European city ideas?

[Schizoid Man]

A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of the
month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some traveling.

I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps
Copenhagen and Malmo.

Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities, but
want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin,
Amsterdam.

Thanks in advance.

[severian]

I can highly recommend Prague, wonderful city, great people, inexpensive (by
the standards of "Old" Europe), incredible food and amazing architecture and
sights. Plus the people are really great, they have really embraced
capitalism and freedom with a vengence, and it's a colorful, vibrant, active
city. Easy to walk around, great deals on crystal if you're so inclined
(beautiful craftsmanship), and fantastic beer.

"Schizoid Man" > wrote in message
...
> A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of the
> month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some traveling.
>
> I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps
> Copenhagen and Malmo.
>
> Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities, but
> want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin,
> Amsterdam.
>
> Thanks in advance.

[Clyde Slick]

"Schizoid Man" > wrote in message
...
>A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of the
>month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some traveling.
>
> I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps Copenhagen
> and Malmo.
>
> Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities, but
> want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin,
> Amsterdam.
>
> Thanks in advance.

Prague and Budapest.
Budapest is more beautiful and interesting even than Prague.
It is the most beautiful city I have ever been to. And Hungarians are very
intelligent,
well educated and interesting. Almost all under 40 speak English.
be sure to visit the museum of the Communist era atrocities.
It also covers the Nazi era. IT is in the old secret prison on Andrassy.
Also, see an opera at the Opera House, and take a nightime river cruise.



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[Margaret von B.]

"Clyde Slick" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Schizoid Man" > wrote in message
> ...
>>A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of the
>>month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some traveling.
>>
>> I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps Copenhagen
>> and Malmo.
>>
>> Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities, but
>> want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin,
>> Amsterdam.
>>
>> Thanks in advance.
>
> Prague and Budapest.

Ditto.

Malmö is a particularly bad choice in that region. I would go to Tromsø
instead. The midnight sun is something to experience and it is truly an
exotic place in the most positive sense of the word! If you go there, it
pays to rent a car and drive around a bit.


Cheers,

Margaret

[Briel]

In article >, says...
> A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of the
> month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some traveling.
>
> I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps
> Copenhagen and Malmo.
>
> Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities, but
> want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin,
> Amsterdam.
>
> Thanks in advance.

You have two recommendations for Prague, and I'll add a third. I was
there a little over a month ago, and I absolutely loved it. Vienna is
well worth visiting too, but it's quite a different place.

In many ways, Vienna is more "beautiful" than Prague, but Prague has
more interesting architecture and, dare I say, culture. I really found
the Czech people great - though some people there really haven't
adjusted to the market economy.

You'll occasionally see that in certain businesses where service can be
pretty poor, though fortunately that was quite rare when we were there.
Like some other spots in Europe you do need to be aware of your
surroundings as pickpockets do prey on tourists, but as long as you are
sensible everything should be fine. We also found that learning a few
simple phrases in Czech really seems to be appreciated by the locals.

you can probably get by with "Pivo prosim" ;-)

None of that is to say that you shouldn't visit Vienna though - I was
there two years ago and absolutely loved it. It is a city that should be
on everyone's "must see" list, and has a lot to offer. It's not terribly
cheap though!

Also, while you are in Belgium, I also would *very* highly recommend
that you visit Brugge. It is absolutely gorgeous and has some of the
best food, beer and chocolate I've ever encountered. English is spoken
virtually everywhere as well and it's certainly cheaper than much of
Europe.

It's fairly small and can be explored fully in a few days, but if you
haven't been there yet, you really have to make the trip since you are
so close.

Have a wonderful time! I'm feeling somewhat envious...

--
Bill

[Lionel]

Schizoid Man a écrit :
> A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of the
> month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some traveling.
>
> I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps
> Copenhagen and Malmo.
>
> Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities, but
> want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin,
> Amsterdam.
>
> Thanks in advance.

Bruges (Brugge), Anvers (Antwerpen), Florence (Firenze),
Porto, Lisoa, Pragues....

[Schizoid Man]

Lionel wrote:
> Schizoid Man a écrit :
>
>> A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of
>> the month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some
>> traveling.
>>
>> I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps
>> Copenhagen and Malmo.
>>
>> Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities,
>> but want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona,
>> Berlin, Amsterdam.
>>
>> Thanks in advance.
>
>
> Bruges (Brugge), Anvers (Antwerpen), Florence (Firenze), Porto, Lisoa,
> Pragues....

Thanks, all. I think I will add Brugge to my list after Ghent.

I would have loved to go to Prague, but unfortunately my traveling
companions are not too keen, so we need to start choosing the lowest
common denominators.

[Bill Riel]

In article >, says...
> Lionel wrote:
> > Schizoid Man a =E9crit :
> >=20
> >> A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of=20
> >> the month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some=20
> >> traveling.
> >>
> >> I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps=20
> >> Copenhagen and Malmo.
> >>
> >> Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities,=20
> >> but want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona,=20
> >> Berlin, Amsterdam.
> >>
> >> Thanks in advance.
> >=20
> >=20
> > Bruges (Brugge), Anvers (Antwerpen), Florence (Firenze), Porto, Lisoa,=
=20
> > Pragues....
>=20
> Thanks, all. I think I will add Brugge to my list after Ghent.

Good choice - you'll love it!

> I would have loved to go to Prague, but unfortunately my traveling=20
> companions are not too keen, so we need to start choosing the lowest=20
> common denominators.

You could do worse than Vienna - see if you can get your companions=20
interested in that.

--=20
Bill

[Sander deWaal]

Schizoid Man > said:


>Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities, but
>want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin,
>Amsterdam.


Zwolle, Netherlands. A must-have-seen.

--

"Audio as a serious hobby is going down the tubes."
- Howard Ferstler, 25/4/2005

[Schizoid Man]

Virgil wrote:
> Schizoid Man > wrote in news:d85ev7$d88$1
> @geraldo.cc.utexas.edu:
>
>
>>A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of the
>>month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some traveling.
>>
>>I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps
>>Copenhagen and Malmo.
>>
>>Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities, but
>>want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin,
>>Amsterdam.
>>
>>Thanks in advance.
>
>
> One city not on the average American's beaten path is St. Petersburg,
> Russia. Beautiful town in the center and the island. The Hermitage is worth
> it by itself not to mention the Russian Museum and Peter the Great's
> palace. The southern part of the city's has some Stalinist architecture for
> curiosity sake. I lived there for a few months and loved it.

Hi Virgil,

I have always wanted to visit St Petersburg. Unfortunately it's quite a
trek from Belgium and since I only have a week, I wanted to minimize
travel and maximize cafe time.

Thanks for the reco though.

[Margaret von B.]

"Schizoid Man" > wrote in message
...
> Virgil wrote:
>> Schizoid Man > wrote in news:d85ev7$d88$1
>> @geraldo.cc.utexas.edu:
>>
>>
>>>A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of the
>>>month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some traveling.
>>>
>>>I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps Copenhagen
>>>and Malmo.
>>>
>>>Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities, but
>>>want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin,
>>>Amsterdam.
>>>
>>>Thanks in advance.
>>
>>
>> One city not on the average American's beaten path is St. Petersburg,
>> Russia. Beautiful town in the center and the island. The Hermitage is
>> worth it by itself not to mention the Russian Museum and Peter the
>> Great's palace. The southern part of the city's has some Stalinist
>> architecture for curiosity sake. I lived there for a few months and loved
>> it.
>
> Hi Virgil,
>
> I have always wanted to visit St Petersburg. Unfortunately it's quite a
> trek from Belgium and since I only have a week, I wanted to minimize
> travel and maximize cafe time.
>

Are you traveling by bicycle? A three hour flight from Belgium will get you
to most major places in Europe. As far as the cafe thing goes, Europe is
overrated. Try Argentina sometimes.


Cheers,

Margaret

[Schizoid Man]

Margaret von B. wrote:

> "Schizoid Man" > wrote in message
> ...
>
> Are you traveling by bicycle?

The thought had crossed my mind. I think land is the way to go - trains,
buses and the mighty automobile.

> A three hour flight from Belgium will get you
> to most major places in Europe. As far as the cafe thing goes, Europe is
> overrated. Try Argentina sometimes.

After spending a lot of travel time in the interior wastelands of
Dallas, Atlanta, Kansas City, I don't think European cities are
overrated at all.

Plus, I have not travelled to any cities outside of London and Paris in
ages.

My travels in South America have been restricted only to Peru, which was
nothing short of magnificent.

[Briel]

In article >, says...
> Virgil wrote:
> > Schizoid Man > wrote in news:d85ev7$d88$1
> > @geraldo.cc.utexas.edu:
> >
> >
> >>A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of the
> >>month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some traveling.
> >>
> >>I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps
> >>Copenhagen and Malmo.
> >>
> >>Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities, but
> >>want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin,
> >>Amsterdam.
> >>
> >>Thanks in advance.
> >
> >
> > One city not on the average American's beaten path is St. Petersburg,
> > Russia. Beautiful town in the center and the island. The Hermitage is worth
> > it by itself not to mention the Russian Museum and Peter the Great's
> > palace. The southern part of the city's has some Stalinist architecture for
> > curiosity sake. I lived there for a few months and loved it.
>
> Hi Virgil,
>
> I have always wanted to visit St Petersburg. Unfortunately it's quite a
> trek from Belgium and since I only have a week, I wanted to minimize
> travel and maximize cafe time.

In which case, you might want to take Sander's advice (though I've
admittedly never been to Zwolle, but now I'm curious!) When I was in
Belgium, trains to the Netherlands were frequent and convenient.

--
Bill

[Margaret von B.]

"Schizoid Man" > wrote in message
...
> Margaret von B. wrote:
>
>> "Schizoid Man" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>> Are you traveling by bicycle?
>
> The thought had crossed my mind. I think land is the way to go - trains,
> buses and the mighty automobile.
>
>> A three hour flight from Belgium will get you to most major places in
>> Europe. As far as the cafe thing goes, Europe is overrated. Try Argentina
>> sometimes.
>
> After spending a lot of travel time in the interior wastelands of Dallas,
> Atlanta, Kansas City, I don't think European cities are overrated at all.

Thankfully I've only had to suffer Dallas and Atlanta of those three. I
imagine KC is even worse. As far as Europe goes, I was specifically
referring to the cafe thing. In Argentina the cafes have a very special
flavor...you'll notice when you get there one of these days....

Cheers,

Margaret

[dave weil]

On Wed, 08 Jun 2005 09:52:08 -0700, Schizoid Man > wrote:

>Lionel wrote:
>> Schizoid Man a écrit :
>>
>>> A friend of mine is getting married in Ghent, Belgium at the end of
>>> the month, so I thought I'd take a couple of weeks off and do some
>>> traveling.
>>>
>>> I had thought on spending time in Vienna and Prague or perhaps
>>> Copenhagen and Malmo.
>>>
>>> Can anyone suggest any other places? I'm definitely one for cities,
>>> but want to avoid the usual suspects of Rome, Paris, Barcelona,
>>> Berlin, Amsterdam.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance.
>>
>>
>> Bruges (Brugge), Anvers (Antwerpen), Florence (Firenze), Porto, Lisoa,
>> Pragues....
>
>Thanks, all. I think I will add Brugge to my list after Ghent.

That's a good idea. It's considered the Venice of the North.

>I would have loved to go to Prague, but unfortunately my traveling
>companions are not too keen, so we need to start choosing the lowest
>common denominators.

Luxembourg City is nice, especially if you have time to travel in the
Eifel Mountains. Bitburg is about 45 minutes away (you can take a nice
brewery tour) and the Mosel vineyards are just a hop skip and jump
away as well.

[Schizoid Man]

dave weil wrote:
> On Wed, 08 Jun 2005 09:52:08 -0700, Schizoid Man > wrote:
>
>
>>Lionel wrote:

>>>Bruges (Brugge), Anvers (Antwerpen), Florence (Firenze), Porto, Lisoa,
>>>Pragues....
>>
>>Thanks, all. I think I will add Brugge to my list after Ghent.
>
>
> That's a good idea. It's considered the Venice of the North.

Actually, another reason why I am keen on Belgique is to sample the
local brews, after we had that extensive discussion here.

[Bill Riel]

In article >, says...
> dave weil wrote:
> > On Wed, 08 Jun 2005 09:52:08 -0700, Schizoid Man > wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Lionel wrote:
>
> >>>Bruges (Brugge), Anvers (Antwerpen), Florence (Firenze), Porto, Lisoa,
> >>>Pragues....
> >>
> >>Thanks, all. I think I will add Brugge to my list after Ghent.
> >
> >
> > That's a good idea. It's considered the Venice of the North.
>
> Actually, another reason why I am keen on Belgique is to sample the
> local brews, after we had that extensive discussion here.

Indeed - amazing stuff.

And don't forget the chocolate!

--
Bill

[[email protected]]

Prague is the heart of Europe.

[Margaret von B.]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Prague is the heart of Europe.
>

Undoubtedly a lovely place. But to be perfectly honest, it could as well be
called the snatch of Europe these days. Hopefully things will normalize in a
few years so the real city can reach its full bloom. Regardless, it is one
of the top destinations in Europe, IMO.

Cheeers,

Margaret

[Lionel]

In >, Margaret von B. wrote :

>
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> Prague is the heart of Europe.
>>
>
> Undoubtedly a lovely place. But to be perfectly honest, it could as well
> be called the snatch of Europe these days. Hopefully things will normalize
> in a few years so the real city can reach its full bloom. Regardless, it
> is one of the top destinations in Europe, IMO.

Prague is a very pretty town but it is a small town.
I was in Prague for job in 1992 and late in 1997, Czechs have done an
immense work in 5 years.

NB : I don't know now but in 1997 you should avoid the week-end... Too much
drunk (post)teenagers Germans.

[Schizoid Man]

Lionel wrote:

> NB : I don't know now but in 1997 you should avoid the week-end... Too much
> drunk (post)teenagers Germans.

Talking of ze Germans, San Francisco is practically crawling with
boatloads of tourists from the Fatherland these days. What gives?

[Margaret von B.]

"Schizoid Man" > wrote in message
...
> Lionel wrote:
>
>> NB : I don't know now but in 1997 you should avoid the week-end... Too
>> much
>> drunk (post)teenagers Germans.
>
> Talking of ze Germans, San Francisco is practically crawling with
> boatloads of tourists from the Fatherland these days. What gives?

Weak dollar.

Cheers,

Margaret

[Briel]

In article >,
says...
> In >, Margaret von B. wrote :
>
> >
> > > wrote in message
> > oups.com...
> >> Prague is the heart of Europe.
> >>
> >
> > Undoubtedly a lovely place. But to be perfectly honest, it could as well
> > be called the snatch of Europe these days. Hopefully things will normalize
> > in a few years so the real city can reach its full bloom. Regardless, it
> > is one of the top destinations in Europe, IMO.
>
> Prague is a very pretty town but it is a small town.
> I was in Prague for job in 1992 and late in 1997, Czechs have done an
> immense work in 5 years.
>
> NB : I don't know now but in 1997 you should avoid the week-end... Too much
> drunk (post)teenagers Germans.

The latest plague for Prague are drunken English louts hosting a stag
weekend in Prague. I guess the strength of the pound makes Prague very
attractive (and the cheap beer doesn't hurt).

Still, it's a gorgeous place - I understand Prague is now the most
visited city in Europe.

When we were there Prague was undergoing their annual "Italian
invasion". It seems like all of Italy descends on the city just before
Easter...

--
Bill

[George M. Middius]

Schizoid Man said:

> Talking of ze Germans, San Francisco is practically crawling with
> boatloads of tourists from the Fatherland these days. What gives?

Maybe they went abroad to hunt down mud people.

[Schizoid Man]

George M. Middius wrote:
>
> Schizoid Man said:
>
>>Talking of ze Germans, San Francisco is practically crawling with
>>boatloads of tourists from the Fatherland these days. What gives?
>
> Maybe they went abroad to hunt down mud people.

No. It seems that they are in town for the Gay Pride parade.

[Schizoid Man]

Briel wrote:

> Still, it's a gorgeous place - I understand Prague is now the most
> visited city in Europe.

That is surprising. I thought that it would have been Paris.

[George M. Middius]

Schizoid Man said:

> >>Talking of ze Germans, San Francisco is practically crawling with
> >>boatloads of tourists from the Fatherland these days. What gives?
> >
> > Maybe they went abroad to hunt down mud people.
>
> No. It seems that they are in town for the Gay Pride parade.

Really. Don't tell Lionella -- she'll freak.

[Lionel]

Briel a écrit :
> In article >,
> says...
>
>>In >, Margaret von B. wrote :
>>
>>
> wrote in message
oups.com...
>>>
>>>>Prague is the heart of Europe.
>>>>
>>>
>>>Undoubtedly a lovely place. But to be perfectly honest, it could as well
>>>be called the snatch of Europe these days. Hopefully things will normalize
>>>in a few years so the real city can reach its full bloom. Regardless, it
>>>is one of the top destinations in Europe, IMO.
>>
>>Prague is a very pretty town but it is a small town.
>>I was in Prague for job in 1992 and late in 1997, Czechs have done an
>>immense work in 5 years.
>>
>>NB : I don't know now but in 1997 you should avoid the week-end... Too much
>>drunk (post)teenagers Germans.
>
>
> The latest plague for Prague are drunken English louts hosting a stag
> weekend in Prague. I guess the strength of the pound makes Prague very
> attractive (and the cheap beer doesn't hurt).

Englishs and Germans are often travelling in large noisy and
dirty drunken herds.


> Still, it's a gorgeous place - I understand Prague is now the most
> visited city in Europe.
>
> When we were there Prague was undergoing their annual "Italian
> invasion". It seems like all of Italy descends on the city just before
> Easter...

Because the town is small this look like an invasion.

[Lionel]

Schizoid Man a écrit :
> Briel wrote:
>
>> Still, it's a gorgeous place - I understand Prague is now the most
>> visited city in Europe.
>
>
> That is surprising. I thought that it would have been Paris.

This also surprise me.

[Lionel]

George "Betty Boop" Middius a écrit :
>
> Schizoid Man said:
>
>
>>>>Talking of ze Germans, San Francisco is practically crawling with
>>>>boatloads of tourists from the Fatherland these days. What gives?
>>>
>>>Maybe they went abroad to hunt down mud people.
>>
>>No. It seems that they are in town for the Gay Pride parade.
>
>
> Really. Don't tell Lionella -- she'll freak.

LOL !
Don't forget that's your problem George, not mine. ;-)