Stupid American wanting to go to Europe

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

I've been to Europe many times...the southern parts of France/Spain (Mediterranean) should be visited, for sure. Spain, Italy, France, Germany, England (the countries that I have explored) are all sooo different in culture/personality. IMHO, any European country that you are curious about is worth exploring.

The Spanish that you learned in high school is probably NOT the same Spanish that we (South Americans and European Spanish) actually speak. We speak Castilian or "Castellano". The Italian and Portuguese languages are very similar to true Spanish. (Btw, the Italians are extremely friendly!)

I would highly suggest that you use the Eurorail or Eurail (European trains). Country hopping is quite easy in Europe. Even if you decide to stay and explore one country, I would say to still go by train for further distances, so as to cover ground more quickly. If you want to really experience Europe, then be prepared to walk....A LOT!

Also, Ireland seems beautiful. I have considered visiting it in the past, but the fricken cold weather is one of the main reasons that I haven't. If you go in the winter, like Nightingale, you will save a lot of $$$. Personally, since I have too many problems staying warm, I would wait until I could be more comfortable outdoors. I really believe that some things are worth waiting for.
Btw, TAKE ME, VAL!!!! LOL! (Just kidding. ) Although, I must say that I love overseas travels and exploring new cultures. I just usually do not have a travel buddie for these overseas trips, so let me know if you ever need a traveling companion. I'm always eager to explore new worlds.

[freeflir29 0]

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The Spanish that you learned in high school is probably NOT the same Spanish that we (South Americans and European Spanish) actually speak.

Yeah....name two countries that DO speak the exact same Spanish. Spanish isn't near as bad as Asian Languages with Dialects but damn does it change significantly between areas.

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

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Yeah....name two countries that DO speak the exact same Spanish.

I never said that they did, but some "Spanish" is more "pure" than others.

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Spanish isn't near as bad as Asian Languages with Dialects but damn does it change significantly between areas.

As does English within the different continents that speak it . As we all know here in the U.S., English even varies it's pronounciation and slang within each state in the U.S. You should know that real well, Mr. Ohio.

Btw, can I PM you a serious question, Clay?

[freeflir29 0]

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Btw, can I PM you a serious question, Clay?

But of course!

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As does English within the different continents that speak it

True.....I speak modern American English and Redneck. ( I grew up in Georgia) Asian languages are the worst I have seen for this though. I lived in Korea for 14 1/2 months. Take someone from downtown Seoul and drive them 40 miles North and they can hardly understand a word anyone is saying. We had a KATUSA with us one day that was trying to talk to this farmer. He came back talking about how he couldn't understand a word that guy was saying. I told him we call those REDNECKS in the States.
My Spanish is pretty poor but it got worse after I dated a chick from Colombia. After that every Mexican/Puerto Rican kept trying to correct my phrases.

[blueshrew 0]

I you're going to Germany, I'd be happy to help you out. Just PM me when it's time.
BTW, I will be at the holiday boogie, so you can ask all the questions you have there.
Look for the small girl with long curly hair and a black Odyssey with gray and orange in it and the same color FF-pants.

[Supergeil 0]

Sounds nice
Supergeil

[DTOXX 0]

Hostels are the way to go in my humble opinion. Their cheap, usually clean, and easy to find online.

I just went to France and England in September and found the best rates on Priceline. This is a last ditch effort if your committed one going and you are not bound to a particular schedule. My round trip was $493. You may also need to be creative on your airline bookings. It was cheaper to fly to Frankfurt Germany then to London as a seperate round trip than it was to fly direct to London. If you are traveling then you may also save money by purchasing a round trip to your starting point and a seperate one way from your final destination back to the starting point.

I also agree with VanillaSkyGirl. Local French was nothing like my high school French.

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D.T. Holder
SIMstudy

[Casie 0]

Hey Val,

I went to Europe back in June of 2000. Flew to Rome, did tours everyday for about a week. Took a bus to Florence, then to Orvieto....also did tours on those as well. Left my luggage at the hotel we stayed at, then took the Eurorail to Venice, Milan & Como. We just backpacked to these places in a weeks timeframe, then took the train back to Rome.

Hotels can get quite expensive if you want your own restroom instead of sharing with the floor. PM me if you want more info.

June was pretty hot/humid during the day (shorts/capri weather) & very nice in the evenings (pants/longsleeve shirts).

~Porn Kitty
WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts!

[Remster 30]

Hey Val,

I didnt make it to Ireland, so I cant comment on it. But I hear it is nice.

For seeing the country, I would recommend a car. I know it’s a little scary to drive around on the wrong side, but after a couple of hours, you get used to it. If not by car, then you’d be able to find bus trips from most big cities in Europe, Dublin too no doubt.

You really have to decide what you want to do…. In most big European cities, you could easily spend 2 weeks without seeing all there is to see. But, if you also want some scenery, then you many want to split ½ ½ between city and country.

Also, while it may be tempting to go and try to see everything in one trip, I’d recommend sticking with one area. You’ll have time to settle in and get a vibe of the place.

As far as cities go: Paris is May is hard to beat, so is Rome. Try and avoid the tourist season (july/august) (though Paris is very quiet then because all the locals are gone on holidays). Barcelona is a blast…. And if you want to party every night till 4 AM, then go to Madrid.


Vanilla: of course the Italians were friendly… you’re a cute girl, and they, well, are Italians

Remster

[Vallerina 2]

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Don't know about airfares, etc, but I certainly know that free accommodation can be arranged!
Would just love to introduce another Hinckley Hottie to my male Aussie friends! They were somewhat impressed with the last one.

Woo hoo! Party at Eiley's!

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I don't do guided tours as a general rule of thumb

Dumb question....why not? Ideally, I would do what I did in England/Scotland and live with a family for awhile. However, I am too old to be in an exchange student program

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IMHO, any European country that you are curious about is worth exploring.

Well, that didn't help me narrow down my choices!

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The Spanish that you learned in high school is probably NOT the same Spanish that we (South Americans and European Spanish) actually speak.

Yeah, I would have a difficult time, but I could at least find bathrooms, order food, etc. I could probably "get by."

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I would highly suggest that you use the Eurorail or Eurail (European trains). Country hopping is quite easy in Europe

Yeah...it does sound like much fun.

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Btw, TAKE ME, VAL!!!! LOL! (Just kidding. ) Although, I must say that I love overseas travels and exploring new cultures. I just usually do not have a travel buddie for these overseas trips, so let me know if you ever need a traveling companion. I'm always eager to explore new worlds

Woo hoo! Rosa and I are gonna party in Europe!!!
If I go to Europe, I'd really like to go to Ireland (I could even try to find some of my relatives while over there! ) I can handle cold weather just fine, but I'd really like to go on a bike tour (has anyone done that?) It'll be cheaper to go in March, but there aren't many bike tours going on then.

I'd really like to see New Zealand and/or Australia, but I can't find cheap flights anywhere! Sigh...

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

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Woo hoo! Rosa and I are gonna party in Europe!!!

Hell yeah!!! WoooHooo Val and Rosa in Ireland!!!!

Oh...bike tour...dammit! I never really learned how to properly ride a bike. I mean, I could sort-of do it...the ride, but it sort-of frightens me. I have never even tried a spinning class for fear of embarrassing myself.

Was that just too retarded a secret to admit online?

[Remster 30]

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Was that just too retarded a secret to admit online?

naaaaaa....

As an aside, for bike tours, you dont need to do long distances each days. On a 7 week trip in Europe after Uni, we averaged about 100km per day (thats 5 hours cycling at a reasonable 20 km/h) fully loaded (well, too fully loaded... lol ! It was our 1st long trip on bikes and we soooo over packed, we left about 1/2 our stuff with relatives on the way). Unless you are in the montains, thats not too difficult.

Remster

[Vallerina 2]

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Oh...bike tour...dammit! I never really learned how to properly ride a bike. I mean, I could sort-of do it...the ride, but it sort-of frightens me. I have never even tried a spinning class for fear of embarrassing myself.

I figure that if I start training now, I could be ready by June!!!

Another thing I was thinking of doing was going on one of those guided "pub tours." Has anyone done that? There seems to be about 1000 different tours, and I'm not sure if any are good.

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[Nightingale 0]

I wanna go! I wanna go!

[Vallerina 2]

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I wanna go! I wanna go!

That's it! I'm never on any dz.com lists! I'm starting my own!

Dz.commers going to Europe!!!
Nightingale
Vallerina
VanillaSkyGirl

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[andybr6 0]

I travelled around europe this summer, spain, france, switzerland, germany and holland. It was all great but as far as best city i would say it has to be Barcelona you cannot go to europe and not go there it is amazing!!! and for best country probable switzerland. I would recomend a good guide book like lonley planet or europe on a shoestring [i guess you have them in the US] this will help your trip no end.
As far as airfares go have you looked into those ones where you are allowed get limitless connections so long as you are travelling east some friends have just left for a round the world year long trip on one of those.

Bon Voyage

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"All men can fly, but sadly, only in one direction"

[Nightingale 0]

I would HIGHLY recommend any guidebook by Rick Steves. We had five or six guidebooks between us in Ireland, and Rick's book was the one that saved our butts on MANY occasions. He also doesn't list everything, just the really good stuff, so it makes it MUCH easier to decide what's worth seeing, because if you only have a week or two, you have to know what to skip.

www.ricksteves.com

You can buy his books online, at most bookstores, or at tripleA

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

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Another thing I was thinking of doing was going on one of those guided "pub tours.

OK. LOL! Hey, I prefer to put together my own itinerary, so...anything is coolio...

Btw, Kris looks like she wants in on the travel buddie thing. Come on in, Kris! Three of us...it's just like Charlie's Angels. Btw, just so you two know, I am the crickety old one of us three. Hmmm...can I be Jaqueline Smith?

[Nightingale 0]

sure...

I wouldn't mind going back to Ireland...

or anywhere else in Europe. someplace with lots of castles... sigh...

[Vallerina 2]

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Hey, I prefer to put together my own itinerary, so...anything is coolio...

Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I want to put together my own plan. That way, I can stay a little longer somewhere if I want to, etc.

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He also doesn't list everything, just the really good stuff, so it makes it MUCH easier to decide what's worth seeing,

Thanks for the recommendation! That's exactly what I need!

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it's just like Charlie's Angels.

Now I'm gonna have "Independent Women" stuck in my head all day!

There's a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning

[Remster 30]

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"Independent Women"

Yongsters... I have the original theme stuck in my head....

Remster

[Jib 0]

I'd recommend multiple guidebooks. Including Let's Go for the cheap things. (I think I had Berkleys -- out-of-business but like Let's Go, Rough Guide and inherited Lonely Planet.) Also, if you go to Europe, hit the tourist info places when you get into town and they can hook you up. It may be worth it to walkaround and check in some places, but overall, it made life easier as the hostels were full in many places.

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the depth of his depravity sickens me.
-- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt

[EricaH 0]

Seems that the Hinckly hotties have found a great OZ link. Me, Michelle & now perhaps Val - what a group!

Michelle said she had a blast & terribly missed you when you were sitting in on your australian equilivant of the bar exam - hope it went well!!


Val- a cheap way to Australia is to go during their winter. Otherwise, their summer you'll be lucky to find fair just under $1500!! One other way is to go to another country 1st then buy the ticket to OZ (that's what HBO did). Seems that in the US is the most expensive place to buy.

My dad's been in over 40 countries. His fav part of Europe is actually Easten. Progue is his fav city in the world! also $6/jump in Russia - can't beat that!!

Try these links
http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/eurobackpack/eurobackpack.html
http://www.hostels.net/index_hoe.php?website_id=2 and
http://www.concierge.com/destination/europe

One friend flew to England (cheapest destination from the US) then took the train to the mainland & all around. Had a great time & total transportation (for 3 weeks travel literally all over) cost less than just the ticket price straight into Paris.

Buy a tour book guide.

There is no can't. Only lack of knowledge or fear. Only you can fix your fear.

PMS #227 (just like the TV show)

[freeflybella 0]

Prague and Budapest were the most amazing cities. Architecturally and culturally incredible. And Eastern European people are very friendly.

Amsterdam was FUN! And the Dutch are GORGEOUS!

Greece (Corfu) was gorgeous and relaxing.

Currently planning a trip to New Zealand myself - 'Pyke' here on dz.com PM'd me some great advice/tips on NZ.

Did the Eurail, hostel/hotel, backpack thing for 2 months and would recommend it to anyone with a sense of adventure and an equal love for being alone and among many new friends.

Action expresses priority. - Mahatma Ghandi