polabear

I personally like the idea of pre-testing, since people can have COVID, not know it, and still spread it.  

But with this new variant, the antigen test isn't as sensitive.  So, its can take days after first onset of symptoms for the tests to go to positive.  I personally had COVID symptoms for three days before I finally had a positive at home test.   So the test requirement may not be as protective as I'd like it to be.  🤔

2 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

how interesting. My boss went to Germany a couple of months ago and had to pay 30 euros for each of the 2 covid tests that were required.

Whereas we tested for free at CVS and Walgreens for 2.5 years (GA).

 He might have gotten PCR tests.  You do have to pay for those to come back within 24 hours.  The antigen tests were free, which the airlines and the US/UK accepts.  We just made appointments and used our hotel address.  

I know one of my colleagues thought a PCR was required and paid a lot for the rapid results.  

It's disappointing at how expensive and annoying it is to get a test in the US.   I went to Germany twice when you still needed a negative test to fly back to the US.  Both times, I made an appointment same day at a location a few blocks away from our hotel.   No waiting, took about 3 minutes each time, and results were back in half an hour.  Also, no charge, even for non-residents.  

Self tests were available for about 2 to 3 euros pretty much everywhere - like, baskets of them sitting out in grocery stores.  This was crazy to me back when we were hoarding our few at home tests we had!

17 hours ago, Cigar King said:

You can smoke cigars in the outside smoking sections. 

 

Personally, I would suggest to your husband to forget the idea of enjoying a cigar on the ship.  The seating is horrible, the ash trays are not made for cigar will burn hot.  Better to find a nice cigar bar ashore and enjoy the smoke there.

 

Cheers

Thanks so much!   He is now searching for cigar lounges in port.   More shopping time for me! 🙂

Hi all!  My husband and I are taking our first ever ocean cruise this October 9-16 on Voyager of the Seas .  Is there a place where he can leisurely smoke a cigar?  Outside is fine (especially if he wants me to sit with him 😏)  

He'll want to find cigar places in ports as well, but I'll let him figure that out while I shop :)

Oh, I hope this finally convinces my husband and our friends that we shouldn't go... We're booked on Aida aura leaving Hamburg March 28th.  But it'll probably take the cruise being cancelled.

My husband likes larger portions, and they were more than willing to "beef up" his entree with extras, like a second chicken breast or double sides.

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So, my first name (Gail) is very close to a german word, "geil". Which means, among other things, horny. Cab drivers in Hamburg found this hilarious. :)

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I live in Germany for work, and I've never had a bad experience being an American. You do have to get used to brusk service, however I've found that if you ask a German for help, they will bend over backwards to try and help. They just won't smile or chat while taking your order.

I do get gently teased about american politics, but its calmed down a lot in the last year.

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That will be plenty of time. You also won't have to pick up your luggage until your final destination, so it's just going through passport control. If the airline thinks your connection is tight, they'll give you a fast pass through security as you deplane.

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I forgot to mention that at least here in Düsseldorf, each glühwein stand will have its own mug design. You pay a deposit of 2 to 3 euros, which you get back if you return the mug. Some of the mugs can be really cute, and its fine to take it. I usually eye what others are drinking out before I decided where to order. :)

On my first visit to a Christmas market here in Düsseldorf, I was surprised how much of it was about the food and drink, and not the shopping. I was going to recommend that if you have time in your schedule, you have "dinner" at one, because honestly, there's something really neat about walking around and eating bratwurst or krakauer (polish sausage) on a roll and drinking a glühwein. Also, in my area, they have reibekuchen, which are potato pancakes, but so much better. The inside is more mashed potato consistency, but the outside is ever so crispy.

Crepes and waffles are also very popular here, but I really like the filled pretzels. Well, I love all pretzels :)

If you see a booth or a hut for Käthe Wohlfart, I highly recommend visiting. It's probably the closest to what I originally expected the christmas markets to be - tons of made in germany ornaments and other christmas things.

Day 5

 

[snip]

The Christmas Market wasn’t open yet, so we strolled through a wonderful shopping area (that was closed because it’s Sunday),and through the quaint little streets back to the Xmas Market. This one had a lot of food but not too many ornaments and other holiday items.

 

[snip]

 

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In Düsseldorf, the markets opened on November 23rd, but it looks like the Cologne ones didn't open until November 27th.

My German colleagues tell me that you want to book for Octoberfest pretty much immediately after Octoberfest. To get a table reservation is also difficult, although I think there are tours that include so many hours in one of the tents. The hotels will be very expensive and hard to find. To give you an idea, my husband and I wanted to visit Munich the week after Octoberfest, and hotels were still so expensive we ended up going to Liechtenstein instead. Which was absolutely wonderful and worth the trip.

This is not to dissuade you, just that if you want to do Octoberfest, you are already a bit behind. :)

I'm currently living in Germany, and I've not heard a murmur of concern from any of my German colleagues about the Christmas Markets. We're planning a group outing to the one in Cologne.

For what it is worth, I've never felt unsafe in Germany, even walking home late. In the US, even living in a safe Chicago suburb, I felt more at risk.

I agree about pulling cash from an ATM once you've arrived. You'll get a better exchange rate, and you can closer estimate your cash needs. My husband always orders a little from the bank "just in case", but I think he's silly. Otherwise, we just use the ATM and pull cash once or twice a week.

One thing to note is that while I've never had a problem with my chip and sign cards (other than the fact that no one ever has a pen at the register), make sure you know your credit card PIN if you plan to use it.

Out of curiosity, I googled how loud the human voice can get, in decibels:

https://www.reference.com/science/decibel-range-normal-human-speaking-voice-aeafbe7b53044159#

An individual who talks very loudly would have a decibel range of around 82 dB, while someone who shouts would reach levels of around 88 dB. A decibel is also known as the ability of the human ear to note changes in sound intensity. The decibel unit is measured in powers of 10 for manageability, and a subtle difference of just 1 dB is enough for the human ear to make a distinction.

Then, according to the NIH, it takes prolonged exposure to a sound of over 85 decibels to cause the type of hearing injury he describes:

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/noise-induced-hearing-loss

Sound is measured in units called decibels. Sounds of less than 75 decibels, even after long exposure, are unlikely to cause hearing loss. However, long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. The louder the sound, the shorter the amount of time it takes for NIHL to happen.

Here are the average decibel ratings of some familiar sounds:

• The humming of a refrigerator
  45 decibels
  
• Normal conversation
  60 decibels
  
• Noise from heavy city traffic
  85 decibels
  
• Motorcyles
  95 decibels
  
• An MP3 player at maximum volume
  105 decibels
  
• Sirens
  120 decibels
  
• Firecrackers and firearms
  150 decibels
  

So unless the man was literally shouting for long periods of time, it seems extremely unlikely to have caused any sort of hearing injury. At least according to Dr. Google

You guys completely lucked out with this wonderful weather! I wished I had worn shorts on Saturday in Düsseldorf, it was so warm. My husband always wears shorts. :)

Hopefully your airline has located your bag via bar code and it soon will reach you. Since you do not have a rx or a bottle do not be shocked if you are required to obtain a re from a Roman MD. I understand about the ship consultation since the dr has to prescribe the medication for you..sometimes substituting what they carry in their formulary. That doesn't mean that I like the fee!

If you happen to to use a pharmacy with online records, that can be amazingly helpful. When my husband forgot the needles for his insulin pen when flying to Europe, I was able to show the pharmacist in Germany exactly what he got in the US, and he had no problem at all finding a suitable substitute. And they were cheaper over the counter than what he was paying with insurance back in the US!

Arrived in Rome yesterday and our luggage didn't arrive. We are boarding our ship this afternoon. Airline is trying to trace, and all paperwork completed.

 

Has anyone experienced a quick way to get a temporary supply of medications in Rome? Will talk to Regent rep in morning, but need a few days supply before boarding ship. Most pharmacies in Canada &USA will provide emergency supply in such cases...hoping Italy is similar!

 

Guess we will be dining in our room until clothes arrive. Need to go shopping for basics before noon this morning...

 

Fingers crossed our bags show up! Not a relaxing start to a vacation.

Fortunately we booked concierge level, so Regent was there at airport to meet us and help us with paperwork...and transportation to hotel. The hotel provided combs/toothbrushes etc. so we are grateful!

I can't speak for Rome, but I know in Germany, you'd need a prescription written by a local doctor unless it happened to be an over the counter medication. However, any local pharmacy should be able to point you towards a doctor who can convert your US prescription to an EU / local one without much trouble.

I can say in terms of weather, although its never certain, it will be warmer and less rainy the further south you come. I recently did a road trip where we drove back from Trier to Dusseldorf, and it was a little bit of a bummer to go from comfortable and sun to cold and rainy. I actually like the industrial parts of the river, but I work in logistics, so there's no accounting for taste. :)

They find World War 2 bombs quite frequently. Two weeks ago, they found one about 4 blocks from my apartment in Düsseldorf. It was a small one, so the evacuation radius wasn't large. Earlier in the year, they found a large one by the Düsseldorf airport that shut down the airport while they defused and several highways. But they typically defuse during the work day, and always have shelters available and transportation to them. Also the evacuation only usually lasts a few hours. My German coworkers don't even see it much as news when it happens!

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If you have your prescription medications refilled at a national chain that has online records, they work very well. My husband forgot the needle tips for his insulin, so we went to a pharmacy in Germany, showed them the record (which included a picture, most handy), and they thankfully had them in stock.

Another point is that I recommend bringing any over the counter medications you might need with you. In Germany, you have to get most of what we'd consider over the counter medications at a pharmacy, and they have limited opening hours. That includes things like Dramamine, or aspirin, or even cortisone cream. My sister ran out of Excedrin migraine, so we had to figure out what replaced it, then find a pharmacy with later hours, and then explain it to the pharmacist. It wasn't a huge problem, but its easier to just avoid it.

Oh, that's not even the new polaris lounge concept. Supposably heathrow will get it at the end of 2017, but there's nothing confirmed I found. Here's a review of the one in Chicago ORD:

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2017/02/19/united-polaris-lounge-review/

as previously state I'm on the 2-1-2 configuration. I'm eagerly awaiting feedback from LynnRuns after her flight. Just a pity these flights haven't been converted to the new Polaris yet.

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