I have just got my first ever passport....how exciting!! So seeing as I have never been further than Wales & would probably be going on my ownsome please advise some places that are:
1. Cheapish
2. Full of culture &
3. I dont need any needles in my arm or my ass for....
Jaine :twisted:
Canary Islands are great - some nice naturist beaches too - and of course - SUN SHINE!
Cheap(ish) to get there and cheap(ish) when you are there! I love it
Oh dear... I forgot to list "travel" in the hobbies thread.
My favourite places in Europe are Maastricht and Oslo (or Norway in general). Going a little further, Australia (biased? me?), Easter Island, and Santiago.
And then there's the rest of the world. Too many places, not enough time.
I know I am not a sun/sea/sand etc girl, wanna walk & explore, see volcanos, mountains, tribes loads of stuff....
Maybe Indonesia - that looks good...
Indonesia was far too humid for me. Great place, LOTS of people (which is something I have a problem with), beautiful mountains and countryside. I believe they have the odd volcano or two as well. I still haven't seen a real volcano, except for the long-extinct ones on Easter Island.
Djohn.... come to Rooley moor in Lancs or even Edinburgh both redundant volcs....
Gman....
Prague is brilliant - stayed there a couple of years ago and had a great (cheap) time! No idea of the name of the hotel but it was bright pink, in the middle of an housing estate and was close to an underground which took you into the centre in about 10 mins.
Dearest item to buy was fresh orange juice. Best place to be was The Castle - about 2 days of walking to get round it. Not so good art, too soviet, very cold, heated trams, great beer, rotten English, great German (guess who got popular?), Kafka rules, Goethe came too.
Now look what you did!!
Nothing sad about that..... If you enjoy driving - you do don't you?- then get your car to the other side of the channel and just follow your nose. I've done it lots of times. I don't plan in advance, apart from getting the ferry tickets. I just think of a direction and go. That way I've explored Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden. My ambitions are to try the balkand or the balti states next, but I'll need to get a job that allows longer holidays first...
Whatever you do, take care and have fun.
SBX
One of my goals (OK, I lied. I do have a few goals) is to spend a few months driving around Australia. I don't know when I'm going to be able to do it - having a job that gives me the money to afford a trip like that means I don't have the time. Having the time means I don't have the money. Perhaps when I marry that heiress...
I've done a few holidays like SBox's suggestion. It's a good way of finding places that you'd never normally see. "I'm at the station in Cologne. Where does the next train go?"
Driving round Oz ? That's exactly what I was doing this time last year.... consults diary...... 27/02/03..... Canberra, 30 celsius 8)
I bought a 20 year-old campervan in Sydney and spent six months driving a big loop via Melbourne, Alice, Darwin, and Cairns. Abso-bloody-lutely fantastic !!!!
Spent about 7 grand altogether - a bargain in my book. I must say that your (ex?)countryfolk are the most friendly I've met DJohn, always helping out the single traveller like myself. I had to quit my job to go but I would do it all again. As you say: too many places to go and not enough time.
Ooops sorry bout hijacking your thread Moist. I would recommend New Zealand for tribes / culture etc, or how about Ireland (scenery, walks, and so on) ? Italy ? Send us a postcard won't you ?
Jaine,
It has to be Venice for me. I've been three times and I love it. Don't ever go in July and August though, it's hell!
The last time I went was at the end of January. It was just after the Carnivale and St Mark's Square was strewn with confetti from the revels. It was very cold, but every morning after the mist had cleared the sky was a brilliant piercing blue and the sun shone on St Giorgio Maggiore making it sparkle.
Most of the time the piazzas were deserted and it was the perfect time to explore the narrow streets where I'd come across superb Renaissance plaques set at the end of narrow alleyways, tiny shops full of masks and art works, and then I found the pasta market. Piles of fresh pasta in every colour from natural to black, in every shape imaginable.
The restaurants were half empty, and the customers were Venetians enjoying seafood and wine. In the afternoons it was so pleasant sitting in the hazy sunshine, well wrapped, watching the world go by with a cappuchino. The vaporettos only get crowded first thing in the morning and were so cheap it was worth riding up and down the Grand Canale marvelling at the faded beauty that is Venice. Sadly a number of the museums were closed, but the churches hold the greatest artworks and are always open.
Try Venice in the early Spring, it's marvellous.
Sappho xxx
Rome is fabulous any time of the year, the culture is wonderful and the eating (a personal favourite) you can't beat. And the good thing if you intend to drive is that you will get your insurance claims into the double figures, Italian driving is appalling
Respect Due NorthamptonMan
the scramble at Broad stand is also pretty special. 8)
You are right 'bout Wales though, I used to be in the army and was based in Pembroke - great place, great crack.
Yos
Stop it all of you or I shall definately be going back to Wales ......maybe they could stamp my passport at the toll bridge..... ha ha
If you are coming to Wales remember its only open half day on Wednesday,
Give us a shout if you are so many places to visit that the tourists dont even know about, lived here for 31 years (apart for 6 year break in the forces) and i am still finding new places all the time.
Wales : great countryside, great people, great beer (Brains SA) Lots of Sheep ( Thought i would get that in before someone else did)
Why do i get the feeling all the sheep jokes are going to start rolling in now.
By the way if you are going abroad Hong Kong is great, the best place on the planet (after Wales)