[Hinter]

May I suggest Lyon, my all time favourite city? Great bars and restaurants and a beautiful city centre.

[Dag]

 teholbeddict, on Dec 16 2008, 07:39 PM, said:

How about Turkey,

Turkey is on the menu next summer.

 Thelomen Toblerone, on Dec 16 2008, 08:10 PM, said:

I dont recommend Geneva, as it's poo. Berlin is good though, and I hear Koln is excellent. Oxford's a lovely place if you havent been, and I couldnt not suggest Granada in the south of spain, purely because the weather is always lovely and the Alhambra Palace is there, which is just superb.

Köln IS excellent, I love that city, and would recommend it to everyone. I have some friends in Oxford I promised to visit together with Mr. B, but I think they will all be away for the holidays this time of year, so I'll save this pleasure for some other time... But Berlin is a good idea... I have some friends there I haven't seen in ages... Hmmm... Edinburgh or Berlin...

 Macros, on Dec 16 2008, 08:22 PM, said:

snowboarding!!

No. Just... no. I know this sounds weird from someone living in a country that keeps collecting gold medals and trophies in all kinds of snowsports, but... A-a. I love snow, as long as it stays outside and I stay inside by the fireplace, sipping on my Jagetee and dreaming of summer...

 Mezla PigDog, on Dec 16 2008, 08:57 PM, said:

Top of the list for my next Euro destination is the Italian Lakes. Followed by Florence, Paris, Brussels, Barcelona, Crete, Sardinia, Stockholm, Copenhagen ...... ok I'll stop, it's a long list! The Italian Lakes are definitely top though Then there is the South America list, the South East Asia list and the rest-of-the-world list. I'll never make a dent in it! I'm currently trying to get to a conference in Tokyo next year which would at least be a freebie!

I've been to Italy many times, from Trieste to Palermo, and it is a great destination indeed. My parents just came back from a Sardinia/Corsica tour, and they said I would need more than just a few days to enjoy it properly, and they've been trying to persuade me to go to Crete for years. And Scandinavia is the region I actually want to explore next - if everything goes well, this spring I will be in Malmö.

But that's quite an ambitious list you have there, Mezla... And Tokyo sounds great - I really envy you! (Although I'm counting on Mr. B getting his post-grad Japan scolarship next autumn, so hoping he will have an extra futon to spare, I might take a longer visit to Tokyo next year as well... ) Good luck and don't forget to bring us some nice omiyage!

This post has been edited by Dag: 18 December 2008 - 04:36 PM

[Dag]

 Mentalist, on Dec 17 2008, 03:44 AM, said:

Luxemburg for the sightseeing
but since it alone is not enough for the entire week, Brussels, and the Benelux area in general.

That's also an interesting possibility... Tnx! (Funny you didn't recommend Kiew... it's also one of the places I'd definitely like to visit in the near future...)

 Lost Marine, on Dec 17 2008, 04:06 AM, said:

I'll add my vote for Edinburgh, it's my favorite town over there. Although Prague is a very close second.

On a totally unrelated note the bikini comment just now made me realize you were a girl, I've been thinking you were some weird Eastern European Gangster type with a severe kung fu fetish for the whole time I've been here. Unless I've been here longer then you in which case since you got here.

My job includes a lot of travelling around Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, so I know Prague quite well, and agree it's beautiful (a MUST destination for everyone who likes sightseeing and EXCELLENT BEER), but I prefer it in spring or summer...

And... um... I AM a weird Eastern European Gangster type with a severe ninjutsu fetish... but I also wear bikinis.

 Bubba, on Dec 17 2008, 04:26 AM, said:

Come to The US, Bubba will show you a good time.......

Bubba, honey - it's a deal. Your mountain looks beautiful - as soon as I manage to scratch together a bit longer vacation, I'm flying over the ocean. So there's a good chance we might meet within next two years...

 RodeoRanch, on Dec 17 2008, 05:05 AM, said:

SPARTA!

I have enough of Sparta here at home... although unfortunately excluding the sword-swinging Chippendales part...

 Terez, on Dec 17 2008, 08:31 AM, said:

You should go to The Hague so you can stalk Tapper for me.

I love Holland, but I don't think it's a really healthy destination for me... The last time I partied in Amsterdam, I had to spend a whole week in hospital afterwards...

This post has been edited by Dag: 18 December 2008 - 06:59 AM

[inpsyze]

I'd love to go to Barcelona, after all the good things I've heard. As long as you don't "do Barcelona" - repulsive expression.

I know from experience Berlin to be well worth visiting excellent, likewise Prague.

[amphibian]

I too am on break - for a month.

However, I have my plans already established: skiing, booze, girls, demolition of basement, booze, much Brazilian jiu-jitsu, construction of new basement, girls, booze, helping some refugees make new homes here in coordination with possibly Christian zealots*, girls, booze, jiu-jitsu.

Oh and lots of sleep.

Dag, I suggest someplace in Spain - Bilbao for the awesome Guggenheim?

*So much potential for drama as I am Hindu and frequently revert to sarcasm when dealing with people/stuff like that.

[Terez]

 Dag, on Dec 18 2008, 12:54 AM, said:

I love Holland, but I don't think it's a really healthy destination for me... The last time I partied in Amsterdam, I had to spend a whole week in hospital afterwards...

le sigh...but haven't you learned just a tad of moderation from the experience?

Damn...I was going to say something in German but I'm rusty after a week of no classes.

[Tapper]

Moderation and Amsterdam somehow don't add up.
Weird, cause it's not that special... most certainly not the world capital of hedonism, debauchery and mind altering experiences that it's supposed to be.

Tapper, knows all about it, from the gutter to the stars. Mostly the gutter, though...

[Terez]

Sounds a bit like New Orleans.

[Tapper]

Never been there, but seeing how it had some troubles with water in the past and a reputation for uninhibited partying, I guess they're pretty much alike

[Mentalist]

 Dag, on Dec 18 2008, 01:54 AM, said:

 Mentalist, on Dec 17 2008, 03:44 AM, said:

Luxemburg for the sightseeing
but since it alone is not enough for the entire week, Brussels, and the Benelux area in general.

That's also an interesting possibility... Tnx! (Funny you didn't recommend Kiew... it's also one of the places I'd definitely like to visit in the near future...)

[

Kyiv is another place best visited in the summer--esp late august, around Independence Day, for the good old Eastern European street party wildness experience. also, Parliament takes a break for the summer, so there's little political turbulance. Going there now, you might end up in a riot, or at least be stuck without gas. or hot water.

I COULD also recommend my hometown, L'viv (or Lemberg, as you Austrians might remember it by, )--though it may be a bit too much like Vienna, there's some neat stuff to see there and it's certainly not a major tourist destination last time I checked, which means no huge crowds, etc. But, this ofc may cause problems language-wise (not everyone speaks English), and once again, going in the winter is not really advisable.

[caladanbrood]

If you've got a week, and don't mind travelling around a bit, what would be awesome would be a bit of a tour of scandinavia. You could do a few days in Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen. They're all really cool cities, and if you do all three, you can just pick the best bits and not get bored. Of course, it is a trek between them all though, which is a bit of a downside.

[stone monkey]

As you know, I never go anywhere. But I have actually been to Dublin and it is ace; especially you like Guinness.

I do suspect that a week is probably too long to spend there - the four days I spent there nearly killed me. And it can be a bit full of rowdy drunks - this is not me stereotyping the Irish btw, the rowdy drunks are usually tourists.

And of course there is your pledge to think of

This post has been edited by stone monkey: 18 December 2008 - 04:13 PM

[Lisheo]

Well, I'm Irish and in Dublin right now, so let me say one thing- if you like grey skies, over-priced booze, and Irish people with funny accents, Dublin is the place for you.
Honeslty though, it's expensive enough here by Irish standards (I actually live in Limerick), and its quite easy to get lost lmao, but there are some fantastic things to come and see. Trinity College is quite impressive, and there are a number of museums that really aren't worth missing out on, they're fantastic. It's essentially a smaller, Irish, London, imo lols. But its great fun here generally, and the people are actually wonderfully pleasant.
If you want somewhere like that, Dublin is the place.

Otherwise, might I recommend Portugal, or else Prague?
Prague is by far the most beautiful city I have ever been too, and I've been to a few places in Europe. And I just love Portugal.

[Hinter]

Never been to Dublin but I had a fantastic time in Cork a few years back. Mmmm Guiness....

[Dag]

 Sombra, on Dec 17 2008, 11:27 AM, said:

Curiously enough I'm experiencing the same sort of dilemma regarding my post-deployment leave next year. Thinking of taking a month off around June - July. Canada or Europe?

As for you, how about Morocco!? It's right next to Europe and a nice blonde lady like you should fetch a good price ...

Hey, if you decide to go to Europe, get in touch! Vienna is a great city to visit, and Bratislava/Budapest/Ljubljana/Zagreb are just a step away, and I highly recommend all of these cities.

And regarding Morocco... I don't think my Ma would be delighted to clean after all those camels my Dad would get for me... It's certainly on my list of places I want to visit, but I think I'll do that one when my bodyguard is back in business...

 dktorode, on Dec 17 2008, 11:51 AM, said:

South Africa
Its summer...
Its cheap (for you at least )
ITs beautiful.

One of my best friends, who spent his childhood in Durban, has been trying to persuade me for years to go there. And I definitely will, only I think I would like to spend more time there than just a long weekend.

 Tapper, on Dec 17 2008, 12:09 PM, said:

Or, go to Kyoto. I seriously LOVE that city, the perfect mix of tradition and the new Japan, and enough to see for a week. Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji (golden and silver pavillions) should look amazing in snow.
Too bad Miho Museum is closed until March

Pray with me that Mr. B gets that scholarship... if he does, then - Japan, here I come! I have soooo many friends to visit there - from Naha over Kumamoto and Yokosuka and Kyoto to Osaka and Tokyo...

 Valgard, on Dec 17 2008, 12:13 PM, said:

I will also recommend Edinburgh. I moved here for uni and 8 years later haven't been able to leave yet. It is a really lovely place to visit and easy to get to other parts of scotland such as Glencoe, Inverness, Aviemore or Glasgow (though why you'd want to go there is anyone's guess ).

Other than that Prague is great or maybe Krakow. Talinn is also a really nice place to visit. Italy is always great as is spain or france.

Edinburgh is on the top of my list at the moment, Berlin being close second... I promised Ms. I we'll go to Krakow together for a weekend, probably in late spring, so I don't want to cheat on her now... And Baltic Countries are also a bigger project we wanted to do together next summer or in 2010...

This post has been edited by Dag: 18 December 2008 - 07:05 PM

[Dag]

 Maia Irraz, on Dec 17 2008, 01:45 PM, said:

Anyway...other than that, I'd say come to Canada! If you live anywhere in Europe or the UK you'll get a great exchange rate, there's tons of snow here in Montreal right now so you can ski or snowboard to your heart's content, plus it's a frickin big country so you'll have lots to see! Canada, baby, Canada!

Yes! I definitely will... when you get rid of those tons of snow! I think I would like to spend at least two weeks there, and we're talking only about some 4 days this time, so I think I'll save this precious jewel for later travels.

 Traveller, on Dec 17 2008, 02:21 PM, said:

Florence is a beautiful city, and good at this time of year as it's quiet so you can see everything you like without any hassle. It's not far to Rome from there, either, perfect for a week.

 Dancer, on Dec 17 2008, 02:27 PM, said:

I happen to agree with the Edinburgh and Florence references, Italy is a really beautiful place (in regards to the latter).

Florence is very nice in spring, been there several times now, a lot to do and even more to see in the city - one of my favorite cities in Italy, right after Assisi.

 Hinter, on Dec 17 2008, 02:28 PM, said:

May I suggest Lyon, my all time favourite city? Great bars and restaurants and a beautiful city centre.

Hmmm... Lyon sounds good too... I'll check to see what the plane tickets cost...

[Dag]

 inpsyze, on Dec 18 2008, 08:09 AM, said:

I'd love to go to Barcelona, after all the good things I've heard. As long as you don't "do Barcelona" - repulsive expression.

I know from experience Berlin to be well worth visiting excellent, likewise Prague.

 amphibian, on Dec 18 2008, 08:31 AM, said:

Dag, I suggest someplace in Spain - Bilbao for the awesome Guggenheim?

I can't really explain why, but I'm just not in the Spain mood at the moment... It's nice and interesting and all, but... maybe it's because EVERYBODY around here goes to Spain in winter... So I think I'll do it in summer.

 Terez, on Dec 18 2008, 09:37 AM, said:

le sigh...but haven't you learned just a tad of moderation from the experience?

Damn...I was going to say something in German but I'm rusty after a week of no classes.

I never learn. Having constant deja-vus is soooo much fun!

Und... ähm... was wolltest du noch sagen...?

 Mentalist, on Dec 18 2008, 02:51 PM, said:

Kyiv is another place best visited in the summer--esp late august, around Independence Day, for the good old Eastern European street party wildness experience. also, Parliament takes a break for the summer, so there's little political turbulance. Going there now, you might end up in a riot, or at least be stuck without gas. or hot water.

I COULD also recommend my hometown, L'viv (or Lemberg, as you Austrians might remember it by, )--though it may be a bit too much like Vienna, there's some neat stuff to see there and it's certainly not a major tourist destination last time I checked, which means no huge crowds, etc. But, this ofc may cause problems language-wise (not everyone speaks English), and once again, going in the winter is not really advisable.

Hey, this winter I spent three weeks without heating in my apartment, so I guess Vienna isn't so much different from Kiew...

 caladanbrood, on Dec 18 2008, 04:23 PM, said:

If you've got a week, and don't mind travelling around a bit, what would be awesome would be a bit of a tour of scandinavia. You could do a few days in Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen. They're all really cool cities, and if you do all three, you can just pick the best bits and not get bored. Of course, it is a trek between them all though, which is a bit of a downside.

Copenhagen is my absolutely favourite city, sharing the No. 1 place on my list with Dubrovnik. As already mentioned, Ms. T and I will be in Malmö this spring, so depending on amount of free time I get, we might visit some other cities up there as well.

This post has been edited by Dag: 18 December 2008 - 07:07 PM

[Terez]

 stone monkey, on Dec 18 2008, 10:12 AM, said:

As you know, I never go anywhere. But I have actually been to Dublin and it is ace; especially you like Guinness.

There are people that don't like Guinness?

[HoosierDaddy]

Me no likey Guinness, unless there is a shot inside it.

Le sigh... I haven't been able to go to Europe, but if you got the scratch for the plane-ticket, Acapulco in Southwestern Mexico is pretty damned spectacular, and super cheap once you get there. They speak pretty passable English, so you can get around without being proficient in espanol. Don't know what the guerilla insurrectionist situation is there right now, it flares up sometimes...

[Terez]

 HoosierDaddy, on Dec 18 2008, 02:51 PM, said:

Me no likey Guinness, unless there is a shot inside it.

Le sigh... I haven't been able to go to Europe

Well, that explains it. American Guinness sucks!