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what to do, what to dooooo...im all ears (pg. 2)
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| edubbz |
yea dont worry, im not going to Rome..yet! Austria? that would be lovely but its not within my main focus which is Spain, Germany & Holland. i dont want to do a half ass job exploring them; i'd like to take my time and as i mentioned before, and you suggested as well, go outside of the tourist grid and get a true feel of the culture and tradition. thats the reason why i created this thread- perhaps some of you have family or friends in these 3 countries i've chosen and can tell me some small towns to hit up. Staying at a hostel is my choice simply to meet random people, since i will be traveling alone, and perhaps tag along with them or see what they have in mind.
This trip is all about meeting new people and exploring. Sort of like the show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations where he goes to all those really cool places & cities that aren't so touristy and experiencing the way the people live and adapting to their culture.
So, with that said i ask you...from your 22 yrs of living in europe, are there any cities that you can suggest that i can go and enjoy myself at?
yo B, yea planning the trip is a bitch but im learning a lot through the research i'm doing but it aint easy. that example you provided is something i need and appreciate so i can learn from it, thx. |
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| niinah |
edubbz, I'm replying to you on behalf of my hubby ramsau
I've actually lived a few more years in Europe than him ;)
Spain, Germany, Holland... hmmm.. I have to admit I haven't done much exploring in those countries. In Spain only went to Barcelona, which was nice but felt somehow distant, maybe not the place for me. I loved the Gaudi architecture though, there are plenty of places to walk around and explore, parks and such. Plus there are so many good places for eating and drinking there. Can't name any though, have just stumbled into interesting bars, walking around at night, hearing music from around a corned and stepping in for a beer and checking out the place, and continuing to the next.
Lol, reminds me, in Berlin we ended up in a nice street with lots of small bars next to each other (again, no idea where in the city), we had some kind of bet that we'd have a shot of tequila in each bar (the shots were smaller than regular though). We ended up drinking a LOT of them, and had to abort at some point due to one of our group not feeling well.. and feeling even worse on the flight home the net day. Also in Berlin, a friend took me to a random office building some weekend night, took the elevator up, and landed in a minimal house party in one floor, with a terrace overlooking the city. Also remember walking around a lot in the city, again there are so many different areas to explore.
Holland... used to live in a small town in the south for a while, but didn't really explore that much. There are too many people everywhere, and the architecture/culture was not that interesting to me. Recently I went to belgium, Ghent and Brugge, if that's not too far from your route I'd rather recommend those.
Hope this helps! Have a great trip!! |
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| edubbz |
heyy niinah...yeaa it seems thats how im expecting to play my trip out. just meet random people and tag along or play by the ear and see what i just happen to stumble upon; let it be a park, museum, cafe or whatever the case maybe. of course, with a few barstops in between to get the pace moving :tongue2
man, it sounds like a blast just walking around randomly exploring..meeting ppl and being taken to some hole thats a party!! thats the kind of things id like to experience and run into. I'd love to hit up belgium, ..i'd love to hit up EVERYTHING srsly haha but unfortunately thats out of my way...however, its possible and if i happen to get enough of holland before the 7day limit...i can squeeze those places since i see theyre not too far away from rotterdam (which i plan to visit).
thanks a million for your input and the city suggestions- thats what im looking for, places not so well known to tourists that deserve to be checked out. ;) |
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| get nyce |
if i had cheddar like that e trust me I'd be doing the same just trying to jump around without a plan but I don't have bread like that so i like to go in knowing approximately how much I'm spending. I think for you, this is your first EU trip you might want to consider doing the scope out with set days, then on your return you can get a feel for what you did and how you can improve upon it or like going on a whim.
Find yourself in a rough eastern block small town with a very strong language barrier and all the money in the world can't buy you the comfort of just knowing. I say this as a travelers beware not because I don't think you can handle yourself, I just don't want to get that call at 4am saying I need to wire 2G's to some Yugoslavian bank because the only way out is a prop-plane on some grassy knoll.
Within holland outside of AMS I'd sat Utrecht or Rotterdam. You may want to continue that way and hit Bruge/Belguim which also has a very similar lifestyle to Holland (in all fashions). So instead of starting in AMS and doing your loop clockwise, maybe consider looping CCW and go from AMS to Belgium, Pass through France on your way to Spain then go direct from Spain to Berlin and make your way north east back towards AMS for your return.
Just some options also check your routes and timing. Might be more cost efficient to go from Spain to Berlin via Ryanair/EzJet/Whizz Air then it is to go from Berlin to Spain one way.
Another tip
Make copies of all official documents and leave it with someone here in the states like passport, cc's, travel docs, and keep a running list of embassy numbers and locations with you. Copies of your travel docs incase anything happens you can always call back home to that person who has your copies etc.
EU planning for hiking on the move takes a lot of work. I think you'll be fine, but if I were you, I'd skip spain all together and just head there later this year when we all do Barca to Ibiza. |
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| edubbz |
hmm you do bring up some interesting points to consider B.
i mean, the best bang for my buck as for airfare-- that i found and seems like i'll be purchasing since i cant find or doubt ill find anything better, $700 (edit: damn just checked right now and its $765 so im acting fast and copping this flight by midweek by latest)-- is arriving to amsterdam may 31 and departing barcelona june 22/23! everything else is $1000+ sooo the $300 im saving there i was considering getting a 9 day 3-country euro train pass in 1st class for $600-700. that right there is $1500 which i can pay with cash right now and my main transportation commute is 70% already covered...i'm planning to locate all train stations and whatnot within the cities im interested in to map out a guide route. only then i'd be left to just worry about cabs/buses. So, everything i save from here on out can hopefully be lodging & spending loot.
cool tip too, didnt think of that one yet. also, spain is a must now since i already bough my Sonar pass which is a 3day event..also, after this trip i dont think ill have the funds to come back later in the year for Barca haha would def be sick, only if the $$ was there. my friend was telling me how he spent new years at Barca and how it was the best time of his life...sooo upon that, my reaction was to transition from doing new years in colombia this year and hit up something else, Barca perhaps!! |
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| edubbz |
does anyone have eurail train experience? debating whether i should get the 1st or 2nd class 6-day Pass
| quote: | Originally posted by niinah
Holland... used to live in a small town in the south for a while, but didn't really explore that much. There are too many people everywhere, and the architecture/culture was not that interesting to me. Recently I went to belgium, Ghent and Brugge, if that's not too far from your route I'd rather recommend those.
Hope this helps! Have a great trip!! |
heyy guess what, so im getting the Benelux-German Pass which includes travel btwn germany, holland & belgium...sooooo, im taking advantage- and your recommendation- and going to belgium afterall :) but only for a day, after amsterdam followed by hamburg. however, i dont think i can do both brugge & ghent, unfortunately. sticking with one, i think after research (i read a wonderful article that mentioned/compared the two cities), i chose brugge..or was it ghent lol i have to look back..what would you recommend out of the two to pick? |
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| EarnYourKeep |
brugge
bring condoms lots of them
and go for romanians
#justsayin |
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| edubbz |
^^
i LOVE and dated 2 romanians chicks...i want a romanian wife, thats all i have to say. |
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| yankeeBaby |
Flying between countries there is so freakin cheap. I bought TWO plan tix for me and my hubby and it was $100 from Holland to Spain TOTAL.
I would say Berlin based on rave reviews, but I havent been so.....
For summer: I went to Barcelona last summer and it was the time of my LIFE. 8 days wasnt even enough to see everything there. We went to Sitges as well (sort of like the summer playground for Barcelonians, 3-euro train ride away: think a Hamptons to New Yorkers, but looks more like Miami). LOVED Sitges! Lots of late night partying (Pacha-Sitges wasnt even OPEN until 3am!!) and GORGEOUS beaches and restaurants and bars (and gays! Holy hell there were a ton of hot gay men, not that that helps you) :) :)
Went on a hot air balloon ride, met tons of people, went partying every night, sat on the street having wine and tapas, Partied at the penthouse in the W Hotel......its just incredible there in the summer! <3 <3 <3 <3 |
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| edubbz |
damnn im trying to see it all at once...jamming 6 cities into a 3 week period :( i feel like i should cut out some cities to spend more time in the others...especially after reading about how barcelona has so many gays bc, of course, thats exactly what i want to hear :eyes: lol
Sitges, sounds awesome...def will try to check it out. thanks for the suggestion :)
and im riding mainly btwn cities so i can see parts of the countryside...so far its looking like this:
amsterdam, brugge, hamburg, berlin, munich and barcelona. however, im flying from munich to barcelona since i dont feel like spending 12 hrs on the train. and contemplating about taking a plane from berlin to munich since its only 60 bucks and i save 5 hrs in travel time which i can use it towards sightseeing.
PLEASEEEE, any recommendations on these cities would be HIGLYY appreciated. |
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| RemiX |
If you can push your trip back a little, you can save a ton on airfare, by opening up a credit card that gives airline miles as a bonus for opening. You can get 50,000 miles from Continental, Delta or even 75,000 miles from American Airlines. With those type of miles, you can more than pay for a roundtrip to Europe.
If interested, I can share the links to those applications. If you're credit is decent, you will have no problem getting approved. |
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| edubbz |
the thought about racking up on air line miles has crossed my mind but truth of the matter is im currently trying to knock my cc's down...im not all too familiar with miles and i dont think i would like to be right now so that way i wont be tempted to open anymore cards lol
however, i shouldve changed my debit card to a continental airlines card to take advantage of the miles, didnt think of that grrrr :mad: altho i already booked my flight w/ american airlines..i messed around with the dates for awhile and believe i got the best deal, $750 RT w/ flight insurance
thanks for the input though, really appreciate the suggestion and def something ill keep in mind for future reference. |
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