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An acquaintance told a story how he was lured into a girly club by a super-friendly guy. Inside the manager/owner was again super friendly and even spoke Croatian and asked him what he wants to drink. He asked for tea. They were like tea wtf, ok find some tea for this guy! After some more super friendly conversation it turned out the cup of tea was like 50€. He didn't have that much so they took all his money. This was some 20 years ago in Istanbul. Similar thing happened to me 7 years ago in Buenos Aires.
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Oct 12, 2020 21:19
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In my case there was a guy handing fliers on the street who begged me to come to that club so that he gets paid for bringing me there. And I don't have to do anything, I can leave right away. It sounded shady as gently caress but actually I had just gotten there from Peru and it did work that way in Cuzco. A sorry looking guy brought me to a bar/club in Cuzco, went to the barman, pointed at me, got paid and left. It was a regular place, I hung around a bit and left without any issues. I expected the same in Buenos Aires, but this time there was a scam behind it.
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Oct 14, 2020 23:09
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Islands are great and ferries are great too. One of my favorite part of summer vacation is taking a ferry and then going from the air conditioned salon to the windy open deck, sipping a drink, watching passing sailboats, breathing the salty air... None of this applies if you take the catamaran, which is faster but more like a bus. For the ferry, you can buy the ticket online in advance but they require you come early (I think an hour) regardless. And yes, it can be messy, especially in Split harbor. It will likely be hot, congested, confusing. So if you can, leave the car and take the ferry for a day trip. Passengers with no cars can board without any stress and concern, there's always room.
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Dec 9, 2021 23:29
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I found everything too big and grandiose - fountains, statues, squares, Escorial, Prado... Like it was constantly trying to impress. Barcelona gave a much friendlier vibe.
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Jan 12, 2022 22:57
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Dubrovnik is too small for four days so only consider it if you're willing to travel around the area. As for the rest, hard to say without knowing your interests, but Rome is a league on its own. I can't imagine picking Munich over Rome unless you're a huge fan of Bayern Munich or BMW cars.
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Jan 23, 2022 23:44
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Saladman posted:
Out of curiosity, what is the actual ice bridge on that photograph? I can't even grasp the size - this could've been taken with a drone or a microscope, as far as my layman, non-mountaineering eyes are concerned. Doctor Malaver fucked around with this message at 16:58 on Feb 16, 2022 |
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Feb 16, 2022 16:55
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Thanks, very interesting.
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Feb 16, 2022 17:32
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MagpieConcept posted:This is gonna be a weird one, but I'm going to Serbia in summer (extended family basically, my stepdad's covering the flight and all) but I've never been outside the US before. I know a tiny bit of Serbian (aka yes / no / do you speak english / where's the bathroom / gently caress you, only the important things) but I'm not really sure what to expect. I'll be staying in a fairly rural area but driving back and forth to Belgrade. Is there much to do there or anything I should check out while I'm in that area? I'll be there a month, late May thru June. Belgrade is known as a party place, with most of the action happening on the river. It's dirty, wild, congested, on a beautiful river. Still, a whole month in Serbia would IMO be a waste. I'd definitely visit one of the Mediterranean countries, and from Belgrade the most common options are Greece, Montenegro and Croatia.
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Mar 16, 2022 23:25
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Yeah a week in Greece would be a good deal. Also, in case you're a minority, have in mind that Serbia isn't gay friendly, outside of select few places in major cities. It's also 100% white so if you're black or Asian (probably not if you have Serbian ancestry) you could be the first such person ever to visit that village. :O
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Mar 17, 2022 07:17
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Barcelona is the pickpocketing/scamming capital of Europe. Everyone has a Barcelona story.
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Apr 22, 2022 06:49
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Saladman posted:Has anyone been around a fair amount of the Balkans, particularly the less known places like northern Albania? My wife and I are meeting up with two friends for two weeks in August and would like to go somewhere with nice scenery, hiking, swimming, and that feels appreciably different from Switzerland. In my first look through stuff I was thinking either Durmitor or the Accursed Mountains for like 5 days, like 5 days somewhere on the Northern Albanian or Montenegrin coast, and then maybe 3-4 days in a cute town, ideally not overwhelmed with tourists (i.e. not Dubrovnik, probably not Kotor but not sure?). I don't really mind lots of tourists around in principle, but rather I hate towns where every third shop sells fridge magnets and shot glasses. So I guess if it's a tourist hotspot but too new for the Fridge Magnet Mafia to have taken over the city, then I'd be happy with it too. Croatian mountains do get you a sea view but I wouldn't recommend them in August. They are barren so very little shade and easy to get a heat stroke. Mljet and Lošinj are islands with forests and they gotta have some trails but generally people don't do much hiking on the Croatian coast in the summer. Maybe look into some places on the other side of the Velebit range - like Gospić, Slunj, Otočac. It's cooler, less touristy and better for hiking. The Plitvice lakes are very near, and the sea isn't far when you want to move from the hiking part of the trip to the swimming part. I heard nice things about Durmitor and southern Serbia - Djavolja Varoš, Golija, lake Perućac, Goč - but I haven't visited. Bosnia is almost entirely mountainous and underdeveloped and not that far from the Croatian sea. And people are nice. If you pointed a finger randomly at the map you'd probably discover something worth exploring. Be careful with Montenegro if you have sensitive skin. Environmental standards are low and waste water is dumped into the sea as is. I heard from more than one person that they caught a rash after vacationing and swimming there.
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May 13, 2022 09:23
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Yerevan is one of the few places I traveled to where I have no desire to ever go back. The center was ugly in that specific Soviet and post-Soviet "Now We Make Grandiose National Art" way. The rest of the city (to say nothing of the countryside) was simply very poor. Very few people spoke English. Those that did had very conservative opinions about women's role in the society, Armenian nation, Muslim threat to the world etc. I got scammed a few times over exchange rates and prices. If you are single, I doubt you'll find the people attractive. On the positive side, it was inexpensive, food was good, there are plenty of ancient churches, and I met a very nice artist on the marketplace. He tried hard, and lovingly, to present his country in the best way to a foreigner. Reminded me of Croatia in the 90's. Doctor Malaver fucked around with this message at 07:19 on Jun 4, 2022 |
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Jun 4, 2022 07:13
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That was insightful and interesting.  Electric Wrigglies posted:I think it felt more the people only have enough to live a simple life and are happy with that rather than the soul crushing non-stop begging and scamming to survive as in other places. There was no bitter or mean envy either which is unfortunately often part of the experience of being around less well off people. I agree. I appreciated being able to leisurely walk around markets without beggars or vendors pushing their wares. They seemed pretty disinterested in me, but in a neutral way. You wanna buy something, speak up. You don't wanna -- fine, I'll play checkers. The bitterness and envy you speak about I experienced in Peru. The feeling there was, if I can't make you spend any money then get out of my face, preferably to die in a ditch. Electric Wrigglies posted:I will double on the food, they eat a lot of fresh, simple food that is inexpensive and very good value for the quality. Yes! I was taken to a restaurant in a faux pyramid, so overdone and tasteless it would've been rejected in Las Vegas, but the fresh food they brought as the entree was phenomenal. The most basic stuff, bell peppers, cucumbers... with hardly any condiments, but incredibly tasty. Electric Wrigglies posted:I have not been back since the war though so it might be a humiliated and depressing place now, doubly so as their only real ally Russia has now mired itself in an economy destroying adventure of its own. For me it was depressing then already. Armenia borders four countries, two of which are their enemies - Turkey and Azerberijan - so most of the border is closed. That leaves Georgia and Iran, and they are not shining beacons that will open you to the world. The country is poor and depopulated. South America poor might mean a family of 8 in a hut, but it's lively and open to possibilities. If you return in 10 years, who knows who you'll meet. Armenia poor is one lone grandma and 8 empty dilapidated houses. In 10 years there'll be no grandma and the houses will be in even poorer condition. I don't trust their political leaders to steer the ship in a progressive direction, even less so after the recent war. Sorry to end in a negative tone, but I remember Khor Virap, how beautiful and neglected it was. I could imagine two monks struggling to keep it standing with literal shoestrings and sticks, while Yerevan throws money at ridiculous Cascades.
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Jun 4, 2022 16:36
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Cheese Thief posted:Any cool festivals this summer? My plans thus far, with the help of this amazing thread, is a week in Rome, then a week in Marsala for a yoga retreat. Now my latest idea is the Untold EDM fest in Transylvania, which is conveniently timed in regard to my itinerary. I guess I could visit count Dracula’s castle. If you like EDM, EXIT festival in the Petrovaradin fortress in Novi Sad, Serbia. There's also Ultra Europe in Split, Croatia. Much less interesting venue, but OTOH you're in summer on the Adriatic coast.
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Jun 8, 2022 23:11
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Carbon dioxide posted:All the streets will be dressed up for Christmas, with lights and trees and stuff. There's been talk about having fewer lights than normal because of the energy crisis but we'll see. I was actually disappointed with how little Amsterdam was dressed up maybe a decade ago. I was coming from Zagreb, which is second or third rate compared to Amsterdam in everything but boy did we have more Christmas lights and decorations. It's a cultural thing probably, thrifty northerners caring about infrastructure, wages, maintenance and other boring stuff, while we're spending the last dime on twinkling lights. e: I don't think it's too long of a trip, especially if you like clubbing and will want to sleep in and take it easy some mornings. Doctor Malaver fucked around with this message at 19:33 on Oct 18, 2022 |
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Oct 18, 2022 19:28
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Al2001 posted:I occasionally see European men wearing football (soccer) shirts while travelling. My guess is they want strangers to approach them and chat football, which is quite likely to happen if eg. you're wearing a Premier League shirt in a country where PL is popular. Maybe this is true of Americans as well (much less likelihood of it happening, but could be a conversation starter when meeting other Americans.) My SE Europe take is that only children wear their team/country jerseys in everyday occasions. Adults will wear them only if they're going to watch a game live, or if they are going to play with friends nearby. Rare exceptions for exotic or retro stuff, like a 1960's Brazil jersey or something in that vein. But more discrete markings, like hats or bags with team logos are common.
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Jan 31, 2023 18:54
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Zagreb has a nice Zoo. It's easy to get to and labyrinthine - in a positive sense. Overall relatively small but every time we go we discover something else. I don't think I've ever been to another Zoo  though so can't compare.
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Mar 15, 2023 19:56
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Ammanas posted:I suggested looking for a local football game and could use some suggestions. This thread could help with that. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?noseen=0&threadid=4009830&perpage=40&pagenumber=5#pti16
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Mar 16, 2023 10:00
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webmeister posted:I actually really dislike ChatGPT and the other AI-powered search engines. I get why they're handy and I can totally see the value in how much it's simplified the info gathering process, like what you've done above. My issue is more that - my wife runs a very successful travel website, built around personal experience and solid research. She's by far the #1 site in her niche, and it's taken her 8+ years of work to get to this point, where it generates a comfortable full-time wage with fairly minimal maintenance (aside from writing now content of course). I've been disliking it for other reasons, and this adds to my list. There's a D&D thread where you might want to share this. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=4027671
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Apr 10, 2023 19:50
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SurgicalOntologist posted:
In Madrid everything is bigger, less approachable, more grandiose. It's the center of a former empire, akin to London. Barcelona has more of a Mediterranean feel.
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Jun 9, 2023 23:42
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Dr. Fraiser Chain posted:Looking to spend some time in Croatia and could use some advice for a trip. I have the better part of two weeks and I really don't know much about the country. Looking to bum around, see some old ruins, and maybe visit the beach and any cultural spots that I happen to walk by. If you're coming during summer, expect a crowded coast but perfect for what you described. Zagreb is not a big deal, especially if you have experience with central-Eastern Europe (Ljubljana, Budapest, Vienna, Belgrade...). Consider flying in to Split, Zadar, or Pula. If you do land in Zagreb, you can take a train to Split. From Split to Dubrovnik you can take the ferry. Disclaimer: I like boats, especially ferries. It's more practical to take a bus. You can rent, yes, but I wouldn't do it unless I'm planning to go inland and explore say Herzegovina or Montenegro. Finding parking near a beach will be impossible. If you like driving you can also explore Istria, plenty of interesting little towns both on the coast and inland, great food too. To try to sum up: Fly in to Split, spend a few days. Ferry to Dubrovnik and back. You need two days there tops. Beautiful but not much to do. From Split you can take a boat to Hvar, Korcula, or Vis. Very nice islands. Rent a car, drive to Istria (Porec, Rovinj, Pula) and spend the rest of the vacation in that region.
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Jun 12, 2023 12:41
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Looking for Stockholm recommendations for August. We'll be on a modest budget and with a 4 year old. My partner will spend most of the day on a conference so I need to entertain the kid and myself for hours at a time without going bankrupt. In case I get some time for myself, I enjoy music, history, art in general.
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Jul 17, 2023 22:50
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Carbon dioxide posted:At some point in 2024, the EU is going to introduce a new system called ETIAS. The authorisation will be valid for three years, fortunately.
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Aug 25, 2023 22:42
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My partner and I are exploring options for a 5-6 day trip in January. Somewhere warm (relatively speaking) and not too expensive. We're thinking Athens, Istanbul or Lisbon. Ideally in a hotel with a swimming pool -- we both swim for exercise. Other than that we don't need expensive or exotic amenities. She's into food, culture and shopping (not high street but markets, second hand stuff) and I'm into culture, history and music. Any recommendations, other than checking where we can fly cheaply? We'll fly from Belgrade.
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Nov 11, 2023 01:30
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Carbon dioxide posted:Just one thing - if you're a serious exercise swimmer perhaps I wouldn't depend on the tiny pools hotels might have (there are hotels with bigger pools, I guess. Something to check on their website). It's similar here, just without the possibility to make reservations. Fortunately we both can go swimming during work hours so it's rarely crowded.
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Nov 11, 2023 09:30
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Thanks for the advice.Saladman posted:Looks like you have direct flights to Malta and Monastir as well. Would definitely be nice in January, although Malta might be a bit low on hotels with swimming pools that aren’t absurdly expensive. Wikipedia says the Monastir flights are seasonal - so also maybe no flights there in January. Sousse definitely has everything you’re looking for - no need to go all the way from Monastir airport to Tunis for your criteria. Thanks but we have enough to analyze and discuss with only three locations. Introducing Malta and Africa would make it unmanageable.
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Nov 19, 2023 22:10
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Jean-Paul Shartre posted:Anyone have general advice for Athens? Will likely be doing a long weekend there early next year, as the last time I was in town was before the new Parthenon Museum opened. We’re gonna do a lot of the old poo poo, so less looking for museum recs and more restaurants, bars, hotels/neighbourhoods to stay in or avoid, if anyone has recommendations? If it's still relevant to you, I got to Athens today. We're in a nice hotel in the Exarcheia neighborhood. It looks rough in the evening. Stores have metal shutters, every inch of everything has graffiti, potholes and smell of urine, cars are cheap, there are panhandlers, police look like they mean business. And we were told not to go in a certain direction since it's even worse there. OTOH it's not actively dangerous, there are many alternative / leftist / student / punk joints. Plenty of young people having fun, eating out late. Our friends bought a flat and moved here from Serbia because they are a leftist gay couple and they love it here.
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Jan 17, 2024 00:47
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Jean-Paul Shartre posted:Awesome, thanks all! Looks like we’re staying at a small hotel in Exarcheia, but will keep my wits about me still. If it's Polis Grand, watch out, they are renovating a floor and it gets very loud after 9 am. Speaking of the hotel... When we booked the room, the confirmation email said that it will be either a double bed or twin beds. We were specific about wanting the double. They said they'll do their best. WTF, we are booking months in advance, it's off-season, how can this be an issue?! A friend called them and pressured them from "We'll do our best" to "It will probably be a double" to "Yes, we'll give them a double". W.T.F. I'm told this kind of trick serves to get a fat tip when you get there and complain about the room and they pretend to work hard to get you what you wanted. Entropist posted:Exarcheia is a rather unique place though because of its history. It is not exactly representative for Athens or random European neighborhoods. I'm not American and it's not normal or at least common in ex-Yu countries. I don't remember seeing much of them in Stockholm or Amsterdam either. Maybe one or two here and there, but over here it's entire blocks in shutters. It's actually hard to tell at night for many buildings (both residential and office) if they are occupied or vacant. Doctor Malaver fucked around with this message at 10:26 on Jan 18, 2024 |
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Jan 18, 2024 10:23
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Saladman posted:Wait... people tip hotel staff in Europe? Especially front desk staff? I think I've occasionally tipped bellhops when they help with heavy luggage (very rare for my travelling style) but I've never even thought about tipping someone at the front desk for doing something nice, and definitely not for switching between a double vs. two twins. We didn't have to tip because we got the bed like we wanted to. Maybe the person telling me this is full of it. It still leaves unexplained why the hotel was struggling to reserve a double bed in January two months in advance. BTW I was in the National archaeological museum today (a bit disappointed with it actually) and a friend calls me that there's riots two streets away and that I should pay extra care. They actually had tear gas get into their flat. There's two types of police in Exarchia, heavily-armed and very-heavily-armed. They patrol the square where the metro is getting built. Looks a bit surreal, people chatting in cafes, with police in full riot gear, shields and all, meters away. I haven't seen that even in South America.
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Jan 18, 2024 23:17
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I wouldn't do the one day - one city thing, even though Ljubljana and Zagreb are quite close. Saladman's suggestion is fine, but you can also go Zagreb - Plitvice - Split by bus and spend a day at Plitvice. A quick google search "zagreb plitvice split" finds a bunch of tours that transfer you from one city to the other with one day (or less) stop at Plitvice. That would be my recommendation.
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Jan 23, 2024 22:35
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3D Pipes FTW
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Jan 23, 2024 22:53
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Junibacken in Stockholm is fun and you get there with a boat.
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Feb 22, 2024 09:31
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glasnost toyboy posted:Vasa museum in Stockholm is sick. Vasa is great but a toddler might find it boring or even scary.
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Feb 27, 2024 18:57
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