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I have a flight to Korea booked for June 13th-28th but I'm strongly considering, for a variety of reasons, rerouting to Europe for June 12th-30th for just a few dollars more. I lived in Korea for a year and a half and was looking forward to seeing old friends again, but a bunch of things fell through and, well, I've never been to Europe, so why not? However, while I've traveled through much of Asia, I know absolutely nothing about Europe and have your typical backpacker budget. I'd be counting on couchsurfing and grocery meals to take me through much of my trip, with the occasional hostel or restaurant meal here and there. I'd like to hit Spain (anywhere in Spain anyone may recommend, though flights into Barcelona seem to be cheapest), Berlin and Prague. I don't really like clubbing, excessive drinking, etc (in moderation is fine), and I don't have the patience for museums, unless they're REALLY cool, hands on, and/or famous. I love music, people, learning bits and pieces of other languages, and seeing/experiencing things that are unique about the culture of and the country I'm visiting. My favorite things to do when I travel are biking around and "discovering" cities that way, and to meet/hang out with locals and see/do what they do day-to-day and/or to have fun at night. Right now, the best deal I've found is flying JFK->BCN on the 12th, flying PRG->JFK on the 30th, and flying Ryanair BCN->RYG, RYG->BER on the 20th. A bunch of questions: -I kept seeing in this thread (I read through about 15 pages of it before I posted this) how awesome Barcelona is, but a lot of it seemed to have to do with bars/clubs/drinking/etc. What other kinds of things make Barcelona so awesome? -What are some absolute must-see, must do things for any or all of the above destinations? Best use of about five days in Spain, a few hours in Oslo (or just outside of it, closer to Moss), 3-4 days in Berlin and about six in Prague? -What's the best (ease/cost-efficiency) way to go about renting a bike in Europe in general, and/or these specific cities/countries in particular? -What's the best way to meet/befriend locals? I know a bit of German and Spanish from studying them in high school/college, and I'd definitely want to learn a bit of Czech and maybe Catalan if necessary (I pick up languages fairly easily). How/where do you approach people just out of the blue without seeming really weird ("Hi, wanna be frieeeeeeeeeeeeeeends??????") -Approximately what should I be budgeting for such a trip? Any budget advice beyond the usual cheap hostels/grocery food/couchsurfing/don't drink or eat out a lot advice? -Any better suggestions for Spain-->Berlin than the $50 Ryanair route I found? I like that I'd have a short stopover in Oslo--it's a nice way to fit in another city--but if there is a better option that would allow me to, you know, take a suitcase, that might be better. -Any other advice/suggestions you may have? Changes I should make? Expectations I should/shouldn't have? I'm all ears. Sorry to make such a token tourist post, but I figure I've answered enough of them on SA that I can do so relatively guilt-free. 
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May 24, 2011 20:36
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| # ¿ Jun 2, 2024 05:44 |
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Neris posted:
This is exactly what I need, but the ONLY ONE AVAILABLE ONLINE is that one on Amazon and it won't get here before I leave (I'd need it in the next week or so). I already contacted the seller about expedited shipping but it doesn't look like they offer it and they're in the UK to boot (I'm in the US). Anyone here happen to have one they want to sell? Or other recommendations for something very very similar, in both capacity and price? I pulled the trigger and made the flight change, by the way. Now I'm thinking Barcelona-->Palma-->Berlin-->Dresden-->Prague, or something like that. Freaking out a bit, as no one's responding to my couchsurfing requests! What's the best way to handle SIM cards in Europe? Is it better to just get a different one in each country, or to just pay higher fees in different countries with the SIM card I start out with in the first country?
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May 27, 2011 20:10
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Uggh, anyone in Barcelona have a cheap POS digital camera they wouldn't mind selling/want to get rid of, and/or know a place in town where I can get a really cheap camera? Mine's under warranty, which is great for when I get back to the US, but I need something to get me through the rest of my time in Europe (June 30th). I just want the cheapest digital camera that will take pictures and not crap out on me like my own did. The one feature I WOULD like is the ability to take panoramic shots--I found myself using that a lot more than I thought I would here. Also feasible would be getting one in Berlin, sometime between 1AM and 9AM Tuesday morning!  I'd really like to get one here so I can take pictures my last day, and have one ready for the tour I'm taking my first day in Berlin (Tuesday, I get in Monday night/Tuesday morning after midnight, ugggggh).
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Jun 19, 2011 20:37
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Bastard posted:In all honesty, that all sounds like something you can encounter in any touristy section of a major city in any country. On a similar note, for all the "Prague is soooooooooooo beautiful, you're gonna loooooooooove it" I got before I left, I'm finding Prague an eye-roll worthy mess of tourists and overpriced crap. I was told three days here wouldn't be enough, but I took a bike tour my first day and wandered around a little bit on my own and feel like that's it. After seeing all the major sights and different types of architechture, what is there? For the record, I hate most touristy stuff, have little interest in churches, and I hate museums--I simply don't like going to a new city to stand inside a building and look at stuff--but every other city (Barcelona, Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden) has been interesting enough without either one, often from just doing/seeing things a bit off the beaten path (visiting the Jewish quarter in Girona was one of my favorite parts of being in/near Barcelona; Las Ramblas was my least favorite. I felt like I was in Times Square [not in a good way]). I went to the torture device museum yesterday, and while interesting enough it was so...I mean, is that Prague? Again, I felt like I was "doing" Prague wrong. I'll be going to Vysehrad today for a picnic with a friend, an opera tonight, and all of the Jewish sites tomorrow, but I have to be doing something wrong here because I'm bored with Prague already. Please share suggestions for interesting things to do or see that aren't museums and aren't horribly expensive, because I don't want to miss whatever it is that will show me how right everyone is and that Prague really is so awesome, etc. Oh, and to make things harder, I keep kosher, so almost anything food-related is a no-go.
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Jun 28, 2011 10:26
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