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Sell me on your favorite place in Europe
Aaron and I were suppose to join a group of 15 people to Italy next year. One of the people owns the local Italian restaurant and was setting up wine tastings/lodging/tours/etc.. She's now sick and handing the restaurant over to her daughter and the trip is off.
We've been saving money and decided we want to do a nice trip on our own sometime between May-August of next year.
We backpacked Europe in 2006, but our time in each place was limited.
Here's where we've been. Koln, Frankfurt, Munich in Germany. Prague. Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome and Pisa in Italy. Nice, Paris and several small towns in the Champagne area of France. And Amsterdam.
Where would you go? I know many of you have been to Greece, where else? Where thinking 10-14 days.
TIA.
Re: Sell me on your favorite place in Europe
Ooh... I would go to eastern Europe.
A friend of mine has totally sold me on Vienna - she said that I'd really appreciate it as a classical musician. She also went to Budapest on the same trip which also sounds amazing.
I think LER talked about how gorgeous Prague is and it's also high on my list.
I also want to go to Turkey; my friend's parents went last year and it's a historian's heaven because it's very central to Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
Baby #2: Surprise BFP 9.19.12, EDD 5.24.13, natural m/c 10.19.13 at 9w
I absolutely loved Vienna. It has plenty to do and see and is also very beautiful. Prague is also wonderful, but it sounds like you've been there. When I went to Vienna, I started in Prague, then went to Krakow, then to Budapest, then Vienna, and ended in Salzburg. I loved everywhere except Budapest. The general consensus among friends who have been to Budapest is that they either love it or hate it. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.
Have you thought about going to Spain? There's tons to do and see that you could easily fill 10 days or more just renting a car and driving throughout the country. Spain is very different from the rest of Europe due to its Moorish influence, especially in the south. When I went with my college bf, we started in Madrid, went to Toledo, then went to Sevilla, Grenada, Valencia (where the Las Fallas festival is held), and then went up to Barcelona. We went during Easter, which was a awesome because we got to go to Las Fallas, which is this festival where various wards in Valencia compete for making the best paper machee sculpture and then they all get lit on fire at midnight one night. http://www.lasfallas.net/ And also during Easter, there are tons of parades in each city with each church wearing traditional garb. We didn't make it to Bilbao or the beaches, which I would definitely add. I've also heard of people combining Morocco with Spain or also adding Portugal, although I've never been to Portugal or Morocco so I'm not much help there.
I've also heard wonderful things about Turkey and Greece, but I've never been to either.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you want additional info on any of the places I mentioned.
Baby #2: Surprise BFP 9.19.12, EDD 5.24.13, natural m/c 10.19.13 at 9w
Wales!
edit: But I'm too tired to sell it to you right now. I'll post my love later!
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Based off of the places that you haven't been, the Greek Islands are definitely at the top of the list. We loved them all for various reasons and can't wait to go back and see more. We've been to Santorini, Naxos, Folegandros and Milos. We also went to Athens but I would only recommend it for a day. Some loved it, but we were happy with just one day in Athens and then head out.
I also absolutely love Ireland, Scotland and London. We haven't been to Wales and other places outside of London but they are on our list to go. I have heard they are wonderful. An ex-bf and I hiked part of the West Highland Way in Scotland and then spent a few days in Edinburgh and loved it. Ireland was exactly like the photographs, but better. It was so perfect and the people are amazing at all locations, especially Ireland and Scotland. You could easily spend 10-14 days exploring that area.
I have only been to Vienna to run races, but the sightseeing that I did do was beautiful and I really want to go back. Salzburg is one of my favorites and I absolutely love it. So beautiful and so much to do. I'm a huge Sound of Music fan so that is a bonus for that city! The surrounding area there is gorgeous so you can play around in the Alps and visit various towns throughout Austria and even head through northern Italy or Switzerland.
Sadly, I haven't made it to Budapest, but lived in Bucharest, Romania for 3 months and loved it. I was able to imbed myself in pretty good and had a driver and translator while I was there so travel was easy for me. I've to Constanta (Black Sea), Brasov, Timisoara and a couple I can remember right now. But we went to the Transylvania region and it was gorgeous. I would love to go back.
Turkey was also wonderful and I would love to get to Istanbul. Only made it to Izmir and down to Fetiye, Oludeniz, Marmaris and the sea, very beautiful.
There are so many places that I loved and would recommend. A lot of it depends on your interests and what you guys want to do. There are so many places to see and different types of places that it is hard to pinpoint. There isn't a place that I've been that I didn't love or appreciate in some way. I wouldn't necessarily go back to all of them, but I am so glad that I went to them all. Good luck planning and let me know if you have questions!
Some of my favorite trips recently have been Amalfi Coast in Italy and the Greek Islands (Crete and Santorini). Both were incredibly beautiful, romantic, peaceful with great food. You could combine them, or just do spend your whole time in Greece. If you were looking for a more active and cultural trip, however, Turkey might be a better option.
I also agree with a pp about spending the whole time in Spain. Great food, great wine and amazing sights. It's a different culture, and you can split your time between sightseeing and relaxing at the beach or in small towns.
Cecilia arrived 12 October 2012