Europe '08-'09

[fahye]

This post is largely directed at anyone who lives in Europe, but anyone planning to be anywhere in Europe during December of 2008 and/or January of 2009 might be interested too.



Okay! The plan is this:

DECEMBER (probably the last two or three weeks thereof. it's flexible) - ryokophoenix and I are planning on staying in Singapore for a week, and then flying to London. I have family in Birmingham, and there's a possibility that we'll be meeting up with other people in Winchester (...wherever that is) over Christmas. But if anyone else anywhere in Great Britain would have room for two Mostly Harmless twenty-two-ish-year-olds on their couch & would like to drag me around their hometown...let me know :D And let me know the dates during which any offers stand, because I think December will have to be tightly planned.

JANUARY - we are joined by the lovely schiarire for a month's worth of gadding our way around Europe via trains and hostels. So...yeah, same deal as above! Although I can't quite recall if I know anyone who lives on the continent.

Also, if anyone has any advice about places in Europe that are good in winter/should be AVOIDED in winter, or any must-see places with, er, indoor heating (museums? that kind of thing?) then drop a comment. Planning at the moment is something along the lines of 'Italy, Greece, Prague, Other' so all suggestions are appreciated.

And if you're planning on traveling at the same time (I figure this is worth a shot, because it seems like half my RL friends are planning to travel this summer!) then let me know too. We can rendevouz in Venice or something mind-blowingly awesome like that.

Comments

[rowanberries.livejournal.com]

Bruges and Brussels in Belgium are meant to be stunning in winter, if freezing. I believe, however, there are a great many cafes and museums all over the place. Also: Eurostar. Easy access from London, and Paris, too, I think.

I would offer a couch like a shot, but... I still live with my parents. *Grin* I do recommend London and the Millibrit tour, though. We know the good places.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

I am totally up for the Millibrit tour of London :D What does it include?

[rowanberries.livejournal.com]

Whatever be requested! We do tend to default to cafes with either rum milkshakes or porn all over the walls in the afternoons and pubs and card games in the evenings, but we know where to find museums and famous landmarks, too! British Museum and Natural History Museums are always worth a look (and are both heated and free) and assuming it's not raining, there's Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, about five million pigeons... And we know how not to get lost on the London Underground, which in my case is an achievement. :D

[fahye.livejournal.com]

Rum milkshakes and porn? Okay, you're definitely on the list.

[rowanberries.livejournal.com]

My work is done.

[apiphile.livejournal.com]

either rum milkshakes or porn all over the walls

BOTH OF WHICH WERE MY FAULT. :D

[sophistry]

Moi, naturellement! Being conveniently situated beside the UK as either a launching pad for European hijinks, or, if doing the full round and then flying home from the UK, a final fling with the wild Hibernian fringes of the continent. Re: travelling, I assume you are going to Rome and Venice, but you should contrive a way to see some of the northern Italian lakes during winter; Lake Garda is SLKDF;LSKDAJ;SKDA, and Sirmione, at the southern tip, will break your heart. Also, Verona. Did not get to spend more than an afternoon there, but ohhhhh, there is a reason Mister S calls it 'fair'. And Pompeii, and the Bay of Naples AHHHHH I LOVE ITALY.

Also fucking ridiculously gorgeous and ruin-littered: Sicily. Syracuse - the old city - Agrigento, and oh god, Taormina. I'LL JUST GO OVER HERE AND CRY. That said, I've only seen Sicily in warm weather; I have no idea what it's like in warm weather WINTER. I am an effing genius first thing in the, uh. Afternoon.

Also something you do not want to miss, if you end up in Sicily: a snowball fight in one of the craters of Mt. Etna.

[sophistry]

(LOOK AT TAORMINA. HOW CAN THIS PLACE EVEN EXIST. And these aren't even loltourist photos; the place actually looks like this.)

[sophistry]

OH, YOU'RE GOING TO AMSTERDAM, RIGHT? You will freeze all your extremities off in winter, as we did, but: awesome. And unexpectedly - at least to me - really gorgeous.

[sophistry]

I swear I'll shut up now, but: I tend to personally avoid Spain because we have a History and it makes me mad. HOWEVER. Barcelona? World of yes.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

Woooow, pretty. Although...summery.

*starts making list*

[sophistry]

Truth. That said, though it's possible we just got really lucky, the weather in the north of Italy when we were there over Christmas was glorious. Cold, obviously - Lake Garda is sub-Alpine - but not pee-freezingly so during the day (for the most part), and brilliantly bright and clear and sunny, which is exactly the kind of weather you need to be able to fully appreciate the gobsmacking scenery, IMO. Although we did need to stop at a stall in Verona and buy gloves before we lost our fingers to frostbite.

And I would actually recommend seeing Pompeii in cooler weather; our school trip was, uh, either at the very tail end of summer/autumn, or the very beginning of spring/summer. And given the nature of the wide-streeted, stone-paved, little-shaded beast, I can tell you from experience that Pompeii is not a place you want the hot sun beating down on you. Oof.

(And in Venice, though we certainly kept our coats and scarves on, we were able to sit out by the canal to have our food stolen by birds eat, and then wander around getting attacked by more birds lost with big ice-cream cones.)

[miscellanny.livejournal.com]

Do not know where I will be but there is SOFA wherever it is, I think. Also? Will so come poke you in Winchester, if you're about - my family live 20 minutes away on the train and Winchester cathedral is my favourite place in the world.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

Oh, awesome :) My friend and her family will be staying there over Christmas so we're hoping to all descend upon their apartment and have a mofo Christmas dinner (finally, in the correct climate!) and then go to a service in the cathedral.

I think there will be a Millibrit day in London at some point, so you should maybe come along for that!

[questofdreams.livejournal.com]

Wow, sounds like an adventure!! <33 Unfortunately, I am incredibly UNworldly so I can offer no advice beyond 'be careful around the gypsies' XD My sister was almost robbed by them when she was in France several years ago =P

[fahye.livejournal.com]

That is excellent advice. Eek. The worst I've had so far was a very paranoid-about-pickpockets four days in Rome.

[apiphile.livejournal.com]

you're quite welcome to stop with me in London, but I imagine you know plenty of people in my delightful city who can make you that offer too. ;)

[fahye.livejournal.com]

Not sure, actually...I think my aunt and uncle own an apartment just north of London, but it may not be available. Anyway, it seems you'll be heading the rum-milkshakes-and-porn expedition, right? Help me talk Nny into coming to London for it.

[apiphile.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it won't take much in the way of talking. ;)

[ariastar.livejournal.com]

Whether or not I will actually [a] be in Scotland in January or [b] have any sort of available accommodations, I ... will not know until at least August at the very earlies, but put me in with tentative easily-erased pencil, because while I am unsure of the means, I would adore dragging you (+ Ji) around Edinburgh or something.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

OMG, seeing you + Ji at the same time would be so fantastic. You know what we need now, of course...

*EYEBALLS EMMA*

(PS - this is my Melody icon. to remind me that I still want to write The Continuing Saga Of Thomas And Melody.)

[ormery.livejournal.com]

LONDON YOU SAY

I live with my parents, though, besides which we haven't the couch/floorspace for two. D:

I'm also bad at suggesting places to go \o\ TAKE THE TUBE IT'S FUN? maybe only if you're me.

[fahye.livejournal.com]

But we should definitely meet up anyway!

Hey, I can't judge, I'm the girl who took a trip around London and Paris with her parents when she was ten and refused to sit down on ANY trains because trying to do the whole trip standing up and not holding on to anything was WAY MORE FUN.

[ormery.livejournal.com]

ABSOLUTELY

rofl.
MOST OF THE FUN IN THE TUBE IS THE MAP :D

[fahye.livejournal.com]

OMG YES. My main problem with the Sydney train system is the lack of awesome maps everywhere. I like being able to stare happily at a diagram of colourful lines no matter WHERE I'm sitting.