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Equipped for adventure: Conrad Anker

Lifestyle

5 ways to stay physically equipped for adventure


Kitt Doucette
Mar 30, 2019













Outdoor

Ice climbing with Conrad Anker


Kitt Doucette
Mar 31, 2019













Lifestyle

5 ways to keep yourself mentally equipped for adventure


Kitt Doucette
Mar 31, 2019

Over the last 30+ years, Conrad Anker has climbed some of the most remote, dangerous, forbidding, and beautiful mountains in the world. His expedition resume is both extensive and impressive; it includes first ascents on four continents, with a dozen trips to Antarctica, 25 years of Himalayan expeditions, and other notable climbs in Alaska, South America, Europe, and closer to his hometown of Bozeman, Montana. He’s been featured on the cover of National Geographic and leads The North Face’s climbing team.

A legend in the climbing community for decades, his 2011 first ascent of the Shark’s Fin on Meru Peak, accompanied by Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk, launched Anker into mainstream stardom as an adventure superhero. Chin’s award-winning documentary film, Meru, tells the story of that climb, their failed attempt in 2008, and Anker’s personal story. The film is currently available on Amazon and iTunes after making over a million dollars at the box office during it’s multi-week theatrical release in 2015 and narrowly missing an Academy Award nomination.

Despite all his climbing success and the current limelight, however, it’s Conrad’s deep respect and love for the mountains, and the indigenous cultures that call those mountains home, that he’s most passionate about.

What Conrad Anker really wants to talk about right now isn’t his past climbs or future expeditions. It’s the latest exciting update from the Khumbu Climbing Center, a program established in 2003 by Anker and his wife, Jennifer Lowe-Anker. The center is about to celebrate the completion of a new flagship building. “Located in the village of Phortse in the Khumbu Valley at the foothills of Mt. Everest around 13,000 feet,” says Anker, “the modern building uses a creative mix of local building techniques and modern technology and is truly the first of its kind in the region and the world.”

Organized and funded by the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation and built around the idea of connecting with indigenous mountain populations through climbing, the KCC provides vocational training for local Nepali climbers. Deeply connected to the Sherpa community through 25 years of friendship, Conrad and Jenni’s focus for the project is “to train students to be safer climbers when they work in the mountains, while the broader goal is to create leaders among the indigenous alpine climbing community.” The building, which has a climbing wall, mountaineering library, tech center, and small healthcare facility, will also serve as an earthquake-resistant, passive-solar refuge and community center for the village. Its grand opening is set for June 13.

Inspired by great mountaineers and adventurers of the past, like Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay — the first team to summit Mt. Everest, on May 29, 1953 — Anker seeks to further their legacy of giving back to the mountains and their peoples, while also sharing that ethos with a new generation of climbers and explorers.

“One of the most important lessons I’ve learned through a lifetime of climbing, adventure, and travel in general is what it means to be a gracious guest,” Anker says, “showing respect, recognizing people, saying hello, following local customs, and seeking to understand and learn from the local people. If you do those things, you’ll be equipped for any adventure.”

The post Equipped for adventure, with Conrad Anker appeared first on Matador Network.

How to see wolverines in Washington

When you tell folks that you’ve volunteered with a group that monitors wolverines in the North Cascades, their response is usually one of confusion. No, they don’t think you’re busy saving mutant X-men with retractable claws. They are amazed, though, that wolverines — stocky animals in the weasel family that look like small, bushy-tailed bears — even exist in Washington State.

Those people are understandably stunned by the existence of these brown-and-black-hued carnivores because, like other predators, wolverines were hunted, poisoned, and trapped to extirpation in the early 1900s. (Extirpation is the elimination of a certain species within a geographic area.) Today, wolverines are found primarily in the remote northern boreal forests and alpine tundra of Canada and Alaska. Yet, with a lot of effort, wolverines have also been slowly clawing their way back to their native territory in the northern Cascade mountains.

Wolverines’ snowy, rugged wilderness home

Photo: Jesse Snyder

Spanning the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and northern Washington State, the North Cascades feature some of the most remote and rugged terrain in the United States. The region is home to glaciated volcanic peaks reaching over 10,000 feet, pristine rivers, and expansive meadows that fill with wildflowers in the spring and summer.

This remoteness, combined with extreme amounts of snowfall — an average of over 400 inches every winter — makes it the ideal home for wolverines. The oil on wolverines’ fur wards off water, protecting them from frostbite. It’s in the deep winter snow that these hardy creatures build their dens, which they use as shelters for rearing their babies, or “kits,” in the spring — until they’re weaned around mid-May.

Finding wolverines in remote areas

Photo: Karel Bartik/Shutterstock

The deep snowpack, rugged mountains, and geographical isolation mean that scientists have to rely on some unusual methods to get their data. One of the main organizations that monitors the wolverines, the Cascades Wolverine Project, goes out on weeklong trips into some of the wildest areas of the Cascades to set up remote camera traps and bait stations.

This requires backcountry skiing into the mountains through fresh, untouched powder — since wolverines usually don’t live close to civilization. Once there, a combination of scientists and mountain guides set camera traps on the trees, which take a photo whenever movement is detected.

To attract the wolverines, bait is hung from a nearby tree — usually in the form of an animal carcass. Wolverines are primarily scavengers, and during the lean times of winter, the carrion hanging from trees is an irresistible lure. (The carcasses occasionally lure other nocturnal meat-eaters, like bobcats, as well.)

Tracking individual wolverines and their movement patterns

Photo: Jesse Snyder

The scientists hope that the cameras will capture a photo of the wolverine’s chest and throat blazes, which are unique to each wolverine and allows them to catalog and monitor specific individuals. Sometimes hair samples can also be gathered, which allows tracking through their DNA.

Because of the vastness of the mountain range, the monitoring groups also rely on citizen scientists and volunteers to help record data. This is where the average hiker or skier can get involved with minimal training. Recently, conservation groups have begun targeting backcountry skiers as a means of collecting data, usually through the observation and reporting of wolverine tracks. This data is used to help monitor wolverine movement patterns and population density. For those looking for something even more involved, groups like Conservation Northwest provide opportunities for volunteers to join a camera trapping team.

Photo: Michal Ninger/Shutterstock

There are only an estimated 300 individual wolverines in the North Cascades. The combination of habitat loss and deteriorating snowpack from climate change leaves the future of the wolverine uncertain. Continued support of conservation and monitoring programs gives us our best chance of making sure the wolverine can reclaim its former territory and stay here for years to come.


More like this: 9 tiny wild cats you didn’t even know existed

The post Saving wolverines in the rugged North Cascades of Washington State appeared first on Matador Network.

US modern Indian food movement

The shiny orange layer of slime sitting on top of the chicken thighs looked suspicious. The sign said “butter chicken,” but it looked more like what was left in the sink when I was done washing dishes.

As an apprehensive 10-year-old, pretty much everything under the yellowing lights of the $8.95, all-you-can-eat buffet looked suspect. The walls were covered in pictures of the Taj Mahal, old Bollywood movies played on TV, and the entire place smelled like a New York City bodega took the contents of its “hot food” counter and dumped them into this Orange County strip mall.

This, unfortunately, was my — and many other Americans’ — first exposure to Indian food.

“They felt like caricatures of an Indian restaurant,” says Meherwan Irani, chef and owner of Indian street food hotspot Chai Pani in Asheville, North Carolina, when speaking of the Indian restaurants of yesteryear. “It was worse than if a white person was trying to make fun of an Indian restaurant. It was like an Indian making fun of a white person making fun of an Indian restaurant.”

Indian-born Irani also felt shock and horror when encountering American Indian food. The tikka masalas, saag paneers, and butter chickens he found had about as much to do with his native cuisine as General Tso does with Chinese. Which is why Irani and an army of like-minded Indian-American chefs are moving Indian food out from under the fluorescent lights of the buffet line and into the forefront of American cuisine.

Photo: Molly Milroy, Brown in the South

Brown in the South brings Indian food to a millennial audience.

On an unseasonably warm night in March, a collection of talented, young Indian chefs are hustling through the cozy confines of Garland, a two-story restaurant in downtown Raleigh. In the restaurant’s front window, a large pot of lamb keema steams and stews as chef Asha Gomez spoons it onto fresh bread rolls for an Indian take on the sloppy joe.

Further back in the room Nick Singh of Viceroy in nearby Durham hastily moves his assistants to put masala shrimp on top of succotash before the crowds mob his station.

“Sorry, Mehr? Just wanna let you know you’re about to get slammed,” a young woman interrupts as I’m speaking to Mehrwar Irani at a booth in the middle of the restaurant. “It’s about to get in-SANE.”

We’re all preparing for the opening of Southern Foodways’ Brown in the South, a sporadic pop-up food festival from an unofficial coalition of Indian-American chefs and restaurateurs in southern states. Its aim is to promote Indian cuisine and culture to southern audiences, offering resources, sounding boards, and a community of support for southerners of South Asian descent. The event was organized mostly through an email thread.

Photo: Molly Milroy, Brown in the South

Photo: Molly Milroy, Brown in the South

A crowd of faces mob at the front door like it’s Black Friday at Target, and the smell of marigolds and spices fill the air for nearly a block. Within seconds of the doors opening, the half-dozen restaurants with stands have lines six people deep.

Upstairs, Garland’s cocktail bar is filled with more chefs, plating everything from a coconut mac and cheese to a Seminole pumpkin erisheri to avocado toast masala chaat. The crowd is a diverse collection of attractive young professionals and families, all of whom go back to every station for seconds, thirds, and fourths. For a night when both North Carolina and Duke are playing in the NCAA tournament, this seems to be the biggest event in Raleigh.

Photo: Chai Pani Restaurant Group

Making old Indian food new to a ready American public

Events like Brown in the South are possible (and popular) because of a fortunate confluence of trends: Americans’ increase in travel and a generation of young chefs eager to showcase their heritage.

“A lot of Americans, they go to India and eat in local restaurants and local homes, they eat different types of food from different regions, and they come home and they want to try the same food,” says Hemant Mathur, whose now-closed Devi in New York was the first Indian restaurant to earn a Michelin star.

This increased American appetite for more authentic flavors coincides perfectly with a new generation of Indian chefs who want to do more than mass produce masalas.

Photo: Maska Miami/a>/Facebook

“Initially, when Indians opened restaurants in America it was a means to an end. They needed it as a way to support their families, so they put these nine essential dishes on menus you’ll find at every Indian restaurant,” says Vishwesh Bhatt, who runs Snackbar in Oxford, Mississippi. He was serving red chile and yogurt-braised pork tacos in Raleigh. “Now, people are opening restaurants because it’s a passion, it’s something they want to do.”

Before we get carried away, nobody’s reinventing Indian cuisine. Yes, there are modern twists on a lot of Indian dishes. But these “new” flavors are actually regional foods from India that never cracked mainstream menus.

“(Those iconic dishes) are the furthest thing from what I grew up eating in my mother’s kitchen,” Asha Gomez says while serving Keema sloppy joes. “I came from a fishing village for crying out loud,”

Photo: Molly Milroy, Brown in the South

Gomez’s Atlanta restaurant, The Third Space, is a set-menu, 38-seat restaurant with one seating per night, six to eight nights a month. Seafood makes frequent appearances. It’s the kind of exclusive dinner setting one might expect from a Thomas Keller farm-to-table venture. In 2019, it also works with Indian food.

It’s worked well for Mathur too, whose regional approach with dishes like masala-spiced lamb chops and duck dosas earned him that Michelin star.

“Most of what we know is Northern Indian food,” he says from under the crystal chandeliers of his newest venture, Maska in Miami. “I have restaurants from all different regions. I’m using Bengali cuisine from the east. Kolkata. North. South. We want to explore these other Indian regional cuisines more for the mainstream people.”

Photo: Snackbar/Facebook

Using American ingredients to make Indian food approachable

Making Indian food mainstream also means using ingredients that less-adventurous Americans know.

“I grew up eating okra with fenugreek, mustard seeds, and masala,” says Bhatt. “People here say, ‘That’s not how we eat okra, but it’s still okra so it’s ok.’ You have something familiar, so you’re not afraid to try something new, and then you get this new flavor and you’re like ‘Wow!’”

Perhaps no restaurant has immersed itself in American ingredients while still maintaining its Indian identity better than Ghee in Miami. Chef Niven Patel received his second James Beard nomination this year, thanks in large part to a menu full of ingredients he grows on his farm in nearby Homestead.

Photo: Ghee Indian Kitchen/Facebook

Though the menu has staples like turmeric-marinated black grouper with coconut curry, it changes daily based on what Patel is growing. The chef says he creates each recipe trying to check all the boxes of hard-core Indian food fans while still making something people new to the cuisine will love.

“We treat our restaurant like a restaurant, not an Indian restaurant,” he says when he calls me back after I interrupted his morning harvest. “People consider us fusion, but we’re just creating ideas that have been cooked for hundreds of years in India, using newer ingredients and focusing on things from local farms and local butchers.”

Which, if you know anything about Indian food in India, is exactly how it’s done there.

Photo: Maska Miami/Facebook

Successfully bringing Indian food to people who would never have tried it

The validation of Michelin stars and Beard nominations has brought a new generation of diners into Indian restaurants. And those who’ve tried it are leaving pleased.

“Indian food has traditionally been a very niche food, either you love it or you hate it,” says Patel. “It has a bad rap as being overly spicy, and too heavy. My goal is to broaden people’s perspectives, and what makes me happiest is when a normal diner comes in not knowing what to expect and walks out in a food coma like, ‘What just happened to my palate?’”

Even high-end foodies are opening their minds to Indian food and helping to spread its national appeal.

“Yesterday I had a table of young guys, they told me this is their first time eating Indian food,” Maska’s Mathur says. “And they’re loving it. So then they will say, ‘Ok, let’s try another Indian restaurant,’ And they will tell their friends to try an Indian restaurant. And this is the best compliment I can get.”

Photo: Maska Miami/Facebook

Though events like Brown in the South are mainstream hits, and restaurants like Ghee, Maska, and Chai Pani regularly require long waits on weekdays, the broadened appeal of Indian food hasn’t reached everyone yet. On my way back from Raleigh I texted a friend I was set to have dinner with asking what she felt like eating. My enlightened heart sank a little when I saw her response.

“As long as I can find something gluten-free I’m happy,” she said. Then immediately added, “Just not Indian.”


More like this: 11 Indian curries that are infinitely better than chicken tikka masala

The post A new generation of chefs is bringing real Indian food to the South appeared first on Matador Network.

Best day hikes near Atlanta

Hiking in the Atlanta area offers the unique perk of visiting many of Georgia’s most famous Civil War-era ruins, often hidden within forested confines. The grizzly Civil War history contrasts with the soothing effects of lush woods, gentle hills, and cascading rivers. Varying in difficulty from short, easy riverside walks to vigorous all-day climbs, these trails are a relaxing escape from the noise and breezeless heat of summer in the big city. Just don’t forget to stay hydrated.

Indian Seats Trail at Sawnee Mountain Park

Photo: Exeter_Acres/Shutterstock

This scenic trail is both moderately challenging and your best chance to stand atop a Georgia mountain without venturing too far from the city. Sawnee Mountain Preserve is just under an hour north of Atlanta near the town of Cumming. Indian Seats Trail leads hikers around the side of the hill and up to the summit, offering views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and open expanses of northern Georgia throughout most of the hike. If you want to keep going, plenty of other trails criss-cross the preserve’s 900 acres of protected natural splendor.

Distance: four miles

Trailhead directions: Take Tribble Gap Road north out of Cumming and follow signs to Sawnee Mountain Park.

Springer Mountain Loop

Photo: Kurdistan/Shutterstock

The Springer Mountain Loop actually starts you at a waterfall, though you’re missing the best part if all you do is snap a quick photo and walk back to the car. From Amicalola Falls, the Appalachian Trail departs on its 2,190-mile journey north, and this long day hike gives you a quick taste of what those hardcore through-hikers on their way up to Maine are in for. Start with a brisk climb up a steep set of stairs and then pass into the forest up and over a series of minor hills towards the Hike Inn, following the Benton MacKaye Trail. Here, stop for a free cup of coffee and pull your packed lunch out of the pack, as the inn is just about halfway through the hike and a perfect place to stop.

Distance: 17-mile loop trail

Trailhead directions: Parking for the trailhead is located on a forest service road off Winding Stair Gap Road, about two hours north of central Atlanta. Be sure to Google Maps this one, as it’s among the more difficult trailheads to find. The rewarding views are worth the effort, though.

Kennesaw Mountain

Photo: Rob Hainer/Shutterstock

If you’ve never seen an old military cannon position, get yourself out to Kennesaw Mountain. The battle for Atlanta went down here, and the base of the mountain is home to the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Over the course of just under six miles, you’ll pass old Civil War cannons on your way to the 1,778-foot summit of the mountain. The loops along the forested side along the Camp Brumby Trail back to the parking lot over the course of just a couple hours.

Clearly marked trails twist their way around the mountain, with the summit and circumference route easy to follow. Along the way, you’ll also see a few well-marked offshoots to venture out away from the other day hikers. The trail and parking lot tend to fill up early, especially on weekends, though there is an overflow parking lot that will make the overall hike just a little longer.

Distance: 5.9 miles

Trailhead directions: The parking lot and trailhead are located just off Old 41 Highway NW, about 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta.

Cascade Springs Nature Preserve

Photo: claprath/Shutterstock

Here is where you can get your waterfall fix without even having to leave the city to find it. Cascade Springs Nature Preserve is located in southeast Atlanta. An easy path departs from the parking lot, leading to the waterfall just 1.3 miles down the trail. Along the way, keep your eyes peeled for war ruins amidst the woodsy enclaves. You may also spot a turtle or two as you meander along the stream en route to the cascade.

The war ruins reflect that this was the site of The Battle of Utoy Creek, which was fought between Confederate soldiers and the approaching Union Army in August of 1864. Over 850 soldiers lost their lives here over the course of three bloody days. The gruesome history belies the relatively easy, enjoyable hike you’ll be doing towards the lovely falls.

Distance: 1.6 miles, out and back

Trailhead directions: The parking lot is located just off the intersection of Veltre Circle SW and Cascade Road SW, with obvious signage as you enter the preserve.

Sweetwater Creek State Park

Photo: jamie_jeff/Shutterstock

Just west of the city, Sweetwater Creek State Park offers four miles of trails to hikers looking for a decent workout. The draw here is the forested acreage alongside the creek itself, providing a welcome respite from the summer heat and an escape from the motor-driven sounds of the city just beyond the park’s borders. The park is home to historic mill ruins that have stood on the site since the Civil War. You can pass right by these ruins on the trail and can photograph them to prove you actually made it OTP — which means “outside the perimeter” and is Atlantan for anything beyond the city’s ring road.

Distance: Varies

Trailhead directions: Turn onto Factory Shoals Road from Mt. Vernon Road, south of I-20, and enter the park at the signed entrance.

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Photo: Straystone/Shutterstock

More of a collection of parks than a specific hiking trail, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is where to go if you’re with a group of people of varying hiking ability and interest. The area is a protected series of green spaces alongside the Chattahoochee River that offer everything from hiking to rafting and biking, as well as some of the area’s best fishing.

Some of the many forested hiking trails along the river include the Sope Creek Trail, a 1.5-mile jaunt to the ruins of an old Civil War-era paper mill, and the trails in Jones Park Bridge and the Medlock Bridge area. For a more challenging excursion, start at the Powers Island Trailhead and hike to the paper mill ruins and back, an eight-mile trek that passes through both forest and waterside fishing spots. No matter which hike you choose, at no point will you be asked to spell the name of the recreation area.

Distance: 1.5 to four miles

Trailhead directions: The Paper Mill Ruins Trail begins just off Paper Mill Road. Pull off onto the access road and find parking near the trailhead.

East Palisades Trail

Photo: Bradley Huchteman/Shutterstock

The Palisades are part of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, but they’re literally just outside the city limits. The East Palisades Trail is one of the few trails near Atlanta where you can actually get a bit of incline-driven cardio in as you hike up a set of bulbous bluffs to enjoy city views in one direction and bamboo forest in the other. This area is generally far less crowded than the West Palisades Trail, both because it isn’t paved and because it actually requires a bit of conditioning to complete. The views and the journey towards them are worth the effort — especially if your phone camera can take a 360-degree panoramic photo from the top.

Distance: 3.4 miles

Trailhead directions: The trailhead begins on Indian Trail NW, which you’ll access from Northside Drive NW, due east of the I-75 and I-285 mousetrap.


More like this: The best stops on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The post The best hiking trails near Atlanta appeared first on Matador Network.

Tipping in every European country

Tipping in Europe is nothing like tipping in the US. While it may be hard for regular American tippers to leave a table or bar without tacking on an additional 15 to 20 percent for the waitstaff, restaurants and hotels generally already include a 10 to 15 percent service fee in Europe.

Most countries in Europe pay the staff minimum wage at the least. Don’t feel guilted into tipping on bad service, and don’t tip if the place is self-service. However, different countries have different customs when it comes to restaurants, bars, taxis, and hotels. This tipping guide to every country in the European Union will help you out wherever you are.

Quick tip: Tip in cash, and give the tip directly to the person you intend it for. Well, you should probably do this everywhere in the whole world.

Austria

Restaurants and bars: A standard service charge is usually listed on the bill, so check for that first and leave 10 to 15 percent. Round up and leave the change when paying cash.

Taxis: 10 percent

Hotels: one euro per bag for porters

Belgium

Restaurants and bars: Service charge included in your bill, no need to tip.

Taxis: Not required, but you can round up to the nearest euro and let the driver keep the change.

Hotels: Service charge included in your bill, no need to tip.

Bulgaria

Restaurants and bars: Tip 10 percent or less in restaurants and a couple Bulgarian levs per order of drinks.

Taxis: Round up and let the driver keep the change.

Hotels: Tip porters one to two Bulgarian levs per bag and leave the same for housekeeping.

Croatia

Restaurants and bars: Service charge usually included in your bill at restaurants, so no need to tip. If the service is good, tip up to 10 percent. In bars, rounding up and letting the bartender keep the change is sufficient.

Taxis: Service charge included in your bill, no need to tip.

Hotels: Tip porters up to 10 Croatian kunas per bag.

Cyprus

Restaurants and bars: Service is usually included, but it’s customary to round up or leave 10 percent for exceptional service. Don’t tip at bars.

Taxis: Round up and leave change as a tip.

Hotels: Tip porters €1 to €2 per bag, and leave the same for housekeeping.

Czech Republic

Restaurants and bars: Leave a 10 to 15 percent tip at restaurants. Round up after a round of drinks at the bar, and let the bartender keep the change.

Taxis: Service charge included in your bill, no need to tip.

Hotels: Tip around 40 Czech korunas per bag the porter carries for you.

Denmark

Restaurants and bars: Restaurants include service charge, so no need to tip. It’s fine to tip up to 10 percent at nicer restaurants for exceptional service. Round up and leave the change as a tip at bars.

Taxis: Service charge included in your bill, no need to tip.

Hotels: Porters receive around five Kroners per bag they carry for you.

Estonia

Restaurants and bars: Service charge usually included on the bill. For nicer places, leave five to 10 percent. No need to tip in bars.

Taxis: Tip up to 10 percent.

Hotels: Tip €1 per bag the porter carries.

Finland

Restaurants and bars: Service is included in restaurant bills, but it’s not unheard of to tip five to 10 percent for good service at restaurants. Round up and leave change for bartenders.

Taxis: No need to tip.

Hotels: No need to tip.

France

Restaurants and bars: Round up for smaller meals at restaurants, and five to 10 percent at nicer restaurants (check for a service charge that’s normally included on the bill). Tip €1 to €5 per round of drinks at the bar, depending on the drink ordered and how many drinks ordered.

Taxis: Tip 10 percent.

Hotels: Tip room service and porters €1 to €2, and leave the same for housekeeping.

Germany

Restaurants and bars: Service charge included in restaurant bills, but an additional five to 10 percent is normally added (just keep things to the nearest euro). Rather than bringing back change, the wait staff will tell you your total and you tell them how much you want to pay including tip. They’ll bring back the correct change based on how much you stated as your total.

Taxis: Typical to tip five to 10 percent.

Hotels: Porters get around €1 a bag and leave €1 to €2 for housekeeping.

Greece

Restaurants and bars: Service included in your bill and is often listed on the menu, but leave the change as an additional tip when paying with cash. The included service charge can be higher during the holiday season.

Taxis: No tip necessary.

Hotels: Tip porters €1 per bag.

Hungary

Restaurants and bars: Tip 10 to 15 percent of the bill at both restaurants and bars.

Taxis: Tip around 10 percent on the price of the ride.

Hotels: Tip around 500 Hungarian forints if a porter carries your bag.

Ireland

Restaurants and bars: Service charge is generally listed on restaurant bills, but add on 10 to 15 percent if not. Tip €1 to €2 if you order more than a single drink at bars.

Taxis: Round up and leave the change as a tip, or up to 10 percent if the driver provided extra service.

Hotels: Tip porters €1 a bag they carry for you and leave €2 a night for housekeeping.

Italy

Restaurants and bars: Service charge included at restaurants and bars. If not, leave 10 to 15 percent tip. Round up and leave the change as a tip at bars.

Taxis: No tip necessary.

Hotels: Tip porters and doormen a couple euros per bag, and leave €1 for housekeeping a night.

Latvia

Restaurants and bars: Service is usually included in the bill. If not, tip around 10 percent. Tip the same at bars for table service but not if you ordered a drink at the bar.

Taxis: Not obligatory, but can add up to 10 percent.

Hotels: Tip €1 euro per bag the porter carries for you.

Lithuania

Restaurants and bars: Tip up to 10 percent at nicer restaurants. Don’t tip at bars.

Taxis: No tip necessary.

Hotels: No tip necessary, but fine to give a small amount to porters if they’re especially helpful.

Luxembourg

Restaurants and bars: Service charge included on the bill. Add up to an additional 10 percent for good service. Round up and leave the change as a tip at bars.

Taxis: Tip up to 10 percent.

Hotels: No need to tip.

Malta

Restaurants and bars: Service usually included on the bill. If not, tip five to 10 percent. Don’t tip at bars unless it’s table service, in which case tip five percent.

Taxis: No tip necessary.

Hotels: Tip porters and housekeepers €2 to €3.

Netherlands

Restaurants and bars: Service charge included in the meal, but you can leave up to 10 percent if you were especially pleased. Round up to the nearest euro at bars.

Taxis: Round up to the nearest euro and leave the change as a tip.

Hotels: Tip porters €1 to €2 per bag.

Poland

Restaurants and bars: Tip around 10 to 15 percent at restaurants.

Taxis: No tip necessary.

Hotels: No tip necessary.

Portugal

Restaurants and bars: Service is generally included in the bill at restaurants, but add 10 percent if not. At bars, leave €1 or €2 for good service.

Taxis: Round to the nearest €5.

Hotels: Tip €1 to €2 per bag the porter carries.

Romania

Restaurants and bars: Tip 5]five to 15 percent at restaurants depending on the service, and five to 15 percent at bars depending on the quality of the bar and drinks.

Taxis: No need to tip.

Hotels: Tip two to four Romanian leu for porters and housekeepers.

Slovakia

Restaurants and bars: Leave 10 to 15 percent tip at restaurants and bars if it’s not already included on the bill.

Taxis: Tip up to 10 percent.

Hotels: Tip €1 euro to porters and housekeeping.

Slovenia

Restaurants and bars: A service charge is generally included in the bill, but leave 10 to 15 percent tip if not. Don’t tip at bars.

Taxis: Round up to the nearest euro and leave the change as a tip.

Hotels: Tip porters and housekeeping €1.

Spain

Restaurants and bars: Tip five to 10 percent at restaurants and round up. Leave the change as a tip after a round at bars for drinks and tapas.

Taxis: Tip 10 percent of the total fare. Rides from the airport may automatically include the tip as a fee.

Hotels: Tip porters, room service, and doormen around €1.

Sweden

Restaurants and bars: Service charge included in the bill at restaurants, so no need to tip. Can leave up to 10 percent if service was exceptional. At bars, round up and leave the change as a tip.

Taxis: Round up and leave the change as a tip.

Hotels: No tip required.

Switzerland

Restaurants and bars: No need to tip, all service charges are included.

Taxis: Add up to five percent.

Hotels: Add one to two Swiss francs per bag a porter carries for you.

United Kingdom

Restaurants and bars: Don’t tip when you order your food at the counter. Service charge is automatically added at some sit-down restaurants, but leave 10 to 15 percent if not. Don’t tip at bars.

Taxis: Round up to the nearest pound and leave the change.

Hotels: Tip porters two British pounds for carrying your bags.


More like this: 5 popular European cities where your dollar will go the furthest

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Pakistan is opening up to tourism

After Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia, it’s Pakistan’s turn to take new steps to make it easier for tourists to visit. The new measures include relaxing its visa policies and reducing restrictions on travel within the country.

Malaysia, China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the UK are already given visa-free access to the South Asian nation, but a further relaxation of the visa regulations will soon grant visas on arrival to visitors from 50 countries and electronic visas to 175 nationalities.

The country is also doing away with many travel restrictions within its borders, abolishing the No Objection Certificate (NOC) that limited travel to some specific areas of the country. However, visitors are still unable to travel within 10 miles of the Chinese and Afgani borders.

Another landmark acheived NOC regime for foreigners come to an end, ⁦@ImranKhanPTI⁩ vision is to make Pak a heaven for tourists and following new Visa regime this important policy decision of ending NOC requirements is a leap forward #DiscoverPakistan pic.twitter.com/LEjU0QcQk5

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 26, 2019

According to

H/T: Lonely Planet

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Game of Thrones Bellagio Fountains

In case waiting for the final season of Game of Thrones wasn’t already too much to bear, this new Fountains of Bellagio show will stoke your anticipation even more. Until April 13, the eve of the release of the much-anticipated season eight, the famous fountains at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas are putting on a Game of Thrones spectacle with music, pyrotechnics, and video projections on a wall of water at 8:00 PM and 9:30 PM every day.

Photo: MGM Resorts

WET Design, the original creator of the Fountains of Bellagio, even collaborated with Ramin Djawadi, composer for the Games of Thrones series, to include the show’s iconic music and make the production pop.

Photo: MGM Resorts

According to the press release, “From the green glow of Wildfire and falling snow, to the undead dragon soaring above Lake Bellagio breathing vibrant blue flames that set the waters ablaze, and the crashing fall of The Wall, The Fountains interpret some of the most memorable visuals of Game of Thrones in entirely new ways.” And no, the climax doesn’t disappoint. It ends with a dragon setting the pool ablaze with a breath of fire.

Photo: MGM Resorts

If you can’t make it to Vegas and this fountain show with 800 water jets, check out the video below to get your GoT fix before April 14.

H/T: Lonely Planet

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Western Europe’s tallest skyscraper

Western Europe’s tallest skyscraper isn’t being built in Paris, London, Berlin, or any other large metropolis, but in Brande, Denmark, a rural town of just 7,000 people. The fashion brand Bestseller has recently announced its plans to build its headquarters in a 1,050-foot-tall tower in the small Danish town. While the location of the tower might sound odd, the fashion brand has been calling Brande home since 1975 and “wants to give back to the community,” according to architectural firm Dorte Mandrup.

Photo: Dorte Mandrup

The tower is not the only element of the surprising architectural project. At the foot of the tower, will be several buildings with living roofs for them to blend in the rural landscape (not an easy task when there’s a gigantic tower soaring right next to them). According to Dorte Mandrup, “the new Tower & Village will offer much more than just office space to local residents. […] The buildings will facilitate a new kind of environment featuring over 30 shopping opportunities, hotel accommodation, educational institutions, BESTSELLER’s own offices, nature walks and public activity facilities.”

Photo: Dorte Mandrup

The local council voted to approve the project last month, and it seems like the town is certainly on board. Not everyone is completely pleased by the idea, however. According to The Guardian, Rokokoposten, Denmark’s version of The Onion, published a spoof comparing the Bestseller Tower to the Tower of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings. Architect Trine Kammer condemned the project, believing it will destroy the landscape’s rural charm. “People in Brande are so afraid to criticize Bestseller,” she said. “It’s like a religion or something. Such a big building will make the world claustrophobically small. Why do I have to be reminded of Bestseller when I’m walking by myself in a quiet wood?”

Indeed, since the surrounding landscape is so flat, the tower will be visible from 37 miles away.

H/T: The Guardian

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Weirdest Wisconsin obsessions

There are some things people everywhere are weirdly obsessed with, like cat videos and Game of Thrones. Other obsessions are solely for Wisconsinites. From the specific characteristics of our favorite sausage to anything having to do with water, here are 11 things Wisconsinites are weirdly obsessed with.

1. Harley-Davidson

It’s not just about the bike. It’s the T-shirts, leather jackets, hats, pens, the paint job on your hog, and the quantity of your chrome. For Wisconsinites, Harley-Davidson is a lifestyle.

2. Wisconsin beer

With hundreds of breweries throughout the state, we have little reason to drink anything else. Miller Lite will always be the best light beer in the world, and New Glarus’ Spotted Cow will ensure our out-of-state friends are always eager to visit.

3. The Packers

Wearing foam cheese on your head in support of a sports team is weird, as is serving Packers-themed food on game day and sitting in below-zero temperatures at Lambeau. Decorating your bathroom with green and gold Packers memorabilia would be the tip of the iceberg of our obsession with this team.

4. Cheese

Everyone loves cheese, but nobody obsesses over it like a Wisconsinite. And I mean “waking up at 6:00 AM on a Saturday to be the first to the farmers market to get your favorite cheese before it sells out” obsessed.

5. The difference between brats and hot dogs

Don’t you dare say they are the same. We will fiercely defend the beer-battered brat’s superiority over a measly hot dog any day.

6. Lakes

We love the lakes so much that we’ll keep the boat out of storage until the very last mild day of fall, just in case a good boating day happens. In the middle of winter, we’ll even sit outside in a tiny shack just to fish on them.

7. Deer meat

Venison steaks, deer jerky, stew, meat sticks, livers, and even hearts — it is a Wisconsinite’s favorite meat and we’ve come up with some delicious (if questionable) ways to enjoy it.

8. Tricked out hunting cabins and ice fishing shacks

We might be in the middle of a forest or a frozen lake, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make it luxurious. The best hunting cabins and ice-fishing shacks have TV, cable, a kitchen, a place to sleep, and heaters to make it comfy all season long.

9. Up North

That it doesn’t have a distinct location makes Up North all the better for getting away from it all. Whether cozying up in a cabin in the woods or boating the day away on an otherwise empty lake, Wisconsinites love this locals-only destination.

10. Themed drinking events

Merely drinking with friends is too mundane, but pair a day of drinking with a clever theme, and you have one of Wisconsinites’ favorite pastimes. Whether it’s a ’90s pub crawl, a pseudo-athletic 5K bar run, or sporting pastel polos for a competitive day of pub golf, we can never resist a creatively themed drinking event.

11. Cook-offs

The best way to eat with friends is to compete with them over who made the best brat/chili/booyah/dip. We love a good cook-off because it merges our love for meaty and cheesy food with our competitive spirit.


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Spring in Philadelphia

The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and we’ve all started smiling again. The dreaded Philly winter months are finally over, and we can begin to extend our daily life outdoors again. But that’s not all, here are nine ways you know that it’s officially spring in Philadelphia.

1. There’s free water ice.

Regardless of what the weather is, the only way we can trust that it’s the first day of spring every year is by watching the line for free Rita’s grow three blocks long.

2. The cherry blossoms are out.

Say what you will about our city, but it’s downright charming in spring. Especially when those brick rowhouse-lined streets near Rittenhouse come alive with pink cherry blossoms.

3. Loud hip-hop is playing in the streets.

The windows roll down, the bicycle riding speakers come out, and the stoop-side soundtracks begin. It’s officially hip-hop season in Philly.

4. The running path is packed.

Maybe you’re a die-hard, out there jogging when the temperatures dip into the 20s and 30s. But the rest of us wait until spring when we can feel sustained sunshine and the temps rise right back into that preferred 50-60 range before heading out for a jog.

6. People are nice again.

Breathe out, you can finally greet your neighbor again. The return of blue skies and sunshine means it’s safe to converse with strangers without the fear of them taking out their winter anger on you.

7. The sidewalk tables emerge.

The tables for your neighborhood restaurants are out and that means that you can get back to waiting hours in unreasonably long lines for brunch.

8. The hammocks go up.

Watching all the young folk cheerfully string up their hammocks is as much an indicator of the season change as the birds migrating back home.

9. The Rittenhouse performers come out.

We don’t care how cheesy it is, we still get excited when we see the five-dollar poem guy come back out to the park because it means it’s officially spring.


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