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Has anyone been in Krakow recently? The last time I was there was 8 years ago, so I'm looking forward to seeing how things have changed over the past couple of years. Any places specifically to check out that have sprung up in the past few years?
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Jul 10, 2015 21:35
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Sulla-Marius 88 posted:What are some good cities to visit in central / eastern Europe? I live in Rome so it's a crying shame I've been focusing my travel on the western half so far. Yeah, Poland is most definitely not "third world." I've been to Krakow many, many times (although not recently) and have never felt unsafe. My understanding is that it (and Poland as a whole) has only gotten safer/more Western with the influx of EU money over the past 15 years or so. You'll be more than fine, especially if you stick to the touristy areas around the Old City. Either way, I'll post a trip report when I'm there in a few weeks. I'm looking forward to seeing how much it's changed. On another topic, has anyone here been to Istanbul? Thinking about a trip next spring.
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Jul 13, 2015 01:22
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Cheesemaster200 posted:I have an extra day on my trip to central Europe and I don't know if I should spend it in Warsaw, Krakow, Bratislava or Budapest. Which city would benefit the most from more time? I vote Krakow or Budapest.
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Jul 14, 2015 14:18
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My girlfriend and I are spending some time in Italy this summer. Flying in to Florence on Saturday morning, leaving Sunday of the following week out of Milan. We were hoping to check out Florence/Rome/the coast, but per the suggestions of our friends we're going to do Florence/Milan/Lake Como to try to avoid some of the ridiculous crowds in Rome. Is this a decent plan? Anything we should check out in particular?
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Mar 10, 2017 00:54
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liz posted:Is Rome really that bad? We're doing Venice/Florence/Cinque Terre/Rome mid May... Flying into Venice, out of Rome. Open to suggestions as well! Oh Rome is supposed to be great, just not in July when we're going.
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Mar 10, 2017 03:30
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Saladman posted:When are you going? Late June to early August is particularly bad. August is weird in Italy because no one is in the cities but the coasts are jammed. Like in Milan, the exact center of the city will be pretty crowded, but if you go 2 minutes outside the tourist area, you won't see any cars or people or open shops even if it's 3pm on a weekday, like there's some plague outbreak you didn't hear about. We're going in mid July, so right in the middle of the busy season. We're avoiding Rome this time because we want to see the Vatican/etc and have heard horror stories about the summer crowds. We'll be back in the next 2 - 3 years and be able to do it during the off-season so plan on going then. Sounds like Florence will be bad, Milan/Lake Como less so?
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Mar 10, 2017 13:34
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hackbunny posted:As others have said, Florence is going to have much crazier crowds than Rome! Thanks so much! Here's our itinerary: Friday: Fly out of the US Saturday Arrive in Florence in the Morning Sunday Florence Monday Florence -> Venice (Train) Tuesday Venice -> Modena -> Milan (Train) Lunch at Osteria Francescana if we can get reservations Train - Milan Wednesday Milan Thursday Milan -> Lake Como via car rental Friday Como Saturday Como -> Milan Sunday Return to the US I was able to get a great hotel in Milan for hotel points, but we haven't booked anything in Florence/Venice/Como yet, so we're open to suggestions. Regarding Como, I'm also looking for proposal ideas if you have any suggestions. I was thinking of maybe taking a boat out to do it, or looking for a nice hike somewhere? We were going to rent a car in Milan and drive since we figured it might be easier get to/around Lake Como, but I'm open to suggestions. Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 00:45 on Mar 20, 2017 |
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Mar 20, 2017 00:41
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Jeoh posted:Hope you like sitting in trains for half your trip Is it going to be that bad? We're plus/minus on Venice if that seems like too much. Am I wrong in thinking the train rides are fairly short (1-2 hours?)
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Mar 20, 2017 16:21
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While we're on Italy, can anyone suggest places/areas in Florence that might be a bit private in the evening, and make for a good place to propose?
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May 10, 2017 23:08
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edit: nm
Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 01:23 on May 17, 2017 |
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May 17, 2017 01:20
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I'm taking a few weeks off between jobs to vacation in Italy. Do I need to get any sort of health insurance while abroad just in case? I'll be within the COBRA period, so could buy insurance if needed, but I'm not sure if my COBRA policy would cover me internationally. To add to this, I also have a second EU passport. Would I be covered with that?
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May 31, 2017 03:39
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Saladman posted:Is it actually necessary for him though? IME travel insurance does NOT cover your medical insurance in either (a) the country where you legally reside, or (b) the country of your citizenship. So if Residency Evil has an Italian passport, I'm not even sure travel insurance even applies. Should have made that more clear: I have a passport from another EU country, not Italy.
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May 31, 2017 12:30
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Thanks everyone. I haven't lived in Europe for over 30 years so I'll get the travel insurance and not bank on some Italian hospital believing that I live in Europe.
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Jun 1, 2017 03:40
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While we're on cell phone chat, what's the preferred carrier for 10 days of data/an occasional phone call in Italy?
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Jun 24, 2017 20:41
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Looks like we've got a few hours to burn around the time of our lunch reservations in Modena, Italy. Any suggestions on things to do around the town? We won't have a car.
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Jul 14, 2017 00:59
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Just got back from my trip to Italy. Ended up visiting Florence, Venice, Modena (very briefly), Milan, and Lake Como. We capped off the trip by renting a car to drive up to Menaggio on Lake Como and it was by far our favorite location of the trip. Incredibly picturesque, and it's obvious why it's such a popular vacation destination for Europeans. Venice was our least favorite, although I'm glad to have been able to see it. Thanks for everyone's help here over the past few months.
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Jul 24, 2017 11:51
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liz posted:Interesting, Venice was one of my favorite parts of our trip! Then again, we went in mid May so it might have been a bit of a different experience with weather/crowds. I'm sure going in the off-season would be significantly better. We unfortunately had to go in July, ended up suffering with some of the worst of the crowds. The reason we didn't really love it is that it seemed to be the most touristy of all of the places we visited, to the point of almost not seeming real, and being almost Disney-esque. Things were obviously a bit better away from the major tourist attractions but I couldn't really shake that feeling. Florence was our major "tourist" city, and we spent time at the Uffizi, saw the David, climbed the Duomo, saw the sunset from Michelangelo square, etc. By far the smartest decision we made was to buy tickets ahead of time for all of the major attractions. Italy was definitely on the hot side during our time, and I couldn't imagine waiting in some of the lines for hours. As far as places to eat, we got lunch sandwiches at All' Antico Vinaio. 5 Euros for a huge and delicious sandwich with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and prosciutto seemed like a steal. Dinner one night was at Il Santo Bevitore which was delicious. Another night we just got some appetizers/cheese/wine at Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina.
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Jul 24, 2017 15:04
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You guys are touching on why Venice was my least favorite part of Italy. Apparently the tourists outnumber the native inhabitants, effectively making it Disney.
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Aug 2, 2017 16:22
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My wife and I just book a trip to Paris for a week in early May. My first time there, she's been there in college. Should we just stick to Paris for the entire week or also try to hit up, say, Amsterdam?
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Mar 8, 2019 03:02
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Going to Paris with my wife tonight until next Wednesday. She's been before, my first time there. We bought tickets to the Louvre and Versailles in advance, but anything else we should get before we get there? Places to check out we might not otherwise? We're staying in the vendome area. Edit: are we screwed for getting up to the Eiffel tower at this point? Should have looked further than two weeks ahead I guess. Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 14:03 on May 8, 2019 |
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May 8, 2019 13:59
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Yeah we can walk up but wanted to go all the way up if we could.
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May 8, 2019 18:34
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Davincie posted:are the crowds and the heat terrible in june in italy, or is it just before they get bad? We did Italy in July 2 years ago because of scheduling issues. We avoided southern Italy and stuck to more Northern parts. The furthest south we went was Florence, and we did: Florence Venice Modena (just for lunch) Milan Lake Como Florence was hot, but bearable because we made sure to get all of our tickets in advance and didn't wait in any lines. Venice was my least favorite and may as well be Disney/Vegas. Milan was great and Como is one of my favorite places in the world.
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May 9, 2019 20:16
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Cheesemaster200 posted:Venice is great if you sleep til noon and wander the streets til 1AM. During the day you have the tour groups and cruise ships which makes it horrible. Once it clears out is is very nice. I guess maybe, although do the tourist trap restaurants and vendors all go away too? It felt like everything everywhere was like Disney. Maybe I have to give Venice another shot?
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May 10, 2019 06:51
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Just got back from a week in Paris. Holy poo poo, the city was incredible and everyone was incredibly nice. A+, amazing.
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May 15, 2019 22:03
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Hutzpah posted:What'd you end up doing? Spill those beans! Ended up going all over. Saw the Musay d'orsay, Rodin museum/gardens, Louvre, St. Chapelle, Pantheon, Sacre Coeur, Pompidou, Arc de Triumphe, Eiffel tower, and Versailles. Oh, also the big flea market. I'm probably forgetting things. We walked at least 20k steps/10 miles a day and ended up seeing a lot of random places on foot. It was definitely a lot in a week, but we figure it's going to be our last chance to see Paris this way before we have kids and have to slow down. Food was fantastic. Public transportation was fantastic. Eiffel Tower: even with timed tickets, we ended up having to wait a decent amount of time, especially for the elevator up to the summit/top. We went around sunset, so that probably didn't help. View was great and definitely worth it though. Louvre: Honestly, I've never been overwhelmed by a museum before. The Louvre is the first time I've just been generally overwhelmed by the sheer size/magnitude of things to see. St. Chapelle: Honestly, one of the best surprises of the trip. If you go on a sunny day the stained glass inside is gorgeous. Versailles: We went on the weekend when the fountains were running. Awesome to see, and the weather ended up being fantastic for a walk between the fountains as they were going on/off. When I type out that itinerary it definitely seems like a lot for a week.
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May 16, 2019 17:01
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Cheesemaster200 posted:Last time I was in Venice we did the "secret" tour of the Doge's palace. There was this woman who was walking around with buttons on her jacket with "I Voted for Hilary" and other similar phrases written on it. When we got to the holding cells in the bottom of the palace, the guide said that this is where the doge kept political prisoners. At this point, the lady couldn't control herself and yelled "LIKE DONALD TRUMP!?!?!" The guide just kind of stared at her and the rest of the group kind of collectively moaned. We did that tour a few years back! Venice was...my least favorite part of Italy.
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May 5, 2020 13:39
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Ally McBeal Wiki posted:The brewery is nice, and the motorcycle riding roads north and further west of there are extremely fantastic. The Driftless area is some of the best possible riding in the Midwest. The town of New Glarus itself though is not great if you're under 60. Yup, pretty much. Great road biking in the area though!
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Jul 20, 2020 20:09
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Shy posted:Just came back from Istanbul and wow, what a fantastic city. I think I'll just go there again if EU doesn't let me in. How is Istanbul from a safety standpoint? I remember hearing that things were a bit sketchy a year or two ago, but hey, we went to Cape Town/Jo-burg and survived.
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Oct 11, 2020 22:19
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webmeister posted:Yeah, Istanbul is pretty fine to be honest. It has the typical problems of a big city, but if you're sticking to the typical tourist areas around Sultanahmet and Galata it should be fine. Davincie posted:the most dangerous thing i encountered was the bazaar guys luring in endless clueless tourists with bad deals. great city WaryWarren posted:I wandered around drunk late at night in Istanbul a few times. That's the most dangerous thing I saw there. greazeball posted:I went 3-4 years ago and it was completely unremarkable safety-wise. It's a big city (really loving big) with a lot of tourists so you'll definitely get approached by someone offering a tour or a shoeshine or something and all you have to do is say no thanks but that was it. Don't get falling down drunk and wander about at night and you'll be fine. Shy posted:It’s not overcrowded, there’s a lot of police, I haven’t seen anything that resembled an attempt to swindle a tourist. COVID probably contributed but I felt safer than in Rome for example. There are large stray dogs, but they tended to be calm. A lot of beggars who seemed harmless too. Thanks guys, we'll add it to the list of places that we should go to when we can again. I've always wanted to go. 
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Oct 20, 2020 13:58
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So uh, my wife and I just bought tickets to Madrid (too, it looks like) for the first week of November. We were planning on sticking primarily to the Madrid area, and maybe doing some day/overnight trips to Toledo, Seville, Segovia, and/or Cordoba. It's our first time in Spain. We were planning on skipping Barcelona this trip as that seems like too much. Does anyone have thoughts on good itineraries/things to see in a week? We're both in our mid 30s, no kids, and down for some walking during the day. Some suggestions for interesting food/dining would be great too. Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 15:31 on Jul 8, 2021 |
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Jul 8, 2021 15:28
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Saladman posted:Seville is big enough (and far enough) that I would leave it for a separate trip, a 1D/1N would be tiring if you're only in Madrid for a week (8-9 days?). Cordoba is also easy to get to on the high speed train but it kind of sucks except for the fantastically unique cathedral, so maybe I'd leave that out for a later visit in life to southern Spain where you can hit up Granada, Cordoba, Seville, etc., more easily and just go there in passing. The cathedral of Cordoba is awesomely unique and definitely worth a visit at some point, but just the rest of the town is meh, including the "Roman style" bridge (which is so repaired and renovated it looks like it was built in 2015, albeit on an ancient Roman design). That's super helpful, thanks. Our flight gets in at 745am on Saturday and we're flying out the following Saturday afternoon. It sounds like maybe doing a day in Toledo, Segovia, and spending the rest of the time in Madrid might be the way to go?
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Jul 8, 2021 18:04
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Saladman posted:Kinda depends on how you like to travel, if you're the type of person who would spend a week in say, Lisbon or Berlin, or if you'd be looking for elsewhere to move on after 3-4 days. Segovia and Toledo are easy day trips, as are Aranjuez and El Escorial if you like giant palaces. I'm not sure if El Escorial and Segovia can be combined on a daytrip if you're going by public transport - it looks like the answer is "not really" - but it's easy to do both in a long day if you rent a car for like 3 days of that trip (not that I'd necessarily recommend getting a car). Avila is also really neat, it has a really stunning city wall, probably the best I've ever seen, but looks like it's far by public transport (~2 hr train, ~1 hr drive). It looks like the train to Avila goes through El Escorial, so if you do an overnight stay in El Escorial I guess that would be reasonable if you don't rent a car. I used to be a "see as much as you can" type of person, but we spent a week in Paris a few years back and I changed my approach. A week in Paris was still barely scratching the surface, but I'm seeing all of these week long itineraries in Spain having people visit Madrid and Barcelona and feel like it might be a bit much, so I think limiting it to day trips out of Madrid seems the most reasonable.
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Jul 8, 2021 22:26
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If we had 8 days in Spain, how would you guys split Madrid/Seville? Edit: welp, American canceled our flight, so now we have to decide whether we want to go somewhere domestic instead. Residency Evil fucked around with this message at 02:43 on Aug 22, 2021 |
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Aug 22, 2021 00:34
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Residency Evil posted:If we had 8 days in Spain, how would you guys split Madrid/Seville? Wife and I decided that a week long Euro-trip right now is probably not a great look, especially as we're both in healthcare. Maybe next year?
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Aug 23, 2021 19:14
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Well, I guess we're not going to re-schedule that trip to Madrid.
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Aug 30, 2021 23:07
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Rebooked tickets to Madrid. 
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Sep 14, 2021 22:06
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Saladman posted:Seville is big enough (and far enough) that I would leave it for a separate trip, a 1D/1N would be tiring if you're only in Madrid for a week (8-9 days?). Cordoba is also easy to get to on the high speed train but it kind of sucks except for the fantastically unique cathedral, so maybe I'd leave that out for a later visit in life to southern Spain where you can hit up Granada, Cordoba, Seville, etc., more easily and just go there in passing. The cathedral of Cordoba is awesomely unique and definitely worth a visit at some point, but just the rest of the town is meh, including the "Roman style" bridge (which is so repaired and renovated it looks like it was built in 2015, albeit on an ancient Roman design). My wife really wanted to go to Seville, so we're flying in to Madrid, going to take the train to Seville, and do 2.5D, 2N in Seville before returning to Madrid and spending 5N there. Does that sound reasonable?
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Sep 21, 2021 16:08
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Update on our Spain trip from early this month: It was great. We originally booked tickets in the Spring when COVID numbers were down. Our flights got cancelled this summer, and we were unsure about going, but ended up rebooking a few months ago when numbers were lower in Spain than the US. Couldn't have worked out better. We ended up flying in to Madrid and immediately taking a train down to Seville, where we stayed for 3 days. In retrospect, we could have spent our entire trip in Southern Spain. Seville was gorgeous and we didn't run out of things to do. Tons of palaces, cathedrals, houses, etc to see. We ended up staying in downtown Seville the entire time and loved it. We would go back in a heartbeat. We then took the train back to Madrid and were there for 5 days as our home base. We ended up doing Madrid for 3 days and then renting a car to see some things around the area, such as Segovia, Toledo, El Escorial, the Valley of the Fallen, etc. The cathedral in Toledo was incredible, El Escorial was a bit of a letdown, and the rooms in the Royal Palace in Madrid are absolutely insane in their decoration. I can't quite put my finger on it, but for some reason, I didn't totally gel with Madrid. I could easily spend a week in Paris again, but even though it was impossible so see all of Madrid in the time we were there, I don't have a burning desire to go back. In any case, super glad we ended up going.
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Nov 28, 2021 23:18
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https://prepaid-data-sim-card.fandom.com/wiki/Prepaid_SIM_with_data I’ve used this website when traveling for a general idea of what SIM card to buy. Helpful to look at before leaving for a new country.
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Dec 16, 2021 10:41
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Wife and I are thinking of traveling in May to London with a 2-3 month old infant. Tentatively planning on staying in London around Mayfair/Hyde Park for about a week. She's spent some time in London but I've never been. Obviously our expectations are low-ish, but does anyone have any suggestions/tips for things that might/might not be appropriate?
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Mar 5, 2022 22:15
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