Just a few tips so you can avoid that "you're so thirsty and you take a huge gulp of water only to realize that it's carbonated" situation in the first place.
If you're headed to a vacation in Europe for the first time, you may not even know how popular carbonated water is .... I'm here to tell you that yes, it's pretty popular. I can't tell you how many times I forgot this little fact and rushed into a little market and gulped down a bottle of fizzy water, totally unable to tell the difference between carbonated and still. Unless you're fine mixing it up, make sure you learn how to tell the difference.
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How in the world do you order/buy water without carbonation when you don't speak the language and you can't read the labels? It's a lot simpler than it seems, if you have these tips:
Don't Shake The Bottle
You may think you'll be able to tell between a bottled of carbonated and a bottle of non-carbonated water by shaking it ... but you can't. I've tried. Both seem pressurized and both oddly have some bubbles. Go figure. Some tourists swear that you can squeeze the bottle to tell thinking that carbonated water will be more pressurized, while still water will have some give to it, but still it's not foolproof. You'll need to find another way to tell!
Check The Label
The label will tell you everything you need to know about grabbing still or "gassed" water, it'll just be in the local language. You can pull out Google Translate and see if you can translate what's printed, flip over to the ingredients and see if you can recognize extras like carbonation, or walk over and ask a store attendant. Even if you don't speak the language, if you ask for "no gas water" or "still" water, you have a chance at being understood.
This Color Hack
Sometimes, the color of bottle you are buying can tell you everything you need to know. Many times, carbonated water is sold in a water bottle with a red or green cap and still water is sold in a bottle with a blue cap. But just know that method isn't foolproof.
Then, Take A Picture
Once you know that you have your still water purchased, take a picture of the label and the brand so you can easily identify the same bottle the next time you walk into a store. It sounds silly, but some stores have HUGE sections of bottled water, so even if you think "I'll remember for next time" you'll want to have a picture just in case. I've become extremely loyal to certain brands of bottled water when traveling Europe, just because I know with 100% certainty that I'm purchasing still, not carbonated, water.
Ordering Still Water
When you're at a restaurant, you are not going to be able to look at the color of bottle they are bringing you before you order. You need to learn how to ask for "water no gas" or "still water" in the local language. Google Translate comes in handy here for the win, or you can check out a few popular places we have translated for you:
- Italy: acqua naturale [aqua-nat-ur-alley] (natural water)
- Spain: aqua quieta [agua key-etah] (still water)
- Greece: ακόμα νερό [ah-coma-nero] (still water)
- Germany: stilles wasser [schtill - vass-ah](still water)
- France: eau plate [oh-plat] (flat water)
- Poland: nie zmącona woda [nehz - monsah - ne- voda] (still water)
- Hungary: szénsavmentes [seys-sha-men-tes] (not-carbonated)
- Croatia: negazirana [ne-gaz-eh-ran-ah] (non-carbonated)
Ukraine: Voda bez gaza [vawh-daw biz gazaw] (water no gas - Romania: Apâ platâ [aww-pa plawta] (still water)
- Lithuania: Negazuotas vanduo [neg-aw-zuo-tas van-duo] (still water)
Embrace It
If you really want to dive into the culture, give carbonated water a try! Who knows, you may end up liking it more than you thought you would. Or, you could just opt to avoid water and drink something like fresh juice or a milkshake ... joking! (sort of).
We weren't joking about the "living in Europe" thing
Volunteers with International Language Programs live abroad while they teach English or volunteer in the orphanage program for an entire semester, full of adventures and vacations. If that sounds dreamy to you, come get a little more info by checking out the ILP countries and by talking with an ILP representative who can help you out:
