European Skiers or America world travelers read this please

[Horton]

Gallagher and I are going to Italy and Austria in a few weeks. She has a ATT android phone and I have a Sprint EVO android phone. Any advice on usage?

 I am hoping that I can find hot spots and get online via WiFi. She thinks she is going to have to pay for a data plan to get email.

 

Yes I know this is not water skiing but it is my site, I will do what I want.

[jipster43]

When I travel to asia it is much easier and cheaper to buy a phone there. I can't speak for Europe as I've never been. JP :)

[tsixam]

I think Brent is right. A “cash sim card†can be bought almost everywhere and is probably the cheapest way to be able to use your own phones.

http://www.onesimcard.com/?idmenu=2

 

Tsixam

[KG]

In Australia, get a pre paid mobile. Its the easiest method in my opinion.

[animal]

ATT has an international plan you can set up by country for fairly cheap.  Data is another issue.  Really expensive, even if you plan ahead with an international plan.  Stay with the hot spots or better yet, use the sim cards referenced above.

[DW]

Phone service, you will be too busy drooling over red Ferrari's and hanging out with Alonso to need the phone.

[PBD]

Data on the ATT phone will cost you a pretty penny.  A couple of years ago I ran up a bill of almost $1K in a long weekend of international roaming so be careful.  Can't speak for Sprint.

[disland]

Sprint phone will not work in Europe unless you have the Sprint international blackberry

[Horton]

Disland,

I was afraid of that. What about the WiFi on my EVO? I do not need (or want) to make voice calls. All I really need is Data Access so I can check in on you guys.

Can I sniff around Milan or Vienna and find a HotSpot?

[Alberto Soares]

Horton

 

I am in Italy now and going back to Brazil tomorrow. We arrived here 04/sept to the +35 world champ and had a great time skiing in 4 different fantastic places, I will send you tomorrow the skiing contacts we made here.

 

For the telephone I bought a local pre paid TIM sim card (at a local TIM mobile store) and just sticked to my iPhone. It costed 10 euros and when your credits are gone you just buy more credit at any tabaco shop. For the internet/data transfer TIM has a promotion that only costs 2 euros a week and you have free acess to 3G internet, you need to call their tool free number (119) and ask for the promotion.

 

For international calls I use my Skype, it works great on 3G internet conection. At Skype you can buy a local (USA) phone number (costs something like $20 for 3 months) and transfer your mobile to your skype USA number, than when you have a local Italian number, acess your skype acount and transfer it to your new Italian number. This way you will receive all calls made to your USA mobile at a low Skype cost.

[HO 410]

WiFi is WiFi is WiFi. As long as it's free, or you pay for access rights, you'll be able to hop onto any WiFi signal that your phone can see. I can't imagine that you wont have at least one internet cafe that is convenient to where you are staying.

[Horton]

Awesome thanks. I need to get on that.

I am not skiing in Italy. Gallagher would KILL me and if I wanted to ski I would hang at home.

Going to drink wine, eat cheese and look at Ferraris. We will be cruzing around the countryside in Northern Italy for a week then to Vienna. Gallagher has a Bio-Control conf in Vienna at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Nuclear Bugs I guess.

If I am lucky I may meet some skiers in Vienna but that is only becasue Gallagher will be talking about bugs or whatever she does.

[Horton]

I assume Hotels over there have WiFi - or is that a US thing? I do understand that things in other countrys can be a bit different.

Are Internet Cafes that common? I really do not think I am going to want to spend a lot of time watching you guys. Just need to check in . . . .

[tsixam]

Every hotel in Europe usually has a guest computer in the lobby. You can get internet access for a small fee, then you would be able log in to edit BOS and to checking on us if you think that is necessary J Tsixam

[HO 410]

Consult the oracle google. "Internet Cafe in Vienna" shows at least 7

[tsixam]

Why don´t you let Brent, Eric or MS take care of BOS while you are enjoying a well earned vacation? I can help them with a few updates and improvements. Tsixam

[Horton]

Wow thanks again. You guys are a huge help.

What about coffee? American hotels make the worst freak'n coffee. I have been told my whole life how good Italian coffee is. If it sucks I am going to be bummed. I want good strong coffee. No not that sweet crap your wife gets at Starbucks. I mean real black coffee. Can I get a map to the best coffee

(ok now I am just screwing around)

[tsixam]

Regular coffee in Italy is “Coffee Americano†Tastes like crap there too.  

(No I am not screwing around)

 

 

Tsixam

[Ali]

You want need to worry about the coffee in Italy, best in the world my wife says. 2 sups and it is gone. You should drop into waterski Italy in the north east and see Thomas. http://www.waterskiitaly.com/

 

Wifi and guest computers in hotels are usually available, depends how often you want to get connected, do not do data roaming it will cost more than a new ski. Bring a couple of skis with you to sell, that way you can pay for your trip

 

cheers

Ali

[skibug]

Also when in Italy you will be asked if you want water with "gas or no gas"; this means do you want bubbly carbonated water or non carbonated.  Hotel will have WiFi; some free, some charge.

[tru-jack]

coffee may be good and the deserts in Austria are great so is Zipfer beer, trust me it's good stuff.  The Austrian cuisine isn't the best, we alpine skied glaciers (Stubai and Hintertux) in May for our honeymoon and believe it or not most fine restaurants all carry "boiled rump" as a main dish.  If you're looking to score wifey points, get her to Salsberg and take her out for a Sacher Torte, oh I think they may have a Sacher hotel in Vienna as well that will serve this dessert, although not the original location it's a total rip off, but good and totally perfect to impress your wife.  I remember riding the subway to the town square in Vienna just hanging out and there was a begger with totally swelled up ankles with the premium begging spot in front of some massive famous church, she was raking it in.  Well my old guy disease kicked in one morning and I was up super early and went downtown for something to do and watched this perfectly healthy women walk behind the church and proceeded to stuff her nylons with plastic bags to swell up her ankles and wear a heavily padded jacket with built in humpback and a few other items, them hobble her way back to her premium begging spot.  That was in 2005, so if you get taken downtown to look at the famous churches and you will, let me know if she's still there, it's an image I won't forget.  Oh ya, one more the white spanish horses in some castle will also impress her. 

 I think Stubai has year round skiing and it's great, gotta get up to the Tyrol region to the city of Innsbruck, very nice place

Hey you can buy beer at all newspaper stands and most sell airplane bottles of jagermeister... enjoy your trip.

Wow, now I feel like going, maybe a nice ski trip this winter.  Have fun.

[epyscs]

I am a Euro skier and regularly used to travel around europe either for skiing or work.

 Italian coffee... well you said you like it strong!  It will be great, unless you are used to the weak sugary mess that comes from many of the US chains.  Personally cant stand Starbucks - its good for kids getting into coffee, wannabe coffee drinkers or the mums that lunch crowd.  Not much else.

 Most coffee places will serve an espresso as standard.  Not a Long Black / Americano as mentioned before (unless they are making an assumptions about you... :).  Generally italians dont order anything with frothy milk after about 10:30 as these are seen as a 'breakfast' coffee.  You will probably find that all the coffee from any decent size coffee place i nthe areas of Europe you are heading will have good coffee - especially compared to other countries.

 How do I know... coffee addict here.  Currently have a large Long Black sitting in front of me as we type - and will be the first of 3 or 4 today.  Did you know it was recently proved that coffee helps reduce muscle damage as a result of sport.  (Horton: this thread is now appropriate for the site - unlike trick stuff...)

 Cell Service - best bet as said above.  Pick up a cheap pay as you go if your handset is 3G.  Internet cafes / wifi is real common over there but you are best to look for a sign in a shop / cafe window rather than try google it.  For some reason wifi isnt really something that gets listed - its more of an assumption.

[Horton]

epyscs,

Gallagher and I are not jokeing. We go through a big French Press every morning and fight for the last ½ cup. Dark roast beans ground fresh every morning. Hell, I will chew the beans if the mood strikes me. Coffee is so bad at the office I switch to tea all day :- (

Strarbucks is the McDonalds of Coffee

[skidawg]

U like French press, u r in luck at the olde oaks b&b

[Horton]

I love you man... (In a manly sort of way)

[ski6jones]

Once you have coffee in Italy everything else will pale in comparison.

Dopio Espresso!!!

[ForrestGump]

JTH......try to make sure and NOT cross into Iranian territory. Me thinks they won't appreciate your 'fro. 

[ODBF]

The CRB offers to keep the Ball of Sin up to date while you are gone.

 

Of course by up to date we mean post pictures of random stuff with a bunch of photo shop pics of Tacocat, awesome Sammy and naked chearing guy cut in. No actually useful content would be added

[Horton]

Holy Cow I just checked the weather. I am going have to stay bundled up with a beer. It is a COLD 70 F here today and a freezing 50f there.

I guess I will get out my American Flag jacket and Dale Sr. hat so I am warm and do not stand out. I don't want to look silly.

[Horton]

northern italy and vienna austria

[DW]

You will certainly blend right in dressed like that!  Make sure you rent a fun car w/ a manual gearbox and go have some fun on the roads.  They do photo tickets over there.  Take a spin up in to the mountains, that is fun stuff.

[Horton]

Done

[skibug]

yeah, photo tickets are great...no cop pulling you over to slow you down and throw you off schedule.