Planning a Trip to Europe!

Cyre2067

Cyre2067

The Living Force
Hey gang, im in the very early stages of planning a trip to europe. Basically i have the major cities that i want to hit outlined. Ill prolly be over there for like 2-4 weeks, in the july-august time frame but i was wondering if you had any suggestions as to how go about making further plans? Any suggested reading? Someone mentioned Rhomer's guide...

I wanted to hit a variety of spots and im going more for socio-political interaction with the locals as opposed to site seeing. Also if anyone of ya'll are over there Id love to meet ya in person! Dunno if its possible but id be interested in meeting Laura and Ark and having some face to face interaction with them as well. Anyway im just fishing for tips at this point so please feel free to reply with your thoughts/opinions.

Thanks!
 
Cyre said:
Dunno if its possible but id be interested in meeting Laura and Ark and having some face to face interaction with them as well.
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We could meet at a cafe if we have enough notice, so when you know your itinerary, send sott an email.
 
Borderfox said:
Tip : When you get there ,Say you are from Canada.
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actually, my experience is that French people (especially in more rural areas) are still pretty well disposed towards Americans, as they are towards most foreigners that they have no recent colonial issues with. So I wouldn't worry to much about being American, millions of them arrive in France each year on holiday, so they are well used to them.

Having said that, if you said you were from Quebec, you would probably get the most enthusiatic response of all, but then you might also be expected to speak Quebecois French.

Joe
 
Heh i'm an american, and i plan on being honest about it, hopefully to give those i encounter a non-typical example.
 
Cyre said:
i plan on being honest about it, hopefully to give those i encounter a non-typical example.
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That's assuming you have a good idea of what the "typical" American does in Europe...
 
Borderfox said:
Tip : When you get there ,Say you are from Canada.
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I went to France roughly two years ago and I was very, very pleased with the way I was treated everywhere. Even at the airport the customs agent said to me "UK?", I replied "No, USA" and he just waved me right through without even looking at my passport, much less inspecting my bags, my shoes, and airline tickets as was required just to leave to USA! Plus I could smoke a cigarette nearly anywhere without anybody getting all huffy and puffy about it :cool:

Funny now that the US State Dept is running that campaign that attempts to coach people on how to act abroad. After hearing some comments about it yesterday on TV it seems to me that it's diversionary, as in "don't think about how the actions of goverment are ruining your reputation as a citizen"

Anyway Cyre, there's a decent series on PBS sometimes and related publications, Europe Through The Backdoor by Rick Steves: http://www.ricksteves.com -- this might help you in your travels.
 
Okay! So i bought my ticket, fly into Heathrow on the 20th of October and im gonna be backpacking city to city from then till the 16th of november. My stops include London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Rome (and maybe Athens).

Any of my fellow forumites in those cities? Reccomend places to go/things to do? Im just internet researching and picking hostels, clubs, and sights that way. Primary purpose is to meet and converse with the locals.
 
Hi there Cyre2067.

I'm a UK resident around 45miles outside London in deepest Essex. I don't have much advice on places to stay such as hostels or the like, but I could recommend that to get the best feel for the place and to converse with the locals, then country pubs on the outskirts of London are a great place to go.

The trouble is the pace in London as with most big cities is a little dizzying and frenetic for me, I prefer a place that is quieter and more relaxed if I was going to talk to the regulars and get a feel for the locals. Also some of the pubs in the city centre are deathtraps for the unwary traveller or even a relative local like myself. I guess it just depends what you are really looking for.

If your looking for a great clubbing night then Leicester Square, Picadilly and some parts of Soho have some fantastic clubs (so my friends claim, never really been myself other thana hazy 21st birthday trip hehe).

If your a fan of site seeing tours, then hed to The river Thames around the London Bridge and Embankment area for some gret little boat trips and sightseeing tours up and down the Thames. Oh and if you hit Trafalgar Square, then prepare to get pooped on by the thousands of Pidgeons there that people go to feed (a kind of right of passage when in the big smoke).

There is a lovely little Cafe named "Silent Circle" in Wiltshire (a mere hop, skip and a jump on the train from central London) that I could recommend for anyone who wishes to find some great personalities from the metaphysical and crop circle hunting communities.

Here's the address and telephone number if you'd like to find it.
Main Road, Cherhill, Wiltshire. England SN118UU
Call +44 (0) 1249 817348

They also have a website with pictures and more information about it here
http://www.silentcircle.co.uk/website/page/1.htm

You can pick up some fantastic Crop Circle information and books there, and I would highly recommend a visit if you have an interest in Crop Circles. You may also be directed to some of the local formations that have appeared over the summer that you can go and see for youself.

Oh and with regards to hostels on mainland Europe, I can recommend The Flying Pig hostel chain as being cheap (relatively clean) and well staffed, usually with a great communal area and a good atmosphere whenever I have used them on my travels.
 
mark said:
I went to France roughly two years ago and I was very, very pleased with the way I was treated everywhere.
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It's because you were wearing your green costume ;)
 
Awesome, and thanks guys. Im gettin jitters since it's only a month away now... the pred's been messin with my head pretty hardcore.

Still can't wait to go! Some of those statues are on my must see list. Beautiful.
 
Hi Cyre, how long are you staying in Amsterdam? I quess with 7 destinations in 26 days you roughly have 3 days per city. Apart from the 'must do' items which guide themselves - like a canal cruise, the Rijksmuseum etc. - I advise you to spend an afternoon in the city of Haarlem 20 km westwards. It is much less touristic than Amsterdam yet one of the most beautiful towns in the Netherlands. If I'm not too busy at the time of your visit, we can eventually meet eachother and go there by car if you are interested.

Jansstraat.jpg
 
Cyre2067 said:
Okay! So i bought my ticket, fly into Heathrow on the 20th of October and im gonna be backpacking city to city from then till the 16th of november. My stops include London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, Prague, Rome (and maybe Athens).
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If you are going to be in London, hop on the train and do a day of Oxford. The place is magical. Just don't drive a car there ;-)
 
Cyre, I'm gonna be back 'home' in Brussels (where my folks live) till around the 25th October. Am taking a wee 'reading break' away from the usual routine. If you're in the Belgium by then, I'd be perfectly happy to meet you there and show you around. True tho about Brugges being the more scenic of the two.. up to you!
 
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