need help with trip to europe!

[daiseydais]

hi everyone! i'm gonna be backpacking through europe in june and i was wondering if anyone knew any good sites that would help me out. or just any tips in general =) the countries i'll be going through are france, spain, italy, and maybe other countries nearby. so if you guys know any cool places to go, eat, stay, etc. i would very much like to know! thanks!!!

[honolii]

what a huge question. My recomendation is to skip France - they really don't like anybody except themselves. Use that time to explore Spain. It is wonderful as soon as you get out of the huge cities. I know about Andalucia. The people were very friendly to us. We even got way into the back country and were able to get around even though almost no one spoke English. If you get to the Costa del Sol region you will find that English is almost a second language. Don't miss Gibraltar. Make sure that you ignore anyone charging you tolls unless they are in uniform - lots of conmen. We enjoyed Morroco but go with an organized tour for your safety. You could easily spend the entire month in southern Spain - so much to see - so much history. AS far as places to eat - that is universally easy - stay away from obvious tourist areas and go where the locals eat. You get the real ethnic taste and price. Above all - enjoy!!!!

[Bandito]

I have to agree that Spain is beautiful. Especially in the 'over' toured cities. Barcelona is a country in itself. Another point of interest is Greece. We love Greece and I personally could spend a month in Athens and never get tired of it. My brother-in-law is touring Denmark now. If you like to part at the disco's start in Spain and work your way to Denmark. Don't hoof it alone either! Travel in a pack. Get your contacts before you. Maybe you can arrange places to stay with people you meet in this group? We met a family through our travel agent who put us up for 2 days and they were happy to do it! Good luck

[daiseydais]

thanks honolii and bandito!
i'll try to keep all you said in mind. although i think i have to go through france since we're (my sister and i) making our way down from amsterdam. hmmm...i should really take another look at the map and see what routes we can take! but thanks again for all the tips!

[nfarzan]

if you are going to barcelona, i would reccomend the 4-5 hour train ride the the Cote D'Azur in france. The best, most entertaining part of france. Home of Cannes, Antibes, Nice, St. Tropez, and Monte Carlo... Lots to do there

[SimPleWish]

If you can, go to Germany, particularly a small monestary outside of Frankfurt. What an adventure. The place is called Kreuzburg. They have the best view and the best beer in Germany. ***You will find it as a small tick mark on any ESSO German map, North of Frankfurt (about an hour from Frankfurt Int'l Airport). Look for Wildflecken. It is near there.***

They have all sorts of souvineers and crazy little things to buy, and the people are great. They have a GuestHaus there; you can spend the night if you need to. Also, the food and atmosphere kicks butt. After Amsterdam, you will not regret it. P.S. Bring your camdamera. Whatever you choose, please be safe and have some fun for all of us, OK?

[Bandito]

See Daisy, I told you some good person would be lurking from accross the pond. It is people like SimpleWish who making traveling fun and memorable. Trust me, you will have far more and better memories if you can make a friend or two along the way.

[daiseydais]

haha! thanks guys! i have so many more options to consider now! that Kreuzberg idea sounds like fun...even though i don't drink...but visiting a monastery would be cool and ooh...the train ride too! hopefully i'll be able to take my new digital camera so i can show you all when i get back i think my sis said that we'll be meeting up with some of her friends throughout the trip, but hopefully we'll be able to make lotsa new friends along the way! i'm getting so excited!!!

[portmystik]

Time to have fun times with the European chicks....I heard they know how to rock your world big time......hehehe

[daiseydais]

ewww yuck! i'm a girl! but hmmm...some nice italian boys...hehe

[mrm]

SPAIN ROCKS! I spent a year in Valencia last year (East coast) and LOVED it. There are tons of little cities along the eastern Mediteranean coast that are beautiful. I like the small towns the best, you really get a feel for the Spanish way of life. The spaniards are really friendly, and if you talk to younger people they will know english because most of them take it in school.

I agree about the French being stuck up. But I found that to be true with the Italians too. I loved Sweden, Germany (especially east Berlin for the history), England, Ireland (especially friendly people), and Prague. I've heard Greece is cool, but that it gets old fast. I want to go myself though.

Bottom line: GO TO SPAIN!

[spigidygak]

Well I have to say not to skip France. I spent 3 weeks there this last summer and I had a great time overall. The thing is French people don't like it when Americans come to there land and expect them to serve you and speak English everywhere. It just takes a little effort, if you just say hi to them in French (Bon jour) or be very polite they will won't be as rude. Just try to show you are trying to communicate with their language. Remember English and French are the official languages of the world. So I would say don't be scared of the place. I'm not saying I love French people, because they do stink. hehe. Have a great trip daisydais! Oh yeah say thank you a lot too (merce bou coo)

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And at band camp. . . http://www.geocities.com/bandtour99

[daiseydais]

travelling through small towns seems really fun, but where do you usually stay? are there lots of little bed & breakfast places? my sister went to Greece and stayed at a really cute (and cheap!) b&b. do you guys suggest any travel guidebooks? like "let's go!"? at least i think that's what it's called...hmmm...i might have some trouble in France cuz i don't know any French! but i think spending time in Spain would be so cool! especially since i took Spanish for over 5 years (yea! i get to test out my skills!). thanks again everybody!

[cheapie]

while i realize this will get me the golden shovel award, has anyone else travelled to spain and was it as cool as the folks above described it?

[Jenny]

ROFLMAO Wow, over 5 years. Impressive, man! lol

[Kevster]

while i realize this will get me the golden shovel award, has anyone else travelled to spain and was it as cool as the folks above described it?

Yes it is. I spent just over a week there and only got to scratch the surface, but it is a cool place to travel. I recommend traveling light if you can, though you'll probably want to take the family along, right? I had to go to Madrid and Barcelona for work, but I got to go to other towns along the east coast when I was in Barcelona and loved it.

[kgsilvas]

while i realize this will get me the golden shovel award...

Wow, it seems even older when it shows as posting in 1969, which I think was the year ARPANET started.

need help with trip to europe!
daiseydais 12-31-1969 at 03:59 PM

[Houdini]

I'll have to disagree with the people who say skip France for several reasons.

Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt are usually the cheapest airplane destinations from the US.

Paris if freakin' beautiful. And you could spend a month there - scrath that, a month in the Louvre and not see everything. The French people are actually pretty cool. Just study a phrase book, be respectful and humble, and you will be fine. Just be sure to leave Paris for a couple of days - got to Normandy or something. The people and the attitudes are completely different.

Take the TGV to someplace in the Alps, like Chamonix, or one of the towns in that area. Absolutely beautiful. Then hit Italy by way of the N.W. Go down the west coast, stopping at Manarolo and other Cinque Terra towns - spend a couple of days just relaxing. And yes, it really does look like the postcards.

Spend at least 2 days if you can spare in Assisi. It's the most peaceful, friendly town in the world. Gotta see Rome too, if only for a day. On a weekday, go to the Vatican museum. On a weekend, hang out in St. Peter's Square on a Sunday and wave to the Pope.

Venice is cool, and worth seeing once in your life, but if you're pressed for time, skip it.

Salzburg is also cool, but it all depends on the weather and what you want out of the experience. If anything, you'll see a SHARP contrast b/w the Italian lifestyle and the Teutonic.

Don't pack much. Just pack enough for 3-4 days or so, with black/grey colors so you can layer/mix/match/whatever. You'll always find a laundromat somewhere. If I can find the name of the last hotel I stayed in in Paris, I'll let you know. It was very, very reasonable, about 1/2 block from a Metro station, and across the street from a laundry. And in a nice neightborhood, 1 block from a post office/ATM and a grocery store.

For more suggestions, please PM or ask here. I've only been over htere a couple of times, but traveling alone makes you remember everything and really appreciate everything. I can remember every conversation on every train, grocery line, etc., that I've had in Europe. Just be sure to brush up on your languages, but don't worry about it too much. If you're not a natural linguist, most people speak English, especially if you try to speak their language (a great show of respect for their language/culture).

H