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Message |
    
Old Toad
Citizen
Username: Skewer1
Post Number: 18
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 8:17 pm: | 
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My spouse and I want to go to a place or two in Europe during the end of this summer (just us, no kids).
What places (from those you've been to) would u recommend?
Our likes are pretty general: we hang around in town centers, sit at outdoor cafes / lunch places, take in some culture (amount depends on how much the city has to offer), do some window shopping and (if the place has it, like possibly Norway) admire the natural beauty of the place as well. We're not necessarily looking for great nightlife as we're not going to be dancing away in clubs in the wee hours of the night.
We've been to London, Paris, Switzerland, Vienna, Rome and Florence
Thanks in advance for your suggestions! |
MHD
Citizen
Username: Mayhewdrive
Post Number: 4348
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 8:24 pm: |
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Nice & the surrounding towns in the South of France are beautiful. |
SoOrLady
Citizen
Username: Soorlady
Post Number: 3396
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 9:03 pm: |
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Two of our nephews toured Eurpoe last summer and both came home saying that Prague was their favorite city. Both intent to go back this summer:
http://www.prague.cz/ |
Janet
Citizen
Username: Janetcopeland
Post Number: 23
Registered: 3-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 9:28 pm: |
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We went to Prague this spring to visit our son, who was studying there. Wonderful city with many interesting sights and great food. For the 2nd half of our week-long trip we took a train to Budapest, a very different city, but also just as interesting, and we thought the food was even better. If anyone is interested in traveling to Budapest, we had a wonderful personal guide there that I'd be more than happy to recommend. |
Mummite
Citizen
Username: Mummite
Post Number: 270
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 9:52 pm: |
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Spain? From Madrid, west to Salamanca, a hidden gem. Then heading south to Granada and Sevilla would finish off a very memorable trip.
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wbwallflower
Citizen
Username: Wbwallflower
Post Number: 262
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 10:04 pm: |
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Loved Prague and Budapest. Also visited Vienna and Bratislava.. both beautiful cities and highly recommended. |
Wendy
Supporter
Username: Wendy
Post Number: 2664
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 10:40 pm: |
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Lisbon is a delightful city. We also loved Norway and travelled all over including up to the Lofoten Islands (spelling). I think going to just Oslo, while a beautiful city with lots to do, feels like you wouldn't really get the full picture of Norway if you just confined yourself there. |
Innisowen
Citizen
Username: Innisowen
Post Number: 2087
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 11:41 pm: |
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Lots of places to choose from:
Bruges, Belgium, Prague, Budapest.
Given the choice, I would hit the Baltic hard: I've done business there and stayed there quite a lot: the island of Bornholm (a Danish island), Helsinki.
I'd stay in the Baltic and visit Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius---they still retain an Old Europe feel and haven't squandered their old architectures yet. Great places to stay, great to visit, and they don't feel washed out. |
Megan
Citizen
Username: Megan
Post Number: 116
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, July 2, 2006 - 11:57 pm: |
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I was in Prague this past spring and loved it. It was very inexpensive, the people were very nice, and the city is old and beautiful. |
ajc
Citizen
Username: Ajc
Post Number: 5258
Registered: 9-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 4:20 am: |
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Scotland... We're here now and even the weather has been great for over a week. The list of places and things to see is to long to post. If you play golf you will love it all the more... |
joy
Citizen
Username: Joy
Post Number: 517
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 8:05 am: |
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Tallin, Prague and Budapest were some of the most beautiful places I've been.
ALL of Scotland - but the Isle of Skye - was gorgous!
18 years ago St. Petersburg (then Leningrad) was sadly beautiful. |
Soparents
Supporter
Username: Soparents
Post Number: 1790
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 9:47 am: |
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St Andrews and the surrounding area is wonderful. As ajc says, if you like golf you will have a great time! St Andrews of course (no pun intended) has the R&A golf club, and the old course, and if you like architecture/history, the area is steeped in it.
Edinburgh might also be a place you would like to visit as it is more cosmopolitan than St Andrews, and if you stay there, you can do a day trip up to St.A, grab a train up to Leuchars and get a cab from there.. |
Mr. Big Poppa
Citizen
Username: Big_poppa
Post Number: 754
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 10:01 am: |
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I can't believe no one's mentioned Barcelona. It has unique architecture and a different flavor from the rest of Spain. Also, you can drive along the coast nearby and see beautiful villages nestled in rocky coves. |
Ukealalio
Citizen
Username: Ukealalio
Post Number: 2581
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 2:18 pm: |
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Barcelona-Do some city stuff in a beautiful city and then head south. |
Boomie
Citizen
Username: Boomie
Post Number: 379
Registered: 7-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 2:36 pm: |
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Nice, Cannes and Portofino on the French and Italian Rivieras! |
Sherri De Rose
Citizen
Username: Honeydo
Post Number: 303
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 3:16 pm: |
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The Netherlands is a wonderful country. Especially Amsterdam. The Museums. The Anne Frank House was especially emotional for me. It is a wonderful walking city and the canals are beautiful. Everyone is very friendly and speak English which can be especially helpful when you are lost. They have some great flea markets and I get comments all the time on some of the casual clothes I bought at the markets.
If you stay at a hotel on a canal it can be especially nice. (The Red Light district is a fun place to walk through) |
PRETTYPRINCESS
Citizen
Username: Prettyprincess
Post Number: 20
Registered: 6-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 9:28 pm: |
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Capri, Italy this time of year is absolutely beautiful. You can start off on the Almafi coast and take a Ferry boat over to Capri. There are shops, amazing restaurants, beaches, Romantic trip inside the blue grotto, and you can even get yourself a pair of handmade "capri" sandals while you are there (the most popular shop on the island is owned by a man who used to make shoes for Jackie Onnasis- he is sweet and loves to talk and you can design your own shoes or he will make you an identical copy of the kind she used to get)... also another place to travel to is Greece. Mykonos, a little island off of Athens named Kea. It is usually known by local Athenians as a summer vacation spot. There are untouched beaches. A nightlife area, great restaurants, and more of a family atmosphere. The sunsets and water are more amazing than anywhere else I have been.
These are all beach oriented suggestion for trips.
Another amazing place in Italy is Cinque Terre. There are 5 small villages interconnected by a walkway that is built upon the water. It is in Northern Italy (closer to Venezia and Milan) and it is so pretty. Each village has a little town, breathtaking views, the beach, and little wine vinewayds where they have fresh wine barrels brought into all the restaurants daily. It is great exercise too bc you can literally walk through the 5 towns (some of it is steep) and explore the area. Have the best time!
I wish I was going back! |
LilLB
Citizen
Username: Lillb
Post Number: 1940
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 11:16 pm: |
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I definitely concur with Prague and Budapest - you could do both in one trip. Beautiful, old world feel to them.
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Maplewoody
Citizen
Username: Maplewoody
Post Number: 1252
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 3, 2006 - 11:41 pm: |
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We just came back from Italy last night. We started in Roma, then Napoli, then Capri. Then to Sorrento where we rented an Alfa Romeo and drove to Positano. We stayed in a very nice place in Capri, the Hotel Luna. I'd recommend them! They have a pool, and a great view of the Fariglioni's.
They are a short walk from the Piazza Umberto (Town Square) where there are 5 or 6 places to drink, and eat while you watch everyone walk by. We also had a nice few days in Napoli. ( We survived Napoli)... We ate at a nice place in a Square called Coco Loco. Roma is a BIG old dirty city, but you have to see it. Try drinks outdoors at the Hotel Russe just off the Piazza Popolo.
Our 5 days in Positano were probably 2 days longer than we should have been there, but we enjoyed it alot. We went to Pompeii and cooked ourselves outdoors in the ruins for 4 hours one afternoon. We drove to Amalfi & Vietri Sul Mar. Positano is where you should stay. There's ALOT of steps down to the beach, and alot to get up to the buses you'll want to take into town. We stayed at the Casa Cosenza, 1/2 way in between the beach & bus. Rooms 4, 5 + 6 have the best views. The place in Positano was the best view for the price of all the places we stayed at.
It was HOT everywhere we were. Extremely HOT.
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Mummite
Citizen
Username: Mummite
Post Number: 271
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 4, 2006 - 8:02 am: |
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If you go to that area again, don't miss the island of Ischia - Capri's neighbor. Less designer labels and US tourists, more natural. |
PRETTYPRINCESS
Citizen
Username: Prettyprincess
Post Number: 22
Registered: 6-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 4, 2006 - 12:40 pm: |
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Ischia is gorgeous too.
This was one of my favorites. You can explore the blue grotto by boat or jump and swim in (that's what I did). It is something I will never forget.
Also be sure to try limoncello. |
mayflower2258
Citizen
Username: Mayflower2258
Post Number: 106
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 - 12:14 am: |
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Prague wins hands down...history, visuals, music, religion, accessability, price (except for hotel). It's the new go-to Euro-city... And from there...Germany, Switzerland and Italy for the second-half. |
jet
Citizen
Username: Jet
Post Number: 1146
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 - 2:09 pm: |
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Welcome back Maplewoody, I trust you had a great time. |
kathleen
Citizen
Username: Symbolic
Post Number: 557
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 - 10:09 pm: |
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For the end of summer, I'd pick cool Amsterdam for window shopping, cafes, culture and people watching. I think Amsterdam has the best window shopping I've ever seen.
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Milosdad
Citizen
Username: Milosdad
Post Number: 12
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 5, 2006 - 10:38 pm: |
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Based on what you wrote you and your husband like to do I'd recommend Amsterdam...great museums, great street life (cafes, window shopping, etc.), easy to get around...my wife and I spent a long weekend there last October and we had a great, fun, time.
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Innisowen
Citizen
Username: Innisowen
Post Number: 2089
Registered: 3-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, July 6, 2006 - 9:20 am: |
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I forgot to mention three places where I have spent a tremendous amount of time in my life, both for business and for personal reasons: Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Oslo.
They are charming cities, each very different from the other, yet similar in their "Scandinavian" identities. At this time of year, when the days are long, you can walk around in near daylight after midnight---lengthening your day and experiencing the quiet of a summer eve into morning---long shadows, nearness to the sea, and something quite different from "the continent." |
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