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AusGAF 2.0 - Twice the price, a year late but still moving forward
- Thread starter VOOK
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Sweet, my avatar formed half a page worth of conversation that I didn't even get to participate in.
I like all sandwiches, as long as they don't have butter on them. Butter is the worst. I don't even know what butter is. They should make it bacon flavoured.
I used to have like 20 avatars on rotate at one point, but slowly got sick of them all. I think after Kritzmas I'll make a different one. Maybe in colour. Maybe without a sandwich. Maybe with more sandwiches.
Berny, I found that downloading World of Warcraft did a great job at having me capped a week before my rollover. Man, being capped suuuucks. It's why I don't want to download all the steam games I bought, as I can't pick them up on any australian mirrors.
I like all sandwiches, as long as they don't have butter on them. Butter is the worst. I don't even know what butter is. They should make it bacon flavoured.
I used to have like 20 avatars on rotate at one point, but slowly got sick of them all. I think after Kritzmas I'll make a different one. Maybe in colour. Maybe without a sandwich. Maybe with more sandwiches.
Berny, I found that downloading World of Warcraft did a great job at having me capped a week before my rollover. Man, being capped suuuucks. It's why I don't want to download all the steam games I bought, as I can't pick them up on any australian mirrors.
Kritz said:
Butter makes everything better. Fact.
Now if this was 10-15 years ago, when we used to keep the dripping off the cooking trays, in particular that of speck and the like... you would your bacon flavoured spread, with added chunky bits. :lol
Mmm speck.
(most other pork related products can go away however)
Edit: Gaming related comment for the morning. Football Manager is getting harder by the year I reckon, this year in particular you can no longer set and forget things... seems I am having to alter my tactics ridiculously reguarly otherwise the side becomes stale and I slide down the board rapidly. Bloody good game however.
Bernbaum said:
I honestly haven't gone over my cap in about 5 years. These days i find it almost impossible to get close. I'm on iinet's 200GB a month plan, 100 off and 100 on. The 100 on gets mostly used but the 100 off barely gets touched. I think last month i had like 80GB left just on offpeak :lol
I'm glad we now have somewhat decent download quotas and i'm sure if i tried really hard i could blow it on pointless crap. But after being on the net for so many years, the pointless crap really is just pointless crap.
codswallop
Member
Regarding the backwards thing, why not just leave later and start in London?legend166 said:
There is a LOT to see in Paris. HolyCheck suggested getting out to Versailles but you could easily spend over a week in Paris alone.
Munich is awesome, but I don't know if spending that much time there would be worth it compared to some of the other places. Definitely make sure you get out from Munich to Fussen and see castles Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau. Beautiful scenery and amazing castles.
You won't see much in Rome in one day, there's a lot to see -- though a lot of it is rubble so it depends on how much history you want to see.
Marseille is great and we had great seafood there. Wife thought it was a bit sketchy but I really enjoyed it.
Prague is fantastic and that's probably enough time.
Haven't been to Geneva but give Zurich a miss (I've not been but never heard anything good from a tourist point of view).
Haven't been to Bologna either, but check what the route is actually like. Had a friend who toured some of France by car and a 200km drive ended up taking over 11 hours because of mountains etc.
Take overnight trains as much as you can -- so much better than flying. If you can afford a sleeper bed, do it.
A bit out of the way but if you can get to Croatia, go. We went to Split and Dubrovnik earlier this year and it's one of the best places I've ever visited.
Have you ever holidayed alone (i.e. not in a tour) in a country where people don't speak English?
codswallop said:
We've only got a month. Obviously we'd love to spend more time in more places, but alas, work
If we left later and started in London it would screw up our use of leave. We want to arrive on a weekend and leave on a Friday so we've at least got a day or two before having to go back to work :lol
When I say 4/5 days in Munich, I mean 4/5 days in Bavaria as a whole. I need to go to Berchtesgadaen. Anyone who has seen Band of Brothers knows why.
As for Rome, I'm a good protestant with a healthy dislike of the Catholic Church, so stuff like the Vatican doesn't interest me. Obviously there's a lot more, and you're definitely right we won't see much in a day, but like I said, with only a month you've got to make some trade offs.
I've never been out of Australia before.
legend
Book the Eurostar BEFORE YOU GO. As soon as possible work out the dates and times you want the Eurostar
The further out you are like an airline the cheaper it is and the Eurostar can get VERY expensive.
If you book further out you are more likely to get a flexi rate as cheap as a non flexi rate, which means if you miss the train you can get another ticket without penalty
given international travel this is much suggested. Also before you go to Paris, learn a bit of french. Even if you fail at it you will get a lot further as they like you for at least trying.
Do NOT expect to see English everywhere or be able to rely on it, I went to Paris earlier this year and learnt a bit of french. Without it i wouldn't have been stuffed.
Also you can get a train from Gare Du Nord to Prague if you so desire so perhaps you should go to England then France?
Also, take into account that Jetlag will hit you at some point in the first day or so (depending on when you land). If i was you i would try to get on the Emirates flight that lands in London at 9pm in the evening (6am sydney depature). You land the same day as you leave and the Jetlag isn't as bad. You really should fly to London first if you can because it gives you a lot more options. Not as many airlines fly direct to Paris (you would have to change at Hong Kong/Singapore which in a foreign country can be f'd)
The other thing is that in Rome you will be buggered. Travelling around that much and on so many flights and trains really takes it out of you. Try to plan to have 1 or 2 days to relax in the trip rather then go go go otherwise you will just get exhausted.
ALSO, before you decide on driving in Italy, ensure
1. The company you plan to book with accepts Australian drivers licences (some companies do not and require an international drivers licence which you can get)
2. Your travel insurances covers any excess on the car, and if it does how much it is and how much the car company charges excess.
Just my advice based on my trip to Europe earlier this year.
and yes, my wife and I went to non speaking European countries on holiday before and as long as you remember that English is not the main language and you really need to learn a little bit you will be fine.
Also seriously, FLY INTO LONDON. French air traffic controllers having major industrial action over there at the moment and getting no where. Charles De Galle is regularly closed to flights for 12 hours or more every so often at the moment and if you end up on being one of those days, you will be stuck in Asia somewhere until its lifted.
Even if you fly to londo nthen back to france or train it, its worth it. There is a reason Heathrow is the hub for European travel
In paris keep your wallet in your side pockets not back, and carry at least three photocopies of your passports in different areas of your luggage. Seriously you need this asap if you lose your passport so au embassies can make anotehr within 24 hrs
also in Germany this is your best friend
ich bin auslander und spreche nicht gut deutsch
i am a foreigner and i do not speak german well
Book the Eurostar BEFORE YOU GO. As soon as possible work out the dates and times you want the Eurostar
The further out you are like an airline the cheaper it is and the Eurostar can get VERY expensive.
If you book further out you are more likely to get a flexi rate as cheap as a non flexi rate, which means if you miss the train you can get another ticket without penalty
given international travel this is much suggested. Also before you go to Paris, learn a bit of french. Even if you fail at it you will get a lot further as they like you for at least trying.
Do NOT expect to see English everywhere or be able to rely on it, I went to Paris earlier this year and learnt a bit of french. Without it i wouldn't have been stuffed.
Also you can get a train from Gare Du Nord to Prague if you so desire so perhaps you should go to England then France?
Also, take into account that Jetlag will hit you at some point in the first day or so (depending on when you land). If i was you i would try to get on the Emirates flight that lands in London at 9pm in the evening (6am sydney depature). You land the same day as you leave and the Jetlag isn't as bad. You really should fly to London first if you can because it gives you a lot more options. Not as many airlines fly direct to Paris (you would have to change at Hong Kong/Singapore which in a foreign country can be f'd)
The other thing is that in Rome you will be buggered. Travelling around that much and on so many flights and trains really takes it out of you. Try to plan to have 1 or 2 days to relax in the trip rather then go go go otherwise you will just get exhausted.
ALSO, before you decide on driving in Italy, ensure
1. The company you plan to book with accepts Australian drivers licences (some companies do not and require an international drivers licence which you can get)
2. Your travel insurances covers any excess on the car, and if it does how much it is and how much the car company charges excess.
Just my advice based on my trip to Europe earlier this year.
and yes, my wife and I went to non speaking European countries on holiday before and as long as you remember that English is not the main language and you really need to learn a little bit you will be fine.
Also seriously, FLY INTO LONDON. French air traffic controllers having major industrial action over there at the moment and getting no where. Charles De Galle is regularly closed to flights for 12 hours or more every so often at the moment and if you end up on being one of those days, you will be stuck in Asia somewhere until its lifted.
Even if you fly to londo nthen back to france or train it, its worth it. There is a reason Heathrow is the hub for European travel
In paris keep your wallet in your side pockets not back, and carry at least three photocopies of your passports in different areas of your luggage. Seriously you need this asap if you lose your passport so au embassies can make anotehr within 24 hrs
also in Germany this is your best friend
ich bin auslander und spreche nicht gut deutsch
i am a foreigner and i do not speak german well
Thanks for the tips Choc.
I'm researching stuff now and it doesn't seem like the drive from Marseille to Bologna is all that great. Apparently northern Italy is the poor area.
I've found cheap flights into Paris and out of Rome ($1650 all up) with Malaysian airlines. There's a stop over in Kuala Lumpur but that's fine with me.
I'm researching stuff now and it doesn't seem like the drive from Marseille to Bologna is all that great. Apparently northern Italy is the poor area.
I've found cheap flights into Paris and out of Rome ($1650 all up) with Malaysian airlines. There's a stop over in Kuala Lumpur but that's fine with me.
In Parislegend166 said:
Climb Sacre-Coeur Church
I'm not religious at all, but the architecture is wonderful and the view is one of the best in Paris. The area around Sacre-Coeur is great too, lots of cobble stone roads and old bakeries. Simply wonderful.
Visit the Musée du Louvre
Amazing collection of works, with something like 40,000 on display. Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Renaissance, French, Middle Eastern and more. Venus de Milo, The Mona Lisa and Nike of Samothrace are highlights. The Nike is over 2000 years old.
Eiffel Tower
Climb it, see it at night and dine in the restaurant if you can. Best view of Paris and it's just a sight to behold at night when it sparkles every hour.
Notre Dame de Paris
Took almost 200 years to build and is just stunning both inside and out. The organ inside has something like 8,000 pipes. The back of the cathedral is actually a lot more interesting to look at than the front, so I'd recommend going on a river cruise which will not only let you see Notre Dame's south side, but also all of the wonderful bridge along the Seine.
=3
Protip on the Louvre
You will notice a massive queue near that triangle earlier posted. That is NOT the only entrance. There is another entrance on the side that only locals generally know about.
Use that entrance and get in instantly rather then wait for the massive queue at the front entrance
You will notice a massive queue near that triangle earlier posted. That is NOT the only entrance. There is another entrance on the side that only locals generally know about.
Use that entrance and get in instantly rather then wait for the massive queue at the front entrance
codswallop
Member
I find that in most countries learning the "do you speak English" equivalent will get you by in almost all situations -- if you're doing touristy type things anyway.
But as Choc says... except France. Learn a little bit and the locals will be more than happy to help if you stuff up. The first time I spoke to someone in Paris it was at a train station, I tried English and the lady shut the window and refused to talk to me. Every other time I butchered French and everyone was super helpful.
The times that I've had to ask directions from people who don't speak English (and I don't speak their language), we've managed to communicate with pointing and grunts. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
You'll also be surprised how quickly you'll pick up other languages, even just spending a day or two there you will understand how to read basic words (maybe not pronounce them). This is particularly true of the romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish, etc).
Edit: One other thing, Europe is a lot smaller than you expect, and it's actually really easy in Western Europe to get overnight trains from one major city to another. We've travelled from Barcelona to Paris on an overnight train. So much better than trying to fly.
But as Choc says... except France. Learn a little bit and the locals will be more than happy to help if you stuff up. The first time I spoke to someone in Paris it was at a train station, I tried English and the lady shut the window and refused to talk to me. Every other time I butchered French and everyone was super helpful.
The times that I've had to ask directions from people who don't speak English (and I don't speak their language), we've managed to communicate with pointing and grunts. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
You'll also be surprised how quickly you'll pick up other languages, even just spending a day or two there you will understand how to read basic words (maybe not pronounce them). This is particularly true of the romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish, etc).
Edit: One other thing, Europe is a lot smaller than you expect, and it's actually really easy in Western Europe to get overnight trains from one major city to another. We've travelled from Barcelona to Paris on an overnight train. So much better than trying to fly.
In france
stay at this place
Hotel Les Jardins du Trocadero Eiffel Tower
if you greet them in french they are likely to upgrade you (as they did us )
not the most expensive either and most rooms have a view of the eiffel tower so you can watch it sparkle all night long
its a 10 minute walk from the tower and has an amazing view of it.
stay at this place
Hotel Les Jardins du Trocadero Eiffel Tower
if you greet them in french they are likely to upgrade you (as they did us
)not the most expensive either and most rooms have a view of the eiffel tower so you can watch it sparkle all night long
its a 10 minute walk from the tower and has an amazing view of it.
just as an FYI
its longer to Paris in flight then London
London is 21.5 hrs, Paris is 22.5/23
You might think well that isn't much but let me tell you when you have been on a plane that long YOU WILL CARE!
http://www.wotif.com/hotel/View?hotel=W40001&page=1&viewType=all
i know that those prices are expensive but in summer (our winter) they are cheap cheap its peak season over there right now for some reason
when are you going
its longer to Paris in flight then London
London is 21.5 hrs, Paris is 22.5/23
You might think well that isn't much but let me tell you when you have been on a plane that long YOU WILL CARE!
http://www.wotif.com/hotel/View?hotel=W40001&page=1&viewType=all
i know that those prices are expensive but in summer (our winter) they are cheap cheap its peak season over there right now for some reason
when are you going
codswallop
Member
Best hotel booking sites I've used over the years:
www.ratestogo.com
www.venere.com
www.tripadvisor.com
Use tripadvisor.com to find where to stay, and if it's under a month before the booking date, check the price on ratestogo.com.
Oh yeah, if you haven't booked the flights, check www.seatguru.com first too.
www.ratestogo.com
www.venere.com
www.tripadvisor.com
Use tripadvisor.com to find where to stay, and if it's under a month before the booking date, check the price on ratestogo.com.
Oh yeah, if you haven't booked the flights, check www.seatguru.com first too.
viciouskillersquirrel
Member
It's a big week for DS and Wii owners; Bargain round-ups for everything.
Donkey Kong Country Returns; Cheapest $64 at Big W
Golden Sun Dark Dawn; Cheapest $59 at TRU
Mario All Stars; Cheapest $29 at DSE
Donkey Kong Country Returns; Cheapest $64 at Big W
Golden Sun Dark Dawn; Cheapest $59 at TRU
Mario All Stars; Cheapest $29 at DSE
yes you must use seatguru, seriously
also you can now check in online for international flights and choose seats 24 hrs before, DO THIS.
you dont want to be on a flight for 23 hours with an annoying person.
Also if you can get a plane with a 2 4 2 configuration, because if you do you and your sister can have that two and not have to deal with other people
also you can now check in online for international flights and choose seats 24 hrs before, DO THIS.
you dont want to be on a flight for 23 hours with an annoying person.
Also if you can get a plane with a 2 4 2 configuration, because if you do you and your sister can have that two and not have to deal with other people
codswallop
Member
Even better, get a flight with under-seat power. Our last flight was a 2-4-2, we were on the side in front of the wing with under-seat power. Except for the screaming sick kid with the fever it was a great flight.Choc said:yes you must use seatguru, seriously
also if you can get a plane with a 2 4 2 configuration, because if you do you and your sister can have that two and not have to deal with other people
can you get under seat power in cattle-class? Or is that for fancy business types? I wouldn't mind long flights if my laptop worked for more than it's 2-3 hour battery. the 11 hour or so flight to Japan was brutal for me, too tall for the legroom - 23 hours would nearly kill me :/codswallop said:
codswallop
Member
We flew an Etihad flight from Melbourne direct to Abu Dhabi and every seat had under-seating power.rass said:
Think this was the one: http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Etihad_Airways/Etihad_Airways_Airbus_A330-200.php
Edit: Wrong one. I've done the direct Melbourne to Los Angeles before. It's pretty much the longest direct you can possibly do. It was murder (about 16 hours, not including the four hour delay).
Edit edit: Duh I can type.
some cattle class flights have underseat power these days not many though, and i dont think Malaysian airlines is one of them.
so hard to go back to Cattle once you have flown Business long haul, the FA's give a crap about you in biz class
also in your transfer at KL do it either one of these ways
get bac kon the plane asap (usually 1-2 hour stop over) and it feels like a direct
or
stay overnight
seriously DO NOT get to a situation where you are waiting 8-12 hrs between flights, ist just crap and extends your travel time in a ridiculous way. You also cop ten tons more jetlag due to the fact you have been travelling and stressed so long
so hard to go back to Cattle once you have flown Business long haul, the FA's give a crap about you in biz class
also in your transfer at KL do it either one of these ways
get bac kon the plane asap (usually 1-2 hour stop over) and it feels like a direct
or
stay overnight
seriously DO NOT get to a situation where you are waiting 8-12 hrs between flights, ist just crap and extends your travel time in a ridiculous way. You also cop ten tons more jetlag due to the fact you have been travelling and stressed so long
viciouskillersquirrel
Member
In Italy, make sure that when you buy something and they put your change on the tray, don't take the change right away. Wait a moment and sometimes they'll put more change out. It's a common tactic by unscrupulous shopkeepers to bilk hasty or rushed tourists out of the majority of their change.
If you can see that they've plainly short-changed you, wait a moment and say "E il resto?" and they'll grumble and pull out the rest of your change.
If you can see that they've plainly short-changed you, wait a moment and say "E il resto?" and they'll grumble and pull out the rest of your change.
codswallop
Member
I have to say, I never experienced this in Italy and I always received the right change... but now you have me thinking I might've been shortchanged.viciouskillersquirrel said:
The best piece of advice I ever got was when I was in Prague chatting online to a friend back home. I told them we were heading to Rome in about a week and they warned us, very seriously, not to catch babies thrown at us by Gypsies because they would rob us when we caught the baby.
I was very disappointed when babies were not hurled at me in Rome.
in france, you will notice why Americans are despised there
good grief they go on bad (some do anyway) from what i saw
Make a point of going to the Australian Pub in London as well, because as an Australian its GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD Times if i were a single man .......
English ladies hang out there for Aussie blokes, but other then that its just good fun
good grief they go on bad (some do anyway) from what i saw
Make a point of going to the Australian Pub in London as well, because as an Australian its GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD Times
if i were a single man .......English ladies hang out there for Aussie blokes, but other then that its just good fun
viciouskillersquirrel
Member
Happened to me one or two times (the short-changing, not the babies). When it happened, I was like "Yeah, yeah. Can't fool me. I've dealt with dodgy characters like you before." Mind you, this is one or two times out of like a hundred transactions.codswallop said:
Also, in Rome, the best tactic for getting rid of the Gypsies who hand out roses to women and use this as an excuse to try to extort money from their partners/boyfriends/husbands is to NOT take the rose and try to hand it back, but rather to drop the rose on the floor and just keep walking.
That is, if she finds herself holding a rose unexpectedly. Otherwise, if she sees someone handing out roses, just have her put her hand in her pockets and walk on by.
legend166 said:
if you drive in france do not drive in paris, tehy drive like crazy fucks
also if you park a car leave the handbrake off in france, this is tradition as they bump each other to reverse park in, shit you not.
also when walking in paris, be very careful of cars. Red lights and zebra crossings mean nothing to those crazy fucks
AND go to the Arc De Triomphe and see almost 50 smashes in 2 mins
viciouskillersquirrel
Member
I've never seen ParisChoc said:ahaha this could be totally embarassing for Legend considering he will be with his SISTER
you get this kind of stuff in Paris as well
My new computer has:
48 GB of RAM.
A $4,000 4 GB video card.
A measly 3.33 GHz Quadcore Xeon CPU.
48 GB of RAM.
A $4,000 4 GB video card.
A measly 3.33 GHz Quadcore Xeon CPU.
It's for work oh my god this is torture.
you really need to give yourself more than a day in rome. at the very least 2. ideally 3 or more. it's a city worth exploring. you'll burn a day just at vatican city.legend166 said:
uh... i'm not much of a hardware tech-head.... but a 3.33 GHz quadcore sounds pretty damn good. sarcasm?Bernbaum said:
FormallyMegadrive
Member
Bernbaum said:
OC it to 4.3 or something. I'm sure you can do it and I'm sure it won't void the warranty if it melts.
ifuckinghateyou
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