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Amsterdam's nice and has multiple days worth of stuff worth seeing, but I guess in some circles it's hyped as the be-all end-all tourist destination? French and English will serve you fine in most of the world, certainly including Belgium.
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Jul 23, 2016 02:38
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ibntumart posted:I always suspected that to be the case...my wife liked it, but she was there visiting friends and her work paid for everything. French in Brussels aka Bruxelles, Dutch in Ghent and Brugge. I found English not super widespread if you avoided the touristy stuff like I tend to do. I have a decent amount of both French and Dutch so was fine. You'll probably be fine!
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Jul 23, 2016 02:38
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By widespread do you mean like not having signs for everything in English, or that you actually feel most people don't speak enough English for tourist interaction?
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Jul 23, 2016 02:50
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Waci posted:By widespread do you mean like not having signs for everything in English, or that you actually feel most people don't speak enough English for tourist interaction? Most places I went, bars, stores, etc, I had to use French/Dutch instead of English. The touristy places such as walking tours, hostels, etc, English was fine. Trains were mixed, all signs and announcements were not in English, but probably a slight majority of staff/ticket agents I spoke to had varying amounts of English.
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Jul 23, 2016 02:53
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ibntumart posted:I always suspected that to be the case...my wife liked it, but she was there visiting friends and her work paid for everything. The people in the Dutch part of Belgium usually can speak English quite well, certainly everybody involved in anything remotely touristic will speak English. Ghent and Bruges are quite awesome (I'm biased since I'm from Ghent), but I'd say Brussels is overrated as well. On the other hand, some people love it and it's very easy to do trips to other cities (Leuven, Antwerp being the nicest) from Brussels if you don't.
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Jul 23, 2016 09:45
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I'm planning a winter trip of europe, starting around september. Usual backpacking things. Cheapskate. How likely will I be able to wing hostels and transport on the fly/what are the chances of me ending up freezing to death in a hungarian park witha bunch of refugees?
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Jul 25, 2016 00:19
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Brinner posted:I'm planning a winter trip of europe, starting around september. Usual backpacking things. Cheapskate. How likely will I be able to wing hostels and transport on the fly/what are the chances of me ending up freezing to death in a hungarian park witha bunch of refugees?
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Jul 25, 2016 06:28
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hackbunny fucked around with this message at 03:54 on Jul 2, 2020 |
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Jul 25, 2016 09:52
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Brinner posted:I'm planning a winter trip of europe, starting around september. Usual backpacking things. Cheapskate. How likely will I be able to wing hostels and transport on the fly/what are the chances of me ending up freezing to death in a hungarian park witha bunch of refugees? Most of Europe does not usually get nearly as cold as most Americans seem to think it does. If you're on the regular backpacker route and not refuging in the high Alps you're unlikely to hit anything under like -6C. Also winter starts in like, December.
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Jul 25, 2016 10:46
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mmkay posted:So far you've managed to narrow down your trip to a continent and no actual timeline, I'm sure you can do better. Sorry. eastern europe while it's not -20c . Poland, hungary etc. Germany for christmas im thinking? I'm Australian but have a UK passport. Getting in before the brexit train rolls over it. I do a lot of camping so I'd like to make the most of that for as long as possible. Just wasn't sure how busy winter was for europe these days with all the cheap flights etc. e: im good for outdoor life to about -5. queef anxiety fucked around with this message at 14:44 on Jul 25, 2016 |
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Jul 25, 2016 11:27
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So you're planning on going around for like 3-4 months? Many camping sites are still open until the end of October, no idea about past that. That said, camping doesn't really save you much if anything since the camp site fees + the cost of getting to/from the city (since you won't be anywhere near the center) will cost more than a hostel dorm bed. Camping is only worthwhile in Europe if you're going to be doing something in the countryside like sitting at a lake or hiking or (maybe) small towns. If you're doing mostly major city visits, there's a reason that no one camps. -5 will be good for December unless you get really unlucky, in which case you can always just get a hostel bed somewhere.
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Jul 25, 2016 20:53
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Saladman posted:So you're planning on going around for like 3-4 months? Many camping sites are still open until the end of October, no idea about past that. That said, camping doesn't really save you much if anything since the camp site fees + the cost of getting to/from the city (since you won't be anywhere near the center) will cost more than a hostel dorm bed. Camping is only worthwhile in Europe if you're going to be doing something in the countryside like sitting at a lake or hiking or (maybe) small towns. If you're doing mostly major city visits, there's a reason that no one camps. Most likely 6 months or so, heading to Canada at some point. I'd like to explore the country side as much as possible. especially the old castles around Austria and Germany. Sounds l should be pretty free to explore for a while before I start heading into citys. Thanks for all the info. Apologies for the vague initial post, last time I asked what Asia would be like and ended up hitchhiking from Vancouver to Newfoundland! I'm terrible at planning.
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Jul 26, 2016 01:58
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Hobo alert
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Jul 26, 2016 14:14
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Brinner posted:Sorry. eastern europe while it's not -20c . Poland, hungary etc. Germany for christmas im thinking? I'm Australian but have a UK passport. Getting in before the brexit train rolls over it. I do a lot of camping so I'd like to make the most of that for as long as possible. Just wasn't sure how busy winter was for europe these days with all the cheap flights etc. There are camping places in Germany that are open the whole year. Check here for example for Bavaria (works for the whole country): https://en.camping.info/germany/bavaria/campsites (set availability from-to and refresh) And you can save quite a dime, since especially in Winter they are happy for every customer they can get - hostels in cities are an alternative though, I _think_ you have to book early in a lot of them. The one in Nuremberg for example (to which I live close to) is in the cities old war castle and has a grandiose view over the city and is hugely popular. 
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Jul 26, 2016 14:33
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caberham posted:Hobo alert  dogboy posted:There are camping places in Germany that are open the whole year. Check here for example for Bavaria (works for the whole country): https://en.camping.info/germany/bavaria/campsites (set availability from-to and refresh) Thanks for the link. Glad I won't be funnelled into hostels all the time! That view is fantastic though.
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Jul 26, 2016 17:15
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So, I've decided to go to Paris from London from Scotland and environs with the train to Paris leaving on a Sunday in October. The train from Edinburgh takes at least 4 to 5 hours and will be tricky to coordinate. Staying in London a night just for the train is undesirable as I'll have already done so for 4 nights already at that point and will have to do so again to catch the plane out. I could catch the latest train out of Edinburgh So what if I drive I say,? The drive from Edinburgh to London is 8 hours. I am both tempted and terrified of this prospect, this allows me to see vast swaths of the country if only at night from the motorway, but my only qualification for left hand drive is Euro Truck Simulator 2 (though I'll have been driving for 5 days at that point provided I'm not in jail or dead in a ditch). Easyjet seems like the most logical solution, it's cheap, doesn't require an intermediate transport, but I feel like I would be missing out on all the bits between wherever I am Saturday to Paris. Other than not being in this situation (I have to be in Liverpool anyway and would like to visit Scotland) entirely, which would you guys go with? Speaking of Scotland, this is roughly what I'm planning.
I understand this is a fairly aggressive schedule, perhaps too much so. I like moving around and won't have anyone with me, so filling my time with running around is my way of heading off boredom. Does Glasgow/Edinburgh have enough to see that I would be perfectly fine giving Glencoe and surroundings a miss? Should I consider something closer to Liverpool for Monday and Tuesday instead?
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Jul 27, 2016 05:12
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You will be fine with LHD down a motorway, driving on the correct side when there's other cars around is actually way easier than when there's no cars, because it's not like you're randomly going to drive straight into oncoming traffic. When I was in New Zealand last year I drove in Auckland for 5 days, including through rush hour after a 15 hour flight and was totally fine. Then we went to Queenstown and the instant I got on those country roads with no one around I started driving on the wrong side again, since there was no other traffic to give me an indication that no that's wrong dumbass. Also the easiest way to remember I find is that no matter where you're driving, the steering wheel should always be in the middle of the road, not towards the side of the road. I can't really help you with anything else, but hopefully that gives you a bit of insight into the drive option.
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Jul 27, 2016 06:36
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skooma512 posted:So, I've decided to go to Paris from London from Scotland and environs with the train to Paris leaving on a Sunday in October. I really liked Edinburgh. As for transport: have you considered flying? It was the cheaper option when I had to get to Edinburgh from the Midlands.
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Jul 27, 2016 09:53
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skooma512 posted:So, I've decided to go to Paris from London from Scotland and environs with the train to Paris leaving on a Sunday in October. Two problems: (1) One-way fees -- if you can even find a rental agency that will allow that route -- will be crazy. I'd be surprised if you could get a car to do that drive in a week for under about €1000 (since it would include probably a €500 one-way fee). I checked a couple carriers out of curiosity and neither of them even allowed that route at all which I guess isn't a surprise since a rental agency can't rent a lefthand drive in Europe or a righthand drive in the UK so they have to ship it back and it's probably not worth the hassle for them since 99% of people would prefer to just fly or take the train. (2) The scenery from the motorway is not spectacular. I've only been as far north as York, but at least between York and Dover you're going to basically just see a bunch of farms, which you could see just fine from the train anyway. Driving on motorways is almost never worth it vs. taking a train if the point is scenery. If you want scenery, take the back roads which will pass through cute villages and etc. Also doing it at night is ?? you're not going to see anything besides the highway shoulders and some trees. Bonus problem: Driving on a highway doesn't fill you in on the bits between Edinburgh and Paris. Even if you did it during the day and took back roads, you'd have to actually stop occasionally to make it worthwhile. TL/DR: fly directly Saladman fucked around with this message at 11:18 on Jul 27, 2016 |
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Jul 27, 2016 11:15
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skooma512 posted:So, I've decided to go to Paris from London from Scotland and environs with the train to Paris leaving on a Sunday in October. Maybe I'm missing something, but I would just fly from Edinburgh to Paris or, if that isn't an option, to London. Edinburgh airport is really convenient, especially since they finished building the tram, which will take you from Waverley directly to the airport. Both low-cost carriers like Easyjet and regular airlines like BA service Edinburgh, so you should even have some choice. If you are the driver, I doubt you would see a whole lot while driving a car down the motorway. A train would potentially be better, but at that point, I am not sure if you wouldn't be able to just fly for the same amount of money. I doubt you are going to miss an awful lot since you'd be passing any scenery quickly without a chance to linger either way, so you might as well reduce the time spent travelling as much as possible.
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Jul 27, 2016 16:09
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HookShot posted:You will be fine with LHD down a motorway, driving on the correct side when there's other cars around is actually way easier than when there's no cars, because it's not like you're randomly going to drive straight into oncoming traffic. When I was in New Zealand last year I drove in Auckland for 5 days, including through rush hour after a 15 hour flight and was totally fine. Then we went to Queenstown and the instant I got on those country roads with no one around I started driving on the wrong side again, since there was no other traffic to give me an indication that no that's wrong dumbass. Thanks! That's helpful. I'm pretty sure I'm going to rent a car at least to go to places that aren't reachable conveniently by public transport, plus I want to put my experience with MT to good use haha. Saladman posted:Two problems: 1. Good point. I need to research the rental car fees before I consider it firmly part of my trip. Although for clarity's sake, the car was never going to leave the UK, the trip across the channel was always going to be by rail or by plane. 2. Yeah this much is true. I guess being from LA I have an unhealthy relationship and fixation to freeways haha. I've slept on it and after reading this, yeah, it doesn't really make sense to travel by ground, especially when easyjet is so dirt cheap (I'm seeing 60 buck flights!). My bag, from the gear thread actually, complies with their carryon policy. So it looks like yeah I'm just going to fly. I'll get my train jollies on the way to Liverpool and back from Paris at a minimum. Still need to nail down my itinerary but I think simple with less darting around should be the priority. Thanks guys!
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Jul 27, 2016 17:00
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Is there any reliable source for buses in the Balkans or do I just have to kind of turn up and hope for the best? I'm looking to get from Belgrade to Prizren.
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Jul 30, 2016 11:57
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The Schwa posted:Is there any reliable source for buses in the Balkans or do I just have to kind of turn up and hope for the best? I'm looking to get from Belgrade to Prizren. Here you go buddy. http://www.bas.co.rs/basweb_eng/RedVoznje.aspx?lng=en
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Jul 30, 2016 22:29
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Hello friends, I am returning to Europe in late August as I am attending the World Scrabble Championship (  ) in Lille, France.My arrangements are to fly into AMS and arrive late the morning of Friday, 8/26, take the train to Antwerp (bought this ticket online, as I believe if it crosses the border you have to purchase in advance), and then to Ghent where I will be staying Friday until early Tuesday. I'm then going to Lille, doing the event, and taking the high speed (also purchased) to CDG and flying out on Monday 9/5. Looking for any suggestions. Here are my free times: Any of the days in Belgium. I for sure will take one train trip to Ostend, stopping in Bruges. I assume I can stop off and get on a later train on the same return ticket to continue my journey? One day trip to Brussels, because well, it's the capital. Is Antwerp worth seeing? I might just walk around for a few hours on my way to Ghent though. Any other city suggestions welcome. Also I will have at least one day in Lille before going home, and looking to take a train trip as well to a nearby city. I'm right next to Roubaix, but there are cities of historical interest within a few hours, like Dunkirk. So if there's anything in far north France you can suggest, let me know.
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Aug 1, 2016 03:53
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Antwerp and Gent are both better than Bruges, which is more an open-air museum than a city. Source: I live in Antwerp and went to Gent University. Go to Cogels-Osylei in Antwerp, an amazing street with some extremely bourgeois art nouveau houses. Another not super well known spot is the Calvarieberg, a very beautiful statue garden next to a church. Antwan3K fucked around with this message at 10:18 on Aug 1, 2016 |
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Aug 1, 2016 10:15
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A SWEATY FATBEARD posted:Here you go buddy. http://www.bas.co.rs/basweb_eng/RedVoznje.aspx?lng=en Cheers!
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Aug 1, 2016 10:51
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Are day-pass weightlifting gyms in Europe a thing? I'm going to be in Paris for three days and Bad-Neuenahr for two days in September, and I wanted to get one day of lifting in both locations. Everything I'm seeing for most French gyms seems like there's not many options for stuff like squat racks or deadlift platforms, and I can only find a boxing gym near our hotel in BN. Worse comes to worst, I can skip a week of working out, but I'd love to be able to train at least a little while I'm traveling. My French is nonexistent (relying on the gf there) and my German is okay.
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Aug 2, 2016 17:15
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Buzkashi posted:Are day-pass weightlifting gyms in Europe a thing? I'm going to be in Paris for three days and Bad-Neuenahr for two days in September, and I wanted to get one day of lifting in both locations. Everything I'm seeing for most French gyms seems like there's not many options for stuff like squat racks or deadlift platforms, and I can only find a boxing gym near our hotel in BN. Worse comes to worst, I can skip a week of working out, but I'd love to be able to train at least a little while I'm traveling. My French is nonexistent (relying on the gf there) and my German is okay. Lmao you're on vacation, just loving skip a week. Why on earth would you spend limited and expensive vacation time working out.
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Aug 2, 2016 19:28
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gains, obviously
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Aug 2, 2016 19:31
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Buzkashi posted:Are day-pass weightlifting gyms in Europe a thing? I'm going to be in Paris for three days and Bad-Neuenahr for two days in September, and I wanted to get one day of lifting in both locations. Everything I'm seeing for most French gyms seems like there's not many options for stuff like squat racks or deadlift platforms, and I can only find a boxing gym near our hotel in BN. Worse comes to worst, I can skip a week of working out, but I'd love to be able to train at least a little while I'm traveling. My French is nonexistent (relying on the gf there) and my German is okay. Just bring heavy suitcases and deadlift those. 
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Aug 2, 2016 20:02
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don't forget to do the farmer's walk instead of dragging them along by the wheels
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Aug 2, 2016 20:26
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Lifting is like a mini vacation, so it's like double vacation. But yeah you're right, there's poo poo to do and see instead of hanging out with a bunch of sweaty Frenchmen.
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Aug 2, 2016 21:14
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Buzkashi posted:hanging out with a bunch of sweaty Frenchmen. But enough about your gf's plans.
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Aug 2, 2016 21:18
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actionjackson posted:Hello friends, I'm pretty sure you can't just get of the train at your leisure and continue on later during the day. Antwerp is worth it if you have too much time I guess. But I would rank other places (Ghent, Brussels, Bruges) higher.
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Aug 3, 2016 11:30
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We've decided to head to Munich for a little while as well since Oktoberfest will be starting around that time, I checked in the "ask me about Germany" thread but haven't really seen anything, does anyone here have any advice for people without reservations? I've heard the big tents are pretty touristy so it might make sense to stick to the smaller tents.
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Aug 3, 2016 12:16
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actionjackson posted: you don't necessarily have to book the train from AMS to Belgium in advance. It can be done on the day as well, but you've done that now and it's probably cheaper that way, so not to worry. I'll echo that Antwerp and Ghent are better than Brussels and Bruges And Lille itself really isn't particularly interesting. I'd rather spend some time in the Netherlands as well if you wanted to fit in more.
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Aug 3, 2016 13:14
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CLAM DOWN posted:Lmao you're on vacation, just loving skip a week. Why on earth would you spend limited and expensive vacation time working out. Buzkashi posted:We've decided to head to Munich for a little while as well since Oktoberfest will be starting around that time, I checked in the "ask me about Germany" thread but haven't really seen anything, does anyone here have any advice for people without reservations? I've heard the big tents are pretty touristy so it might make sense to stick to the smaller tents.
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Aug 3, 2016 13:30
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My girlfriend has been sending me amazon links to lederhosen saying that if we look the part, we'll have a better chance of getting in/staying in, is she loving with me or is this legit? I think she's loving with me.
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Aug 3, 2016 13:43
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Don't go to Oktoberfest it's terrible And yes they actually wear that poo poo, also Dirndls for women. It's like Texans going full cowboy. Bayern is the Texas of Germany Antwan3K fucked around with this message at 13:46 on Aug 3, 2016 |
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Aug 3, 2016 13:44
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Buzkashi posted:My girlfriend has been sending me amazon links to lederhosen saying that if we look the part, we'll have a better chance of getting in/staying in, is she loving with me or is this legit? I think she's loving with me. Also: 
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Aug 3, 2016 13:47
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