Euro trip (AKA american going to europe looking for advice)

[davkol]

derp

[Chyros]

I'd honestly go to Brno for 2 weeks and get hammered every day with eastern european cuties. Beer is cheaper than water there. No joke.

WE'RE NOT EASTERN EUROPE!!!1!

Or do you mean the Slovaks?

So is calling someone eastern European like an insult? Similar to calling someone a redneck?

It is if they're not from Eastern Europe :p .

I think a closer US analogy might be calling someone Southern if they're not Southern.

[seebart]

I think a closer US analogy might be calling someone Southern if they're not Southern.

It might work if you "swore like a sailor" whilst saying that.

[7bit]

I'd honestly go to Brno for 2 weeks and get hammered every day with eastern european cuties. Beer is cheaper than water there. No joke.

WE'RE NOT EASTERN EUROPE!!!1!

Or do you mean the Slovaks?

There are 2 possible definitions:

1: Eastern Europe is everything east of baltic countries, Poland, East half of Germany, except west half of Berlin, Czech Republic, Slovakia Hungaria, Slovenia, etc. down until Greece (Greece is west again).


2: Eastern Europe is everything east of Russia, Belarus, certain parts of Ukrainia and Moldavia.

[adhoc]

So is calling someone eastern European like an insult? Similar to calling someone a redneck?

Oh my sweet, sweet summer child...

WE'RE NOT EASTERN EUROPE!!!1!

Or do you mean the Slovaks?

Yes, and neither is Slovenia, but we're always thrown in with either balkan or eastern Europe by most murricans, even though we're also in central Europe, like Czech Republic is.

Slovaks are great. Bratislava is amazing. They're poor and their infrastructure looks like something from a nightmare, but the city is so lovely. I felt so safe there. Like literally nothing bad could happen to me. Prague, on the other hand, ...

There are 2 possible definitions:

1: Eastern Europe is everything east of baltic countries, Poland, East half of Germany, except west half of Berlin, Czech Republic, Slovakia Hungaria, Slovenia, etc. down until Greece (Greece is west again).


2: Eastern Europe is everything east of Russia, Belarus, certain parts of Ukrainia and Moldavia.

Here you go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Europe

But that would complicate things for people, so yeah, Slovenia is balkan and Czech republic is eastern europe. Same as Moldova, ...

[fruitalgorithm]

Eastern Europe has different meanings. During the cold war Eastern and Western Europe were often used when talking about both sides of the iron curtain. When geographically Germany, Poland, Austria, Slovenia and others are really Central Europe. Sometimes it's used as a shorthand for Slavic speaking countries.

[Findecanor]

I think that the correct term during the Cold War was the "Eastern Bloc", but people not from there tended to use the term "Eastern Europe" interchangeably. I think that is where the confusion comes from.

1: Eastern Europe is everything east of baltic countries, Poland, East half of Germany, except west half of Berlin, Czech Republic, Slovakia Hungaria, Slovenia, etc. down until Greece (Greece is west again).

BTW, the Swedish word for Estonia, Lavtia and Lituiania is "Balticum" and the inhabitants are refered to as "Balter" ("Baltics"). We don't use that Latin name for ourselves or for Finland. The Swedish word for the Baltic Sea translates to "The eastern sea".
We do say "The North sea" for the North Sea though, for some inexplicable reason even thought it is not north from us, but west.

[Chyros]

I think a closer US analogy might be calling someone Southern if they're not Southern.

It might work if you "swore like a sailor" whilst saying that.

"Well gosh darn diddly dagnabbit!" :p

[alh84001]

Here's my $0.02.

Most popular definition around my parts is that Eastern Europe doesn't comprise of anything that had a long rule of German Empire (and Holy Roman Empire before it) and/or Austro-Hungarian Empire (and Habsburg Empire before it). That's why it is also known as mitteleuropa. (this includes most of today's Poland as well)

This basically makes Eastern Europe what was once dominated by either Russians or Ottomans, except Greece and I guess Albania and Montenegro, which are considered Southern/Mediterranean Europe.

[vivalarevolución]

So is calling someone eastern European like an insult? Similar to calling someone a redneck?

Oh my sweet, sweet summer child...

WE'RE NOT EASTERN EUROPE!!!1!

Or do you mean the Slovaks?

Yes, and neither is Slovenia, but we're always thrown in with either balkan or eastern Europe by most murricans, even though we're also in central Europe, like Czech Republic is.

Slovaks are great. Bratislava is amazing. They're poor and their infrastructure looks like something from a nightmare, but the city is so lovely. I felt so safe there. Like literally nothing bad could happen to me. Prague, on the other hand, ...

There are 2 possible definitions:

1: Eastern Europe is everything east of baltic countries, Poland, East half of Germany, except west half of Berlin, Czech Republic, Slovakia Hungaria, Slovenia, etc. down until Greece (Greece is west again).


2: Eastern Europe is everything east of Russia, Belarus, certain parts of Ukrainia and Moldavia.

Here you go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Europe

But that would complicate things for people, so yeah, Slovenia is balkan and Czech republic is eastern europe. Same as Moldova, ...

Sweet, sweet summer child? I've never felt so flattered, thank you.

Most 'Muricans don't know the difference between Slovenia and Slovakia. Heck, they don't even know that these countries exist. Having both of those countries in the 2014 Winter Olympic ice hockey tournament was quite confusing for us. "Slovenia, Slovakia, what's the difference? And when did Czechoslovakia break up?" people would say. Is there a face palm emoji?

To be fair, with Slovenia being a part of former Yugoslavia, it's reactionary and convenient to throw it in there with the Balkans and southern Europe. But I stand corrected, I shall remind my fellow 'Muricans that Slovenia fits more neatly into the Central Europe crowd, rather than the lot to the south or east.

But mostly what I hear is that the women are fitter and more attractive and less pretentious than what we have here and we really should just pack up, take an extended trip to see for ourselves, be drunk, loud, and boisterous, wear clothing with American flag designs, and they will flock to us. Please confirm.

[Darkshado]

But mostly what I hear is that the women are fitter and more attractive and less pretentious than what we have here and we really should just pack up, take an extended trip to see for ourselves, be drunk, loud, and boisterous, wear clothing with American flag designs, and they will flock to us. Please confirm.

I guess this one did?

[adhoc]

Most 'Muricans don't know the difference between Slovenia and Slovakia. Heck, they don't even know that these countries exist. Having both of those countries in the 2014 Winter Olympic ice hockey tournament was quite confusing for us. "Slovenia, Slovakia, what's the difference? And when did Czechoslovakia break up?" people would say. Is there a face palm emoji?

To be fair, with Slovenia being a part of former Yugoslavia, it's reactionary and convenient to throw it in there with the Balkans and southern Europe. But I stand corrected, I shall remind my fellow 'Muricans that Slovenia fits more neatly into the Central Europe crowd, rather than the lot to the south or east.

But mostly what I hear is that the women are fitter and more attractive and less pretentious than what we have here and we really should just pack up, take an extended trip to see for ourselves, be drunk, loud, and boisterous, wear clothing with American flag designs, and they will flock to us. Please confirm.

Please don't. We're currently very prosperous, peaking at around ~10th place in the world in iHDI for example, yet don't have feminists, SJWs, cultural enrichers, et al. Bringing in murricans en masse, you'd just bring that garbage with you. No offense.

Same shit is happening in Japan. You guys (not necessarily you specifically) are so in love with your culture that you try to push it onto everyone else. Some countries are still managing to live without those pressures, more or less successfully.

That said, we're very small. No shame in not knowing us or Slovakia or even the difference between the two. My country can barely represent a larger city in the grand scheme of things, let alone a proper country.

Edit: oh, about the please confirm. Yeah, no. Won't happen. You see most of Slovenians hate foreigners (the latest polls revealed 85% of Slovenians were in favor of strict no migration law that was passed with 70% positive votes in the parliament). But we don't just hate foreigners, we also hate each other and also ourselves (topping that suicide chart for years yo). It's a beautiful country, I tell you.

[7bit]

There are 2 possible definitions:

1: Eastern Europe is everything east of baltic countries, Poland, East half of Germany, except west half of Berlin, Czech Republic, Slovakia Hungaria, Slovenia, etc. down until Greece (Greece is west again).


2: Eastern Europe is everything east of Russia, Belarus, certain parts of Ukrainia and Moldavia.

I want to apologise for my bad joke!


I thought people would not find this offensive.

[webwit]

What are people's expectations? That Germans make good jokes?

[Wodan]

What are people's expectations? That Germans make good jokes?

They're much better at redrawing maps than making jokes.
Practice makes perfect!

[Halvar]

But mostly what I hear is that the women are fitter and more attractive and less pretentious than what we have here and we really should just pack up, take an extended trip to see for ourselves, be drunk, loud, and boisterous, wear clothing with American flag designs, and they will flock to us. Please confirm.

True in tourist spots. Have your cash ready to pay them.

(more bad jokes by Germans)

[adhoc]

But mostly what I hear is that the women are fitter and more attractive and less pretentious than what we have here and we really should just pack up, take an extended trip to see for ourselves, be drunk, loud, and boisterous, wear clothing with American flag designs, and they will flock to us. Please confirm.

True in tourist spots. Have your cash ready to pay them.

(more bad jokes by Germans)

You must have confused us with Germany. Prostitution is illegal here. I hear bestiality brothels are becoming a lifestyle choice in Germany though. What a twist after scat porn popularity. Or wixkeks.

https://www.google.si/amp/s/selfuni.wor ... navia/amp/

EDIT: Oh, silly me, almost forgot to mention: also on the absent list are suicide bombers, trucks "of peace", ...

[7bit]

What are people's expectations? That Germans make good jokes?

They're much better at redrawing maps than making jokes.
Practice makes perfect!

You mean drawing ugly looking maps of our beautiful world, like this:

What are people's expectations? That Germans make good jokes?

No, I'm afraid people's expectations are Germans make no or only bad jokes.

[vivalarevolución]

Most 'Muricans don't know the difference between Slovenia and Slovakia. Heck, they don't even know that these countries exist. Having both of those countries in the 2014 Winter Olympic ice hockey tournament was quite confusing for us. "Slovenia, Slovakia, what's the difference? And when did Czechoslovakia break up?" people would say. Is there a face palm emoji?

To be fair, with Slovenia being a part of former Yugoslavia, it's reactionary and convenient to throw it in there with the Balkans and southern Europe. But I stand corrected, I shall remind my fellow 'Muricans that Slovenia fits more neatly into the Central Europe crowd, rather than the lot to the south or east.

But mostly what I hear is that the women are fitter and more attractive and less pretentious than what we have here and we really should just pack up, take an extended trip to see for ourselves, be drunk, loud, and boisterous, wear clothing with American flag designs, and they will flock to us. Please confirm.

Please don't. We're currently very prosperous, peaking at around ~10th place in the world in iHDI for example, yet don't have feminists, SJWs, cultural enrichers, et al. Bringing in murricans en masse, you'd just bring that garbage with you. No offense.

Same shit is happening in Japan. You guys (not necessarily you specifically) are so in love with your culture that you try to push it onto everyone else. Some countries are still managing to live without those pressures, more or less successfully.

That said, we're very small. No shame in not knowing us or Slovakia or even the difference between the two. My country can barely represent a larger city in the grand scheme of things, let alone a proper country.

Edit: oh, about the please confirm. Yeah, no. Won't happen. You see most of Slovenians hate foreigners (the latest polls revealed 85% of Slovenians were in favor of strict no migration law that was passed with 70% positive votes in the parliament). But we don't just hate foreigners, we also hate each other and also ourselves (topping that suicide chart for years yo). It's a beautiful country, I tell you.

I see what you're doing here, I will call your bluff, have already bought my ticket, and I am packing my bags with my finest American flag t-shirts. If it worked for Donny, it can work for me. Can't wait!

[scottc]

What are people's expectations? That Germans make good jokes?

How many Germans does it take to change a lightbulb?

One. They are efficient, not funny.

[adhoc]

I see what you're doing here, I will call your bluff, have already bought my ticket, and I am packing my bags with my finest American flag t-shirts. If it worked for Donny, it can work for me. Can't wait!

It was reverse psychology all along, the victim is you

[Khers]

What are people's expectations? That Germans make good jokes?

How many Germans does it take to change a lightbulb?

One. They are efficient, not funny.

Best joke

[codemonkeymike]

Thanks (mostly)everyone for your good input! I am going to be in Vienna the 26th this month for 4 days, ... some stuff in the middle I am still working out ... then end in Milan May 7 till the 10th when I fly back. Definitely going to stop in Venice but like I said still open to suggestions. Also anyone know what a good size for a backpack for 2 weeks is? I was going to go with a 30 liter bag, mostly just underwear and socks maybe 2 pairs of pants and 3 shirts. Lastly anyone up for showing me around their city and not murdering me? I can reciprocate if you are ever in New York City or Philadelphia.

[seebart]

Thanks (mostly)everyone for your good input! I am going to be in Vienna the 26th this month for 4 days, ... some stuff in the middle I am still working out ... then end in Milan May 7 till the 10th when I fly back. Definitely going to stop in Venice but like I said still open to suggestions. Also anyone know what a good size for a backpack for 2 weeks is? I was going to go with a 30 liter bag, mostly just underwear and socks maybe 2 pairs of pants and 3 shirts. Lastly anyone up for showing me around their city and not murdering me? I can reciprocate if you are ever in New York City or Philadelphia.

Enjoy your trip and stay safe!

[Madhias]

If I have time we can take a walk, drink some coffee or beer here in Vienna! I'll check the dates meanwhile... No murdering

[codemonkeymike]

If I have time we can take a walk, drink some coffee or beer here in Vienna! I'll check the dates meanwhile... No murdering

Nice, shoot me a PM when you will be free between the 26th and 30th and we can work out the details.

@seebart Will do thanks!

[hypkx]

If you ever cross Rostock, for example to take a ferry to Dansk or Norwegian, we can drink a beer together and I can show you some nice spots in the city (no murder spots ).

[vivalarevolución]

Thanks (mostly)everyone for your good input! I am going to be in Vienna the 26th this month for 4 days, ... some stuff in the middle I am still working out ... then end in Milan May 7 till the 10th when I fly back. Definitely going to stop in Venice but like I said still open to suggestions. Also anyone know what a good size for a backpack for 2 weeks is? I was going to go with a 30 liter bag, mostly just underwear and socks maybe 2 pairs of pants and 3 shirts. Lastly anyone up for showing me around their city and not murdering me? I can reciprocate if you are ever in New York City or Philadelphia.

You will need something big enough for a travel keyboard.

[codemonkeymike]

Too bad my 2nd language is Spanish as it does me nothing in Austria. I can't seem to catch a word and always forget how to say "sorry I don't speak German" in German so I feel like an idiot trying to interpret their body language to tell what they are saying.

[Darkshado]

Mike: get offline translation packages for Google or Microsoft Translate and a proper offline map app (perhaps HERE Maps).

Also, consider getting a local SIM card, makes getting around that much easier. (Also: Field Trip / Ingress / Pokémon Go)

As for the sentence, you should be able to get your point across with: "Entschuldigen Sie bitte, Ich spreche kein Deutsch; nur Englisch und Spanisch." 'til you reach Austria's borders -> I'll leave it to the multiple native speakers on here to tweak correct it as required

Enjoy your trip!