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I spent a few days in Inverness a while ago and very quickly caught on that in the absence of any special events, drinks and folk music at Hootananny was as good as it was going to get day to day. That's not to say that it wasn't fun. There's an 80s retro club named Vinyl but I didn't get to go there. It sounded like it could either be dreadful or extremely my poo poo. It's a narrow line to walk with these things. I'm going to Ireland tomorrow if anyone has any last minute advice. Spending time in Dublin, Galway, Dingle and Cork, which is apparently a popular touristy route. We're renting a car and I'm looking forward to ending up in a hedge after dodging an errant sheep.
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Apr 18, 2017 18:59
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caberham posted:I say grab the bag and the gear. It's freaking Europe and the architecture is beautiful. Also a good workout when you carry a heavy bag all day long. There's pasta, gelato, pizza and all sorts of wonderful food. So easy to get fat. To clarify my earlier statement: do take your camera to Europe. Don't take your camera to museums. There are millions of great photos of Europe that have yet to be taken. Perhaps three of them, at most, will be taken at museums or historical sites jammed with other tourists 
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Apr 19, 2017 03:44
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My Lovely Horse posted:I spent a few days in Inverness a while ago and very quickly caught on that in the absence of any special events, drinks and folk music at Hootananny was as good as it was going to get day to day. That's not to say that it wasn't fun. welcome! I'm not from here and not too hot on recommendations. Galway and Cork are both lovely small cities with a lot going on for their size; Dingle I haven't been to. I live in Dublin and it's all right  What kind of thing are you into/looking for?
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Apr 19, 2017 06:50
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Hi! I am suddenly going to London in 12 days, for 12 days. First two days my wife is at a conference, but I'm free to explore. We're allotting another two days to Disneyland Paris, getting there by train, amusing ourselves, and then a rest day. We definitely are going to do this. Almost certainly one day for a trip to Stonehenge/Salisbury/Bath/Windsor. One rest day after that. 1 day British museum and natural history museum. This leaves 5 days to play with. Any suggestions? I like offbeat things. I'm looking into whether we can ride any particularly scenic trains. Also, London food. Any recommendations? I'm not big on seafood but I like a good fish and chips. Thank you 
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Apr 19, 2017 07:00
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My Lovely Horse posted:I spent a few days in Inverness a while ago and very quickly caught on that in the absence of any special events, drinks and folk music at Hootananny was as good as it was going to get day to day. That's not to say that it wasn't fun. In Dublin, you need to eat at L. Mulligan Grocer. Best steak of my entire life there. Also, try Redbreast 21.
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Apr 19, 2017 07:08
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Beachcomber posted:In Dublin, you need to eat at L. Mulligan Grocer. Best steak of my entire life there. I was there on Monday night! They're a good independent beer place, I keep meaning to eat there. It's a wee bit out of the way though unless you're staying in D7 with the cool kids If you're into beer let me know and I can make some suggestions. Otherwise, the Liberty Grill in Cork is great for food, though you'll likely need to book. There's also a vegetarian restaurant called Paradiso that's very well regarded, I think it won top restaurant (not just vege) in the country Try McDonagh's in Galway for fish and chips, and the Roisin Dubh for live music afterwards. e: this is obviously directed at My Lovely Horse!
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Apr 19, 2017 08:09
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I am, in fact, into beer. Suggest away! Also thanks for the eating suggestions. I guess I'm into retro tech and music mostly.
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Apr 19, 2017 09:26
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My Lovely Horse posted:I am, in fact, into beer. Suggest away! Also thanks for the eating suggestions. For music venues here, you could try the Sugar Club or Whelan's. There's also Sin E, which has a lot of gigs but kind of notoriously rude staff (from what I've heard, I haven't been). For beer, a lot of the craft beer places in Dublin (or at least the ones you'll find on Google) are owned by Galway Bay Brewing. They make pretty good (imo not spectacular) beer, but at least half the taps in a GBB bar will be GBB brews. This includes the Black Sheep, the Beer Market, Alfie Byrne's, the Brew Dock, the Gasworks (haven't been), and Against the Grain. I don't dislike them, and they tend to be a bit more central but a bit safer in terms of what they'll put on. Independent places I like are L Mulligan Grocer as above, 57 the Headline, and the Taphouse if you feel like getting down to Ranelagh (not central but not that far). Bar Rua might be reasonable too and it's closer, but the selection wouldn't be better than at a GBB pub I'd say. There's also the Beerhouse which has good beer but surly staff. Not a beer place, but the Hacienda is a little hidden bar where the bartender has to size you up and let you in. Expect to drink Guinness though (not necessarily a bad thing). In Galway, the Salt House is a GBB bar but better than the Dublin ones imo, definitely worth checking out. In Cork, there's the Franciscan Well brewpub (and the Rising Sons one which is okay), but the Bierhaus, along the river on the north side of the island, is absolutely fantastic and if you go one place I mentioned, I'd make it there. I was there over St Patrick's weekend with a friend and we were both very impressed. I'll let you know if I think of anything else! Enjoy your stay 
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Apr 19, 2017 09:55
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Is the Porterhouse in Dublin not good anymore? That was just about the only brewpub when I lived there ~10 years ago.
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Apr 19, 2017 12:03
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greazeball posted:Is the Porterhouse in Dublin not good anymore? That was just about the only brewpub when I lived there ~10 years ago. It's fine but every time I've been there it's been super crowded, and there's better beer to be had in Dublin Keep in mind I've been here six months so I don't know all the things
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Apr 19, 2017 12:08
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Landsknecht posted:switzerland is expensive, and you'll go through a lot of tunnels The by far most scenic way to cross the alps is by Bernina Express from Zurich -> Chur -> Tirano -> Milano. You go through "that tunnel" plus a shitload of other scenic views. https://www.google.ch/search?q=bernina+express&espv=2&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&biw=1266&bih=765 The train is also hop-on hop-off (in a single day) so you may want to leave at like 6:00 and plan to be in Milano at late night to make the most of it. Or straight up stop for a night or two in Bergün/Celerina (expensive) or Poschiavo/Tirano (cheaper), but that requires to to buy two partial tickets. peak debt fucked around with this message at 13:19 on Apr 19, 2017 |
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Apr 19, 2017 13:15
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Beachcomber posted:Hi! Have you ever been to Europe before? Because honestly, planning "rest days" on a 12 day trip is kind of stupid, especially if you've never been there. You can rest when you're at home. Also, you're looking at three hours of travel each way to take the Eurostar to Paris, then the RER-A (which is in a completely different train station) to Disneyland. Not impossible but be aware of it. Plus honestly what the gently caress, you're in loving Paris, do better poo poo than Disneyland, especially since the Paris one is super lovely anyway. If you really, truly need to spend your time when you're in loving Paris at an amusement park go to Parc Asterix. One day for all of Stonehenge/Salisbury/Bath/Windsor would be very tight as well, unless you plan on spending like an hour or so in each place.
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Apr 19, 2017 15:52
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If you don't like seafood but like fish and chips then you are a giant manchild. But when you say rest day, do you mean stuff you can do in that area?
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Apr 19, 2017 16:11
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Maybe we shouldn't be so harsh because he or his wife have physical difficulty like being on a wheel chair or some form of sclerosis
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Apr 19, 2017 16:16
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1 hour for Stonehenge is an hour more than necessary, but to each their own. Doing that all in one day by car would be a very long day, doing it by public transit Is borderline possible, but only if you don't want to actually do anything anywhere. Windsor Castle is at least a 2 hour visit even if you just walk through it. Windsor-Salisbury one day and Stonehenge-Bath another day would be reasonable. There is nothing in Windsor besides the castle and some gift shops, and Slough is a pit. Never been to Salisbury but I imagine it'd be nice for half a day, like Bath. I love Clos Maggiore in London, if you're looking for somewhere expensive and romantic. Make sure to sit in the courtyard and not the house (courtyard is interior). Also reserve at least a couple days in advance. Also I agree about not taking rest days of Europe is a far or unusual trip for you (although I'm not sure this point needs so much loving emphasis) unless you have health issues or want time for yourselves like its a honeymoon or something. Hopefully "rest day" means "walk around Covent Garden and the Thames eating everything" and not "sit in your hotel reading a book". I don't think there are any scenic train routes anywhere remotely close to London. I guess you could go to the cliffs of Dover? That's the only particularly remarkable natural site near-ish to London but it's pretty drat far and probably a massive PITA without a car. There's lots to do in London itself. Get tickets to a musical or go to the Globe and watch an authentic Shakespeare even if you don't lolr plays (unless you -hate- plays). Picnic in Greenwich park. Go to the desolate business district of Canary Wharf on a Saturday or Sunday on your way to Greenwich (it's surreal and serene, like a zombie movie).
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Apr 19, 2017 16:22
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jokes on me, anywhere I go I just wanna hang out with goons and waste my time and money with random internet strangers instead of exploring new areas and doing fun stuff.
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Apr 19, 2017 16:30
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caberham posted:Maybe we shouldn't be so harsh because he or his wife have physical difficulty like being on a wheel chair or some form of sclerosis Fair enough but no disability is an excuse to want to spend your one day in Paris at Disneyland
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Apr 19, 2017 16:33
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Go have a curry at Brick Lane Visit the Tate Modern Go to the Maritime museums at Greenwich and stand on the prime meridian And yeah I'd agree with skipping on Disneyland unless it's a lifelong dream or something.
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Apr 19, 2017 16:36
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HookShot posted:Have you ever been to Europe before? 1. We've been to Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. 2. My wife has multiple sclerosis. If we don't do a few low key days she will break. We'll probably go to parks/cafes/restaurants and soak in the atmosphere. 3. Its kind of a bucket-list thing. Disneyland Paris has the only remaining Pirates of the Caribbean without loving Jack Sparrow shoehorned in and their Phantom Manor is supposed to be crazy good. Not to mention driving my extreme Disney-phile in-laws insane with jealousy... I do like the idea of spending at least another day in Paris. We'll probably do that. 4. Its a coach tour. We thought it would be the easiest way to do it without driving. Edit: I spent way too long typing this up apparently. I think I addressed a lot of the points? I knew I was going to get poo poo for Disneyland. Thank you for the other recommendations.
Beachcomber fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Apr 19, 2017 |
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Apr 19, 2017 16:39
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I loving knew it. I was lurking in the San Francisco LAN thread and some Goon's wife has sclerosis. Since you can't really see her symptoms she gets so much poo poo for sitting in the courtesy seat in public transportation. She rather suffer standing her way through the train ride  When you see the word "rest days or need rest" give people the benefit of a doubt. But not liking seafood? Man go to salt yard in London it's a good restaurant with good non seafood options
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Apr 19, 2017 16:54
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^^^ Yeah, I got the same impression, and typed up my post before I saw yours. Hadn't even thought of a tour doing that route. Well, then you'll definitely get to see everything since I imagine they'll allot time for everything and get you back late. It'll be with 40 other people at all times, but Windsor Castle and especially Stonehenge are packed with people anyway so it's not like it matters that much. Greenwich and Greenwich Park, Kew Gardens, Covent Garden, and (if you like more indie atmosphere) Camden Town are all fun places to hang out and take a low-key day. Hampstead Heath sucks and I don't know why sometimes it's recommended by people. If you like Indian/Pakistani cuisine at all, go to the Whitechapel area and eat wherever looks good. You'd have to be exceptionally unlucky to get bad food. I would not go to the top rated ones on TripAdvisor, I'd just pick one at random that has Indian/Pakistani people eating in it. Don't visit too many museums. British Museum is unique. Tate Modern is usually fun but check their exhibit list. Tower of London is OK if you really like castles and/or want to see the crown jewels, but it's pretty unremarkable. The National Gallery is incredibly boring unless you really know your British history in which case it's apparently fascinating, but even after watching The Tudors it bored me out of my mind. I've probably been to a dozen other museums in London in the past few years, and yet I can't remember any of the rest. The Greenwich meridian museum is cool if you like old mechanical watches and clocks or old sailing navigation equipment (I do, but it might not be everyone's cuppa tea). Go up the Shard if you like views. London Eye's views are good. I haven't actually been up the Shard as it's been foggy the entire time the last two time I've been to London since it opened. London Eye might even be better as it's not as high (but it's still high enough to overlook everything).
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Apr 19, 2017 17:03
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caberham posted:When you see the word "rest days or need rest" give people the benefit of a doubt. Not to mention that "rest days" or days without anything in particular scheduled are a perfectly fine thing to do on vacation. It doesn't mean you have to sit inside your hotel room and do literally nothing.
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Apr 19, 2017 17:05
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Actually I noticed you mentioned doing the British Museum and the Natural History Museum in one day. Don't do this, just choose one and do it properly as both have huge collections and you won't do justice to either, and will feel rushed the entire time. Sure, you can be like one of the people who visits the Louvre only to take terrible selfies with the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo before buggering off to line up for the Eiffel Tower or whatever, but I've never seen the point in doing that.
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Apr 19, 2017 17:08
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^^^noted, thanks! caberham posted:I loving knew it. I was lurking in the San Francisco LAN thread and some Goon's wife has sclerosis. Since you can't really see her symptoms she gets so much poo poo for sitting in the courtesy seat in public transportation. She rather suffer standing her way through the train ride I grew up in Pennsylvania and all the seafood sucked. I've been trying to cultivate a taste for it, but it's slow going. What my wife does is carry a collapsible hiking pole (which we actually use when we want to go to the beach and things). Probably a good idea to take them with us. We LOVE Indian and Pakistani food so thanks for reminding me about those. "Curry" is basically UK cuisine in the first place, as far as I understand it. Continued thanks for all the ideas. I'm taking them all down. 
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Apr 19, 2017 17:13
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Beachcomber posted:This leaves 5 days to play with. Any suggestions? I like offbeat things. I'm looking into whether we can ride any particularly scenic trains. No comments on other aspects of this plan but there's an interesting scenic railway line southeast of London, from Tenterden to Bodiam, with steam trains and old diesel trains. There's also a castle near the Bodiam station. Canterbury is also quite nice in this area (but touristy, you have to pay to see parts of the center), or the cliffs around Dover. PT6A posted:Not to mention that "rest days" or days without anything in particular scheduled are a perfectly fine thing to do on vacation. It doesn't mean you have to sit inside your hotel room and do literally nothing. I always like to leave some days unplanned because you always find out about new things to do when you are visiting a place, or meet people, and it is nice to have room for such unplanned things. Entropist fucked around with this message at 17:48 on Apr 19, 2017 |
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Apr 19, 2017 17:43
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Beachcomber posted:^^^noted, thanks! It's really easy to get by in London without liking seafood as well; I actually hate it and it's never been an issue anywhere. Sorry for sounding harsh re: rest days. Webmeister is definitely right about the museums; also I find that standing around in museums for more than 4-5 hours at a time makes me feel like hell and I stop appreciating art and start appreciating how close I am to the exits. I would definitely recommend taking 1-2 of your extra days and spending them in Paris. Go to the Eiffel Tower, or visit Versailles. I mean, if Paris Disneyland of all places is really on your bucketlist than yeah, but if you're doing it to make people jealous then don't because it's Paris and honestly Disneyland Paris is well known for being awful and there are just so many way better things you could do.
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Apr 19, 2017 18:03
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Disney Thread has informed me that PotC is down for refurb anyway. The jealousy thing was a joke, it would just be a tiny bit satisfying to casually drop mentions of it here and there. If you take bronies and change it to Disney and middle aged women, those are my in-laws. They live in Orlando and refer to Universal as "The Park that shall not be named." Disney lithographs that "will totally be worth something someday" because its by a certain artist, never mind that it was bought at an art auction on a Disney Cruise in international waters. Disney cookware, tableware, and silverware. ***** We're planning to go to the British Museum to see all the loot. When we do art museums, we tend to look up what things we'd recognise and prioritize those. That strategy worked pretty well in NYC. This isn't to say we'd take a selfie in front of the Mona Lisa and leave, but we know trying to appreciate EVERY painting is a tall order. Right now I'm thinking we'll go to Paris one day, stay overnight (Eiffel tower at night), probably still go to Disney, stay overnight again, then see 3-4 hours of Louvre before taking the train back to London. If we go to Paris...there's just so much to do everywhere. Part of me is tempted to try to get out into the countryside and just...sit there.
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Apr 19, 2017 20:59
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Beachcomber posted:
I actually laughed out loud when I looked at the response to your post in the DisneyLand thread informing you that they've shutting the ride down in EuroDisney so they can add Jack Sparrow into it. Not a schadenfreude kind of lol, more like a "lol what an awful coincidence" kind of lol.
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Apr 19, 2017 21:43
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Checked the OP. Are return flights mandatory for flying into any random European country? I am staying with family in Italy and am not sure when I will return. edit: from USA \/ Thanks succ fucked around with this message at 22:57 on Apr 19, 2017 |
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Apr 19, 2017 22:47
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succ posted:Checked the OP. Are return flights mandatory for flying into any random European country? I am staying with family in Italy and am not sure when I will return. Someone else can probably give a more definitive answer, but if you're on a first-world country passport it'll probably be okay. My wife and I recently entered Spain on Australian and UK passports respectively with no return flights and no issues. Note that if you're from a non-Schengen country you can only stay for three in every six months. If you have a European passport you can stay indefinitely. I think.
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Apr 19, 2017 22:54
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As a friend of mine once said on a school trip, if you go to the British Museum, be sure to see the antique toilets. e: also how much construction are they doing in Dublin, dang My Lovely Horse fucked around with this message at 23:17 on Apr 19, 2017 |
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Apr 19, 2017 23:11
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Brick Lane is a racket. A better move would be to go to one of the more authentic Pakistani places around Whitechapel, or to one of the South Indian places on Drummond Street (somewhat nearish to British Museum)
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Apr 19, 2017 23:14
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Ras Het posted:Brick Lane is a racket. A better move would be to go to one of the more authentic Pakistani places around Whitechapel, or to one of the South Indian places on Drummond Street (somewhat nearish to British Museum) As a rule of thumb, never go to a place that claims to be #1 on TripAdvisor (as about half of Brick Lane does).
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Apr 19, 2017 23:50
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Go to Ye Olde Mitre if you've never been to London before but be aware it's closed on weekends https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g186338-d606878-Reviews-Ye_Olde_Mitre-London_England.html
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Apr 20, 2017 03:36
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This might be obvious, but pre-purchase your Louvre tickets or you'll spend at least an hour in line
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Apr 20, 2017 08:52
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Decided to head into Germany for 5 days on my way back to Paris. I'm staying in Bonn and Koblenz for 2 nights, then Trier for 1. I know theres some really cool castles around Koblenz but I'm also looking to hike a bit. Someone mentioned around Sankt Goar for hiking is probably best, yeah? Ill be taking the KD ferry down and back up the river which hits all the main points between Koblenz and Rudesheim. Or maybe I'll just rest my feet for a bit and cruise all the way down and back up. Also any sorta quirky things or amazing bars to check out in Bonn? punch drunk fucked around with this message at 11:13 on Apr 20, 2017 |
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Apr 20, 2017 10:09
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webmeister posted:This might be obvious, but pre-purchase your Louvre tickets or you'll spend at least an hour in line Not necessarily. We walked right in on a sunny July day
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Apr 20, 2017 10:26
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For those people who were talking about sleeping in a car: this weekend they apparently fined 116 people in a single part of the Amsterdam city center doing that! Seems like it's a popular way to avoid the high hotel prices... And it's probably still cheaper including the fine.
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Apr 20, 2017 14:47
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Ras Het posted:Not necessarily. We walked right in on a sunny July day In July both entrances were still open; they closed the alternate entrance because terrorism, so now everyone has to go through the same one line. It will have gotten a lot worse than usual.
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Apr 20, 2017 16:26
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Today I witnessed a man singing Hare Krishna and playing the tambourine while driving his car around. He's my new hero.
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Apr 20, 2017 23:11
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