Totally referring to us as a "pro tag team" from now on.
"Lost Salient" What day/date are you arriving in Melbourne?
Wednesday the 25th at 8:50 in the morning, as of me buying those suddenly-two-hundred-cheaper-tickets last night. If you could help out I would gladly bring you some sort of Singaporean bribe!
You can also just hire a big locker at the bus station where the shuttle from the airport drops you off for a few hours until you can check in at your hotel.
"We decided to only grow by 4% this last quarter instead of 9%, that's why your return flight next month has been cancelled along with severeal thousands more. Feel free to book another flight" - No flights available for 5 days befor or after the flight date. At least we are among those that got the heads up fairly in advance and not like a day before the travel date like they did with a bunch of people. Also they didn't "decide" to grow less, they fucked up their personnel scheduling.
Don't some hotels allow you to store luggage with them if you get there before your room is ready? Can you try that?
Yeah, I've done this at nearly every hotel I've ever arrived at hours before check-in. I've only had a hotel say no once, and that was also probably the smallest hotel I've ever stayed at.
Don't some hotels allow you to store luggage with them if you get there before your room is ready? Can you try that?
Yeah, I've done this at nearly every hotel I've ever arrived at hours before check-in. I've only had a hotel say no once, and that was also probably the smallest hotel I've ever stayed at.
They've also been nice enough to hold onto my stuff after I check out, so I can explore the city for a bit before I go back to the hotel, grab my bags, and head to the airport/bus station/etc.
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
edited September 2017
Yes, hotels frequently allow you to both store your baggage before check-in and after check-out.
But we're staying at an AirBnB in this case.
E: anyway, it's all sorted, with great assistance from @Cyvros - who by the way now is on the spot to tell me what sort of flavors and items from Singapore will be most welcome as a thank-you.
Lost Salient on
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
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ChimeraMonster girl with a snek tail and five eyesBad puns, that's how eye roll. Registered Userregular
Yes, hotels frequently allow you to both store your baggage before check-in and after check-out.
But we're staying at an AirBnB in this case.
E: anyway, it's all sorted, with great assistance from @Cyvros - who by the way now is on the spot to tell me what sort of flavors and items from Singapore will be most welcome as a thank-you.
So this one time I was on my way from Montreal to Barrie to meet @Melding by rail and had to make a transfer in Toronto. It was super late but my first time there and so like I HAD to go up the CN tower because I always wanted too, and so with all my luggage I ran as fast as I could from the Via Rail station over to the CN tower and when I got there I realized they wouldn't let me go up it with my back pack and rollers and rod holder so I ran over to the aquarium and learned they have a bag valet there for people as insane as I am and so I quickly went up the tower and scared people by jumping on the glass floor then went back down and ran as fast as I could back to the station to catch the last buss of the night up to Barrie as it was boarding. I think I also took a selfie and bought some really cheesy things in the gift shop.
Edit: This has very little to do with your post other than the word luggage but somehow your post reminded me of that story. I also learned with all that running that I was not in nearly as good of shape as I thought.
Yes, hotels frequently allow you to both store your baggage before check-in and after check-out.
But we're staying at an AirBnB in this case.
E: anyway, it's all sorted, with great assistance from @Cyvros - who by the way now is on the spot to tell me what sort of flavors and items from Singapore will be most welcome as a thank-you.
Hmm... well if you insist, I wouldn't say no to dodol.
Hanami season was late this year, but it seemed like everybody was kinda leaning towards Japan, and we’re aboooooout 6 months out at the mo if it takes until late March like it did last year. Going by the previous year is a bit of a dangerous business, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Hanami. Hanami is dope. If we do want to do Japan after all, and it’s gonna be early in the year, then this is what i wanna do; take a long weekend in Osaka, get some beers and bento, find a public park and chill, then get silly on karaage and karaoke (and more beers) in the evening. I don’t really want to spend longer than a half day in Tokyo, if that.
Thoughts! Is everybody else suuuuuper interested in Tokyo, if Japan is indeed where we do this thing?
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Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
Hrrmmmm. I hate to be the party pooper... And this is in no way saying that people should not go to Japan, but Japan is a bit far away for me to be feasible in the next six months. It would mean that EAPAX was no longer a doable weekend trip, basically, and I won't have the vacation. (It's a ~7 hour flight to Tokyo from Singapore.)
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Japan is good for me just because I already know people there and the lay of the land and all, but I'll be there off and on anyway so I'm down for whatever gets the most people in one place. That being said, drunken Japanese-style karaoke is extremely high on my vacation hierarchy of needs, so somewhere that lets us do that is a big plus in my book.
It looks like I'll need less time off at Christmas than I originally thought, so I was going to take back all of that vacation that I'd used. And it kind of occurred to me: why not just use it on a vacation? And pretty much as I had that thought, I saw a thing on German Christmas markets. And then I found out that until December 14th, I can get a 15% discount on Air Canada plane tickets through work. And then I saw that I could get a train from London to Cologne; it'd be a four hour trip. And then I started crunching numbers, and after ensuring that I was around for necessary start-of-month reporting at work, I could leave for London on the night of December 4, coming back on the 13th, and that I could spend a night in London, five nights in Cologne (and oh hey, happy birthday to me while I'm there), and then two nights in London, and still be very happily well within my personal annual budget.
(I could of course fly straight to Cologne, but the price would be higher than the price of a ticket to London and then the train to Cologne, and I get antsy after more than about six hours on a plane; it'd be a 13 hour trip for me to go from home to Cologne, whereas it's six hours to London and then four by train to Cologne, so. . .)
But now I'm also looking at how early I'd need to get up to get a train from Cologne to Nuremburg for their Christmas market and to see the courthouse where the Nazi leadership was tried (4 hour trip each way; I LIVE for 5am starts and sleeping on trains!), to get from Cologne to Trier to see the Porta Nigra and other Roman remnants and their Christmas market (3 hours; I'll sleep in until seven that day!), and to get from Cologne to Hohenzollern Castle near Hechingen (3.5 hours by train, plus a one hour walk from the rail station, easy-peasy). There's a fair amount of other places I'd like to see, but limited trip duration and that many would be closed for the season does limit my choices. I'm mulling over replacing Hohenzollern Castle in particular - it's mostly a palace, not a castle, despite its origins, and I don't care much for palaces, crenelated or not. Rothenburg might easily replace it on the list, given their medieval walls and buildings (I'd be there too early for their Christmas market though).
And then I was checking to see what shows are playing in London (hmm, I've never seen An American in Paris. . .). And I could almost certainly find something to see or do in London during the day. It is London after all. Absolute worst case scenario, I still haven't visited Saint Pauls, the Sherlock Holmes museum and I could go full tourist and go Christmas shopping at Harrods
Basically, the only things stopping me are a) it'd be a fairly short trip as my trips go; b) oh god the pile of work waiting for me will be horrific, c) while the Christmas markets would be something new and different for me, I might nevertheless get more out of visiting Germany if I waited until the spring when the Rhein castles are more open to the public, d) while it'd be relatively cheap, it's still money, and while I'm well ahead of my savings goals I didn't get that way by spending money. But man, the travel bug is biting me hard right now.
One way or another, I'll probably either give up on the idea or pull the trigger next Tuesday, when air fare reaches its likely cheapest point.
Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
GERMAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS ARE THE MOST CHRISTMAS BEST TIME EVER
My parents are talking about doing London for Christmas and I really don't... I shouldn't take vacation, since I'm saving days for my B4 trip. But I've been dreaming of London Christmas since I sated my German Christmas urges.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Gosh, that does sort of poop the party, although it seems like a lot of folks are way into the idea. Discussions must continue! Other possibilities should be suggested! We’ll maybe take a poll in a few weeks and see what works best for the majority!
Also there’s now a slim chance that I might not be able to afford it thanks to a sudden and very annoying shit in hours at work! And I’m pretty fucking furious about it! Like, time to fucking move, furious!
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Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
Well we can always shift the date around to give you some extra time. I am pretty much on board for anything that is four hours or under away. Five plus pretty much means it's not a weekend trip anymore...
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
GERMAN CHRISTMAS MARKETS ARE THE MOST CHRISTMAS BEST TIME EVER
My parents are talking about doing London for Christmas and I really don't... I shouldn't take vacation, since I'm saving days for my B4 trip. But I've been dreaming of London Christmas since I sated my German Christmas urges.
What is worth doing in London in early December? If I go through with my plan, I'd be in London on December 5, the afternoon of December 11, and all day December 12.
Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
Check out the theatre and museums. Weather will probably be miserable so the parks and gardens are less fun, but all the markets should be nice and dickensian.
Check out the theatre and museums. Weather will probably be miserable so the parks and gardens are less fun, but all the markets should be nice and dickensian.
Which markets should I prioritize?
Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
Check out the theatre and museums. Weather will probably be miserable so the parks and gardens are less fun, but all the markets should be nice and dickensian.
Which markets should I prioritize?
Depends what you're into! Covent Garden for weird busking and art installations. Greenwich does indie designers, Alfies does antiques. Berwick st and Spitalfield for thrift and fashion. Portabello or Brick Lane for the atmosphere and a phenomenal quantity of bullshit. Maybe Borough Market for food, but I don't know what that's like in winter, might not be worth it.
Assuming the days open remain accurate, I think that that means I would be going to the Convent Garden Market, the Borough Market, and maybe the Camden Passage and Camden Lock markets. I'm not much interested in clothes or antiques or jewelry or fabrics; food and crafts tend to be what I'd focus on.
Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
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Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
edited October 2017
Ahh fahck I just realized that if I skip London I'll miss out on the new opera-centric exhibit at the Victoria and Albert that I was really excited to read about...
E:Shadowhope you're better off relying on recommendations from others. I've only been to London once, for a twelve hour layover, on what I'm told was the one freakishly beautiful day in August.
Lost Salient on
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
If it is, somehow, sunny, the boat trip down to Greenwich is pretty fun. And then you can go see where time was invented, or something.
I’ve done that! Well, not the boat part, I took the train. This will actually be my fifth time visiting London. That it’s a six hour direct flight from where I live makes it a pretty handy initial destination to fly to - I start in London, and then. I’ve on to my main destination.
Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
Ostia antiqua is worth a trip out of the city, if you want to get away from the crowds
Wow that looks really nice, thanks!
Also, make sure to visit the Galleria Borghese. It has some very famous Bernini sculptures. Seeing them in real life, being able to walk around them and see the light and shadow shift as you move, is absolutely amazing compared to seeing them in a 2D picture or video.
The Trevi(sic) fountain recently had red food dye put into it, so it might not be as awesome, but do go visit it and the Spanish Steps.
When you're near the Colosseum, also visit the Forum. Near by there is a war museum or the capital building (I forget which) that has an elevator up a bunch of stairs and in the back that let's you go to the top and you get a pretty good view of both Forum and Colosseum from there.
Pantheon. Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano. They're both short but fun historical places.
ps, use a money belt. no joke. the pick pockets there are world class.
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KetarCome on upstairswe're having a partyRegistered Userregular
Ostia antiqua is worth a trip out of the city, if you want to get away from the crowds
Wow that looks really nice, thanks!
Also, make sure to visit the Galleria Borghese. It has some very famous Bernini sculptures. Seeing them in real life, being able to walk around them and see the light and shadow shift as you move, is absolutely amazing compared to seeing them in a 2D picture or video.
The Trevi(sic) fountain recently had red food dye put into it, so it might not be as awesome, but do go visit it and the Spanish Steps.
When you're near the Colosseum, also visit the Forum. Near by there is a war museum or the capital building (I forget which) that has an elevator up a bunch of stairs and in the back that let's you go to the top and you get a pretty good view of both Forum and Colosseum from there.
Pantheon. Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano. They're both short but fun historical places.
ps, use a money belt. no joke. the pick pockets there are world class.
So much this. Do something to keep your valuables safe at all times. When I used to work in travel there was no place on earth where our clients had more shit stolen than Rome. People would get purses or duffle bags stolen from right at their feet while sitting in a chair in their hotel lobby. Wallets would get pick pocketed. And that was after we'd warn them repeatedly to be careful.
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You can also just hire a big locker at the bus station where the shuttle from the airport drops you off for a few hours until you can check in at your hotel.
"We decided to only grow by 4% this last quarter instead of 9%, that's why your return flight next month has been cancelled along with severeal thousands more. Feel free to book another flight" - No flights available for 5 days befor or after the flight date. At least we are among those that got the heads up fairly in advance and not like a day before the travel date like they did with a bunch of people. Also they didn't "decide" to grow less, they fucked up their personnel scheduling.
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Yeah, I've done this at nearly every hotel I've ever arrived at hours before check-in. I've only had a hotel say no once, and that was also probably the smallest hotel I've ever stayed at.
They've also been nice enough to hold onto my stuff after I check out, so I can explore the city for a bit before I go back to the hotel, grab my bags, and head to the airport/bus station/etc.
3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
Battle.Net: JohnDarc#1203 Origin/UPlay: CoolJammer00
But we're staying at an AirBnB in this case.
E: anyway, it's all sorted, with great assistance from @Cyvros - who by the way now is on the spot to tell me what sort of flavors and items from Singapore will be most welcome as a thank-you.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
So this one time I was on my way from Montreal to Barrie to meet @Melding by rail and had to make a transfer in Toronto. It was super late but my first time there and so like I HAD to go up the CN tower because I always wanted too, and so with all my luggage I ran as fast as I could from the Via Rail station over to the CN tower and when I got there I realized they wouldn't let me go up it with my back pack and rollers and rod holder so I ran over to the aquarium and learned they have a bag valet there for people as insane as I am and so I quickly went up the tower and scared people by jumping on the glass floor then went back down and ran as fast as I could back to the station to catch the last buss of the night up to Barrie as it was boarding. I think I also took a selfie and bought some really cheesy things in the gift shop.
Edit: This has very little to do with your post other than the word luggage but somehow your post reminded me of that story. I also learned with all that running that I was not in nearly as good of shape as I thought.
Hmm... well if you insist, I wouldn't say no to dodol.
I’m voting Japan mostly because food and nostalgia, but I have been there and it would probably be better to go somewhere else.
If we go around Chinese New Year, though, it’d probably be hanami time in Japan and that’d
Pretty
Dope.
My chauffeur collects me at 10:50AM
Maaan I wish I was there to meet up with you/show you around/listen to Lady Gaga!
I've never really left the country beyond a couple cruises. My passport should still be good right now.
If y'all don't mind having me along lemme know, I might be in.
Death rabbits are always welcome.
Boosh.
I’m fat, so, i’ll Wish you good luck and get drunk at base camp.
Hanami season was late this year, but it seemed like everybody was kinda leaning towards Japan, and we’re aboooooout 6 months out at the mo if it takes until late March like it did last year. Going by the previous year is a bit of a dangerous business, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Hanami. Hanami is dope. If we do want to do Japan after all, and it’s gonna be early in the year, then this is what i wanna do; take a long weekend in Osaka, get some beers and bento, find a public park and chill, then get silly on karaage and karaoke (and more beers) in the evening. I don’t really want to spend longer than a half day in Tokyo, if that.
Thoughts! Is everybody else suuuuuper interested in Tokyo, if Japan is indeed where we do this thing?
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
It looks like I'll need less time off at Christmas than I originally thought, so I was going to take back all of that vacation that I'd used. And it kind of occurred to me: why not just use it on a vacation? And pretty much as I had that thought, I saw a thing on German Christmas markets. And then I found out that until December 14th, I can get a 15% discount on Air Canada plane tickets through work. And then I saw that I could get a train from London to Cologne; it'd be a four hour trip. And then I started crunching numbers, and after ensuring that I was around for necessary start-of-month reporting at work, I could leave for London on the night of December 4, coming back on the 13th, and that I could spend a night in London, five nights in Cologne (and oh hey, happy birthday to me while I'm there), and then two nights in London, and still be very happily well within my personal annual budget.
(I could of course fly straight to Cologne, but the price would be higher than the price of a ticket to London and then the train to Cologne, and I get antsy after more than about six hours on a plane; it'd be a 13 hour trip for me to go from home to Cologne, whereas it's six hours to London and then four by train to Cologne, so. . .)
But now I'm also looking at how early I'd need to get up to get a train from Cologne to Nuremburg for their Christmas market and to see the courthouse where the Nazi leadership was tried (4 hour trip each way; I LIVE for 5am starts and sleeping on trains!), to get from Cologne to Trier to see the Porta Nigra and other Roman remnants and their Christmas market (3 hours; I'll sleep in until seven that day!), and to get from Cologne to Hohenzollern Castle near Hechingen (3.5 hours by train, plus a one hour walk from the rail station, easy-peasy). There's a fair amount of other places I'd like to see, but limited trip duration and that many would be closed for the season does limit my choices. I'm mulling over replacing Hohenzollern Castle in particular - it's mostly a palace, not a castle, despite its origins, and I don't care much for palaces, crenelated or not. Rothenburg might easily replace it on the list, given their medieval walls and buildings (I'd be there too early for their Christmas market though).
And then I was checking to see what shows are playing in London (hmm, I've never seen An American in Paris. . .). And I could almost certainly find something to see or do in London during the day. It is London after all. Absolute worst case scenario, I still haven't visited Saint Pauls, the Sherlock Holmes museum and I could go full tourist and go Christmas shopping at Harrods
Basically, the only things stopping me are a) it'd be a fairly short trip as my trips go; b) oh god the pile of work waiting for me will be horrific, c) while the Christmas markets would be something new and different for me, I might nevertheless get more out of visiting Germany if I waited until the spring when the Rhein castles are more open to the public, d) while it'd be relatively cheap, it's still money, and while I'm well ahead of my savings goals I didn't get that way by spending money. But man, the travel bug is biting me hard right now.
One way or another, I'll probably either give up on the idea or pull the trigger next Tuesday, when air fare reaches its likely cheapest point.
But it'd be really funny if our first "PAX" was EAPAX :P
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My parents are talking about doing London for Christmas and I really don't... I shouldn't take vacation, since I'm saving days for my B4 trip. But I've been dreaming of London Christmas since I sated my German Christmas urges.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Wandering out the stalls of tatt with a hot hog sandwich is the best.
Also there’s now a slim chance that I might not be able to afford it thanks to a sudden and very annoying shit in hours at work! And I’m pretty fucking furious about it! Like, time to fucking move, furious!
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
What is worth doing in London in early December? If I go through with my plan, I'd be in London on December 5, the afternoon of December 11, and all day December 12.
Which markets should I prioritize?
Depends what you're into! Covent Garden for weird busking and art installations. Greenwich does indie designers, Alfies does antiques. Berwick st and Spitalfield for thrift and fashion. Portabello or Brick Lane for the atmosphere and a phenomenal quantity of bullshit. Maybe Borough Market for food, but I don't know what that's like in winter, might not be worth it.
Assuming the days open remain accurate, I think that that means I would be going to the Convent Garden Market, the Borough Market, and maybe the Camden Passage and Camden Lock markets. I'm not much interested in clothes or antiques or jewelry or fabrics; food and crafts tend to be what I'd focus on.
E:Shadowhope you're better off relying on recommendations from others. I've only been to London once, for a twelve hour layover, on what I'm told was the one freakishly beautiful day in August.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
my aunt who lives near them is coming to visit tomorrow, so I'll ask her for further recommendations when she's here.
Steam // Secret Satan
I’ve done that! Well, not the boat part, I took the train. This will actually be my fifth time visiting London. That it’s a six hour direct flight from where I live makes it a pretty handy initial destination to fly to - I start in London, and then. I’ve on to my main destination.
Anyone have any tips or suggestions as to what to do/see?
Were pretty set on The Vatican and the Coliseum and we've found a reputable tour company that do really interesting tours of both.
Wow that looks really nice, thanks!
Also, make sure to visit the Galleria Borghese. It has some very famous Bernini sculptures. Seeing them in real life, being able to walk around them and see the light and shadow shift as you move, is absolutely amazing compared to seeing them in a 2D picture or video.
The Trevi(sic) fountain recently had red food dye put into it, so it might not be as awesome, but do go visit it and the Spanish Steps.
When you're near the Colosseum, also visit the Forum. Near by there is a war museum or the capital building (I forget which) that has an elevator up a bunch of stairs and in the back that let's you go to the top and you get a pretty good view of both Forum and Colosseum from there.
Pantheon. Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano. They're both short but fun historical places.
ps, use a money belt. no joke. the pick pockets there are world class.
So much this. Do something to keep your valuables safe at all times. When I used to work in travel there was no place on earth where our clients had more shit stolen than Rome. People would get purses or duffle bags stolen from right at their feet while sitting in a chair in their hotel lobby. Wallets would get pick pocketed. And that was after we'd warn them repeatedly to be careful.