European Hotspots

[Strazos]

This summer, I'll be studying in Rome for a month, then going around western Europe for a few days. The destinations outside of Italy include (to my knowledge):

Geneva, Switzerland
Paris, France
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Brussels, Belgium
London, England

Anyone have any suggestions of "must see" stuff I should, eh...see?

[schild]

Geneva, Switzerland

Women.

Paris, France

Women.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Drugs.

Brussels, Belgium

Women.

London, England

The London Dungeon.

[Strazos]

Geneva, Switzerland

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Drugs.

No women? Booo.

[stray]

Yeah, screw the drugs. Holland probably has the best hottie ratio out of them all (the oft mentioned Sweden being highly overrated imo).

[schild]

Yeah, screw the drugs. Holland probably has the best hottie ratio out of them all (the oft mentioned Sweden being highly overrated imo).

Highly overrated compared to what? America?

None of those places are overrated compared to America.

And I'm not a fan of drugs, never touched them. Amsterdam also doesn't appeal to me. But if there's one thing you're supposed to do there, it's drugs. And sex clubs. Everything I need to learn about Amsterdam I learned from Eurotrip.

VANDERSEXXX

[SirBruce]

Sweden is, ironically, known for having women with large breasts, when in fact they have statistically the smallest average breast size of all European countries.

Bruce

[stray]

Sweden is, ironically, known for having women with large breasts

Hmm...I didn't know that. I was just talking about it's reputation for having lots of tall, thin blondes -- In actuality though, they're just as uncommon there as anywhere else.

[koboshi]

Sweden is, ironically, known for having women with large breasts, when in fact they have statistically the smallest average breast size of all European countries.

Wow Bruce, I wasnt aware you had made a study of average breast sizes the world over.  Really, how do you have time for a study that large.  I guess we all should make time for something like that in our lives.

[SirBruce]

This was reported via a medical study reported in a news article several years ago.  Sadly, the URL was lost two hard drives ago.

Bruce

[koboshi]

This was reported via a medical study reported in a news article several years ago.  Sadly, the URL was lost two hard drives ago.

Oh, I get it, because you had the proper citation 2 years ago on you hard drive you're alowed to plagiarise the information and act as if it's your own. 

But then again you seem to have made a name for yourself by taking other people's information and calling it your own.

[SirBruce]

What ARE you talking about?  I never claimed this information was "my own".  You're the one who said I had made a personal study of the subject; not me.

Do us all a favor and make an appointment with your shrink before posting again.

Bruce

[koboshi]

What ARE you talking about?

I'm just a little sick of your holyer then you atitude. Day after day, post after post, you use this same cite-only-when-pressed format.  My point was that you posted a very specific fact, that you later admit came from someone else, without making any attempt at citation, not even as much as a "I remember hearing somewhere..."  This just happend to be too much for me to take.  I mean seriously, you can't even use the common knowledge argument on a statement like "statistically the smallest average breast size of all European countries."

[Der Helm]

If you are into this :

(the music of course)

I suggest this

[Strazos]

Heh, I don't even know what that is. Anyway...

*RERAIL*[/size]

I just thought since we have a lot of people older than myself, and some native Europeans, I might be able to come up with some out-of-the-ordinary stuff....You know, besides "OMG Eiffel Tower is Teh Winnzar!"

If you must derail threads, fine. I even do it myself...

But no, not this one.

[SirBruce]

What ARE you talking about?

I'm just a little sick of your holyer then you atitude.

holier

Day after day, post after post, you use this same cite-only-when-pressed format.

You mean as opposed to all those posts where I pre-emptively linked to an information Wikipedia article to stave off a bunch of questions asking for a source, which in turn annoyed yet other people?

My point was that you posted a very specific fact, that you later admit came from someone else,

Facts often do, you know, come from other people.

without making any attempt at citation, not even as much as a "I remember hearing somewhere..." 

Since I don't *have* the URL in question, it wouldn't have done much to clarify the matter.

This just happend to be too much for me to take.  I mean seriously, you can't even use the common knowledge argument on a statement like "statistically the smallest average breast size of all European countries."

Nor does simply providing a URL that says the same thing means it is true, either.  Life is full of disappointments; get used to it!

Bruce

[MaceVanHoffen]

I've spent a ton of time in the UK and France, but I've never been to the other places you mention.  I know you're limited on time, but I'll toss out what I can think of and you can just pick and choose based on interest and schedule.

In Paris, go see the touristy stuff or you'll regret it.  Here's the stuff I recommend to friends the first time they go:
(1) Eiffel Tower: go early, right when it opens, at 9 am.  Splurge and go all the way to the top, it's worth it.  2 hours tops for this, if you're early.  It turns into an ordeal any other time of the day.  Also, take a few moments and walk around the Champs de Mars, the park around the tower.
(2) Musee d'Orsay: I love modern art.  Plan a half day for this, full day if you're seriously into art.  Across the Seine, you can see ...
(3) Louvre:  Just give up trying to see everything here, it's too big.  Plan no less than 1 day for it, or you'll be disappointed.  This place would take about a week just to walk through it, let alone really see everything.  I've been to the Louvre 3 times now, and I still haven't seen anywhere close to the whole thing.
(4) Arc de Triomphe:  About 1-2 hours is all this place takes, but it's neat.  A French war memorial, and no it doesn't feature surrenders :)
(5) Giverny:  This is a day trip from Paris, and worth it.  It's the home of Claude Monet.  Allot 1 day, or possibly stay in Giverny instead of Paris (lodging is cheaper, but you're a 1-2 hour train ride from Paris).
(6) Jardins du Luxembourg: This is a gigantic garden/park with LOTS to do right in the heart of Paris.  It is considered one of the 3 great parks in all of France.  Games, horseback riding (on certain days), toy-boat sailing, etc.  It's free to enter, some activities cost money.  I recommend eating a picnic and playing chess with the locals here.  The French are not at all snooty (yay American stereotypes), and this park will show that to you.  My wife and I speak pretty good French, but they didn't mind when we mispronounced something or had to ask how to express more complex topics.  Having a conversation in French about chess is just too damn fun.
(7) Versailles:  Another day trip from Paris.   Versailles is breathtaking.  Read up on its history before you go to fully appreciate it.  It's got canals you can row boats on, horseback riding, carriage rides, spectacular sound-and-light shows, and the palace itself is awesome.  One thing:  Get there right when it opens, or don't bother.  It gets too crowded to really enjoy later in the morning.
(8 ) Fontainebleau:  Almost as nice as Versailles, just smaller and less crowded.  This chateau has some great history.  If your French is good, you can take the all-French tours which are generally more interesting than the English ones.  It's yet another day trip from Paris.  This place is much more forgiving about the time of day you see it, as most people (Europeans included) don't really seem to know about it.
(9) You have to eat at P'tit Troquet while you're in Paris.  Fantastic food, and pretty reasonable prices (for Paris).  It's over near the Eiffel Tower at 28 Rue de l'Exposition.

FYI- If you're going to see multiple sites in and around Paris, buy a museum pass at any metro station.

London, and stuff sorta close to London by train or car:
(1) Kew Gardens:  This is a nice little typical English park.  Lots of great history.  It's in the Greater London area, off the Underground, but it's still really a daytrip.
(2) York:  You can see the Viking village recreation (Jorvik), and this place is just cool.  You can take a brewery tour also.  This town is a 3-4 hour train ride north of London, and plan to spend 2 days, 3 days for a relaxing pace.
(3) Hyde/Kensington Park:  Awesome place, and HUGE.  Similar idea to Luxembourg in Paris, but fewer activities.  Underground stops nearby on all sides.  Read here, eat lunch, relax, whatever.
(4) BBC TV studios:  You can take a tour that takes about a two hours.  I was working for the BBC when I was over there last time, it's a neat place.  Several movies have been filmed here in addition to the TV shows.
(5) Stonehenge:  This is a few hours by car from London, so you'll have to rent a car.  I think you can get there by bus, too.  It's a neat place though.  It's also close to ...
(6) Bath:  It's got a big shopping mall in it, but it's still got some great historical sites.  Have tea at the Roman bath, and take the midnight tour of the town (they dump water on you heh, long story ... just go see it).
(7) Longleat castle:  Near Bath, to the south/southeast if I remember right.  It's owned by an eccentric who bought the title of Earl of Bath.  It's a neat castle, with tons of modern gimmicky stuff around it.
(8 ) Stourhead:  This is a great little manor and grounds to tour.  It has a kickass pub on the grounds too, the beer and kidney pies are just amazing.  It's in the same general area as Longleat.
(9) Madame Tussaud's House of Wax:  This place was pretty neat, but very expensive and there's not much to it.  You should see this only if you have excess time and money.
(10) the British Museum:  Not as big as the Louvre, but still anything less than 1 full day will disappoint you.  It only costs a discretionary donation to enter.
(11) the Tower of London:  ABSOLUTELY see this.  Every person who visits London should see this place.  This is a full day, or a half day if you're fast (I'm not).  Definitely take the Yeoman Warder guided tour (which is free).  Be sure to hang around the White Tower to see the mock swordfighting and larger battles.
(12) Indian food.  You have to try the Indian food in London.  Whoever first said that the food in England isn't very good needs to be fishslapped to death.  I like Memories of India, 18 Gloucester Road, south of Kensington park.

If you can all get to Scotland, I recommend it.  That is one damn fine underrated country to visit.  There's a great 12-hour bus trip that takes you around much of the circumference of the country that leaves and returns to Edinburgh.  Edinburgh also has a tourist trap store between its two castles that sells all kinds of Scotch ... yeah, go there, buy stuff it's great.  Hadrian's Wall is also a must see if you're into Roman history.  Plus, if you take the train to York, just a couple of hours past that is the Edinburgh station.  Also, Inverness is a sleepy little town to hang out in for just 1 night or so.

If you stay multiple days, especially over a weekend, I would buy the weekly metro pass in Paris or the multiday Underground pass in London.  Even though they seem expensive, they pay for itself dozens of times over if you're doing marathon sightseeing.  Also, if you're taking the chunnel between London and Paris, buy your tickets here in the US before you go, as they'll be cheaper (Eurostar gives a discount).

That's all I can recall off the top of my head.  I'll go back over my digital pics and see if I can remember other places I liked.

[Strazos]

Bleh, Wish we had more time.

I wanted to spend ~an extra 3 weeks after our program in Rome is over, but she needs to go home and....work.

Boooo....

EDIT: My foreign language skills are....nonexistant. Anything that even hints at needing to know the native tongue will be summarily skipped.

[Hanzii]

Bleh, Wish we had more time.

I wanted to spend ~an extra 3 weeks after our program in Rome is over, but she needs to go home and....work.

Boooo....

EDIT: My foreign language skills are....nonexistant. Anything that even hints at needing to know the native tongue will be summarily skipped.

It's Europe.
We understand English... unless you behave too much like an American, then we pretend not to.

[TheWalrus]

  The week that I was in France was quite enjoyable. I didn't experience any of the rudeness that permeates the stories of Europe. Of course, I think most of them are just that...stories. If I looked lost for more than a minute, some shriveled old guy would gladly point me to my destination and in perfect english no less. We visited the country side, at one of the little towns near Bellau Wood, and got a free round of beer from one of the little taverns there. Being Marines might have had something to do with it...

 But that was years ago. Now that Junior has pissed off the world, I'm not sure how it would play out if I went again. Still very high on my list of places to live if I get kicked out of the US.

[Swede]

Most of the oversea:ers i meet in sweden are pretty ok - the ppl I have a problem understanding when talking to (via the net) generally wont relocate a  cm (or inch i guess) from US, much less actually visit Europe....

[Ironwood]

 

[schild]

Yes, that was so ironic I don't even know what to say.

[MaceVanHoffen]

Looked over my pics, and some more thoughts came to me:

London ...

Buckingham Palace
Back in 2000, this place was open to the public and you could actually walk through it, which was great.  I'm not sure if they're doing that again, but I recommend it if they are.  When we were there a few months back it wasn't open.  It's pretty disappointing unless you go there  during the changing of the guard or if the Queen is in.  Other than that, you kinda walk by it and go "Yeah, there's a big palace."  Everyone has to go see this place though, if only to tell friends they've been.

The Eye of London
A big Ferris wheel you can ride, built in celebration of the Millenium.  It's pretty fun, you can see most of London from there.

The Globe Theatre
This is the rebuilt Globe, the one where Shakespeare put on his plays.  If you like his plays, go see one here, as the production values are great.  A bit pricey though.

St. Paul's Cathedral
Can't believe I forgot about this place.  It's great, and only takes maybe an hour, two at the most, to see.  It was rebuilt after the fire in 1666, can't remember if in whole or in part.  But the brochures give you lots of neat information.

Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parilament, Big Ben:
Meh, this was ok.  Lots of Victorian neo-Gothic architecture, the posers of the 18th century.  It doesn't take long to walk around that block and see them though.  Big Ben is interesting enough to make a stop there.  Very pretty clock when you see it in real life.  Also, doesn't take but a few minutes to see.

No. 10 Downing Street
The address of the Prime Minister.  Meh, nothing to see here really.  Not sure why people get so worked up about it.  I'd skip it even if I was living in London.

The Princess Diana Memorial
This has to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen.  Only go if your girflfriend is some kind of English royal freak.  Or if you are ...

Royal Albert Hall
A beautiful concert hall, and wonderful acoustics.  I've never actually seen a symphony here, but I hear it's fantastic (and expensive).  I have heard smaller groups there, and can recommend it if you like that sort of thing.

The Tower Bridge
Some confusion surrounds which bridge is the one from the song (London bridge is falling down ...).  This isn't the one :)  It is worth a visit though, especially if you go early enough that you can walk on the upper concourse.  Bring your camera, some stunning views of London in the morning can be had here.

Imperial War Museum
My wife saw this while I had to work, grrrr.  She loved it.  It gives you a real flavor of what it was like to be in London during the two World Wars.  For an American who grew up without a legacy of war on his own home soil, this sounds like a great place to visit.  Oh well, I will see this place when I go next.

The Natural History Museum
Best. Natural History. Museum. Ever.  Definitely worth it, and small enough to see in a morning or an afternoon.  It's right across from ...

The Science Museum (S. Kensington)
It has the original Apollo 10 command module and lots of cool aviation memorabilia.  The big room with all the planes is awesome.  It's even got virtual reality rides.  It's a great day to go here and the Natural History Museum, then hit a nearby pub and drink that sweet nectar the Brits call beer and the Americans make up stupid names for to satisfy Johnny Law.

Paris ...

Champs Elysees
My wife and I walked from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre down this broad street the first time we ever went to Paris.  Do that, it's romantic, fun, and guaranteed to get you both in the mood for .... later.  Lots of modern shops, plus you can peek at the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais as you pass (go in if you have time, it will take a few hours to see both).  It is a long walk by American standards though, so be prepared.  At the end of this road, before you get to the Louvre, you run into ...

Le Jardin des Tuileries
Not nearly as grand as the Luxembourg Gardens, but beautiful nonetheless.  Nab some of that great French glace (ice cream) and walk through the garden on your way to the Louvre.  Man I miss Paris now :(

Place de la Bastille
The Bastille is gone ... don't go here unless you like broad slabs of concrete with metal plaques explaining what used to be here.  There is some kind of lame Opera House there now, built in 1988 IIRC.  I wouldn't bother unless you were staying in Paris for a week, in which case it merits a stop for a few minutes to snap a photo and say you've been there.

Carnavalet Museum
This is mildly interesting to most people, very interesting if you're a history buff.  It's a small museum depicting the history of Paris, primarily focused on the Paris of the post-Revolution era.  It's a low priority site.

Catacombs
We didn't get to see this due to time on our last visit, but it looks really neat.  It's a walking tour of the catacombs below Paris, most of which date from the late Middle Ages.  They have tours in several languages, English included.

Ile St. Louis
This is an island in the middle of the Seine, and one of the most beautiful places in Paris, especially at night (watch the muggers, though).  There's a lot on this island to see, but you could just walk around and see what interests you for an hour or two.  However, on this island, do not miss ...

Les Glaces Berthillon
There is one word in French you must learn:  glace.  It means ice cream.  Or more accurately, ice cream that is so good it kicks your ass.  Berthillon is one of the oldest makers of ice cream and gelato in the world.  The historic first shop is on the Ile St. Louis.  This shop isn't really interesting in and of itself.  Just the glace.  It is orgasmically good.  There is almost always a long line, sometimes the line goes down the street and across the bridge onto the mainland.  If the line is that long, get in it anyway.  Yeah, it's that good.

Ok, I'll shut up now.  I'm midway into planning this year's trip anway.  Have fun on your trip!

[schild]

France:

Mont. St. Michele:



One of the most amazing places on earth. Can only be reached during the day. Can't be left at night (tide covers the one road leading to and from it. If you can book a hotel room there for one night, it's an experience you need. Easily my favorite place in France.

[Ironwood]

That looks bloody gorgeous.

I need another holiday...

[stray]

That looks bloody gorgeous.

I need another holiday...

Couldn't you just drive there or something? 

At least you don't have to plan for months in order go to cool places in Europe.

[schild]

That looks bloody gorgeous.

I need another holiday...

Surprisingly, I had more a more fun and serene time ON the island than driving up to it. But I'll tell you, that few mile drive is just fucking breathtaking.

[Hanzii]

That looks bloody gorgeous.

I need another holiday...

Lindisfarne just south of your border is pretty much the same... without the hotel, sandy beach and sunshine that is ;-)

...and my people used to come and rape the monks there, or something.

[MaceVanHoffen]

That looks bloody gorgeous.

I need another holiday...

Surprisingly, I had more a more fun and serene time ON the island than driving up to it. But I'll tell you, that few mile drive is just fucking breathtaking.

Mont-Saint-Michel is gorgeous.  There's good wine country within 30-60 minutes by car, and there's even a ferry close by that takes you across the channel to England.  You can take the train from Paris to a nearby town (forget the name), then rent a car from there or take the bus.

[Furiously]

Not to Sir Bruce - but - if you want the cheap American version, Antelope Island is very cool. (I think it's a 2 or 5 mile road to get to it),  You can drive among huge buffalo. There is a farm there you can wander through, nothing is under glass, so you can touch history. It's in Utah in the middle of the great salt lake. It smells like dead sea monkeys on the drive up the jetty though.

[Toast]

First, London is nice and all, but it's really far away from Rome. You would probably be better served hitting places that are closer to your home base to reduce travel time and expense.

Here are some places you should hit.

France:
French Riviera
Carcassonne,  a medieval castle/fortress city, was nice.
Mont St Michelle

In Italy:
Florence
Venice

Switzerland:
Interlochen:
Every backpacker in the world goes here, but it's a beautiful spot in the Alps. Various "extreme" sports are available. Give "Canyoning" a try for a really memorable experience. The train ride from Italy into Switzerland via the Alps featured some of the most overwhelmingly beautiful views I have ever seen.

Germany:
Munich:
If you like beer, then go here. Try the breathalzyer machine at Hoffbrauhaus and beat your friends' scores. For God's sake, don't stand around with the other tourists to watch the Glockenspiel. It's horrible. Do a "Mike's Bike Tour" if you can. It's the best way to see the city.

[Jimbo]

Having been stationed at Geilenkirchen Air Base, Germany (NATO assignment...sort of) which was located at the tri-border point where Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium comes together, I can say I have many a beer induced foggy memories.   :-D

A really fun event I went to in Landgraaf NL, (well because I lived there) was Pink Pop music festival. ( http://www.pinkpop.nl/page.php?pagID=154 )  I saw Korn, Marlyn Manson, some chick with orange hair and orange painted on leather pants that screamed a lot (fuck I'm old...), Live, Bad Religon, drank a butt load of beer, camped out, streaked, and had a great 3 day fest for the two times I went to it while stationed there.  Wow, this years band line up features more European flair, which makes sense anyway.

I saw some crazy ass band called the Rock Bitches in Heerlen (or hell it could have been Tongeren Belgium) which was a pretty wild rock and sex act.

If you are looking for Clubing or meeting people:
Netherlands
Maastrict NL: night life is a blast, many clubs in walking distance
Heerlen NL: has the Peppermill which is a huge (5000+) disco-tech
Amsterdam: damned if i rember!  Went there about 12 times and each time I was drunk when we got on the train and was drunk the whole time we walked around...do know that the benches and stairs are great places to sleep while waiting for the train the next morning.
Scheveningen NL: awesome beach!
Den Haag NL: neat to see royal family city.

I'll post some more later on...when I get the photo ablums out.