Hi TL! Will you be in or near any of the following areas from May 10 - May 27? Southern UK France Belgium Switzerland Southern Germany Northern Italy
Well, I'll be backpacking through a small portion of Europe from May 10th - May 27th! My itinerary is pretty flexible and I'd love to meet a few fun people from TL! You can show me fun things to do in your city, or maybe we can just watch the TSL finals somewhere! I will even offer a couple of beers if anyone is willing to put me up for a night (but if not, we should still hang out anyway!)
The general outline for my trip, for the curious: + Show Spoiler +
Things I'd like to see if I get the chance:
London (May 10 - 12)
Big Ben
Tower Bridge
London Eye at night
Stonehenge? (a day trip out west, of course)
Paris / Normandy (May 13 - 15)
Eiffel Tower
Seine River
Versailles
Belgium (May 16 - 18)
Brussels (Grand Place)
Waffles & Chocolate
Munich / Southern Germany (May 19 - 21)
Neuschwanstein
Burg Eltz
The Zoo in Munich? (I've never been to a zoo before!)
English Garden (I think it sounds cool??)
Marien Platz (the architecture here looks amazing)
Switzerland (May 22 - 24)
Anywhere...! All of the photos I've seen look amazing. I love to hike, so I think this is the part of the trip I'm looking forward to most!
In particular, I read about a hike through Mt. Pilatus (coming up from Lucerne, then down to Alpnachstad, then taking a ferry back to Lucerne)
Italy (May 25 - 27)
Cinque Terre
Rome (Pantheon, Colloseum, St. Peter's Basicalla)
That list is NOT all-inclusive as I'm really hoping that I can talk to some of the people in the hostels I am staying at or meeting some locals who can suggest great things to see and do! I'm purposely trying to keep my schedule as flexible as possible, while still having some sort of "plan" in case I have trouble meeting people and getting ideas. I have a train ticket that will allow me virtually unlimited travel during my adventure!
Any other tips / suggestions for things to see or backpacking through Europe in general would also be well-received! Thanks so much for reading, and if you're interested in meeting up, post here and I'll shoot you a PM so that we can discuss details!
In particular, I'm hoping to get the chance to watch the TSL3 finals with some fun-loving European TLers!
My suggestion would be to visit the Netherlands, as it's easily the best country to visit in Europe. Aside from cool ppl, there's awesome food like the frikandel and the kroket. Won't be around though, so unfortunately i wont be able to meet you.
Going from Munich to Switzerland you might go past Freiburg, its very close to the swiss border, if you do, you can stop here for a day, I will show you around the town, its one of the best in Germany
On May 02 2011 14:10 sYz-Adrenaline wrote: Camp Buehring, Kuwait?
Unfortunately I'd say Kuwait is a little bit "out of the way". Maybe next time! Hope you're doing well
On May 02 2011 15:18 Kaolla wrote: My suggestion would be to visit the Netherlands, as it's easily the best country to visit in Europe. Aside from cool ppl, there's awesome food like the frikandel and the kroket. Won't be around though, so unfortunately i wont be able to meet you.
Thanks for the suggestion. I'd love to visit the Netherlands someday, it sounds like a blast! I'm thinking that I will save that destination for another trip at a later date, but I'm sure I will go soon enough.
On May 02 2011 17:53 disciple wrote: Going from Munich to Switzerland you might go past Freiburg, its very close to the swiss border, if you do, you can stop here for a day, I will show you around the town, its one of the best in Germany
Thanks for the invite! I will probably take you up on this, so I'll send you a PM in a few hours to figure out some details.
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I think I chose the wrong time to make this blog... 3AM last night means that it's already buried under an entire page of other blogs... either that or I'm not interesting enough.
[Edit]On second thought, I wonder if this would be OK to post in TL community instead of blogs?
On your trips between France, Switzerland and Italy, I suggest you spend some time (days) in the Alps (mountain ranges, seperating the three countries). It is a really beautiful and impressive area, and in my opinion, by far the most interesting part of Europe (being from the flat slab of dirt, known as Denmark, I find anything taller than 500 feet quite impressive :D).
London (in particular), Paris and Rome are great as well of course.
On May 03 2011 05:28 jello_biafra wrote: Big Ben, Tower Bridge and the London Eye are all pretty close to each other so you'll have no problems there.
Same with the Eiffel Tower and the Seine, Versailles is some distance away.
I have a train ticket to travel around, so do you happen to know if I'll be able to use a Eurail pass to get from Paris to Versailles? The palace looks amazing and I'd love to get to see it!
Also since you are from the UK, have you ever been on the London Eye? I'd love to see the city at night from the top, but perhaps someone with experience could tell me whether it is better to go during the day? Their website says I can pre-book tickets as little as two hours in advance and still get a discount, so I probably won't book until the day I plan on going.
On May 03 2011 05:58 BenBuford wrote: On your trips between France, Switzerland and Italy, I suggest you spend some time (days) in the Alps (mountain ranges, seperating the three countries). It is a really beautiful and impressive area, and in my opinion, by far the most interesting part of Europe (being from the flat slab of dirt, known as Denmark, I find anything taller than 500 feet quite impressive :D).
London (in particular), Paris and Rome are great as well of course.
Sounds like a great trip already.
Indeed, thanks for the tip! All of the pictures I have seen of the alps have been absolutely amazing, and I think it's the part of the trip I'm looking forward to most. Most of my experience with the alps will be in Lucerne in Switzerland (I'm hoping to get 3 days!), but are there any other sites you'd strongly recommend?
Call about the eurail pass because it's confusing as shit as far as how it works. Also, do hw and check up on flight prices to all those places because in many instances it will be cheaper or similarly priced. And having done the whole rail pass thing, it's cool for the first ride or two to see nice things (Spain countryside around Pamplona = holy crap amazing) but on the whole, it takes a while and it's worth the extra bucks to get there faster by plane . And for the love of god, stay away from those terrible sleeper cars if at all possible.
Also, bring a huge memory card for Rome because you;ll never stop taking pictures. There's just so much history there, so many amazing things.
Just some general tips are to keep your wits about you, dont get too banged up if you're drinking and definitely get one of those passport holder cords that go around your neck or whatever. Pickpocketers are all over Europe. If possible, don't go out with more cash than you need, and don't leave tons of cash in your lockbox, if provided.
don't bother going to stonehenge, seriously. it's something that a ton of tourists think they should do, but is hugely underwhelming and generally a waste of time as it's in the middle of nowhere. if you're only in the uk for three days you can easily use that just in london.
I feel like a dick for constantly bumping this blog (although it doesn't actually move up in the list... I'm new to the whole TL blog thing so I don't really get how it works, haha!)
On May 03 2011 07:35 Hawk wrote: Call about the eurail pass because it's confusing as shit as far as how it works. Also, do hw and check up on flight prices to all those places because in many instances it will be cheaper or similarly priced. And having done the whole rail pass thing, it's cool for the first ride or two to see nice things (Spain countryside around Pamplona = holy crap amazing) but on the whole, it takes a while and it's worth the extra bucks to get there faster by plane . And for the love of god, stay away from those terrible sleeper cars if at all possible.
Also, bring a huge memory card for Rome because you;ll never stop taking pictures. There's just so much history there, so many amazing things.
Just some general tips are to keep your wits about you, dont get too banged up if you're drinking and definitely get one of those passport holder cords that go around your neck or whatever. Pickpocketers are all over Europe. If possible, don't go out with more cash than you need, and don't leave tons of cash in your lockbox, if provided.
Thanks for the suggestions on the trains! I wish I had read this a week ago, because unfortunately my unlimited Eurail pass is arriving in the mail tomorrow or Wednesday... oh well! I've heard less-than-ideal things about the overnight trains, so I will heed your warning.
I'm bringing two 16GB memory cards with me, so I'm hoping that should be enough! I've never been much of a picture taker, but I know I'll be disappointed if I come back without a bagillion pictures so I'm going to do my best to use those memory cards to their fullest.
And yeah, I plan on trying a few of the local brews but my plan is to stay very clear-headed. The worst thing I can imagine doing is getting wasted in a foreign land with nobody I know and nobody who speaks any English. Oh, that is a scary thought...! And thanks for the tip about the passport holder; a great idea I think I'll be taking advantage of.
On May 03 2011 08:51 sixfour wrote: don't bother going to stonehenge, seriously. it's something that a ton of tourists think they should do, but is hugely underwhelming and generally a waste of time as it's in the middle of nowhere. if you're only in the uk for three days you can easily use that just in london.
Hmm... interesting! I was under the impression it would be good for taking a few photos (depending on the weather), but I can definitely believe that it's underwhelming. Any other good suggestions for things I should see or do in the London area?
On May 03 2011 05:28 jello_biafra wrote: Big Ben, Tower Bridge and the London Eye are all pretty close to each other so you'll have no problems there.
Same with the Eiffel Tower and the Seine, Versailles is some distance away.
I have a train ticket to travel around, so do you happen to know if I'll be able to use a Eurail pass to get from Paris to Versailles? The palace looks amazing and I'd love to get to see it!
Also since you are from the UK, have you ever been on the London Eye? I'd love to see the city at night from the top, but perhaps someone with experience could tell me whether it is better to go during the day? Their website says I can pre-book tickets as little as two hours in advance and still get a discount, so I probably won't book until the day I plan on going.
I'm not certain but I think it's very likely that there is a train from Paris to Versailles, it's only around 20 miles from Paris I believe and the rail pass should be valid for it. It is a pretty amazing palace indeed.
I have been on the London Eye yes, although that was about 10 years ago. I went during the day and you get a great view but I think it would be pretty cool to go up at night too.
On May 03 2011 11:21 neSix wrote: Hmm... interesting! I was under the impression it would be good for taking a few photos (depending on the weather), but I can definitely believe that it's underwhelming. Any other good suggestions for things I should see or do in the London area?
I recommend you visit the British Museum, the Natural History Museum and possibly the Science Museum, they're all pretty good. Visit the Tate, Tate Modern or the National Gallery if you're into art galleries and Kew Gardens if you like botanical gardens. HMS Belfast is worth a visit IMO, it's an old WW2 era Royal Navy cruiser that's now a museum ship on the Thames in central London (right next to Tower Bridge).
Also the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, St Pauls Cathedral for some cool buildings and interesting history.
On May 03 2011 05:28 jello_biafra wrote: Big Ben, Tower Bridge and the London Eye are all pretty close to each other so you'll have no problems there.
Same with the Eiffel Tower and the Seine, Versailles is some distance away.
I have a train ticket to travel around, so do you happen to know if I'll be able to use a Eurail pass to get from Paris to Versailles? The palace looks amazing and I'd love to get to see it!
Also since you are from the UK, have you ever been on the London Eye? I'd love to see the city at night from the top, but perhaps someone with experience could tell me whether it is better to go during the day? Their website says I can pre-book tickets as little as two hours in advance and still get a discount, so I probably won't book until the day I plan on going.
I'm not certain but I think it's very likely that there is a train from Paris to Versailles, it's only around 20 miles from Paris I believe and the rail pass should be valid for it. It is a pretty amazing palace indeed.
I have been on the London Eye yes, although that was about 10 years ago. I went during the day and you get a great view but I think it would be pretty cool to go up at night too.
On May 03 2011 11:21 neSix wrote: Hmm... interesting! I was under the impression it would be good for taking a few photos (depending on the weather), but I can definitely believe that it's underwhelming. Any other good suggestions for things I should see or do in the London area?
I recommend you visit the British Museum, the Natural History Museum and possibly the Science Museum, they're all pretty good. Visit the Tate, Tate Modern or the National Gallery if you're into art galleries and Kew Gardens if you like botanical gardens. HMS Belfast is worth a visit IMO, it's an old WW2 era Royal Navy cruiser that's now a museum ship on the Thames in central London (right next to Tower Bridge).
Also the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, St Pauls Cathedral for some cool buildings and interesting history.
Wow, thanks so much for all the suggestions! I had no idea that London had quite so much to see and do... it looks like I will easily spend my 2-3 days and probably not even get to see everything I want to!
Yep, pretty sure the train pass will work for the Paris-Versailles. From the main train station, it's about 30 minutes away.
As for the things to do/see in Paris: -Seine banks: Highly recommended, especially from 6pm to...3 am? bring bread, cheese, wine, etc. Dont jump in the Seine though, you may have a non-friendly adventures with the cops (ans have to pay about 80 euros) -Canal Saint Martin/Canal de l'Ourcq: same thing. Food, wine, lots of young people, international crowd. Much cheaper and friendlier than most bars -as for the bars: avoid Saint Michel (touristic, expensive, etc). Prefer Rue Saint Maur (kind of like lower east side in NYC), menilmontant, Bastille, Butte aux cailles, or also Abbesses. -If the weather is nice, go to Buttes Chaumont (a parc) or Parc Montsouris -in public transports, whenever there are stairs, either: -walk fast on the LEFT side -walk slowly/stand idle on the RIGHT side (this will avoid you some very unfriendly behavior from locals, including me if Im late for work )
PS: I assumed, seeing you're backpacking, that you're not looking for fancy places/uptight classy restaurants etc, but rather for authentic places
Also since you are from the UK, have you ever been on the London Eye? I'd love to see the city at night from the top, but perhaps someone with experience could tell me whether it is better to go during the day?
Night is much better, don't worry about things being 'far apart', buy a day travelcard and nothing is too far. (you can use it on buses as well as tube/train)
edit; also stonehenge isn't worth losing half a day that is much better spent in London, also I'd recommend camden town at night, just don't buy weed off anybody, it probably isn't weed.
On May 03 2011 11:21 neSix wrote: I feel like a dick for constantly bumping this blog (although it doesn't actually move up in the list... I'm new to the whole TL blog thing so I don't really get how it works, haha!)
On May 03 2011 07:35 Hawk wrote: Call about the eurail pass because it's confusing as shit as far as how it works. Also, do hw and check up on flight prices to all those places because in many instances it will be cheaper or similarly priced. And having done the whole rail pass thing, it's cool for the first ride or two to see nice things (Spain countryside around Pamplona = holy crap amazing) but on the whole, it takes a while and it's worth the extra bucks to get there faster by plane . And for the love of god, stay away from those terrible sleeper cars if at all possible.
Also, bring a huge memory card for Rome because you;ll never stop taking pictures. There's just so much history there, so many amazing things.
Just some general tips are to keep your wits about you, dont get too banged up if you're drinking and definitely get one of those passport holder cords that go around your neck or whatever. Pickpocketers are all over Europe. If possible, don't go out with more cash than you need, and don't leave tons of cash in your lockbox, if provided.
Thanks for the suggestions on the trains! I wish I had read this a week ago, because unfortunately my unlimited Eurail pass is arriving in the mail tomorrow or Wednesday... oh well! I've heard less-than-ideal things about the overnight trains, so I will heed your warning.
I'm bringing two 16GB memory cards with me, so I'm hoping that should be enough! I've never been much of a picture taker, but I know I'll be disappointed if I come back without a bagillion pictures so I'm going to do my best to use those memory cards to their fullest.
And yeah, I plan on trying a few of the local brews but my plan is to stay very clear-headed. The worst thing I can imagine doing is getting wasted in a foreign land with nobody I know and nobody who speaks any English. Oh, that is a scary thought...! And thanks for the tip about the passport holder; a great idea I think I'll be taking advantage of.
On May 03 2011 08:51 sixfour wrote: don't bother going to stonehenge, seriously. it's something that a ton of tourists think they should do, but is hugely underwhelming and generally a waste of time as it's in the middle of nowhere. if you're only in the uk for three days you can easily use that just in london.
Hmm... interesting! I was under the impression it would be good for taking a few photos (depending on the weather), but I can definitely believe that it's underwhelming. Any other good suggestions for things I should see or do in the London area?
I went on two overnighters, like 12hrs + each. One, there was four bunks in a room the size of a small cubicle, and one was occupied by a dude who snored and wheezed all night and wore some kind of surgical mask. I thought I was going to get aids or something. The other was about six bunks in a slightly taller sweatbox. Dead head of summer going to Italy with a quiet little Italian family of three, some bug eyed south african that looked like was going to murder everyone and some huge, disgusting blob of a kid that couldnt even fit in the bunk and kept trying to be buddy buddy with me because we were both from the States.
DONT DO IT. I did hostels the whole way but fuck me if I'll ever do that again.
those two cards should be plenty, even if you take an insane amount of pictures. Most hostels have computer access or they're near a place with one. You can just buy a flashdrive and upload onto there periodically incase you get robbed, lose the camera or break it.
And yeah, getting lost while hammered in a foreign country blows and can be really dangerous. My very first night in europe was in Madrid. I went out with a group and got whacked. While outside talking with someone I met, someone tried to pickpocket me and I hit him and ran for whatever dumb reason. That was about 5 am, and I spent the next hour or two wandering around trying to figure out just where in the hell I was. If I had not lucked out in finding some awesome Spanish kid who studied in the states for a while, I'd probably have slept out there that night!
The best way to ensure this doesnt happen to you is to make sure that the very first thing you do after dropping your bags in a new place is go out and just explore the few blocks around your hostel. Helps you learn the area and find cool spots to check out
On May 03 2011 05:28 jello_biafra wrote: Big Ben, Tower Bridge and the London Eye are all pretty close to each other so you'll have no problems there.
Same with the Eiffel Tower and the Seine, Versailles is some distance away.
I have a train ticket to travel around, so do you happen to know if I'll be able to use a Eurail pass to get from Paris to Versailles? The palace looks amazing and I'd love to get to see it!
Also since you are from the UK, have you ever been on the London Eye? I'd love to see the city at night from the top, but perhaps someone with experience could tell me whether it is better to go during the day? Their website says I can pre-book tickets as little as two hours in advance and still get a discount, so I probably won't book until the day I plan on going.
I'm not certain but I think it's very likely that there is a train from Paris to Versailles, it's only around 20 miles from Paris I believe and the rail pass should be valid for it. It is a pretty amazing palace indeed.
I have been on the London Eye yes, although that was about 10 years ago. I went during the day and you get a great view but I think it would be pretty cool to go up at night too.
On May 03 2011 11:21 neSix wrote: Hmm... interesting! I was under the impression it would be good for taking a few photos (depending on the weather), but I can definitely believe that it's underwhelming. Any other good suggestions for things I should see or do in the London area?
I recommend you visit the British Museum, the Natural History Museum and possibly the Science Museum, they're all pretty good. Visit the Tate, Tate Modern or the National Gallery if you're into art galleries and Kew Gardens if you like botanical gardens. HMS Belfast is worth a visit IMO, it's an old WW2 era Royal Navy cruiser that's now a museum ship on the Thames in central London (right next to Tower Bridge).
Also the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, St Pauls Cathedral for some cool buildings and interesting history.
Wow, thanks so much for all the suggestions! I had no idea that London had quite so much to see and do... it looks like I will easily spend my 2-3 days and probably not even get to see everything I want to!
As the old saying goes, when a man is tired of London he is tired of life
Shoot me a PM a couple of days before you arrive in belgium. Depending on my schedule I might be able to house you for a night in Leuven (20km from brussels).
Huh.. seems like I´m not on your way then (living in the ruhr area in Germany), so theres no need for me to help you out (if I´m wrong, just PM me though !)
Enjoy Munich , its a wonderful city. If you have a LOT of time and are into museums, check this one out (link is to the english version) :
It´s mostly history of science and technics, I found it highly interesting But be warned : I went there, spend 5 hours, and felt like i was not even halfway through , its HUUUGE.
Wish you a good trip, hope you meet a lot of nice people and generally have lots of fun
EPT
