I’ve changed my mind. I’m not going to Australia next month. I’m going to continental Europe to meet a friend and travel about.
Where should I go for a 3 week trip? Should I get a 5 country Eurail pass for that time period? Is it worth it? Where should I fly into? Can I fly out of another city without it adding much to the ticket cost?
My idea so far:
Germany
Netherlands
Belgium
France
Italy
I would much appreciate advice from the Euro-sophisticated among us.
Travel, accomodation, flights, things to do, places to see, etc.
Oh, btw, I DO NOT want to miss Italy and Netherlands. Those are top priorities, for obvious reasons.
Actually, I was thinking that St. Petersburg could be the defining trip. The more you investigate, the cooler the idea seems. As long as you don’t bump into Hannibal there…
Because i fly back to London with BA last year they offered me a flight and hotel for 3 nights anywhere in Europe for an extra NT$1,500. Went to Barcelona and extended the stay for a few more nights. Barcelona was absolutely fabulous and a must for an Euro trip.
Fred, you MUST NOT miss Prague. Jojo’s travelled all over Europe – far more than I have – and she rated Prague as perhaps the most wonderful of the European cities she visited. She used a Eurorailpass and could probably give you some useful information.
Flights? KLM to Schipol would be useful for you. China Air :shock: :shock: goes direct to Frankfurt. A certain person of the Ings persuasion told me yesterday that Thai (or is it Singapore) has a special – business class at 50% off. Jojo’s looking into it, so I’ll get back to you on that.
St. Petersburg is near the top of my list of places to go, too. A well-travelled friend visited there some years ago and still raves about it. Given it’s just had a very expensive face lift, now might be a great time to go.
Does it matter if I’m over 35, Juba?
Sandy,
She says that price is good until 15 July. Come with me, NOW, instead. I’ll go off shopping with Jojo and you can hang out in the cafes.
I can’t believe what kind of prices I’m seeing for hostels in Amsterdam. Some won’t even accept someone my advanced age.
But sharing rooms with 4-8 others cost something like $1000NT and way up, it seems. Glanced at Italy and it seems cheaper there, but hell, cheap flight, but I’ll be spending most of my money on accomodation! Bugger it! You do get so used to travelling cheaply in Asia, don’t you? My last trip was Bali and I even stayed in some places (private) for less than $200NT. The US isn’t nearly this expensive for travellers, is it? bootsnall.com
You should see the old ramblers who stay in the Lake District Hostels, which by the way are the nicest and cleanest I have stayed in.
Which brings me to my suggestion: If you are in England, get on a train and head north to Cumbria. The lakes there are, in a word, delightful–Stone walls, sheep dotting the hillsides, sailing boats bobbing on the water, cycles and buses winding along narrow roads, and long sweet grass for quite picnics and lovemaking or for reading Wordsworth.
Well, they were originally established for young people, but they’ve long since dropped the “youth” factor and are now open to pretty much everyone. Last time I stayed in one was in Avignon, and it was this incredible old mini-chateau place that had been totally modernized inside. We had a double room with attached bathroom and a massive balcony overlooking the Palais du Pape and the river. Here’s the view. Not expensive at all, and the people in charge had these super-friendly cats almost the size of mountain lions … well, they were pretty big, anyway.
European hostel prices might seem steep on paper, but the standards tend to be very high indeed – for example, they’re really light years ahead of yer average NT$1,200 per night Kending hotel. I mean, really, light years ahead.
Consider a Swiss detour. A stay at Balmer’s Herberge in Interlaken puts you a hop, skip and a jump away from world-class resorts like Wengen, Grindelwald and Murren. I’ve been craving a return lately…
