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European Travel Recommendations
The MacRosses are going on a European vacation (1 to 1½ weeks sometime in July or August) with our aprox. 500,000 American Express Rewards Points. We can't go to Iceland, Australia, or Japan (the destinations we were originally looking into), but we can go almost anywhere in Europe.
We are currently considering a trip to Edinburgh for the International Festival and Fringe Festival, but we are open to other cities/events. We've both traveled internationally before, but only in College in study abroad situations (and Canada, but that hardly counts when your State shares a boarder with it).
As an aside, we can also use the points for a Caribbean, Central American, or South American vacation. Our interests are more inclined to European Nations for this particular trip, but if there is something amazing that someone recommends, we would definitely consider it.
Any recommendations, tips, or travel guides y'all can share?
We are currently considering a trip to Edinburgh for the International Festival and Fringe Festival, but we are open to other cities/events. We've both traveled internationally before, but only in College in study abroad situations (and Canada, but that hardly counts when your State shares a boarder with it).
As an aside, we can also use the points for a Caribbean, Central American, or South American vacation. Our interests are more inclined to European Nations for this particular trip, but if there is something amazing that someone recommends, we would definitely consider it.
Any recommendations, tips, or travel guides y'all can share?
Comments
Dresden.
London.
Paris.
Pompeji (is the fucking shit when it comes to ruins)
St. Petersburg.
I've been to Edinburgh during the Fringe Festival, and it was really awesome. Another place I'd recommend to you in England, aside from London, is Oxford. My brother goes to Uni there and it's just such a fun place to be. ^_~
But only having 1 and a half weeks there really aren't that many things you can discover. Venice, or Prague, or Florence, or even Dresden take you days to see on their own.
Also, Italy or southern France. Mrs, don't you speak French a little? Maybe Nice is nice. Rome?
If it were me, I'd probably stick to the north (Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) but that's just because I want to visit there myself.
Like I said, I am not married to the idea of attending the festival. Adam and I have a wide tastes and interests in visual and performing Arts as well as history. We could get really excited about almost anything. While we do appreciate the outdoors, we aren't the rough and rugged type. We also aren't interested in resort or beach vacations. Since we will have less than two weeks, I don't want to stretch ourselves too thin by traveling from one city to the next in quick succession, I would rather focus on a specific area with limited excursions. That doesn't mean we need a huge city, juts a nifty/lovely place with neat food, people and a particular cultural interest would be fun.
I've heard some great things about Croatia lately. Anyone visited?
@Scott: I have seen several castles. I know it isn't the frilliest, but Chepstow was my favorite castle. It is located near Tintern Abbey (even cooler than Chepstow, even though it is not a castle).
Also, Spain's train system is pretty incredible. You could probably see a lot in a week and a half if you used the bullet trains right. And as far as food and culture goes: tapas bars and flamenco. That's all you need, but there is always more.
Horyu-ji
If you want a big city there are only a few options; Rome, Paris, London, Vienna and Madrid. Any of these have an immense amount of cultural and historical offerings. Rome and Madrid will be very hot at the end of the summer. My personal favorite is Paris. Vienna is close to Prague and Budapest, both of which are distinctly eastern European.
If you have already experienced Edinburgh without the crowds, and just want to see the shows, Edinburgh will do you well.
There are cities that could keep my interest for a week, but two weeks in any one city is pushing it. But the biggest cities aren't always the most pleasant. London and Paris are packed full of things to do, but in the summer are overcrowded (London always so, and Paris too in a smelly kind of way) but in the spring they are both much more pleasant.
Venice is only good for a day. Rome is massive, but not exactly relaxing.
If you ask "What about this city?" I can give you more opinions, but for now I'm being a bit too vague. Hope the above helps a bit though.
2) Avoid western European tourist cities.
3) Roman architecture in Eastern bloc countries = win.
Croatia is an interesting country. I was last there two years ago, visiting Dubrovnik. The old city is just amazing. The thing is you can see pretty much everything there is to see in a day, but it takes about a day to get there unless you are flying in.
The last time I saw other places in Croatia was back in 1993, when their civil war had just come to an end, and I only went to Zagreb and Osijek. I imagine it has changed significantly since then. But if I was going to do any train journeys, I think the Balkans Express from Zagreb to Belgrade to Sofia to Istanbul would be the trip for me. I'd love to spend a few days in all those cities, and ending in Istanbul would be a dream come true.
Keep throwing ideas our way and us Europeans will do our best to add incites and suggestions!
PS. Iceland is fucking awesome.