Exchange rate question. Should I change $ for € before I go.

**Timberridge** · 04-06-2017, 12:17 PM

Gary, those Norwegian fishing village girls have thighs like WWE wrestlers. You be karevul. You don't want a broken pelvis.

**hutash** · 04-06-2017, 04:19 PM

M/C>Visa>>>AmEx as far as acceptance rates. That said, I almost never had a problem paying with a CC through euroland.

That reminds me, I need to get some Canadian pesos.

**I Dunno** · 04-06-2017, 06:02 PM

Some ATMs will ask if you'd like to convert to the local currency, always select the option to continue WITHOUT conversion. Your bank will do the conversion at a better rate than what the ATM operator will give you.

**garyfromterrace** · 04-07-2017, 04:57 AM

Good one. Thanks. Just digging into my first pretzel, weissbier & weiner wurster!! sehr gut!

**iceman** · 04-07-2017, 11:45 AM

Make sure to sew a little US flag onto your back pack, they love Americans over there.

**plugboots** · 04-07-2017, 12:18 PM

I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I find the "they hate Americans over there" to be a lot of bullshit when I travel. Everybody seems to ask me some version of: "what the fuck is going on over there?"

Hmmmmm haven't been to Syria tho...

**Timberridge** · 04-07-2017, 12:37 PM

Isn't Gary Canadian?

**PNWbrit** · 04-07-2017, 12:40 PM

I think that was Iceman's point?

**iceman** · 04-07-2017, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by Timberridge

Isn't Gary Canadian?

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

I think that was Iceman's point?

Yeah I thought it was pretty obvious but...

**old goat** · 04-07-2017, 02:17 PM

In Amsterdam we watched a skit show about how Americans can make people think they're Canadian. On the schedule for the next week--how Germans can make people think they're Dutch. (The comedy group was American). Anywhere we've been in Europe people have treated us like they do here. Some people are cold and rude--generally service people who seem to be sick of tourists in general, and some people very friendly--basically anyone you have a non-service interaction with. I wouldn't wear a MAGA hat, though.

**XXX-er** · 04-07-2017, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by iceman

Make sure to sew a little US flag onto your back pack, they love Americans over there.

Duno if its true but the idea that Americans will sew on the Canadian flag is kind of an urban legend up here, but in yurp they can tell if yer a canuck when they see out door clothing with the MEC logo and if they see the Taiga brand you are obviously from Vancouver

I found all french to be very nice, spanish could be kind of short but I took that as their manner and that madrid cab driver i got into the big argument with was just being in character

**old goat** · 04-07-2017, 07:07 PM

Originally Posted by XXX-er

Duno if its true but the idea that Americans will sew on the Canadian flag is kind of an urban legend up here, but in yurp they can tell if yer a canuck when they see out door clothing with the MEC logo and if they see the Taiga brand you are obviously from Vancouver

I found all french to be very nice, spanish could be kind of short but I took that as their manner and that madrid cab driver i got into the big argument with was just being in character

I thought it was interesting that in Madrid no one seemed to speak English but in Barcelona most people did.

**alias_rice** · 04-07-2017, 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by old goat

I thought it was interesting that in Madrid no one seemed to speak English but in Barcelona most people did.

Did you go to a bullfight in Madrid?

**XXX-er** · 04-07-2017, 07:54 PM

Interesting observation, I didnt make it to Barcelona, maybe there is more english spoken because of more tourists ??

**iceman** · 04-07-2017, 09:25 PM

Well in Barcelona they don't want to speak Spanish, and nobody on the planet speaks Catalan but them, so many of them learn English.

**old goat** · 04-08-2017, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by alias_rice

Did you go to a bullfight in Madrid?

We did not.

Originally Posted by iceman

Well in Barcelona they don't want to speak Spanish, and nobody on the planet speaks Catalan but them, so many of them learn English.

They also don't allow bullfighting.
We arrived in Barcelona on Catalunya Day--the bus from the airport couldn't get us anywhere near the plaza where they were supposed to drop us off. Lots of Catalan flags; never saw a Spanish flag the whole time we were there. Barcelona was the last hold out against Franco; I visited the Montjuic castle where he kept, tortured, and executed prisoners. Lots of kids were visiting that day. There is not a single sign in the place explaining what happened there. The civil war is still an open wound in Spain.
Oh, and they took our Visa cards there.

One other word of warning about credit cards--if you have a Wells Fargo card in France it might take you a while to get it back. The clerks seem to be fascinated by the horse drawn stagecoach and want to show it to everyone in the store. (Next time I go there I might wear my western boots and get a cowboy hat--they'll probably treat me like royalty.)