016 07:43
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Deception posted:Thank you for the glorious amount of information, you got me a bit worried about how much time I will have! I am the history freak, she isn't so I doubt I can go to all the places I want, haha. The location and logistics piece is the only thing I am worried about, hopefully my phone allows for the sim, I saw a youtube video on how to pop the sucker out. Yeah, I never used a SIM card @_@. Should I be worried about hackers and such? This may be a dumb question but should I wipe my phone before going just in case? Just asking because I never used a SIM and don't want all my poo poo wrecked when I get back to the states. Regardless, this is valuable information I appreciate the time you spent sharing your knowledge, my wife says thank you fellow goon As long as you see the person open up the card packaging before it goes in your phone, you're probably fine. Definitely back your phone up before you leave, though. I didn't wipe my phone before using an Italian sim. I had a few apps decide they didn't want to do anything overseas, but they were fine as soon as I swapped back to my original sim. The only thing that you may need to do is call your US carrier to get your phone unlocked for an international SIM. I don't think that's a common requirement any more (Verizon hasn't done it in years), but I figured I'd mention it since I haven't used an iPhone overseas. Or ever. Seriously, don't worry about not having a plan in Italy. Italy has plans for you.
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Sep 12, 2016 08:01
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MagicCube posted:Given your requirements it's unlikely you'll find a good price on an automatic. Automatics are always $40+ more expensive than manuals and locations within Paris usually charge a premium location fee. It comes down to the transit connections of the place you want to go. If the place you want to go has decent to good transit options then don't rent a car. On the other hand, if the connections are poor, very time consuming, or more expensive than the rental, the car would be worth it. Don't rent one just for Paris though. It's not for Paris, it's just ideally it'd be fetched and returned near Paris. For Normandy and Loire Valley. Want the freedom of being able to drive around, check out different places. I wasn't worried about terrorism at first, but the French PM just said he expects more attacks in the future and the threat is maximal. Kinda hosed.
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Sep 12, 2016 12:54
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Comb Your Beard posted:It's not for Paris, it's just ideally it'd be fetched and returned near Paris. For Normandy and Loire Valley. Want the freedom of being able to drive around, check out different places. I would look into taking the train to your first destination in Normandy/Loire Valley and getting the car there and dropping it off before coming back anywhere near Paris.
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Sep 12, 2016 13:11
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My advice re: Venice, if you end up going there: get a map, and just walk. The water buses don't come around very often and they are quite crowded, and Venice itself is tiny. You won't believe how small the city is, you can get from the train station (west end of the city) to Piazza San Marco (east end of the city) in half an hour with a brisk pace. Downside: you have to get a map and plan your path before starting walking, or you will get lost. 100% guaranteed. The whole city is a maze of small streets and tiny alleys, so it's very easy to lose your way. Also a downside: there are some places that aren't connected to the city proper by bridges (Giudecca, San Giorgio Maggiore, Lido, Burano, Murano, and Torcello are the main ones), so obviously for those you will have to get a boat. Also, if you want to travel from Rome to Venice or vice-versa: look into planes as well as trains. If you can score a cheap low-cost flight it will be on a comparable priceline as the train, and it takes more or less the same time overall (considering travel to the airport, check in, the actual flight, and the time to get out of the airport, versus the train station to train station trip by train).
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Sep 12, 2016 13:25
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Comb Your Beard posted:I wasn't worried about terrorism at first, but the French PM just said he expects more attacks in the future and the threat is maximal. Kinda hosed.
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Sep 12, 2016 13:35
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France has been expecting more terrorist attacks in the future since like the 1950s, and they usually end up happening. It's not a reason to worry, as Palpek says you're more likely to die in a car crash.
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Sep 12, 2016 16:46
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hackbunny fucked around with this message at 03:54 on Jul 2, 2020 |
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Sep 12, 2016 17:03
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HookShot posted:France has been expecting more terrorist attacks in the future since like the 1950s, and they usually end up happening. It's not a reason to worry, as Palpek says you're more likely to die in a car crash. I want to catch shrapnel just so I can say poo poo like "I'll always have Paris close to my heart" 
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Sep 12, 2016 17:22
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hackbunny posted:an electric [...] they're the most common kind of automatic you can find in Europe. sweek0 fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Sep 12, 2016 |
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Sep 12, 2016 21:21
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hackbunny fucked around with this message at 03:53 on Jul 2, 2020 |
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Sep 13, 2016 10:05
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skooma512 posted:I want to catch shrapnel just so I can say poo poo like "I'll always have Paris close to my heart" 
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Sep 13, 2016 11:45
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Driving in the huge cities isn't too fun as a tourist, but with GPS and all it's super easy to get around. Cars are more for getting around during the night time or to further out places. At least Europe is a civilized area with paved roads and people following traffic directions. For what it's worth I drove around Milan, Northern Italy, Across Germany and parts of Berlin on a giant gently caress off full size van
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Sep 13, 2016 11:47
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Hashtag Banterzone posted:I would look into taking the train to your first destination in Normandy/Loire Valley and getting the car there and dropping it off before coming back anywhere near Paris. Yeah, you're definitely better off renting a car. Any major car rental agency (e.g. Sixt, Europcar, any of the American chains) will have automatics. E: but they're just way more expensive Alternately, just learn how to drive a manual, it's a good life skill to have. Maybe even one of your friends or family has a manual and you can do it for free? Ask your parents or a foreign friend to show you how to drive, it'll take like an hour to be reasonably competent if you're used to driving automatics. You're not going to be parallel parking on hillsides or driving in hilly traffic, which are the only two particularly tricky things. Sure, you'll try to start a car in 3rd gear a couple times, and you'll maybe downshift from 5th to 2nd, but neither of these are going to kill you... although the second one can lock your wheels and cause you to swerve.
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Sep 13, 2016 12:49
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hackbunny posted:Where I am right now (Milan, Italy) I can swing a stick and hit an electric. On the other hand, outside of hybrid Toyotas (sedans and station wagons, option heavy, expensive to rent), I've seen maybe two autos in my entire life, and one was a one-legged guy's ride Are you sure? Automatics are standard on BMW's now. And a lot of people spec their VAG cars with a DSG.
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Sep 14, 2016 17:38
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NihilismNow posted:Are you sure? Automatics are standard on BMW's now. And a lot of people spec their VAG cars with a DSG. Automatics are only standard for high-end European sedans or SUVs like BMW 7-series, X6, or high-end Mercedes sedans like the E and S-series. Also all hybrids and EVs are automatic-only. Manual is still the standard for the entry level BMWs (3-series) as well as all sportier cars like SLK, M-series, etc. It's also the overwhelming standard for all cheaper cars, like little Fiats or Skodas or whatever. If you try to buy a M-series BMW and ask to get it automatic, that's an arrestable offense in Spain, Italy, France, etc. E: I mean yeah you can buy an automatic, but without exception people will give you poo poo for it if you could have gotten a manual instead. No idea why people are so snobby about "feeling the car" better. I mean why not just get rid of power steering and brakes too so you can feel the car even more. Saladman fucked around with this message at 18:09 on Sep 14, 2016 |
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Sep 14, 2016 18:05
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