The Psychobunny's itinerary - listen up all you in Europe!

[CiCi the Psychobunny]

Hey all,

being an only child my parents have decided to spoil me ridiculously for my 21st birthday (26 December). Hence on Christmas Eve-Eve we depart NZ's fair shores for Paris, followed by a whirlwind tour of Berlin, Prague and Vienna. I will particularly have days off in Paris (one parent just loves the Louvre and the OTHER one is the art historian, go figure), so any DUers out there want to do the pretentious Parisian coffee thing, let me know!

[mirandaod]

1. How long will you be in Paris?

I'm in Dordrecht, NL. It may be possible for me to come to Paris, depending on how long you'll be there, and whether or not we'll be here after Christmas (plans up in the air).

[CiCi the Psychobunny]

9. 2 weeks

in Paris, 5 nights in Berlin, 2 nights in Prague, sometime in Munich on route to Vienna, 3 nights in Vienna. Wheeee!

[hlthe2b]

2. Lucky you, Cici!

BTW, I haven't seen you on DU in such a very long time. I know when posts have come up about "MIA" DUers your screen name has come up several times. How are you and where have ya been?

I just love Paris and remember doing the equivalent of a week's worth of touring in a single 24 hour layover there my first time. I was so exhausted afterwards, I fell asleep in an airport and missed my connecting flight. I just loved the Louvre and Notre Dame (even if you aren't remotely religious, it is worth going to--majestic). But the best is just walking, walking, walking and soaking up the atmosphere. Be sure and stop for hot chocolate crepes (made with nutella). God, I remember craving those SO badly when I got back to the US!

[da_chimperor]

3. Quick Paris tip for ya

Don't eat in the Latin quarter! If you do, don't go to a place with someone standing outside trying to get you in. I was there with my sister a month ago, and we ate at the worst French restaurant in Paris. Let's just say they cooked the salmon tar-tar, and that was amongst their lesser crimes. :wtf:

[Stockholm]

14. Are you nuts?

Quartier Latin is one of the best places in Paris to have a romantic dinner with great cheap French wine. Don´t be afraid of the hole in the wall places.

Ask a cabby or a student for a tip of a good restaurant.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. Don't forget the beret and the horizontal stripes shirt (nt)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Hi, CiCi!

Can't believe that you're already turning 21!

Anyway, you may remember Paschall from the old days. He's somewhere in France, so you might want to PM him.

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. This is a wonderful restaurant.

It's reasonable, okay it brings in tourists, but it's very atmospheric and they say it hasn't changed much since the days James Joyce ate there.

Enjoy and have a great trip. I am envious of you, haven't been to Paris in 10 years.

http://www.wguides.com/city/8/84_257588.cfm

[CiCi the Psychobunny]

8. Thanks for the tip!

All of my friends are madly jealous, too. :evilgrin:

[Zomby Woof]

7. I wish you could swing by Spain!

But hell, I can't even make it there to meet you, but I am always there in spirit. ;-)

:hi: From the PsychoPope!

[Kellanved]

10. nice

If you need a few tips for Berlin (Restaurants, Places, etc ...) please ask.

I don't know if you're using some organized deal with sightseeing tours included, but if not, it would be a good idea to ask the Bundestag for the guided Art tour through the Reichstag. It really is worth it.


http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/info/050vberl.html (5.2).

[Stockholm]

11. Lucky you!!!

Hope you have a fantastic time! Had you passed by Stockholm I would have bought you a cup.

[Munk]

12. CiCi, stay out of the Latin Quarter period!

Take it from a frenchie, the quartier latin is worthless, just take a quick tour through it and then "adieu".

The Marais is much more fun (the area directly north of Notre Dame).

A few tips for you:

Change money before you leave, it is cheaper that way. If you plan on using your credit card make sure your card issuer doesn't charge an arm and a leg.

Get an Orange card for the Metro: cheaper than the visit card and much cheaper than getting one way tickets. You will want the weekly ones for Zones 1 and 2 (most of the Paris sites are within these zones.

Berthillion: Ice cream shop on Ile st Louis (smaller Island behind Notre Dame). Best damn ice cream I have ever had in my life!

Batobus: instead of spending $30 on a "flyboat" tour as the tourist books all indicate, their is a very cheap boat tour that has a dozen stops on the seine. With an Orange metro card the full loop around the seine is les than 10 Euros and the ticket is valid all day: http://www.batobus.com/english/index.htm

I put together a guide for a group I took to Paris a few weeks ago. While the guide is tailored for our trip there is some worthwhile info in there you may want to pay attention to.

I hope you enjoy the trip, sounds like a ton of fun!

http://www.gofrench.net/guide.doc

Cheers,

Munk

[Donkeyboy75]

13. Hey CiCi,

Just got back from a week in Vienna and Prague. Let me know if you have any questions. Both are fabulous cities!!! :hi:

[Kellanved]

15. hi, at least a little about Berlin

Berlin:
Basics:

• pack warm clothes, the winter can be brutal
  
• watch your step, should the winter not be brutal, the dog poo won’t be frozen…
  
• memorize the subway (U-Bahn) system, it’s the fastest and cheapest way around town.
  
• Not even Asperine is available in supermarkets; Pharmacies are small stores, but rather frequent. Usually there is exactly one in each district that is open all night.
  

Essentials:

• The Jewish Museum
  
• The Pergamon
  
• Neue Nationalgalerie
  
• Alte Nationalgalerie
  
• The Gemäldegalerie
  
• The Wall Memorial
  
• The German Historic Museum
  
• The Reichstag Dome
  
• The Topography of Terror
  
• the Holocaust Memorial
  
• The War Memorial
  
  
• Try to get a day in Potsdam (just a warning: don’t expect English-language tour guides there.)
  

If possible:

• Ride the Bus Line 100 - it is like a sightseeing tour, just better
  
• visit a concert at the Berlin Philharmonic
  
• get a guided tour through the Reichstag
  
• drink a Glühwein at the Grand Hotel Adlon’s Ice Bar
  

If you have the time :

• The Concentration Camp Sachsenhausen
  
• The Egyptian Museum
  
• The German Museum of Technology
  
• The Flick Collection
  
• Helmut Newton Museum
  
• One of the two Zoos west east
  
• The Hohenzollern tomb and the Cathedral
  
• If you want to pay your respects to persons like Willy brandt, Marlene Dietrich,... ; list
  

Shopping:

• There are two world-famous department stores in Berlin; the KaDeWe at the “Wittenbergplatz” and one major LaFayette Subsidiary, located on Friedrichstraße. In both stores the Gourmet department is most fascinating.
  
• The Kudamm, pure West-Berlin
  
• A major outlet center, the B5, is located about 20km west of the city limits.
  

Eating and Drinking:

• Tipping: Tip 5-10%
  
• Water: Drinks generally are not free (far from it), but most places will serve tap water (“Leitungswasser”) to wine or coffee, if asked
  
  
• Coffee-Shops: There are three big chains present in Berlin: Starbucks, Balzac and Einstein ; Einstein and Balzac are better and cheaper than Starbucks.
  
  
• Döner: The local fast food of choice; my recommendation is to buy it at Saray’s, at the Subway Station “Seestraße” (across the intersection from the cinema “Alhambra”.)
  
  
• Curry-Wurst: the other local fast-food, get it at Konopke’s under the subway, near the station “Eberswalder Straße” – the one fast food stand where you might meet the Chancellor.
  
  
• Coffee and Cakes:
  Café Einstein, either “Unter Den Linden”, next to the American Embassy, or the original villa on the Kurfürstenstraße.
  
  

Avoid:

• the so-called “museum” at the Checkpoint Charlie, it is a private exhibition with only a distant relationship to historic facts.
  
• The “Berlin Story” on the Kurfürstendamm
  
• “Italian” or “Greek” Restaurants that also do offer Turkish dishes
  Sushi –AFAIK there are only like three or four places in town where you can get good (“real”) Sushi
  
• Don’t buy the “homeless” magazines offered in the subway; with one exception, they are not actually supporting homeless people.