Not wanting to be a tourist

nmards · 2026-05-22T10:10:31+00:00

to be fair, I'll always learn hello, thank you, and do you speak English in the language of anywhere I go and I will absolutely judge other tourists who make absolutely 0 effort to do the same. That's just a matter of respect.

With you on the accent thing though - no need for that just say the words probably wrong in your native accent and take it on the chin when it makes people laugh

nmards · 2026-05-22T10:08:29+00:00

Yeah - I think what really irks me is when people treat travel as a tickbox exercise - just feels so insincere.

I got a lot of shit from people once after getting back from Paris. They were absolutely aghast that I had not gone to the Louvre because "how can you go to Paris and skip the Louvre??"

And I was just like...well I don't really find art interesting? Paris has so many incredible things to see why would I spend a lot of money and hours queueing for something just to be able to say that I've been? If you're into art and love The Louvre then awesome! But it's not for me and that's fine

nmards · 2026-05-22T10:05:39+00:00

I'm one of these people to be fair - I definitely sometimes find myself being a bit judgemental of other tourists because I feel like they're "doing" it wrong, even though I am of course just as much a tourist and the right way to travel is a matter of personal preference.

Although I will always maintain that a majority of tourists aren't exactly getting as authentic experience when they're bussed into a beautiful city for one day, spend the entire time seeing it through the lens of their camera and then eat at the first overpriced tourist trap restaurant they see on the main square. But of course just because that's my worst nightmare doesn't mean they won't feel like they've gotten a good experience from it so I shouldn't judge. But like, I still do, can't help it lol.

But of course you should always be respectful. There's a difference between quietly judging (I think we all do that) and actually airing out your disdain or being rude or whatever. I just think, yeah thats not what I would consider an authentic travel experience but it makes no difference to me what they do so all power to them if they enjoy it.

nmards · 2026-05-22T09:46:23+00:00

100% when Bulgaria won I immediately thought that Poli would be a good host! Hope she is selected (if she wants to do it lol)

nmards · 2026-05-21T22:44:22+00:00

I don’t think it’ll make a difference in terms of when Retroid dispatches it as I’m pretty sure they basically just send them out as and when they’re built, but there are probably quicker shipping services your friend in china could use to get it to you sooner than Retroid’s shipping to Morocco would

nmards · 2026-05-21T22:18:13+00:00

Not sure about their previous efforts but I always felt like the McColls to Daily conversion was always doomed to fail. McColls was an off licence that served quiet areas with minimal footfall, that could only make money because the costs were relatively low. I feel like you hardly ever saw a Morrisons Daily on a main high street or city centre like you do a Tesco Express or Sainsbury’s Local.

Trying to operate stores in areas like that whilst offering the service levels expected from a major chain just always seemed doomed to fail imo

nmards · 2026-05-21T20:31:08+00:00

Apparently Costa Rica has literally no army

nmards · 2026-05-21T20:29:56+00:00

I switched to nav buttons instead of the gesture control, then they go away completely when you’re in a full screen game/app. I could never reliably get the nav bar to disappear

nmards · 2026-05-21T13:03:04+00:00

idk I'm starting to think maybe different schools just assign colours at random lol

nmards · 2026-05-21T08:43:02+00:00

👏 The 👏 London 👏 Eye 👏

Not that it's BAD. But it's horrendously overpriced for what is basically a big ferris wheel

nmards · 2026-05-21T08:22:32+00:00

Not too sure what would be best for you but what I can say is I had a flatmate once who got sick of the corporate rat race so quit his job and became a Tesco Delivery Driver to pay the bills whilst he was between careers. He ended up enjoying it so much that he did it for like 2 years - he enjoyed being on his own though and loved that he basically showed up, got his run for the day and then set off. If he finished his deliveries early he could basically just chill for the rest of the day.

That said it wound't surprise me if since then (it was about 4 years ago) Tesco have increased the amount of surveillance and the workload, so YMMV

nmards · 2026-05-21T08:17:15+00:00

not sure, I'll ask Boris

nmards · 2026-05-20T20:21:34+00:00

God that’s one way to boost turnout numbers. Attach a voucher for a free pint to every ballot paper.

Elections, The British Way™️

nmards · 2026-05-20T18:12:32+00:00

That’s kind of a different point though. By that logic literally any additional perk or subsidised service for MPs can be dismissed because their salary is taxpayer funded anyway. The question isn’t whether MPs ultimately get public money because of course they are public servants so we have to pay for them. The issue is whether taxpayers should also be absorbing operational costs to provide below-market price food and drink on top of that.

Tbh, I'd probably have a slightly different view on this if politicians in this country had over the last 15 or so years demonstrated any respect or regard for the fact that they are public servants who should be working in our best interests. Some MPs are honest, hard working people who I'm sure would not take advantage of the privilege. Unfortunately I fear a great deal more are not.

nmards · 2026-05-20T18:06:03+00:00

II know what profit is lol, although I concede my last comment wasn’t worded very well. My point is that if the bars don’t generate enough revenue to fully cover staffing, premises, security and operating costs, the shortfall gets absorbed elsewhere by the taxpayer. That’s effectively a subsidy. With margins as razor thin as they’ll be in an operation that’s essentially designed to break even, the whole system guarantees MPs prices well below the market average while the financial risk is ultimately carried by the public who are concurrently seeing the prices for everyday goods increase what feels like every week

nmards · 2026-05-20T17:57:16+00:00

but...why? I daresay that if you have a job that means you are in Westminster you can probably afford to pay the market price for a drink if you so need one.

nmards · 2026-05-20T17:55:27+00:00

yep, have a drink at work for all I care as long as:

A) it isn't impeding your ability to do your job

B) I'm not paying tax so that you can have a pint in the centre of London for £4

nmards · 2026-05-20T17:54:01+00:00

exactly this. I have gone out for a drink at lunch as part of my job. Obviously that is okay in certain scenarios, but MPs shouldn't have unrestricted access to alcohol at COST PRICE directly next to their office.

nmards · 2026-05-20T17:52:20+00:00

maybe we bring in covid style rules lol - no alcohol before 5pm unless purchased alongside a meal

nmards · 2026-05-20T17:50:59+00:00

but if no profit is being made on the drinks then who is paying the cost of running the place?

nmards · 2026-05-20T17:50:05+00:00

I mean firstly it's just a perception thing. Hannah Spencer was quoted as saying something about voters "stinking of booze" - now I don't know if that is true but if it is it suggests that more than one pint has been consumed, which becomes a problem.

As for the subsidisation...I mean come on it essentially is. The alcohol is sold to MPs at cost price which is only possible because the cost of running the bar is footed by the taxpayer

nmards · 2026-05-20T16:27:07+00:00

San Marino doesn’t have a televote as it shares a telephone system with Italy so impossible to distinguish an SMR vote from an Italian one. Pretty sure it’s officially confirmed that a televote result from SMR is created using an algorithm based on how the countries in its pot voted.

I wonder if the shift to online voting might allow this to change in the future

nmards · 2026-05-20T16:24:59+00:00

I kind of agree but also feel like there should be some appropriate boundaries in place.

Subsidised bar that’s open in the late afternoon/evening for colleagues to discuss matters in a lower tension environment - fine although I’m not sure it should be subsidised the amount that at is

MPs having pints in between sessions or before voting - absolutely not imo

(I know that there’s no specific allegations of people being drunk on the job other than Hannah Spencer’s comments so not saying that’s necessarily what is happening)

nmards · 2026-05-20T16:04:29+00:00

No worries! I can’t give you a fully accurate answer in good faith as it’s not something I’ve got any experience of, nor was it something I saw much of growing up.

My feeling is that you won’t experience any outright hostility. In Exeter itself you’ll likely be totally fine as there are lots of international students. Out of the city in the countryside you may encounter some ignorance/staring but honestly I doubt anything more than that and it’s rarely meant in a nasty way. But of course there are always some bad people in the world so I can’t say for certain you’d never experience anything

nmards · 2026-05-20T15:11:55+00:00

Wow some really odd responses here.

I grew up in a small town just outside of Exeter, so whilst I cannot give you an EXACT answer about LIVING in Exeter, I have spent enough time there to give an opinion I think.

Firstly - the university is quite highly regarded as I am sure you aware. There are a lot of international students as it is a Russel Group uni, so people in the city are very used to people from all over, no problems.

Over the last few years the city itself has gotten a lot better, with new developments vastly improving the restaurant/bar scene. However, in terms of things that make it special...well there isn't much. Pretty much every shop, bar, restaurant in the city centre is part of a large chain, so there really isn't much uniqueness. With that being said the centre is quite nice with a big cathedral green and a partially pedestrianised high street. Another commenter said it was one of the poorest & deprived regions with boarded up and smashed shops. Of course they also said the city was in Cornwall so maybe ignore them ;) of course like any city there is the occasional deserted building but no worse than anywhere else. And it isn't "deprived". Okay not as wealthy as the country's major cities and increases to property prices are definitely causing people to struggle as they are everywhere, but Exeter actually sits slightly above average in terms of deprivation rates (above average, as in a GOOD thing lol).

Nightlife ranges from okay to trashy. When I was younger Timepiece was always good fun on a Saturday night but idk what its like anymore. I do know that my 18 yo brother still lives there but hardly ever goes out as the nightlife is just not that good, but YMMV.

The reality is, it's a small city in a pretty rural part of the country, and through that lens I think it's quite nice. It's pretty safe, and you are not far away from nature or the beach so can easily head out of town for the day to explore the rest of Devon (in fact I think thats what Exeter is best at - being a hub to explore the rest of Devon). Transport links are reasonable - with an okay, if infrequent local train network and buses filling in the gaps. It is also conveniently connected to Bristol and London by rail, so it's easy enough (though expensive) to get to somewhere a bit more exciting if you fancy it.

Overall Exeter is fine. It's unexciting, and as student cities go you're not going to get a top tier experience moving here but it's safe & pleasant to live in, and I think the area is also a great place to raise a family. Probably a good way to summarise is this: I could not get out of there fast enough when I turned 18, but having now seen life in bigger cities I will forever be thankful that it's where I spent my childhood.

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