my summer plans...(any advice from europe-familiar folks?)

[mark414]

i put together these plans today in an adderall and marijuana-induced haze - so they are very brief and very flexible...i am not big on planning

Portugal; mid to late may
stay for 2 weeks or so
move through Spain early to mid june
then up to southern France and
cut through northwestern Italy,
north through Switzerland; (late june/early august)
keep moving north through Germany to Amsterdam,
get to amsterdam by mid august
fly from Amsterdam to Dublin
stay in Ireland until early september (when i have to be back in wisco for my brother's wedding)

i am going to be making random 2 week stops here and there along the way to work at various organic farms around the continent...and while i'll do some eurorail traveling (etc. etc.) i'm mostly going to be hitchhiking when i'm going between farms.

any advice from folks? hints or tips? places along my loose route that i should stop/stay/look at? what do i absolutely need to have with me?

any and all information is good.

a rough route map:

[mark414]

1. anyone....

.............?







:kick:

[mark414]

2. one last try...

[Radio_Lady]

8. Hi Mark... Sounds like a great trip. We might pass you on the road or train...

We're going to France, Belgium, England, and Scotland in May and June.

Not that familiar with these countries, but we went to get to Bruges, Belgium.

Anyway, have a great trip. You sound really excited about seeing organic farming. We have lots of people doing that here in the Pacific Northwest.

In peace,

Radio Lady in Oregon

[enigmatic]

3. Go for it, bro

I'd hit Vienna for sure...

[Richard Steele]

4. 2 things: the key to Italy has always been Sicily. The Greeks knew it, the Carthaginians knew it...

...now YOU know it!

#2: You forgot Poland!

SERIOUSLY though: My sweetie has been a lot of places in all
those countries; I'll ask her tomorrow if she has any advice
or tips for you.

[mark414]

5. i have been reading up on this all night and

decided that stops in venice, vienna, prague and munich may very well also be in order

[MissHoneychurch]

6. Too bad I will be in Kiev

when you hit Germany.

Otherwise, all the placces you picked are wonderful. You will have fun, no matter where you go in Europe.

[billyskank]

7. Hate the Brits I see

:P

[JCMach1]

14. Even if you like Britain, the airports are a nightmare...

some of the worst in the world... especially Heathrow...

[Kutjara]

9. Plan your month of August carefully.

August is the month when basically all of continental Europe goes on vacation. The beaches and top tourist cities will be packed, as will the roads and trains. The only exceptions are the British Isles, which never really adopted the "take the whole month off" ethos of their fellow Euros (more's the pity).

[Lydia Leftcoast]

28. Except that they tend to go to Spain

At least that's what I was told when I was in England last summer.

So Spain might be full of Brits. :-)

[Kutjara]

39. Spain will definitely be full of Brits and Germans.

The French Riviera will be full of French, Swiss and Germans, The Italian Riviera will be full of Italians, French, Swiss and Germans. Basically, every square inch of beach will be full.

[tigereye]

33. friends have told me that you need to reserve train trips in

advance, or have to sleep in the station all night.

Mark seems more resilient and flexible than some of we older folk, so he'd probably do all right.

[Heidi]

10. Bookmarking.

:hi:

[hfojvt]

11. I thought Konstanz was very cool

There are alot of trails throughout Schwabia - paved no less. I kinda wished I'd had rollerblades (or a bicycle).
I found very cheap accomodations under the sign 'Fremdenzimmer'.
Switzerland is not part of EU, so the border crossings in and out are more difficult.
I made a point to visit Vaduz, so I can say I have been to Lichtenstein.

[MissHoneychurch]

12. And even before it got invaded by the Swiss

:rofl:

It isn't really difficult to get into Switzerland, he just should have his passport ready.

[fudge stripe cookays]

13. You can't go to Italy...

and not see Florence. There's something very awry with that travel plan with no Florence included, depending on how far north you're calling "northwest".

And listen to Kutjara about August. Also remember that many (most) places there do not have a/c, so it can be pretty unpleasant; you might be showering more frequently if your hotel does not have it. Might need to pack more for frequent clothing changes.

[JCMach1]

15. I always freeze to death in Europe during the Summer...

then again, I am coming from the UAE and our regular 40+ temperatures.

[MissHoneychurch]

16. August can be very rainy

July is normally nicer than the August. At least in Germany.

[fudge stripe cookays]

20. It was very rainy in France...

and Belgium when we were there in July in 1983, but the heat nearly killed me (supposedly there was a heatwave that year- somebody can check on that for me).

Our cheap hotels that they got us through the student group obviously did not have AC, and our bus driver would not turn it on in the bus because it used too much energy, leaving us to melt in the hell of the bus. It was a miserable trip.

The wine caves at Vouvray were a welcome respite because they were so wonderfully COOOOOOOOOL.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

40. It was very hot in England in the first part of August 2006

Then it suddenly turned chilly, with highs of about 65, which is more normal.

[crispini]

17. You have GOT to go to Bilbao and see the Guggenheim.

I've been LONGING to see this building forever.

[Karenina]

18. Visit the Dom in Köln

And let me know if you swing by!

[AllegroRondo]

19. I lived in that area of Germany for 2 years

in Bad Kreutznach, heart of German wine country.
and ever summer, me and a friend would take a 2 week bicycle trip in Europe.

hints and tips?
if you're under 24, you can get a discount on a Eurorail pass.
most people speak at least some English, but they really appreciate the effort to learn and speak their language.
look up Hostels International before you go, they have very reasonable rates at hostels all over Europe.

things to see/do in Germany
- lots of castles on the Rhine river, and near there.
- Trier, a city on the French border, has an aquaduct and ruins dating from Roman times. Bad Kreuznach also has ruins of Roman baths, but its not as spectacular.
- around that time of year, lots of small towns will have festivals, called "fests". Look for big tents. Stop in for a couple beers/wine, sausages, talk to the locals, and listen to bands. Bad Munster, just south of Bad Kreuznach, always did a full medieval re-enactment fest around that time. The entire town already looks like its out of the 1500's, so its not hard. Lots of people in period costumes, food, shops, and a jousting tournament.
- every city has at least one big church, and they are all pretty amazing. Even if you're not religious, the architecture and history is worth it. Many also have concerts.

[conscious evolution]

21. Start in Amsterdam

Trust me!

[AllegroRondo]

22. if he starts there, he'll never see the rest of Europe!

[conscious evolution]

23. The rest of what?

[mark414]

24. exactly why i'm saving it for second to last

so i don't blow all my money in one wild hazy binge and get stuck shit outta luck for the rest of the summer!

[GoneOffShore]

25. You're missing Paris, but maybe on purpose

It can be expensive.

If you go, don't eat in those crappy faux French restaurants in the Latin Quarter.

However in the south of France, do not miss Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Bonnieux and Montpellier. Carcassonne you can do in a day, and don't eat the cassoulet there, go to Toulouse or Castelnaudry.

There's a really good organic winery near Poitiers http://www.ampelidae.com/

If you're into seeing mostly unclothed, frolicking French people go to Cap d'Agde. It's a resort town with some "interesting" visitors.

[Omphaloskepsis]

26. My advice...

Traveling is hard.. After a month of going around Europe I was dying to go back to work.

They have stores, Buy things when you need them, don't carry around a huge can of shaving cream. And you don't need a towel. A washcloth will get you dry. You have to carry this shit all day. Lighten the load.

And stay in one place for a long time. I was stupid and did the 15 countries in 30 days shit. Huge fucking mistake. Although, I am well versed in the European train system now. And the UK is still a shithole, save your money for a nice trip to Chicago.

[GoneOffShore]

27. I'll second that

staying in one place for a while.

Yeah go to the UK if you love surveillance cameras.

[mark414]

30. one of my main motivations for skipping it

big brother is not exactly on my list of things to experience...i don't really feel like being caught on film 300 times a day

[billyskank]

31. Yeah

the anti-Brit sentiment is always here, bubbling under the surface.

[GoneOffShore]

34. I wasn't being anti-Brit, I lived there for 10 years

And I'd love to go back and visit. London is one of my favorite cities.

It's just that with the surveillance cameras everywhere, and according to my ex, lager louts crowding town centres on the weekends, England is no longer on my top ten list of places to visit.

[ScreamingMeemie]

36. Perhaps you two were not staying in the right places...

All I've ever heard is that England is a wonderful place to visit.

I'm dying to go...if I can get over my fear of flying over the ocean.

[GoneOffShore]

37. It is a great place to visit,

Or used to be.

Last time I was there, London prices were so high that it took me months to pay off a two week trip. And we tried to eat cheaply. Only one top end restaurant the whole time. But that cost us 175 pounds for 2 people.

The beer is fabulous, the sights are great, the people are nice (otherwise I wouldn't have stayed for 10 years back in the 70's) and the scenery is lovely, Weather generally sucks, but that's how the place stays so green. And did I say that the beer is great?

Unfortunately, there has been a great rise in the "nanny state" mentality which has resulted in surveillance cameras EVERYWHERE.

[mark414]

29. thanks for the tips

i am well-versed in the load-packing arena though...i've done similar trips through the states, longer ones than my planned europe stay - i mostly just want to use this trip as a way to establish contacts around the map so i can go back for a longer time later - i'd stay longer if i didn't have to come back to my bro's wedding

[Omphaloskepsis]

32. Sometimes motels are cheaper than hostles.

And they don't bog you down with silly restrictions. Doesn't sound like you plan on staying in them. To much info has never killed anyone. This applies to March, April, and May.

[mark414]

38. thanks again

i do plan on mostly staying outside and carrying a sleeping bag with me when between farms...though i'm sure i'll stay in a hostel/motel or two to get a shower or two

any and everything helps

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

35. no advice other than to have fun

and pick up a copy of Cracker's "Eurotrash Girl" just for the hell of it.