nona1

This thread has me laughing out loud. Thanks all.

Anway Mr D, have a lovely trip.

(I wouldn't advise you visit England at any point. I think we'd drive you nuts.)

Clifton

Hehe -- there's a 100(!) responses to a basic thread about where to buy coffee, booze and smokes. About 10% actually attempt an answer and the other 90% get most of the response back. I love this thread too. The core nature of internet talk in miniature.

audere_est_facere

I see you’re being sensible enough to bring an American woman with you. This is very wise as you can’t really get American women in Europe, and the local version is somewhat different from what you’re used to.

Mr_Dreamer

Ok I got it. Bring our own or buy it at a duty free shop in the airport. Nicolas wine shops in Paris sells Maker's Mark Bourbon, Monoprix sells virtually everything else we may need while in Paris. In Munich try Galeria Kaufhof. Thank You.

Josser

Yes, audere, European women are usually unavailable in the large economy size.

audere_est_facere

You can get ecomony sized european women, usualy in areas with a sizable US population such as around airbases etc.

However they still don't have that authentic American Hair. American Hair is beyond any European.

MissPrism

I live on the Welsh border in Cheshire.
I suppose that at a pinch, I could take Welsh air with me.
see: http://tinyurl.com/ydcqmq
Mark you, at £24 a bottle, perhaps I should put up with the local version.

audere_est_facere

if you lived in Londonderry you could take the Londonderry Air.

MissPrism

Groan!
Taxi for Mr. Facere!

Dukey

What if he likes hairy armpits and legs?

kerouac

For additional American product emergencies in Paris, www.thanksgivingparis.com stocks quite a few items.

walkinaround

>>>>>
You can get ecomony sized european women, usualy in areas with a sizable US population such as around airbases etc.
....
European women are usually unavailable in the large economy size.
>>>>>

i assume we are defining 'europe' as 'continental europe'?

just one visit to any UK shopping centre will show us that great 'economies of scale' are being achieved right here at home! the few exceptions are the enclaves of beautiful people --usually the domain of americans and other foreigners (chelsea, hampstead, etc).

but why let reality get in the way of a little fun?

j_999_9

I've never done this, and I guess it depends on how bad you want the stuff, but maybe could you mail packages (coffee and tea) ahead to the hotels and ask them to hold them till your arrival.
BTW, this thread is totally hilarious. Whenever someone posts something like this, the over/under for mentioning something like "expanding horizons" is 5 posts. This thread made winners out of the "under" bettors.

suze

Lately I've had the same thought (as Love Italy brings up) quite often reading on Fodor's... "How did these people travel before the invention of the internet?"

While I love posting on the forums, I do it for entertainment and possibly to help others, but honestly rarely for actual travel planning. When I want to plan a trip (as I did just a few weeks ago for next month) I buy a plane ticket, make a hotel reservation, withdraw extra cash from my bank account, and start packing. That's it!

robjame

But 999 (can I call you 999?) at some point it begs the question - if these are all the things necessary to make the trip bearable, is the destination correct? There are closer places that have buffets, Makers Mark, Camels, Folgers, Lipton Tea, totally safe areas - Orlando comes to mind. And if you really insist on a cross-cultural experience visit the countries of EPCOT.

Mr_Dreamer

How long have you worked at EPCOT robjame? Do you get extra pay for promoting it? We've been there and I sure Europe is better then the EPCOT center amusement park. you're saying if we need some comforts of home with us on our vacation to europe then we shouldn't go because, we lose the whole cultural experience of the countries we plan to visit, right? Then that would mean we shouldn't take our normal brands of clothes or shoes with us either, Or our watches,camera, makeup,medicine,hairspray,tampons or shower/bath supplies! We can only get the REAL European cultural experience by buying everything we will use or need when we get there! Right?

SeaUrchin

Yes, Mr. D, fly nekked and buy everything over there.

Actually, I have a friend who brings his own candy, pain relievers, tea when he visits from London.

You'll be fine, have fun.

MarthaT

Mr.D
I think now is the time to take note of all your serious answers and leave this thread to die.
By you answering back to rojame etc you are just fanning the flames for more silly answers. Plenty of good answers here to your question, so I would move on. Of course come back if you have any new questions or worries and some of us would be happy to help.

j_999_9

robjam (and you may call me '9'): C'mon, now. Are you saying that you can't enjoy the fullness of Paris AND have your tea, too?

Dreamer is talking about taking along a few items, not locking himself in his hotel room while continously singing the National Anthem and watching Oprah.

It is possible to smoke a Camel, drink Folgers and Makers Mark and still enjoy Paris, ce n'est pas? Or can it only be done properly while puffing on a Gaulois? Which reminds me of a story.

I know a German tour guide who lives on the Costa Del Sol in Spain and specializes in shepherding groups there from Germany.

She said she made all the arrangements for one group to eat GERMAN food, stay at a hotel where the employees spoke GERMAN and even watch a football (soccer) game on TV featuring a team from GERMANY.

She said at the end of the tour, everyone in the group told her it was the best trip they'd ever been on EXCEPT they were disappointed that the commentary for the football game wasn't in GERMAN.

walkinaround

9...i wouldn't worry about robjam's posts on this thread. they belie a serious misunderstanding of european culture or a deliberate distorting of reality in order to make some strange point.

your story about your friend on the costa del sol is the rule for average europeans not some strange aberration. anybody who has ever visited spain should know that there are huge pockets of british ghettos, scandinavian and german ghettos. we create britain but with sun.

americans tend to want to see the 'real' (fill in the country) when they come here. sometimes their attempts are strange and based on stereotype but all the well. we just go to places like spain and greece for cheap sun without a care about the history or culture.

as for americans isolating themselves socially, that's just laughable. in fact, it is a common complaint on this board that americans are 'too friendly' when they visit europe. for myself, i just find them more outgoing than most of us over here. but what do i know.

the rest of the points are just very tired rehashes of cliches that don't make for very interesting reading. americans are loud, etc. guess he or she never met an italian, spaniard, or drunk englishman.