GreenDragon,

Darn, does this mean I actually have to write a trip report?

OK, I'll admit that I'm not keen on questions asking "is it worth it" - how the heck would I know what it's worth to a complete stranger? Also, I don't understand the term "must sees." If you've lived so far without seeing something, how could it be a "must see?" But I don't get all aggravated when posters use these terms and don't really understand why it bothers other people so much.

I do understand the problem with paragraph-free trip reports. You just can't make sense of them so the lack of formatting defeats the purpose of writing a trip report in the first place.

"My pet peeve is the USA-centricity of general opinion of this forum. Explaining a different view of things or a different way of life is considered an attack on US values which will then be defended with claws and teeth."

Quokka, I'm going to challenge you on this. Please give about a half dozen examples of that happening on THIS forum--the Europe forum. Since you think this happens so often, finding half a dozen recent examples of Americans on th Europe forum making those kinds of posts should be a piece of cake.

I hate "critique" used as a verb.

<<'Lose' and 'loose.' You didn't 'loose' your backpack ...>>

Yes, and 'peak" for pique; 'pour' for pore; 'wet' for whet and 'lead' for led.

In the past two to three years "iconic" has been applied to everything from hamburgers to dead people. I am not sure under what circumstances iconic should be applied but fortunately I have not heard it used yest with chew toys.

Some how I think with it has to do with the unrelated computer term icon. With widespread use of computers icon has become sorely abused except by members of the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches. From there it evovled in iconic.

Personally, I feel Doric.

My pet peeve are people like my best friends. We all love to travel.
We are the slow travelers, I paint, therefore I want to absorb where I am.
We take our time and love to sit and people watch as well as take in the museums etc.

In contrast, our friends run around like chickens without heads. If they have spent a half a day in Zurich, well then they have "seen" Zurich. It drives me crazy because they never want to go back and revisit, because they have already "seen" it and now want to move on a "see" somewhere else.

They did Florence a couple of years ago in one day while I painted in Montepulciano. Now we are going to Florence for a week and will barely scratch the surface and they won't go back because they have already seen it. Oh brother!!!!!!!!11

Adu, as opposed to Ionic?

Adu, as opposed to Ionic?

Yes, Nikki, it is called a joke.

I liked it Aduchamp. Cracked me up. I'm feeling Corinthian today. Ornate and seldom used...
(thanks wikipedia :) ).

Thank you PDX. And I glad you are not out of order.

I wish I was clever enough to figure out another pun. Come up with one for me, would you?

Tomato, tomahto, ionic, iconic, let's call the whole thing off.

I would not be so base as to suggest what might be a capital idea for you.

Ooh, good one!

"Quokka, I'm going to challenge you on this. Please give about a half dozen examples of that happening on THIS forum--the Europe forum. Since you think this happens so often, finding half a dozen recent examples of Americans on th Europe forum making those kinds of posts should be a piece of cake."

You're kidding, right?

Staring right now,

Post 2- Please help with our Santorini Trip

Post 5- Megabus

Post 6- Munich for a Day

Post 7- How old were you- a classic, this one. Some of us LIVE here.

Post 10- Jent103 goes to London

Post 16- Wah! I want to go to Europe.


(and I think I'm being generous missing out many of the in betweens).

Don't misunderstand me; this wasn't MY peeve.The Board is hugely populated by Amurricans, and it would be odd were it otherwise. But you do have a way of looking at the world that the rest of us find.... differnt

Sheila, that's NOT at all the question I asked. I questioned where on the Europe forum Americans repeatedly ranted about "any different view of things or a different way of life" be "considered an ATTACK on US values which will then be defended with CLAWS AND TEETH."

I don't see that attitude in the posts you suggested. And esp the "how old were you" thread. If I posted a thread on the U.S. board asking non-Americans how old were they when they first visited the U.S., it would be just a question, not an attack on anyone's values!

Unless you were kidding with your post?

(shaking head)...............am I missing something here? Why can't we all just get along...........LOL

I may be missing something, in which case I apologise. I thought you were asking him/her to give half a dozen examples of US-centricity.

Whilst we certainly get our share of the attacks on the non US way of doing things, from no replying to emails (which tees ME off, too, to not taking dollars, to not providing shower curtains or wash cloths or (I could go on), they are, at least now, much rarer.

Given that the majority of posters here are American, I'm not unduly surprised about U.S. centricity, especially in posts from people who haven't been to Europe before (or only went once on a packaged tour years ago). I suspect if you frequented a mostly British forum with novice international travelers, there'd be a British centricity as well. Or Germans on a German travel forum. It's seems pointless and petty to get peeved about that, like getting peeved at a beginners math(s) class for not understanding advanced calculus.

Anywho, I simply don't see "claws and teeth" coming out in the way Quokka described from Americans on Europe travel posts, at least not in the ones I've read recently. Seems odd for Quokka to still be so worked up about something that is, as you put it, "much rarer."

Of course, I'm not talking about the Lounge. What happens in the Lounge stays in the Lounge (or at least it should).

By the way, if Americans stop complaining about wash cloths and shower curtains, will the British stop moaning that (almost) nobody else can make a "proper cup of tea"? :-)

Never been known :)

But they no doubt will, if you guys get round to boiling the water before you add it!

I've just seen one of mine.
Why on earth can't Americans say Trafalgar Square, Gloucester Road, Liverpool Street etc.?
I've even seen Buckingham instead of Buckingham Palace.

BTW, I never drink tea outside the UK and I rarely drink it outside my own house.
Coffee is much more fool-proof.

Why on earth can't Americans say Trafalgar Square, Gloucester Road, Liverpool Street etc.?


I just said it but you were not here to hear it? Actually I do not understand your complaint. What are we saying incorrectly?

Aduchamp1 wrote: "Actually I do not understand your complaint. What are we saying incorrectly?"

A clue: Whitehall and The Strand are not covered by the complaint. Probably not Covent Garden either, but one can't be sure.

I think that somebody on the forum told the tale of a poor American who wanted to go to Ipswich.
He was told to get a train from Liverpool Street Station, but ended up travelling for hours, having been to Liverpool.

I must say that I have not yet seen Covent instead of Covent Garden ;-)

Ah, I see now. Fortunately I have never been guilty of that crime but that was out ignorance.

So it OK to say to say Cheapside, London Wall and South Bank but what if I do not know if it is Upper ot Lower Thames Street will you send me fot a swim?

Please note, however, if you come to NYC, there is no street, avenue, place, or mews after Broadway. But if you do not add an avenues or street for a number below eleven, you could easily be given the wrong directions because there are many streets and avenues with have the same number.

One of my pet peeves is when people post on Fodor carelessly, without hitting the preview button first. Here's an example:
How about a fun topic? What are some of the phrases you here relative to travel experiences that make you cringe?

How long did it take you to spot the mistake?

@Bert4545:

I think you meant to type "post on Fodor's" rather than "post on Fodor" - careful about that in the future! ;)

And some people say some fodorites are "snooty?!"

The use and abuse of initials : DH,DD,DS and I took our MIL and her SIL to Paris. We were supposed to meet with my BIL who was flying from LAX to CDG but his plane was delayed.
There was a message from my FIL waiting for us at the hotel ! his TB (twin brother) had sprained his ankle and had to be taken to the hospital by my FC's (first cousin) DD......

1. "It is my seat, I paid for it"
Brings back memories of the tall fellow in front of my bulkhead seat throwing back his seat and promptly going to sleep - with the top of his head in my lap. I am claustrophobic and had a "magical", "must see", and "amazing" flight, unable to move my legs at all, and boy was he put-out when, pinned in my seat, I was unable to get out to go to the lav without disturbing him. One way or another we all "pay for our seats".

2. Posters who belittle travelers for being claustrophobic (if you can't take it, don't fly)