European Vacation! - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

shoegirl · 02-20-2006, 01:17 PM

I'll be in Europe the last week of June. Definitely starting the trip in Paris and will end in Oxford, England. Any suggestions on where to visit in between?

jwoody · 02-22-2006, 04:45 AM

What sort of thing are you interested in?

I could tell you where the best castles are or where to buy magic mushrooms.

shoegirl · 02-22-2006, 08:18 AM

I love European architechture. Would definitely like to see Italy at some point, but not sure that we could do it justice just by passing through. I'd just like to be someplace with plenty of things to do that has beautiful scenery. It would be a great change to look out a window and not see Wal-Mart.

jwoody · 02-22-2006, 08:24 AM

Well, if you like architecture, Oxford is home to the oldest English speaking university in the world.

http://www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/

That's about all I can offer, unfortunately. If you'd asked me about magic mushrooms...

p.s. thanks for giving me the National Lampoon 'Holiday Road' earworm.

shoegirl · 02-22-2006, 04:02 PM

Thanks for the site! I'm actually going with a friend who will be studying at Oxford, so I'll definitely get to see the university.

martinguerre · 02-22-2006, 04:26 PM

check http://dps1.travelocity.com/dreamMap...e=dreamMap.pgd

Dream maps can help you figure out what might be in range...

I have travel to france booked for early march...i'll be taking my second week in Athens on a cheap swissair flight...but there were plenty of other cities that have good ticket deals. Ryanair, and some of the other carriers are worth a look as well.

shoegirl · 02-23-2006, 11:15 AM

Thanks! I'll definitely look into that.

la petite moi · 02-26-2006, 01:02 AM

In France, check out the Loire valley- many castles and beautiful scenic areas if you're able to drive a few (or several) hours.

DJ Happy · 02-27-2006, 08:18 AM

Amsterdam baby!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

amonkie · 02-27-2006, 08:39 AM

Brussels is absolutely beautiful - The Atomium is worth a visit if you are at all science inclined.

shoegirl · 02-27-2006, 12:48 PM

I'm definitely a huge science nerd!

I'll keep Brussels in mind.

shoegirl · 03-05-2006, 03:44 PM

Also, We'll be flying out of either Dayton or Cincinnati. Since we're not sure where we're going first, we've been trying to figure out which European cities would be cheaper to fly into. Any suggestions?

sailor · 03-06-2006, 11:24 AM

How long are you there? If it's only a week, you're not going to have time to see more than two or maybe three places, so pick carefully...

WillyPete · 03-06-2006, 12:39 PM

Ireland.
Scotland.

If you want to see the European side:
Barcelona,
Prague...

I like this site for cheap flights:
www.skyscanner.net

mirevolver · 03-06-2006, 03:13 PM

The biggest piece of advice I can give is that the world cup will be going on in Germany. So unless you want to deal with massive crowds of crazed soccer fans, stay out of Germany until after July 9th.

oberon · 03-06-2006, 06:44 PM

Go to Versailles and the Louvre while you are in Paris. Don't forget the obligatory Eiffel Tower photo.

thesupermikey · 03-06-2006, 08:39 PM

Poland!
Krackow is beautiful in the summer. and its very cheap and the food is great.

jwoody · 03-08-2006, 03:16 AM

For flights around Europe, try www.easyjet.com for prices.

shoegirl · 03-08-2006, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mirevolver

The biggest piece of advice I can give is that the world cup will be going on in Germany. So unless you want to deal with massive crowds of crazed soccer fans, stay out of Germany until after July 9th.

I actually wouldn't mind, especially if I could get tickets.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailor

How long are you there? If it's only a week, you're not going to have time to see more than two or maybe three places, so pick carefully...

I'll be able to travel for about a week and a half. Then I'll be in Oxford, England for 3 or 4 days. Besides Paris, we're planning on picking two other places that we'd like to see. Now, if we could just narrow it down!

maleficent · 03-08-2006, 08:22 AM

Between easyjet and www.ryanair.com - -both are kinda like big flying greyhound buses.. No frills.. you pay extra for luggage.. but they are dirt cheap and will get you places... Ryanair has some incredibly cheap prices to go just about anywhere on the continent..

Prague is absolutely beautiful
Ireland - I'd love to see the Giant's causway before I die...

Areas around london are beautiful - i loved canterbury - the cathedral was impressive... on the way out there i also went by stonehenge (it was closed when i was there because of an foot and mouth epidemic) The Lakes Region is probably the most beautiful area in the UK...

jwoody · 03-08-2006, 08:31 AM

My only problem with Ryanair is that the price advertised very rarely matches the price you pay, unlike easyjet.

They are still cheaper than other airlines, though.

leftyderek · 03-08-2006, 06:55 PM

Ryanair... eh, I remember once I flew with them from Frankfurt to Tampere(Finland), the plane landed 30 minutes early, literally 30 minutes. The pilot must be speeding... Anyway.

Try
www.blue1.com
A finnish friend of mine told me about that. Cheap flights and such.
Then again if you would by chance go to/from Oslo, try www.norwegian.no - sometimes they get pretty cheap also- you can also try looking at kilroy, but I don't know if they do anything outside the Nordic region.

Europe is a lovely place- I miss it.

acostello · 03-23-2006, 03:05 AM

Most inexpensive flights to EU are from JFK/EWR - Out of Cincinnati (CVG) onetcly DL and AF fly to Paris

shoegirl · 03-23-2006, 05:18 AM

Actually, I've been looking all week. The cheapest flight I've found so far is out of Dayton to Cologne (Koln), Germany. It's running about $200-$300 cheaper than flying straight into Paris.

Still not sure if that's where we'll start our trip or not. Anyone been to Koln? Like/Dislike it - tell me why!

sailor · 03-23-2006, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shoegirl2219

Actually, I've been looking all week. The cheapest flight I've found so far is out of Dayton to Cologne (Koln), Germany. It's running about $200-$300 cheaper than flying straight into Paris.

Still not sure if that's where we'll start our trip or not. Anyone been to Koln? Like/Dislike it - tell me why!

Köln has an amazing gothic cathedral, the largest gothic cathedral in the world, I believe. But beyond that, Köln is typical of the Northern Rhine German cities--an industrial town. There's not much there aside from the cathedral. Worth seeing if you're on your way through, especially as it's literally across the street from the train station, but it's not worth a trip in and of itself unless you're really into gothic cathedrals.

Also, don't forget that there are lots more budget airlines than just RyanAir, etc. In fact, I'd say RyanAir is one of the worst of the probably 50+ budget airlines in Europe. Check out Skyscanner.net for the best way to find budget flights.

Where are you flying in/out of? The same city? Open-jaw? That's seriously going to affect what you can do. Do not make the same mistake that most people make on their first trip to Europe of trying to see way too much in too little time and spending more time in planes, trains, or airports than actually doing things. So you have one week after you leave Britain, maybe less after you factor in travel to/from the Continent... Stay in Paris for 3-4 days, then maybe make a day trip or two out of Paris (Normandy, Loire Valley (Chateaux), etc). Take it from someone who just spent six months travelling Europe--travel takes up much more time than you'd think, and it isn't worth it. It's better to get a good feel for one or two places than a window view of 5.

Edit: You could easily fly into Köln and work your way south along the Rhine. Once you get out of the industrial area, the Rhine becomes a beautiful (if touristy, but so is most of Europe) area, with castles literally about every 400 yards along the Rhine. Renting a car is probably the best way to tour this area. And there are tons of great wineries in the area as well, so try to fit in a few tours if possible. You could easily spend a great, leisurely week along the Rhine like that, spending the night in castle hotels overlooking the river, taking riverboat cruises, touring vineyards, etc, with maybe time leftover for a 2-3 day trip somewhere else, maybe south-eastern France or even the Alps if you're really wanting to do more travelling.

shoegirl · 03-23-2006, 11:56 AM

I'm flying out of Cincinnati or Dayton - depends on the ticket prices. Don't know what city I'll be flying into, that's what we're trying to decide. We'll definitely be going to Paris at some point in the trip and plan on staying there for at least 3 or 4 days. At the end of the trip, I'll be going with my friend to Oxford, England (where she'll be studying for a few months) and I'll have time then to explore a bit of England. Eventually I'll fly back to the states out of London.

sailor · 03-23-2006, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shoegirl2219

I'm flying out of Cincinnati or Dayton - depends on the ticket prices. Don't know what city I'll be flying into, that's what we're trying to decide. We'll definitely be going to Paris at some point in the trip and plan on staying there for at least 3 or 4 days. At the end of the trip, I'll be going with my friend to Oxford, England (where she'll be studying for a few months) and I'll have time then to explore a bit of England. Eventually I'll fly back to the states out of London.

Try using Kayak.com to look for prices from the US to Europe.

And you'd probably do better to just spring for the extra money to fly into Paris. You'll easily spend $200 trying to get from wherever else to Paris anyways.

Also don't forget, the dollar is very weak in comparison to the pound. Budget more than you'd think for England; London is probably the single most expensive place in the world that an American can travel to.

shoegirl · 04-04-2006, 01:25 PM

Looks like we've decided to spend the majority of our time in France and England. We tried to pick a third place that we wanted to see, but realized that we didn't want to spend our whole trip traveling to the next destination. With that in mind, for those that have been to Paris and/or London - any suggestions, sites that are must sees? Things like the Eiffel Tower and the Lourve are obvious - what about lesser known places or things I might not think of? Thanks

robbdn · 04-05-2006, 01:42 AM

London is pretty awesome, I only spent about five hours there, but I can go again sometime later (currently living in Norfolk). I'd recommend just taking the Tube all over the Circle line, it stops at all the tourist spots like Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral, Museum Road, Buckingham Palace, and so on. You can get a day pass for 4.90 quid, so it's a really cheap, set-your-own-schedule kind of way to see the most popular spots. I believe the changing of the guard happens at 11:30 am (we missed it, and I'm not sure if the time ever changes or not), so keep that in mind, the rest of the stuff is pretty flexible.

Museum Road is pretty awesome, but unless you have kids with you avoid the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. The Natural History Museum is definitely the kind of place you take your kids to when they start asking where babies come from (and you want to respond, "well, you see, once a long time ago there were these things called 'dinosaurs'). Definitely check out the Royal College and V&A, pretty cool stuff there.

Definitely check out an English pub, and definitely go see some live music, while in London. That's all I have to offer for the moment.

MR_WALLACE · 04-05-2006, 07:53 AM

There's a small country between France and the UK. BELGIUM !!! Check it out it's pretty cool. Great food and great beer !!!!!
visitbelgium

maleficent · 04-05-2006, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MR_WALLACE

There's a small country between France and the UK. BELGIUM !!! Check it out it's pretty cool. Great food and great beer !!!!!
visitbelgium

Brussels was a really neat place - even the smurfs museum was fun... though mayonaisse on french fries is a really bad idea...

shoegirl · 04-05-2006, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MR_WALLACE

Great food and great beer !!!!!

Great food and beer, eh? I'm sold.

And I've always heard great things about Brussels. I'll definitely look into this. Thanks!

snowy · 04-13-2006, 09:14 AM

Brussels would be a great place to stop. You can easily take a train north from Paris to Brussels (I recommend the Thalys) and then take the Eurostar from Brussels to London. Very easy trip and there's lots to see and do in Brussels--wish I'd had more time there. The high-speed trains are worth it just for the experience

It's a great way to see Europe, and taking the Chunnel is one-of-a-kind.

shoegirl · 04-14-2006, 01:37 PM

Looks like our plans are shaping up. We'll be flying into Paris and staying for probably about 4 or 5 days - heading to Brussels for about 2 days - then to London for for a couple days - and finally ending up in Oxford. Thanks to everyone for all your suggestions so far!

maleficent · 04-14-2006, 01:50 PM

Enjoy the atomium -- be sure to look for the mannequin pis If you are into cars at all -- autoworld was really neat..

If you have any interest in history at all - NATO headquarters is really intersting...

For a fun time-- a brewery is essential..

If you have any appreciation for architecture -- or even people watching - The Grande Place is amazing... the buildings are beautiful... there's a ton of shops, food places (mmmm mussels), ice cream in a belgium waffle (outstanding) that you can get to go and just wander...

and the one website I can't find-- and I swear it was in brussels... was a cute little miniature tour of europe that you could walk thru -- it was over the top touristy... and kinda resembled a putt putt course - it was nice for a few hours... maybe the closed it - or maybe it was in some other city i forgot i was in...

Enjoy..

MR_WALLACE · 04-21-2006, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maleficent

and the one website I can't find-- and I swear it was in brussels... was a cute little miniature tour of europe that you could walk thru -- it was over the top touristy... and kinda resembled a putt putt course - it was nice for a few hours... maybe the closed it - or maybe it was in some other city i forgot i was in...

Enjoy..

Here is the link: minieurope

shoegirl · 05-11-2006, 11:35 AM

Thanks for the links! The trip plans are starting to come together. Plane tickets have been purchased - unfortunately we're going to have a 6 hour layover in Chicago because the airline changed our flight out of Dayton. I'm sure we'll keep busy, though. Now I'm looking for power outlet adapters. What are the best ones or the best place to get them? And since I'll be in France and England, I'll need different adapters for both countries, I think? Any other must pack items you all can think of?

maleficent · 05-11-2006, 02:13 PM

http://www.magellans.com/ is the best place I've found ....

before you pack your blow dryer and other stuff - check to make sure that it's dual voltage - you also m ioght want to check if the hotel supplies them... Any appliance you bring... confirm it's dual voltage (magellen's actually has pretty informative section on what converters you need...)

snowy · 05-12-2006, 01:57 PM

Pack light! Don't take anything you can't carry on your back for over an hour at a time. Pack multitaskers. For instance, I pack Dove soap when I travel because it works as a soap, a face wash, and shaving cream (it lathers up better than most soaps and is very moisturizing). I also pack a 2-in-1 shampoo. Skip the hair dryer if at all possible. They take up a lot of room and more often than not you won't have time to use it. Pack all of your toiletries in ziplocs (to protect your stuff from leakage/burstage).

Also, keep in mind that people on the continent dress a lot more nicely than people do here. If you're wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, you will give yourself away as an American. Furthermore, their climate is cooler than here. When I visited in late June/early July I was wearing sweaters constantly because it was 60-65 out and I was used to 75-80.

And don't forget to leave room in your backpack for stuff you'll purchase there and want to bring home. Extra batteries for your digital camera are a must, and any extra memory cards you have.

The biggest advice I can give you is to make a checklist of what you are going to pack and pack it. See if it all fits. If it doesn't, take out what you don't need. Revise the checklist and keep a copy of it with you when you travel. Also, get yourself a little travel wallet you can wear. I had one that had a long strap that I could wear across my body. Under a sweater you couldn't tell that I was wearing it. Keep all of your important documents in here and ON YOU at all times. Don't ever leave your passport unattended, and keep it somewhere locked at night. If you're staying in hostels at all, don't forget to pack a lock. A lock for your backpack isn't a bad idea either.

shoegirl · 06-15-2006, 05:22 PM

One week to go! I'm SO excited!!!

Lists made, a test pack to occur in the next few days, and some final odds and ends to pick up. But, I came up with a question I thought you guys might have a good answer to.

When I head over would it be best to take cash, use my credit card, take travelers checks, or something else? In past experiences, what's worked the best for you all? Thanks!

02-20-2006, 01:17 PM	#1 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	European Vacation! I'll be in Europe the last week of June. Definitely starting the trip in Paris and will end in Oxford, England. Any suggestions on where to visit in between?

02-22-2006, 04:45 AM	#2 (permalink)
jwoody Shackle Me Not Location: Newcastle - England.	What sort of thing are you interested in? I could tell you where the best castles are or where to buy magic mushrooms. __________________ .

02-22-2006, 08:24 AM	#4 (permalink)
jwoody Shackle Me Not Location: Newcastle - England.	Well, if you like architecture, Oxford is home to the oldest English speaking university in the world. http://www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/ That's about all I can offer, unfortunately. If you'd asked me about magic mushrooms... p.s. thanks for giving me the National Lampoon 'Holiday Road' earworm. __________________ . Last edited by jwoody; 02-22-2006 at 10:45 AM..

02-22-2006, 04:26 PM	#6 (permalink)
martinguerre whosoever Location: New England	check http://dps1.travelocity.com/dreamMap...e=dreamMap.pgd Dream maps can help you figure out what might be in range... I have travel to france booked for early march...i'll be taking my second week in Athens on a cheap swissair flight...but there were plenty of other cities that have good ticket deals. Ryanair, and some of the other carriers are worth a look as well. __________________ For God so loved creation, that God sent God's only Son that whosoever believed should not perish, but have everlasting life. -John 3:16

02-27-2006, 08:39 AM	#10 (permalink)
amonkie Drifting Administrator Location: Windy City	Brussels is absolutely beautiful - The Atomium is worth a visit if you are at all science inclined. __________________ Calling from deep in the heart, from where the eyes can't see and the ears can't hear, from where the mountain trails end and only love can go... ~~~ Three Rivers Hare Krishna

02-22-2006, 08:18 AM	#3 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	I love European architechture. Would definitely like to see Italy at some point, but not sure that we could do it justice just by passing through. I'd just like to be someplace with plenty of things to do that has beautiful scenery. It would be a great change to look out a window and not see Wal-Mart.

02-22-2006, 04:02 PM	#5 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	Thanks for the site! I'm actually going with a friend who will be studying at Oxford, so I'll definitely get to see the university.

02-23-2006, 11:15 AM	#7 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	Thanks! I'll definitely look into that.

02-26-2006, 01:02 AM	#8 (permalink)
la petite moi Filling the Void. Location: California	In France, check out the Loire valley- many castles and beautiful scenic areas if you're able to drive a few (or several) hours.

02-27-2006, 08:18 AM	#9 (permalink)
DJ Happy Psycho	Amsterdam baby!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

02-27-2006, 12:48 PM	#11 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	I'm definitely a huge science nerd! I'll keep Brussels in mind.

03-05-2006, 03:44 PM	#12 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	Also, We'll be flying out of either Dayton or Cincinnati. Since we're not sure where we're going first, we've been trying to figure out which European cities would be cheaper to fly into. Any suggestions?

03-06-2006, 11:24 AM	#13 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	How long are you there? If it's only a week, you're not going to have time to see more than two or maybe three places, so pick carefully... __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato

03-06-2006, 12:39 PM	#14 (permalink)
WillyPete Addict	Ireland. Scotland. If you want to see the European side: Barcelona, Prague... I like this site for cheap flights: www.skyscanner.net

03-06-2006, 03:13 PM	#15 (permalink)
mirevolver Inspired by the mind's eye. Location: Between the darkness and the light.	The biggest piece of advice I can give is that the world cup will be going on in Germany. So unless you want to deal with massive crowds of crazed soccer fans, stay out of Germany until after July 9th. __________________ Aside from my great plans to become the future dictator of the moon, I have little interest in political discussions.

03-06-2006, 06:44 PM	#16 (permalink)
oberon Quadrature Amplitude Modulator Location: Denver	Go to Versailles and the Louvre while you are in Paris. Don't forget the obligatory Eiffel Tower photo. __________________ "There are finer fish in the sea than have ever been caught." -- Irish proverb

03-06-2006, 08:39 PM	#17 (permalink)
thesupermikey I got blisters on me fingers!!! Location: In my stressless expectation free zone.	Poland! Krackow is beautiful in the summer. and its very cheap and the food is great. __________________ If you are not outraged than you are not paying attention! "Reality has a well-known liberal bias" - Steven Colbert

03-08-2006, 03:16 AM	#18 (permalink)
jwoody Shackle Me Not Location: Newcastle - England.	For flights around Europe, try www.easyjet.com for prices. __________________ .

03-08-2006, 08:22 AM	#20 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	Between easyjet and www.ryanair.com - -both are kinda like big flying greyhound buses.. No frills.. you pay extra for luggage.. but they are dirt cheap and will get you places... Ryanair has some incredibly cheap prices to go just about anywhere on the continent.. Prague is absolutely beautiful Ireland - I'd love to see the Giant's causway before I die... Areas around london are beautiful - i loved canterbury - the cathedral was impressive... on the way out there i also went by stonehenge (it was closed when i was there because of an foot and mouth epidemic) The Lakes Region is probably the most beautiful area in the UK... __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

03-08-2006, 08:31 AM	#21 (permalink)
jwoody Shackle Me Not Location: Newcastle - England.	My only problem with Ryanair is that the price advertised very rarely matches the price you pay, unlike easyjet. They are still cheaper than other airlines, though. __________________ .

03-08-2006, 06:55 PM	#22 (permalink)
leftyderek Crazy Location: Currently Canada. I have been in Norway in the last two years, and in Hong Kong before Norway.	Ryanair... eh, I remember once I flew with them from Frankfurt to Tampere(Finland), the plane landed 30 minutes early, literally 30 minutes. The pilot must be speeding... Anyway. Try www.blue1.com A finnish friend of mine told me about that. Cheap flights and such. Then again if you would by chance go to/from Oslo, try www.norwegian.no - sometimes they get pretty cheap also- you can also try looking at kilroy, but I don't know if they do anything outside the Nordic region. Europe is a lovely place- I miss it. __________________ -Imagine how beautiful the world would be if we could only do things for the first-and-last time. Imagine this is the last time you would ever be able to imagine. Imagine that. -Die Lust der Zerstörung ist gleichzeitig eine schaffende Lust. -...and god said Lx1,go! and there was light...

03-23-2006, 03:05 AM	#23 (permalink)
acostello Crazy	Most inexpensive flights to EU are from JFK/EWR - Out of Cincinnati (CVG) onetcly DL and AF fly to Paris

03-23-2006, 05:18 AM	#24 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	Actually, I've been looking all week. The cheapest flight I've found so far is out of Dayton to Cologne (Koln), Germany. It's running about $200-$300 cheaper than flying straight into Paris. Still not sure if that's where we'll start our trip or not. Anyone been to Koln? Like/Dislike it - tell me why!

03-23-2006, 11:56 AM	#26 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	I'm flying out of Cincinnati or Dayton - depends on the ticket prices. Don't know what city I'll be flying into, that's what we're trying to decide. We'll definitely be going to Paris at some point in the trip and plan on staying there for at least 3 or 4 days. At the end of the trip, I'll be going with my friend to Oxford, England (where she'll be studying for a few months) and I'll have time then to explore a bit of England. Eventually I'll fly back to the states out of London.

04-04-2006, 01:25 PM	#28 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	Looks like we've decided to spend the majority of our time in France and England. We tried to pick a third place that we wanted to see, but realized that we didn't want to spend our whole trip traveling to the next destination. With that in mind, for those that have been to Paris and/or London - any suggestions, sites that are must sees? Things like the Eiffel Tower and the Lourve are obvious - what about lesser known places or things I might not think of? Thanks

04-05-2006, 01:42 AM	#29 (permalink)
robbdn Crazy	London is pretty awesome, I only spent about five hours there, but I can go again sometime later (currently living in Norfolk). I'd recommend just taking the Tube all over the Circle line, it stops at all the tourist spots like Big Ben, Westminster Cathedral, Museum Road, Buckingham Palace, and so on. You can get a day pass for 4.90 quid, so it's a really cheap, set-your-own-schedule kind of way to see the most popular spots. I believe the changing of the guard happens at 11:30 am (we missed it, and I'm not sure if the time ever changes or not), so keep that in mind, the rest of the stuff is pretty flexible. Museum Road is pretty awesome, but unless you have kids with you avoid the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. The Natural History Museum is definitely the kind of place you take your kids to when they start asking where babies come from (and you want to respond, "well, you see, once a long time ago there were these things called 'dinosaurs'). Definitely check out the Royal College and V&A, pretty cool stuff there. Definitely check out an English pub, and definitely go see some live music, while in London. That's all I have to offer for the moment. __________________ I'm swimming in the digital residue of a media-drenched world. It's too cold.

04-05-2006, 07:53 AM	#30 (permalink)
MR_WALLACE Tilted	There's a small country between France and the UK. BELGIUM !!! Check it out it's pretty cool. Great food and great beer !!!!! visitbelgium

04-13-2006, 09:14 AM	#33 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	Brussels would be a great place to stop. You can easily take a train north from Paris to Brussels (I recommend the Thalys) and then take the Eurostar from Brussels to London. Very easy trip and there's lots to see and do in Brussels--wish I'd had more time there. The high-speed trains are worth it just for the experience It's a great way to see Europe, and taking the Chunnel is one-of-a-kind. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

04-14-2006, 01:37 PM	#34 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	Looks like our plans are shaping up. We'll be flying into Paris and staying for probably about 4 or 5 days - heading to Brussels for about 2 days - then to London for for a couple days - and finally ending up in Oxford. Thanks to everyone for all your suggestions so far!

04-14-2006, 01:50 PM	#35 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	Enjoy the atomium -- be sure to look for the mannequin pis If you are into cars at all -- autoworld was really neat.. If you have any interest in history at all - NATO headquarters is really intersting... For a fun time-- a brewery is essential.. If you have any appreciation for architecture -- or even people watching - The Grande Place is amazing... the buildings are beautiful... there's a ton of shops, food places (mmmm mussels), ice cream in a belgium waffle (outstanding) that you can get to go and just wander... and the one website I can't find-- and I swear it was in brussels... was a cute little miniature tour of europe that you could walk thru -- it was over the top touristy... and kinda resembled a putt putt course - it was nice for a few hours... maybe the closed it - or maybe it was in some other city i forgot i was in... Enjoy.. __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

05-11-2006, 11:35 AM	#37 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	Thanks for the links! The trip plans are starting to come together. Plane tickets have been purchased - unfortunately we're going to have a 6 hour layover in Chicago because the airline changed our flight out of Dayton. I'm sure we'll keep busy, though. Now I'm looking for power outlet adapters. What are the best ones or the best place to get them? And since I'll be in France and England, I'll need different adapters for both countries, I think? Any other must pack items you all can think of?

05-11-2006, 02:13 PM	#38 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	http://www.magellans.com/ is the best place I've found .... before you pack your blow dryer and other stuff - check to make sure that it's dual voltage - you also m ioght want to check if the hotel supplies them... Any appliance you bring... confirm it's dual voltage (magellen's actually has pretty informative section on what converters you need...) __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

05-12-2006, 01:57 PM	#39 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	Pack light! Don't take anything you can't carry on your back for over an hour at a time. Pack multitaskers. For instance, I pack Dove soap when I travel because it works as a soap, a face wash, and shaving cream (it lathers up better than most soaps and is very moisturizing). I also pack a 2-in-1 shampoo. Skip the hair dryer if at all possible. They take up a lot of room and more often than not you won't have time to use it. Pack all of your toiletries in ziplocs (to protect your stuff from leakage/burstage). Also, keep in mind that people on the continent dress a lot more nicely than people do here. If you're wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, you will give yourself away as an American. Furthermore, their climate is cooler than here. When I visited in late June/early July I was wearing sweaters constantly because it was 60-65 out and I was used to 75-80. And don't forget to leave room in your backpack for stuff you'll purchase there and want to bring home. Extra batteries for your digital camera are a must, and any extra memory cards you have. The biggest advice I can give you is to make a checklist of what you are going to pack and pack it. See if it all fits. If it doesn't, take out what you don't need. Revise the checklist and keep a copy of it with you when you travel. Also, get yourself a little travel wallet you can wear. I had one that had a long strap that I could wear across my body. Under a sweater you couldn't tell that I was wearing it. Keep all of your important documents in here and ON YOU at all times. Don't ever leave your passport unattended, and keep it somewhere locked at night. If you're staying in hostels at all, don't forget to pack a lock. A lock for your backpack isn't a bad idea either. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

06-15-2006, 05:22 PM	#40 (permalink)
shoegirl Addict Location: Ohio	One week to go! I'm SO excited!!! Lists made, a test pack to occur in the next few days, and some final odds and ends to pick up. But, I came up with a question I thought you guys might have a good answer to. When I head over would it be best to take cash, use my credit card, take travelers checks, or something else? In past experiences, what's worked the best for you all? Thanks!