(February 11, 2018 at 12:31 am)Tres Leches Wrote: Coincidentally, I'm taking my kid to Europe in summer 2019.
Not too interested in Amsterdam but my top choices are Reykjavik, Paris, Barcelona, Italy, Prague and Porto, Portugal (saw it featured on a tv show and it looked pretty cool ).

It will only be a week or two so I'll choose one area, I'm not big on 6 countries in 8 days-type trips. I need time to wander around and get a feel for a place to really enjoy it.

I've also heard some of these cities are jam packed with tourists in summer and I'd rather give the touristy crowds a miss.

I would love to go back to the UK to visit but I lived there illegally for a time in the 1990s. Not sure if I'd make it past the border.

-Teresa

Come back! my rates are reasonable

(February 11, 2018 at 12:31 am)Tres Leches Wrote: Coincidentally, I'm taking my kid to Europe in summer 2019.
Not too interested in Amsterdam but my top choices are Reykjavik, Paris, Barcelona, Italy, Prague and Porto, Portugal (saw it featured on a tv show and it looked pretty cool ).

It will only be a week or two so I'll choose one area, I'm not big on 6 countries in 8 days-type trips. I need time to wander around and get a feel for a place to really enjoy it.

I've also heard some of these cities are jam packed with tourists in summer and I'd rather give the touristy crowds a miss.

I would love to go back to the UK to visit but I lived there illegally for a time in the 1990s. Not sure if I'd make it past the border.

-Teresa

If you do make it to the UK, try to visit Belfast in mid-July.  Nothing says 'Northern Ireland' like the soft glow of effigies burning gently in the night.

Boru

(February 10, 2018 at 6:06 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: We've decided 2019 is our year to do our first European vacation together.  Two-ish weeks, probably starting in Amsterdam, but we don't want to just stay in the same place, and our return flight can be from our final stop.

Obviously we will necessarily have to be selective.

For such a trip, what's your itinerary, and why?

A lot of people don't realize just how close a lot of major cities are over there. It's like a 4-5 hour (it really depends on how fast you're willing to go) drive from Amsterdam to Frankfurt, and about 5-6 hours from Frankfurt to Paris, though Paris is not someplace you'd want to drive, it's best to ride the subway.

(February 10, 2018 at 7:14 pm)chimp3 Wrote: Never been! But if your ever in Kentucky I will show you the best mutton barbeque. Then the Bourbon distillery tour!

Waddabout Fort Knox? The Horse Cave? The Ark Encounter? The Corvette Museum? You could miss all those and still enjoy the scenery. Kentucky is a pretty state. 

Back on topic... Austria and Switzerland are beautiful must-see countries.

(February 11, 2018 at 12:31 am)Tres Leches Wrote: Coincidentally, I'm taking my kid to Europe in summer 2019.
Not too interested in Amsterdam but my top choices are Reykjavik, Paris, Barcelona, Italy, Prague and Porto, Portugal (saw it featured on a tv show and it looked pretty cool ).

It will only be a week or two so I'll choose one area, I'm not big on 6 countries in 8 days-type trips. I need time to wander around and get a feel for a place to really enjoy it.

I've also heard some of these cities are jam packed with tourists in summer and I'd rather give the touristy crowds a miss.

I would love to go back to the UK to visit but I lived there illegally for a time in the 1990s. Not sure if I'd make it past the border.

-Teresa

Iceland is beautiful.

Reykjavik however is the most boring city I’ve ever been to. There’s not much to see to be honest, and the museum there takes about 10 minutes to walk around and basically the history of Iceland is ‘Viking for a couple of hundred years, then all Christian and a few plagues.’

(February 11, 2018 at 7:17 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote:

(February 11, 2018 at 12:31 am)Tres Leches Wrote: Coincidentally, I'm taking my kid to Europe in summer 2019.
Not too interested in Amsterdam but my top choices are Reykjavik, Paris, Barcelona, Italy, Prague and Porto, Portugal (saw it featured on a tv show and it looked pretty cool ).

It will only be a week or two so I'll choose one area, I'm not big on 6 countries in 8 days-type trips. I need time to wander around and get a feel for a place to really enjoy it.

I've also heard some of these cities are jam packed with tourists in summer and I'd rather give the touristy crowds a miss.

I would love to go back to the UK to visit but I lived there illegally for a time in the 1990s. Not sure if I'd make it past the border.

-Teresa

If you do make it to the UK, try to visit Belfast in mid-July.  Nothing says 'Northern Ireland' like the soft glow of effigies burning gently in the night.

Boru

And the neighbouring housing estates if the unionist neanderthals are allowed to keep their expansionist bonfire policy.

I've only been to France, Italy and England. Looking forward to visiting Spain and Portugal next time around. I'm eager to see things Gaudi designed in Barcelona even though I'm put off to hear how these are now like attractions at an amusement park requiring tickets and long lines. I hear the food is great in Portugal.

If you go to Paris a couple of small fun things to do on a hot day is get an ice cream cone at Berthillon Glacier, a hop skip and a jump from Notre Dame in case you suddenly get religion. The catacombs in addition to providing a naturally cool escape from the heat are really fascinating, with gazillions of human bones moved from decommissioned graveyards to make more room for the living arranged artfully. Lots of art to see too of course. Also eat all the mussels you can find along with anything with duck and the steak au poivre. Old medieval towns in the south of France are pretty interesting for us old-historic-site-deprived Murikans. We took a trip through the Dordogne valley and thereabouts to see prehistoric sites but that was so long ago I don't remember much. We also drove through a valley full of castles on that trip, but the only lasting memory is of a huge garden laid out very geometrically, fascinating even if not my cup of tea.

In Italy I've mostly just been to Venice and the area north of there where Lia's father's family is from. I did like walking around Venice. I also liked London and you can see treasures stolen from all around the globe there. Seriously though great museums and a good place for Indian food. But we were mostly there for gardens. If you want any recommendations on those I've got plenty.

About Venice - do not go there in the Summer. Warm still water is a great breeding ground for mosquitoes!

(February 11, 2018 at 6:51 am)Cod Wrote:

(February 11, 2018 at 12:31 am)Tres Leches Wrote: Coincidentally, I'm taking my kid to Europe in summer 2019.
Not too interested in Amsterdam but my top choices are Reykjavik, Paris, Barcelona, Italy, Prague and Porto, Portugal (saw it featured on a tv show and it looked pretty cool ).

It will only be a week or two so I'll choose one area, I'm not big on 6 countries in 8 days-type trips. I need time to wander around and get a feel for a place to really enjoy it.

I've also heard some of these cities are jam packed with tourists in summer and I'd rather give the touristy crowds a miss.

I would love to go back to the UK to visit but I lived there illegally for a time in the 1990s. Not sure if I'd make it past the border.

-Teresa

Come back! my rates are reasonable

Cool! You can smuggle me across the border.

-Teresa

(February 11, 2018 at 7:59 am)Huggy74 Wrote:

(February 10, 2018 at 6:06 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: We've decided 2019 is our year to do our first European vacation together.  Two-ish weeks, probably starting in Amsterdam, but we don't want to just stay in the same place, and our return flight can be from our final stop.

Obviously we will necessarily have to be selective.

For such a trip, what's your itinerary, and why?

A lot of people don't realize just how close a lot of major cities are over there. It's like a 4-5 hour (it really depends on how fast you're willing to go) drive from Amsterdam to Frankfurt, and about 5-6 hours from Frankfurt to Paris, though Paris is not someplace you'd want to drive, it's best to ride the subway.

Or interrail around. Did that when we were young (young < 26). Cheaper and a lot of fun. Never been to the US, but territory size-wise, much more distance between bigger cities.