The Travelling Thread/ The Home Town Thread

Zar

I don't know where to spend my erasmus semester next year. I have many choices but it's possible that I'll spend it in Bergen, Norway.

Which brings me to a few questions for Norwegians (and Scandinavians I guess). How is the weather there ? Is it hard to live in Norway if I don't speak Norwegian (the class will be in english though) ? Is it expensive to live in Norway ? And if it costs a lot, can I find a job without speaking Norwegian ?

I'm doing my own research and also looking at the other countries I can go, but I'd like to know what people on Arlongparkf think.

Mostly the same as Wolfwood said. I'm also Swedish (and a southerner at that) so take this with a grain of salt, especially the weather.

The weather is most likely warmer than you expect. It's a very mild climate with pleasant summers. There'll be lots of cloudy and sort-of-rainy days, so take advantage of every sunny day you get. What to look out for is the combination of wind and wetness, so pack something against that. The real problem comes during late autumn, where the darkness combined with a constant cloud cover means you'll see very little of the sun, even during the few daytime hours. It can get depressing.
Most Norwegians should know excellent English. unless you're out in a rural area or surrounded by old people there should be no problems at all.
Sweden is considered one of the more expensive countries in the world. And we consider the Norwegians expensive. That should tell you all about it. You'll have trouble finding a more expensive country.
I don't have any job experience so I can't say much about that. I don't think it's impossible, but it won't be easy either.

But outside of that I envy you. Bergen is said to be extremely beautiful, and Norwegians overall are really nice people. It's one of those countries that are unique in the world.

Femme

So being in Ethiopia for 18 hours was an experience in more ways than one o_o upon arriving in Australia I had to check “yes” to having visited the country in the past 6 days. I had to go through extra screening and they went through all my stuff and found this tiny, 2-inch basket that I got in Ethiopia as a souvenir. They tapped it on a piece of paper and.. a tiny bug the size of a grain of sand fell out.

Thankfully they didn’t charge me, just disposed of it.

D:

wolfwood

@Femme:

So being in Ethiopia for 18 hours was an experience in more ways than one o_o upon arriving in Australia I had to check “yes” to having visited the country in the past 6 days. I had to go through extra screening and they went through all my stuff and found this tiny, 2-inch basket that I got in Ethiopia as a souvenir. They tapped it on a piece of paper and.. a tiny bug the size of a grain of sand fell out.

Thankfully they didn’t charge me, just disposed of it.

D:

Oh don't think you got off that easily. They clearly sentenced you to several nights spent at a penal colony.

…..Y'know because it's Australia. Ha ha funny joke. But bug smuggling is no laughing matter missy:ninja:

Femme

@wolfwood:

Oh don't think you got off that easily. They clearly sentenced you to several nights spent at a penal colony.

…..Y'know because it's Australia. Ha ha funny joke. But bug smuggling is no laughing matter missy:ninja:

Well no, because they ask you right before they start searching “do you have anything on the prohibited list” warning that lying was considered an offense, and I answered no, forgetting the basket was made of straw = plant material.

Nilitch

Thanks for the quick answers.

I talked with my teacher, he told me I had the choice between Belfast, Prague and Bergen.
Hope I get to go to Bergen. I'll know if I'm chosen in February… (should be)

wolfwood

@Nilitch:

Thanks for the quick answers.

I talked with my teacher, he told me I had the choice between Belfast, Prague and Bergen.
Hope I get to go to Bergen. I'll know if I'm chosen in February… (should be)

The thing that'd take most adjusting to is probably the food. Putting the ridiculous cost of it aside it is probably hard to come by certain things that you as a southern boy take for granted. And they've got their own set of peculiarities like for instance how Norweigans usually don't seem to do lunch of the hot meal variety. They usually just pack up a sandwich with some condiments and call it a meal. Which bothers me personally quite alot. A sandwich isn't a full meal dammit. But in their defense they've got good fish by the boatfull and quite alot of game meat. And coffe as black as your soul, if you are into that it could count as a plus.

Femme

Brussels is so freaking lovely.

Best cities on this trip so far:

Johannesburg, South Africa
Singapore
Taipei, Taiwan
Brussels, Belgium
Perth, Australia

The “alright” cities with pros and cons:
Bangkok, Thailand - Traffic and transportation issues, a lot of smoking in non-smoking hotel, but food and culture is fantastic
Hong Kong - Racist airport, crowded, but food and culture are great
Cairo, Egypt - Heat, difficulty getting around the city, but people, food, culture are amazing
Manila, Philippines - Traffic, heat, but people, food, and shopping are SO GOOD
Vienna, Austria - Didn’t feel welcome by the stares of locals, but I’m a music lover and the history of the city is so lovely

Definitely won’t return cities:
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Airport issues, hotel issues, money issues, but weather and coffee SO GOOD

minus.

@Femme:

Brussels is so freaking lovely.

Wow ok you gotta tell me/us a little more about Brussels since you made me really curious now. I lived relatively close to it but never had the motivation to visit since I had a kinda bland opinion of it compared to cities like Amsterdam for instance. But apparently I was super ignorant haha
What was your focus when it came to sight seeing? Art or politics? Or was the whole vibe of the city just great?

Definitely won’t return cities:
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Airport issues, hotel issues, money issues, but weather and coffee SO GOOD

LOL I kinda feel sorry for Ethiopia. It sounds like it's so eaten up from the inside by poverty and corruption, the country and the people don't get the slightest chance to shine. I would really love to travel there as a backpack tourist with low expectations just to get to know the people better. But I'm not sure about safety. What was your impression? Would it be safe for a smart traveller who avoided risky situations? Or was your impression limited to hotel and airport?

@wolfwood:

And they've got their own set of peculiarities like for instance how Norweigans usually don't seem to do lunch of the hot meal variety. They usually just pack up a sandwich with some condiments and call it a meal. Which bothers me personally quite alot. A sandwich isn't a full meal dammit.

Oh god yes I agree with you on a spiritual level. No hot meals for a week would make me want to shrivel up in a cold corner and die. I can't even eat untoasted sandwiches.

anna21

Hi everyone! I am looking for some good translation apps which are easy to use during the trips and in overall. Any suggestions?

Femme

@minus.:

Wow ok you gotta tell me/us a little more about Brussels since you made me really curious now. I lived relatively close to it but never had the motivation to visit since I had a kinda bland opinion of it compared to cities like Amsterdam for instance. But apparently I was super ignorant haha
What was your focus when it came to sight seeing? Art or politics? Or was the whole vibe of the city just great?

The people are kind, welcoming, and friendly. Every interaction I had with customer service and members of the public put me at ease. Also they’re super good about whatever language you speak, and announcements would be in like 4 languages everywhere, English, French, Dutch, and German. Even though I made an effort to speak French in Brussels, the spots where I switched to English were just fine.

I didn’t get to see a lot of the city tbh, just Grand-Place and surrounding area, but as someone who loves old architecture, I was in awe. It’s extremely picturesque and clean.

The only negative thing is that walking at night time in the area we stayed was kind of sketchy and really vacant. There were a lot of homeless people sleeping out in the cold though :(

LOL I kinda feel sorry for Ethiopia. It sounds like it's so eaten up from the inside by poverty and corruption, the country and the people don't get the slightest chance to shine. I would really love to travel there as a backpack tourist with low expectations just to get to know the people better. But I'm not sure about safety. What was your impression? Would it be safe for a smart traveller who avoided risky situations? Or was your impression limited to hotel and airport?

Well the thing is the city itself is gorgeous, but their organization in the airport is a disaster. If I wasn’t flying business class I would’ve had such a harder time that I did.

So okay, we were there for a 10 hour layover. On their airline website it said that if you have a layover you’ll get a free hotel and shuttle, but then we found out after we booked it that you Must be taking the next available flight out for that voucher. Our next available flight was THIRTY MINUTES from when we landed, so we booked the one after that since we’d probably miss it, not knowing it’d disqualify us from the voucher.

So we had to basically buy the voucher and visa on our own. On arrival there’s this transfer desk, where ONE PERSON is sitting there working excruciatingly slowly, while about 10 people crowded around the window, not in a line. I heard murmurs that some had been waiting there for over an hour. Luckily my husband decided to stand in this little spot for designated business class travelers and after about 20 minutes of standing there she happened to look over and acknowledge that, and then helped us before everyone else. I felt so bad >_<

The voucher including hotel stay, food, and shuttle, was 70 USD EACH. SEVENTY. US. DOLLARS. I tried reasoning that my husband and I were staying in the same room thus I shouldn’t have to pay full price, but no.

After dishing out that incredible amount of cash (I’m Canadian btw so $140 USD = $178 CAD) we proceeded through security, which had A TON of employees just standing around and talking to each other. Why why why couldn’t they add more staff to the transfer desk?!

Getting your shuttle from the exit was a weird process too. The hotel was like a 2.5 to 3 star hotel. We’ve booked almost 20 hotels in this trip so I can judge quality pretty well by now. Their saving grace was their freaking amazing coffee in their breakfast buffet. The other food was also okay.

Getting back to the airport in the evening was like entering another world. Sooo many people. Hundreds. Thousands. So many that people were sitting on the floor everywhere waiting for their flights. Again we were saved by our business class tickets which provided lounge access.

After that ordeal I’d say visit in like 10-15 years when they get up to standard. Theirs is a fast growing economy but they’re still a developing nation, but they’ll improve eventually. I didn’t feel unsafe at all, even when we left the hotel to explore a bit, and the weather was gorgeous and the people were friendly.

anna21

Thank you for such detailed story about Ethiopia! One question, is it better to go there alone or with friends/family?

Femme

@anna21:

Thank you for such detailed story about Ethiopia! One question, is it better to go there alone or with friends/family?

Even though I didn’t feel unsafe, I would still suggest going with another person because you don’t have the security of easily accessible wifi or data from your phones, your credit cards may not work (it didn’t for us and we had to convert USD to Ethiopian Birr) and customer service is pretty much nonexistent at the airport so if you had a problem you’d feel a lot less helpless if you had someone else to lean on.

For example, our next stop was in Johannesburg and Ethiopian airlines sent our luggage to there a day ahead of us. When we arrived in Johannesburg we had to go through all that anxiety of waiting till every person left the luggage carousel and not seeing our luggage, going to get help and eventually getting it, and if I had to deal with that on my own I would’ve been such a wreck. Having the extra support of my husband and my support for him while dealing with all those issues was important for us, personally.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

On another topic:

London >>>>>>>> Paris.

I didn’t like Paris.

There. I said it. I’m in London right now and I love it :D

--- Update From New Post Merge ---

@anna21:

Hi everyone! I am looking for some good translation apps which are easy to use during the trips and in overall. Any suggestions?

Google translate app is the best imo. You can even play the translation out loud.

firelord111

Femme do you have a plan for traveling to Iran?

Femme

@firelord111:

Femme do you have a plan for traveling to Iran?

I’d like to one day. Persian food is amaaaaazing (and I’m all about food :ninja:)

But after this trip (two more countries to go!) I think I’m gonna take a loooong travel break. This has been an adventure, not a vacation ^_^; I’m exhausted. I need a vacation from my vacation lol.

firelord111

@Femme:

I’d like to one day. Persian food is amaaaaazing (and I’m all about food :ninja:)

But after this trip (two more countries to go!) I think I’m gonna take a loooong travel break. This has been an adventure, not a vacation ^_^; I’m exhausted. I need a vacation from my vacation lol.

Thanks
I think there should be Iranian restaurants in Canada since there are alot of migrants

Femme

@firelord111:

Thanks
I think there should be Iranian restaurants in Canada since there are alot of migrants

There are, actually! A whole little area in Toronto.
My favourite one is this 24 hour grocery store and restaurant that has this amazing dill and fava bean rice with lamb shank. YUM.

minus.

@firelord111:

Femme do you have a plan for traveling to Iran?

Are you from Iran firelord111? Despite all the political mumbo jumbo, I've heard only good things, like exclusive praise from friends that visited Iran. And I really wanna visit 0
How do you think I would get along with English? Would it work in Teheran only? I've got some Arabic in my toolbox too. Could that work with older people to communicate or would that just give them bad memories?
But even without language skills I'm not that worried since I read an article by a french journalist who traveled through the Iranian countryside with little money and no language skills. And she said it was the best journey she had since the Iranians were incredibly friendly, would invite her, a complete stranger, into their homes for food and drink and would offer their own beds and sleep on the floor themselves so their guest would get only the best. I was very much impressed by the Iranian spirit of hospitality. :)

@Femme:

London >>>>>>>> Paris.

I didn’t like Paris.

There. I said it. I’m in London right now and I love it :D

LOL preach it girl! Hahaha I kinda agree that, except for the art, Paris does not have the same flair of awesome that London had. But you really need to come back and get the France experience by exploring the North and especially the South of France. Paris is a really different, less beautiful world compared to the rest of the country. But be prepared to shoot down a lot of invitations to meals as everything has wine it. Well maybe not the snails you can try them ÖuÖ lol

Also thanks so much on your impressions on Brussels and Ethiopia, I love reading stuff like that <3

firelord111

@minus.:

Are you from Iran firelord111? Despite all the political mumbo jumbo, I've heard only good things, like exclusive praise from friends that visited Iran. And I really wanna visit 0
How do you think I would get along with English? Would it work in Teheran only? I've got some Arabic in my toolbox too. Could that work with older people to communicate or would that just give them bad memories?
But even without language skills I'm not that worried since I read an article by a french journalist who traveled through the Iranian countryside with little money and no language skills. And she said it was the best journey she had since the Iranians were incredibly friendly, would invite her, a complete stranger, into their homes for food and drink and would offer their own beds and sleep on the floor themselves so their guest would get only the best. I was very much impressed by the Iranian spirit of hospitality. :)

LOL preach it girl! Hahaha I kinda agree that, except for the art, Paris does not have the same flair of awesome that London had. But you really need to come back and get the France experience by exploring the North and especially the South of France. Paris is a really different, less beautiful world compared to the rest of the country. But be prepared to shoot down a lot of invitations to meals as everything has wine it. Well maybe not the snails you can try them ÖuÖ lol

Also thanks so much on your impressions on Brussels and Ethiopia, I love reading stuff like that <3

I think basic English is enough in big cities like Tehran Isfahan and Shiraz some people may understand Arabic
I personally went to Tehran Isfahan north and south coasts and lived in Shiraz I think for the first time Isfahan and Shiraz are good places to go
Right now I'm not in Iran anymore so I can't personally help you I may be able to tell my friends or relatives see if they are not busy

minus.

@firelord111:

Right now I'm not in Iran anymore so I can't personally help you I may be able to tell my friends or relatives see if they are not busy

See everyone? This is the Iranian hospitality I'm talking about. I literally know this poster from one interaction and they are organising family contacts for me from within the country already. You're amazing, friend. Never change this wonderful hospitality. I will try to be more like you :D
Should I ever have time and money to visit I will make sure to hit you up and invite you to a tea haha

firelord111

@minus.:

See everyone? This is the Iranian hospitality I'm talking about. I literally know this poster from one interaction and they are organising family contacts for me from within the country already. You're amazing, friend. Never change this wonderful hospitality. I will try to be more like you :D
Should I ever have time and money to visit I will make sure to hit you up and invite you to a tea haha

lol thanks. .

anna21

Thank you for your reply and suggestions. Then I will plan my trip there together with my friends or family. By the way, thank you for the app suggestions. I checked some apps and found out that there are several good options. I saw eight translation apps reviewed in this article and thought it was useful, primarily because of the table which summarizes the main functions. I like that they give suggestions on which app should be used in a particular occasion. For example, some apps are better to use for Asian languages to get the right translation.

Monkey King

@firelord111:

I think basic English is enough in big cities like Tehran Isfahan and Shiraz some people may understand Arabic
I personally went to Tehran Isfahan north and south coasts and lived in Shiraz I think for the first time Isfahan and Shiraz are good places to go
Right now I'm not in Iran anymore so I can't personally help you I may be able to tell my friends or relatives see if they are not busy

If you're able to, can you tell about what country you're in now? As I recall it was either Australia or Bulgaria.

firelord111

@Monkey:

If you're able to, can you tell about what country you're in now? As I recall it was either Australia or Bulgaria.

im still in armenia waiting for visa To go to Bulgaria

minus.

I have a question for the Americans here. If things go as planned I'm going to spend thanksgiving with an American family this year. I have no idea how this works except for useless pocultural cues I absorbed from TV shows. What do I have to consider? Do I offer to help prepare the table/wash the dishes afterwards? Should I bring a present? Is there some official "time table" (if you celebrated Christmas in Europe you probably know what I'm talking about)? I know the basics, which is to completely stfu about politics and religion. But I wanna try my best to be a good guest as this invitation means a lot to me.

Monkey King

@minus.:

I have a question for the Americans here. If things go as planned I'm going to spend thanksgiving with an American family this year. I have no idea how this works except for useless pocultural cues I absorbed from TV shows. What do I have to consider? Do I offer to help prepare the table/wash the dishes afterwards? Should I bring a present? Is there some official "time table" (if you celebrated Christmas in Europe you probably know what I'm talking about)? I know the basics, which is to completely stfu about politics and religion. But I wanna try my best to be a good guest as this invitation means a lot to me.

If you're a guest then you probably wouldn't be expected to prepare things or wash the dishes. Though an offer to help would be appreciated I'm sure.
Otherwise there's not much too it except for eating a shitload of food.
Presents have nothing to do with it (though pre-planning maybe bringing some sort of dish for the meal is a thing). And I have no idea what timetable would be involved aside from eating a big meal on the evening/night of that day. I mean aside from the day being busy setting up (if the family you'll be with is hosting dinner and not going to a relative's house or something).
Some people watch a lot of Football I guess, and also the Macy's Day parade in the morning is on TV.

Of course I dunno if there are strange regional varieties, but I don't think so?

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@firelord111:

im still in armenia waiting for visa To go to Bulgaria

How is Armenia compared to Iran?

firelord111

It is a nice small country I'm staying at the capital in size and population it is much smaller than Shiraz . I have hard time communicating cause most of them speak Russian and Armenian
The food hear is good
It's a shame that there is a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Monkey King

@firelord111:

It is a nice small country I'm staying at the capital in size and population it is much smaller than Shiraz . I have hard time communicating cause most of them speak Russian and Armenian
The food hear is good
It's a shame that there is a conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Am I wrong to assume that Iranians and Armenians historically are on pretty good terms with each-other?

firelord111

@Monkey:

Am I wrong to assume that Iranians and Armenians historically are on pretty good terms with each-other?

they are in pretty good terms with each other there are many armenians in iran and many iranians in armenia

Monkey King

Not surprising that between the two regional giants you are the chill one to them.

Iran: Hey cool whatever bro, Persia and stuff right, yeah.
Turkey: NOT GREEK, NOT PERSIAN. TOTAL ORIGINAL CULTURE DO NOT STEAL. I DON'T HAVE ISSUES YOU HAVE ISSUES.

Femme

@minus.:

I have a question for the Americans here. If things go as planned I'm going to spend thanksgiving with an American family this year. I have no idea how this works except for useless pocultural cues I absorbed from TV shows. What do I have to consider? Do I offer to help prepare the table/wash the dishes afterwards? Should I bring a present? Is there some official "time table" (if you celebrated Christmas in Europe you probably know what I'm talking about)? I know the basics, which is to completely stfu about politics and religion. But I wanna try my best to be a good guest as this invitation means a lot to me.

If thanksgiving in the states is anything like it is here with my fam, then it means a lot of work in the kitchen and never enough hands to help. So I think help offered is definitely polite, even if it’s setting the table/clearing dishes/etc. Usually people will be scandalized if you don’t know them well and you start washing their dishes cuz they don’t want a guest they’re meeting for the first time to do that lol, but I tend to offer anyway because I know what that work’s like.

If you want you can also bring something small or ask if there’s anything they need that’s missing from the menu, too. My family’s thanksgivings tend to be a shared responsibility potluck sorta thing, so if someone brings that missing THING then it’s helpful.

Every family does thanksgiving differently though, but it’s definitely always food-focused :D have a great time!

minus.

Thanks Monkey King and Femme for your advice! Guess it's a lot more chill for guests, but I'll make sure to offer help!
@Monkey:

Some people watch a lot of Football I guess, and also the Macy's Day parade in the morning is on TV.

Of course I dunno if there are strange regional varieties, but I don't think so?

First time hearing of that parade! Will do some research :) Thanks MK (and def gonna brush up on my football knowledge to have one solid ice breaker under my belt haha)

Nilitch

Is this meme –anyhow-- true??

!

I mean, people say that you have to keep a certain distance while talking to people that depends on which country you're in.

wolfwood

@Nilitch:

Is this meme –anyhow-- true??

! https://scontent-cdg2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/19488972_924882770982732_2584768750101982046_o.jpg?oh=975594ebaafbf98ab165ee257a414fd2&oe=5AD7152F

I mean, people say that you have to keep a certain distance while talking to people that depends on which country you're in.

The first one in this one is more accurate for non-Finland Nords.

[hide] [/hide]

Nilitch

Why though ? Is there a scientific explanation ? Like anthropology or something

Also, I don't get the one about Italians.

wolfwood

@Nilitch:

Why though ? Is there a scientific explanation ? Like anthropology or something

Probably something to do with Luther or the weather conditions. For whatever reason personal space and not making other robot people feel uncomfortable by invading it and making overt displays of affection betwenn strangers is a pillar of Scandinavian living. I'm sure it'll freak you out just the teeniest bit once you get situated in Norway. That weird disconnect betwenn perfectly pleasant and friendly conversation and that invisible wall of not getting too familiar.

Also, I don't get the one about Italians.

They're an affectionate people.

AfroSamurai

@Nilitch:

Also, I don't get the one about Italians.

Italians like to make a big commotion whenever they meet another italian/friend, they get very loud, there's a lot of unneccessary hugging and strong emotions, and they generally feel passionate about everything they talk about, moving their arms and body to express their feelings alongside their thoughts.

No swords style best style

Going to visit Panama with some family friends! :D

SpaceCowboy

I'm thinking about putting a list of countries and cities members are from in the first post so if anyone would ever go to those places or nearby they could either quote or PM the member to obtain some tips.

Is there any foum rules against this? I don't want to put that if people don't want to, but I assume that the people that talk about it freely or have their country/city on their "location" wouldn't mind it.

Deonean

I noticed that the old travel thread is way out dated here so I plan to create a new one. This 2018, I plan to visit Europe and Spain. For my summer holiday, I'm looking at Tenerife or Lanzarote.I came across this one article about the place here in https://www.canaryislandsinfo.co.uk/gran-canaria/things-to-do/doramas-park/ I've never been to either and apparently, the beaches are fantastic as well as being suitably 'different' to make it interesting. How about you guys? Any plans?

Monkey King

Europe AND Spain??

Monkey King

@AfroSamurai:

Italians like to make a big commotion whenever they meet another italian/friend, they get very loud, there's a lot of unneccessary hugging and strong emotions, and they generally feel passionate about everything they talk about, moving their arms and body to express their feelings alongside their thoughts.

Carries over a bit to Italian-Americans. General white America is mostly North Europe flavored, so on the more reserved side compared to South Europe (though less reserved than purestrain North Europe). And Italian-Americans can be a lot louder and more all of that than other generic white Americans.
Latin Americans are the same way, for essentially the same reasons.

The gesture thing is pretty uniquely Italian though, even Greeks make jokes about it lol.
And yeah Italian-Americans still do it, even as detached as I am from the full on thing I still have that tendency sometimes. And other folks? Damn.

AfroSamurai

@Monkey:

Carries over a bit to Italian-Americans. General white America is mostly North Europe flavored, so on the more reserved side compared to South Europe (though less reserved than purestrain North Europe). And Italian-Americans can be a lot louder and more all of that than other generic white Americans.
Latin Americans are the same way, for essentially the same reasons.

The gesture thing is pretty uniquely Italian though, even Greeks make jokes about it lol.
And yeah Italian-Americans still do it, even as detached as I am from the full on thing I still have that tendency sometimes. And other folks? Damn.

Yeah, whenever I meet italo-americans I always find they're like… about 50% as energetic as a home-grown italian, but generally having the same traits and attitudes we have. It's quite relatable, really, though I always cringe when they mention non-italian dishes like "spaghetti alfredo" or "pepperoni pizza" as if they're a big thing in italy...

wolfwood

Welp i'm currently in Paris dicking around with the GF. And i'm wondering if any of ya'll have any suggestions on where to go and what to eat and what not.

Nilitch

Honestly, I don't even like Paris. I despise most of its architecture (except the haussmannian things and whatnot at some extent), its few gardens and its streets. The Tuileries garden isn't as bad as Central Park, but it's still a huge mess. I guess I'll have to move to a tinier city when I'll grow old. And ffs there are lots of fucking cafés every fucking where. We don't need that much coffee !!! No one does! We probably have more cafés than New-York has fast-foods…
The bridges as a whole are fine. Some are hideously big though

Anyway, there is an elevated park in Paris. Apparently, it's one of the first ones that have ever been made. I don't really have an opinion about it because I haven't been there for years.
Here's a picture. And here's the wiki page. You can go there from "Gare de Lyon", and obviously you don't have to walk through the whole thing, it's 4km long after all…
And île de la Cité sucks, BUT the Saint-Louis bridge rocks. You can barely see and hear any cars around there, wow. I like this place. It's not much, but it's all we've got. Especially at sunset when there is someone playing music on the bridge
If you go to Saint-Michel/Latin Quarter, you'll see some nice streets. BUT there are restaurants and cafés all over the fucking place.
There are sweet covered passages in Paris. But there usually are lots of dumb stores every where. Liberalism fucks us all I guess
Rue Champollion is a classic for cinema-goers. There are 3 famous cinemas for cinephiles and such there. Currently, the only interesting movies there are two of Jacques Tati's movies. I should watch them once more I guess. And if you go to the end of this little street, you'll see my college on your left :o and also a great bookstore
The banks of the Seine aren't that bad. It's starting to look like Californian beaches though… But, it's one of the few places where you don't see and barely hear any car. I like to sit at one of these bars there with the lads, just beside/below the Pont au Change.

And don't forget to check out the Catacombs. It's rare, very rare, in Europe and in the world.

There are other nice places. But I usually randomly stumble on them when I walk at night. Basically, I don't really "know" where they are

As for restaurants, I have no idea, I'm way too poor to eat there.

Also, places I'll blow the fuck up one day
-Châtelet les Halles
-République
-The neighborhood around the National Library, the National Library itself and the Simone-de-Beauvoir bridge
-Centre Pompidou
-The Champs-Élysées
-The Bastille Opéra, the Place de la Bastille and the subway exit next to the Opéra that smells like shit, pee and rat.
and well, lots of other places.

Supernova122

@wolfwood:

Welp i'm currently in Paris dicking around with the GF. And i'm wondering if any of ya'll have any suggestions on where to go and what to eat and what not.

The Dernier bar avant le fin du monde is a fun place (not particularly for the food, which is okay, although the mocktails were veeery good), if geeky themed cafe is your kind of thing. Montmartre is quite a nice area to wander around in general. I also remember with fondness a particularly nice hole-in-the-wall (literally) creperie there where the guy likes to draw things on your crepe with the filling (maybe with higher probability if you're female). Crepes are great in general and are everywhere. It's nice to go up the Montparnasse tower for a view of Paris which includes the Eiffel tower (and the wind up there is nice in the heat). Someone wants recommended me something to do with a bar and lemonade + fruit syrup, but I've clearly forgotten what exactly. And I guess you're too old for your free entry into almost everything.

That's about all I gleaned from the couple of days I've been in Paris…

Kaptayn

@Nilitch:

Also, places I'll blow the fuck up one day
-Châtelet les Halles
-République
-The neighborhood around the National Library, the National Library itself and the Simone-de-Beauvoir bridge
-Centre Pompidou
-The Champs-Élysées
-The Bastille Opéra, the Place de la Bastille and the subway exit next to the Opéra that smells like shit, pee and rat.
and well, lots of other places.

[…] you'll see my college on your left :o and also a great bookstore

Careful now, you don't want to end up on a list.
What college do you go to?

BellisarioFaith

Bit late to the party I suppose, but I would also love to go to Japan like many others here. One of my biggest goals in life, in fact.

When I was 13, I went to six different European countries–Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and England. Someday I'd like to return to and revisit some of them, like at least Belgium (since I now know a couple of friends who live there), and go to some that I haven't yet (such as Italy, Spain, and Portugal, for starters, and Greece would be cool too).

Would also like to visit Mexico now that I'm so close in proximity to it, though probably not on my own. I went to Chile last fall for work, and going again sometime to see more observatories would be awesome.

As far as hometowns go: my Michigan hometown has the distinction of having the only IKEA in the whole state, so that's pretty cool I guess. XD My college town where I lived before coming here is home to the largest American-football stadium in the country.

My current New Mexico hometown is home to well-known radio telescope array, which has appeared multiple times in movies and other media.

Nilitch

@Kaptayn:

Careful now, you don't want to end up on a list.
What college do you go to?

I will attend Sorbonne 1 after my erasmus semester

Kaptayn

@Nilitch:

I will attend Sorbonne 1 after my erasmus semester

Nice! Study well.

Nilitch

@Kaptayn:

Nice! Study well.

Ok ! Thank you very much Kaptayn.