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Saladman posted:What's on your list anyway? Like by "outdoor sites" do you just mean things like Arc de Triomph and the Eiffel Tower, or do you mean things relatively out in the countryside that would require spending significant time outdoors like the countryside chateaux or wandering around small towns like Mont-Saint-Michel? Mostly the WWI battlefield sites. The rest of the time can be spent in Paris.
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Dec 15, 2018 20:19
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Shimrra Jamaane posted:Mostly the WWI battlefield sites. The rest of the time can be spent in Paris. Now I'm kind of confused about your trip itinerary. Why would you start or go to Nantes? Or why would you end up anywhere near the Swiss border? You'll also need to rent a car, which is fine, driving in France is easy. For your particular interest going in Jan-Feb sounds like a huge waste of time and money, but you know best whether you're OK walking around in fields while it's 3ｰC and overcast and there's off-and-on drizzle and wind. There's a chance of snow but it's more likely than not there won't be any. I don't know why Ras Het thinks the only options are to either go to the French countryside in January, or stay home and masturbate. But, I think most people would much prefer the latter to the former, especially if the expenditure of $3k or whatever is a significant part of your savings. If this is the goal of a lifetime to you, then go back when you can actually take your time instead of being cold and miserable. OTOH I guess being cold and miserable and wanting to get out and go home makes it more authentic? Alternately, go to western Turkey? The weather will be decent and it has its fair share of WW1 battlefields, unless you're particularly interested in the western front.
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Dec 15, 2018 22:05
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Saladman posted:Now I'm kind of confused about your trip itinerary. Why would you start or go to Nantes? Or why would you end up anywhere near the Swiss border? You'll also need to rent a car, which is fine, driving in France is easy. I just mentioned the lines from Nantes to The Swiss border as as about as South as I want to go to try and get a better picture on what the weather I might. I don稚 intend to actually travel along that line. But yeah I guess it痴 just a bad idea all around to go do what I want to do in the winter. Does March change the picture much at all or is it just going to be mild rain instead of freezing rain?
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Dec 15, 2018 22:52
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Just lol if you've never dropped three grand on a wank Also I think you guys misunderstood him - he wasn't saying he'd travel from Nantes to Geneva, just that that was his rough dividing line for "northern" France. Personally I don't see why a trip like this couldn't work if you're focusing on something specific like WW1 heritage/battlefields etc. The distances aren't enormous, so if you've got a hire car you can easily spend 60-90 minutes in the morning driving to site #1, spend the rest of the day there and stay nearby, next morning spend 1-2 hours driving to site #2 and that still gives you the rest of the day there. Typical road trip stuff. My advice personally would be to mix it up and see a variety of things. I love history (hell I've filmed 350+ episodes of a history/travel show on YouTube), but an endless parade of battlefields and war cemeteries would wear thin pretty quickly.
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Dec 15, 2018 22:57
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It's not an impossible idea for a holiday by any means, but the problem is for a holiday which is going to be spent mainly outdoors Jan/Feb is just about the worst possible time of year to choose.
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Dec 15, 2018 23:05
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Julio Cruz posted:It's not an impossible idea for a holiday by any means, but the problem is for a holiday which is going to be spent mainly outdoors Jan/Feb is just about the worst possible time of year to choose. Is March any better?
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Dec 16, 2018 00:27
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The odds are better but the weather still ranges from "snowstorm with 40 cm of snow" to "18c and mostly sunny", pick some random value in between.
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Dec 16, 2018 00:57
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March is really random in Europe in terms of weather
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Dec 16, 2018 02:56
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Can you not get time off in summer?
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Dec 16, 2018 03:12
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underage at the vape shop posted:Can you not get time off in summer? I知 essentially starting a whole new career in the Spring so no.
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Dec 16, 2018 03:37
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Honestly mate I'd just go. The weather may not be perfect, but as long as you're prepared for that (both mentally and physically) then you'll still have a great trip.
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Dec 16, 2018 06:42
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Yeah, it sounds like it's important to you, and a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so while for me personally it would be hellish and dumb, I think you would still enjoy it as long as you're aware that the weather will probably suck. My husband is all about WWI and WWII stuff and we went to Amiens for a sunrise ANZAC Day ceremony at 5am in the middle of April and it was loving raining and like 3 degrees out and I hated every second of it but if you ask my husband he'll tell you how amazing it was (but also cold) (but still amazing) while I sit there and grumble about how stupid of an idea the whole thing was.
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Dec 16, 2018 07:09
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Shimrra Jamaane posted:Is March any better? Weather is still a crapshoot but at least the days are longer. The sun sets around 17:00 in northern France in January. It doesn't rise until 08:30 ish. Makes for short days if you're going to be outdoors looking at things. 15th of March the days will be 3 hours longer than the 15th of January.
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Dec 16, 2018 12:24
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March will probably be OK and it's unlikely to be snowy, although I'm not sure whether snow is a positive of negative for your case. Just bring watertight boots. I definitely misunderstood your "line from Nantes to Basel" I thought that was the actual itinerary. Driving around the Belgium芳rance萌ermany border in mid March sounds okay. I've done a couple roadtrips around Europe at that time of year and while mid April is way nicer, by mid March at least you have a good chance for it to be nice-ish. Leaves start to bud around the last week of March or first of April, so everything will still look dead and barren, but at least it'll probably be around 10ｰC and overcast instead of 2ｰ and drizzling.
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Dec 16, 2018 12:47
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I'd do it, weather be damned, but I would also look to vary my trip a bit and not just "go from battlefield A to war memorial B to cemetary C", because that's going to be miserable over a longer period of time (both because of the content and because of the weather). If all you do is battlefields and stuff like that, there's a very real chance that you'll get to a point pretty quickly where you ask yourself, "why did I spend thousands of dollars to come out here and stand in a rainy field and freeze my rear end off?" unless you are the most dedicated history buff in the world.Shimrra Jamaane posted:I知 essentially starting a whole new career in the Spring so no. Why not instead skip out on the expensive wintertime vacation in 2019, and instead save your money (and vacation days at your new job) for a much better summertime vacation in 2020?
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Dec 16, 2018 13:13
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Shimrra Jamaane posted:I知 essentially starting a whole new career in the Spring so no. Fair enough. If it's your dream, then you will probably have the mental fortitude to put up with poo poo weather to see the places you've dreamed of. If you're real into ww1 it'll probbaly make it more real.
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Dec 16, 2018 14:16
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Drone posted:I'd do it, weather be damned, but I would also look to vary my trip a bit and not just "go from battlefield A to war memorial B to cemetary C", because that's going to be miserable over a longer period of time (both because of the content and because of the weather). If all you do is battlefields and stuff like that, there's a very real chance that you'll get to a point pretty quickly where you ask yourself, "why did I spend thousands of dollars to come out here and stand in a rainy field and freeze my rear end off?" unless you are the most dedicated history buff in the world. It's also not like these regions only have WWII things. There's plenty of big medieval history going on around the Normandy battlefield sites alone. More of that and later stuff (less concentrated maybe, outside of Paris) elsewhere. It's easy enough to switch it up when you're sick of looking at crumbling bunkers.
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Dec 16, 2018 14:25
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HookShot posted:Yeah, it sounds like it's important to you, and a once-in-a-lifetime thing, so while for me personally it would be hellish and dumb, I think you would still enjoy it as long as you're aware that the weather will probably suck. Grounds for divorce. Christ just go on your own, don稚 drag others with you on a deranged mindset - like those WW1 generals
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Dec 17, 2018 10:58
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A World War battlesite should probably be seen in poo poo weather to be fair
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Dec 19, 2018 04:09
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I will be in Berlin next week over Christmas. Can anyone tell me if I知 going to have a problem finding a bar or pub to hang out in the evenings? I made reservations for my dinners but I知 curious if I知 going to be limited to whatever nightlife is in my hotel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
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Dec 19, 2018 12:37
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theOctagon posted:I will be in Berlin next week over Christmas. Can anyone tell me if I知 going to have a problem finding a bar or pub to hang out in the evenings? I made reservations for my dinners but I知 curious if I知 going to be limited to whatever nightlife is in my hotel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There will be places open, it's Berlin. Bei Schlawinchen is a pretty much guaranteed one at least. Prepare your lungs, they allow smoking indoors
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Dec 19, 2018 12:50
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theOctagon posted:I will be in Berlin next week over Christmas. Can anyone tell me if I知 going to have a problem finding a bar or pub to hang out in the evenings? I made reservations for my dinners but I知 curious if I知 going to be limited to whatever nightlife is in my hotel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Well, Berghain is open. More seriously: many places will be open, including most of the Christmas markets. Many restaurants and bars will also be open, but also many will be closed, so if you have your heart set on one place, then call and ask or reserve or go to their website. The "Europe is closed over Christmas" stereotype refers to regular shops, not so much to restaurants, bars, and clubs, and especially not in big cities. A lot of family-run restaurants will be closed. Turkish restaurants will be open, because they are always open.
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Dec 19, 2018 12:53
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Thanks for the quick responses. I figured it was going to be the same as every other large city but I checked the trip advisor forums and they made it seem like I was walking into a ghost town.
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Dec 19, 2018 12:56
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I mean, compared to major American cities sure more places will be closed so if you have somewhere specific in mind you really want to go, make sure you check. But like others said, there will still be a plenty left open even if some places close.
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Dec 19, 2018 13:00
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theOctagon posted:Thanks for the quick responses. I figured it was going to be the same as every other large city but I checked the trip advisor forums and they made it seem like I was walking into a ghost town. Yeah it can be quite shocking if you're used to somewhere like the US / Canada / Egypt / etc where workers have no rights and are expected to sell TVs and stereos on Christmas morning. Some provincial / mid-sized European cities seem to issue mandatory evacuation notices to all citizens on the 24th of December, like Bern, but even in such places you can typically find a few stragglers that disobey the traditions and instead open up their bars and restaurants instead of fleeing to their chalets / dachas / whatever. Saladman fucked around with this message at 15:13 on Dec 19, 2018 |
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Dec 19, 2018 15:10
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I have two free days between Cinque Terre and Rome. Are there any lesser known towns or cities to see? I'm looking at an Albergo Diffuso in Tuscany but just wondering if there's anything else to consider. Maybe San Marino? Although I don't know if it's worth two nights. I've been to Florence, my partner hasn't but we're going to skip it since I was just there recently.
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Dec 21, 2018 10:10
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birds posted:I have two free days between Cinque Terre and Rome. Are there any lesser known towns or cities to see? I'm looking at an Albergo Diffuso in Tuscany but just wondering if there's anything else to consider. Maybe San Marino? Although I don't know if it's worth two nights. I've been to Florence, my partner hasn't but we're going to skip it since I was just there recently. Pienza and Civita di Bagnoregio are both super charming but not worth a whole day each. Maybe spend the first night in Siena and then hit those 2 places on your way to Rome?
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Dec 21, 2018 10:23
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birds posted:I have two free days between Cinque Terre and Rome. Are there any lesser known towns or cities to see? I'm looking at an Albergo Diffuso in Tuscany but just wondering if there's anything else to consider. Maybe San Marino? Although I don't know if it's worth two nights. I've been to Florence, my partner hasn't but we're going to skip it since I was just there recently. San Marino is quite far out of your way and if it weren't an "independent" country then no one would have heard of it any more than people have heard of Peoria Illinois. There are tons of other places like Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, Assisi (also fairly out of your way), and if you have a rental car, all of the Tuscan countryside from Chianti down to Montepulciano. There's also Pisa which is a pretty "ehhh..." city except for the lovely Piazza dei Miracoli area around the cathedral and leaning tower. Volterra and San Gimignano are probably a PITA without a rental car, but Siena is easily accessed. Or depending on how much time you have in Rome and Cinque Terre you could probably just add the days there too. A lot of people just spend like 1 night in Cinque Terre which is IMO crazy as one goes there to experience the atmosphere and not to check off a list of "Cute Towns I've Briefly Seen".
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Dec 21, 2018 10:29
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Urbino's lovely if you can get over there, it's nearer the east coast so it may be a bit too far to drive.
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Dec 21, 2018 20:29
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Thanks guys, I'll take a look at each of those. I was also mistaken on the amount of time. It's more like an afternoon, a full day, and a morning instead of two actual free days.
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Dec 22, 2018 02:16
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Yeah I'd recommend somewhere like Siena or a couple of Tuscan towns for that amount of time. Bologna and the rest of Emilia-Romagna is great, but worth a separate trip really.
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Dec 22, 2018 02:50
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I'll be in Amsterdam during the daytime in January for a few days by myself (husband is working). Goonrecs for must-do things? I'm going to walk on the canals and go to the Rijksmuseum to see the Rembrandts, but I'd like to hear what others have done that was really great. Thanks! 1. Recs for dinner restaurants would be great. We are sort of leveraging his per diem so budget friendly is appreciated. Staying on the Singelgracht next door to the Rijksmuseum. 2. Are there any particularly nice day trips to do without a car? We like photography, and it would be cool to see the famous windmills, but it's January, so maybe a nice pub with a windmill view?
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Dec 22, 2018 06:29
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Taka ramen in jordaan is good, there's a few decent places in chinatown. Caldi e Freddi has good italian sandwiches. Vlaminckx has good fries.
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Dec 22, 2018 06:37
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Betazoid posted:I'll be in Amsterdam during the daytime in January for a few days by myself (husband is working). Goonrecs for must-do things? I'm going to walk on the canals and go to the Rijksmuseum to see the Rembrandts, but I'd like to hear what others have done that was really great. Thanks! Street markets were one of our favourite things. Just walking around and eating poffertjes with various toppings. Look up a list of amsterdam specialty snacks before you go. 1. Definitely do a Rijstaffel. I personally recommend Puri Mas, but I haven't actually tried any of the others. We also enjoyed Cannibale Royale.
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Dec 22, 2018 06:46
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Betazoid posted:2. Are there any particularly nice day trips to do without a car? We like photography, and it would be cool to see the famous windmills, but it's January, so maybe a nice pub with a windmill view? We really enjoyed our daytrip to Edam, a super cute little town with lots of canals and of course the eponymous cheese. It's about a 30-40min bus ride from Centraal Station.
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Dec 22, 2018 07:31
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I've been taking tourist friends to Haesje Claes and it's pretty good. January is pea soup season.
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Dec 22, 2018 10:35
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Is that the one we went to? Oh and recommend IJ brewery, they serve good ossenworst. In fact eat all the ossenworst you can
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Dec 22, 2018 13:24
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Betazoid posted:I'll be in Amsterdam during the daytime in January for a few days by myself (husband is working). Goonrecs for must-do things? I'm going to walk on the canals and go to the Rijksmuseum to see the Rembrandts, but I'd like to hear what others have done that was really great. Thanks! I'm going in March, but I appreciate the reccs. We're also planning on going to Berlin and Bamberg. Any particular neighborhoods to look for in terms of booking a hotel or airbnb in Berlin? And anything we need to do in Berlin for three days?
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Dec 22, 2018 16:27
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I知 not a local but when i visit I like to stay in Friedrichshain in Berlin. Cheap hotels, tons of bars and restaurants to walk to. Close to metro and if you really want to party clubs are nearby.
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Dec 22, 2018 17:29
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kreuzberg or friedrichshain are probably the best to stay in. neukoelln or prenzlauer berg would also be good. all 4 are great for bars, restaurants, etc., and pretty central.
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Dec 23, 2018 01:54
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