Miscellaneous questions

I'll take the water issue. Most places serve bottled water as an equivalent to wine. You ask for it with gas or without gas (still). You can ask for tap water, usually at no cost. It may or may not come with ice - usually not.

To divide up: decaf coffee and tea 1) London 2)Paris 3)Italy
4)Switzerland 5) tea at night prefer herbal.. should I bring my ownwill they laugh 6)artificial sweeteners 7)water (with or without carbonation-tap vrs bottled) 1. I saw a story in the paper the other day that London now has more Starbucks than NYC. No problem in coffee houses like $tarbucks, Costa, Cafe Nero, etc. No problem to buy boxes of tea of 100s of types including huge varieties of caffeine free. The big push among most of my friends now is Redbush or Rooiebush which are the same, from South Africa. Most hotels should be able to accommodate but smaller ones, and many larger ones, will probably use instant coffee. 2. Coffee not so easy, most places have plenty tea bags which will have some decaf. 3.Cafe Hag is the decaf coffee. Tea bags may be like France, possibly less choice 4. Never looked in Switzerland but I would expect similar to France. It will depend on the place you go, I expect. 5. See above. As I said, plenty herbal should be available, and you can always go to the supermarket if stymied. 5b. Not to your face. 6. almost always available but will vary slightly from country to country. I need to use it and always have a Canderel dispenser with me but can usually get sachets of Canderel, Sweet 'n' Low, Splenda, or the local sweetener. It is helpful to know the local language words, such as Suess-Stoffe (sp) in German. As said above, most have saccherine and/or aspertame. 7. Varies. Get to know the local custom. In UK ask for jug of water.

Oh thanks Doug.. actually we finally "get" the water and the seating customs.. and were my reasons for asking about the rest... thanks for the reply..

Nigel Thanks for all that.. Cafe Hag?? wow funny name
Love Rooibos and that is what I drink all the time here will bring some just in casebut good to know that they have it in London.. was not so concerned about London somehow London feels less "foreign" to me perhaps because of the language and big city... coming from NY I feel like London won't be sooo different like you say Starbucks etc..was not sure about Paris, Florence Venice was pretty sure they would not have Starbucks..:) I think Starbucks coffee is too strong and expect that to be the case in Paris and Italy... as well.. I love coffee but my stomach cannot handle it if its very strong.. so decaf and lots of cream for me so mostly tea when i cannot get decaf..

See what the fabulous Ron in Rome has to say about coffee in Italy. Its worth playing the attached video, too.

You can find artificial sweetener, but you may prefer bringing your own. Theirs may contain saccharin. I brought my own tea bags (not a coffee drinker), but only used them while staying in apartments. I didn't notice decaf, but wasn't looking either.

Yes, you can get decaf in France; ask for deca pronounced /daka/, the first A being long and stress the first syllable. Herbal tea is called tissane, pronounced /teezon/ stress the second syllable. I bring my own small packets of Splenda but as Nigel said, Candelera (excuse my spelling), which is pretty good, can be found widely. If you want tap water in France, ask for a pichet d'eau (peeshay d'o) and you get either a pitcher or bottle filled with tap water, sometimes cold, sometimes at room temperature. More and more people drink tap water in restaurants.

In the US I dislike Starbucks coffee... too bitter, too strong, but ended up having a coffee at one of the Starbucks in Paris because I was with a friend, and it tasted completely different. It was great, I loved it, and drank it every day for a week (?...maybe it was the water or just the French Ambience, but I think they just give the best coffee to the French and send the junk to the US) :)

I bring my own sweetener with me. Sweeteners I can find overseas have a different (chemical) flavor than I am used to. I even take my own on the plane- they dont always have my brand available. water- never had a problem that I recall. i usually get the local tap water (or sparkling if I have been indulging too much). Bottled water in european restaurants (like in USA) is a saleable item

Tap water easy to get in France for free ,( I ask for un carafe d'eau) but not so in Italy,, you will buy water there most likely.
I bring some sweetner( I use splenda at home) but usually end up buying more there, have found slenda in Uk and France. and like the little dispensers. In france sometimes decaf coffee may be Sanka. Decaf teas ( as in herbal ) are as previous poster said called tisanes and are easy to find in France, at stores or cafes. At a cafe if you only plan on a drink , if you see tables set with cloths and silverware and some not,, take the bare tables. You have to ask for your bill usually (l"addition svp) , or motion to waiter by pretending to scribble on your hand( like you are writing out a bill) Tipping is not like here. .tip little to nothing .. mostly just change.

Decaf in Switzerland- if you're in the German-speaking areas, look for the word "entkoffeiniert". The US color-code of using green to symbolize decaf doesn't apply here. There are at least two brands of coffee that use a green label for the fully caffeinated version of their products, so read the label carefully.

Italy has the very best tap water. You can also fill up at the ubiquitous fountains throughout. BUT if you go into a restaurant and ask for tap water, you will not get the lovely icy cold liquid but tepid water - I think it's to encourage you to order bottled €au or wine (which is often cheaper than the bottled water - don't you love it). Tea bags and artificial sweeteners and individual packets of instant coffee don't take up a lot of room or weight, and it's easy to carry a few in your handbag or pocket each day. Take it from home (where it's probably cheaper anyway) and avoid the stress. No one will laugh, but you may get charged as much for a cup of hot water in a cafe or restaurant as for a cup of tea or coffee. Just remember, you are paying for the seat, not the drink.

We use Splenda (sucralose based). A stevia based sweetener is being heavily advertised on TV at the moment so should be readily available in chemists, supermarkets etc.

Spenda or sweet and lowis what I use here.. I can bring some and my fav tea bags.. yes but sometimes if out for breakfast I will order coffee (decaf) or tea so all interesting informtion.. looks like Italy will be the most complicated and we are there the longest:) we are staying most nights in an apartment so that will help. I tend to drink bottled water here all the time even though NY has some of the best tasting water. I need to stay away from the minerals...
I also get sick (slightly) from any change in water... even NY to Texas type change.. my system is very sensitive.. but I have been very ill from water in Mexico and Columbia and needed the doc each time so being very cautious on this trip and may just buy the bottled stuff for safety.. not that the water is bad anywhere just different can make a difference to me..

Barbara
I use Sweet n Lo and have had "difficulty" finding it . I find it easier to just take it with me, after having wasted time on prior trips hunting in Supermarkets and pharmacies for it. Got better things to do with my time

do realize that bottled water will be quite different from brand to brand - it is mineral water after all. Every mineral water is different, they all come from different sources. The brands you are used to probably won't be available as you travel.

Well re: the water.. I buy italian bottled water here as well as local poland spring and either is fine.. I guess it all depends.. When I say it bothers my stomach.. it may just give me some digestive issues for a few days until by system adjusts.. I tend to eat a lot of yougert to help with that.. I have only actually gotten very sick in Columbia and Mexico but we are talking very different conditions
I have read that the water in italy is suspect from the tap... I think that was on a website that gives international information on eating and drinking condtions for each country and what vaccines you need. I got a card for them as they give you medical info should you get sick overseas.. forgot the name at the moment. So I know many posters drink water from the fountains etc.. I won't even do that here in the US.. :) All may be just fine.. I am just being careful and it may cost me a few bucks extra but its worth it to me.

...I have read that the water in italy is suspect from the tap..... I have never read that or heard that for any western European country and especially Italy. And we have drank for years from the fountains of Rome. With the Italian set up the fountains much more sanitary than the standard white water fountains in the US, especially those with low pressure. You are traveling to modern countries and not a third world. If worried about tap water you would need to avoid brushing your teeth, all fresh vegetables 'cause they are not going to wash them in bottle water and a host of other things.

Most Italian drinking water streams straight from the Alps and is absolutely wonderful.

This from IAMATInternational Association for medical assistance to travlers regarding Italy Drinking water is chlorinated and has no ill effect on the local population. However, some strains of E. coli (naturally occurring bacteria found in your gastro-intestinal system) may be present in very small concentrations in the local water supply. Some local strains are different than those that you may be used to, and may cause diarrhea in travellers since immunity is not developed as a result of short-term exposure. Using bottled water for the first few weeks will help you adjust and decrease the chance of traveller's diarrhea. I don't know where they get their info but they do not say this for France or England so seems like it may be true for some areas of Italy.. I just play it safe.