A trip to Europe...
 

I've always wanted to go to Europe. Soak up all the history, culture, and hopefully find some interesting food. Think I've decided that next year is the year I'll go.

What will something like this run me? Let's say a 10 day trip for 2. Spain, Amsterdam, and Greece are 3 of my must see countries. Don't need 5 Star hotels or anything like that. Just a place to sleep, bathe, and relax after a day of exploration.

Any ideas? Suggestions? How expensive are things over there compared to in the States (food, clothes, etc.)

That's funny, Ric and I were just talking about making a trip to Europe.... probably next year, for about a month.

Come to finland and I'll take you to my summer cottage, where you can really feel the isolation from the outside world.
It's probably cold, water is colder, plenty of mosquitos, no internet, no tv, no running water, no indoors toilet. It rocks. Going there today. :)

10 days? WTF?

Go for a month minimum and go backpacking.

I can recommend some good hostels in Europe.

..and finland is über-expensive.

Ten days.. it sucks big way.

I would drive myself crazy being off work for any more than 10 days. Backpacking sounds like a LOT of fun, but not really an option.

What exactly is a hostel? We have them here, but I haven't the slightest idea what they are.

10 days is kind of short, but better than nothing. in '00 i spend a couple of weeks in Italy, over a month in Germany, and a week in Spain. it's pretty easy to go on the cheap if you don't need to do any work (these days i'm unable to travel anywhere without high speed internet, so it's not so cheap anymore)...

pick up a lonely planet of the area(s) you're planning to travel to... i've got shitloads of those books :)

Yeh guys, I realize 10 days is very short. I just want to see it and check out a couple things for now. I'll go back later for more.

Right back at you. My trip to internext ain't cheap for the same reason. My GF is pissed too, she thought we'd share some quality time there and then I, the bastard, take my laptop with me :)

You could do Spain and Amsterdam in 10 days, but not include Greece.

7 days in Spain, 3 in Amsterdam.

I hear that, its a fuckin chore finding hotels with high-speed net access. Thank god for http://www.geektools.com/geektels/

3 countries in 10 days and on a budget, I assume you like coach rides and going from Spain to Greece. Best fly that one.

Why do Americans assume Europe is the size a small US State.

10 days would be enough to see a little part of Spain or Greece.

That's a pretty good idea, Brown Bear :)

that would be cool. though i'd be more tempted to do all ten in Amsterdam :Graucho

amen

Bah, I forgot my geography. Fuck it, spending all 10 in Greece.

I loved N. Italy on the coast...

I loved Germany during the fest season...

A-dam is a must visit....

Spain and the UK I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to visit....

oh and the S.E. of France was pretty groovey too :)

:thumbsup :thumbsup

Rent a car and drive from south of spain to south italy. The Côte D'azur is wonderful, damn beautiful. Nice small roads by the sea, movie-like scenery. Just rent a nice convertible sportscar and you WILL have a nice experience. Just stop at Marseilles, Cannes, Nizza, and Monaco atleast. I can't speak for Spain and italy, can't remember much about those, but I lived in france for a year, and I LOVE the french riviera! :)

Youth hostels (although you can be a youth to stay there) supply low cost dorm style accommodation for backpackers. Dorms range from 4 bed to more than 20 bed. Many hostels also have single or double rooms at budget prices. The great thing about hostels is that most of them having recreation areas where people can kick back and mix... some even have a bar, many sell beer. I travel solo so I love meeting other travellers. I also love to go out and enjoy the local nightlife with them. (read: get shitfaced).

Stay away from any hostel run by the H.I. (Hostelling International) organisation. They are as boring as all fuck. Go to independent hostels if you can. You usually get the good oil from other travellers as you go. I love a good party hostel and have probably stayed at about fifty hostels in Europe during eleven months of travel there in the last five years.

This is the map I have taped on the wall behind my computer. (Sorry about the fuzzy webcam shot) I have recorded my travels through Europe with black lines. As you can see, I have been absolutely savaged by the travel bug. 95% of the time I travelled by train. I plan to return at the end of this year and spend what will be New Years Eve number five for me in Amsterdam.

http://66.37.21.220/europe.jpg

Never been to Finland? Shame on you. Shame!

..umm, although Finland isn't visible on your map of Europe. I guess our communist little country isn't europe. Damn politicians lying to us!

I travel at the end of the year. I live in sub-tropical Brisbane. There is no way on fucking Earth I am going to Finland in winter!

But I'd like to visit. I do love you alcoholic Finnish bastards and have met quite a few on my travels.

:thumbsup
Lol, yeah.. no point coming here unless it's june/july.. it's damn beautiful just now.. but in a few months it'll be dark and miserable again. :(

check sig :glugglug

i think it will be better to spend 10 days on each country, even if you have to visit only one country every time you visit europe. May to September are the best months to visit Greece.

and the food... damn!

hell yeah. ocktoberfest!! i love Germany.

hell yeah

i liked Spain, but it's not on my list of things to go back to. despite my love of hemingway :)

i agree with joe - trains are the way to go in Europe. you can go pretty much *anywhere* with a good pass.

I wanna go to Rome! Always wanted to go there. The way they could make buildings that last centuries upon centuries and we can't make one last a decade! :1orglaugh :1orglaugh

jDoG

Inter-railing is a popular among young people. Buy an interrail pass, and you can go to almost any train for free. EXCELLENT way to travel if you're on a budget, even if you're not. It's pretty safe too.

I love the food in Italy/Greece, the cafes in Amsterdam, the people in Ireland, the castles in Scotland, the mountains in Switzerland, and the lights at night in Monaco.

If you hit Spain, let me know, You can stay in my place, I'll be
moving to the bahamas but will keep a house in Spain so it's no
problem at all, I just got a new place with private pool,
surrounded by nothing but orange and palm trees. At the back
mountains in the front the mediteranian sea.

DynaMite

Nice

mountains? you need to head to the Canadian rockies (i'm surrounded by them at the moment) :)

Indeed. A friend got a nice house in Malaga. I love it. :)

The alps are also beautiful. I lived in a small town called 'Annecy' in France. The cleanest lake I've ever seen surrounded by bautiful mountains. I loved that too.

I can't imagine what the fuck I'm doing in finland, there's nothing here I love (except the summer cottage). :)

I live 200 miles north from Malaga which is still the south east
coast of Spain. Very nice area here, beautiful old towns and very
clean beaches. Alicante, Murcia and Elche are cities within 20 miles
from my house. Good food here in Spain aswell if you know where
to go.

DynaMite :thumbsup

Been there too! Beautiful. :thumbsup

Oh and you have to visit Barcelona and see the architecture and art of Gaudi. There are also great museums in Barcelona like the
museum of Picasso and Salvador Dali.

Must see places in Barcelona are the Sagrada Familiar and Parque
Quell.

DynaMite

Charly, I want to drive the coastline of California (route 1) and then drive the old route 30 to New York all in ten days, can I do it?

:)

Everyone else, Europe is fun. Short vacations just makes you plan another vacation to see more!

...and when in Barcelona don't forget to stay at the Kabul Youth Hostel!

i'm sure it is! my brother has pictures from when when snowboarded st. moritz - looks nice.

lake louise is where i do almost all of my snowboarding:

http://catalog.com/uvlight/images/louise.jpg

:glugglug

Nice. Here's a few pictures of Annecy I'll try to hotlink :)

http://www.pvv.ntnu.no/~heidit/annec...y/annecy-5.jpg
http://www.math.iastate.edu/lhogben/...al/annecy.jpeg
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~mpryan/MyWebs/Annecy.gif

I don't know why I posted those pics.. but DAMN, what a trip back memory lane. I haven't seen any pics of the place in nearly 10 years..

Nice

haha cool man :glugglug

yeah, i'm only 30 minutes away from Lake Louise here in Banff, so it's pretty sweet.

what the fuck, comme to czech republic, we got the best beer and I will show you Prague, one of the greatest cities in Europe. You can sleep at my home, or take a hotel for 10-15 USD / night.

And we can go to Austria for summer snowboarding, I was there a week ago.