My wife & I are vacationing in Ireland this summer. In light of the fact
that the weak dollar will make everything somewhat expensive, my wife
suggested that if restaurants become too much we can buy stuff at a store
and keep it fresh in a cooler, and have picnics along our travels. I said
to her "what cooler?". I was remembering our only other trip to europe,
Germany in 1999. I had picked up a couple of 1/2 liter German beers on
our first day there in a little market for about 1 mark (about 60 cents
at the time) each and figured I could get them cool later. I knew that
ice was not as big a deal as in the US, but I figured I'd come up with
something. Here in Virginia every hotel has ice machines, many have
refrigerators in the rooms, and you can buy a bag of ice at almost any
gas station or grocery store. The only ice I saw in Germany was at the
top of Zugspitz! And never in the over two weeks there did I ever see a
cooler of any kind in stores or elsewhere. After over a week of rolling
around in the back of our car, I figured I had to do something with those
beers, so I went to the kitchen area of our hotel and asked if I could
get some ice. They asked "ice cream?" I said no, I wanted ice cubes. They
asked "What do you want them for?" After I told them, they went to their
secret stash and brought me two ice cubes in a glass. With a little more
persistance I got them to bring me about a dozen cubes in a bowel, which
I spun my beers in to get them sufficiently cold. Later, I am sure the
kitchen staff had a big laugh about the crazy Americans and their ice.
Anyway, I wondered if Ireland is the same in this respect. Do they have
ice and coolers available with which to keep milk, meats, and other
perishables (and beverages of course) fresh in? If not, we will have to
figure out other ways to be thrifty.
Thanks,
Homer

I've got a nice little soft sided cooler with some accessory
compartments and shoulder strap that could pass for a day bag...commonly
available in six-twelve and case sizes...

As for ice... I feel your (peculiar to an American traveler) pain...
Mickey D's and the King's got you covered... "All ice and hold the soda
please" is a sure thing! I even note "Ice" on the menu at some outlets
serving many Interstate travelers in the USA; maybe 'over there' too...

Tim K

"Homer Simpson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > My wife & I are vacationing in Ireland this summer. In light of the
fact
    > that the weak dollar will make everything somewhat expensive, my wife
    > suggested that if restaurants become too much we can buy stuff at a
store
    > and keep it fresh in a cooler, and have picnics along our travels. I
said
    > to her "what cooler?". I was remembering our only other trip to
europe,
    > Germany in 1999. I had picked up a couple of 1/2 liter German beers on
    > our first day there in a little market for about 1 mark (about 60
cents
    > at the time) each and figured I could get them cool later. I knew that
    > ice was not as big a deal as in the US, but I figured I'd come up with
    > something. Here in Virginia every hotel has ice machines, many have
    > refrigerators in the rooms, and you can buy a bag of ice at almost any
    > gas station or grocery store. The only ice I saw in Germany was at the
    > top of Zugspitz! And never in the over two weeks there did I ever see
a
    > cooler of any kind in stores or elsewhere. After over a week of
rolling
    > around in the back of our car, I figured I had to do something with
those
    > beers, so I went to the kitchen area of our hotel and asked if I could
    > get some ice. They asked "ice cream?" I said no, I wanted ice cubes.
They
    > asked "What do you want them for?" After I told them, they went to
their
    > secret stash and brought me two ice cubes in a glass. With a little
more
    > persistance I got them to bring me about a dozen cubes in a bowel,
which
    > I spun my beers in to get them sufficiently cold. Later, I am sure the
    > kitchen staff had a big laugh about the crazy Americans and their ice.
    > Anyway, I wondered if Ireland is the same in this respect. Do they
have
    > ice and coolers available with which to keep milk, meats, and other
    > perishables (and beverages of course) fresh in? If not, we will have
to
    > figure out other ways to be thrifty.
    > Thanks,
    > Homer

On Fri, 01 Apr 2005 06:00:26 GMT, "Timothy Kroesen"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    |I've got a nice little soft sided cooler with some accessory
    |compartments and shoulder strap that could pass for a day bag...commonly
    |available in six-twelve and case sizes...
    |
    |As for ice... I feel your (peculiar to an American traveler) pain...
    |Mickey D's and the King's got you covered... "All ice and hold the soda
    |please" is a sure thing! I even note "Ice" on the menu at some outlets
    |serving many Interstate travelers in the USA; maybe 'over there' too...
    |
    |Tim K

I carried a similar cooler 'round the world with a couple of those
plastic freezer bricks. In the hotels/motels that didn't have a fridge
they always cheerfully put them in the restaurant freezer overnight.


Cheers, Alan, Australia

"Homer Simpson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

    > With a little more
    > persistance I got them to bring me about a dozen cubes in a bowel, which
    > I spun my beers in to get them sufficiently cold.

Bloody hell!!! That's what I call athletic.

Alan Harrison

Alan S <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    > On Fri, 01 Apr 2005 06:00:26 GMT, "Timothy Kroesen"
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >|I've got a nice little soft sided cooler with some accessory
    >|compartments and shoulder strap that could pass for a day bag...commonly
    >|available in six-twelve and case sizes...
    >|
    >|As for ice... I feel your (peculiar to an American traveler) pain...
    >|Mickey D's and the King's got you covered... "All ice and hold the soda
    >|please" is a sure thing! I even note "Ice" on the menu at some outlets
    >|serving many Interstate travelers in the USA; maybe 'over there' too...
    >|
    >|Tim K
    >
    > I carried a similar cooler 'round the world with a couple of those
    > plastic freezer bricks. In the hotels/motels that didn't have a fridge
    > they always cheerfully put them in the restaurant freezer overnight.
    >
    >
    > Cheers, Alan, Australia
    >

Great idea Alan. And no messy drips with those blue ice packs, as we call
them. I should have thought of them myself.

    > I got them to bring me about a dozen cubes in a bowel,
    > which I spun my beers in to get them sufficiently cold.
    > Later, I am sure the kitchen staff had a big laugh about
    > the crazy Americans and their ice.

I bet they did.

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ==============
Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760
<http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/> for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975
stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557

Homer Simpson wrote:
    > My wife & I are vacationing in Ireland this summer. In light of the
fact
    > that the weak dollar will make everything somewhat expensive, my wife

    > suggested that if restaurants become too much we can buy stuff at a
store
    > and keep it fresh in a cooler, and have picnics along our travels. I
said
    > to her "what cooler?".

For fridge-temperature you can always fill up the sink (or the bath if
there is one and you need a bigger "fridge") to keep your beers and
other sinks you can put in cold water cold.

Another bypass is to stick to things you don't need to put in the
fridge, like salted meat, bread, jam etc.

Jan

[email protected] wrote:
    > Homer Simpson wrote:
    > > My wife & I are vacationing in Ireland this summer. In light of the
    > fact
    > > that the weak dollar will make everything somewhat expensive, my
wife
    > > suggested that if restaurants become too much we can buy stuff at a
    > store
    > > and keep it fresh in a cooler, and have picnics along our travels.
I
    > said
    > > to her "what cooler?".

Yup. You do have the advantage however that it can be cool at
night in Ireland and you might be able to do well just putting stuff
on the window sill during the night by an open window.

    > For fridge-temperature you can always fill up the sink (or the bath
if
    > there is one and you need a bigger "fridge") to keep your beers and
    > other sinks you can put in cold water cold.

'Merkins tend to keep their fridges cold, below 40F. Water out of
the tap is 'bout 55F at best. And it won't stay that cold long either.

    > Another bypass is to stick to things you don't need to put in the
    > fridge, like salted meat, bread, jam etc.

Exceptin' that hotels and B&B's tend not to have such thangs in
the rooms themselves. We can usually get them to put stuff over
night in a fridge though.

This dirth of ice in Europe is an annual problem I have not
yet figured out how to solve. I fantasize each year about
building a collapsable refridge/freezer to pack along each
year just to address this issue. Of all the fads that have
crossed the atlantic from here to there, I wish the 44 oz
ice laden fountain drink would find its way.

<[email protected]> wrote:

    > Homer Simpson wrote:
    > > My wife & I are vacationing in Ireland this summer. In light of the
    > fact
    > > that the weak dollar will make everything somewhat expensive, my wife
    >
    > > suggested that if restaurants become too much we can buy stuff at a
    > store
    > > and keep it fresh in a cooler, and have picnics along our travels. I
    > said
    > > to her "what cooler?".
    >
    > For fridge-temperature you can always fill up the sink (or the bath if
    > there is one and you need a bigger "fridge") to keep your beers and
    > other sinks you can put in cold water cold.

Hm... I've tried this- it's really not the same.

    > Another bypass is to stick to things you don't need to put in the
    > fridge, like salted meat, bread, jam etc.

And develop a taste for neat whiskey!

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] oups.com...

    > This dirth of ice in Europe is an annual problem I have not
    > yet figured out how to solve. I fantasize each year about
    > building a collapsable refridge/freezer to pack along each
    > year just to address this issue. Of all the fads that have
    > crossed the atlantic from here to there, I wish the 44 oz
    > ice laden fountain drink would find its way.

One solution for cool drinks etc is the thermoelectric
cool box. The one I have is designed to run on 12v I have
a mains adapter to let me plug it in to hotel sockets

Its small enough to fit in my suitcase and I have used it
in both Europe and the States/Canada

It typically cools to a max of 25C below ambient with a
min temp just above freezing

Keith



----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
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On Fri, 01 Apr 2005 11:38:30 GMT, Homer Simpson <[email protected]>
wrote:

    >Alan S <[email protected]> wrote in
    >news:[email protected] :
    >> On Fri, 01 Apr 2005 06:00:26 GMT, "Timothy Kroesen"
    >> <[email protected]> wrote:
    >>
    >>|I've got a nice little soft sided cooler with some accessory
    >>|compartments and shoulder strap that could pass for a day bag...commonly
    >>|available in six-twelve and case sizes...
    >>|
    >>|As for ice... I feel your (peculiar to an American traveler) pain...
    >>|Mickey D's and the King's got you covered... "All ice and hold the soda
    >>|please" is a sure thing! I even note "Ice" on the menu at some outlets
    >>|serving many Interstate travelers in the USA; maybe 'over there' too...
    >>|
    >>|Tim K
    >>
    >> I carried a similar cooler 'round the world with a couple of those
    >> plastic freezer bricks. In the hotels/motels that didn't have a fridge
    >> they always cheerfully put them in the restaurant freezer overnight.
    >>
    >>
    >> Cheers, Alan, Australia
    >>
    >Great idea Alan. And no messy drips with those blue ice packs, as we call
    >them. I should have thought of them myself.

Also, don't forget to pack a couple of... ummm... I don't know the
name in American, but in Australia they are called stubby holders, and
you put your can into them, keeping the beer cold, and your hand warm.
I have never seen one here in Europe, except for my own.
--
---
DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
---
--

    > Also, don't forget to pack a couple of... ummm... I don't know the
    > name in American, but in Australia they are called stubby holders, and
    > you put your can into them, keeping the beer cold, and your hand warm.
    > I have never seen one here in Europe, except for my own.

I've never seen one new (never looked either) but they occasionally
turn up in charity shops here, so I presume you can buy them from
somewhere. I'd try one of the shops that specializes in cheap plastic
odds and ends like tackle boxes, clothes pegs and cutting boards.

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ==============
Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760
<http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/> for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975
stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557

On Fri, 01 Apr 2005 19:55:42 +0100, Jack Campin - bogus address
<[email protected]> wrote:

    |> Also, don't forget to pack a couple of... ummm... I don't know the
    |> name in American, but in Australia they are called stubby holders, and
    |> you put your can into them, keeping the beer cold, and your hand warm.
    |> I have never seen one here in Europe, except for my own.
    |
    |I've never seen one new (never looked either) but they occasionally
    |turn up in charity shops here, so I presume you can buy them from
    |somewhere. I'd try one of the shops that specializes in cheap plastic
    |odds and ends like tackle boxes, clothes pegs and cutting boards.
    |

Of course, you could always just drop in at my place:-) Or there are
plenty on-line (no Ausssie would ever pay $11 for one):
http://www.pluscorp.com.au/Product.a...=2&ProdID=3157

I decanted my diet soft drinks into a couple of 600ml plastic
screw-top bottles before putting them in the pack. The problem with
cans is that they are hard to re-seal once opened. The bottles could
be re-used and re-filled until they wore out, and you could have a
small drink without worrying about spilling the remainder. It also let
me shake a little gas out when filling them. Diet coke is extremely
gassy, which can actually cause some GI distress on a long flight
pressurised to 8000 ft.

However, if it's a long flight, a frozen can will also act as an extra
cooler brick as it thaws.

Cheers, Alan, Australia

Deep Foiled Malls <deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    >
    > Also, don't forget to pack a couple of... ummm... I don't know the
    > name in American, but in Australia they are called stubby holders, and
    > you put your can into them, keeping the beer cold, and your hand warm.
    > I have never seen one here in Europe, except for my own.

We call them coolie cups or huggies. You can buy them, but all mine are
freebies made by various companies trying to promote their products. They
even have some made like a wetsuit with a zipper that fits snugly all the
way up a longneck bottle.

On Sat, 02 Apr 2005 00:14:31 GMT, Homer Simpson <[email protected]>
wrote:

    |Deep Foiled Malls <deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote in
    |news:[email protected]:
    |
    |>
    |> Also, don't forget to pack a couple of... ummm... I don't know the
    |> name in American, but in Australia they are called stubby holders, and
    |> you put your can into them, keeping the beer cold, and your hand warm.
    |> I have never seen one here in Europe, except for my own.
    |
    |We call them coolie cups or huggies. You can buy them, but all mine are
    |freebies made by various companies trying to promote their products. They
    |even have some made like a wetsuit with a zipper that fits snugly all the
    |way up a longneck bottle.

Hi "Homer"

Just an odd thing on ng reading. I saw your original post, and this
one, but if DFM hadn't included your answer to me in his post I'd
never have seen it.

No idea why.


Cheers, Alan, Australia