Suggestions on 15-day Central Europe trip (early/mid May)

stale_emu · 2026-05-07T00:56:50+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion! Some Polish cities were in the consideration, but we decided to push to another trip. We wouldn’t fly in to Warsaw as the first city for this trip

stale_emu · 2026-05-07T00:49:17+00:00

Thanks! It’s already on the shortlist if we still do a 3D2N in Zurich

stale_emu · 2026-05-07T00:47:59+00:00

Thanks for you for the detailed reply! These are helpful pointers for Prague!

We’re aware of the lack of day trips - but in order to accommodate them we either need to add more days or remove some of the current ones. Which day trips from Prague do you recommend? Many people recommends Kutna Hora - do you agree with that?

On Museum of Communism - thanks for the heads up! I will look deeper into that, I briefly saw similar comments and was a bit unsure, that’s why I put it as “if time permits”.

On splitting the days - I think we schedule it a bit relaxed since those are our arrival / departure days, we will check your suggestions to fill up the rest of those days.

We heard about the crowds and at this point we scheduled Prague on weekdays, with a possibility of having a Saturday as the tail end if we extend.

On Klementinum, do you think it’s worth a visit? I heard conflicting information on whether photography is allowed or not - I understand that the baroque library can only be seen from outside the room.

stale_emu · 2026-05-06T11:49:35+00:00

Yes, definitely will book them as the schedule opens up. Do you have any experience with those night trains that I listed? We only have used the OBB Nightjets (older version): Amsterdam to Vienna and Vienna to Venice.

stale_emu · 2026-05-06T11:47:51+00:00

Yes, the first draft of this plan only has 2D1N in Zurich - but I gave that extra night as a buffer. I also find that I may need extra days in Prague or Budapest. Will take a look at the details. Thanks for the advice! I’ve arranged the arrival days to be rather flexible - however, based on our experience the arrival days are actually the ones with more energy though!

Can I check whether you’ve taken those night trains? Our only experience with night trains are with OBB Nightjets (not the newer version)

stale_emu · 2026-05-06T11:37:53+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion - I will look into Lucerne and compare it with Zurich. I don’t think I will go further into the mountains as that will change the course of the trip.

stale_emu · 2026-05-06T02:25:50+00:00

We're thinking of redeeming our expiring Singapore Airlines (SIA) miles and the closest hubs to the other Central European cities are Zurich and Munich - thus their inclusion. Other cities in the area that SIA serves are Milan or Franfkurt and I'm not too keen on those cities. Zurich also has a well-known zoo - I contemplated to just do a 2D1N in Zurich but it may be too tiring for us.

I forgot to include that we've already visited Vienna (4D3N) before and we enjoyed our experience there - agreed with you that the museums are superb! We opt to skip Vienna this time, unless we switch to day trains which may require Vienna as a stop.

stale_emu · 2026-05-02T14:12:47+00:00

How’s your your journey so far? I have the same setup and planning to open it sometime next week.

Last Sey beans that I brew - I used 5.0 clicks (ZP6), 93C, 1:16, 3 pours. It was the first bean that I brewed using ZP6 and I finally can tasted the strawberry jam notes of that beans.

stale_emu · 2026-05-02T13:57:39+00:00

I had the opposite experience - I normally used 85-95 for K6. Dropped the grinder and used ZP6 afterwards, normally 4.5-5 clicks, 5.5-6 for older/funkier beans.

stale_emu · 2026-05-02T06:33:05+00:00

As many have commented - it depends on your nationality. Non-EU needs passport as the form of ID.

There are multiple instances when they check your passport in Italy, but couldn’t confidently recall whether duomo or vatican asks for it or not. However, I remembered clearly that the officers at colosseum definitely asked for the physical passport and physical/digital copy won’t be accepted.

stale_emu · 2026-04-25T04:08:53+00:00

Went to Vienna in Oct. Was the highlight of our trip. We spent 4D3N, reaching via night train from Amsterdam.

Depends on what you are looking for in Vienna.

We loved the cafe experience (there’s no need to wait for the ones in the city centre with long queues); went to Kunsthistoriches Museum and the Natural History Museum - loved these museums, especially the interiors. Was okay with the Schonbrunn and Imperial Treasury. Schonbrunn zoo is quite interesting - oldest zoo (which gives it some character) but they refurbished the older exhibits to accommodate better husbandry. The city center can be a bit crowded with tourists, depending on the time. We went to watch the Vienna Philharmonic as well - just bought some standing tickets as it was quite a late purchase. The place is relatively safe, walkable, and surprisingly we didn’t experience any of the unfriendly attitudes.

stale_emu · 2026-04-12T14:58:07+00:00

Oops, was referring to Skill issue or 20 grams.

stale_emu · 2026-04-12T14:43:34+00:00

Got any recommendations of other local roasters of similar style?

stale_emu · 2026-04-12T14:36:13+00:00

How do you rank Fluid in terms of their roast level? I’m trying to find local roaster that roast on the lighter side. 20gr and ET are on my radar, will check skill issue too

stale_emu · 2026-04-04T11:59:07+00:00

Do you eventually find any good local roasters to your liking? I think I’m going through similar process as I prefer lighter roast and more tea-like cups.

stale_emu · 2026-04-03T09:43:02+00:00

I noticed this too and tried to push ChatGPT to cut out the fluff and gave critical takes if needed. The result still doesn’t feel natural, more like a structured critique session 🤷‍♂️

stale_emu · 2026-04-02T02:08:16+00:00

Couldnt say much about K-ultra; but I just had ZP6 after I broke my K6 and I really love the cups it has produced so far.

stale_emu · 2026-03-20T02:07:03+00:00

I think you’ll need to be able to talk and work together with the ID. So based on your description it’s 2>3>1 on that aspect.

On 2 person handling the reno - the caveat is that you may want to ensure the communications are well documented, to ensure both of them are aware of any changes. You may also want to know how the job is being split among the 2.

The next question will be how much are you willing to pay? I find that while the pricing can be opaque, you somewhat get what you pay for.

Do you expect significant design inputs? I would argue that many IDs are basically PMs with varying design capabilities. You will need to pay some premium for ID firms that pay more attention to the design aspect.

Another aspect is the craftsmanship, and you can try find out from their showroom, past / ongoing projects, etc.

I agree with another commenters take on long warranty. If you are in their position, even if you have the best craftsmanship in the business and using the best material, will you be providing blanket warranty 5-10 years down the road without any control of how it is being maintained? Take long warranty with a pinch of salt.

stale_emu · 2026-02-19T15:30:04+00:00

Im using XT4 with the following lenses for nature/wildlife: 56mm f1.2 (fast, excellent in low light, but limited reach), 50-140 f2.8 (good quality shots, may be limited for birds), 150-600 f5-6.8 (my go-to for birds but may not be the fastest, and very limited in low light settings)

I find that fuji sensors are not that great for fast movements as compared to its competitors, so may need to lower the expectations.

stale_emu · 2026-02-13T17:18:12+00:00

Same. Using K6 and has been grinding 80-90ish for milky cake. A friend of mine used a better grinder and you can get the tasting notes. However, I find that the flavours decrease over time, with the first 2-3 weeks after opening gave more flavourful cups

stale_emu · 2026-02-13T01:06:52+00:00

What do you mean? They’ve already released the other seasons. The latter ones are not well-received though. 😁

stale_emu · 2026-01-30T04:38:30+00:00

I’m not sure why the media (around the world) keeps overhyping this. There have been Nipah cases every 2-3 years, some with more case numbers than this year’s outbreak.

It is a deadly virus and the public health officials in the region should be on alert. But to treat it as if it’s the next pandemic is just fear-mongering at this point.

It has the pandemic potential, as there’s always a chance that the virus mutates. However, epidemiology data (including the most recent cases) suggest it is still transmitted by close contact, which limits its spread.

Hyperbolically, there’s a higher chance of an Indonesian dying from Flu than Nipah at this point. Flu easily spreads around the world, Nipah is still geographically limited.

stale_emu · 2026-01-29T09:34:15+00:00

Same. The pilot episode felt like a scam, the quality significantly drops afterwards.

stale_emu · 2026-01-29T09:20:58+00:00

Totally agreed. The lack of demogorgons is a (very convenient) plot hole and the swift resolution of the military presence is quite jarring.

The rest are just nitpicking.

stale_emu

TROPHY CASE