A Trip to Europe

[Baby Boomer]

Hello People of the Frontroom,

As of now I am considering a Trip To Europe to visit family in Ireland and London. I plan to see all major sites within London (Hyde Park, the Palace's, Square, Library.) I will then travel through the Underground Train to France, then to Belgium, through the Swissland, into Italy and then through Central Europe and down to Greece and Turkey.

I know there are a few European's on the .Org. I am also thinking about using Eurail (Or Eurorail, same thing.) and the whole trip is planned for 15 000 Australian dollars.

Is there any recommendations of Place's to visit in (UK, Ireland, North France, Belgium, Swissland, Northern Italy, Germany, Austria, Greece or Turkey?)

Any specific way I could travel which is enjoyable and comfory (Not Plane or Car and DEFINTELY not Bus. Limits it a bit:beam: )

I've also heard a lot of European's try and rip you off if your a tourist. Had some family who were in Rome and were charged 3 Euro for water while it was only 1 Euro.

Anything to warn me against (If you can't tell I've only been out of Australia to visit New Zealand) I have family who reckon I will get attacked if I wear Australian clothes. (My reaction: :laugh4: ; should it be: :sweatdrop: )

All help appreciated. I want to answers to those questions and any other European tips you can give me (Which is the best beer?)

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

If you decide to visit Germany, and love history, be sure to visit Nürnberg. When you get closer to your actual trip, I'll inform you of some places to go and sights to see in more detail. However, the main ones are:

1) The Kaiserburg
2) The dungeons
3) The Nazi Party Rally Grounds
4) The atmosphere of the old town, including the arcitechture (Lorenzkirche), the shopping, and the traditional food of the area.

[The Wandering Scholar]

Try not to speak english if you do not want to get ripped off lol

[seireikhaan]

Well, I got a few tips based on my experiences when I took at trip to Europe a couple years ago.

Paris:

A) Do not leave anything in your back pockets. PERIOD. Parisiens are incredible pick pockets; myself and a few friends tested it out ourselves. Make sure everything valuable is secured, including money, identity, etc...Also, watch out for women at the tourist sights. Especially the Tour Eiffel, they were simply crawling all over the place. If a woman walks up to you, asking for help, for anything(unless there's a person dying right there or something obvious and very provable right there and then), walk away, do not listen, and make sure you're wallet is safe. Run if need be.

B) Do not buy crepes at restaurants. On the Champs Elysees, there are(were?) stands towards the end of the street which sold very tasty crepes for a meager 1 Euro. Restaurants might charge 4-8 Euros if they're on the cheaper side.

As for travel, I would offer my :thumbsup: to the French rail system, the TGV. Very fast, very comfortable. Got us from Nice to Paris in about 4 hours. Was simply incredible, though I wouldn't buy anything from the snack bar, as it was an incredible rip off.

Germany: People are pretty nice, not as much of a need to worry about security, but still keep close tabs on it. A personal favorite of mine whilst over there was Nueschvanstein(sp?) castle, though for the life of me, I couldn't tell you exactly where it was. It was very beautiful, and the walk getting up there was quite enjoyable as well. Also, there was a very lovely looking German tour guide at the time. :wink: Additionally, I'd visit one of the smaller towns in Germany. We stopped in Rothenburg, and the quaint feel was very soothing and enjoyable.

Switzerland: We stopped in Luzern, and it was truly a breathtaking place to visit. A nice lake in the valley below, some nice shops around town, as well as a lift to take one up to the mountain top. That particular visit was especially memorable for me because it just so happened that the Swiss won a match in the World Cup that very day we were there, and the ensuing chaos was quite a sight to behold.

And for the footy fans out there: I was in Nurnburg during the opening of the World cup that year(1 1/2 years ago, the last one). No, I jest not. We did not stay long, though, and did not(much to my pleasure) attempt to get in to watch one of the games. Afraid I simply cannot figure out what people love about that sport so much...


(Let's be careful with our racial stereotyping - Beirut)

[PershsNhpios]

Osterreich!

Oh, for my sake please see the Hofburg, and walk in Michaelerplatz!

Then south to Graz, and west to Piber country, or north across the Donau to Stockerau! See the whole country! I hope to have a job offer there soon!

And, whilst in Ireland, visit Mayo county and look for the Gallogaly family, my brother married their eldest daughter.

His nickname is, "Heathen".

[Conradus]

I don't know what you want to visit in Belgium. Bruges and Ghand have nice old fashioned centers and apparently Brussels isn't that bad either. As an advice, only what you'de expect in cities, keep your money close. Not that I've ever had any problems with pickpockets (only in the Roman subway), but best not give them a chance.

[Fragony]

(Un-Frontroomish statement - Beirut)

Looks like you missed something, three post up, sounds like good advice to me.

[Beirut]

(Because.)

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

And for the footy fans out there: I was in Nurnburg during the opening of the World cup that year(1 1/2 years ago, the last one). No, I jest not. We did not stay long, though, and did not(much to my pleasure) attempt to get in to watch one of the games. Afraid I simply cannot figure out what people love about that sport so much...

A little advice for next time - stay for the parties afterwards. ~:)

[Tristuskhan]

Other useful tips: don't dress as a typical US tourist, don't laugh all times at unfunny things (as too many US men and EVERY US woman do, alas) and more: DON'T BE AFRAID of people around you, it makes you an obvious target for mockery or worse.
Oh, and don't throw peanuts at the monkeys around you, they are just french citizens and could dislike it.

Eat cheese, drink wine, have a pause in Bourgogne for the best food on Earth and RELAX, man, the world is not so hostile.

EDIT: sorry I did not notice you were Australian... erhh... well, what I wrote is valid for Aussies too. And 15000 dollars seems incredibly expensive. And the best beer is... La Chouffe, from Achouffe, belgian ardennes, in my opinion.

[Peasant Phill]

I don't know what you want to visit in Belgium. Bruges and Ghand have nice old fashioned centers and apparently Brussels isn't that bad either. As an advice, only what you'de expect in cities, keep your money close. Not that I've ever had any problems with pickpockets (only in the Roman subway), but best not give them a chance.

If you want to see cities in Belgium:

- Antwerp: your average modern city. A lot of art to be found around the city but IMHO not special enough for a visit.

- Brughes: The story goes around that some American asked a cop when Brughes closed (he didn't believe that people actually lived there). If a historical city is your thing, than you have to visit Brughes. It's not called the Venice of the north for nothing.

- Brussels: our capital, nice mix between history and modern city. Some very nice restaurants and surprising places.

- Ghent: This is a very cosy city with a lot of history (still present). This is a student city! This means that there are a lot of things to do be it parties, concerts or other events. I was student there and I didn't have one dull evening.

Liège: I'm not familiar with this city but it is also worthy of a visit.


Other things to do:

Into WWI: Flanders fields and Ypres
Into cycling: follow a race, it's really worth it even if you're not really a fan. In no other sport do you get the opportunity to casually chat to the athletes just before the race/game. And Flanders is absolutly crazy about cycling. Tell me when you're here and I'll even take you to a race.

P.S. damn almost forgot, when in Belgium you should really enjoy your food! Drink the beer (don't you dare chuck it down), eat in restaurants and buy the chocolate. I promise you, you won't regret one bite/sip.

[Fragony]

Ieper is also very pretty;

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/Fragony/002-1.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/Fragony/001-1.jpg

ANd there is only one venice of the north and that is Amsterdam.

http://www.ict.mic.ul.ie/websites/2002/Ciara_Louise_Moran/Venice%20of%20the%20North.htm

[Caerfanan]

Oh, and don't throw peanuts at the monkeys around you, they are just french citizens and could dislike it.
Well, don't listen to that. On behalf of all my french-co-monkeys, we love peanuts and want some more.

Thanks for the open-minded advice anyway, my dear Tristukhan, we sometimes need to be remembered how people are.

[Gaius Scribonius Curio]

Speaking as an Englishman in Australia (who most people seem to assume is Australian anyway, I really don't get it!!!) I'd say your fine as an Australian tourist wearing Australian clothes. Australians seem to be fairly popular as tourists go.

I mean you probably will get ripped off, but no more than usual.

In England you should definitely visit London, and if you're in the NW and into history (well it seems a fair guess) you might want to visit Chester, (my home town) its got an Anglo-Saxon Cathedral, Roman/medieval walls, an Ampitheatre. (Well you might be interested).

Let us know how it goes, I'm heading back in December for a month with my Scottish mate, (admittedly on a smaller budget :embarassed: ).

So yeah thats my :2cents: !