OT: Sens Lounge XCVII: "Zorf; 21 times!" Edition

[branch]

I basically just want to chill and see stuff I haven't before. I don't know about a 15hr travel day to get to Bucharest though. I'll for sure get to Eastern Europe eventually though, gf is Russian.

 

[DrEasy]

I'm an urbanite too (completely useless as a camper, and a bit of an insectophobe), so my favorite destinations so far have been:

- Japan! If you want to experience something completely different from what you know, this is the place to go. I did Tokyo + Kyoto.

- South of France is indeed an excellent recommendation. Definitely the most relaxing in my list.

- Scotland: you get the history, the landscape, the scotch, and even a lazy slob like me can't help himself but want to go on a hike there.

- London! Pretty much the only destination in Europe you can reach with a direct flight from Ottawa, and there's so much to do there. The V&A is a must see museum.

I find that all the cultural activities in the above destinations are actually very relaxing to me, because you really forget whatever troubles you may have at home.

 

[DrEasy]

What is a good hobby to get into that you can do daily (or at least close to and at home)?

I have a friend who has gotten really into music and plays guitar every day. He owns multiple guitars of different types, he is learning to play the keyboard, and is taking free music lessons online. I'd like to have something I can focus on and commit too, but I don't know what.

Have you tried online chess? Lichess.org is a great place to play and to learn. Chess.com is fine too. There's so many online resources, YouTube in particular, where you can learn chess without having to go through boring books.

I've become addicted to bullet chess (1 minute TOTAL per side!). It's hectic, and it doesn't help improve your chess, but man the adrenaline rush.

 

[branch]

I'm an urbanite too (completely useless as a camper, and a bit of an insectophobe), so my favorite destinations so far have been:

- Japan! If you want to experience something completely different from what you know, this is the place to go. I did Tokyo + Kyoto.

- South of France is indeed an excellent recommendation. Definitely the most relaxing in my list.

- Scotland: you get the history, the landscape, the scotch, and even a lazy slob like me can't help himself but want to go on a hike there.

- London! Pretty much the only destination in Europe you can reach with a direct flight from Ottawa, and there's so much to do there. The V&A is a must see museum.

I find that all the cultural activities in the above destinations are actually very relaxing to me, because you really forget whatever troubles you may have at home.

London. Now you're talking my language. I think Tokyo/Kyoto would be too much travel for just a week. If I used London as a base I could realistically get around pretty well there.

 

[saskriders]

Have you tried online chess? Lichess.org is a great place to play and to learn. Chess.com is fine too. There's so many online resources, YouTube in particular, where you can learn chess without having to go through boring books.

I've become addicted to bullet chess (1 minute TOTAL per side!). It's hectic, and it doesn't help improve your chess, but man the adrenaline rush.

Yeah I have done a bit of online chess. I am not great, but not terrible. I don't really like the quick games though as I prefer having time to think about my moves. I just don't know if it interests me enough to make it something I could do on a daily or near daily basis as I have gotten into it for a week or so a few times in the past, but then won't touch it for a while. My attention span can be really bad. I don't want to be one of those hypochondriacs that self diagnosis themselves with everything, but considering my sister has it and how I have always had trouble focusing on pretty much everything I think I may have some form of ADHD.

 

[BonkTastic]

My favorite vacation is still Sri Lanka.

Just absolutely fell in love with it.

 

[saskriders]

If I were to travel for just a week I would want it to be somewhere closer than Europe as you are already committing a significant amount of time and money to get over there so to me personally it makes more sense to see more while I am over there. What parts of Canada have you been to? I think Newfoundland and Labrador both look really interesting. Alternatively if you want to leave North America, Iceland is not too far and small enough that you can see a significant portion in a week.

 

[saskriders]

My favorite vacation is still Sri Lanka.

Just absolutely fell in love with it.

Some day I want to do a Nepal-Bhutan-India-Sri Lanka trip. I have heard good things about all of them.

 

[branch]

If I were to travel for just a week I would want it to be somewhere closer than Europe as you are already committing a significant amount of time and money to get over there so to me personally it makes more sense to see more while I am over there. What parts of Canada have you been to? I think Newfoundland and Labrador both look really interesting. Alternatively if you want to leave North America, Iceland is not too far and small enough that you can see a significant portion in a week.

I went to Nova Scotia when I was 8 and never have been west of Toronto. Not very well travelled haha. Had kind of a rough childhood.

 

[branch]

My NA list looks like this right now:
NYC
Vegas
Florida Keys
Miami
LA
San Diego
Palm Springs

Pretty basic. But I basically just want to chill and get a good buzz on for like a week and come home.

 

[DrEasy]

London. Now you're talking my language. I think Tokyo/Kyoto would be too much travel for just a week. If I used London as a base I could realistically get around pretty well there.

Yeah, London is definitely the most practical destination when you live in Ottawa. Here's a few itineraries/things to do when in London:

- if you have the budget, consider getting a hotel or AirBnb in the Chelsea/Kensington area. You get to see all the beautiful and traditional houses and expensive cars, and you're right in the museum district (V&A, Science, etc). You can walk to Hyde park from there, and with a longer walk you can even get to Fortnum & Mason and Harrod's. Exploring the side streets, the park, the museums alone can easily take 3 days! The area around South Kensington tube station is full of good restaurants (but some of them are tourist traps).

- if you like fancy shopping, the aforementioned Fortnum & Mason (amazing tea selection), as well as the nearby shopping galleries are a must. And Harrod's is very close. Consider an afternoon tea at one of those fancy places; you'll feel like you're part of British monarchy!

- a very nice itinerary that can take up to a full day is to start at Big Ben in the morning, then cross the Thames toward the London Eye (but skip the London Eye, as the wait is not worth it), then walk along the Thames toward the Globe and Tate Modern. The British Film Institute is also there. Have a fish & chips somewhere there, then keep walking, past the old boat and toward Burrough market for great cheap ethnic foods.

- another itinerary starts involves hitting Piccaddilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden. Try to end it in the evening in SoHo, for great nightlife and Chinese food.

 

[DrEasy]

My NA list looks like this right now:
NYC
Vegas
Florida Keys
Miami
LA
San Diego
Palm Springs

Pretty basic. But I basically just want to chill and get a good buzz on for like a week and come home.

You can combine Miami and the Florida keys in the same trip. Rent a convertible in Miami and drive to Key West. There's not much to do in Key West, so you can leave in the morning, visit during the day and come back in the evening. The drive itself is the best part.

In Miami, South Beach is quite the experience with the night life. And during the day the beach is gorgeous.

Little Havana is worth a day trip too. You'll truly feel like you're in Cuba.

 

[coladin]

I basically just want to chill and see stuff I haven't before. I don't know about a 15hr travel day to get to Bucharest though. I'll for sure get to Eastern Europe eventually though, gf is Russian.

Italy is always sensational, went for 25 days last summer. Amazing

 

[maclean]

I'm just going to chime in and say I thought London sucked shit. It looks pretty much like shitty provincial Canada and everyone there is boring and it feels like being in a weird fascist alternate universe, there are cameras like EVERYwhere, including inside bars and they scan your ID when you go in and have your face up on a little screen just in case you do anything wrong while you're in there. Just my obviously subjective opinion.

Apologies if I've already posted this before. Pretty much anywhere else in Europe is more interesting, if you're going to travel, at least see something a bit different than what you're used to.

 

[branch]

Italy is always sensational, went for 25 days last summer. Amazing

I’d enjoy Italy as well. The food and history is there. I get 3 weeks vacation right now so sadly I can’t burn them all at once. I have to plan them strategically. 1 week in the summer, 1 week in the winter and the other week use it for miscellaneous stuff.

 

[branch]

I'm just going to chime in and say I thought London sucked ****. It looks pretty much like ****ty provincial Canada and everyone there is boring and it feels like being in a weird fascist alternate universe, there are cameras like EVERYwhere, including inside bars and they scan your ID when you go in and have your face up on a little screen just in case you do anything wrong while you're in there. Just my obviously subjective opinion.

Apologies if I've already posted this before. Pretty much anywhere else in Europe is more interesting, if you're going to travel, at least see something a bit different than what you're used to.

So your experience is basically 1984. I have heard similar things but I love British history so I’d probably be able to look past it.

 

[maclean]

And if you by chance come through Prague, hit me up, as long as I'm not doing something with my kids I can show you the ropes

 

[maclean]

So your experience is basically 1984. I have heard similar things but I love British history so I’d probably be able to look past it.

Fair enough, I was not expecting it and honestly felt like that country was the source code for all the bad shit that exists in north america

 

[Do Make Say Think]

North America does wilderness and nature tourism an infinite number of times better than almost all of Europe.

Europe has the urban travel down and North America is streets behind.

It all depends on what you're looking for, really.

True. Good point.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

I really like New York. I'm taking Mrs. Zorf there in late September to see a show. Not much out there that beats a good Broadway show.

I also like cities where you can just walk around. New York and Paris have this in spades.

Plus, if you go solo, you can check out a Yankees/Mets game.

If you’re a musician or a music buff, (especially on the Jazz front), NYC is a great place to visit

 

[DrEasy]

I'm just going to chime in and say I thought London sucked ****. It looks pretty much like ****ty provincial Canada and everyone there is boring and it feels like being in a weird fascist alternate universe, there are cameras like EVERYwhere, including inside bars and they scan your ID when you go in and have your face up on a little screen just in case you do anything wrong while you're in there. Just my obviously subjective opinion.

Apologies if I've already posted this before. Pretty much anywhere else in Europe is more interesting, if you're going to travel, at least see something a bit different than what you're used to.

There's truth to that, but that doesn't make London uninteresting given all its past, history and culture.

Another issue I have with London is that no local person lives there (Paris is getting there too, unfortunately). All the expensive houses are either empty or used as rentals by rich foreign people for other rich foreign people. And all houses are expensive, so...

(people who work in London live far, far away from London, but thankfully public transit is good)

So don't expect to shoot the shit with Oliver Twist at some pub. You'll basically be talking to other tourists like you.

 

[maclean]

Except that anywhere else in Europe has the same amount of past, history and culture too. When we were there we were housesitting for a friend and yeah, he lived quite far from the centre. It was kind of bizarre there that a lot of the houses looked kind of shitty and run down but they all had really big new cars outside them. One thing I will give them is the 'ethnic' food was fantastic

 

[saskriders]

 

[DrEasy]

Except that anywhere else in Europe has the same amount of past, history and culture too. When we were there we were housesitting for a friend and yeah, he lived quite far from the centre. It was kind of bizarre there that a lot of the houses looked kind of ****ty and run down but they all had really big new cars outside them. One thing I will give them is the 'ethnic' food was fantastic

Dude, you live in Prague (I think?). Basically every great European city is a stone's throw away for you. Living in Ottawa, London is the ONLY European destination you can reach directly (ok, sometimes there's also Frankfurt apparently). This stuff counts when you have little vacation time and when you hate airport hassle. Have some compassion!

 

[branch]

Dude, you live in Prague (I think?). Basically every great European city is a stone's throw away for you. Living in Ottawa, London is the ONLY European destination you can reach directly (ok, sometimes there's also Frankfurt apparently). This stuff counts when you have little vacation time and when you hate airport hassle. Have some compassion!

Yeah, not going to lie I was mainly looking at places that go direct from YOW. I hate airport BS.