10 things Nuclearned learned whilst in Europe (now with bonus things!!!)

[Sheep]

Most of the time you have to search out a bathroom that you insert money to use, or else find a shop where you have to buy something so they give you a key to use their bathroom.

To be fair, you do get some benefit out of paying. The pay bathrooms I used in Berlin were FAR cleaner than any public restroom I've ever used in the U.S. and even had a security guy standing outside and cleaning staff on site.

 

[Fritzo]

An interesting fact that puts US history vs. European history into perspective...

The cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde: about 600 years old
The cathedral in Florence Italy: about 900 years old

Exactly. Going to Rome and seeing a structure that is 1500 years old, or going to Egypt and seeing something built 3000 years old...it boggles the mind. The US is still in its infancy but people here think it's been around forever.

 

[bignateyk]

To be fair, you do get some benefit out of paying. The pay bathrooms I used in Berlin were FAR cleaner than any public restroom I've ever used in the U.S. and even had a security guy standing outside and cleaning staff on site.

The first time I encountered one of those I almost got owned. I didn't have any change, so I just slipped in as someone else was coming out. (This was a pay-toilet at a train station). I got in there and the door closed, and the next thing I know an alarm starts going off with a countdown to a self clean cycle. I already had my pants around my ankles as I rushed to get the hell out of there before I got drenched.

 

[zinfamous]

Oh, look. Neckbeard has returned. :|

 

[sjwaste]

Just catching up on the last few pages of this thread.

Italians are generally not huge on mixed drinks. You tend to find them as aperitivi, served early evening before dinner, but after that wine is still king. Before that, too, as we learned that most of the wine bars in the larger cities open up around 9am. Microbrew beer is starting to develop in the North, but (ironically?) their market is mostly export to the USA. Domestic consumption of microbrew, and beer in general, is fairly weak. I'm trying to get my hands on some here in Maine, because I hear the Italian brewers are really taking some of the wine principles and local herbal ingredients to the party, and the result is a beer that is distinctly Italian in style.

The whole AC thing probably has a lot to do with the power grid, and what I imagine is the higher price of electricity. I'll take the tradeoff that I had to use a card to keep my lights on, as I had a private rooftop balcony at the Albergo San Giorgio in Rome for under 250 Euro a night, and a room over a canal with windows that actually opened at the Splendid in Venice for the same.

Italian airports are generally some of the worst in the world, IMHO. Fiumicino in Rome rivals CDG for one of the few airports in the civilized world that needs to just be torn down and rebuilt. It's a clusterfuck. I have no other vocabulary to describe it. I couldn't do it justice if I tried. Go sometime and you'll know what I mean. But it does have one redeeming quality - customs is FAST because they really don't give a shit.

Ice. No idea, because I take most of my drinks at room temperature anyway. My family is literally off the boat from Italy, and they love ice in their drinks, but I never developed that taste.

Wine. There are theories that I've gathered, mostly from Italians I either met over there or over here, that domestic Italian wine is different from the product they export. They speculate that their domestic wine has far less sulfite content, which is why you might notice you can drink a ton of it and not feel like shit the next day. I have no idea if it's true.

That article about Zuckerberg not tipping. I'm not sure what the big deal is. When I was in Rome, I left a few euro tip because it made me feel better - since it's ingrained in me to tip in the US. To the best of my knowledge, the locals don't tip, or if they do, tip very little. If they want to have a double standard for Americans, that's their problem. A lot of these joints exist to extract money from tourists in the first place, so I guess they expect it. It helps to speak Italian and not rely on hotel concierges or guidebooks to steer to you food in the larger cities.

My tips for anyone visiting Italy for the first time are as follows:

1. Learn some Italian. You don't have to be fluent, but if you make an attempt, you'll be treated a lot better. Italians generally are not like Parisians, where if you end up trying hard and butchering the language, it's the attempt that counts. Learn how to ask for things, make a dinner reservation, prices, whatever. If not, just learn some small talk - how are you, nice day, do you speak English? Don't be shocked that a lot of people actually don't. Example: It's a flat cab rate from FCO to the city, cabbie spoke no English, but I was able to speak to him, and he ended up taking us on a 45 minute driving tour of Rome before actually heading in - based on what I told him about where the Roman part of my family is from.

2. If you like food, take a food tour the first day in a city. Find one on Trip Advisor. There'll be one in English, since they're entirely for tourists. You'll learn about the city's food history, some of the more notable or older places to go, and you'll meet a ton of people - both tourists and purveyors. From there, ask people where to get a good meal, and tell them you don't want a tourist trap. It's very much true in Italy, but everyone is your friend once you've spent a few bucks, so take advantage of that since you'll be spending money anyway.

3. Avoid FCO. For travel within Italy, use the train and stick to reserved seating. If you have bags, first class is worth the small increase, as you'll have more space. If you're going to Venice, be prepared for the train to NOT go all the way to S. Lucia. Even if it's scheduled to do so. It may very well stop in Mestre. From there, you need to take a regional or local to S. Lucia. It will be a clusterfuck since everyone on your train expecting to go all the way in is now stuck and running through a train station that isn't well marked in English. You can deal with that and grab the regional, or you can spend 75 euro on a water taxi directly to your hotel. The water taxi is kind of nice.

I'm sure there's more, but it depends on where you're going. Feel free to ask.

 

[Fingolfin269]

An interesting fact that puts US history vs. European history into perspective...

The cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde: about 600 years old
The cathedral in Florence Italy: about 900 years old

Yeah I had a similar moment of historical humility when I had the opportunity to walk the York walls. Amazing stuff.

 

[lupi]

Just catching up on the last few pages of this thread.

Seeing how it's only a page and a half long...

 

[NetWareHead]

Wine. There are theories that I've gathered, mostly from Italians I either met over there or over here, that domestic Italian wine is different from the product they export. They speculate that their domestic wine has far less sulfite content, which is why you might notice you can drink a ton of it and not feel like shit the next day. I have no idea if it's true.

Man, if there is one true statement in your post, it's this. My family is from Italy, my mother grew up on a farm. Her brother still runs the farm. We were visiting and staying for the summer. It was lunch/dinner time around 12:30 PM and my uncle comes in from the fields and announces to his wife: "I'm thirsty". She goes downstairs to the cantina and brings up a pitcher of homemade effervescent white wine. The man drank the entire pitcher and then proceeded to eat a hearty pasta meal with a few more glasses of red wine plus grappa at the end. I was somewhat stunned that in that heat of the summer, the wine still flows and apparently does not affect those used to it. After eating my uncle returned to work as if nothing happened.

BTW, while on the topic of wine, the only wine I found for sale in the states that resembles Italian homemade wine is "Fortissimo" http://www.snooth.com/wine/cr-cellars-fortissimo-california-grape-wine-l/ Most wine/liquor store stock it. Reminds me of my uncle's cellar wine and just as easy to drink...

 

[ichy]

How do the wait staff over there survive?

They get paid a decent wage that is already included in food prices. Leaving an extra Euro (or Franc if you're in Switzerland) or two for good service is appreciated but certainly not expected.

 

[HAL9000]

They get paid a decent wage that is already included in food prices. Leaving an extra Euro (or Franc if you're in Switzerland) or two for good service is appreciated but certainly not expected.

Yeah I often leave a pound or maybe whatever spare change I want to get rid of, that's how most people roll around here

 

[sjwaste]

Man, if there is one true statement in your post, it's this. My family is from Italy, my mother grew up on a farm. Her brother still runs the farm. We were visiting and staying for the summer. It was lunch/dinner time around 12:30 PM and my uncle comes in from the fields and announces to his wife: "I'm thirsty". She goes downstairs to the cantina and brings up a pitcher of homemade effervescent white wine. The man drank the entire pitcher and then proceeded to eat a hearty pasta meal with a few more glasses of red wine plus grappa at the end. I was somewhat stunned that in that heat of the summer, the wine still flows and apparently does not affect those used to it. After eating my uncle returned to work as if nothing happened.

BTW, while on the topic of wine, the only wine I found for sale in the states that resembles Italian homemade wine is "Fortissimo" http://www.snooth.com/wine/cr-cellars-fortissimo-california-grape-wine-l/ Most wine/liquor store stock it. Reminds me of my uncle's cellar wine and just as easy to drink...

Hey, there were many true statements in my post! 🙂

I was in Italy for parts of July and August last year. It was a mild summer, but we didn't get south of Rome. In any case, we saw a lot of working folks eating in the same places we were and drinking just as much wine - and all we had to accomplish by the end of the day was walk around and see stuff. Presumably, they had decisions to make! My uncle will similarly come home and have a few glasses of wine at lunch.

I'd love to live in Italy for a while. We're about to have our first child, so maybe when she's a little older. We're attempting to raise her bilingual since I'm still fluent, we'll see how that works out, but a couple of years in Italy during childhood certainly wouldn't hurt her chances of speaking as well as some of my family do.

Making that sort of cellar wine isn't hard, you should give it a try. I have an uncle who still makes a few barrels every year - he went from using the grape press to a concentrate that he likes, and his wine tastes exactly like what you describe, complete with a little bit of effervescence because they drink it fairly fresh. I can ask what kind of concentrate and yeast he's buying if you'd like.

 

[NetWareHead]

Hey, there were many true statements in my post! 🙂

I was in Italy for parts of July and August last year. It was a mild summer, but we didn't get south of Rome. In any case, we saw a lot of working folks eating in the same places we were and drinking just as much wine - and all we had to accomplish by the end of the day was walk around and see stuff. Presumably, they had decisions to make! My uncle will similarly come home and have a few glasses of wine at lunch.

I'd love to live in Italy for a while. We're about to have our first child, so maybe when she's a little older. We're attempting to raise her bilingual since I'm still fluent, we'll see how that works out, but a couple of years in Italy during childhood certainly wouldn't hurt her chances of speaking as well as some of my family do.

Making that sort of cellar wine isn't hard, you should give it a try. I have an uncle who still makes a few barrels every year - he went from using the grape press to a concentrate that he likes, and his wine tastes exactly like what you describe, complete with a little bit of effervescence because they drink it fairly fresh. I can ask what kind of concentrate and yeast he's buying if you'd like.

Haha yes it was a very informative post...just the wine portion resonated with memories of spending summers at my uncle's farm.

Yes I would be interested in the concentrate and yeast information...there is a place nearby me that lets you walk in and produce your own wine. You add the necessary ingredients and then cellar it there. When ready, you return, they assist with the bottling and you now have your wine without having to purchase all the equipment. You can also brew beer and sparkling wine too over there. I'd like to make some wine someday and wine the way my family made it would be excellent.

BTW, the fortissimo I quoted previously is not effervescent, its just a big dense red wine with plenty of alcohol and flavor, perfect with antipasto, pizza etc... just an everyday table wine with a homemade flavor that reminds me of the stuff that my family produced in their cellars. Unlike any other wine sold in stores. 4 liter jug for roughly $15...great deal too.