If going to Prague, take a trip to the Teresinstadt Concentrtion Camp memorial. A bit off the beaten path, but extremely moving.
OT: Any tips, heading to Italy staying in Rome for 5 days and Monaco for six. First time to Europe.
- Thread starter Mr. Potter
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Must see - Baths of Caracalla. Just crazy how it remains and what they had available to them. Less than a mile from the Colosseum. Look it up and find a tour. Also, try to dine outside in the piazza in front of the Pantheon. A good number of restaurants with outside seating looking right at the building. Lastly, book a table at The Roof Garden restaurant. It overlooks the Forum and the monuments. Get a table at sunset. Unforgettable. Enjoy.
We walked a lot in Rome. Do not acknowledge anyone who wants to hand you anything. They want money in return for a "gift". I would not wear clothing that identifies your country, state, or city- always gives them a talking point-"Hey Penn State are you from Philly" or some such banter. Others have mentioned pickpockets.
Be cautious, but enjoy-the art work, history and food
Be cautious, but enjoy-the art work, history and food
Yeah, be aware of your surroundings. Anything out of the ordinary happens, put your hand on your wallet. Also, when you leave a store take a look around and take in who’s around you.
Been 10 years, but if still there I’d suggest the following:
Angel Tours for all of your tours. Guides when we went were all Italian history majors there for a year abroad.
angeltours.eu
l’orso 80 was our favorite restaurant
www.orso80.it
Anywhere that has “prosciutto e melone”, try it. Prosciutto wrapped around cantaloupe or honeydew. Sounds like a strange pair but it’s AMAZING.
Piazza Navona at night. Quintessential romantic piazza with street music performers. Super romantic
Everything at the vatican
Colosseum, trevi fountain, pantheon, Spanish steps, piazza del popolo, the forum…. Basically all the sites.
DO NOT get your picture taken. Scam.
Whenever someone bumps you, are sure wallet and watch are still there.
We spent 5 PACKED days there and still left with a ton we didn’t get to see.
Angel Tours for all of your tours. Guides when we went were all Italian history majors there for a year abroad.
Angel Tours
Family tours, storytelling guides using fun history and facts. Original Golf Cart Tours, priority entrance and perfect English.
angeltours.eu
l’orso 80 was our favorite restaurant
Ristorante L'Orso 80 | Via dell'Orso 33 Roma | 06 6864904
Alfredo Valerii esperto ristoratore, ha improntato la sua filosofia alla cura della propria clientela. L'esperienza ultra quarantennale maturata nel corso degli anni, è oggi bagaglio per i figli, i quali, accanto al padre, sono di valido supporto e molto attenti al soddisfacimento della...
www.orso80.it
Anywhere that has “prosciutto e melone”, try it. Prosciutto wrapped around cantaloupe or honeydew. Sounds like a strange pair but it’s AMAZING.
Piazza Navona at night. Quintessential romantic piazza with street music performers. Super romantic
Everything at the vatican
Colosseum, trevi fountain, pantheon, Spanish steps, piazza del popolo, the forum…. Basically all the sites.
DO NOT get your picture taken. Scam.
Whenever someone bumps you, are sure wallet and watch are still there.
We spent 5 PACKED days there and still left with a ton we didn’t get to see.
Our first visit happened to be right after the DaVinci Code was released. It was neat to see the sites in the movie then visit in person. Consider watching the movie before you go.
I think you mean Angels & Demons, although I‘m sure that the Vatican scenes were filmed elsewhere.
Some other eye candy films set in Rome: Roman Holiday, Belly of an Architect, Three Coins In the Fountain, Il Boom, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, Bicycle Thieves, etc.
Big upvote fof Baths of Caracalla. Very close to the Circus Maximus (or what is left of it - just a big grass remnant of the "Ben Hur" race track).
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Don't carry a wallet unless you have one as a ruse. Have a zippered pocket in front on inside and carry only the bare minimum. Your room will have safe to keep your valuables. If you choose a ruse wallet, get something at Goodwill and put a couple of fake cards and four or five Euros in it. Pickpockets will see the wallet and target it or in the case of a robbery give. them the fake. One other thing; when in a foreign country I almost always carry my passport and I make sure to know the location and phone number of the nearest US Embassy or Consulate.
Have a great trip Mr. Potter!
Keep some notes to give us a recap when you get back.
I think some of the pickpocket stuff is a bit of an American boogie man invention. Do you make all kinds of money saving preparations if you go to New York, Philly, Chicago? Probably not. But it does happen, particularly around the major tourist attractions and public transportation. I would be more cautious with a purse or book bag than a wallet. I know American women want a purse that has the kitchen sink in it, but leave the regular purse at home. Cross body only. If you are really nervous, you can buy purses that are knife proof and the straps can’t be sliced. Again, if it makes her more comfortable, spend the money.
Also, once in a while you may see a sign that says beware of pickpockets in English. Instinctively you will reach for your wallet, where ever it is on you. Rest assure that someone saw where you reached on your body. Don’t fall for it, in other words.
I was targeted while watching the Pope parade by us. My brother's father-in-law was a victim. Crazy odds to have it hit that close - twice.
Actually, I don't carry my wallet around on the streets of any large city. In the US I take my drivers license, some cash, and a credit card and overseas I take my passport instead of the drivers license, unless I'm driving of course. I learned the ruse wallet trick in the border towns of Mexico about 10 - 15 years ago. In 3rd world countries I carry some local cash to give the police if I get detained/pulled over in any way. It has come in quite handy in Malaysia. Brazil is just a madhouse and it's every man for himself at times. There are no rules I can give to help and you just have to use your common sense.
Do you travel much?
Funny story about Roman Holiday. My wife wanted to eat gelato on the Spanish Steps just like Audrey Hepburn did in the movie so we did that. Several years later we returned to Rome and tried that again but got run off by the polizia.
I’ve had a gun pulled on me in Brazil. Fun times. They all carry the fake wallet down there. The muggers know. So it saves you some cash, but probably not a few punches to the gut when they realize it is a low score. Had friend of family in Port Alegre, 50+year old woman, get sent to the hospital with multiple fractures from a mugging while walking home from work a few months ago. Any time we go now it is with local family and private tour guides who we pay and are armed. I don’t recommend Brazil for several reasons, yet the number of bad experiences are dwarfed by the good ones.
Europe just have your wits about you and don’t be in dumb places at dumb times. Same as any USA city. Avoid the large purses and backpacks. If you are nervous, I agree with bare bones wallet, if any at all. Otherwise, go enjoy yourself. It’s not Brazil.
I have stayed out of Asia. Not our scene.
Was there 2 years ago. The latest scam is/was that someone will come up to you and complement your shoes and then try to put a wrist band on you being all nice and stuff. Then they will ask you for money. Happened the first time around the coliseum and I am naturally paranoid and don't trust anyone being overly nice but wife fell for it and then they put one on me and asked for money. Give the wrist bands back.
Don't eat at restaurants on the piazzas, they are over priced tourist traps. One place tried to give us a $500 bottle of wine. Find smaller restaurants on a side street.
Hook of your instagram to some Rome sites, usually by the main attractions they are certain streets you can walk down to see some off the beaten path architecture and paintings. There is an ancient stadium under the Piazza Novana. There is an underground tour of the Trevi fountain. Didn't learn this until we returned and all these things flooded my feed.
Our favorite gelato place was called Fridgedarium, https://frigidariumgelateria.com/ - we went there every night after dinner, it is near Piazza Navona
This was one of our favorite restaurants and was reasonably priced. Carbonara is outstanding:
Quelli de’ Coronari
Also near the Piazza Novona but about a block or two away.I would book a tour of the Paladin Hill and Coliseum. Pretty amazing place and the walking tour guides are great. We did the Vatican but is was overly crowded for me, tourist bumping into each other trying to see everything. It was on a Monday which apparently is the most busy time. Tour guide said Saturday evenings are usually best and not very crowded FWIW.
Don't buy water bottles or water, there are fountains everywhere in Rome with good clean drinkable water. Nasone's they are called. You put your finger on the spout to block it then is spurts out the top so you can drink from it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasone#:~:text=A nasone (plural nasoni),,first introduced in the 1870s.
The Pantheon is really cool as well. I think they are charging 5 euros now to get it to calm the crowds but was free when we were there.
Enjoy. I am not a city person but really enjoyed walking around the historical district in Rome and never felt unsafe.
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Haven’t been to Brazil and no interest in going. Heard way too many stories of violence against tourists and a number of years ago two employees at my wife’s company were kidnapped and held for ransom (which they paid in the seven digits). Terrible traffic too. Shame because looks like paradise.
Have never felt unsafe in Japan or China - and,
I’ve never seen anyone try to scam anyone in Japan (China a little different - cute girls say they’re college students then ask you what you do and if you would be interested in taking an art class with them - if you refuse they politely move on). Both extremely safe, and Japan especially super clean (China has some work to do). I don’t have any interest in Vietnam, Thailand, etc.
Scam in the Caribbean was similar to the wrist band one except they put a ‘holy bean’ in your hand, say a blessing, then ask for money. Don’t ever accept anything from anyone anywhere when in a foreign country. As for Europe, FIL was pickpocketed on the Metro in Paris. But, he’s a very obvious target. Hates France to this day because of it.
I agree with your assessment of Japan, for the most part. I've been to many beautiful places and the people almost everywhere seem very friendly but few speak any English so I find traveling to be difficult. I don't recall being approached by the "cute" girls in Japan, but I've been in neighborhoods in Tokyo where the "cute" girls seemed to be waiting for you to approach them. This activity seemed to be confined and not widespread at all.
As far as China goes, I have been to places where the smog is so thick you can look at the sun, if you can find it, in the middle of the afternoon. It is perfectly acceptable to throw your trash on the ground and to spit anywhere you want. I have also been to places in China that are beautiful. In general, those that live in Southern China are very aggressive and those that live in Northern China are very shy and generally nice people. The whole concept of "no lines" drives me crazy. In mainland China the cute girls that approach you are mostly just found in bars that cater to business travelers. In places like Hong Kong and Macaw the cute girls will approach right on a crowded street if you are walking alone. Places like Bangkok are much worse.
For China, your description of "has some work to do" needs some work.
Getting ready to leave will oblige.Have a great trip Mr. Potter!
Keep some notes to give us a recap when you get back.
Shalom
Yep, good times in Brazil. I disagree with your "if you are nervous" statement. No wallet is the way to go. Why put a obvious target in your pocket full of stuff you don't need? A small amount of Cash, a Credit Card, and an ID is all you should carry around when you are a tourist. As for the female tourists they usually have some small bag that is attached in the front or under their shirt/jacket in order to make them less of a target. Some places I will openly walk about with a backpack carrying all kinds of stuff but Rome isn't one of them. Florence, yes; Venice, generally yes; but not Rome.
I agree with your assessment of Japan, for the most part. I've been to many beautiful places and the people almost everywhere seem very friendly but few speak any English so I find traveling to be difficult. I don't recall being approached by the "cute" girls in Japan, but I've been in neighborhoods in Tokyo where the "cute" girls seemed to be waiting for you to approach them. This activity seemed to be confined and not widespread at all.
As far as China goes, I have been to places where the smog is so thick you can look at the sun, if you can find it, in the middle of the afternoon. It is perfectly acceptable to throw your trash on the ground and to spit anywhere you want. I have also been to places in China that are beautiful. In general, those that live in Southern China are very aggressive and those that live in Northern China are very shy and generally nice people. The whole concept of "no lines" drives me crazy. In mainland China the cute girls that approach you are mostly just found in bars that cater to business travelers. In places like Hong Kong and Macaw the cute girls will approach right on a crowded street if you are walking alone. Places like Bangkok are much worse.
For China, your description of "has some work to do" needs some work.
The cute girl con was Beijing - not Japan. I speak/read enough Japanese to get by rather well there too noting the disinterest a lot of Japanese have in non-Japanese speaking tourists. That said, I’ve never been approached by anyone not working at a hotel or restaurant while in Japan but do know of the places you’re talking about.
The other thing about China was, upon arrival we were greeted by a very pretty woman offering to take us through security and to the car we arranged. My wife used to work for Commerce and has been to Beijing a lot (mostly working at the Embassy in the IP office) so the feeling upon arrival was very Goodfellas-ish....
I'd add in my anecdotal experience, it was not what I would consider native 'Italians' I saw running the scams....
My first time in Beijing I was staying at the Sheraton Great Wall Hotel. There was a Hard Rock Cafe about 200 feet away so I stopped in for a beer and to check it out. I brought some paperwork and grabbed a table. One by one about ten girls would approach me and ask if I was interested, each in their own way. Every single girl in that place, about 20 in total, were hookers. I didn't see any on the streets in Beijing. In general, if an asian female enters one of the four or five star hotels in China they are immediately approached by security to determine why they are in the hotel. The only ones who didn't get carded were being escorted by a male hotel guest.
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My wife is from Brazil, otherwise it wouldn't be on my list outside of an Amazon rainforest type trip. Even then, I imagine it looks just as nice on my 4K tv and without the disease potential. Some areas of the country are really nice and you can have a great time pretending you are still in the US, for example: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g303536-Gramado_State_of_Rio_Grande_do_Sul-Vacations.html
I will also say that most of the people are friendly, welcoming, and proud of what they have. Very willing to share and generally do not want to rip you off. Very respectful to women and children and really like and know a lot about American culture and history. Walt Disney fell in love with the place. Indeed, most high net-worth Brazilians send their kids to the US for college (or to get money outside of the country, depending on your point of view). Again though, I am usually the only American in a group of Brazilians, so I get a bit of an insiders advantage.
Other areas require locals who are armed. Not because they are actively trying to kill everyone, but because risk and opportunity are viewed as the same thing. A large bulk of the population is poor, uneducated, and has no real way to rise. Only real option is to drink, do drugs, and try to steal when the risk/opportunity presents itself. Europe generally does not have this big of a concentrated population of this demographic, so I tend to be much less on high alert when I am over there. However, I also don't do stupid things.
I could talk a lot about the country, whose biggest geographic/economic problem is that it has always lacked a Pacific port. Most Americans do not realize what a huge geographic advantage we have that we can move product from inside or across the country to any ocean we want for quick, cost efficient transport.
Brazil was one of my favorite places to travel to, I've been several times on business. The people I met there were some of the nicest I've met anywhere in the world, particularly in Porto Alegre. I've been to Sao Paolo, Rio, Porto Alegre, Gramado and a couple of rural non-touristy spots for business. I regret not going to see Iguazu Falls and Buenos Aires while in the area.
Rio might be the most naturally beautiful place I've ever seen (Switzerland is also up there), but it's probably also the sketchiest. One block in the wrong direction and you feel unsafe and for good reason. Like any major city, you just need to keep your wits about you. Don't wear flashy stuff to make yourself a target, carry the bare minimum, hire taxis only by asking the hotel or restaurant you are at to call a reputable one, don't walk alone, pay attention as you walk around instead of being distracted on your phone, etc. One nice thing about being there for work is we would have private drivers to get around, who know the area and also know that you don't stop at red lights at night to become a target, they rolled through them. Brazil might be the sketchiest of the places I've visited but fortunately nobody in any of my business travel groups ever once had an issue.
I have learned that no matter what country they come from or how attractive they are, they are still crazy and in-laws come with them. Personally, I blame Jennifer Lopez. Most of the men I know here in South Florida who are around my age married latin women which I directly relate to all of us seeing J-Lo in our formative years and going, "Yes, I would like to see her naked". We generally exhibit buyers remorse on a semi-annual basis. Support group meetings are on Thursdays at 7, 3rd floor of the YMCA.Brazilian wife!?!
Gramado is a hike from Porto Alegre, really pretty though, especially at Christmas Time. Combo of Colorado ski resort and Germany (pre-nazi germany... just saying).
We have done some of the northern beaches in Bahia, near Salvador. If you are ever interested, find hotels near this: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUse...do_Forte_Mata_de_Sao_Joao_State_of_Bahia.html . Really cool turtle sanctuary that has a private local shopping and beach area that gets money from a partnership with Gisele Bündchen. Don't waste too much time looking for her (she is probably in Paris or somewhere where they don't let models actually walk on the ground), but the surrounding area was safe, fun, affordable, and really cool. Hotels were all really nice. Again, you can pretend you are in the US for a bit.
Speaking of Salvador, in the 90s Michael Jackson shot one of his music videos (They don't care about us) from one of the main streets in the old part of the city (they still cling to it to this day). Awkwardly, our guide seemed genuinely surprised that the American wasn't more excited about all of this; I just smiled and nodded. Ton of history there that pre-dates 1776. You think US slavery was awful, read about the Brazillian slave trade; makes the US look like amateurs.
100% agree, but you should also plan to arrive for the opening. This will allow a more leisurely pace. It gets very crowded.
Pickpockets are real. People about 50 feet from us were Pickpocketed inside the coliseum. Barcelona is also full of them. We nearly got hit on a city train.
Other friends of ours got taken at the train station in Rome. They weren’t sure where to go. A man asked them if he could help and then grabbed their luggage and took them to the train - telling them to hurry. He didn’t give them their luggage until they tipped him heavily. He helped, but he held the luggage hostage.
The cute girl con was Beijing - not Japan. I speak/read enough Japanese to get by rather well there too noting the disinterest a lot of Japanese have in non-Japanese speaking tourists. That said, I’ve never been approached by anyone not working at a hotel or restaurant while in Japan but do know of the places you’re talking about.
The other thing about China was, upon arrival we were greeted by a very pretty woman offering to take us through security and to the car we arranged. My wife used to work for Commerce and has been to Beijing a lot (mostly working at the Embassy in the IP office) so the feeling upon arrival was very Goodfellas-ish....
Absolutely. My friend had his wallet picked by a bunch of Gypsy kids near the coliseum. Fortunately, he had just transferred his money to his money belt a few minutes earlier. So the kids picked his wallet, found that it was empty and then ran back to him and demanded a reward for returning his wallet.
