Quantcast

Going to Europe

Kopiklokoli

Monkey
Jul 31, 2004
151
0
Nor Cal, of course
Hey I am leaving for Europe tomorrow, first I am going to Turkey with my dad, but after that I will be spending about 5 weeks with friends.
We have backpacks and Eurail passes and are going to Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Netherlands, France, England in that order. I am looking for ideas, who has been to these countries before? What is fun to do that does not cost too much since we are all 18 and don't have much money.
 

Dirty

i said change it damn it....Janet...Slut!!
Aug 3, 2003
522
0
youre leaving tomorrow and only just thinking about things to do that dont cost much...? poor planning....

sorry, i dont actually have anything constructive to add....

good luck, and have fun...

PS: actually, i have been to the netherlands...try out some buds over there...its good stuff...and relatively cheap
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
Sounds like a LOT for 5 weeks. I'd cut down on the number of places and stay longer. When we went for 4 months it was like this:

Italy->Spain->France->Switzerland->Italy->Belgium->Netherlands->Denmark->Norway->Sweden->Finland->Germany->Czech->Austria->France->Ireland->Gr Britain

That itineray was pretty aggressive, but we got to hang out for several days in places we fancied.
 

Echo

crooked smile
Jul 10, 2002
11,819
15
Slacking at work
It matters what kind of riding you want to do and what part of those countries you are going to. You're kind of asking "hey, I'm going to California, where should I ride?" There's great DH, great XC, awesome road riding, and everything in between in Europe.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
Echo said:
It matters what kind of riding you want to do and what part of those countries you are going to. You're kind of asking "hey, I'm going to California, where should I ride?" There's great DH, great XC, awesome road riding, and everything in between in Europe.
:stupid:

We went for the cultural experience as well as to see the Alps. :D We primarily avoided the big cities because we wanted to see the countryside. And we wanted it to be relaxing, which it won't be if you're changing locations every day.
 

fluff

Monkey Turbo
Sep 8, 2001
5,673
2
Feeling the lag
Outside of riding (which is great in the Alps) you should try and see (in the countries you mentioned):

Rome, Geneva, Berlin, Prague, Amsterdam, Paris & London. If you go to Venice take a gas-mask...

Countryside in France and Swizerland (south anyway) is beautiful, in fact France may be the best mix of scenery of any country in Europe. There is beautiful scenery in pretty much all of those countries, with the possible exception of Holland...:)

Money's worth a lot more in the Czech Republic than any of the other places, so cheap will be the same kinda things as you can do back home ('cept in Amsterdam where there are a few alternatives).

Here's a pic of Geneva, taken from my hotel window:
 

urbaindk

The Real Dr. Science
Jul 12, 2004
4,819
0
Sleepy Hollar
SkaredShtles said:
Interesting...... we didn't have any stink problems in Venice. :think:

Well know fact: Hippys can't smell their own BO. Hippy.



To the original poster - try Spain. Spain's cool. Also, slow down a little. Don't worry about getting from point A to point B. Settle down in one place for a few days and immerse yourself. You'll start to get a real feel for the culture that way.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,376
12,532
In a van.... down by the river
jdschall said:
Well know fact: Hippys can't smell their own BO. Hippy.
I don't think he was talking about BO, dumbazz. :rolleyes:

To the original poster - try Spain. Spain's cool. Also, slow down a little. Don't worry about getting from point A to point B. Settle down in one place for a few days and immerse yourself. You'll start to get a real feel for the culture that way.
Ummmm....... yeah. That advice has been proffered already. Read the thread, n00B! :rolleyes: ;) Although I agree, Spain kicks ass. :thumb:
 

urbaindk

The Real Dr. Science
Jul 12, 2004
4,819
0
Sleepy Hollar
SkaredShtles said:
I don't think he was talking about BO, dumbazz. :rolleyes:

Oh, see I thought maybe your BO was masking the raw sewage in the canals. My bad. :love:

I haven't been to Venice myself, but my wife was there in the spring (a few years ago) and said the odor wasn't too bad but that the water sure looked nasty. I've heard that it starts to stink pretty bad when it gets hot later in the summer. She continues to rave on and on about how beautiful it was there!
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
cool european cities i would recommend:

berlin
stockholm
copenhagen
prague
paris
london
rome
florence
dublin
helsinki
edinburgh

unfortunately, a lot of those are pricey (esp the northern ones). for free stuff, there are always good student deals on admissions to museums and the like. i second the recommendation to slow down a bit and absorb a bit more, rather than trying to cram everything in...
 

pZyteX

Monkey
Jan 28, 2003
294
0
Amsterdam
partsbara said:
morzine / les gets.... :drool:
agreed! just came back from a week of riding there, I want to go back!

Cheap things to do in amsterdam? Sit in the vondel park and enjoy the humid dutch summer.
 

Austin Bike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 26, 2003
1,558
0
Duh, Austin
In amsterdam be sure to eat some indonesian food - it's fantastic. I recommend Puri Mas, which is right down the street from the Bulldog (which is really touristy, stay out unless you want to hang with loud americans).

http://www.purimas.nl/

Get the rijstaffel, it's a sample menu with about 8-10 courses - a little bit of everything. Incredible food.