Travel EUROPE: Travel Tips & Tricks

[Great8]

Interesting experience with my hotel in Bern.

You check in on your mobile phone through the hotels portal and once your room is ready the keys appear in the portal so you just use the sliders to open the main door and the door to your room.

A few staff are there during the day, my room wasn't ready so they gave me another room so I didn't have to wait.

Very convenient not having to carry your keys around all day but not sure what happens if you lose your phone during the time of stay.

Anyway I'd be shocked if this isn't more common in 5 years time. More positives than negatives for me.

Most Hilton Hotels have the option for Digital keys through their app and I’ve found the system works well

 

[Engimal v3]

We did the same in Sicily. Three bedroom apartment in Ragusa in good condition, $25,000 AUD.

Any unexpected hurdles?

 

[swingdog]

Any unexpected hurdles?

Probably. My wife's Italian so that part wouldn't be a problem, but generally in Sicily there are a lot of empty houses and apartments. People move away and northern Italians, who might have jobs that allow them to work part of the time remotely somewhere nice, just don't go south of Rome.

Could have ended up with something like this:

Life on the tiles in our ‘dream’ Sicilian home

An abandoned cobbler’s shop in Ragusa has been rebuilt with geometric tiling throughout, and a spectacular roof terrace

www.theguardian.com

 

[wadistance]

Ok. Hit me up with the best things to do and/or in Berlin. Not interested in nightlife. Another thing I don't understand. Going overseas to spend all your time in night clubs and sleeping all day. I can do that in Australia.

Jump on a train to Hamburg. Will take 90 mins. Then enjoy an unreal City

 

[pepsi]

Ok. Hit me up with the best things to do and/or in Berlin. Not interested in nightlife. Another thing I don't understand. Going overseas to spend all your time in night clubs and sleeping all day. I can do that in Australia.

Partying in Europe is much, much better than in Australia. There's a reason why Ibiza, Mykonos, Hvar, etc are so popular. The party scene is incredible.

 

[wadistance]

Partying in Europe is much, much better than in Australia.

Even better is simply just Kiosk/späti/corner shop hopping. Beer at each. One for the walk. By the end you’ve had 12 beers and walked a good 5-6k just Talking s**t and seeing heaps of the city

 

[raskolnikov]

Jump on a train to Hamburg. Will take 90 mins. Then enjoy an unreal City

Yeah. I will be. I'm taking a train from Berlin to Hamburg. Then Hamburg to Copenhagen. Staying in Hamburg for pretty much two days. Arriving in the morning then leaving the next evening.

 

[wadistance]

Yeah. I will be. I'm taking a train from Berlin to Hamburg. Then Hamburg to Copenhagen. Staying in Hamburg for pretty much two days. Arriving in the morning then leaving the next evening.

Good stuff. You got things planned or need some local things to do?

 

[raskolnikov]

Good stuff. You got things planned or need some local things to do?

If you have any suggestions that would be great.

 

[wadistance]

If you have any suggestions that would be great.

Are you in on a weekday or weekend? And what’s the weather forecast for when you’re here?

 

[raskolnikov]

Are you in on a weekday or weekend? And what’s the weather forecast for when you’re here?

Weekend. It's still 6 weeks away so not sure what weather will be like.

 

[wadistance]

No worries. Yeah if you can, get to the Millentor for a game. Such a sick atmosphere.

Things I’d do:
Go up to the viewing deck here and check out the surrounding area - Elbphilharmonie Hamburg · 4.6 ★ (70134) · Konzertsaal

Walk through these streets in the Canal District - Alte Post · 4.7 ★ (22) · Historische Sehenswürdigkeit

Beers - Galopper des Jahres · 4.3 ★ (383) · Kneipe

Omnipollos Hamburg · 4.6â(205) · Bar

KampstraÃe 36, 20357 Hamburg

maps.google.com

ÃberQuell Restaurant & Brauerei · 4.0â(1123) · Restaurant

St. Pauli Fischmarkt 28-32, 20359 Hamburg

maps.google.com

Good pizza: Tazzi Pizza · 4.5 ★ (1104) · Pizzeria

Great wine:

Weinladen | St. Pauli · 4.6â(322) · Weinhandlung

Paul-Roosen-StraÃe 29, 22767 Hamburg

maps.google.com

Also just chilling in the St Pauli/Sternschanze area in General is great times. Osterstraße/Eppendorfer weg in Eimsbüttel is nice for Upper class strolls. Walk around the Alster if yoj like Walking.

If the weather is good I’d find an English speaking Ferry tour of the canals and harbour. Should find something on Groupon.

Be prepared to have Cash on you.

I might reply here soon with a map with a lot of good points on here. But honestly, it’s just a great Lifestyle city. No need to stress with Monuments and churches (although there are heaps of them). Just hang out and enjoy

Weekend. It's still 6 weeks away so not sure what weather will be like.

 

[Drakescoffeecake]

2 hours out from Doha and I need to take the biggest s**t imaginable.

 

[Total Power]

2 hours out from Doha and I need to take the biggest s**t imaginable.

Too much jajangmeyon?

 

[Drakescoffeecake]

Too much jajangmeyon?

I wish! My body just has a mind of its own on planes. God bless the little lad that went in after me.

 

[raskolnikov]

I was on a plane once when some guy took a dump in the toilet at the rear of the plane. It seriously stank the whole back half of the plane out. People were gagging and covering their mouths and noses. The guy seemed quite oblivious to the chaos he had caused.

 

[mike ross]

I'm back home now have been for a week. Still not fully used to being back home, leaving my family behind has numbed me.

 

[Engimal v3]

I'm back home now have been for a week. Still not fully used to being back home, leaving my family behind has numbed me.

Came back from southern Italy 3 days ago and literally cried the first night back home

 

[swingdog]

One thing I noticed this last time in Rome was the need to carry your passport with you at all times.

Police doing a lot more random checks. If you don’t have it with you it’s off to the police station to prove your identity.

 

[Dirty Bird]

I was on a plane once when some guy took a dump in the toilet at the rear of the plane. It seriously stank the whole back half of the plane out. People were gagging and covering their mouths and noses. The guy seemed quite oblivious to the chaos he had caused.

once i was on a charter flight from Santiago to Ushuaia.
My dad has had a gastric bypass.
And whatever he had had for breakfast made him extra gaseous.
He was farting almost non-stop on the flight and he was stinking up the plane so badly, you could hear people in line for the toilet (we were 5 rows from the back) talking and were worried how bad it actually would be at the toilet as the back 10 rows of the plane reeked.

 

[ash_1050]

One thing I noticed this last time in Rome was the need to carry your passport with you at all times.

Police doing a lot more random checks. If you don’t have it with you it’s off to the police station to prove your identity.

I'd carry a photocopy of my passport around rather than the passport itself, especially in Rome with the prevalence of pickpockets.

 

[swingdog]

I'd carry a photocopy of my passport around rather than the passport itself, especially in Rome with the prevalence of pickpockets.

Do you know if that's accepted by the police?

 

[ash_1050]

Do you know if that's accepted by the police?

Suspect it differs from station to station, first result in Google advises:

By law you must be able to show some form of identification at all times. In most cases a photocopy of the data page of your passport should suffice, but in this case you're advised to also carry a second form of photo ID. The police will normally ask for your full passport if you are stopped while driving.

I'd be incredibly reluctant to wander around with my passport though. Would rather chance it with a photocopy and another photo ID than my passport.

 

[conrad_437]

One thing I noticed this last time in Rome was the need to carry your passport with you at all times.

Police doing a lot more random checks. If you don’t have it with you it’s off to the police station to prove your identity.

Is there any reason why the police in Rome would be doing random checks? I was there last October, tourists were much more scarce than I suspect they are right now, and I can't remember there being a police presence at all. I'm sure that's a different case in the European summer, but because of this I find it hard to visualise police conducting random passport identification checks on regular people, tourist or not.

 

[swingdog]

Is there any reason why the police in Rome would be doing random checks? I was there last October, tourists were much more scarce than I suspect they are right now, and I can't remember there being a police presence at all. I'm sure that's a different case in the European summer, but because of this I find it hard to visualise police conducting random passport identification checks on regular people, tourist or not.

Many more tourists this summer. We got stopped 3 times (family of 4): getting on the airport train, outside Colosseum and at Roma Termini.

Reasons? No idea - illegal immigration? terrorism? Not heavy handed but it was noticeable.