UK/Australia/Spain/Italy/Holland/Eastern Europe Travel Appreciation/Celebraton Thread

[dfb547490]

For those of us who like to get something in return for our money.


Alex

[dfb547490]

Seriously tho...

UK-Went when I was little, but don't remember it too well.

Italy-Rome was great, so was Venice. Naples was the best of all, but I was only there for a day. Florence was OK, but nothing compared to those 3. I'd really like to go to Milan at some point.

Holland-Only spent one afternoon in Amsterdam, saw the Ajax stadium/museum and walked around the city a little bit, definitely a cool place I'd like to spend some more time in.

Czech Republic-Prague kicks ass. 'Nuff said.

Haven't been to any of the other places, anyone else want to chime in?


Alex

[fidlerre]

Originally posted by dfb547490
For those of us who like to get something in return for our money.


Alex

such a bitter young man...but i'll bite.

italy is a great country. their food is to me, unparalleled in the rest of the world. for the price of a value meal here in the states you can get an excellent italian meal with some fairly decent table wine.

venice is one of my favorite cities in europe. i really enjoy the dynamic of the canals and the fact that there are no dirty cars to pollute the air or to almost run you over <although this may have been over appreciated as i had just been in rome for a few days> if you want to travel to a romantic city then i could personally think of no better place than venice for quiet nights and days of strolling arm in arm. sitting at a restaurant along the grand canal, with live music being played in the background, and enjoying fine italian food while looking in to the eyes of the one you love...it really cannot get much better.

rome was nice but i didnt enjoy the city as much b/c i considered it to be very, very dirty. some of the ancient sites and the vatican are not to be missed but i have to say that i was slightly disappointed in rome overall.

[fidlerre]

Originally posted by dfb547490
Italy-I'd really like to go to Milan at some point.

alex, you won't miss much. milan is not what i thought it was going to be and was probably the most disappointing place i have ever visited in europe...and many people i have talked to had the same response once they took their time to visit.

Czech Republic-Prague kicks ass. 'Nuff said.

prague is a great city. i just remember staying there for 2 days with a friend of mine and we spent all together; a total of $25 bucks for our hostel, food, and travel in the city for 2 days. it was cheap as hell...but the rest of the city was amazing. was certainly the best bang for your buck when i traveled there a few years ago...not sure what it is like now though.

[dfb547490]

Originally posted by fidlerre
alex, you won't miss much. milan is not what i thought it was going to be and was probably the most disappointing place i have ever visited in europe...and many people i have talked to had the same response once they took their time to visit.

That sucks...but I hear the females are scorching hot, and I'd like to catch a game at the San Siro (not that I can complain about the Milan-Lazio match I saw at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome a few years back).


prague is a great city. i just remember staying there for 2 days with a friend of mine and we spent all together; a total of $25 bucks for our hostel, food, and travel in the city for 2 days. it was cheap as hell...but the rest of the city was amazing. was certainly the best bang for your buck when i traveled there a few years ago...not sure what it is like now though.

The italicized phrase wouldn't be a subtle reference to anything having to do with side streets off Wenceslas Square now would it ;)


Alex

[fidlerre]

Originally posted by dfb547490
That sucks...but I hear the females are scorching hot

in italy? the ladies were average...now france <your fav country> and germany were a different story. i always thought the hottest ladies would be in italy and i was shocked at what i had presumed was totally wrong...heidi klum should have told me all i needed to know.

[dfb547490]

Originally posted by fidlerre
in italy? the ladies were average...now france <your fav country> and germany were a different story. i always thought the hottest ladies would be in italy and i was shocked at what i had presumed was totally wrong...heidi klum should have told me all i needed to know.

Not Italy, Milan specifically. Makes sense, with all the runway models running around.

Czech Republic girls definitely ain't bad either, neither are Germany (too little to remember being in French).


Alex

[Sardinia]

Milan has surely some beautiful and ancient places and monuments to visit but it is mainly a modern industrialized business town.

And if you go during wintertime it is also cold and foggy (it is colder than London).

[Captain Splarg]

I think one of the best places to visit on the planet (when its not freezing) is Estonia.

Its just great there. anyone else been?

[Michael K.]

Originally posted by Captain Splarg
I think one of the best places to visit on the planet (when its not freezing) is Estonia.

Its just great there. anyone else been?

No, but I'm dying to go and spend some time in all the Baltics. On that note, please don't tell the Prague-heads about Vilnius, which is really the place to be - Prague is so 1992.

[dfb547490]

Originally posted by Michael K.
No, but I'm dying to go and spend some time in all the Baltics. On that note, please don't tell the Prague-heads about Vilnius, which is really the place to be - Prague is so 1992.

What's Vilnius like, is it an up-and-coming Amsteradm/Prague/Berlin type place? I thought the Baltic states were still in pretty bad shape economically?

Anyone ever been to Australia?? I hear it's awesome, hoping to go there to study abroad in a few years.


Alex

[Canadian_Supporter]

Originally posted by Michael K.
On that note, please don't tell the Prague-heads about Vilnius, which is really the place to be - Prague is so 1992.



I was going to spend a month in Lithuania last summer, but I changed my mind at the last minute. Instead, I went back to the Czech Republic, but I only went to Prague once. :p

[DaniD]

Originally posted by dfb547490
Anyone ever been to Australia?? I hear it's awesome, hoping to go there to study abroad in a few years.


Alex

I went to Australia and New Zealand last year. I loved both of the countries, and they are very different.

I only spent a week in Australia so I did not have an opportunity to go to Melbourne or way into the outback. I spent time all of my time in Cairns and Sydney. In a lot of ways Sydney was a lot like any other major metropolitan city, but I think it was the excitment of being there that really got to me.

If you get a chance to go for study abroad, I think you would love it.

[GringoTex]

Why wasn't this thread named "Countries full of white people who support Bush"?

[Rapids/Arsenal Fan]

Originally posted by dfb547490
What's Vilnius like, is it an up-and-coming Amsteradm/Prague/Berlin type place? I thought the Baltic states were still in pretty bad shape economically?

Anyone ever been to Australia?? I hear it's awesome, hoping to go there to study abroad in a few years.


Alex

Vilnius is pretty cool. Super cheap, just like the rest of E. Europe. I think they're working toward Prague-like status, but not at light speed like Prague. Granted I was there a few years ago ('98), but at that point there was some construction/renovation going on, but not a whole lot of it. I think it might take some time before the city becomes a tourist trap. When I was there, they had only one youth hostel.

[Rapids/Arsenal Fan]

Originally posted by Captain Splarg
I think one of the best places to visit on the planet (when its not freezing) is Estonia.

Its just great there. anyone else been?

I was there in spring of 98. I got into Tallinn, and pretty much got the first ticket out of the city. It just didn't jive with me. Not much to see, dirty and muddy as hell, worn down, everyone looked depressed...I'm not sure if I'd go there again.

But the women were beautiful there. And I found a great restaurant where I had an awesome five course meal for about $8 (including beer!).

[Michael K.]

Originally posted by GringoTex
Why wasn't this thread named "Countries full of white people who support Bush"?

Don't you mean 'Countries full of governments who are looking to aid from Bush if they support him'? The only Eastern Europeans I've talked to about - a few Polish friends - are nothing short of embarrassed by their government's stance.
Ok, stopping so this doesn't get booted to Politics.

[blackandgreen4life]

The stance in the Polish government at the moment is anti-war now that Greece holds the presidency in the EU and Germany is making it easier for us to get into the EU...

Anway, since this thread is NOT about politics...

Eastern Europe -
Talinn - Not much going
Prague - Nice, culturally rich city... beautiful
Moscow - Very nice city, alittle bit on the poor side, but still nice
Warsaw - 'Paris of the East' (statement made by Western 'raters').... besides being my home, very good cultural scene if you look in the right places, good restaurants, frequent concerts and lot of buildings left over from the pre-war area (restored of course).

Italy - I saw the nice side of Milan, very cool city... rich night life (at least the part where I was staying in)... used to have friends living there.....

France - VERY hot girls... Paris just rocks ...

Germany - Kind of wierd, the females lean towards being slightly provocative, but nice scenery, very nice culture, and friendly people.....

[Randy36]

My wife and I have travelled a lot throughout Europe and our three most favourite experiences were:-

1. Visiting the Greek Isles in the Aegean Sea and our favourite Isle is Santorini.

2. A boat trip down the Rhine river was a most exhilirating experience.

3. Lucerne is our favourite city in Switzerland. Really worth a visit.

We are all set to retire and have chosen the Isle of Santorini to settle down where we own a small two bedroom villa. We are leaving in July and are looking forward to it.

[johan neeskens]

prague is a great city. i just remember staying there for 2 days with a friend of mine and we spent all together; a total of $25 bucks for our hostel, food, and travel in the city for 2 days. it was cheap as hell...but the rest of the city was amazing. was certainly the best bang for your buck when i traveled there a few years ago...not sure what it is like now though.

Prague is beautiful but it's completely infested with tourists in the summer, it's worse than Venice even.