Sandy, It’s a date. You can email me if you can’t get through the cell phone. I’ll make sure I’m in Amsterdam on that day and we can hang out and get stoned. Let’s meet before then so I can talk to Jojo about stuff. Will ring you tomorrow.
Iris, Wanna meet in Berlin? I know you want to spend time with BF, but just an idea.
Who is taking care of Tuesday?
Maybe sometime next weekend – I’m locked into nighttime shifts for the forseeable future, unless I can blackmail Wolf into doing some swaps.
[quote=“fredericka bimmel”]
Iris, Wanna meet in Berlin? I know you want to spend time with BF, but just an idea.[/quote]
I don’t know yet when I’ll be around. Meeting wouldn’t be too much of a problem as he works during the day, anyway. However, I know for sure that our weekends are booked.
I’ll PM you my cell phone number.
I’m lucky: I have neighbours who are always there to feed her and play with her a bit. Besides, I asked a friend who stays under not too nice conditions if he wants to spend at least part of the time in my flat. And if neither my neighbours nor my friend have time, I guess I could coax Rascal into dropping by at least once a day and feeding her (he loves her, and he didn’t mean it when he suggested to keep cats with the cat food - in the fridge :?). So, she should be taken care of alright. I’m not too sure what she would think about having other cats around. She’s definitely a person-cat but I doubt that she’s much of a cat-cat.
Iris
Which one? 
I went to quite a few pubs… a few much more memorable than the rest (not because of my various states of intoxication). When I return to Amsterdam, I will make a point of visiting the three pubs I have listed below. They each stand out as excellent beer drinking establishments, each for their own reasons (other than the fact that they have fantastic selections of wonderful beers).
Just in case you don’t already have this information, here it is again:
In De Wildeman
Nieuwezijdskolk 5
1012 PT Amsterdam
Tel. 020-638 2348
If I could visit only one pub in the Dam, it would be this one. Superlative.
Het Ij Proeflokaal
Funakade 7
1018 AL Amsterdam
Tel. 020-622 8325
Open: Wed - Sun 15:00-20:00
Mon - Tue closed
[quote] The wonderfully simple brewery tap of the Ij brewery, in a picturesque windmill on a canalside, is most definitely worth the trip out of the city centre. The quickest way to get there is a number 22 bus from Centraal Station. It takes about 7 minutes and stops right outside. The slightly inconvenient location helps prevent it being overrun with tourists and, no doubt, keep the prices down.
Its very basic inside, with an incredible collection of beer bottles plus acouple of old signs from the buildings previous life as a public baths forming about the only decoration. Through a set of double doors you can see through into the brewery itself, but as this is a small brewery with a tasting room attached rather than a pub brewery, the equipment is purely functional rather than having a dual decorative purpose. In the Summer, there
Thanks Tigerman. Names and addresses duly noted.
You’re quite welcome. I just re-read my post and think it might be confusing on one point. To clarify, the pub I would visit, if I could only visit one in Amsterdam, is In De Wildeman.
Re Rome: Does 40 euro sound like a reasonable price for a bed and breakfast near the St.Peter’s/Vatican? It looks to me not much more expensive than a bed in a hostel dorm. It’s a little bit on the outskirts of Rome with a panaramic view, this place, but if it’s walking distance to Vatican, that sounds alright since I want to spend a couple days in the museums there. It’s also about 5 metro stops to Spanish Steps. Anyone know Rome?
Fredericka, you’ll need a lot more than two days there to give your confession! 
Frederica Bimmel wrote:
Wow, Frederica, I can TOTALLY understand and feel your excitement!
I will also be heading for Europe this Friday, Rhodes Island (Greece) to attend a conference, Athens, three cities in Germany and Paris.
My fave German cities are: Berlin, Kolon, Munchen, Stuttgart and Heidelberg.
Berlin is a very cool, interesting, vibrant and artistic city…
I wanna recommend you to hit Love Parade, world’s biggest rave music festival/party on July 12th if you are into music/dancing/fashion. I hope I would be there again this time, headbanging and busting da moves to thumping beats. If I can’t make it, I will at least be watching it on TV. (It’s usually televised live all around Germany.)
Wish you tons of fun,
take care and be safe (especially watch out for guys in Rome)!!!
Love Parade 2003
http://www.2camels.com/destination11.php3
http://www.loveparade.net
Love parade 2002 pics
http://www.pegla.com/eng/galerija_eng.asp?p=49
[quote]Frederica Bimmel wrote:
Quote:
I’m psyched! My first time in Europe!!! [/quote]
Have a great trip, Frederica. Travel in Europe is wonderful. It has been almost ten years since I’ve traveled there, and I still have many great memories. Funny–when I was travelling there in the early nineties, I always thought I’d make it back there more. I’ve been able to travel a lot in Asia since then, but somehow I haven’t managed to make it back to Europe.
All of this talk is making me want to get back there even more. Please do post and let us know how your journey was–after you return. As someone mentioned, I think it may be something of a shock to pay so much for a bed in a hostel, after having traveled in Asia and paid so little for a room. But it will undoubtedly be worth it.
I still hope to travel in Europe during Chinese New Year. I know that I won’t get the great airfares (what a deal, Frederica!), but it’s the only time when I can get a chunk of days off. I look forward to hearing about your trip, and I hope I can pester you with questions after your return.
Bon voyage and yi lu ping an.
fee
–And good trips to Sandman, Imaniou, and all others traveling in Europe this summer.
its a little outside ur ordinary trip… but i would say… take a trip to scandinavia… especially norway 
… the weather is really nice atm and the sun is shining… 23C in the shadow and no clouds (Oslo) … so just the ideal weather for some sightseein. Go summer skiing on the glaciers and have a look at the fjords and watch the sun that never sets… north in norway… AND no… its not always cold in scandinavia cus of the mexico gulf that warms the Norwegian coast in the summer time… so yes if you want to, you can take a swim in the ocean… like myself… 
… the only thing that can put a little break into ur trip is that Norway is an expensive country… so u might want to watch out for that…
I think I might be able to swing Amsterdam on August 1, but it might be the 2nd. I will definitely be in Amsterdam on the 2nd and a few days after that since I haven’t been to the Netherlands before. I am trying to decide just how much time I want to spend in France since I haven’t been to eastern parts yet aside from the Alps when I was in high school and I might have some days to spare to explore Germany, but not able to venture too far in.
My cell phone’s a triband, but I have a pay-as-you-go voucher deal so I guess to keep from being wiped out by roaming charges I’d better stock up on my phone before I leave. It sounds like Amsterdam is the place…
I have a feeling we might bump into each other at an internet cafe in Amsterdam while accessing forumosa.com…
I think I will be spending Chinese New Year doing an eco-tour in Madagascar if I can help it. I have been in love with rainforests since I was little, and the ones in Madagascar are very interesting and unique.
Sounds great, and I should go to Norway just to visit my relatives, but it’s too expensive for me. I’m screaming just thinking how much I’ll be spending as it is and I’m trying to save money to ship myself, cats, and furniture OFF this island next summer. So, next time. Thanks for the info.
You must be kidding! 
Imaniou, I’m booked into this place Aug 31, 1, 2, 3 : http://www.euphemiahotel.com/intro/intro.htm
and I’ll give you my cell phone number Friday. We can hook up if you pass through. Supposed to see Sandman and Jojo there too.
Unfortunately, maybe not – we’ve got a much better deal through one of Jojo’s friends. NT$20,000 Taipei-Edinburgh-Frankfurt-Taipei on Cathy Pacific.
The best Margaret from Astor could offer was NT$35,000! :shock: :shock: :shock:
Its a 'Dam (groan) shame though. I would have loved to meet up with you guys on the side of a canal.
Is anyone here familiar with Portugal? I’m back in the UK during August and contemplating a week or so in mainland Europe. I’ve seen plenty of web stuff, Lonely Planet, etc… Just wondering if anyone here has some fairly recent firsthand experience of that country or a gem or two you’d like to share. Thanks.
Too bad, Sandy, but no worries.
I may be meeting an old flame there…
Hope to see you Sunday anyway. Brunch, yes? Ring me.
Wish I could do Portugal and Spain as well as all the rest but I don’t have the time, nor the money to gallavant around Europe right now.
Another reason to go live there for a few years. I’ve been gallavanting all over Asia for years, and need another jumping off point.
I decided against Australia due to Big Babou’s wretched chauvinism. :shock: I dont mind that in Italians.
Here is an alternative view for what its worth.
Most people go on vacation for a change from the hectic , scheduled life we lead at work. It appears to me you are planning a hectic , scheduled vacation . 4 or 5 countries in 3 weeks…hectic. Arranging to meet people in various places at specific times…reduces your flexibility to stay a little longer somewhere you like.
I get the impression that the must do is Italy.
I suggest : Week 1 South Italy : Naples (climb Vesuvious, drive the amalfi coast, visit herculaneum), then to Rome.
Week 2 : Central Italy: Tuscanny, Lucca, Pisa, Florence.
Week 3 North Italy : Venice + the Italian lakes which are truly stunning + you can hop over the boarder in switserland (Lugano for a day or so).
I have travelled all over europe & generally dont go back to the same place as its a big world to explore but Italy keeps drawing me back for vacations. If you only go to a country for 2 or 3 days you can only skim the surface, why not get to know one country properly.
My plans are London sightseeing for 2 days, then Paris/Tours for 4 days before heading back to London for program then in August: Amsterdam for 5 days, Cologne for 3 days, Dijon and surrounding areas for 4 days and head back to London for flight out. If I had been smart I would have booked an open jaw ticket instead of giving up a day to rush back to London to fly out, but hindsight’s always 20/20. I have lived in France before for a few months and visited Paris when I was in high school and later at the end of my study abroad, but now I have friends who live there which draws me back there again…plus there was a bloody museum and Metro strike going on the last time I was there in 1999 and Centre de Georges Pompidou was closed until 1/1/2000.
By the way, across from the Cimitiere de Pere Lachaise where Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, and a whole assortment of celebrities are buried there is a creperie/gallette restaurant. I would highly recommend avoiding that place like the plague as the owner and waiters there are complete pricks…can I say that on here?
Four years ago, after being treated like a mindless child because they didn’t think I spoke or understood French, I promised them that I would blacklist their restaurant to every travel guide, travel website, and traveller out there. I haven’t gone back on my word.
On a more positive note, I expect to see some of you forumosans in Amsterdam…we can knock back a few Dutch microbrews or gin and tonics for you Iris and maybe they’ll have a “Virgin Seabreeze” for me
Sintra topped my list of places to visit in Portugal when I backpacked around Europe in 2000. It
It does. Thank you.