The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => Sports & Leisure => Topic started by: theinevitable on May 20, 2009, 08:49:32 pm
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So, I am starting to plan my packing for my trip to Paris. I will be there for a month. Trying to pack as light as possible.
Any big tips? Things you wish you'd brought on trips? I have got the basics (comfortable shoes, 1 set of warm clothes, raincoat, photocopies of my passport which I will store SEPARATE from my passport...)
This may be a short-lived topic, so I would encourage general travel horror stories.
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Asherdan hit the most important points. I don't have any horror stories from my trip to Germany, but when I stepped off the train in Kiel, I had no idea where the fuck I was or how the fuck to get to my lodgings (Asherdan's second point). Luckily I ran into a kind and attractive English speaking local who was actually excited to interact with an American who walked with me the short distance to the inn. I bring this up because it illustrates the point I want to make: get laid. I was engaged during that trip and passed on an opportunity or two, including that first night. To throw salt on the wound my ladyfriend and I split up a month after I returned. Of course, bring condoms so you don't bring back any unwanted souvenirs.
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I think I have learned all the things I need to learn from reading my roommate's blog of his travels in china.
1. never go to china
2. never go to china alone
3. never go to rural china alone
4. never assume anything in china will work
also, never follow a mysterious guy down a dark alley late at night, alone thousands of miles away from everyone you know.
(he was fine, but got very scared before he realized that the hostel was just... down a dark alley.)
also:
5. no matter how much of a not-sharing-emotions guy you are, you will post sappy things about how much you miss your wonderful roommate DB when you are in china.
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Best advice I've got is: be a Boy Scout.
That's generally pretty good advice.
Best time I ever had was when I landed at CVG
When were you at CVG? You shoulda called me.
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don't just learn how to speak the language, learn how to hear it too. that was my trouble in it'ly. i could speak it and the then-new missus could hear it. combined we made a fine, if slow, conversationalist. apart we were stranded. but if you at least try to speak it, you'll get along okay.
and don't just translate words. learn how to measure with the metric system. know how much one and a half meters (1,5 metres) is instinctually. 60 grams. 800 kilometers.
of course, what do i know? you could be fluent already. beats me. beats me why most american tourists suck. sure as hell ain't my scene.
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I do not speak any french. oops.
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better get some rosetta stone
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better get some rosetta stones.
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Jan/Feb/Mar 2001. So basically, P.A.
[pre-achewood]
Now when I was down at Bluegrass Intl I would have rung you up except it was one of those 'fly in at 11pm do customer meetings all day and fly out at 6pm' things. It was at that Lexmark 'one square mile of building' facility.
CVG is maybe 20 minutes further from me than Bluegrass.
Used to work at Bluegrass Airport, back in the day. Shipped a lot of freight for Lexmark, as a matter of fact, although they were still IBM at the time. Keyboard parts to Guadalajara for assembly.
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Re: Going down a dark alley.
I was in London at the Astoria. The Mars Volta was playing. I didn't have a ticket and the show was sold out. There were ticket scalpers there, but it was thrice the price and I couldn't afford it. One of the dudes hanging around selling drugs (there were several) said he knew the guy at the back door and he could get me in for half price. Riiiiiiiight. I just laughed in his face and said, that's alright man. I'm pretty sure I've seen that movie. Escort me to the back of the club and mug me.
Moral of the story: I didn't get to see the Mars Volta.
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Were I to go to Europe for a month, I'd make sure I had enough backup contact lenses and saline solution to last. I'm normally a fan of going as light as possible on the Dopp kit and buying toiletries when I get where I'm going but I ain't trust no unfamiliar lens solution on my eyes.
I'd second some rudimentary language lessons, as the one time I was in Paris I got laughed at because I ordered a museum ticket in the wrong gender or something. My experience was that Americans who at least make a sincere attempt at speaking the language will get a much more compassionate response from the natives than those who just yell English. This goes triple for cabs and restaurants.
It looks like you can Google Streetview much of Paris. I'd take some time to click my way through the neighborhoods I'd expect to spend time in, what so I would know landmarks or be able to semi-recognize where I am once I get there. I have a thing about navigation - I HATE getting lost or misdirected - so maybe this only sounds practical and worthwhile to me.
Finally, call your local bank branch and see if you can get some Euro cash from them. It'll be a relief to go right to the taxi stand at the airport (or metro station or whatever) without having to find a cambio. Your bank will probably also get you a better exchange rate. Speaking of which, you should know what the exchange rate is for USD:EUR and plan your currency swaps and/or ATM withdrawals accordingly. Our dollars went much further when we took them out of a cash machine in the form of Euro rather than letting our hotel/restaurant/etc. get a cut of the exchange rate.
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YES don't take a bunch of cash or travelers' checks, use your atm card. what you pay in fees is less than what the cambio charges. but: don't use the same atm all the time, and don't make a routine of going. people do pay attention to tourists.
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When is a traveler not a tourist? /seriousquestion
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when one has relationships with people and places in the destination locus
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It looks like you can Google Streetview much of Paris. I'd take some time to click my way through the neighborhoods I'd expect to spend time in, what so I would know landmarks or be able to semi-recognize where I am once I get there. I have a thing about navigation - I HATE getting lost or misdirected - so maybe this only sounds practical and worthwhile to me.
On short trips I agree, but if you have some spare time, getting responsibly lost can be one of the more worthwhile things to do in a strange place.
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the guidebook of Paris my brother got me for my birthday has a section called "Best arrondissements of Paris to get lost in."
Useful, but seems... what is that word?
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it's like neighborhood or district
seriously get yourself a french/english phrasebook at LEAST
make an effort. you don't want to be that guy.
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No I think Inev wants a word for 'deliberately, hipsterishly quirky and random in a soul crushingly organised way'
Not that I mind planning on getting lost, just being up front about it kills the illusion a little.
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Well, if Doc isn't right, Inev, you really need to do a little research before you go to France. That is not an obscure term.
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doc is right. this is obvious.
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No I think Inev wants a word for 'deliberately, hipsterishly quirky and random in a soul crushingly organised way'
Not that I mind planning on getting lost, just being up front about it kills the illusion a little.
You're right. When I said "getting responsibly lost" I didn't mean buy a guidebook. I meant having enough sense of direction and paying enough attention to landmarks so that you can find your way back to your lodgings. Also, know enough about a city so you don't end up where you shouldn't be. Basically, wandering aimlessly is a good way to get to know a place, I think, and writing a guidebook about it totally defeats the purpose. Totally loses the sense of adventure.
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I saw a short film a few months ago where a woman had a passionate night with a bloke she met in Paris, and in the morning took his dog for a walk to a pâtisserie only to find that she didn't know the way back, so she had to leave. With his dog.
So, you know, get lost, but pay enough attention that you don't potentially lose the love of your life and burden yourself with a dog. It was in a film, it must be a real danger.
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and burden yourself with a dog. It was in a film, it must be a real danger.
And STEAL someone's dog. Geez, at least leave it with someone at a cafe where the owner might run across. Why are people in movies so stupid?
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yes, the word I meant was "oxymoronic." But I don't know if that fits perfectly.
It just seems silly to say "I want to get lost in this area."
I will definitely go to those areas and wander around semi-aimlessly, though.
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Oh, oh! *raises hand* The word is "pretentious".
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The turn of phrase is that 'Nev wants to "Before Sunrise".
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Aww, yeah, I bet he's gonna "Before Sunrise", all right. All over her face.
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Made me think of this, for some reason, which I recently read:
A woman walks into a bar and the bartender asks what she’d like to drink. She says "I’ll have a double entendre." So, he gives it to her.
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The turn of phrase is that 'Nev wants to "Before Sunrise".
Yes.
I have been given a piece of advice: "American girls will sleep with you in France, because you are in France. Don't question it, I know it doesn't make sense."
All over her face.
Je voudrais un soin du visage.
First humorous phrase I found in my french phrasebook. "I would like a facial."
Except it probably actually means something like "I would like a cleaning of the face" based on the cognates.
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I was told that a very successful pick-up line in German bars is "Hi, I'm from L.A.*"
*Note: there is sometimes a quiz. You have to know about 7-11. I'm not making that up.
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I'm not from L.A., but I am an expert on 7-11, on account of living literally down the street from one.
Oh shit now you all know where I live noooo!
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We were just talking about The Onion's point-counterpoint columns (http://www.theonion.com/content/node/34198), right?
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could I have resisted posting that article on a young lady's facebook wall and saying "DON'T BE A VICTIM?"
Probably. But I did not.