European Vacation

dws1982
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Re: European Vacation

Post by dws1982 »

ITALIANO wrote:
dws1982 wrote:Trip was a semi-disaster.
I'm sorry for that. But... didn't you know your travelling companion well? Because doing such a long and intense trip with someone who's not very close is a big, big risk. And honestly, while I understand that Americans may be less expert than us about the dangers of Eastern Europeans strip clubs, this guy was at least very, VERY naive.
Late reply, but yes, I did know him pretty well! But I guess you REALLY get to know someone when you travel with them. I love the guy, and talk to him almost every day still. But I'd never take this kind of trip again with him. If we ever travel together again, it'll be a nice, laid-back trip to the mountains or something, and maybe with another friend or two.

Incidentally, I may be going back to Europe next summer. Nothing is firm yet, but basically I have a friend getting married in Croatia. My best friend happens to be very close friends with this guy, and my friend's wife doesn't want to go to the wedding--they have a baby boy who'll be just over a year old when the wedding takes place, and she doesn't want to leave him or have the hassle of traveling overseas with him. So I may be going. The lodging would be paid for, and all meals for the first weekend would be paid for. All I'd have to pay for is airfare, and any food/sightseeing after the wedding. Since I don't have a wife or child, I may stay longer than my friend do some more sightseeing in that area.
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Precious Doll
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Re: European Vacation

Post by Precious Doll »

Big Magilla wrote:You can find good cheap walking shoes in Europe, but you have to be careful there, too.

When I was in Italy six years ago, my sister-in-law tried on a pair of shoes she liked and bought them in a town we were passing through somewhere in Tuscany. When we got to the hotel at our next destination, she went to put them on and found they gave her two left foot shoes which she was unable to return.
Magilla,

That brought back memories for me of Eugene Levy's character in Best in Show!
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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Re: European Vacation

Post by Big Magilla »

You can find good cheap walking shoes in Europe, but you have to be careful there, too.

When I was in Italy six years ago, my sister-in-law tried on a pair of shoes she liked and bought them in a town we were passing through somewhere in Tuscany. When we got to the hotel at our next destination, she went to put them on and found they gave her two left foot shoes which she was unable to return.
ITALIANO
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Re: European Vacation

Post by ITALIANO »

dws1982 wrote:Trip was a semi-disaster.
I'm sorry for that. But... didn't you know your travelling companion well? Because doing such a long and intense trip with someone who's not very close is a big, big risk. And honestly, while I understand that Americans may be less expert than us about the dangers of Eastern Europeans strip clubs, this guy was at least very, VERY naive.
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Re: European Vacation

Post by dws1982 »

I loved Krakow, despite my friend's, uh...mishap that occurred there. It was beautiful and atmospheric, loved the history, it was super-easy to navigate (it was easy to pick out a legit cab from a non-legit one, the cab drivers spoke excellent English, and you could get from one side of town to the other for under $10 USD. I would definitely go back. I liked Prague a lot as well, despite the fact that it seems like someone dumped Times Square down in the middle of all of those beautiful old buildings. It was pretty easy to navigate as well, and it's easy to see why it's so popular with tourists--you can get a hotel close to Old Town for about $50 USD per night, and you can get a legitimately good and good-sized meal (with a drink) in the heart of Old Town for under $15 USD. (Of course you can do the same for $10-$12 in Krakow.) Wittenberg was a very cool small city. Since we were otherwise in large cities, it was really cool to see a small city, although you get the feeling that Wittenberg does a lot of things with its (sizable) tourist population in mind.

I feel like I would've liked Budapest if I had gotten a little more time there, but we pretty much only had 12 hours on the ground before world events intervened. The airport was very odd though. The front part, behind security, was very drab, very old-school. There was no way of getting any help or having any questions asked during the middle of the night. And then when we got our flight and went through security, it was like another world. Nice, well-decorated shops and restaurants. It was like a nice shopping mall with airport departure gates.

If I ever go back to Berlin, it would have to be with someone who knows the city to guide me. The city is so physically large that it's a real haul to walk from one place to another, and the public transportation system is a real nightmare if you don't speak German. And anytime we tried to ask for help, the people working the Metro Station just responded like we were idiots. I did like the view from the Reichstag Dome, especially as we got to see it just as the Strawberry Moon (something that hasn't occurred in nearly 70 years) was rising.
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Re: European Vacation

Post by mlrg »

dws1982 wrote:Trip was a semi-disaster. The sites were cool. Traveling partner was not. No doubt I'll be able to look back on some parts of it with fondness as I get some distance from it. I'll probably even laugh about certain parts of it. I'd love to go back and spend some time in some of those places at a slower pace.

My feet got absolutely destroyed. So many blisters--this happens when you walk an average of ten miles per day and your shoes are a half-size small. (I didn't realize they were too small the time.) I still haven't worn shoes at all since I got back. We ended up cutting it short after my traveling partner went out alone one night (because I just couldn't walk another mile that day), got conned into a Krakow strip club, and withdrew all the money from his bank account.

Took a sizable financial hit moving our flight date, then when we were in Budapest getting ready to go home, the Istanbul airport gets attacked. We were scheduled to fly back through Istanbul. At the time flights from Istanbul to the US were grounded, and even then, only one flight goes from Istanbul to Atlanta each day. Our main worry was getting stuck in an airport terminal for several days. At that point we were sick of each other, wearing the same clothes for a day, going on 24 hours with no sleep. Most of this took place in the middle of the night in Budapest. It's almost impossible to get any information there at that time, so we had to be on the phone with family back home to try to reschedule our flights. Eventually we got one through Aerlingus, the literal last seats on the planes. Even though the flight through Istanbul was cancelled, I somehow still got charged for that last Friday, over a week after the scheduled flight. Still trying to figure out how to get that reimbursed.
It's a shame you had all those problesm

Which sites you liked the most?
dws1982
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Re: European Vacation

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Trip was a semi-disaster. The sites were cool. Traveling partner was not. No doubt I'll be able to look back on some parts of it with fondness as I get some distance from it. I'll probably even laugh about certain parts of it. I'd love to go back and spend some time in some of those places at a slower pace.

My feet got absolutely destroyed. So many blisters--this happens when you walk an average of ten miles per day and your shoes are a half-size small. (I didn't realize they were too small the time.) I still haven't worn shoes at all since I got back. We ended up cutting it short after my traveling partner went out alone one night (because I just couldn't walk another mile that day), got conned into a Krakow strip club, and withdrew all the money from his bank account.

Took a sizable financial hit moving our flight date, then when we were in Budapest getting ready to go home, the Istanbul airport gets attacked. We were scheduled to fly back through Istanbul. At the time flights from Istanbul to the US were grounded, and even then, only one flight goes from Istanbul to Atlanta each day. Our main worry was getting stuck in an airport terminal for several days. At that point we were sick of each other, wearing the same clothes for a day, going on 24 hours with no sleep. Most of this took place in the middle of the night in Budapest. It's almost impossible to get any information there at that time, so we had to be on the phone with family back home to try to reschedule our flights. Eventually we got one through Aerlingus, the literal last seats on the planes. Even though the flight through Istanbul was cancelled, I somehow still got charged for that last Friday, over a week after the scheduled flight. Still trying to figure out how to get that reimbursed.
Okri
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Re: European Vacation

Post by Okri »

The one that jumped to mind is Peter Nadas' Parallel Stories.
dws1982
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Re: European Vacation

Post by dws1982 »

Just a quick check-in:

I leave on Saturday. I will have multiple days in each city. I'd love to spend more time in most of these cities, but for reasons both financial and logical, it's not feasible.

Definitely appreciate the recommendations; may make some private contact in the next days to find out some more details.

Here's an odd question, but does anyone have a book recommendation for the trip? I know a lot of my time will be active, but there will be plenty of train time and airport/airplane time. I'd kind of like something that would have more resonance on this trip than it might if I were reading it at home on my own couch.
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Re: European Vacation

Post by ITALIANO »

I know all these places very well, and if you have specific questions just contact me privately.

While these places are all rather close to each other, I can only hope your trip won't just last one week - you know, one day per city, the American way. Except these are all historical cities, and one needs some time not just to see all the important sights, but also to "get" the specific atmosphere each city has. Five of these are capitals, and even Krakow, which isn't, WAS a capital once. They deserve more than a few hours.

Prague is probably the most "objectively" beautiful - and definitely a wonderful city - but it's also, sadly, very touristic these days. It's not like the others are exactly like desert islands, but they still have a soul.

My favorite is Krakow. But I agree with mirg's suggestion about the baths in Budapest - a unique combination of history and health.
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Re: European Vacation

Post by jack »

For a second I thought you were reviewing the "classic" National Lampoons movie.

You'll love Krakow. It's a beautiful city. I strongly recommend you take a walk around the old Jewish district in the west of the city. Most, if not all, has been left untouched since ww2. There's bars that are three stories down in old bunkers.
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Re: European Vacation

Post by mlrg »

In Prague the old city center is the place to go. Also try going to a classical music concert inside a church. There are plenty around the city.

In Budapest go to a turkish public bath. Quite enjoyable (and clean too in case you wondered).

You should have come to Lisbon too. It's one of the trendiest cities in europe right now.
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Re: European Vacation

Post by Precious Doll »

In Berlin:

The Reichstag - you can actually go up into the dome;
The Holocaust Memorial
The Museum Island which contains 3 museums
The Berlin Cathedral
Berlin Zoo (maybe) it was great back in the 1990s when I last went to Berlin in 2001 less so;
Potsdamerplatz - there is also a museum on German film there (which I haven't been too);
Sans Souci - just outside of Berlin

In Prague:

Really just the old part of the city including the Cathedral on the hill overlooking Prague

In Vienna:

Really all the well known tourist spots are where to go. They are spread around Vienna which has a very good public transport system

Enjoy your trip!
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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European Vacation

Post by dws1982 »

Four weeks from tomorrow I'll be leaving on a whirlwind tour of several Central European cities.

I'll be in the following cities for at least some of my time:
Berlin
Wittenberg
Prague
Krakow
Bratislava
Budapest
Vienna

If anyone knows of any must-see sites (maybe not the obvious tourist spots) or cool restaurants, please feel free to share.
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