|
If you're going to Rome I recommend going for a drink at the Trevi fountain, there's a little minimarket right next to it that'll open the bottles for you. As always I'll pimp the free tour as well, I went with romefreetour which was great but I'm sure there are other options.
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2010 13:51
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 3, 2024 03:11 |
|
|
DownByTheWooter posted:I don't think Switzerland is the same place as "everywhere", I broke some out in Italy with some Australians and French kids, and none of them had heard of them. I can get reese's cups in numerous places in Australia....
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2010 16:12
|
|
|
You can easily find Reese's cups, black beans, cilantro and apple cider in Germany. I'm not so sure about salt water taffy, but I don't really see the difference between that and any other kind of chewy candy anyway. I usually buy M&Ms (peanut butter or pretzel), Reese's Pieces and Wonka Nerds to give to friends in Germany. You could also have your parents send you some icing colors, edible glitter or other cake decoration stuff and make a ridiculously sweet, glittery, colorful cake, that would definitely be a novelty to most Germans, we don't really decorate cakes at all.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2010 17:07
|
|
|
Fists Up posted:I can get reese's cups in numerous places in Australia.... poo poo. And here all this time, that experience had me convinced Reese's products were unique to the US. edit: I'll probably have some 4-day weekends during December. I was thinking of going somewhere for some Holiday cheer, like snow, mulled wine, Christmas Markets and such. Reasonable flight options include: Munich Frankfurt Geneva Vienna Anyone have any input on any of these places as a good place to visit for the weekend, relax, etc? I think Munich is probably the only one that actually has a Christmas Market. US Berder Patrol fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Oct 3, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2010 18:40
|
|
|
Geneva is pretty boring and it never snows here. We do have mulled wine though.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2010 19:49
|
|
|
Never snows there? Really? That is really surprising to me - I always thought Switzerland = Winter Wonderland
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2010 21:17
|
|
|
Geneva is boring as poo poo, there is a big fountain and a ton of prostitutes (what is the deal with the prostitutes anyway? They were so obvious and everywhere). On the upside I found lime Desperados, so maybe it all evens out.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2010 21:28
|
|
|
Sunday Assassin posted:Which is the good part of Amsterdam? I'd say everything within the blue line is a good neighborhood with quick connections to the centre. A little outside the lines won't hurt either. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2010 21:38
|
|
|
DownByTheWooter posted:Never snows there? Really? That is really surprising to me - I always thought Switzerland = Winter Wonderland Geneva -usually- sucks, but there actually is a cool celebration they do the second weekend in December (Sunday the 12th this year): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Escalade so it might actually be worth going to. I went last year and it was literally the only time I've enjoyed being in Geneva, out of a lot of time spent there. Also it does snow in Geneva--greazeball is somewhat exaggerating. All of Switzerland is definitely not a winter wonderland though. Snow covers it from the majority of mid-December->early-March but not continuously. Geneva is about as cold as Berlin or Munich. The surrounding mountains around the cities are always covered in snow, but most of Switzerland's "big" cities are at the lower points in the country.
|
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2010 21:47
|
|
|
DownByTheWooter posted:Anyone have any input on any of these places as a good place to visit for the weekend, relax, etc? I think Munich is probably the only one that actually has a Christmas Market. Vienna has multiple christmas markets. (which is probably true for munich as well)
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2010 06:55
|
|
|
DownByTheWooter posted:Never snows there? Really? That is really surprising to me - I always thought Switzerland = Winter Wonderland Most of the country gets plenty of snow and there is great skiing but Geneva is at a low elevation and next to a very large lake so it's pretty mild here. aga. posted:Geneva is boring as poo poo, there is a big fountain and a ton of prostitutes (what is the deal with the prostitutes anyway? They were so obvious and everywhere). On the upside I found lime Desperados, so maybe it all evens out. The prozzies are only in one area about 2 blocks by 4 blocks. I don't think I've seen one outside the Paquis. Saladman posted:Geneva -usually- sucks, but there actually is a cool celebration they do the second weekend in December (Sunday the 12th this year): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Escalade so it might actually be worth going to. I went last year and it was literally the only time I've enjoyed being in Geneva, out of a lot of time spent there. Winter tires aren't required like they are in most cities and the city council sold all of their snow removal equipment to Lausanne 14 years ago so it's not that much of an exaggeration. I guess technically it does snow here occasionally, 2 winters ago we got 4-5 nighttime dustings that melted by lunchtime and last winter (which was extraordinarily cold and snowy according to the locals) we had about 6 inches over 2 days and then a long cold snap so everything was covered in ice for 2 weeks (because the plows and salters were all in Lausanne).
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2010 15:40
|
|
|
This is going to sound like the worst possible question, but what parts of Europe would be least likely to have lots of garlic in their food or have very heavy fare? My wife has an allergy to garlic; she can't digest it properly. If it's a small amount of garlic in the entire recipe, she has enzyme pills that help a little (e.g. turning her from an immobile, fetal ball of horrible pain into a stomachache) but too much and the pills do nothing, or she'll simply vomit and feel worse. She's not too big on heavy food, too - sauerbraten, wurst and potatoes, etc. might not be too great for her. I'm guessing the UK, Ireland, and Scandinavia would be good bets while most of the Mediterranean countries are completely right out - is there anything I've overlooked? She loves to try new foods and such, but she's just not a mass-quantity eater. The garlic thing has really been tough for us; it's definitely genetic and her mom grew out of it in her 40s, but that's a long way away. When we went to New Orleans, every other day she was laid up in bed sick, even with the enzyme pills. We'd be looking to go in June/July if we get the chance, don't know if that affects much. (Accordingly, if anyone has any leads onto better enzyme pills, we're all ears!) MJP fucked around with this message at 16:42 on Oct 4, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2010 16:34
|
|
|
greazeball posted:I guess technically it does snow here occasionally, 2 winters ago we got 4-5 nighttime dustings that melted by lunchtime and last winter (which was extraordinarily cold and snowy according to the locals) we had about 6 inches over 2 days and then a long cold snap so everything was covered in ice for 2 weeks (because the plows and salters were all in Lausanne). Oh, well then. Last winter was my first winter living here, and Morges was snow covered for about 50% of mid-Dec->end of Feb. (The dirt, not the streets/sidewalks.) I guess I'll look forward to this winter being nicer. VVVVVV F. Saladman fucked around with this message at 18:24 on Oct 4, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2010 16:37
|
|
|
Nicer may not be the right word. Rainier is most likely.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2010 16:52
|
|
|
MJP posted:This is going to sound like the worst possible question, but what parts of Europe would be least likely to have lots of garlic in their food or have very heavy fare? Maybe it would help to learn how to say "no garlic in the food, please" in the native language. UK and Ireland don't really sound like light food to me.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2010 07:11
|
|
|
bionictom posted:Maybe it would help to learn how to say "no garlic in the food, please" in the native language. UK and Ireland don't really sound like light food to me. Problem is a lot of cuisines use garlic in everything, and it may not be a case where they can make up a fresh batch without any garlic. I at least know enough Spanish to say "My wife can't eat garlic, she has a bad allergy and she'll get sick or seriously ill" but I worry that'll keep us in more touristy parts of the country and such.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2010 13:06
|
|
|
MJP posted:My wife has an allergy to garlic; she can't digest it properly. If it's a small amount of garlic in the entire recipe, she has enzyme pills that help a little (e.g. turning her from an immobile, fetal ball of horrible pain into a stomachache) but too much and the pills do nothing, or she'll simply vomit and feel worse. How does she feel about crosses? 
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2010 15:15
|
|
|
Doctor Malaver posted:How does she feel about crosses? I can't be Team My Wife ;_; She's pale as gently caress, though.
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2010 16:17
|
|
|
MJP posted:This is going to sound like the worst possible question, but what parts of Europe would be least likely to have lots of garlic in their food or have very heavy fare? I love myself some garlic and ya know, I thought it was pretty rare in most of my dishes. Or at the very least, I couldn't taste it. I wonder if its all that common.
|
|
#
?
Oct 6, 2010 19:37
|
|
|
I've been looking at trains and planning sites and I've yet to find anything about train departure times. It seems as if everything is done whenever. Are there a constant barrage of trains going everywhere that I don't have to worry about catching a specific train at a specific time?
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2010 17:33
|
|
|
DeathChill posted:I've been looking at trains and planning sites and I've yet to find anything about train departure times. It seems as if everything is done whenever. Are there a constant barrage of trains going everywhere that I don't have to worry about catching a specific train at a specific time? Where are you trying to find train times for? Have you checked out bahn.de?
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2010 17:47
|
|
|
DeathChill posted:I've been looking at trains and planning sites and I've yet to find anything about train departure times. It seems as if everything is done whenever. Are there a constant barrage of trains going everywhere that I don't have to worry about catching a specific train at a specific time? It depends where you're going, but usually no (unless it's a shorthaul trip, in which case: yes). Each country has its own system, so you'll have to look on their train system's website for schedules, e.g. Switzerland: sbb.ch, Germany: bahn.de, France: tgv.fr . They won't have each other's schedules, unless it's for a train going between Paris and Cologne or something.
|
|
#
?
Oct 11, 2010 17:47
|
|
|
I figure this wouldn't need its own thread. A couple buddies and I are thinking of going to Central/Eastern Europe this spring (we're travel-retards so we're planning ahead) and have just got into discussing a route. We're thinking of going from Berlin to Sarajevo travelling, sleeping and eating as cheaply as we possibly can. Along this route it'd be great to see Prague (maybe daytrips to Karlovy Vary or other interesting Czech spots), maybe some of Bavaria, Budapest and Mostar in Bosnia. If we could swing it, maybe we'd go to Plitvice in Croatia and see the Dalmation Coast. We'll have plenty of money and time isn't an issue - is this a decent route? Recommendations or alterations? How much time would we need to appreciate each of these places?
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2010 03:37
|
|
|
Cometa Rossa posted:A couple buddies and I are thinking of going to Central/Eastern Europe this spring (we're travel-retards so we're planning ahead) and have just got into discussing a route. We're thinking of going from Berlin to Sarajevo travelling, sleeping and eating as cheaply as we possibly can. Along this route it'd be great to see Prague (maybe daytrips to Karlovy Vary or other interesting Czech spots), maybe some of Bavaria, Budapest and Mostar in Bosnia. If we could swing it, maybe we'd go to Plitvice in Croatia and see the Dalmation Coast. It's a decent route but I'd put more emphasis on Croatian coast. It will be good to take a breath of Mediterranean after covering Central/Eastern Europe so thoroughly. Do you plan to travel by train? Night rides save money because you sleep in the train. But why do you want to sleep and eat as cheaply as possible if you have plenty of money?
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2010 09:07
|
|
|
Saladman posted:It depends where you're going, but usually no (unless it's a shorthaul trip, in which case: yes). Each country has its own system, so you'll have to look on their train system's website for schedules, e.g. Switzerland: sbb.ch, Germany: bahn.de, France: tgv.fr . They won't have each other's schedules, unless it's for a train going between Paris and Cologne or something. Actually bahn.de covers all of Europe and is available in English too. You probably won't be able to buy tickets from Leeds to Coventry on it, but still. http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?newrequest=yes&protocol=http:&
|
|
#
?
Oct 12, 2010 09:21
|
|
|
I'm planning on visiting Europe for two weeks next Spring. I'm thinking of flying into Frankfurt, going to see the castles along the Rhine and from there heading to Amsterdam by train. I'd like to leave Frankfurt immediately and go to Mainz, spend a day there, then head up to Cologne by boat. I'm really interested in seeing the castles. If I take a cruise with K-D, do they stop to allow time to explore the cities along the way? Is there a better way to get from Mainz to Cologne? I wouldn't mind spending a night somewhere before I leave Cologne. Any recommendations? How much should I expect the river cruise to cost? edit: Actually, I'm thinking now of heading to Mainz for a day, then to Braubach for a day to check out castle Marksburg, and from there heading to Cologne. joe awesome fucked around with this message at 01:55 on Oct 13, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 13, 2010 01:29
|
|
|
There is a lot of good advice here, so I thought I'd post up my plans and thoughts and see if anyone had any suggestions for me- things to see in the countries I'm visiting, swapping countries to see festivals and better weather, etc. I've been cruising this thread for a little while now and it has already changed my opinion on going to some countries I was thinking I would skip. This is my first international trip, so feel free to point out any glaring naivety. Mid January I finally fly out from Sydney to London via Thailand for 3 weeks with friends as a farewell  . After seeing some friends in Leeds and Manchester for maybe a week, I'll be flying to Rome to work my way up to Norway over 3 months to begin a working holiday visa in fjordland. Art centres are the big attractions for me, and a lot of my itinerary has been decided by fantastic art museums with great 16th through 19th century art collections. My goals are really to see as much as possible without rushing myself and staying as long as possible before coming home.My plan was, from Rome, move north to Florence and then to Venice to meet some friends flying over for carnivale. All up, this might be 2 weeks in Italy. It's a little more compressed than it should be for someone so interested in the art that the country is so rich in, but I only just convinced my friends about Thailand and had to chop up my England and Italy time to accomodate sunny beaches and diving. Life is tough. I've heard trains are comparatively cheap in Italy, so I wasn't going to start my eurail pass, using up a country and a travel day, until France. I was going to train from Venice to Lyon. This will be the end of Feburary or the beginning of March and depending how I like it, I might stay a week or so. Originally I was going to head to Paris to stay with a friend, but now after running through some of the collection online, I don't think I can pass up the Museo Del Prado in Madrid. If I'm in Madrid, I might as well check out Barcelona too, right? One or two weeks in Spain would be lovely- ideally a week in each of the cities I've mentioned- before moving on to Paris for a week or two. This should be around the end of March. From here, I'd like to hit Germany- Munich, Dresden, Berlin, and come back around to Holland for the Queens day parade at the end of April. My Eurail pass expires, and I have to be in Norway to start the working holiday visa mid May, so I thought I'd decompress while it gets warmer in Amsterdam until then. I thought I'd check in with the passport and head east to Stockholm to stay with friends for midsummer before heading back to Bergen in Norway for work. Ideally, I would save enough again over 3 months to strike out again and czech out central and eastern Europe, but that all depends on finances and how I'm feeling. I didn't want to plan past this point(beyond accumulating a list of interesting things I could gravitate towards) because I'm a complete travel novice and I may have already been robbed/stabbed/sold into prostitution and I have no idea what I will want to do. Ideally, I could keep swapping between working in Norway and traveling when I can afford it, 3 months outside of Norway every 6, until the visa runs out. I'm very keen to see Iceland, Denmark, the Czech Republic and some of Russia if I can. I'm traveling light, have a flexible return ticket, I have saved about 20 grand and I've rigged another 5 in tax return in July. I've picked out hostels and backup hostels in each city I plan on visiting. I'm going with city "museum passes" where I can. I'm traveling alone, I'm a 24 year old guy and I'm enthusiastic about Art, history and meeting lots of people. I like to drink and I like to smoke. If you have anything to suggest, critical or constructive, please do! 
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2010 04:17
|
|
|
bitmap posted:A few things... Trains in Italy, while relatively cheap (compared to germany/france) are still expensive, especially the IC ones. You can go in to a station and drop 100Euro on a ticket easily, especially a popular route. If you are in any major city for an event it will be busy as all gently caress, so plan well ahead. Don't show up expecting to be able to walk in and find accommodation anywhere. Art gets lame, fast. I've seen so drat many major galleries in Europe and North America, and after a while it all meshes together, especially if you're looking at the same stuff over and over (renaissance/medieval art), and is only special if it's something you really, really like/want to see. You may get tired of travelling, so thing about that.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2010 05:10
|
|
|
Landsknecht posted:Trains in Italy, while relatively cheap (compared to germany/france) are still expensive, especially the IC ones. You can go in to a station and drop 100Euro on a ticket easily, especially a popular route. I just checked to be sure (single tickes, 2nd class, no discounts): Rome-Florence: The cheapest ticket on the regional train is 16.95 EUR (4 hours), the most expensive is 44 EUR for the Frecciarossa/Frecciargento (1.5 hours) Florence-Venice: The Frecciarossa/Frecciargento is 42 EUR (2 hours). bitmap, two weeks in Italy is ok if all you want to do is visit Rome, Florence and Venice. About Venice: sure, it's beautiful, but it gets old really fast. I wouldn't budget more than two days for Venice. Florence is also something which can be done in three days. It's nice, yes, but the historical centre is pretty small and after three to four days you'll be running out of things to see and do. Spend at least one full week in Rome, it offers more art and history than any other place I know and there's too much to see there. I've been to Rome 10-15 times over the past 9 years and I haven't seen everything. There's a reason why the Italians say that for Rome one lifetime is not enough.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2010 08:44
|
|
|
quote is not edit
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2010 08:45
|
|
|
I'm thinking of heading over to the UK to live and work for a bit but not really sure where to kick things off. I am from Australia but I have an Irish passport due to my Mum being born there so passport/visa wise I'm pretty set on what I need to know. But I'm a bit torn on how to go about setting myself up. I've been looking at maybe doing a program with someone here to have myself set up for a job before I depart so I can basically walk off the plane and into work straight away. I've found a few options through travel agents Flight Center and STA as well as http://www.owh.com.au/ and http://www.londonpub.com.au/ .. but they all look basically the same, so I was wondering if anyone had any advice, or experience with these or any others your could reccomend? I'm guessing the simplest thing is to get a live-in pub job to begin with and then once I'm there and served my minimum time start looking through agencies and such for more work. The OWH.com.au one seems to have programs also which aren't live-in jobs but they set you up in a share house with other people doing the programs and you do temp work at certain places whilst you're living there .. anyone else done anything like that? Or if anyone else has any good suggestions as to plans to get yourself on your feet quickly I'd be greatful to hear! Also does anyone know how hard it is to get somewhere to rent over there like a shared house or some such? I obviously would arrive with no rental history so all they'd really have to go on is employment.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2010 10:19
|
|
|
To rent a house you'd need to have a deposit which can be really high, and possibly a guarantor, depending. You mostly find it through gumtree.com - this is how most people find flatshares! Are you happy to just work in a bar? If you have skills and that you could probably make some good money by temping, etc, or even just taking on some office-based work.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2010 11:57
|
|
|
Neris posted:Are you happy to just work in a bar? If you have skills and that you could probably make some good money by temping, etc, or even just taking on some office-based work. Well yes and no .. I've never done bar work and the live-in places provide training so it would be something new .. although I'm aware the pay isn't great once rent is subsidised and all, and that also pulling pints isn't nearly half as much fun as drinking them .. plus the long hours.. I don't really have qualifications as such on paper, but I've done a lot of customer service roles so I'm pretty good at that. Office work would be nice too cos I know the pay is more. Call center type stuff too, but not sure how you juggle getting that once you're there with getting a place or where I'd stay whilst looking for a place. I'll obviously want to arrive with some cash but won't exactly be amazing flush with money.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2010 12:25
|
|
|
If you want to be in Amsterdam on Queen's Day make sure to reserve accomodation at least three weeks beforehand.
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2010 17:38
|
|
|
Thanks guys, I'll allocate more of that Venice time to Rome and have my Amsterdam accommodation booked a few months ahead. If I get sick of art I'll spend that time reconsidering my career 
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2010 23:53
|
|
|
oh, actually while I'm postin'- Any suggestions for things to check out in Lyon?
|
|
#
?
Oct 14, 2010 23:58
|
|
|
Cometa Rossa posted:I figure this wouldn't need its own thread. I'd recommend maybe 5 days or so for Bosnia. But I'd also recommend seeing the Dalmatian coast. It's really one of the most gorgeous places in the world and Split and Zadar are definitely worth seeing (I have never been to Dubrovnik). Honestly, if I was to do the trip, I'd probably go Berlin - Prague - Vienna - Budapest - Belgrade - Sarajevo - Mostar - Split - Zadar. Ryanair flies out of Zadar so you can go to Dublin or western Germany from there and get a flight home (not sure whether you're American or what, but Dublin would be the best route if so). I stayed at Hotel Mostar in Mostar and Hotel Alem in Sarajevo last time I was in Bosnia. Both were cheap and more than good enough for the price (Hotel Mostar is a very nice hotel and there was only one other guest when I was there, Alem is smaller and maybe less nice but still plenty good enough and well located, it was a better deal than the place I stayed in Sarajevo before that). They offer breakfast and you should be able to book either online. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 10:00 on Oct 19, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 19, 2010 09:55
|
|
|
Let's talk about cheap tickets to get to Europe. I have a friend that wants to come visit me in Germany. As far as I care, the most expensive part is getting from the US to Europe, and once there it should be relatively cheap to get to where I am. I know the train from say AMS to me should only cost 26 € or so for a student. Anyone know any great deals coming up/going on? Edit: It doesn't matter what airport she flies out of in the US either because we both (individually) have enough miles to fly anywhere in the US and since I don't plan on returning anytime soon I don't mind giving them away cause it's better than them expiring. Ziir fucked around with this message at 14:35 on Oct 19, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 19, 2010 14:28
|
|
|
What's the best way to get from Berlin -> wherever Auschwitz is in Poland -> Amsterdam? Edit: And by best I mean cheapest unless it's definitely worth it for something else. Butt Soup Barnes fucked around with this message at 18:12 on Oct 19, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 19, 2010 18:08
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 3, 2024 03:11 |
|
|
Grenyarnia posted:What's the best way to get from Berlin -> wherever Auschwitz is in Poland -> Amsterdam? I've had the joyful experience of polish rail, which is definitely lol. To get to krakow (beautiful city in poland, spend a few days there besides auschwitz) take either a cheap airberlin or whatever flight, or the wawel train (I think they still run it) or take the berlin-warsaw express then go warsaw-krakow. Trains will take forever, when I went gdansk-berlin it took me a whole day (like 12 hours). To get to amsterdam, flights are the best option.
|
|
#
?
Oct 19, 2010 18:23
|
|