Traveling

[cyclintom]

I heard something odd at the coffee stop on Tuesday. I've been to France and never had any problems and I was in Switzerland for a short stay. But all of these people were talking about how you can't get away from your group or you have to cruise and not drive because the local cops will pull you over and shake you down. One guy said that the cops took all he had in his wallet and another said that he was told he had not stopped at a stop sign and that the fine would be (converted to dollars) $6,000. He didn't have anything but pocket change on him so they said something like "Ok, just be more careful in the future" and drove off.

Have any of you ever had any problems like that in Europe? I actually find that pretty hard to believe considering my experience with cops. But having my life saved by an NCIS agent may affect my judgement.

 

[odav]

I live in the UK. I travel all over Europe.
Calling ******** on them tales.

 

[Froze]

BS is right, I've never had that happen nor knew anyone who did.

 

[dabac]

.... you have to cruise and not drive....

What?
Either way, the average cop density is lower in Europe than in the US.
The odds of being pulled over at all is lower.
While obviously physically possible, the risk of getting a shakedown while looking and behaving like an average guy is slim-to-none.
I’ve done three bike tours(Greece, Germany/Italy, France/Spain), three inline tours(Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland) and more business trips than I can remember. A couple of holidays too. Apart from asking for directions, I’ve never had anything to do with the cops.

 

[cyclintom]

This was from three people who travel to Europe a lot. It isn't as if like PansyBob they do all of their riding on a video game.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Huh? You're back? We all thought this last Rage Quit was going to be final! What's it going to take? Another four Rage Quit posts?

Damn...too scared to go cycle tour in Europe huh. It's a great place. Please go there. They'll love your fat ass and the police will give you more donuts.

Now man up and apologize for your lying. And leave.

Thanks.

 

[cyclintom]

Huh? You're back? We all thought this last Rage Quit was going to be final! What's it going to take? Another four Rage Quit posts?

Damn...too scared to go cycle tour in Europe huh. It's a great place. Please go there. They'll love your fat ass and the police will give you more donuts.

Now man up and apologize for your lying. And leave.

Thanks.

I decided to see your hand and raise it. You are a nobody from nowhere. You are a liar who thinks that a video game is equal to riding. You are the guy that knows about nothing but how to make stupid statements like how I was fat when I finished 2nd in a TT at the Great American Bicycle Rally but somehow it doesn't matter than you were soundly beaten by a man plainly heavier than me in a crit. And not just beaten but smashed beyond repair. From the looks of it you didn't even finish on the same lap.

So you can expect to see me here talking about you for the rest of your short life.

 

[dabac]

I still don’t understand what you mean by ”you can't get away from your group or you have to cruise and not drive”.
Doesn’t really matter though, as I strongly disagree with the part of the description I do understand.
Either they were pulling your leg, or they were doing something to bring the police down on themselves.
Friday, I’m off for London, then on to Madrid. An atypical, oddball journey. As made to make customs officers etc curious. I’ll let you know on thursday how harassed I got.

 

[cyclintom]

I still don’t understand what you mean by ”you can't get away from your group or you have to cruise and not drive”.
Doesn’t really matter though, as I strongly disagree with the part of the description I do understand.
Either they were pulling your leg, or they were doing something to bring the police down on themselves.
Friday, I’m off for London, then on to Madrid. An atypical, oddball journey. As made to make customs officers etc curious. I’ll let you know on thursday how harassed I got.

Well if they had been millennials on Facebook, their nodding and agreeing with each other would have been par for the course and I wouldn't have paid the least attention to them. But these are all people over 50 and world travelers. When they talk about being shook down by the local cops in previously communist countries I have to wonder. I didn't see anything like that in France or Switzerland and can't imagine it in the previous East Germany but maybe times have been bad.

 

[odav]

Well if they had been millennials on Facebook, their nodding and agreeing with each other would have been par for the course and I wouldn't have paid the least attention to them. But these are all people over 50 and world travelers. When they talk about being shook down by the local cops in previously communist countries I have to wonder. I didn't see anything like that in France or Switzerland and can't imagine it in the previous East Germany but maybe times have been bad.

I will retract my previous post detailing that you will not be shaken down by cops in Europe.
I strongly advise you not to venture over the Atlantic. Having read through your postings, I feel we have enough lunatics of our own here.

 

[Froze]

I'm over 50, therefore I know a lot of people that are over 50, and a lot of those have traveled various places in this world including me, and NONE have been "shook down" by cops. The only issue I ever heard of what from s a few that have gone to Mexico and Central America and had to bribe their way out of trouble, but they were young at the time and were doing things that were questionable, so a bribe was in order to get released. and I know that the cops there will pull you over for bogus violations and will let you go for $50 unless you argue then it's $100, but that money is needed for them to live because cops there don't get paid enough to live on. Lately there has been some issues with tourists in Thailand being harassed by cops, but those cops are corrupt looking for some rich Westerner to help finance his way of living in Thailand; it wasn't like that when I was there over 35 years ago.

 

[cyclintom]

I'm over 50, therefore I know a lot of people that are over 50, and a lot of those have traveled various places in this world including me, and NONE have been "shook down" by cops. The only issue I ever heard of what from s a few that have gone to Mexico and Central America and had to bribe their way out of trouble, but they were young at the time and were doing things that were questionable, so a bribe was in order to get released. and I know that the cops there will pull you over for bogus violations and will let you go for $50 unless you argue then it's $100, but that money is needed for them to live because cops there don't get paid enough to live on. Lately there has been some issues with tourists in Thailand being harassed by cops, but those cops are corrupt looking for some rich Westerner to help finance his way of living in Thailand; it wasn't like that when I was there over 35 years ago.

I was talking about police shaking down tourists and you offer examples of police shaking down tourists and then tell us that police don't shake down tourists. I have to tell you Froze, I don't quite understand your mindset.

 

[cyclintom]

I will retract my previous post detailing that you will not be shaken down by cops in Europe.
I strongly advise you not to venture over the Atlantic. Having read through your postings, I feel we have enough lunatics of our own here.

So you think that asking a question is lunacy? Then you're a millennial on Facebook aren't you?

 

[Froze]

I was talking about police shaking down tourists and you offer examples of police shaking down tourists and then tell us that police don't shake down tourists. I have to tell you Froze, I don't quite understand your mindset.

You can't understand me because you can't comprehend. You said the shake downs were coming out of Europe and thus people were too damn scared to go there, I said I knew people who had traveled to Europe, including me, lots of times and never witnessed any of that. Last I checked Thailand, Mexico and Central America are not European countries, was I wrong? are those 3 areas European countries? Hmmmm.

 

[cyclintom]

You can't understand me because you can't comprehend. You said the shake downs were coming out of Europe and thus people were too damn scared to go there, I said I knew people who had traveled to Europe, including me, lots of times and never witnessed any of that. Last I checked Thailand, Mexico and Central America are not European countries, was I wrong? are those 3 areas European countries? Hmmmm.

Why are you inventing words to put into my mouth? Not one of these guys who travel frequently said that they were afraid to go anywhere but that they had learned where to be at times of day and night. And I said on the very first entry that I had no problems in France which is definitely not the safest country in Europe or in Switzerland and although I didn't believe these stories I was asking if anyone else had found these things to be true.

Again - what leads you to put words into my mouth and pretend that I actually said something? Perhaps you're getting Alzheimer's and cannot remember? If so I'm sorry for your plight but that doesn't change the fact that you are saying that I said the exact opposite of what you claim.

 

[dabac]

Well if they had been millennials on Facebook, their nodding and agreeing with each other would have been par for the course and I wouldn't have paid the least attention to them. But these are all people over 50 and world travelers. When they talk about being shook down by the local cops in previously communist countries I have to wonder. I didn't see anything like that in France or Switzerland and can't imagine it in the previous East Germany but maybe times have been bad.

So now it is "previous communist countries" - that's a bit more specific than "Europe".
That actually lends a glimmer of credibility to their story. There are some dirt-poor areas left where things might be more "rustic".

A pity you didn't put that in your first post as it's quite important.

Still, not all "previous communist countries" are the same either.

Credibility is still low w/o knowing which country they were talking about, even which part of which country.

Now, when you say "previous communist countries", I think I understand the ”you can't get away from your group” bit, but the ”you have to cruise and not drive” still doesn't make sense.

 

[Froze]

I was talking to a lady friend of mine who goes to Germany a lot on business, about 15 times a year, and she's been all over Germany including of course the former eastern bloc side, as well as lots of countries that surround Germany, doing it all alone, and she's never in 20 plus years of going there has ran into any issues except one time when a piece of luggage was stolen off the airport pickup belt, she saw the guy take it and yelled but he took off running, she then told the security but the guy got lost in the crowd. She was sort of perplexed about that since nothing of value except her clothes were in it. So she had to go shopping for new clothes.

Like I said before I know other people (besides the above one) and myself have been in those areas and never once felt afraid. All of these people I know including the one above and myself have been out a night as well, heck a lot fun stuff happens out there at night, and just as daytime we've never had problems. I'm not saying there is never any crime there, there's crime everywhere, just saying it doesn't affect tourists as much as Forest Gump makes it out to be. Heck I think tourists are at more of a risk coming to the US than Germany and surrounding countries!! You can get on any touring forum, read books on touring by bicycle in Europe, a lot of those people who write about their adventures do so alone, and they don't have issues either.

 

[cyclintom]

https://francistapon.com/Travels/Eastern-Europe/Is-Eastern-Europe-Safe-for-Travel

By the way - all you world travelers that have been perfectly safe, why is it that the US Department of State has emergency notification lines for Americans IN ALL FOREIGN COUNTRIES?

 

[Froze]

https://francistapon.com/Travels/Eastern-Europe/Is-Eastern-Europe-Safe-for-Travel

By the way - all you world travelers that have been perfectly safe, why is it that the US Department of State has emergency notification lines for Americans IN ALL FOREIGN COUNTRIES?

So? why do we have emergency notification lines here in America for all Americans and visitors? It's called 911.

And that site you gave proves that those countries are safe! you're so stupid you didn't even read it, here let me give you some clips from that site:

With the recent news about Ukraine and the Crimea, you might be scared to go to Eastern Europe. Don't. You can even be safe in Ukraine.

• Bosnia and Herzegovina - If you're not familiar with the Bosnian war of 1992-1995, you need to remember one thing - a lot of landmines are still in the area. If you travel to rural areas, make sure you stay on paved roads if at all possible to avoid any unnecessary dangers.
  
  
• Bulgaria - Sticking to the tourist areas is the safest, of course, but if you're like me and like to stray from the beaten path, make sure you pack your common sense and use it at all times. The big thing is to be aware of what's going on around you.
  
  
• Croatia - Anyone who loves old stone walls is going to enjoy time spent in certain areas of Croatia. A good idea is to NOT go during peak season in June and July. If you wait until there are less tourists around, you're going to be safe.
  
  
• Poland - Warsaw is generally safe, but if you do go out at night, make sure you avoid the locals who are drunk. You can find these types in all cities of the world, of course, but there's something about Poland that makes you want to be a bit extra safe.
  
  
• Romania - Try to avoid dimly lit areas of the city if you're out and about at night, but overall you're not going to have any trouble with people in this country if you're a tourist.
  
  
• Turkey - If you're going to be in the southeast portions of the country, you'll want to be a little bit more vigilant. Beyond that, Istanbul is generally safe for travelers if you follow common sense.
  
  
• Montenegro - Remember the number 122 if you're in Montenegro and get into trouble. You might also use your mobile phone to dial 112, which is the international distress call number. It's a good idea to have this on speed dial on your mobile.
  

All of those places that list cons are the same cons we have in the US except we don't have mines buried in fields to contend with; use common sense, in other words use some street smarts, same for going anywhere in the US; when there are more tourist around there are more pickpockets around, the same in the US; avoid drunks, same in the US; being extra safe in Poland, be extra safe in Chicago or any other big American city; avoid dimly lit areas, same in the US; be vigilant and use common sense, same is true in any large US city; and 112 is the same as our 911.

I can't believe you're that stupid, wait, sorry, I can believe you're that stupid, which is why you don't do anything in the world of science or engineering because you're too stupid to even read a simple internet source that YOU posted and go off and misinterpret the whole thing, which is what you have a habit of doing. I'm really glad you don't do anything in the science or engineer fields because your misinterpretation of an important aspect could get others killed; thankfully had work in those fields your boss would had fired you a long time ago before anything bad happened. Your stupidity is laughable.

 

[cyclintom]

So? why do we have emergency notification lines here in America for all Americans and visitors? It's called 911.

And that site you gave proves that those countries are safe! you're so stupid you didn't even read it, here let me give you some clips from that site:

With the recent news about Ukraine and the Crimea, you might be scared to go to Eastern Europe. Don't. You can even be safe in Ukraine.

• Bosnia and Herzegovina - If you're not familiar with the Bosnian war of 1992-1995, you need to remember one thing - a lot of landmines are still in the area. If you travel to rural areas, make sure you stay on paved roads if at all possible to avoid any unnecessary dangers.
  
  
• Bulgaria - Sticking to the tourist areas is the safest, of course, but if you're like me and like to stray from the beaten path, make sure you pack your common sense and use it at all times. The big thing is to be aware of what's going on around you.
  
  
• Croatia - Anyone who loves old stone walls is going to enjoy time spent in certain areas of Croatia. A good idea is to NOT go during peak season in June and July. If you wait until there are less tourists around, you're going to be safe.
  
  
• Poland - Warsaw is generally safe, but if you do go out at night, make sure you avoid the locals who are drunk. You can find these types in all cities of the world, of course, but there's something about Poland that makes you want to be a bit extra safe.
  
  
• Romania - Try to avoid dimly lit areas of the city if you're out and about at night, but overall you're not going to have any trouble with people in this country if you're a tourist.
  
  
• Turkey - If you're going to be in the southeast portions of the country, you'll want to be a little bit more vigilant. Beyond that, Istanbul is generally safe for travelers if you follow common sense.
  
  
• Montenegro - Remember the number 122 if you're in Montenegro and get into trouble. You might also use your mobile phone to dial 112, which is the international distress call number. It's a good idea to have this on speed dial on your mobile.

All of those places that list cons are the same cons we have in the US except we don't have mines buried in fields to contend with; use common sense, in other words use some street smarts, same for going anywhere in the US; when there are more tourist around there are more pickpockets around, the same in the US; avoid drunks, same in the US; being extra safe in Poland, be extra safe in Chicago or any other big American city; avoid dimly lit areas, same in the US; be vigilant and use common sense, same is true in any large US city; and 112 is the same as our 911.

I can't believe you're that stupid, wait, sorry, I can believe you're that stupid, which is why you don't do anything in the world of science or engineering because you're too stupid to even read a simple internet source that YOU posted and go off and misinterpret the whole thing, which is what you have a habit of doing. I'm really glad you don't do anything in the science or engineer fields because your misinterpretation of an important aspect could get others killed; thankfully had work in those fields your boss would had fired you a long time ago before anything bad happened. Your stupidity is laughable.

Is English your first language? Or perhaps you just don't understand that the words "safest" mean? Every bit of ignorance you posting shows what a damn fool you are. You like any socialist, are willing to say absolutely anything, make any lie, to appear to yourself alone to be right.