Host Bonjour

I send postcards from everywhere, and it's a nice time when I sit down to people watch while I write in a cafe of park, recap what I've been doing. Sometimes, for special places, I send one to myself. Easiest thing to do would be to just ask someone local to send them for you once you've written them and added the postage, such as in a cafe or restaurant where you stop, or even pop into a hotel and ask the hotel clerk to add them to their outgoing mail. It takes no effort for them to do it. And if you think they can't or won't, why wouldn't they? This is a small favor and hospitality is so wonderful. I've had worse glitches and encountered such wonderful assistance from total strangers while traveling abroad, I wouldn't hesitate to ask a small local business to please mail my cards for me. Especially given that the post office, like lots of businesses overseas, might keep limited hours or close mid-day for lunch, so if you miss the window of opportunity while out exploring, or can't find the mailbox (hint: often they're affixed to the side of buildings, quite small) you'd miss the opportunity. Take advantage of the kindness and ask people. At least for little things, it's still happening. (True story: a friend brought me an A3 size photograph he took in Paris, stopped by my uncle's hotel but somehow they missed connections. The hotel mailed it on their dime to my uncle's home after he checked out, the photo, it's the underside of the Bir Hakim bridge, is on my wall now.) 🙂 Happy travels!

Actually, it's quite specific to Sofia, in Bulgaria. My friend and his wife lived there for a while, they've lived in many places as he is an international capital markets consultant (Bosnia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, China, Thailand, Mozambique, Paris, Cairo, Philippines, Bhutan, it goes on and on where I have postcards from!) as the side-to-side YES head shaking evidently was not a thing outside the capitol city. I'm not sure about Albania. As for the tipping, we've had the topic discussion on here for years on Cruise Critic (and our old sister boards Independent Traveler, Family Vacation Critic) over and over. Personal choice is always up to the individual, and special circumstances can never be predicted, but part of being a global citizen is not only abiding by the laws of the land wherever we are in the world, but respecting the cultural standards and practices. No one is ever expected to morph into or fully enmesh oneself so much as to attempt to fully localize to oneself's surroundings, as this would be so uncomfortable such as to render travel and exploration quite awkward, impractical, even possibly offensive. What is necessary is doing our best to understand the local environment (err on the side of caution always) and, respect the principles and keep them front of mind always. It's not about our comfort, we are guests. New turf, new rules. You did right cruzhappy, you asked, made nice connections and a pandemic certainly isn't something that happens much, is it? But it impacted everyone, everywhere in Italy and worldwide. So it makes sense to think on a large scale in this case because we generally do not know how relief efforts were going locally, regionally, nationally. They are working, they are getting paid. But we don't know the bigger picture, bright, dark or otherwise. And we can help, but it always makes sense to do due diligence if that's the plan, so that the help gets well utilized and managed, if one does decide to take action. Tipping is limited to one person, or a small group (hotels and tours/drivers, etc sometimes work together) so the money isn't getting much traction, whereas an organization or relief effort can stretch a dollar or euro, rand, peso, lira... to greatest extent and reach. There are ratings guides that check the effectiveness of all organizations (Charity Navigator is one) that receive donations, just use google. In this case, it sounds like everyone was happy/satisfied and relationships were formed. But it is important to think of long term effects, especially for people who live there year-round, who maybe visit and can't afford tip (students, shoe-string travelers) but still should be treated properly, that ought not create a tiered level of treatment that could emerge should the tipping become expected or adopted in a country where people are paid real wages (what's real wages is debatable everywhere, I get it, and that's not a travel topic) for their work, even if that may not be the case in a lot of countries, unfortunately. Again, it's part of being responsible travelers, good citizens. If we visit somewhere and know the person is barely getting paid or tips are part of the earnings, tip away. If you travel and want to give back to the area you're visiting, investigate the best ways to make the most of that contribution. Otherwise, pardon the pun, but when in Rome...be Roman 😎 (why be anything else?) But again, very glad you had a lovely experience cruzhappy, and thanks for sharing!

I think they're doing the right things... it's important to protect Venice, otherwise there will be nothing left to see 😞 Most things have capacity limits for safety, why not historic places? It can still be visited, it just requires additional planning and a small fee. Doable. Viva Venezia 🙂

By Sarah Holt for MailONLINE by Adam Solomons for MailONLINE Thanks Terry as always!!

If it's not cold weather (even then it might be possible) you can do it if you don't need to dress for dinner on the ship. I've done my laundry in Italy, there were plenty of places to either do it myself or leave it to be done (reasonable!) so I could continue exploring or simply rest. I won't check baggage anymore, I've done the heavy lifting bringing things I don't wear or use, or realize now it's not that important. Go with black pants and/or shorts/skirt, with two neutral tops, a light covering, your personal underclothes, socks, shoes, something to sleep in, you're good. Roll it all up to save space when packing, and agree with @mapleleaves, you can get away with the carry on plus small backpack as that would count as the "personal item" so you can stash other items in there too. You won't need full sizes of anything, many things will be available on the cruise and/or locally. It's a much nicer way to travel, whenever possible. I don't miss having bruises (!!) and heaving bags up/down stairs, escalators, in/out of trains, taxis, etc. only challenge now is reaching the overhead bin, but there's almost always a taller person around to help and/or someone seated who doesn't want a bag dropped on their head 😉 . Another thing is, some travel bags really do make a difference in the way they're designed inside to help with stowing things if you're not a great packer. Give it a try if you can, maybe first domestically before you try in Italy (if possible) but otherwise, be bold and do it. There's really nothing you can't get away if you need it, and you can always get a bag if you need it to go home. Good luck!

Oh good, I thought it was me wondering where downtown London was, what have I been missing? 😱 Philadelphia's "downtown" is called Center City, I don't know who decides all of this... for the longest time I was perplexed about the High Street. It usually wasn't called High Street, I wondered why every town had a High Street but then Main Street was popular here. Eventually figured out the connotation (before I got to visiting) I guess it's part of the fun of discovering new places, dialect, phrases, terms etc. There is a downtown NYC (Midtown, Uptown, Eastside/Westside), however it does get quite specific, though no one will call you out for it. You can say Union Square is downtown, Chinatown is downtown, Wall Street is downtown.... each is not ALL the way downtown. It's relative. All the way downtown NYC can get a little sleepy at night in certain areas (not scary,) mostly in the financial district, because the work crowd is gone for the day so it can be tough to find a place to grab a bite or a comfort break. Just an FYI in case anyone new visiting ended up that far downtown in the evening. In other places north of that downtown, things are open and active later. Just an FYI, since we got into the downtown conversation. (sorry to veer away from London for a sec, but it does remind me of home in many ways, don't mean to offend) but it came up so wanted to clarify 😉 And glad I wasn't missing a mystery London downtown somewhere. (But it can be a good idea when in London to talk to Londoners and ask for their thoughts on where to wander: I did and was glad for it!!) Oh and can I say, what a cracking British GP? 🏎️💯

Do you make movie posters? Or did you want to make movie posters? It's fun! Makes me think of The Man Who Came to Earth (or whatever the name is of the 60s movie with the space ship that lands in D.C. and a guy who uses diamonds for currency) I'm like GUT and actually wait around for people to get out of the way, but I do think it's kind of cool that there's a way to do it later. Either way, it takes some bit of time. How much or how little depends on the acuity of one's PS skills, time available on site, blah blah. And if you're making movie posters 😎 I might have added a larger shark fin though 😂 but then I can be a little over-dramatic.

I learned in High School, in NYC. I wish I would have followed the nudging of my teachers more, but it stuck with me and I'm more involved in it than ever (IRL) even though I don't have enough time right now to create 😞 I was taught in analog times but I think what you're saying still applies now (and I've written about before) understanding light/composition, AND, one of the photographers we work with (and VERY renowned) who juried an annual public radio show submission program stated the exact same thing recently when commenting about images in general (it's a smartphone "competition") in that sometimes just waiting a bit can bring such phenomenal results. Waiting is obviously not always an option (not on a moving ship) or getting back to the ship or have to be anywhere, but we're not talking about waiting hours... it can simply be a matter of seconds or minutes. Breathe, look, pause... what's it for, do you want to possibly use it later for something, is it a special location you really want to memorialize, don't just look at the screen or through a lens, look around. And I think more than anything, understand how the device works (smartphone/camera) AND the light, so you have the luxury to take a few moments when making the image, or perhaps can setup a shot in advance on devices where that's possible. There are great (short-ish, 10-15 minutes) videos with some shortcuts on settings you can use for your camera to optimize settings for certain conditions (if you don't have time for learning things right now) but it would still be great for anyone to do a tutorial on why understanding light and composition can significantly up your photo game, and there are many great videos for that. It's just a matter of finding who you're comfortable listening to, and is easy to follow (they're not all equal) since I've watched some (photographer interviews, advanced topics, and things for when I got my new camera, the manual is ridiculous) and some have camera presence, speak well, personality etc. Find what works for you. People will be L♥️VE seeing your photos and always ask when you've got new ones, home or away 😉 And thanks to Mercury'sMum for helping others get into photography at an early age. I didn't even have a camera when I started and it took a long time before I could buy a proper one, but the classes were unforgettable and led me to where I am now. Hopefully you hear from students and have followed some through fun and interesting careers. 🎉🍎 Listen to teacher everyone!!

@euro cruiser@CruiserBruce and @marazul to the rescue, superheroes within the Cruise Critic universe. Way to go quickly getting things sorted out for a member of the CC community in need! 🏆🥇💯 Hope the rest of your journey is lovely trotzoll, but CC is always here when you need it 🙂

Hey thanks for sharing this informative piece from NYT Wirecutter! Just adding in the author's name, Daniel S. Cooper, so author credit is visible within the topic. 🙂

At a minimum, see Rob Roy and Braveheart before visiting Scotland, read some of Robbie Burns' works. However I'd also recommend reading about Mary Queen of Scots, which also connects to Elizabeth I (cousins) and then later, James I (Mary's son, who became King since Elizabeth had no children). There was a WWII drama My Mother and Other Strangers set in Northern Ireland that I enjoyed, here are a list of others: to consider, some I have seen, others not yet. A lot of other films/tv connected to Northern Ireland tend to be centered around The Troubles, but then if you want to look at film/tv MADE in N.I. as opposed to things about N.I. and the Republic of Ireland, that's a different category. You'd want to look into shows from RTE, Ireland's public broadcasting agency (think BBC, for the U.K.). A recent PBS show called All Creatures Great and Small is based on a real Scottish veterinarian in the 30s I believe, who moved from Glasgow to Yorkshire to work in a small country practice, it's sweet and such beautiful scenery. Have recently watched some great crime shows set in Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, but might not be the best primers for a journey. There are many great documentaries about the Beatles (from Liverpool), they have a very popular football club (soccer), and port, ship building in Belfast, and very many historical figures and places in Dublin. Here's a good list of what to watch before visiting Ireland. Agree re: The Longest Day, about preparing to land in Normandy, but also Band of Brothers, which is a series that includes testimony from actual surviving members of Easy Company, Army paratroopers who landed in Normandy and fought throughout the war. Saving Private Ryan is a dramatized account of a soldier that landed on a Normandy Beach, a group of troops is sent to find him because three of his brothers were lost in battle and it's decided he should be found and sent home. I'll try to think of more soon, but hopefully the community will come up with more suggestions as well. Lots of incredible true history to be discovered in documentaries, films, tv. 🙂

For the first time in a long time, the euro and dollar are near or close to parity (even exchange) however, the banks are always going to make money on the exchange by charging fees to do the currency exchange AND by getting the better rate in the transaction. There is a fluctuation in rates throughout the day, and from day to day, and gives banks the flexibility to "sell" and "buy" currency to customers (and institutions/investors, since currency is also a viable investment for some) at rates that net them profits in the transaction. The bank would sell you euro, let's say, for 1.1 dollar, then later only buy it back at 98 cents Plus, there may be transaction fees on either end, though not always, or on all parts of the transaction. Many banks and credit cards charge low or no fees for forex (foreign exchange) transactions, including overseas ATM withdrawals, credit and debit card charge purchases. Like Hank said, just know before you go, and let the bank/card issuer know so they don't restrict your account. ....the legend, pretty much explained all the ways to minimized, reduce, and if possible, avoid fees, high costs, etc., for currency. You can do it, call your bank and or credit card companies and find out how to make this a pleasant and easy experience. And thanks as always Hank, marazul and everyone in the community for the helpful comments and tips 🙂

Got my first taste of Amarone in Taormina a while ago (nope, the restaurant in Little Italy) but had the same reaction... amazing. I wish more shops sold it in small bottles as it's a pricier wine, and I can't really finish one quickly enough, I refuse to chill a nice red wine, to make it worth the indulgence. Just such a delicious, rich variety. Highly recommend trying to anyone seeking a new addition to their wine repertoire. Also a fan of making a meal out of any particular order of the menu, including just apps, or soup, wine, and dessert, or however it goes. No one ever said you have to comply with the regular order of things, and that wouldn't necessarily be a cultural faux pas, unless one is at a restaurant where there was only a certain option, very formal dining... don't ask for change-ups or substitutions, check before you go. Ahh, now I could really go for that wine. 🍷 Cent'anni everyone.

Seconded! Thanks for thinking of this Slidergirl! 😎 It's been wonderful to see the All Things Food & Wine sticky expand, thanks to everyone for adding their recommendations and continuing to ask questions, contribute to conversations. It looks like it's making a difference in helping travelers increase and enhance their planning and enjoyment of meals during their time in Rome and elsewhere in Italy, a country so renowned for its culinary riches. Well done community, as always 🙂

Well, the good news is that yes, there's hockey in the family now, because yes it's fun, keeps the blood pumping. The so-so news, the Kings? (There was this double-over time loss to the Kings in 2012 that is still painful...son-in-law would remember well...) I'm not sure many people get into hockey (especially in SoCal!) unless someone introduces one to it, outside of growing up in a cold climate, Canada, Scandinavia, etc., no ice, no hockey 😉 I was introduced to it at a young age (family had Ranger season tickets), where we have one of the original six hockey teams, no frozen ponds in the city, but north enough to start up a team. 🙂 Bringing it back to photography, every year the team had a photo day where season ticket holders were invited to come to the Garden and the players would come out in uniform so people could take photos rink-side. It was exciting. I dropped one of my flashcubes on the ice (all I had as a kid was a Kodak X15) and a popular defense man scooped it up for me, and I got a better photo. Fun day. 📷

What a beauty! Both subject and image. I don't think it took you 50 years to find a style, looks to me like you always had it. This is something entirely aside from the trinity, or anything anyone can teach, and causes one to stop and take a look at an image, and remember it. And it's definitely not necessary to know these numbers and settings anymore, yes that math and going through the numbers for the settings are mind numbing and would honestly take the fun out of anyone who wants to truly enjoy shooting. It takes too long to recalculate the different setups, and now it happens automatically, so setups programmed for various environments, no number crunching required, with great outcomes. This makes sense! I have a decent strap for my camera and it's always around my neck when I shoot, but I hadn't thought of it for my phone, but obviously why not? Makes so much sense to protect the device because even with insurance protection, there's still usually a small deductible to replace, which is minimal compared to the actual loss from not having the device which might be difficult or at a minimum, inconvenient to replace while mid-journey. Good recommendation and idea, thanks! Sorry to hear you lost your phone overboard @Heartgrovebut relieved to know you didn't go with it. 🙂

Ooh thanks for doing the monochrome, and yes, kind of creepy 😱, so if someone had a low budget for making a horror film, couldn't get out west, but needed some dramatic b-roll for their film or a promo poster, this would do very well for a noir-ish vibe. Loving those grey tones very much too!! 😍 But oh goodness, I hadn't thought of the cars... pigeons make enough of a mess!! 😱

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It is ice hockey though? Two minutes or Five? Forward or Winger? Great uniform colors 🙂 They are moving pretty quickly, you slide into someone unintentionally... sort of 😉 happens. But I recall your son is a pastor, and I understand checking is handled a lot differently pre-college, or even during? Definitely don't want anyone getting seriously, intentionally injured, and so much more is understood about safety etc. I remember what I'd see as a very young hockey fan at MSG when they didn't even wear helmets (though it was the beginning of wearing helmets) 😱 which was alarming at times, but mostly when the Flyers came to town. They started. Seems better now, kind of? (Let's go Rangers!)

We're glad you found us here! Spread the word when you have an opportunity, whether on board or on other forums. Some cool people here, and really awesome images, speaking of... Wow, great shot of the Night Heron, though it doesn't look so much like a White Heron, but then all I know of birds is pigeons and sparrows, plus the random Blue Jay or Cardinal, which is rare. I'm a native of NYC and that's about all we had, though to hear the Central Park birders... they find all sorts of things. It seems those birds didn't come to the neighborhoods of Queens and Brooklyn, can't say I blame them, good Manhattan location and all... but I digress. The other images kind of give me a Birds the movie feeling, though if they're babies, I guess they're waiting for their parents in order to be fed. What that means is it's a great capture because you conjured up a feeling with this one! Also, the feeling with the look on the solo bird all has this feeling of, Not really sure what's going on right now and/or whatcha looking at? Love them both. 🤩 (Also feel like if it were in black and white, image #2, it could be from a western or horror movie, hungry vultures ready to descend/feed... and yes, I would believe they're vultures because again, how would I know they're not? They look scary to me! 😂) Thanks for posting and welcome!

Agree on all aspects as to phone and camera settings, when to adjust, when not (or why) and or switching to manual etc. and what the difference is or could/would be, all things being equal. I think these days, or maybe always, what's so important and essential in terms of making an image is less in how the camera is set up than in understanding some basics: what's the subject of the image, is it framed well, aesthetically: how will people's eyes react when they see it? The tech specs come up again and again, and less conversation goes into things like: what makes an image visually appealing? Why? Why not? Basics like composition and lighting, which a camera these days can technically provide some assistance with, but amongst all the other settings, can also easily get lost. Maybe because it's such a personal and unique choice. There are certain things that are guiding principles, the law of threes, color theory, and physics/principles of of light, some of which are more mutable than others, but all of which are firmly rooted in visual and lens based work. To a great extent, anyone making an image still has a great amount of control over this when they make an image; some of that control is within the systems of the camera and its various settings, but a vast amount of it is right within the person that is using the device. Come home with photobook quality images every time! I've seen them with smart phones, and with all level of digital cameras. Buying the best whatever is wonderful (it can be, for sure! I'll probably never have my Leica 😪 but I'll survive 🙂 ) and things will probably look crisp and beautiful, but what does one do with a view of half a glacier with a railing on the right side of it? Delete. All kinds of great, free podcasts, tutorials, blogs and videos out there for tips and info on how to up your game with smart phone and traditional photography, not so much the tech (though there's that too, but you'd want to find info specific to your model, AND THE RIGHT TEACHER!) but the process of making the image, not so much working the camera. Just some thoughts. I was lucky to have had some great teachers and great inspiration all around me, then and now. 📷 😎

Sorry for the delay pinning this week, how did it get to be Friday so fast? 🙃 Never knew that's how that cactus looks IRL, 🤩, where it's evidently a creeper/crawler, and so much lovelier than in captivity 😂 (aka the city window pots I've seen them in). Thanks for sharing! Happy weekend everyone!

I think in some marketing material for certain tour operators, but generally not the ones that get the better recommendations, references to tipping have started to appear. Few bad apples... they have become acclimated to the practice of American visitors handing out tips, so why not include it in the promotional info? If it's a small operation or just not well run or using deceptive pricing practices, or whatever the case, it's definitely NOT a cultural norm to tip in Europe, and many, many places in the world. Why wouldn't some incorporate it if people are willingly handing over extra money that they don't have to? Have to expect some will take advantage, and they do. This is why it's always good to ask questions about experience with certain companies or operators and, if it's the first time visiting somewhere, cultural norms and practices. There's a reason we need to bring our passports, we've left the country, we're in someone else's garden now. New rules, new ideas, new history, thoughts, experiences. Go with the flow 😉 (someone might even think you're a local 😎)

So, not sure if you were looking at one of the tours that go up to Loch Lomond, but there's also a lot of history that's part of the journey, and so it's not only the Loch itself, which is beautiful from many prospects. To be honest, this is some of the most beautiful, and incomparable landscape I've ever seen, and this includes South Island of New Zealand, which is utterly spectacular. But after seeing Scotland on this journey along Loch Lomond, I know when I see it in a film or movie, before it's ever even identified that this is Scotland. It's gorgeous and has uniquely stunning qualities. Along the way there were stops to get out and check out pastures with wildlife, and even they look different than what I'd ever seen (though a life long city resident, admittedly I'm no wildlife or farm animal expert) but the highland flora and fauna are truly distinctive and lovely. I had a moment with a highland cow... we locked eyes, she or he slowly started to walk towards me, it was just one of those things, and again, me and large beasts? Not really a thing, but this was awesome. What's also cool is the weather sort of changes as you go, you're up and down hills, winding around death defying single lane roads gripped to the hill, but with these vistas that go on and on, the Loch is there, and there, and there. As for the history, well you're going along the way of Rob Roy, learning words of Robbie Burns, old Scottish songs, and of course, William Wallace. We visited Stirling Castle, and from there, in the distance, you can see a memorial for William Wallace, though it was meant to be discreet and out of the way so as not to draw too much attention or destruction from certain neighbors to the south. I had more time to choose what to do, so I can understand that it would be difficult to decide. There are amazing places in Edinburgh, it is full of history, and even the "newer" part of the city is great to explore. It *might* be enough to spend time on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, and then from there, you can catch a Rabbie's tour to Loch Lomond. I don't know that you'd have time to go into the castle, but to be on the Mile would provide a wonderful experience of the old city, but you'd be up in front of the castle, you could see St. Giles Cathedral, and whisky places and historic architecture, tartan and wool shops, and more. If it would be your only visit to Scotland ever, I would be sorry for you to miss an opportunity to experience a bit of the unparalleled country and the glorious city. If your schedule permits, perhaps this would be a way to make it work. I have been to Lugano and it is beautiful (I know Como is a thing unto itself) and there are many beautiful lakes and rivers throughout Europe, but the panorama is simply breathtaking, which I think is often what does it, I'm sure this is part of it in Como, albeit in different ways. Something to think about? It might be a jam packed day, but it would be truly worth it. Good luck 🙂