OT: 2019 OT Non-Ski Resort Thread

[The Vasili Jerry]

More fun to do it with posters!

Hit the Post:

Shots fired!

 

[WTG]

No Max podium but I'm impressed by the pace Honda had

 

[Zombotron]

Love you, Valtteri

 

[WTG]

Love you, Valtteri

Don't get too excited.
They must've accidentally gave Valtteri Hamilton's car. They'll fix that mistake by next race.

 

[Josepho]

I work right next to a downtown Irish pub and the lineup has just been f***ing stupid today.

Holidays are awful. I don't know why anyone would go out on one.

 

[The Vasili Jerry]

So when I head up to Vancouver to watch some games next week, I’m thinking about doing a road trip out from Vancouver to the Kootenays in early April. I’ve never gone out that way so I’m wondering if you guys/gals know if that’s a good or bad idea? Is it a trip where I would need winter tires, 4wd or anything else like that?

 

[EpochLink]

I’m waking up to bright sun and muggy heat.
Enjoying it tho LOL...it’s f***ing up my sleep

 

[Kryten]

So when I head up to Vancouver to watch some games next week, I’m thinking about doing a road trip out from Vancouver to the Kootenays in early April. I’ve never gone out that way so I’m wondering if you guys/gals know if that’s a good or bad idea? Is it a trip where I would need winter tires, 4wd or anything else like that?

Dont legally need winter tires on that route after March 30. The roads are bare now and it is warm and melting, just watch out for corners that have melted then refroze if its below freezing

 

[The Vasili Jerry]

Dont legally need winter tires on that route after March 30. The roads are bare now and it is warm and melting, just watch out for corners that have melted then refroze if its below freezing

Cheers, mate!

 

[Hit the post]

Don’t accept car rides from Slads when he’s in town. Slads is famous for his “stopping short” move.

 

[Eddy Punch Clock]

Don’t accept car rides from Slads when he’s in town. Slads is famous for his “stopping short” move.

And his foot odour.

 

[The Vasili Jerry]

Don’t accept car rides from Slads when he’s in town. Slads is famous for his “stopping short” move.

You want a piece of me!? You got it!

 

[y2kcanucks]

Doing some annual vacation planning.

Initially I had a whole 2-week itinerary set for Israel and Jordan, but with the recent rocket fire going on in Israel that kinda put the kibosh on those plans.

So now I'm back to considering Europe.

First itinerary: Krakow (or Warsaw), Kiev, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Pros: Never been to any of those places (except Krakow when I got mugged). Always been interested in seeing Russia, as well as Chernobyl.
Cons: Russian visa process is expensive and not the easiest.

Second itinerary: Budapest, Brasov, Bucharest, Istanbul
Pros: Never been to Brasov, Bucharest or Istanbul, and always wanted to check out the Transylvania region of Romania, as well as Constantinople.
Cons: Train travel from Bucharest to Istanbul seems difficult. Also, after visiting places like Bran Castle and Sighisoara, I don't know how exciting Bucharest or that area would be.


Also considered Morocco, and doing an excursion to the Sahara desert.

Finally, India has intrigued me, though I'm not sure if I'd survive the temperatures in early September.

Any advice? Suggestions for other places that I haven't considered?

 

[Hit the post]

You want a piece of me!? You got it!

Calm down Slads. Calm down!

 

[Frostage]

Doing some annual vacation planning.

Initially I had a whole 2-week itinerary set for Israel and Jordan, but with the recent rocket fire going on in Israel that kinda put the kibosh on those plans.

So now I'm back to considering Europe.

First itinerary: Krakow (or Warsaw), Kiev, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Pros: Never been to any of those places (except Krakow when I got mugged). Always been interested in seeing Russia, as well as Chernobyl.
Cons: Russian visa process is expensive and not the easiest.

Second itinerary: Budapest, Brasov, Bucharest, Istanbul
Pros: Never been to Brasov, Bucharest or Istanbul, and always wanted to check out the Transylvania region of Romania, as well as Constantinople.
Cons: Train travel from Bucharest to Istanbul seems difficult. Also, after visiting places like Bran Castle and Sighisoara, I don't know how exciting Bucharest or that area would be.


Also considered Morocco, and doing an excursion to the Sahara desert.

Finally, India has intrigued me, though I'm not sure if I'd survive the temperatures in early September.

Any advice? Suggestions for other places that I haven't considered?

So you only have two weeks, does that include your travel days?

14 days is a decent amount of time but if it doesn't include travel days, then your down to about 12ish.

Been to Krakow, really enjoyed it. Unfortunately I can't comment on the other cities, other than September is great for less crowds and good temperatures. Moscow is not super close to Krakow or Kiev. You may want to compare train times to flights (and you may want to check on the safety record of some Russian airlines)

Been to Budapest and Istanbul.
Two amazing cities. Lived in Budapest for a while. Loved it.

Istanbul is cool city. I really enjoyed it. I also loved the history especially since I studied the Ottoman empire and got to geek out a bit. If you go, please go to a Turkish bath and get a massage. Amazing.

As for your itinerary Istanbul is a bit out of the way.
There is a major train line from Vienna to Istanbul. Maybe a short flight would help you. My brother visited Bucharest and really enjoyed it.
If not the Balkans are great.

Question: Have you been to a Muslim country? Have you heard the call to prayer?

Been to Morocco, Tangiers and Marrakech. Didn't like Tangiers at all but enjoyed Marrakech. It will be pretty hot and unfortunately my friend and I got food poisoning, which seems to be too common. If you do go I heard really good things about Chefchaouen and Essaouira.


The real question is: what do you want out of your holiday?

 

[y2kcanucks]

So you only have two weeks, does that include your travel days?

14 days is a decent amount of time but if it doesn't include travel days, then your down to about 12ish.

Been to Krakow, really enjoyed it. Unfortunately I can't comment on the other cities, other than September is great for less crowds and good temperatures. Moscow is not super close to Krakow or Kiev. You may want to compare train times to flights (and you may want to check on the safety record of some Russian airlines)

Been to Budapest and Istanbul.
Two amazing cities. Lived in Budapest for a while. Loved it.

Istanbul is cool city. I really enjoyed it. I also loved the history especially since I studied the Ottoman empire and got to geek out a bit. If you go, please go to a Turkish bath and get a massage. Amazing.

As for your itinerary Istanbul is a bit out of the way.
There is a major train line from Vienna to Istanbul. Maybe a short flight would help you. My brother visited Bucharest and really enjoyed it.
If not the Balkans are great.

Question: Have you been to a Muslim country? Have you heard the call to prayer?

Been to Morocco, Tangiers and Marrakech. Didn't like Tangiers at all but enjoyed Marrakech. It will be pretty hot and unfortunately my friend and I got food poisoning, which seems to be too common. If you do go I heard really good things about Chefchaouen and Essaouira.


The real question is: what do you want out of your holiday?

Thanks!

I typically go somewhere (usually Europe) in September every year, but this year I want to explore places that I've never been (rather than just going back to Berlin and Prague all the time). In addition, I'm mostly looking for places rich in history and culture, with a bit of nightlife (not as important as it used to be, but I don't want to be completely bored).

Never been to a Muslim country, but very interested. Also trying to avoid flights as much as possible as they tend to be a bit more expensive, and if I can save on a hotel/hostel/airbnb night by doing an overnight train from A to B that's not too bad.

Currently targeting August 30 evening flight, or August 31 flight out of Vancouver, and returning to Vancouver most likely Saturday September 14. So travel days are included. I may cut down from 4 cities to 3 just to get an extra day in each. Also, rather than Krakow or Warsaw I might look into Tallinn as that seems to be a lot closer to St. Petersburg. Thinking out loud, I think my preference is to do the Russian itinerary, but the big stumbling block is the Russian visa.

To throw a wrench into the plans even more: I'm going to Vegas at the end of May so I will need my passport for that. The process to get a Russian Visa involves sending my passport to Ottawa, and the process takes 20 business days. If I did this quickly I would be able to get my passport back in time for my Vegas trip, but I'm not sure I'm ready to book quite yet (especially since flight costs are still high).

Though, I suppose if I'm flying into Estonia (or Warsaw), and fly home from Kiev, and only visiting Russia in between the start and end times, I could always apply for the visa later on. The problem is if I'm flying into or out of Russia that I would prefer to have the Visa in hand before booking.

 

[Cheeks Clapinski]

Doing some annual vacation planning.

Initially I had a whole 2-week itinerary set for Israel and Jordan, but with the recent rocket fire going on in Israel that kinda put the kibosh on those plans.

So now I'm back to considering Europe.

First itinerary: Krakow (or Warsaw), Kiev, Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Pros: Never been to any of those places (except Krakow when I got mugged). Always been interested in seeing Russia, as well as Chernobyl.
Cons: Russian visa process is expensive and not the easiest.

Second itinerary: Budapest, Brasov, Bucharest, Istanbul
Pros: Never been to Brasov, Bucharest or Istanbul, and always wanted to check out the Transylvania region of Romania, as well as Constantinople.
Cons: Train travel from Bucharest to Istanbul seems difficult. Also, after visiting places like Bran Castle and Sighisoara, I don't know how exciting Bucharest or that area would be.


Also considered Morocco, and doing an excursion to the Sahara desert.

Finally, India has intrigued me, though I'm not sure if I'd survive the temperatures in early September.

Any advice? Suggestions for other places that I haven't considered?

I went to Russia back in 2010 just after the olympics in Vancouver. Visited St Petersburg, Moscow and Novgorod. I highly recommend it.

You can't drink the water in St Petersburg as it has some sort of bug in it that all the locals are immune to. Apparently its a week on the toilet before you build up a tolerance. The water also smells like sulfur which makes showering sort of redundant lol. If i recall, most hotels/hostels provided a flat of bottled water in the room. I remember going on a guided tour that revolved around the story of Rasputin while i was in St Petersburg that was pretty interesting. The Hermitage is an absolute must see. You should definitely allocate a full day (or more if you're really into art) as the collection is quite extensive. The Winter Palace that makes up a portion of the museum is also quite stunning.

Plenty of beautiful churches and art museums to see in Russia. If you are into military history at all the army museum in Moscow is a must. Even though it isn't something I'm usually into, I really enjoyed the Moscow ballet as well. The Moscow Zoo was a skip for me - impressive variety of animals but a sincerely depressing place. Then there are the usual spots like Red Square, Lenin's tomb, etc that are must sees.

I found that most of the Russians I met were very solemn/reserved in public but extremely warm and friendly in private.

 

[y2kcanucks]

I went to Russia back in 2010 just after the olympics in Vancouver. Visited St Petersburg, Moscow and Novgorod. I highly recommend it.

You can't drink the water in St Petersburg as it has some sort of bug in it that all the locals are immune to. Apparently its a week on the toilet before you build up a tolerance. The water also smells like sulfur which makes showering sort of redundant lol. If i recall, most hotels/hostels provided a flat of bottled water in the room. I remember going on a guided tour that revolved around the story of Rasputin while i was in St Petersburg that was pretty interesting. The Hermitage is an absolute must see. You should definitely allocate a full day (or more if you're really into art) as the collection is quite extensive. The Winter Palace that makes up a portion of the museum is also quite stunning.

Plenty of beautiful churches and art museums to see in Russia. If you are into military history at all the army museum in Moscow is a must. Even though it isn't something I'm usually into, I really enjoyed the Moscow ballet as well. The Moscow Zoo was a skip for me - impressive variety of animals but a sincerely depressing place. Then there are the usual spots like Red Square, Lenin's tomb, etc that are must sees.

I found that most of the Russians I met were very solemn/reserved in public but extremely warm and friendly in private.

Thanks! That's good to hear. I had no idea about the water situation in St Petersburg, but I'm used to not being around drinkable water from my trip to Mexico a couple years ago. If the water smells that bad I might just bathe in the bottled water.

 

[Frostage]

Thanks!

I typically go somewhere (usually Europe) in September every year, but this year I want to explore places that I've never been (rather than just going back to Berlin and Prague all the time). In addition, I'm mostly looking for places rich in history and culture, with a bit of nightlife (not as important as it used to be, but I don't want to be completely bored).

Never been to a Muslim country, but very interested. Also trying to avoid flights as much as possible as they tend to be a bit more expensive, and if I can save on a hotel/hostel/airbnb night by doing an overnight train from A to B that's not too bad.

Currently targeting August 30 evening flight, or August 31 flight out of Vancouver, and returning to Vancouver most likely Saturday September 14. So travel days are included. I may cut down from 4 cities to 3 just to get an extra day in each. Also, rather than Krakow or Warsaw I might look into Tallinn as that seems to be a lot closer to St. Petersburg. Thinking out loud, I think my preference is to do the Russian itinerary, but the big stumbling block is the Russian visa.

To throw a wrench into the plans even more: I'm going to Vegas at the end of May so I will need my passport for that. The process to get a Russian Visa involves sending my passport to Ottawa, and the process takes 20 business days. If I did this quickly I would be able to get my passport back in time for my Vegas trip, but I'm not sure I'm ready to book quite yet (especially since flight costs are still high).

Though, I suppose if I'm flying into Estonia (or Warsaw), and fly home from Kiev, and only visiting Russia in between the start and end times, I could always apply for the visa later on. The problem is if I'm flying into or out of Russia that I would prefer to have the Visa in hand before booking.

Muslim countries are a little bit different, but thoroughly enjoyable.

It sounds like you want to go to Russia, then I think you should go.

Double check but you used to be able to visit St Petersburg for 48 or 72 hours without a visa if you came by boat. There is a ferry from Estonia (and possibly Helsinki).

One more place to consider in that area is Belarus. I've heard good/interesting things about Minsk and you can now get a visa on arrival.

Or you could completely change your mind and fly to Asia. Tonnes of destinations there.

 

[Zombotron]

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Went and saw Shazam! With my family yesterday. Highly recommend, it was a very fun movie.

 

[Hit the post]

Went and saw Shazam! With my family yesterday. Highly recommend, it was a very fun movie.

The REAL Captain Marvel!

 

[Machinehead]

The 1st Annual Not-Canes Bandwagon Draft Extravaganza (Now seeking GM's and draftees)

Seeking fans for HF bandwagon draft. Lots of fun. Metaphorical cheese will be served.

 

[Hyzer]

Thanks! That's good to hear. I had no idea about the water situation in St Petersburg, but I'm used to not being around drinkable water from my trip to Mexico a couple years ago. If the water smells that bad I might just bathe in the bottled water.

Ever been to Asia or thought about going? Asia is pretty fun and cheap, depending on country of course. Would highly recommend Japan, Korea, Singapore.

 

[y2kcanucks]

Ever been to Asia or thought about going? Asia is pretty fun and cheap, depending on country of course. Would highly recommend Japan, Korea, Singapore.

Never been, but have thought about it. Only problem is I like to travel in September and a place like Thailand tends to get a lot of rain during that month. Chiang Mai is a place I've been interested in, as well as Ubud.