@Ambiverbal Is it safe to assume you think Manhattan should be freely returned to the Leni Lenape because the current members of the tribe don’t think sixty guilders four hundred years ago was fair?
@luvche21
It means you should do a better job of picking the one day or two you decide to visit. So we have a heads up for the city to be at its best just for you.
The same could be said of any city, European or US.
Were you expecting it to look like what you see on TV?
What it really means is that you should go again and again until you find the right place. You were just there at the wrong time is all. Summer in the FQ does suck.
@chienfou@mike808 Yes, I was sober (I was there for a work conference). I was really interested in the music scene (I’m a big fan of New Orleans jazz normally) and went to a few different performances that were not that great. I think I had my hopes up too high?
@luvche21@mike808 yeah, I understand. Did you make it to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band? Some of the best music we have heard in N.O. has been stuff that was being done in small venues/clubs/hotel bars.
That being said, we still enjoy Cafe du Monde, Lafayette Square, the Mardi Gras World, Tipitina’s and some of the small restaurants.
@chienfou@mike808 I did make it to Preservation Hall. The musicians were excellent but the set list was horrible. They only played one that they chose as they came in and the rest were paid requests which didn’t fit very well.
@luvche21 I’d recommend going during Jazz Fest (Last weekend in April and First weekend in May). The weather is better, and the music scene is at its peak. Post-K, I’ve lost touch with the venues that reopened and new ones that took the places of those that didn’t, so I have no recommendations. The good stuff tends to be out in neighborhood dive bars, usually.
@cbilyak@chienfou if you are near a gateway where Wow Airlines flies you van find insanely cheap tix to Iceland. I have had friends do it and their only suggestion is to pay for the upgraded ticket. Economy is pretty bare bones.
@tinamarie1974 I have, as a teenager. It was before I was a skier. Now I’ve been waiting for a ski club to return there so I can too. I guess you’d consider it a town and not actually a city per the topic but it’s still my favorite place I’ve ever been.
@chienfou We had cruised through Interlaken but didn’t stay there for any significant time. I’m undecided on a ski trip to Grindelwald (the town, not the Harry Potter villain) this winter. It has a final night’s stay in Lucerne, which I had also been to on that trip too many years ago. The last two years I’ve skied in Ischgl, Austria and Val d’Isere, France with respective stays in Zurich and Geneva. I don’t actually find the skiing there to be nearly as challenging as the Rockies or where I’ve skied in Canada but the openness and views are majestic. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the most recent trip.
@cinoclav very nice. I have family in Sallanches near the Mont Blanc and learned to ski in that area in the early 70’s (back when you sized your ski length by holding your hand over you head and getting them long enough to reach your wrist from the ground --210cm for me). I liked it so much I moved back to the US and went to live in Boulder so skied all over CO. back in the day.
Haven’t skied since my kids were teens (20+yrs ago – in the NC area) so not sure I would be up to that now. Bones and joints are not as supple as they used to be!
@chienfou You can say that again. (As my knee throbs a bit…) The first time I skied in Europe it was at Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. That was the winter right after 9/11 and there was still a lot of pro-America mentality. Needless to say, we didn’t notice the same attitudes the last two years.
@cinoclav Yeah, I know what you mean. Since my family is French (and I grew up speaking French even though born in St. Louis) I don’t get too much shit. In fact, they often assume I am Canadian…
We went to St. Martin/Sint Maarten after the US invaded Afghanistan while we were doing the anti-French thing in the US (remember ‘freedom fries’?) and we virtually had the island to ourselves. We were in a great resort on the water for next to nothing. The locals were glad to see us and the $$ we brought down!
Do I have to pick one?
The Highlands of Scotland are breathtaking. I found Sicily to have raw beauty, and the people were amazing. The architecture in France was beyond my comprehension.
Travel is generally fun wherever you go if you let yourself enjoy the experience.
That being said, I love Paris due to the abundance of great food, incredible architecture, terrific museums, wonderful cathedrals/churches and awesome metro system.
@lljk Berlin is nice, with lots to see and do. They’re very accommodating to foreigners. But I encountered more public urination there in a week than I have in the rest of my life combined, and I’m afraid that bumps it down my list a bit.
@dannybeans@lljk My vote for public pee-ing goes to Amsterdam, where they’ve institutionalized it with all manner of free-standing, walk-up urinals for the guys. Women, however, must pay a euro…assumedly for the “privilege” of having walls, a seat, and a TP roll.
@Jamileigh17 it’s nice, I prefer the rest of Scotland. If you need a good base city for a longer trip, it’s perfect. Quick rides to the Hebrides and the Highlands. If you only can get a quick jaunt to a single city, I’d say Edinburgh wins. Though if you ever go to Scotland, I’d point you to St Andrews, even if you don’t golf, the castle and monastery ruins are beautiful. And the city itself is absolutely gorgeous.
I voted for Stockholm, 'cause besides a layover at De Gaulle, that’s the only one on the list I’ve visited. That said, I love Umeå (also in Sweden), because we have some very dear friends there who make it feel like a second home.
And I know it’s kind of a grey area, but London is pretty great, too. And Reykjavik’s a good city for walking.
@aetris Palermo is beautiful, but it is a typical big city. Take the time to explore the rest of the island. I much preferred visiting small towns and meeting natives than sitting with tourists.
Aberdeen is a beautiful city in Scotland. Worth a visit!
@kittykat9180 Ok, that makes sense then. That will give you enough time to see each spot a bit without just driving in and out of town(s) in one day. Is this an organized tour our something you planned on your own?
I haven’t been to Europe yet. Putting it on my list.
The U.S. Navy took me to Hong Kong, Singapore, Perth (AUS), Dubai (UAE) and Pearl City (U.S. but overseas). I have also road-tripped both North and South, into Canada and Mexico.
I’m thinking of visiting the Grand Canyon one more time before setting off over the oceans.
Rome is wonderful (see my comments about Florence above, as they apply here also). Walking in the middle of history through the original Rome. We ate in a restaurant that we found out when we were there was part of the original coliseum (not the big one which is amazing also), so we could have been sitting where Julius Caesar did! My goodness.
@andyw yeah, we loved visiting the cathedral at San Clemente al Laterno. Layer on layer of history.
The reason there aren’t more subway stops in Rome is each time they try to dig a hole for a new station they uncover another archeological site. Visiting the forum is really cool for the same reason.
@ceruleanseas
We spent a few days in Lisbon before heading to Albufeira in the Algarve region several years ago.
Did you have a chance to see a Fado show? Pretty cool Portugese ‘blues’ music.
London.
/giphy London
@OldCatLady I could spend years in The British Museum.
@OldCatLady oh I love London!
@Nate311 @OldCatLady Indeed! The greatest cache of stolen articles on the planet!
@Ambiverbal @OldCatLady Those other cultures weren’t using them anyway.
@Nate311 @OldCatLady Greece Unveils Museum Meant For ‘Stolen’ Sculptures
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113889188
@OldCatLady London is the obvious choice. Why it wasn’t included is beyond me.
@ahacksaw Probably a secret Brexiteer influenced the survey.
@Ambiverbal Is it safe to assume you think Manhattan should be freely returned to the Leni Lenape because the current members of the tribe don’t think sixty guilders four hundred years ago was fair?
@OldCatLady I blame Boris Johnson.
@OldCatLady A wonderful city with very nice residents!
@Nate311 @OldCatLady Many people spent years in the Tower of London.
Florence
@zerth Agreed.
@zerth Florence is a beautiful museum piece that also has excellent pork sandwiches. Good choice, though not my personal favorite.
/image da nerbone firenze mercati centrale
New Orleans
@mike808 Laissez les bons temps rouler…
Thankfully it’s easier (and cheaper) to get to then Europe…
@chienfou @mike808 I was disappointed in New Orleans, it was crowded, loud, hot, humid, and smelly. Does that mean I’m getting old?
@luvche21 @mike808 …were you sober… THAT was your mistake…
@luvche21
It means you should do a better job of picking the one day or two you decide to visit. So we have a heads up for the city to be at its best just for you.
The same could be said of any city, European or US.
Were you expecting it to look like what you see on TV?
What it really means is that you should go again and again until you find the right place. You were just there at the wrong time is all. Summer in the FQ does suck.
/youtube Dr. John Right Place Wrong Time
@chienfou @mike808 Yes, I was sober (I was there for a work conference). I was really interested in the music scene (I’m a big fan of New Orleans jazz normally) and went to a few different performances that were not that great. I think I had my hopes up too high?
@luvche21 @mike808 yeah, I understand. Did you make it to see the Preservation Hall Jazz Band? Some of the best music we have heard in N.O. has been stuff that was being done in small venues/clubs/hotel bars.
That being said, we still enjoy Cafe du Monde, Lafayette Square, the Mardi Gras World, Tipitina’s and some of the small restaurants.
@chienfou @mike808 I did make it to Preservation Hall. The musicians were excellent but the set list was horrible. They only played one that they chose as they came in and the rest were paid requests which didn’t fit very well.
@luvche21 I’d recommend going during Jazz Fest (Last weekend in April and First weekend in May). The weather is better, and the music scene is at its peak. Post-K, I’ve lost touch with the venues that reopened and new ones that took the places of those that didn’t, so I have no recommendations. The good stuff tends to be out in neighborhood dive bars, usually.
Reykjavik, Iceland!
@cbilyak I want to visit!
@cbilyak @tinamarie1974 ditto. Definitely on my radar for cheap tix some day.
@cbilyak @chienfou if you are near a gateway where Wow Airlines flies you van find insanely cheap tix to Iceland. I have had friends do it and their only suggestion is to pay for the upgraded ticket. Economy is pretty bare bones.
@cbilyak @tinamarie1974 unfortunately… not any more…
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/28/icelandic-airline-wow-air-collapses-and-cancels-all-flights.html
@cbilyak @chienfou well darn! I knew they folder in STL, but they had not ceased operations at that point.
@cbilyak @tinamarie1974 that’s the trouble with small upstarts… you never know if they will be around long enough to use your ticket!
@cbilyak @chienfou
/giphy #truth
Zermatt, Switzerland - Nothing like waking up to a snowy view of the Matterhorn.
@cinoclav have you been, it looks amazing!
@cinoclav I really liked our stay in Interlaken as well. They had a really cool international fireworks competition over New Years.
@tinamarie1974 I have, as a teenager. It was before I was a skier. Now I’ve been waiting for a ski club to return there so I can too. I guess you’d consider it a town and not actually a city per the topic but it’s still my favorite place I’ve ever been.
@cinoclav well it is beautiful. It looks like something out of a story book!
@chienfou We had cruised through Interlaken but didn’t stay there for any significant time. I’m undecided on a ski trip to Grindelwald (the town, not the Harry Potter villain) this winter. It has a final night’s stay in Lucerne, which I had also been to on that trip too many years ago. The last two years I’ve skied in Ischgl, Austria and Val d’Isere, France with respective stays in Zurich and Geneva. I don’t actually find the skiing there to be nearly as challenging as the Rockies or where I’ve skied in Canada but the openness and views are majestic. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the most recent trip.
@cinoclav very nice. I have family in Sallanches near the Mont Blanc and learned to ski in that area in the early 70’s (back when you sized your ski length by holding your hand over you head and getting them long enough to reach your wrist from the ground --210cm for me). I liked it so much I moved back to the US and went to live in Boulder so skied all over CO. back in the day.
Haven’t skied since my kids were teens (20+yrs ago – in the NC area) so not sure I would be up to that now. Bones and joints are not as supple as they used to be!
@chienfou You can say that again. (As my knee throbs a bit…) The first time I skied in Europe it was at Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. That was the winter right after 9/11 and there was still a lot of pro-America mentality. Needless to say, we didn’t notice the same attitudes the last two years.
@cinoclav Yeah, I know what you mean. Since my family is French (and I grew up speaking French even though born in St. Louis) I don’t get too much shit. In fact, they often assume I am Canadian…
We went to St. Martin/Sint Maarten after the US invaded Afghanistan while we were doing the anti-French thing in the US (remember ‘freedom fries’?) and we virtually had the island to ourselves. We were in a great resort on the water for next to nothing. The locals were glad to see us and the $$ we brought down!
Do I have to pick one?
The Highlands of Scotland are breathtaking. I found Sicily to have raw beauty, and the people were amazing. The architecture in France was beyond my comprehension.
Need I continue?
Gee, I thought Paris, Stockholm, Oslo, London, and even Italy were all in Texas! They’re all in Europe now? How long has that been?
Next, you’ll be telling me that Cairo is not in Texas!
@phendrick Cairo is in Little Egypt, the southern bit of Illinois.
@phendrick @simplersimon And pronounced “KAY-roh.”
@phendrick yep, and the London bridge isn’t in London either…
I have only been to a few, but of those on the list I would go with Barcelona. Friendly people. Good food. Interesting architecture.
@eaholtz Its gaudy (and Gaudi)
Travel is generally fun wherever you go if you let yourself enjoy the experience.
That being said, I love Paris due to the abundance of great food, incredible architecture, terrific museums, wonderful cathedrals/churches and awesome metro system.
VAN GOGH! MANGO! TANGO! AWESOME!
@mediocrebot why yes, all those are available in Paris…
@chienfou I don’t think you can get a Tango in Paris any longer. The last one was available back in 1972, I think.
@G1
@chienfou @G1 I think Jimmy Buffett’s buddy ate the last mango in Paris, as well…
@G1 @shahnm well dammit I guess next you’ll be telling me Van Gogh was Dutch or some such bullshit.
I can’t believe no one said Berlin yet.
@lljk
@lljk erroneously famous for JFK saying he was a donut…
@lljk Berlin is nice, with lots to see and do. They’re very accommodating to foreigners. But I encountered more public urination there in a week than I have in the rest of my life combined, and I’m afraid that bumps it down my list a bit.
@dannybeans @lljk My vote for public pee-ing goes to Amsterdam, where they’ve institutionalized it with all manner of free-standing, walk-up urinals for the guys. Women, however, must pay a euro…assumedly for the “privilege” of having walls, a seat, and a TP roll.
@lljk Berlin is my favorite! Such a cool city, full of culture and life. I never ran into the public urination issue, honestly.
/image Museum of Unheard Of Things
@cinoclav I was looking for a Eurotrip gif to post until I came across your comment
@jsh139 Easily one of my top 5 movies.
@cinoclav same. Mi scusi!!
The time of year really has am impact on my answer. Summer is Stockholm is fantastic, and Winter in Paris is great. Do not reverse those two.
@hchavers I dunno… I enjoy summer in winter…
@chienfou I live in Texas too
I’ve been lots of places,
But not Sacramento.
Of the places I’ve been,
My favorite’s Sorrento.
True story.
@shahnm yep, yummm… limoncello
Dresden’s Baroque architecture is extraordinary…and almost entirely rebuilt following the war.
Bruge will convince you time has reversed itself.
And wandering through Venice is like discovering a living fossil.
Dunno, haven’t been to any of them so I can’t judge. I really want to go to Glasgow though.
@Jamileigh17 it’s nice, I prefer the rest of Scotland. If you need a good base city for a longer trip, it’s perfect. Quick rides to the Hebrides and the Highlands. If you only can get a quick jaunt to a single city, I’d say Edinburgh wins. Though if you ever go to Scotland, I’d point you to St Andrews, even if you don’t golf, the castle and monastery ruins are beautiful. And the city itself is absolutely gorgeous.
London is the best European city, of course, but my sleeper favorite is Bologna. Amazing architecture and food, among other charms.
London!
To visit? Any of them. To live in? I’m partial to St Andrews, myself.
Espoo
@medz You can get a sauna anywhere in the US today. Just walk outside.
I haven’t been to any European countries except Iceland and Norway, so I can’t judge them all. I’m pretty partial to where I grew up in Norway though.
@RiotDemon I haven’t visited Norway, but have been close enough to see it from Sweden. Looked nice.
I voted for Stockholm, 'cause besides a layover at De Gaulle, that’s the only one on the list I’ve visited. That said, I love Umeå (also in Sweden), because we have some very dear friends there who make it feel like a second home.
And I know it’s kind of a grey area, but London is pretty great, too. And Reykjavik’s a good city for walking.
. . . and now Facebook tells me we were in Stockholm exactly one year ago today. I remember seeing this sign at the waterfront:
We waited for three hours, but it never happened.
Wacken.
@2many2no that looks like it could be pretty cool…
(I love the fact that it looks like a 2 month long festival by US date standards…)
@chienfou It’s kinda like a Mecca for metalheads.
Zurich is amazing!
@clegett Really??? I found it boring. Bern & Lauterbrunnen were fabulous.
I’ve never been to Stockholm, Barcelona, or Budapest, but Venice, Prague, Spliit, Palermo, Dublin, and Bucharest are all on the bucket list.
And I guess SOMEwhere in Scotland - Edinburgh, you say?
@aetris Palermo is beautiful, but it is a typical big city. Take the time to explore the rest of the island. I much preferred visiting small towns and meeting natives than sitting with tourists.
Aberdeen is a beautiful city in Scotland. Worth a visit!
I’m doing and Eastern Europe tour this fall. Bucharest and Split are on my itinerary, along with about 15 other cities.
@kittykat9180
YIKES… how long will you be overseas?
@kittykat9180
@chienfou, 24 days
@kittykat9180 Ok, that makes sense then. That will give you enough time to see each spot a bit without just driving in and out of town(s) in one day. Is this an organized tour our something you planned on your own?
Sarandë
A couple of sleeper surprise hits:
Bruges, Belgium and Tallinn, Estonia
Tough one I’ve been to Rome and Barcelona on that list. Probably Barcelona out of those two, but it is pretty close.
I haven’t been to Europe yet. Putting it on my list.
The U.S. Navy took me to Hong Kong, Singapore, Perth (AUS), Dubai (UAE) and Pearl City (U.S. but overseas). I have also road-tripped both North and South, into Canada and Mexico.
I’m thinking of visiting the Grand Canyon one more time before setting off over the oceans.
@PocketBrain Thank you for your service
Rome is wonderful (see my comments about Florence above, as they apply here also). Walking in the middle of history through the original Rome. We ate in a restaurant that we found out when we were there was part of the original coliseum (not the big one which is amazing also), so we could have been sitting where Julius Caesar did! My goodness.
@andyw yeah, we loved visiting the cathedral at San Clemente al Laterno. Layer on layer of history.
The reason there aren’t more subway stops in Rome is each time they try to dig a hole for a new station they uncover another archeological site. Visiting the forum is really cool for the same reason.
So many places in Europe are facing and wonderful to visit, and are great places for walking.
But London has a Roger Miller song.
/youtube England Swings
Lisbon, Portugal was amazing. I wish I’d had more time to sightsee, but I was on a work trip.
@ceruleanseas
We spent a few days in Lisbon before heading to Albufeira in the Algarve region several years ago.
Did you have a chance to see a Fado show? Pretty cool Portugese ‘blues’ music.
Can’t believe Prague hasn’t been mentioned…wonderful city.