Experiences with saps on holidays

NilesCrane

Davarus Walrus wrote: »

Nothing ruins a holiday quicker than discovering a shower of Nordies have arrived in the place. Drink, that accent, and a massive chip on their collective shoulders invariably leads to a lowering of the tone.

That's pure bigotry right here, when you see a bunch of 'nordies' you view them all in the same negative light. so what about a bunch of metal heads with 'nordie' accents who have no interest in politics, do they lower the tone of the place? what about a bunch of 'nordie' men innocently attending a GAA match, do they lower the tone of the stadium? or what about a bunch of drunken louts from Inishowen with 'nordie accents' wearing Donegal jerseys, do they lower the tone of a place or would that cause the 'nordie' radar you have to explode with confusion. Your views are pathetic, disgusting and sickening.

No wonder they have a chip on their shoulders having to put up with men like yourself

Grayson

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

Bolivia.



Irish bars are often better craic than the regular bars in many places I've been to. I don't go to them much at all but any time I've gone to one, I've had a good time. Locals tend to go to them too if they're looking for a particular kind of fun you won't find in local bars.

English bars too. Ollies in la Paz is a great place to get a square meal and have a chat with fellow backpackers. then it's off to a more local watering hole for the rest of the evening.

The irish bar in Cuzco is priced comparably with the rest of the restaurants in the area (Cuzco is a very touristy city) and has far better food.

Legs.Eleven

Grayson wrote: »

English bars too. Ollies in la Paz is a great place to get a square meal and have a chat with fellow backpackers. then it's off to a more local watering hole for the rest of the evening.

The irish bar in Cuzco is priced comparably with the rest of the restaurants in the area (Cuzco is a very touristy city) and has far better food.

English/Irish bars don't really differ internationally. Nothing English or Irish about either of them in reality.

I remember a very drunken night out dancing in an Irish bar in Cuzco alright. It seemed to be the place locals and tourists went to mingle and go mental.


Edit: Saying that, Peruvian food is absolutely delicious, so you definitely wouldn't have found tastier food in an Irish bar there imo.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Go to the hidden off the tourist map drink joints. Don't be all insecure and run for cover at the local British/Irish bar.

Grayson

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

English/Irish bars don't really differ internationally. Nothing English or Irish about either of them in reality.

I remember a very drunken night out dancing in an Irish bar in Cuzco alright. It seemed to be the place locals and tourists went to mingle and go mental.


Edit: Saying that, Peruvian food is absolutely delicious, so you definitely wouldn't have found tastier food in an Irish bar there imo.

Well, there was the touristy food in restaurants which was exactly like the south of Spain. It could have been transported directly from a cheap resort. Guys standing outside restaurants trying to get you to eat cheap pizza and burgers.
Then there was the "local" touristy food. Guinea pig type stuff.
then there was the proper peruvian resteraunts

For those that are wondering, this is the bar we're talking about.
http://www.paddysirishbarcusco.com/

Flincher

.jacksparrow. wrote: »

I think people are taking it up wrong, im not talking about eating out in a restaurant and spending a load of money on a meal, im talking about for the average holiday budget it's the best value imo.

Hong Kong.
Vietnam.
Spain.
Venice.

Some places of the top of my head.

The Irish bars I visited in Saigon, Hoi An and Hanoi were easily 50% more expensive than most other bars in those cities. If it wasn't for wanting to watch the 3 All Ireland Finals this year I wouldn't have set foot in them.

fryup

fryup wrote: »

and why go to an irish bar while abroad???

I have no problem trying out a few different bars when on holidays and I do try a few different places but generally I drink in Irish bars. I'm on holidays to relax and enjoy myself that involves watching the GAA, soccer, rugby etc and Irish bars are the only places showing these and usually have a great atmosphere for the GAA especially with great banter among people from the different counties.

I also just feel more relaxed in an Irish bar, especially during the day as you can chat away to other people if in an non-English speaking country and if in somewhere like the US the fact you are Irish usually means you have great banter with the yanks as they love having a real Irish person in the bar.

.jacksparrow.

Elora Billions Polygamy wrote: »

I have no problem trying out a few different bars when on holidays and I do try a few different places but generally I drink in Irish bars. I'm on holidays to relax and enjoy myself that involves watching the GAA, soccer, rugby etc and Irish bars are the only places showing these and usually have a great atmosphere for the GAA especially with great banter among people from the different counties.

I also just feel more relaxed in an Irish bar, especially during the day as you can chat away to other people if in an non-English speaking country and if in somewhere like the US the fact you are Irish usually means you have great banter with the yanks as they love having a real Irish person in the bar.

Exactly my point. You can order a pint and a curry chips or a burger, happy out no messing around.

And yes it is possible to do the touristy things in
these places whilst going for food and drinks in an Irish bar.

Jezek

Daveysil15 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with trying something new - each to their own, but it depends on where you go. When I was in Prague for example, I tried a few of the local bars but they were completely dead. The Irish bar I went to had much better atmosphere and the people were friendlier. I always try and visit both local bars and an Irish bar wherever I go though. Although Italy was one place where I didn't like the Irish bars for some reason. I'd much prefer the local places there. Great food too.

Hahaha you couldn't find a lively czech pub in prague? I'm sorry but you really missed out on one of the best pub cultures in the world. You probably just tried a few czech-style tourist traps or are just one unlucky traveller.

I suspect you were paying a lot more for pints in an irish pub as well.

Jamsiek

Collie D wrote: »

What's sappy about wearing a football jersey on holidays.

Everything

Cee-Jay-Cee

Davarus Walrus wrote: »

Nothing ruins a holiday quicker than discovering a shower of Nordies have arrived in the place. Drink, that accent, and a massive chip on their collective shoulders invariably leads to a lowering of the tone.

Nearly worse than a plane/hotel full of travellers but not quite, they're an experience to be missed at all cost.

Sunnyisland

Re wearing football tops etc
Was out last night, surrounded by lots of people wearing flags and t shirts supporting Spain and Holland,there were a few English ones there as well,All seemed to be having a great time except the Spanish when they got anailated,

Don't see nothing wrong with people wearing them me self, may they be soccer,rugby or GAA .

Jamsiek

Pugsly wrote: »

I don't know why people go on certain types of holidays when they know what they are like. I know people who go to the same Spanish resort every year and every year complain about the crowds of yobs.

Exactly.
I don't know why people choose to go to the same place every year.
Seems to he a serious lack of imagination or knowledge that there's a world out there.
The fact that they complain makes it even more rediculous

NilesCrane

CJC999 wrote: »

Nearly worse than a plane/hotel full of travellers but not quite, they're an experience to be missed at all cost.

So a bundle of drunken louts from Dundalk or Monaghan is ok then but not the big bad 'nordies'? Pure hatred and bigotry right there. You were obviously brought up to hate another group of people just like the 'nordies' you hate so much.
I was in Liverpool airport recently and there werre a group of loud men sitting in Subway who were a mixture of northerners and southerners, so how would that work for you? I suppose you would just hate the 'nordies' out of the bunch.

Also, what about quiet and reserved 'nordies' like myself, maybe you would just think i'm a terrorist threat or something, you know how it is, it's the quiet ones to watch like.

NilesCrane

Riamfada wrote: »

When I was a kid we used to go to a complex in Spain. The ahad two towers and one was for northies and the other for free staters.They were purposefully segregated because of the amount of Irish there. There were Union Jacks and Red Hand flags hanging off one and tricolours off the others.

Meanwhile the Germans had theirs all over the sunbeds.

Maybe Tyrone GAA fans? The red hand isn't a British symbol in fact the original tri colour in the 1800's had a red hand in the middle. It's an O'Neill symbol.

Jamsiek

.jacksparrow. wrote: »

I think people are taking it up wrong, im not talking about eating out in a restaurant and spending a load of money on a meal, im talking about for the average holiday budget it's the best value imo.

Hong Kong.
Vietnam.
Spain.
Venice.

Some places of the top of my head.

Plenty of reasonably priced restaurants serving good food in these places and far better than Irish bars in a lot of cases.
You just need to look around.

numorouno

Jezek wrote: »

Hahaha you couldn't find a lively czech pub in prague? I'm sorry but you really missed out on one of the best pub cultures in the world. You probably just tried a few czech-style tourist traps or are just one unlucky traveller.

I suspect you were paying a lot more for pints in an irish pub as well.

could you list a few good pubs there.heading over there in November. Thanks

Grayson

realies wrote: »

Re wearing football tops etc
Was out last night, surrounded by lots of people wearing flags and t shirts supporting Spain and Holland,there were a few English ones there as well,All seemed to be having a great time except the Spanish when they got anailated,

Don't see nothing wrong with people wearing them me self, may they be soccer,rugby or GAA .

To be fair, they were watching football yes?

I think the poster meant people who wear them out to dinner when on holiday, when there's no football on.

Grayson

numorouno wrote: »

could you list a few good pubs there.heading over there in November. Thanks

There was one called O'Che's It was a cuban-irish bar

Jamsiek

Turtyturd wrote: »

We stay in the same hotel every time we go and for the most part it has been quiet enough but it does get a lot of 'saps' with more interest in getting plastered than keeping an eye on their brats. In my experience the back blocks are quieter as the 'saps' prefer to be closer to the pub/shop.

Why do you stay in the same place every time then?
I don't understand why people do this when there are so many other places to go

Jamsiek

MajorMax wrote: »

Malaysia, Only place I could find a decent breakfast (mmmmmm Bacon) was in an Irish pub. They even had Denny sasauges. Everywhere else had either beef or turkey bacon, THAT'S NOT BACON!!

Malaysian food is delicious, if I was there I certainly wouldn't be eating sausages.

FTA69

Why the absolutism about Irish pubs? I always go to one wherever I am in the world out of curiosity and ritual as much as anything else. That doesn't predicate against me doing anything else or sampling local culture either. It isn't a case of avoid Irish pubs like the plague or else hole up in one for a week.

I went to an Irish pub in Vegas and met a guy from my estate in Cork working behind the bar. He brought us out on the lash around the old town and it was a great laugh, not to mention the sheer wealth of information I've got out of Irish barstaff in various cities around the world over the years.

Also when I'm away on holiday I also want to go on a session, and the fact is that Irish pubs often provide the best location in which to do so. It's great sitting in a charming Italian bistro reading a book etc, but come 9pm when I want to start skulling pints and having the craic that isn't going to cut the mustard.

Similarly if Cork are playing in an important Championship match, I'm not missing those boys for anything. If people want to look down on that in favour of something else then off with them, I've better things to worry about than what judgements people are making about my holiday.

previous user

Davarus Walrus wrote: »

Nothing ruins a holiday quicker than discovering a shower of Nordies have arrived in the place. Drink, that accent, and a massive chip on their collective shoulders invariably leads to a lowering of the tone.

Their accents sound like a couple of loud obnoxious foghorns going off every couple of mins,
getting back to not bringing flags, I'd probably wear a small Irish lapel pin so as not to be confused with an English person, they're generally despised around Europe.
And if you speak English they might lump you in with that obnoxious lot.

Lingua Franca

Daveysil15 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with trying something new - each to their own, but it depends on where you go. When I was in Prague for example, I tried a few of the local bars but they were completely dead. The Irish bar I went to had much better atmosphere and the people were friendlier. I always try and visit both local bars and an Irish bar wherever I go though. Although Italy was one place where I didn't like the Irish bars for some reason. I'd much prefer the local places there. Great food too.

Rocky O'Reilly's, by any chance?

We fell out of Rocky O'Reillys after a very dull evening's boozing with other Irish tourists at about 2am because it was closing time, turned right then straight across the street into the bar on the corner on the left for "one last drink" before going back to our hotel.

Pints were 1/3 of the price of Rocky O'Reilly's. There was an 80's karaoke disco in the basement - Czech folk trying to sing Like A Virgin while other folk danced like eedjits. Super friendly and efficient staff bringing pint after pint and chatting away. The place was still kicking when we decided to drink up, pay up and wandered out... into broad daylight. It was about 7:30 in the morning and we were smashed. Hadn't noticed the time passing at all because we'd been having such a great time.

If anyone else ever finds themselves on Wenceslas square and heading up towards Rocky O'Reillys, do yourself and your wallet a favour and go to the bar at V jámě 9 instead.

Legs.Eleven

FTA69 wrote: »

Why the absolutism about Irish pubs? I always go to one wherever I am in the world out of curiosity and ritual as much as anything else. That doesn't predicate against me doing anything else or sampling local culture either. It isn't a case of avoid Irish pubs like the plague or else hole up in one for a week.

I went to an Irish pub in Vegas and met a guy from my estate in Cork working behind the bar. He brought us out on the lash around the old town and it was a great laugh, not to mention the sheer wealth of information I've got out of Irish barstaff in various cities around the world over the years.

Also when I'm away on holiday I also want to go on a session, and the fact is that Irish pubs often provide the best location in which to do so. It's great sitting in a charming Italian bistro reading a book etc, but come 9pm when I want to start skulling pints and having the craic that isn't going to cut the mustard.

Similarly if Cork are playing in an important Championship match, I'm not missing those boys for anything. If people want to look down on that in favour of something else then off with them, I've better things to worry about than what judgements people are making about my holiday.

I went travelling around Italy for 3 weeks a few years ago mostly on my own and I'd hoped to meet people in my hostel in Rome like I'd done in other cities but my hostel was almost completely empty bar a group of young students from Hong Kong who were lovely but who were doing their own thing. After 4 days of seeing the sights alone and eating alone, the loneliness crept up on me, so I headed to an Irish bar (Dublin were playing that day as it happened) and immediately got chatting to people from all around. They're good for that kind of thing.

hju6

previous user wrote: »

Their accents sound like a couple of loud obnoxious foghorns going off every couple of mins,
getting back to not bringing flags, I'd probably wear a small Irish lapel pin so as not to be confused with an English person, they're generally despised around Europe.
And if you speak English they might lump you in with that obnoxious lot.

And people will move their children away from you, in case they end up in a septic tank, or shot in the neck

Degringola

previous user wrote: »

Their accents sound like a couple of loud obnoxious foghorns going off every couple of mins,
getting back to not bringing flags, I'd probably wear a small Irish lapel pin so as not to be confused with an English person, they're generally despised around Europe.
And if you speak English they might lump you in with that obnoxious
lot.

Well isn't that charming.
The only form of 'racism' or 'ethnicism' or whatever you call it still acceptable in holy Ireland.

MajorMax

Jamsiek wrote: »

Malaysian food is delicious, if I was there I certainly wouldn't be eating sausages.

But I NEEDED Bacon

desertcircus

.jacksparrow. wrote: »

I think people are taking it up wrong, im not talking about eating out in a restaurant and spending a load of money on a meal, im talking about for the average holiday budget it's the best value imo.

Hong Kong.
Vietnam.
Spain.
Venice.

Some places of the top of my head.

Wait a minute, you think the best place in Vietnam for good value food is an Irish bar?

I don't like to be presumptuous, but how many kilos of ketamine were you on while in Vietnam?

.jacksparrow.

desertcircus wrote: »

Wait a minute, you think the best place in Vietnam for good value food is an Irish bar?

I don't like to be presumptuous, but how many kilos of ketamine were you on while in Vietnam?

It was ho chi Minh city, wasn't the cleanest of places maybe it was where I was staying.

discus

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

I went travelling around Italy for 3 weeks a few years ago mostly on my own and I'd hoped to meet people in my hostel in Rome like I'd done in other cities but my hostel was almost completely empty bar a group of young students from Hong Kong who were lovely but who were doing their own thing. After 4 days of seeing the sights alone and eating alone, the loneliness crept up on me, so I headed to an Irish bar (Dublin were playing that day as it happened) and immediately got chatting to people from all around. They're good for that kind of thing.

Thats a fantastic example. In the UK, I pop into Irish bars all the time, you can just sit at the counter and talk ****e with the many other single irish blokes who are over here. Instant banter.

jimgoose

MajorMax wrote: »

But I NEEDED Bacon

I know the feeling. Now, gods-dammit, intraveinously if necessary!!

jimgoose

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

I went travelling around Italy for 3 weeks a few years ago mostly on my own and I'd hoped to meet people in my hostel in Rome like I'd done in other cities but my hostel was almost completely empty bar a group of young students from Hong Kong who were lovely but who were doing their own thing. After 4 days of seeing the sights alone and eating alone, the loneliness crept up on me, so I headed to an Irish bar (Dublin were playing that day as it happened) and immediately got chatting to people from all around. They're good for that kind of thing.

Only in an Irish bar will you meet a fella born-and-reared in Guandong Province, and he'll tell you over a pint and ball-of-malt that the brother is making a great job of the landlady.

Jamsiek

previous user wrote: »

Their accents sound like a couple of loud obnoxious foghorns going off every couple of mins,
getting back to not bringing flags, I'd probably wear a small Irish lapel pin so as not to be confused with an English person, they're generally despised around Europe.
And if you speak English they might lump you in with that obnoxious lot.

So you hate "nordies" and English people, wow
A lapel pin is almost as bad as a jersey

desertcircus

.jacksparrow. wrote: »

It was ho chi Minh city, wasn't the cleanest of places maybe it was where I was staying.

Vietnamese food is some of the best in the world - even in Ho Chi Minh, where everything is about twice the price of the rest of the country, you can get top-class food for ridiculously low money. Outside of HCMC, the prices are even more ridiculous. You can get a bowl of pho for about a dollar pretty much everywhere in the country (hell, even in HCMC), and it's quite possibly the most perfect dish on earth.

.jacksparrow.

desertcircus wrote: »

Vietnamese food is some of the best in the world - even in Ho Chi Minh, where everything is about twice the price of the rest of the country, you can get top-class food for ridiculously low money. Outside of HCMC, the prices are even more ridiculous. You can get a bowl of pho for about a dollar pretty much everywhere in the country (hell, even in HCMC), and it's quite possibly the most perfect dish on earth.

Yes, in your opinion.

desertcircus

.jacksparrow. wrote: »

Yes, in your opinion.

Yes, opinion (and especially taste) is subjective. But if we're talking about the best food options on an average holiday budget, then we have to take into account the fact that the vast majority of people who travel to Vietnam are at least neutral on the merits of the food, and that a one-dollar meal that fills you up is a better option than a five-dollar meal that fills you up, unless the five-dollar meal is five times tastier. Which, for the vast majority of people willing to travel to Vietnam, it isn't.

To return to the AH tone, though: if you'd rather eat in an Irish bar in HCMC than go for Vietnamese, you're doing food wrong. Vietnamese food being unbelievably good is a running theme in Western culture for the last forty years - there are jokes in the Simpsons and Gran Torino about how good it is, journalists and TV presenters have been going nuts over it since the war, virtually everyone who visits comes home raving about how great it is. For 99% of people who go to Vietnam, eating in an Irish bar and avoiding the local food is just about the worst advice possible - it's up there with going to Paris and only eating in McDonalds.

Legs.Eleven

.jacksparrow. wrote: »

Yes, in your opinion.

It's very popular.

.jacksparrow.

desertcircus wrote: »

Yes, opinion (and especially taste) is subjective. But if we're talking about the best food options on an average holiday budget, then we have to take into account the fact that the vast majority of people who travel to Vietnam are at least neutral on the merits of the food, and that a one-dollar meal that fills you up is a better option than a five-dollar meal that fills you up, unless the five-dollar meal is five times tastier. Which, for the vast majority of people willing to travel to Vietnam, it isn't.

To return to the AH tone, though: if you'd rather eat in an Irish bar in HCMC than go for Vietnamese, you're doing food wrong. Vietnamese food being unbelievably good is a running theme in Western culture for the last forty years - there are jokes in the Simpsons and Gran Torino about how good it is, journalists and TV presenters have been going nuts over it since the war, virtually everyone who visits comes home raving about how great it is. For 99% of people who go to Vietnam, eating in an Irish bar and avoiding the local food is just about the worst advice possible - it's up there with going to Paris and only eating in McDonalds.

Fair enough, but using the Simpson's and gran torino as a reason to believe it's the best in the world doesn't convince me!

Where the family in gran torino not from Laos?

Flincher

.jacksparrow. wrote: »

It was ho chi Minh city, wasn't the cleanest of places maybe it was where I was staying.

No it's not the cleanest place, but seriously there's a hell of a lot of decent places to eat and drink, many substantially cheaper than the Irish bar we visited.

Not that the Irish place wasn't bad, we enjoyed watching the hurling there and had a great evening, but we were playing close to western prices for food and drink there.

MajorMax

jimgoose wrote: »

I know the feeling. Now, gods-dammit, intraveinously if necessary!!

Yeah and none of that American streaky crunchy ****e either. I want a rasher

Jamsiek

MajorMax wrote: »

Yeah and none of that American streaky crunchy ****e either. I want a rasher

Why bother leaving Ireland then

Tarzana

desertcircus wrote: »

there are jokes in the Simpsons and Gran Torino about how good it is

There are NO jokes in the classic Simpsons years (1989-1997) about how good Vietnamese food is, none. And sure who cares if there are any post-1997 references. :pac:

Tarzana

And weighing in on the whole Irish pub thing, I'd mostly avoid them, like many people. But I just can't stand the overreaction to somebody stepping into one maybe once for few hours, to catch a match or whatever. So what, it's a tiny fraction of your holiday. It's a kind of earnest snobbery, like you're not fully immersing yourself in the cultural experience or something. :rolleyes:

Spending a lot of time in them though seems kind of a waste.

awec

Whatever about Irish bars abroad, I think we can all agree that English bars abroad bring a whole new level of tacky. Daft names like The Queen Vic , wall-to-wall fruit machines, dodgy sports streams, cheap, crappy beer and greasy food. Maybe even some neon lighting inside cause the place has a bit of a disco at night with drunken moomins making fools of themselves dancing about.

previous user

Jamsiek wrote: »

So you hate "nordies" and English people, wow
A lapel pin is almost as bad as a jersey

I don't hate them, I just avoid them. No its subtle, wearing a jersey is just some clown crying out for attention, just wearing a subtle tricolour pin is is not wanting to be confused with certain english people or who from what I'm told and from past experience are mostly despised in Europe for their loud obnoxious behaviour.

previous user

hju6 wrote: »

And people will move their children away from you, in case they end up in a septic tank, or shot in the neck

Don't get me wrong not all English, or Nordies but unfortunately:rolleyes:

Fratton Fred

previous user wrote: »

I don't hate them, I just avoid them. No its subtle, wearing a jersey is just some clown crying out for attention, just wearing a subtle tricolour pin is is not wanting to be confused with certain english people or who from what I'm told and from past experience are mostly despised in Europe for their loud obnoxious behaviour.

A friend and his wife were staying a couple of nights in a cheap as chips hotel in Banelmadena. Absolutely hated it, full of idiots that thought going on holiday meant getting pissed all day, only to move every now and then to shout obscenities at their kids as they ran wild.

At the pool bar, the barman asked him where in England he was from, so he explained that he is actually Scottish. The barman then asked how come a Scotsman was on holiday with a load of drunken English idiots.

They're Irish, he explained, not English, to which the barman did a huh? What do you mean Irish, they're all wearing man United and Liverpool jerseys.

Shame they weren't all wearing their tri colour badges.

desultory

Fratton Fred wrote: »

A friend and his wife were staying a couple of nights in a cheap as chips hotel in Banelmadena. Absolutely hated it, full of idiots that thought going on holiday meant getting pissed all day, only to move every now and then to shout obscenities at their kids as they ran wild.

At the pool bar, the barman asked him where in England he was from, so he explained that he is actually Scottish. The barman then asked how come a Scotsman was on holiday with a load of drunken English idiots.

They're Irish, he explained, not English, to which the barman did a huh? What do you mean Irish, they're all wearing man United and Liverpool jerseys.

Shame they weren't all wearing their tri colour badges.

Guy on my newsfeed today "delighted England lost last night, gimps" from a chap who has a Man United cover photo. A dedicated fan of an English team with English players in an English league played in England..and he's happy when England loses.

EyeSight

desultory wrote: »

Guy on my newsfeed today "delighted England lost last night, gimps" from a chap who has a Man United cover photo. A dedicated fan of an English team with English players in an English league played in England..and he's happy when England loses.

It's because in the run up to the world cup all the English media outlets over hype it all and if they won it would be unbearable to listen to!
Especially when they play Germany. What some of the British tabloids then is awful - references to the war etc. It's funny because the Germans don't even consider England to be rivals