|
So I worked these Easter holidays so I could take a trip this coming weekend instead. Any suggestions for Varna or Bulgaria in general? Must've been there with my parents like 20 years ago at least but don't remember poo poo.Bollock Monkey posted:Has anyone here been to Kosovo? How was it? Not yet 
|
#
?
Apr 10, 2023 21:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 20:24 |
|
|
Busy Bee posted:Has anyone here ever done a road trip in the Balkans? Specifically, Albania, Kosovo and/or North Macedonia? I've traveled to the Croatia, Bosnia, and soon to Montenegro but I'm curious about the other places I mentioned. No experience just for a road trip, but my family looked into the option of driving from Greece to the UK via the Balkans, rather than their usual route of taking a car ferry from Greece to Venice and driving from there. The conclusion was that it would take about the same time but only if you spend that time driving non-stop. As several countries are non-EU you will also encounter border controls and will need to deal with foreign currencies which would add several unknowns.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2023 18:14
|
|
|
mobby_6kl posted:So I worked these Easter holidays so I could take a trip this coming weekend instead. Any suggestions for Varna or Bulgaria in general? Must've been there with my parents like 20 years ago at least but don't remember poo poo. I've been to Varna, but was there mainly for work so I didn't plan too much. I also don't seem to have saved restaurants even though I went to some cool ones. One that I still can find is Morski Valk, which had good traditional food and was cheap, but it seems closed currently. We went to two sites outside of Varna. One was the Pliska fortress, which seemed historically interesting but there was really not much left of it, so perhaps not so interesting. The other was the Madara Rider rock relief, which was cool and the whole area around it is pretty as well. But I was mainly interested in the beach. We spent a lot of time at the beach bar Cubo.
|
|
#
?
Apr 11, 2023 19:35
|
|
|
Entropist posted:I've been to Varna, but was there mainly for work so I didn't plan too much. I also don't seem to have saved restaurants even though I went to some cool ones. One that I still can find is Morski Valk, which had good traditional food and was cheap, but it seems closed currently. We went to two sites outside of Varna. One was the Pliska fortress, which seemed historically interesting but there was really not much left of it, so perhaps not so interesting. The other was the Madara Rider rock relief, which was cool and the whole area around it is pretty as well. Thanks! Found a few other things, like there's a Naval museum close to Cubo, and a submarine relatively close in Beloslav, as well as some historical ruins or something. Sofia seems too far away to make a trip worth it. I'd love to chill on the beach but so far that's not looking too promising 
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2023 13:13
|
|
|
mobby_6kl posted:Thanks! Found a few other things, like there's a Naval museum close to Cubo, and a submarine relatively close in Beloslav, as well as some historical ruins or something. Sofia seems too far away to make a trip worth it. I'd love to chill on the beach but so far that's not looking too promising Hey, that weather forecast wouldn't stop Justin Bieber from swimming at the beach (ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfGaX8G0f2E&t=175s ). He has those Canadian genes though. You also seem to end up in a lot of places that WizzAir flies to with the cheapest prices (for a reason).
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2023 13:45
|
|
|
Saladman posted:Hey, that weather forecast wouldn't stop Justin Bieber from swimming at the beach (ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfGaX8G0f2E&t=175s ). He has those Canadian genes though.  Ah, well, nevertheless Yep I snatch up whatever shows up on sale so I can get out and see something new between the big annual vacations. It's literally cheaper than driving to a city 120km away and back, and can often be squeezed into a long weekend. Try to make up for the CO2 by not driving to work every day.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2023 15:23
|
|
|
mobby_6kl posted:Thanks! Found a few other things, like there's a Naval museum close to Cubo, and a submarine relatively close in Beloslav, as well as some historical ruins or something. Sofia seems too far away to make a trip worth it. I'd love to chill on the beach but so far that's not looking too promising
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2023 15:52
|
|
|
Anyone have any suggestions for “you gotta eat here” in London? With the qualifiers of 1) we’re going to be dressed just a step above t-shirts and jeans and 2) less than, say, 75 gbp per person not including alcohol. Staying near the British Museum.
|
|
#
?
Apr 12, 2023 23:49
|
|
|
The best cheap places to eat in central London, in my experience, are in and around Chinatown. I haven't been in a while, and things can come and go quite quickly these days, so I recommend looking up a recent guide for the best places failing recommendations here. Last time I was there I went to a decent pho place on Shaftesbury Avenue, which was within walking distance from the British Museum.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 00:00
|
|
|
Entropist posted:To get there I flew to Sofia and took the train, but it takes basically all day. It's a big place with no high speed rail. I thought I scored a good window seat at the front by being like the last to check in last night but I'm sitting next to a baby lol. It's kicking me with the tiny feet. 
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 06:35
|
|
|
WithoutTheFezOn posted:Anyone have any suggestions for “you gotta eat here” in London? With the qualifiers of 1) we’re going to be dressed just a step above t-shirts and jeans and 2) less than, say, 75 gbp per person not including alcohol. Staying near the British Museum. Ottolenghi for lunch if you're near one. Every time I go, I love what I got but am always jealous of something that I didn't get. Dessert is especially amazing/frustrating.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 06:51
|
|
|
Hawksmoor Sunday brunch? Regency cafe near Westminster is a my breakfast fast Do check eater London for a decent list
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 10:35
|
|
|
I've never been but based on the number of videos Youtube has started trying to show me, Youtubers seem to have all collectively decided that this place is the best breakfast in London. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_55QEwRKhU
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 10:42
|
|
|
WithoutTheFezOn posted:Anyone have any suggestions for “you gotta eat here” in London? With the qualifiers of 1) we’re going to be dressed just a step above t-shirts and jeans and 2) less than, say, 75 gbp per person not including alcohol. Staying near the British Museum. If you're looking for a nice date place, Clos Maggiore is near you, and I like it a lot and have been there a handful of times. Especially their central (covered, sealed) atrium is nice if you'll be there during daytime hours. It'll run close to your 75 GBP/person budget but if you're looking for a splurgy date place it would fit the bill. I don't think I've seen a nice restaurant that had a dress code any stricter than "no shorts or closed toes shoes for men". Presumably there is also a "polo or buttondown, or be jacked and look good in a fitted t-shirt" requirement for men as well, although I've never seen that actually mentioned in Europe. Jeans have been acceptable in every restaurant in Europe and North America since probably 1990? E: If you just want good food and not necessarily a fancy atmosphere, then there are a million fantastic places in London, catering to any type of international cuisine. London probably has one of the world's best food scenes, but it also changes crazy fast so probably any pre-COVID tips are almost useless (although Clos Maggiore seems to have survived). My wife bought a "top 50 cool restaurants in London" book when she lived there in 2011, and I looked through it in 2019 and no joke something like 35 of those 50 places had gone out of business, so lol that book went straight into paper recycle instead of the donation pile. Also speaking of Ottolenghi, I went to a couple of the Jamie Oliver restaurants and thought they were OK but unremarkable. They are not so expensive... and they also seem to be affected by restaurant turnover, as I'm 99% sure I went to one in Canary Wharf which appears to no longer exist. Ah yep, 2008-2019, RIP Jamie's Italian. Looks like nearly all his restaurants went under in 2019. Saladman fucked around with this message at 12:29 on Apr 13, 2023 |
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 12:23
|
|
|
Thanks for the suggestions. From what I’ve seen (including the mentioned Eaters list) it certainly doesn’t look like we'll go hungry. Especially since Googling makes it look like Soho and Covent Garden have many dozens of restaurants. And I’m a sucker for open markets, so we'll definitely head down to Borough Market one day.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 13:47
|
|
|
Flat Iron do good steaks, they’re in Covent Garden. Walk-ins only I believe. e: post in the Where To Eat in London thread https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3447751&perpage=40&noseen=1&pagenumber=79 Lady Gaza fucked around with this message at 13:58 on Apr 13, 2023 |
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 13:56
|
|
|
Borough market is good, little pricier but better than the other food markets I went. Just stay away from the sushi and Japanese (like most Europe). Echoing hawksmoor for Sunday roast and regency cafe. Goons were raving about dishoom a while back and it’s not bad, slightly above average. Not sure where you are from but I would go for the African and other immigrant restaurants as well, like polish, arabic, Ethiopian, etc. There’s British curry which is kinda like Italian pizza which is actually hit and miss. Anyways enjoy and once again, stay away from the Japanese cuisine
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 14:38
|
|
|
Thanks a bunch, keep ‘em coming. This is probably the seventh or eighth time I’ve heard Hawksmoor brought up by various people, so I’ll give that a hard look. Ethiopian, Nigerian, Turkish, Polish, Greek, Moroccan, yeah sure sign me up. We live in the US, to answer the question. The only regional food we probably wouldn’t go explicitly looking for is French, and maybe Italian. Steaks we could take or leave, basically a thing we already do at home. Tapas/meze is good, we’re big fans of several small dishes vs. a more traditional big filling entree, although there’s nothing wrong with that.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 15:33
|
|
|
For affordable no-thrills Indian food, the area around Brick Lane to the east is still pretty good in my experience, even if it's not the authentic hotspot of yesteryear. The above poster is right though, some Indian restaurants are more or less fast food places that cater to people who just want to fill up after a few drinks, so I'd check online or just Google Maps for the best places. There are lots of more upmarket Indian/South Asian places all around London, which will probably be a bit more expensive, but have a look around.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 15:42
|
|
|
Thanks and just to be clear, upscale or trendy or whatever is not a priority for us, except maybe once if we feel like splurging. Good food is the goal.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 15:55
|
|
|
Since you can get big Costco cuts of meat, only go for hawksmoor for Sunday roast, I went there twice and the Sunday roast was a lot more satisfying. On and make a reservation at the original hawksmoor, because there’s where corporate headquarters usually eat, so quality is consistently better. For French, yeah you can take a train to Paris if you really want French. Italy is farther but there’s already a sizeable American Italian heritage and population. Oh yeah forgot to mention Claridge’s afternoon tea. Yes there’s a bit of dress code but you can get unlimited sandwiches (which I found out too late). It’s a good place for afternoon tea. I did show up the savoy wearing long sleeve athletic clothes and looked out of place but was still served beef Wellington. Ooops. Trendy places are many times over rated and become a fad, but many times it’s a chicken and egg situation. Some restaurant is discovered to serve good food at some good price over expected value to become insanely Popular. Or high end places spend more money on food costs. Just need good instinct to decide, or goons here for suggestions. Curries I’m picky, it’s not just Indians but other South Asians too! Heck there’s even north and South Indian divide so can’t lump them together so easily. I live in SEA with a high population of south Asians, and I wasn’t too lucky/impressed with curries. Maybe 20% hit rate over 2 weeks in London. Dishoom was above mid but the lines were soooooooo long. It’s London, stay up late, walk a bunch, eat some more , drink, then walk some more and get late night food.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 18:01
|
|
|
Original Hawksmoor = Spitalfield, right? And yeah I think if we go it’ll be on Sunday.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 18:32
|
|
|
For healthy fast food while out and about, LEON isn’t half bad, despite being a chain. For tea and cake in a tiny space near the British Museum, the London Review of Books have a cute café.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 18:51
|
|
|
Go to Tayyabs for Indian food and get the lamb chops.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 20:49
|
|
|
Tokyo Diner is nice, right off Leicester Square.
|
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 21:13
|
|
|
First few pictures you see is salmon, don’t go. Even the name reeks of tourist trap. LONDON FISH AND CHIPS PARIS BAGUETTE I mean go if it’s really hard for you to access Japanese back home or you don’t eat much Japanese food, but don’t go out of your way for it. If you want East Asian food, try Chinese - with the huge influx of Chinese in Europe, I’m sure you can find a decent Sichuan place. Heck I’m in Milan and the Lanzhou Lamian (northwest Chinese) and the liang pi is leaps and bounds better than what can be found in southern China. Edit: I did a search for Japanese food in London, and apparently there’s an ippudo ramen and kanada ya, both are ultra mid ramen (think shake shack/five guys) but hey it hits the spot. London being such a rich city you do see a few “omakase” sushi places but i don’t know enough. Ages ago I did try this hand crafted udon restaurant but the lines were forever because people were lingering and ordering more drinks over ducking udon (it wasn’t cheap so I kind get it) This one Koya Soho https://maps.app.goo.gl/Sc5jqiuJP6aayYg28?g_st=ic Udon wasn’t bad, pretty good for being in the UK but nothing mind blowing. Funny enough a lot of Italian and French restaurants are quite impressive in east asia. Guess that’s just globalization at work. Oh wow they even have marugame udon around town, just need a sushiro, a tonkatsu and a maybe a basic gyudon/ basic cocoichi Wonton fucked around with this message at 21:49 on Apr 13, 2023 |
|
#
?
Apr 13, 2023 21:25
|
|
|
In Europe, if you want a good non-local cuisine always go for the one of a place that the country you are in has colonized. That's a good bet as there will be a lot of people from that place making good food. So go for Indian in the UK, Indonesian/Surinamese in the Netherlands, Senegalese in France, Angolan/Mozambique/Brazilian in Portugal. An exception is Vietnamese, thanks to North Vietnam you can find good Vietnamese food in most former commie states and Germany (via East Germany). It's very difficult to find good Japanese food in Europe, better go to Peru or something. You can find some decent version of specific styles if some place happens to have a chef that was actually trained properly in that style in Japan but it's rare. And very often expensive, especially sushi. I don't have much experience with London but if you are bored of Indian/Pakistani/Sri Lankan food / all the other million places that the UK has colonized, I am sure they have some good place somewhere for many different cuisines as it's such a big city with people from everywhere living there. But you'll probably have to look for it and get a good recommendation and it probably won't be in the center / in a touristy place. Entropist fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Apr 14, 2023 |
|
#
?
Apr 14, 2023 01:37
|
|
|
nvm i think i figured it out post hole digger fucked around with this message at 05:04 on Apr 14, 2023 |
|
#
?
Apr 14, 2023 03:48
|
|
|
Entropist posted:It's very difficult to find good Japanese food in Europe Düsseldorf would like a word.
|
|
#
?
Apr 14, 2023 07:11
|
|
|
Lady Gaza posted:Go to Tayyabs for Indian food and get the lamb chops. This is excellent advice on both counts but OP should know it's a BYOB establishment. There are a few off licences (places that serve alcohol to go) nearby, just get a few bottles of beer before you go in and you'll have a really tasty meal (make sure to get the lamb chops). If there's a huge queue, don't worry as the place is enormous and people get seated quickly.
|
|
#
?
Apr 14, 2023 07:50
|
|
|
Drone posted:Düsseldorf would like a word.
|
|
#
?
Apr 14, 2023 09:39
|
|
|
Lady Gaza posted:Go to Tayyabs for Indian food and get the lamb chops. This is the answer. I am a bit meh on lamb and could have smashed 20 of these badboys. Worth waiting for! I never made it to Mildred's when I lived in London, but it might be something nice to have in the back pocket as an option as they seem to have a restaurant in every major tourist area of the city.
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2023 13:53
|
|
|
Easy Jet has 'rescheduled' my Venice to Paris flight from 11am(ish) to 7 in the frigging morning 
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2023 03:14
|
|
|
Chewbecca posted:Easy Jet has 'rescheduled' my Venice to Paris flight from 11am(ish) to 7 in the frigging morning Easy Jet doesn't sound so easy
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2023 12:46
|
|
|
Quick trip report on Varna, Bulgaria since it seems to be a pretty uncommon destination. Some plans got a derailed because I forgot it's the Orthodox Easter weekend and it was raining for a decent part of the 4 days I was there. Should've rented a car because the inter-city travel is kind of a pain in the rear end. The city is pretty small but has a few cool museums and other attractions
A few day (or two) trips from Varna that I didn't do: Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo Nessebar and Sozopol near Burgas Overall nothing I haven't seen before but a good getaway for a long weekend or so. A week would be nice to visit the other places I mentioned. Climate sadly not that much better than central europe though.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2023 13:19
|
|
|
Please tell me where to buy a virtual SIM card(s) for Italy, Austria, and CH. If online, what pages are not scams? If upon landing in .it and at border crossings, is it hard? This is a thing I would have googled back when the web wasn't 100% content farm affiliate marketing.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2023 16:54
|
|
|
Greg12 posted:Please tell me where to buy a virtual SIM card(s) for Italy, Austria, and CH. By virtual sim do you mean eSIM? I think pretty much all operators in Europe have them now. Careful for CH because it is not in the European roaming-free network. Austria and Italy will always be included with each other but Switzerland is only sometimes included so you will need to check the fine print. Land border crossings won’t have phone shops. Major international airports will, just go on landing and ask and make sure to get one that includes CH and make sure they show you that it includes CH, because a lot of people won’t know, including the 20 year old who hates his job selling phone plans at Malpensa airport. I don’t think you can buy SIMs online in Europe, and definitely not in Italy, unless you’re using the dark web. Have to show your passport and stuff every time you buy one, to prove you’re not a drug dealer. You could also look into getting an American SIM with roaming in Europe if you’re in the land of the free where you can buy SIMs without doing a blood and urine test. I did that one time a few years ago for Cuba, worked fine, way better than trying to deal with Cuban telecom shops. Now I usually just cough up for roaming now when I travel somewhere with modern telephone services, as paying a bit extra for data is worth not having to spend half an hour getting a SIM registered with my personal details and activated. Depends on what your operator provides, but worth checking.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2023 17:52
|
|
|
Esim, yeah Big laugh at Orange including Liechtenstein but not CH
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2023 23:08
|
|
|
Greg12 posted:Please tell me where to buy a virtual SIM card(s) for Italy, Austria, and CH. I’ve bought an eSim a few times from AirAlo and have had no issues. Their Eurolink package covers all three countries you mentioned (plus most other European countries). Data limits are pretty low, but it’s fine if you just want to navigate, translate, message, browse the forums etc. The cheapest pack is $5 USD for 1 gig to use over 7 days - not enough to flick mindlessly through Instagram or TikTok, but yeah I’d happily recommend them. It can be a little finicky to set up at times, but it will work and doesn’t require spending an hour or more at a phone shop. PM me if you end up going with them as I’ve got a referral code you can use for a discount.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2023 23:51
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 20:24 |
|
|
When buying an eSIM for USA last year, I used Nomad and it worked fine - there seems to be a plan that includes Switzerland, so maybe that's another option to compare prices/comments.
|
|
#
?
Apr 20, 2023 07:30
|
|
