Pet peeves, complaints?

I've never had trouble with cab drivers. Or, maybe I got cheated and didn't know it.

That could be!

I have a feeling that London cleaned up the industry some years ago with very strict licensing over both cars and drivers, but in most cities there are a lot of cars and drivers that work as taxis at peak times - they tend to be the very dodgy ones.

Certainly Prague, Bratislava, Budapest are all terrible for rampant overcharging - and in ways tourists won't always recognise.
 
My biggest pet peeve is getting beverages in Europe (I don't drink alcohol).

It is nothing unusual to pay four Euro for a half liter of bottled water. And of course, there are no refills, whether the water is bottled or not. And this is true even when you are in a developed country (e.g., Austria) where the tap water is perfectly fine to drink.

Worst experience was paying 6 Euro for a glass of TAP WATER in Copenhagen last month. The waiter swore it was bottled water that he had emptied into my glass in the kitchen. Lying bastard.

When on a trip to Austria a few months ago, I bought a liter of fluid at a "7-11," then kept it in my room, filled with tap water, which I flavored with brought-from-home iced tea mix. This is what I had with my room-service supper each night.

I'll show the fuckers. I probably save my company fifty bucks using this brilliant strategem.

P.S. I know I'm a neurotic idiot on this particular subject.
 
I took a cab from the airport in Luxembourg to my Hotel a couple years ago. The hotel was VISIBLE FROM THE AIRPORT! Cab ride was 40 Euro. Fixed. No deviation.

When I told my local counterpart in town, he was mystified that I found this exhorbitant. Something is wrong with me, I suppose.

On an other trip to that fine city, I had to stay over an extra couple days, so I had my socks & underwear laundered at the hotel. 45 Euro. I told the clerk, "This is more than I paid for the stuff," but he was totally un-impressed.
 

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