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I have a upcoming Ski Trip to Chamonix, France mid March. Now, seven days of skiing is pretty intense so I plan on taking a day or two off and travel. The group I'm going with has the option of spending a day in Geneva, Switzerland, Annecy, France, and/or Torino (Turin), Italy. Does any one have any recommended/review of those three areas?
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Feb 28, 2011 20:43
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I'm heading to Stockholm, Sweden for 10 days in March. I've been to Gamla Stan but not many museums really last time I was there. Anything in particular I should really see in Stockholm or surrounding area? Thanks!
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Feb 28, 2011 21:08
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pre-op bebop posted:I'm heading to Stockholm, Sweden for 10 days in March. I've been to Gamla Stan but not many museums really last time I was there. Anything in particular I should really see in Stockholm or surrounding area? Thanks! The Moderna Museum was my favourite by far - if the weather is nice I would recommend you take one of the boats and visit the archipelago. For a day trip, Uppsala probably makes the most sense.
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Feb 28, 2011 22:09
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Could use a bit of advice on my itinerary. I'm flying into London on April 18th and then flying out of Istanbul on May 30th (Istanbul because it's where I could get the cheapest flight to Mauritius). I'm a very experienced budget traveler and am planning on couchsurfing/hosteling my way through. I expect I'll mostly be traveling by bus as well. That's 43 days in Europe. I'd like to try and keep basics at under $50/day wherever possible (I will spend more for museums/touristy poo poo I want to do). Here are the places I definitely will be going: London for at least 4 days (staying with a friend). Athens for at least 2 days (staying with a friend). Istanbul for at least 3 days (departure city & I want to see it a bit). Here are places I may want to go: Pamplona (stay with an old roommate of mine). Basel (family) Venice Rome Here are my questions: Should I dink around in Britain for a while in late April? What places should I absolutely not miss in between Britain and Turkey? Is Spain too far out of the way for my timeframe? What is the best/most enjoyable way to get from Britain to the mainland? How reasonable is it to plan to take a ferry from southern Italy to Greece? I have heard rumors that international train service in Greece has been canceled but Google has shown conflicting reports - can anyone verify this? How realistic is it to go Greek island hopping & ferrying from Greek isles to Turkey on my timeframe and budget? Do I want to skip the Balkans and ferry it from Italy to Greece and is this even realistic? Would a Eurail pass be worth it (vs. buses)?
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Mar 1, 2011 06:42
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Mister Blue Sky posted:Should I dink around in Britain for a while in late April? Where you go depends on a lot of things, but York and Edinburgh are both worth a look, maybe Warwick Castle if you like that kind of thing, although they put on a lot of cod-medieval, renaissance fair-esque crap because American tourists expected it, so it's a bit touristy these days.
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Mar 1, 2011 12:10
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BexGu posted:I have a upcoming Ski Trip to Chamonix, France mid March. Now, seven days of skiing is pretty intense so I plan on taking a day or two off and travel. The group I'm going with has the option of spending a day in Geneva, Switzerland, Annecy, France, and/or Torino (Turin), Italy. Does any one have any recommended/review of those three areas? Geneva 2/5: Geneva kind of blows, but since you're probably flying in and out of there (?) I guess it's worth an afternoon or morning. Honestly unless you want to buy something at more-expensive-than-in-your-home-country prices, there's really nothing to do there except see the Jet d'Eau, the super lame flower clock, and uh... walk around. If you're really into watches, I think Patek Phillipe and/or Rolex have a museum, but I've never been. CERN is nearby, and you can visit if you reserve a spot a couple months in advance. (I've never done that, but really should...) Annecy 2.5/5: Annecy is a quaint little town, but again there's not much to do besides wander around and go into shops. It has a bid for hosting the 2016 Olympics, so it might've changed some in the last year since I've been there. When I went (March 2010), they had some sort of festival which was neat—there were literally hundreds of people in 1700s ballroom dress, wearing those olde tymey masquerade masks. Otherwise I think I would've been bored there after about an hour. Tornio 3/5: Torino has a sort of quarter-French three-quarters-Italian feel to it--much more like Milan than Rome or Florence or Venice. The Shroud of Turin is there (limited viewing hours for only part of the year) which is kind of neat in a "tell other people I've done that" way. This city is my favorite of the three you listed, and the only one I could imagine spending a full day in. It's also my least favorite big Italian city, although if I ever go to Naples, maybe the two could compete in that category. Chamonix is fun and full of drunk Brits, and you are going to hear more British than French while you're there. I'm pretty sure your week ski pass covers the whole mountain range up to Verbier (the season pass does), so you could check out the Swiss side of the Alps while you're there. Aiguille de Midi is awesome, so even if you don't go up there to ski, go up there (on a clear day). La Mer de Glace is neat and melting at a truly astonishing rate, so you should go check that out while you're there. Skiing has been absolute poo poo in Chamonix/Verbier this year, but they got fresh snow there last week for the first time in (literally) a month, so you might be lucky. Unless you really feel like you have to travel to cities, I'd just stay in the Chamonix/Verbier/Geneva region and enjoy the outdoors for a week. If you have a car, then I'd check out the little villages around Chamonix, although that's really only one day, as they're all identical. Depending on when you go, you might be able to do some amazing hikes in Valais, just over the border on the Swiss side near Martigny and/or Sion; the mountains have been outrageously warm this year (still cold, but not icy).
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Mar 1, 2011 12:30
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Sweevo posted:Where you go depends on a lot of things, but York and Edinburgh are both worth a look, maybe Warwick Castle if you like that kind of thing, although they put on a lot of cod-medieval, renaissance fair-esque crap because American tourists expected it, so it's a bit touristy these days. I loved the cod-medieval renfair-esque crap they had at Warwick castle and thought it was pretty unique compared to the drab nothing-ever-happens-except-on-special-events-days at most historical castles. (My two cents.)
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Mar 1, 2011 12:33
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Sweevo posted:Yes. Coming to Britain and spending all your time in central London as a lot of tourists do is like going to the US and spending all your time in Manhattan - there's plenty of stuff to see/do, but it's not really representative of the country at all. I'm going to London for a bit less than a week mid march, any suggestions for interesting places public transportation can take me to fairly quickly? I'll be spending a couple of days in Bath, as well. Even though I'm sure I will go to some, I'm not really a museum/tourist trap/shopping kind of gal. I need, at the very least, the name of a good pub or two.
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Mar 1, 2011 16:44
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Grok posted:I'm going to London for a bit less than a week mid march, any suggestions for interesting places public transportation can take me to fairly quickly? Well there are tonnes of good pubs, what are you looking for? The Porterhouse has a cool interior but is expensive, the Bricklayers Arms off TCR is very cheap and has sofas and is good for all day stuff, Southhampton Arms nr Kentish Town has a lovely small-town atmosphere with a jazz musician and real ale/cider, The Green Man serves tonnes of cider, the Queens Head in Hoxton is a super divey hipster bar with electro in the evenings. And when you say you're not interested in museums, shopping or 'tourist traps' what do you mean, general areas? Carnaby Street is fun, as is Covent Garden and it's hard to beat a nice wander around the Southbank on a sunny day, plus Greenwich is lovely, but those are also popular with the tourists. I mean, you could go to Primrose Hill and take that in the poshness and climb the hill there and see the view, or go down Brick Lane and revel in the trendiness... etc? Maybe a few more pointers?
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Mar 1, 2011 19:23
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BexGu posted:I have a upcoming Ski Trip to Chamonix, France mid March. Now, seven days of skiing is pretty intense so I plan on taking a day or two off and travel. The group I'm going with has the option of spending a day in Geneva, Switzerland, Annecy, France, and/or Torino (Turin), Italy. Does any one have any recommended/review of those three areas? I have to agree with Saladman that there's not a lot to recommend Geneva unless you're into NGOs or the UN (the Red Cross museum is good if you're into that) nd it is rather expensive. However, if you're in the mood for a movie, there are plenty of English language films shown here, probably more than in the other towns. Go here and look for showtimes that say VO (version original). You can go to a sauna and get very good (and extremely cheap!) fondue and set menus on the lake at the bains de paquis. And if you want to see a show check out la decadanse. Choose "fêtes" and then click the green arrows in the calendar to see everything for the week. "Expos" are museum and gallery shows.
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Mar 2, 2011 13:36
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I'm considering backpacking in Spain in the summer, during which time I need internet access so that I can apply for work while I'm out there. What's the public access to wifi internet like? I'd prefer to camp and bring my laptop into cafes and libraries etc., but if public access to wifi is poo poo then I might have to stop in hostels with internet access. In the UK I can plonk myself in McDonalds for and use their wireless internet for free if I was so inclined, I want to know if there's anything like that out in Spain.
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Mar 3, 2011 17:09
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Umbriago posted:I'm considering backpacking in Spain in the summer, during which time I need internet access so that I can apply for work while I'm out there. What's the public access to wifi internet like? I'd prefer to camp and bring my laptop into cafes and libraries etc., but if public access to wifi is poo poo then I might have to stop in hostels with internet access. We used the McDonald's in spain for their wifi. Otherwise we just found it was at all our hostels. Some cafe's had it but not as many as we found in France.
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Mar 4, 2011 02:05
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I'm going in to be in or near Paris for a university thing from the end of June to the end of July. While we will have some unknown amount free time during that period, I'm probably going to go and/or leave early since the place we are staying is owned by one of the professors. Possibly go visit friends in the UK as well, I dunno so far. Any recommendations beyond general touristy stuff? I'm American but I'm moderately fluent in French so I can make myself understood if that is some kind of deal-breaker. Also no license since I haven't a clue how all that works as of right now. I look forward to the Catacombs!
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Mar 4, 2011 03:08
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I originally posted this in the Regional thread, but realized that I may get more feedback here. It's a very broad and open ended query, so any feedback is appreciated. Anyway...hindereduseless posted:So I'm planning a trip to London in a couple months (April 22nd to May 1st to be specific). And I need a bit of advice on where to stay. I asked a few people I know from the area, and gotten a few suggestions, but keep psyching myself out before committing on a hotel.
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Mar 5, 2011 08:28
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HinderedUseless posted:I originally posted this in the Regional thread, but realized that I may get more feedback here. It's a very broad and open ended query, so any feedback is appreciated. Anyway... The King's Cross area will be fine, Soho is in the middle of the nightlife and i don't think there are actually many hotels or hostels there, but if you can find something, sure. Bloomsbury would also be very convenient, it's between King's Cross and Soho/Covent Garden, but a little more quiet. Still very easy to get anywhere, and it's on the Piccadilly Line with trains straight to the Emirates, which wouldn't be more than 20 minutes away either. Other areas that would be vibrant/interesting: Shoreditch/Old Street, Greenwich, Soho/Covent Garden obviously, Kensington for the museums, check out some of the food markets maybe (Borough Market, Broadway Market etc). A day trip: Brighton would be my choice if the weather is quite nice. Bristol is very nice, too. As long as you don't go for loving Stonehenge I'm sure you'll be ok. For the actual game: I've not been at the Emirates yet but I leave very close to it. Traffic is awful around home games. Tube stations can also get overcrowded. So try and make your way there in advance. The big Arsenal store is at Finsbury Park station so you might want to travel there instead of the actual Arsenal Tube Station - it's only a couple minutes further to walk it from there. Also try and find out about some nearby pubs to go before and/or after the game maybe to soak up the atmosphere. I wouldn't worry about wearing your Arsenal strip anywhere, no. I used to live in Tottenham and I saw people in Arsenal shirts all the time. I would maybe suggest wearing it before/at/after the game only, and not wear sportswear for the rest of the trip. As long as you don't accidentally end up in the away stand you'll be fine. I support Fulham and even took a friend who supports Chelsea to the Fulham Chelsea derby. He was sitting in the home stands with me and even he was fine. Also, I sort of know you from TRP so wouldn't mind meeting up. I know quite a few other London goons here as well and we regularly meet up anyhow, we can try and arrange something. sweek0 fucked around with this message at 08:51 on Mar 5, 2011 |
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Mar 5, 2011 08:45
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HinderedUseless posted:I originally posted this in the Regional thread, but realized that I may get more feedback here. It's a very broad and open ended query, so any feedback is appreciated. Anyway... Since you're staying for such a long time, rent an apartment instead of getting a hotel. It will be cheaper and way nicer since you can cook yourself breakfast and lunch or whatever instead of paying £10 for a British delight of spotted dick and blood pudding at your hotel. Use a site like VRBO.com or VacationRentals.com. Email 5 or 10 apartments that look good. Hotels are a ripoff in big cities; it's hard to find one that even offers the amenities of a La Quinta for even a remotely reasonable price. I'd recommend the Covent Garden area. Sure, it's touristy but it's also quite vibrant, and people who live there actually go there too. Also pubs in London close at some silly hour (like 10pm?) on weekdays, so you have to start drinking early, which Londoners do). Day trip I guess could be Windsor. The town around it is charming and you can go inside and see a bunch of royal presents the queens & kings of England have gotten from everyone. This would be if you didn't get enough of seeing old fancy museum pieces when you go to the British Museum (which you should go to, but I'm sure is already on your agenda). Or you could go to Oxford and Cambridge, but I can't imagine what you'd do there unless you know someone. And I agree with Flying Clog Wog that Stongehenge is a huge letdown, and I didn't even expect very much. Also I think it's like impossible to get to without a car.
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Mar 5, 2011 11:11
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Edit: doublepost
maskenfreiheit fucked around with this message at 02:00 on Mar 13, 2017 |
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Mar 5, 2011 21:04
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GregNorc posted:How many cities is a good number for a two week trip? Is three a good number? What's a good city to make my third? I was thinking either Rome or Berlin. Two cities in two weeks is a good number in my opinion. This gives you about five/six days per city after accounting for travel time. It also really depends on what cities you're going to though. Berlin isn't someplace you tack onto your itinerary to kill some extra days; you can easily spend an entire week there without getting bored. Rome on the other hand for me seems like "visit Ancient Rome, get out" but I haven't been there since I was in high school.
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Mar 6, 2011 01:23
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GregNorc posted:So I have about 2-3 grand I can afford to blow on a vaction. I'm starting a PhD program inthe fall, so this is my last hurrah. I've never traveled much, just within the US and a couple trips to Niagara Falls. You can't go wrong with Europe. In your case, I would stick to two or three cities. London and Paris are great cities and they are really close. You can take the Eurostar train between the two cities in like 2.5 hours so travel time isn't even an issue. Then you can add another location that is close. You could fly into Dublin, spend four days in the city and the surrounding countryside, take a cheap flight into london and stay there for 5 days, and then take the 5:30am Eurostar into Paris, spend 4-5 days in Paris and fly out of Paris.
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Mar 6, 2011 03:05
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Edit: doublepost
maskenfreiheit fucked around with this message at 02:00 on Mar 13, 2017 |
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Mar 6, 2011 16:45
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GregNorc posted:Oh, and how prevalent are disposable phones in Western Europe? It'd be cool to have a phone, especially since I'll probably be trying to meet up with various people as I move across the continent. Is planning to get a tracphone a bit extravagant? (I'm guessing my iPhone either won't work, or will rape me on call charges) You can get a prepaid simcard and phone basically anywhere in Western Europe. The telephone companies have their own shops, there's shops that deal in all providers' stuff, and you can even get them at supermarkets. The stupid thing is that these cheap phones are locked to one provider in some countries, but a lot of the generic phone shops can also take care of that. That way you don't have to get a new phone every time you cross a border, just a new simcard.
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Mar 6, 2011 16:56
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Umbriago posted:I'm considering backpacking in Spain in the summer, during which time I need internet access so that I can apply for work while I'm out there. What's the public access to wifi internet like? I'd prefer to camp and bring my laptop into cafes and libraries etc., but if public access to wifi is poo poo then I might have to stop in hostels with internet access. From what I've noticed, people in Europe seem to be a lot smarter about locking down their home wireless networks. In the U.S., you can get a couple on pretty much every block.
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Mar 6, 2011 19:30
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I love beer. I love Belgian beer. I love Belgian beer more than anything else in this world. I'm planning on going on a beer tour through Belgium to profess my love for Belgian beer. Maybe I'll even go out and see something historical or museums or something, if the beer lets me, but my main goal is to drink as much Belgium beer as I can. I'm not looking to get drunk off of cheap beer and party cause I can just do that here in Germany. I want to sample and try out all sorts and types of Belgium beer, local beers, food cooked with beer, beer with fruits in it that Germans can't help but think  and make fun of, dubels, tripels, white beer, blonde beer, maybe even visit a Trappist brewery if I can (Chimay, I'd do anything for you  ).Tell me, Belgoons, what place(s) should I go to accomplish this mighty quest?
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Mar 7, 2011 02:15
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Ziir posted:I love beer. I love Belgian beer. I love Belgian beer more than anything else in this world. I'm planning on going on a beer tour through Belgium to profess my love for Belgian beer. Maybe I'll even go out and see something historical or museums or something, if the beer lets me, but my main goal is to drink as much Belgium beer as I can. I'm not looking to get drunk off of cheap beer and party cause I can just do that here in Germany. I want to sample and try out all sorts and types of Belgium beer, local beers, food cooked with beer, beer with fruits in it that Germans can't help but think I know there is a bar in Brussels that has like 2000 beers. [EDIT] http://www.deliriumcafe.be/
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Mar 7, 2011 04:51
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Omits-Bagels posted:I know there is a bar in Brussels that has like 2000 beers. There's also Het Waterhuis aan de Bierkant in Ghent. I thought the atmosphere was a lot better there.
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Mar 7, 2011 13:18
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I ordered an airline ticket to Barcelona at the spur of the moment, and I'm going there this Wednesday for a week. I have no plans so all suggestions are welcome. Interests include eating food and walking around, but I'm going there alone so I don't want to eat at fancy restaurants by myself. I'll look at B&Bs online tonight I think.
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Mar 7, 2011 17:41
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My younger sister and I are planning a Europe trip to take in May 2012 to celebrate graduation and marriage and other sisterly bonding things. So far we've hashed out that we can both easily set aside 4 weeks of time to do this and so far we've decided that France, Italy and Greece are our must sees. I am asking you, good Goons, if there are any other must sees you'd suggest for us. Money isn't a huge issue for us and we are interested in seeing the historical side of things. Is it possible in our time frame to add another stop along the way?
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Mar 7, 2011 22:58
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GLITTER AND GREASE posted:My younger sister and I are planning a Europe trip to take in May 2012 to celebrate graduation and marriage and other sisterly bonding things. So far we've hashed out that we can both easily set aside 4 weeks of time to do this and so far we've decided that France, Italy and Greece are our must sees. I am asking you, good Goons, if there are any other must sees you'd suggest for us. Money isn't a huge issue for us and we are interested in seeing the historical side of things. Is it possible in our time frame to add another stop along the way? Unless you think you're never going to Europe again, then no, don't add more countries, unless there's something you MUST SEE/DO, in which case swap it out with France, Italy, or Greece. What is your vague plan? Greek islands*, drive from Rome->Flornece with stops through Italy, then Paris & environs? On your itinerary I guess I'd recommend getting a car for the Italy/France section of the trip (e.g. get it when leaving Rome and drop it off at Paris). Don't drive in Greece, it's horrifyingly dangerous. *Athens is worth only maybe 2 days--if you're going there for history and not for the islands, skip it completely and add that time to Rome.
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Mar 7, 2011 23:22
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Ziir posted:Tell me, Belgoons, what place(s) should I go to accomplish this mighty quest? I am an American but share your love of Belgian beer and would definitely recommended delirium. If you like lambic/sour/tart beers make sure you sit in the basement as they will have a better selection. If you go to Brugges I would recommend de Halve Moon brewery. They no longer brew onsite but they have the traditional brewing equipment onsite, an interesting tour, a free glass at the end and it is within the city so no trouble getting to it. I am going to be visiting Central Europe next month and I was hoping to get some advice. Current plan is to meet a friend in Luxembourg, rent a car and then try and hit three or four cities in two weeks. First stop would be Dresden to pick up a friend and then some combination Wroclaw, Prague, Bratislava and Berlin. Any advice on cities to see/avoid, perils or renting a car or anything else would be greatly appreciated.
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Mar 8, 2011 02:46
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Vogler posted:I ordered an airline ticket to Barcelona at the spur of the moment, and I'm going there this Wednesday for a week. I have no plans so all suggestions are welcome. Interests include eating food and walking around, but I'm going there alone so I don't want to eat at fancy restaurants by myself. Go the the fruit, vegetable and meat market on la rambla. Its the best market we saw in Europe. Txapela Euskal Taberna is a freaking fantastic place for Pintxos (like Basque tapas). Seriously good stuff and you can just sit at the bar so you won't really be a loner. It was better than most of the food we had in the basque region and the menu is pretty easy to order from. Its on 8 Passeig de Gracia just about 100m down from plaza catalunya. Its this place http://www.google.com.au/images?hl=en&xhr=t&q=txapela+barcelona&cp=8&safe=off&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1024&bih=598
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Mar 8, 2011 05:02
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Saladman posted:Unless you think you're never going to Europe again, then no, don't add more countries, unless there's something you MUST SEE/DO, in which case swap it out with France, Italy, or Greece. We were thinking of starting in Paris first. Then moving into Italy with Florence, Rome and I would love to see Venice. Ending our trip in Greece with the islands as I have a friend who lives in Chaniá on Crete and Athens as the end point (hopefully). Ideally the bigger chunks of time would be spent in Italy (site-seeing) and Greece (visiting). Would a car be the best idea to travel through France and Italy? I was reading a bit about a Eurail passes for us but if a car is better then I will definitely do that.
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Mar 8, 2011 06:18
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Omits-Bagels posted:I know there is a bar in Brussels that has like 2000 beers. 2000 beers you say?  code:
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Mar 8, 2011 07:06
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GLITTER AND GREASE posted:We were thinking of starting in Paris first. Then moving into Italy with Florence, Rome and I would love to see Venice. Ending our trip in Greece with the islands as I have a friend who lives in Chaniá on Crete and Athens as the end point (hopefully). Ideally the bigger chunks of time would be spent in Italy (site-seeing) and Greece (visiting). As far as the car is concerned, it really depends on your age. If you are under 25, then there is an additional charge tagged onto every day. Also, consider the fact that you would have to get the car back to the original location (they charge ~400 Euro to drop it in a different country). And the GPS systems rented with the car are always advisable being in a different country and all. Also fuel was VERY expensive when I was there a month ago. Another consideration for the rail pass is that you will probably still have to pay a ~10 Euro booking fee on most trips. Although, like a car, it gives you the flexibility to take a day trip (i.e. Florence -> Siena) Rome is pretty awesome if you are familiar with Ancient Roman history, but I personally found Florence to be the most impressive city in Italy.
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Mar 8, 2011 07:19
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Modern Pragmatist posted:Also, consider the fact that you would have to get the car back to the original location (they charge ~400 Euro to drop it in a different country). This is true, but often you can figure some way around this. For example, you can rent a car for a week in Paris, drive it down to Nice, drop it off there, and then rent an Italian car in Genoa. You pretty much only get hit with one way fees when you drop it off in a different country. For example, you can get a Mercedes B class with GPS for $47/day in France picking it up in Paris and dropping it off in Nice from Sixt. But, as Modern Pragmatist said, if you're under 25, the Eurail passes are half price (~$250pp instead of ~$500pp) and the car is slightly more expensive (an additional ~€10-€15/day). Gas is about $7 a gallon, but if you rent a diesel car, you'll get 45 mpg, so it really won't feel any more expensive than driving in the US. I guess it really boils down to: do you want to hit little quaint villages off the main road, or do you want to spend all your time in Lyon, Grenoble, Paris, and Nice? If you just love big cities, then get the Eurail pass; if you like smaller towns as well, get the car. The car vs. rail will be the same price if you're 25 or older, since there are two of you. Your itinerary sounds nice, and it's the first one I've ever seen on this forum where I would suggest adding more places to. 4 weeks for Land in Paris -> Florence -> Venice -> Rome -> Crete -> Fly out of Athens will have a lot of lazy days in it, which could be good or bad, depends on your touring personality. I'd get a car and drive from Paris to Provence over the course of a couple days, then chill there for a few days before going to Nice/Monaco, dropping off the car, and taking a train to Florence. But I also love driving through little European towns.
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Mar 8, 2011 11:48
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Ziir posted:2000 beers you say? I liked the Belgian comic strip museum and the Royal Museum of Arts. The musical instrument museum is supposed to be very nice, too, though I've never been there. Don't forget to eat real fries and some of the local fish dishes, they are really great. It's also nice to just wander around looking for the big graffiti of Belgian comic strip heroes on walls. Can't really remember the names of clubs and other bars I went to because, well, let's just say I also made it my mission to sample as many beers as possible. I stayed in two different centrally located hostels and they were both quite good but gently caress if I remember their names now.
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Mar 8, 2011 13:08
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Cascadia Pirate posted:If you go to Brugges I would recommend de Halve Moon brewery. They no longer brew onsite but they have the traditional brewing equipment onsite, an interesting tour, a free glass at the end and it is within the city so no trouble getting to it. I thought that the de Halve Moon brewery tour was kind of boring. “  Hops are related to cannabis, giving beer a relaxing effect!”The brewing equipment and the view from the roof were neat, though. Have fun being a beer fan in Belgium; it´s definitely one of the top three places in the world to like that stuff. Between the sugars and the alcohol content, I was treated to some of the worst hangovers of my life. On Brussels: make sure you find the parking tower downtown that has open access to the roof. It has a really great panorama of the city. You can see the Atomium, too. Here´s the map that I used to find out about it: http://www.use-it.be/brussels/map/ Mortley fucked around with this message at 00:17 on Mar 9, 2011 |
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Mar 9, 2011 00:09
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Saladman posted:I guess it really boils down to: do you want to hit little quaint villages off the main road, or do you want to spend all your time in Lyon, Grenoble, Paris, and Nice? If you just love big cities, then get the Eurail pass; if you like smaller towns as well, get the car. The car vs. rail will be the same price if you're 25 or older, since there are two of you. I love the idea of driving through quaint towns since I love the history and architecture of Europe, however; my younger sister is more focused on the main points. She's interested in the big cities and bright lights so to speak (she lives in a small city in Canada). Though I would love to go to Nice as that's where part of our family originates from. Now I've heard driving through Europe can be horrifying and I will add that I can't drive stick AND I will be under 25 when we go. I am thinking the rail pass will be the easier thing for us to go with. With that being said how easy will it be to navigate around the big cities without a car? Do most have a transit system that's accessable?
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Mar 9, 2011 02:02
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GLITTER AND GREASE posted:I love the idea of driving through quaint towns since I love the history and architecture of Europe, however; my younger sister is more focused on the main points. She's interested in the big cities and bright lights so to speak (she lives in a small city in Canada). Though I would love to go to Nice as that's where part of our family originates from. Big cities are a pain in the rear end to drive in. Every European of any size will have good/great public transportation. Just buy a railpass. Driving is going to suck and train are awesome.
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Mar 9, 2011 03:09
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GLITTER AND GREASE posted:I love the idea of driving through quaint towns since I love the history and architecture of Europe, however; my younger sister is more focused on the main points. She's interested in the big cities and bright lights so to speak (she lives in a small city in Canada). Though I would love to go to Nice as that's where part of our family originates from. I found the small towns in France so loving dead/dull (mainly in winter). Although in England and some other countries the villages can be quite nice. Also driving coastal roads and stuff is much nicer IMO. Amalfi coast, riviera etc. If you live in a major city now and drive in it you will be fine. I didn't find it too daunting driving in Paris and Rome compared to driving in Sydney except for the fact we didn't have GPS then which would have been a godsend. The biggest difficulty is knowing where to go.
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Mar 9, 2011 04:12
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| # ? May 10, 2024 17:07 |
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GLITTER AND GREASE posted:I love the idea of driving through quaint towns since I love the history and architecture of Europe, however; my younger sister is more focused on the main points. She's interested in the big cities and bright lights so to speak (she lives in a small city in Canada). Though I would love to go to Nice as that's where part of our family originates from. I'd definitely go with the rail pass. Nice is pretty walkable, but I wouldn't spend more than a day or two there to check out the Old Nice area. Florence is VERY walkable, although there is a decent bus system to get you around if you want to go to further out locations. Rome has a good Metro system (gets you several blocks from all major attractions), but I found it to be very walkable. I also found that walking around allowed me to wander into less touristy areas and see a different side of each of the cities.
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Mar 9, 2011 05:10
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