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There's a Stockholm - Riga ferry route too. I don't really see the attraction of the cruise I have to say, the Baltic Sea is just a big boring lake with gently caress all to see. You'd see more of the actual countries on trains and the normal people ferries. Helsinki - Tallinn is two and and a half hours, Stockholm - Turku like ten hours.
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Mar 25, 2024 23:09
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Stockholm archipelago is p sweet, and getting to travel overnight in somewhat luxury(own cabin and whatnot) would be the appeal to me.
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Mar 25, 2024 23:19
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runawayturtles posted:My wife recently brought up Stockholm as a potential next trip, so I started working on a small itinerary that also includes Gothenburg and Copenhagen. Haven't gotten too far yet, but seems like it could be a nice 1.5 week trip or so, taking a train between each city. We took a Baltic cruise last summer with more or less a full day in each port but no overnights. It's not how we normally like to travel but it was an interesting way to get a little taste of each city and see where we might want to go back to for an extended visit. There is a cruising megathread where someone might know but AFAIK most of the itineraries there are going to be one day per port. If you're really interested in Stockholm primarily/specifically you're probably better off skipping the cruise, or see if there is a cruise that starts or ends in Stockholm so you can spend a few focused days there before/after.
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Mar 26, 2024 01:16
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Yeah, to clarify, I'm not much of a cruise person either, the appeal is primarily to take care of all the traveling overnight so we can just focus on seeing some nice cities. It kind of makes sense to me for the Baltic region because all the capitals are ports and are close enough that extra days on the water shouldn't be necessary.BabyJebus posted:We took a Baltic cruise last summer with more or less a full day in each port but no overnights. It's not how we normally like to travel but it was an interesting way to get a little taste of each city and see where we might want to go back to for an extended visit. I was just thinking this earlier, if there's one that begins/ends in Stockholm/Copenhagen then we could add some days before and after, seeing the same amount of those cities we ordinarily would, with some bonus days in the other capitals. Seems worth considering at least, though I expect a more standard trip with a couple trains is still more likely due to our schedule inflexibility.
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Mar 26, 2024 04:20
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Entropist posted:If you enjoy decaying minor rural cities that have clearly seen better days there should be some cool places to stop. This is valid for a huge swathe of France, to be fair 
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Mar 26, 2024 11:45
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runawayturtles posted:Yeah, to clarify, I'm not much of a cruise person either, the appeal is primarily to take care of all the traveling overnight so we can just focus on seeing some nice cities. It kind of makes sense to me for the Baltic region because all the capitals are ports and are close enough that extra days on the water shouldn't be necessary. Most of the cities in the region are an hour's flight apart (or at least you can choose a route that works that way), and the airports are close to the cities, so while I understand wanting to travel without any effort, the travelling in the region doesn't take that much time and effort
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Mar 26, 2024 11:56
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The stockholm<>copenhagen train ride is pretty sweet as an option. There is a sleeper train also iirc.
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Mar 26, 2024 12:00
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We did a cool trip Copenhagen - Helsingor - Oslo - Bergen by train, would strongly recommend. Not the fastes trains but the distances aren't huge and the scenery is gorgeous in places. You could fly back, or get a boat back if you wanted a loop.
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Mar 26, 2024 13:44
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runawayturtles posted:My wife recently brought up Stockholm as a potential next trip, so I started working on a small itinerary that also includes Gothenburg and Copenhagen. Haven't gotten too far yet, but seems like it could be a nice 1.5 week trip or so, taking a train between each city. We're doing Stockholm and Copenhagen in May, taking the train between the two. 
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Mar 26, 2024 15:41
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Sai posted:1. The new public library is awesome just by itself, but it also has a splendid terrace that gives a great view of the city. The restaurant isn't very good, but next to it is a Va Piano, which is surprisingly tasty given that it's a German chain restaurant serving Italian food. But trust me, it's all fresh, you can pick your own ingredients and it's very cheap. goodness posted:Is this stuff still valid 14 years late? The videos are dead but I'll be in Amsterdam for 2 days in June with some friends. Never been before and definitely trying to avoid touristy things for the sake of tourism. I've lived in Amsterdam for over 10 years now and most of this still works, though maybe my own knowledge is not up to date. Of course there are also many things we could add now. So here's an update. 1: The Vapiano disappeared a while ago, now there is a Korean place I never checked out. The top floor restaurant also changed. 2: Still great 3: Roof is still there 4: Should still be good, I don't know if they do the tours still 5: Rents went through the roof there and some of the independent stuff has been pushed out, but it's still more or less true, though more expensive now. I am not sure what the replacement is either, probably you won't find it in Amsterdam. Unless it's those big vintage clothing markets up in Noord at IJhallen. 6: Classic, will not change 7: Renovations on the Rijksmuseum have long since finished. It is worth it and you could go there for multiple days. This Hermitage place cut its ties with Russia due to the invasion and has a new dumb name now and random exhibitions. Go to the Tropenmuseum instead. 8: Probably still good 9: They actually stopped selling these some months ago, quite a tragedy! You can only get them in restaurants now, and they have frozen ones. Go to Van Dobben instead for the true Amsterdam experience, and that place is never going to change. 10: This is still going thankfully, although a bunch of other top choices for eating Dutch food have disappeared. 11: A former colleague of mine works there now, still exists 12: Last time I checked this place changed ownership to the IJ brewery from point 4. Seems like an improvement to me! 13: Still good, also in these days a great alternative to a lot of the overpriced tourist tiktok food nonsense in the center.
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Mar 26, 2024 16:00
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Residency Evil posted:We're doing Stockholm and Copenhagen in May, taking the train between the two. Yeah I saw that upthread, something about doctors wanting to visit Sweden this time of year... no toddler here though Threadkiller Dog posted:The stockholm<>copenhagen train ride is pretty sweet as an option. There is a sleeper train also iirc. Is it the direct line that's sweet or is it similarly nice with Gothenburg in the middle?
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Mar 26, 2024 20:44
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runawayturtles posted:Is it the direct line that's sweet or is it similarly nice with Gothenburg in the middle? I haven't gone copenhagen-gothenburg via train but its of course also an option and a bit quickre at about 4h (though by Öresundståg which is a commuter/trunk line and not as flashy). Threadkiller Dog fucked around with this message at 21:14 on Mar 26, 2024 |
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Mar 26, 2024 21:03
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I thought I'd do a little write up (or effortpost, as it seems to have turned out) of my recent trip to Tirana (Albania), Ohrid and Skopje (North Macedonia). Day 1 Luton -> Tirana Got into the hotel at about 2pm and spent the afternoon getting our bearings and having a general wander around the city centre. It felt safe and has some interesting architecture. The main square, Skanderberg Square, is pretty sizeable and good for people-watching. The front of the National Museum has a cool mosaic, too. Our first impressions were that this is a city very much in transition from old to new, and it'll be somewhere that will be very different in 5 years' time. It's nestled into mountains, which made for some interesting views even in urban areas.     Day 2 Tirana - Dajti Express; BunkArt 2; National Museum The Dajti Ekspres is a cable car just outside the city and easily accessible by (slightly confusing but ultimately fine) local bus. The bus was insanely cheap, just a few cents, and the cable car was definitely worth doing for the views. You can see over Tirana and out to Durrës, which is on the coast. Near to the cable car you can also go to BunkArt, which is a museum/art gallery inside one of Albania's 750,000+ bunkers built by the paranoid and hostile leader, Enver Hoxha. Unfortunately, BunkArt was closed on the day we were there, so we went to its sister site back in the city centre, BunkArt 2. BunkArt2 was... an experience. Incredibly information-dense and poorly translated, I know it was telling the story of the national security and police forces, the evils of communism, and, er, etc... It was not a great museum experience. But hey, got to go in a bunker! There were lots of blown-up black and white images of people being hanged by the state, or who had been shot down trying to escape, etc, which to me gave it a weird vibe of the Wild West Internet of the early 2000s when shock sites were popular. Still, overall not very upsetting, but pretty incomprehensible. It did have a creepy sculpture thing, though. The National Museum followed the trend with being information-dense, with huge parts with simply no English translation. The exhibitions from prehistory were kinda cool if you like pots and jewellery and that standard museum fodder. Two huge rooms are dedicated to the slide from Fascism to Communism, and again lots of photos of people dead, dying, or suffering, as well as bloodied shirts and things that had been recovered. Fairly interesting where there was English to be read, but not at all lighthearted subject matter.   Day 3 Tirana - House of Leaves; Grand Park House of Leaves was a better-curated museum, also dedicated to the evils of communism - this time, the rampant spying on the populace. It was interesting and more understandable than the other museums, and the building itself was quite cool. I would definitely recommend going here. The Grand Park was nice to walk around, but it was a fairly cold day in March so clearly wasn't as its best as a pursuit. I bet it would be lovely in the warmer months, lively and perfect for a stroll and an ice cream.  In terms of food and drink, Tirana has a great café/bar culture and there are loads of cool spots to check out. We found that eating out for dinner was a bit harder than expected, possibly due to the time of year or the days of the week we were there (Sun-Wed). Lots of places seemed to shut early or had few things on the menu, but we managed fine. We went to Oda Garden after people recommended it, and it was only ok, so I won't add to the recs. Drinks recommendations: Hemingway Bar, which was great for spirits and a short cocktail list in a funky environment. Komiteti,which has poo poo service but a really cool environment, and raki cocktails as well as coffee, beer, etc. Si Dielli, just a simple bar but two good, local beers and you're right on a market square. Day 4 Tirana -> Ohrid - Petrelë Castle; Sunset at Sveti Jovan We hired a driver to take us to Ohrid, because it was about €130 and seemed like much less faff than patchy long-distance buses over a border. It took about 3 hours and we stopped off at Petrelë Castle on the way, which is just an old castle but had awesome views - I am glad we were able to tack this on as a little hour-long stop off. We stayed in Ohrid Old Town, in a little studio apartment overlooking the lake. Stunning! And the old town was so quiet. March is very much off season, so there was hardly anyone around. The downside was that loads of places were completely closed, or had hardly anyone in, so there were a few places we'd wanted to eat that we couldn't go to. It was a lovely place to wander around though, and the difference between the old and new towns was interesting to see. There are loads of churches, lots of them really old and/or pretty. I'd be so interested to go again in April/May but before the tourist crowds really start for summer.   Day 5 Ohrid - Bay of Bones; St Naum Monastery Because it was the off season, the usual boats that take you across Lake Ohrid were not running so we spent €50 on a driver after messaging a few companies who said they didn't have anyone available. He took us to the Bay of Bones Museum, an outdoor replica of pile houses from thousands of years ago, and then on to St Naum Monastery. Both were interesting in their own rights, and you can look them up. I was so glad to have been as lucky as we were with weather on this day though, because the views were something else. Just stunning blue water, snowcapped mountains, warm sunshine, and sandy beaches all at the same time. Back in the old town, we had time to pop into the National Workshop For Handmade Paper - essentially a guy running a gift shop of his handmade paper that he prints onto using a replica Gutenberg press, but that is genuinely interesting. He shows you how you take the pulp from wood, pan it like panning for gold, then dry it under weight and then hung up for several days. I definitely think you should check him out if you're in Ohrid, and get some decently-priced souvenirs!     Day 6 Ohrid -> Skopje We got a cheap, easy and comfortable bus from Ohrid to Skopje, which took about 3-4 hours. Arriving in the early afternoon, we explored the Old Bazaar and were amused? Astounded? Perturbed? To find that realistic-looking BB guns, knuckledusters, and flick knives were openly for sale at loads of the stalls. Just the other side, there were loads of places to eat, drink, and pray. What a mishmash of things! Skopje had a massive regeneration project in 2014 to boost tourism, and it's made for a fascinating city. There are loads of statues, like, everywhere, and architecture made deliberately to mimic neoclassical style (also strange, gaudy, fake boats along the river - one of which is the hotel we stayed in). That's alongside the remaining brutalist buildings, such as the old shopping centre/mall - where there were protests when it was proposed that it would be demolished, because despite the ugly brutalist architecture, it stood as a reminder of the end of Communism.   Day 7 Skopje - Walking tour; museums We joined a 10am free walking tour from the main square, and it was brilliant! We learnt so much and it really helped us connect up bits of the city we'd been aimlessly exploring the previous afternoon. We got explanations of some of the bizarre statues and buildings, and the guide was really great at giving practical tips for how to get around or what else to do. I can highly recommend. Afterwards, we visited the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle, and wow. What a museum. Another information-dense and not always perfectly translated (though better than in Albania) set of exhibitions, which at first were standard museum fare. And then the waxworks began in earnest. I'm going to upload a video because the experience was utterly surreal and hard to explain.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUdOMxWOY3Y Day 8 Skopje - Matka Canyon Our last day was spent doing a bit more bimbling around before going to Matka Canyon for a few hours in the afternoon. There are lots of boat trips that will take you through the canyon, with a brief stop at a cave (which was only an ok cave, not that impressive). It was a really cool way to see the canyon, more of that gorgeous emerald water, and we also ended up chatting to an Australian couple who were travelling Europe. The canyon was easy to get to, about 30mins outside the city, and made a nice end to a busy trip.   In terms of Skopje recommendations, Restaurant Old House was quite nice and had a cool environment, but you should probably book ahead. We ended up at this pub a few times because it was in a convenient location and had an easy-going vibe. The best meal of the holiday was at Skopski Merak - get the beans! I can definitely recommend heading Balkans-wards for your next trip. It was cheap, felt safe, had lots of interesting stuff, and definitely gains you street cred for going to places other people haven't made it yet. I think that'll change in the next few years, so go now! Before the tourists ruin it! etc. e: fixing links Bollock Monkey fucked around with this message at 18:22 on Mar 28, 2024 |
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Mar 28, 2024 14:03
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Looks neat! Nice to see some trip reports + photos of relatively unusual places. I don't think I know anyone personally who has been to Albania, and not many to North Macedonia. I bought Bradt's North Macedonia guide and read through it a few months ago, looked like it was fairly interesting but not so stunning that it would become the next tourist-swarmed Montenegro - with all the upsides and downsides that come along with that statement. Albania's always interested me too, both for the scenery (I can't get enough of mountains + sea, especially simultaneously) and the unique culture (both historical and Cold War era). It's also amazing how much the Balkans have developed in the past 15 years; their GDP per capita has like, tripled, in every country. I guess like what happened to central-eastern Europe in the late 90s-early 2010s.
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Mar 28, 2024 17:48
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that trip looks great, now I want to go too lol.
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Mar 28, 2024 21:18
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Saladman posted:It's also amazing how much the Balkans have developed in the past 15 years; their GDP per capita has like, tripled, in every country. I guess like what happened to central-eastern Europe in the late 90s-early 2010s. We've now been to Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Greece and Turkey, so working our way through the Balkans. Bosnia and Herzegovina might be next, one of my friends loves Sarajevo and there's more opportunity these days to get out into nature there where it's been cleared of mines. Ferdinand Bardamu posted:that trip looks great, now I want to go too lol.
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Mar 29, 2024 18:31
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Bollock Monkey posted:I thought I'd do a little write up (or effortpost, as it seems to have turned out) of my recent trip to Tirana (Albania), Ohrid and Skopje (North Macedonia).
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Mar 30, 2024 11:11
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I was in here about a year and a half ago inquiring about Albania, and while I was lazy and shameful and didn’t put up a trip report in exchange, I did have a good time! There’s a lot of interesting places up and down the whole country! Though I will say that Bollock Monkey seems to have gotten the better side of Lake Ohrid; Pogradec seemed vaguely sketchy and a bit dull, both in excitement and literal color. Albania has some great mountains in the northwest (which tragically are rebranding away from Accursed Mountains to Albanian Alps) as well as neat castles and archeological sites down toward the south end. I’m phone posting for the next month at least since I’ve embraced career-death and run off to Asia to distract myself while the job market maybe possibly hopefully becomes less catastrophically bad for my field, but if anyone gets sold on Albania enough to start planning by the above posts I’ll throw in a couple other spots in the country.
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Mar 31, 2024 11:44
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Bollock Monkey posted:You should! Skopje would make a great long weekend trip if you're limited on time/funds. I'd be coming from the US, so I would plan a Balkan itinerary over 2-3 weeks.
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Mar 31, 2024 18:07
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runawayturtles posted:I was just thinking this earlier, if there's one that begins/ends in Stockholm/Copenhagen then we could add some days before and after, seeing the same amount of those cities we ordinarily would, with some bonus days in the other capitals. Seems worth considering at least, though I expect a more standard trip with a couple trains is still more likely due to our schedule inflexibility. So I ended up finding just a few potential cruises, but they weren't at great times for us and would have been too long if adding multiple days before and after. Looks like terrestrial transit it is. In other news, we had to again postpone our already-postponed trip to the Netherlands in early May, so we're gonna do this trip instead in late May. We don't have quite enough time to include Gothenburg, so it'll just be Stockholm and Copenhagen with a couple day trips, and the suggested high speed train between them.
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Apr 1, 2024 07:09
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Akratic Method posted:Pogradec seemed vaguely sketchy and a bit dull, both in excitement and literal color. Ferdinand Bardamu posted:I'd be coming from the US, so I would plan a Balkan itinerary over 2-3 weeks.
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Apr 1, 2024 14:28
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Heh, I was just there last fall. I hit Ljubjlana, Bled, and Bohinj. I wanted to go to Predjama but couldn't make time for it. I agree with its beauty, I lived on the other side of the mountains in Bolzano and Trento for awhile.
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Apr 1, 2024 15:37
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Ferdinand Bardamu posted:Heh, I was just there last fall. I hit Ljubjlana, Bled, and Bohinj. I wanted to go to Predjama but couldn't make time for it. I agree with its beauty, I lived on the other side of the mountains in Bolzano and Trento for awhile. Huh, is it noteworthy compared to the Bolzen area? We were tentatively planning to spend about 12 days split between the Dolomites (probably around Cortina) and the Slovenian Alps this September, mostly hiking, or doing whatever else is in the area when it's raining. We spent a week in Slovenia about 10 years ago, but just in the cities, of which Ljubljana was nice, Maribor blew, and we thought the tiny coast was kinda alright. Generally we haven't travelled much to areas with Swiss-like mountains, or if we have we don't go to the mountains when we go there, since we live in Switzerland and don't need to drive 10 hours for it. But, we figured this September we'd do something new... and also a friend is coming with, and she's a Country Counter. I'm sure we'll love it, just generally wondering if it would be different enough to be worth driving 5-6 hours from Bolzen/Trento, rather than driving like an hour south to Garda. For us it's like a 10 hour drive, which is part of why we'd split it up in the Dolomites.
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Apr 1, 2024 16:45
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Ferdinand Bardamu posted:Heh, I was just there last fall. I hit Ljubjlana, Bled, and Bohinj. I wanted to go to Predjama but couldn't make time for it. I agree with its beauty, I lived on the other side of the mountains in Bolzano and Trento for awhile. Ha, great choices! We skipped Predjama Castle but made it to Postojna Cave and Hotel Jama's listening rooms. Such a cool bit of the world. Bohinj is unreal, isn't it.
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Apr 1, 2024 18:45
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Going to be in Rome in late May. For both the Colosseum/Forum and the Vatican, it looks like you can either book a timed-entry ticket or find a tour that comes with entrance. Are the tours worthwhile? Any specific recommendations? And if I want to backtrack after the tour ends and read every description of every item in the entire goddamn Vatican Museum, can I do that?
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Apr 1, 2024 23:45
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I've gotten into the US National Park Passport stamps. I know Japan has something similar in train stations and other tourist attractions. Is there anything similar in Europe? It's been hard to google, I mostly get postage stamps and questions about real passports. I'm going to Paris in May, and usually go to Poland at least once a year. Any tips on where to find some stamps, or even what to google to get better results?
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Apr 2, 2024 01:14
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Incoherence posted:Going to be in Rome in late May. For both the Colosseum/Forum and the Vatican, it looks like you can either book a timed-entry ticket or find a tour that comes with entrance. Are the tours worthwhile? Any specific recommendations? And if I want to backtrack after the tour ends and read every description of every item in the entire goddamn Vatican Museum, can I do that? For the Vatican Museum we did the goddamn way too early tour which includes breakfast, and it was so very worth it because it got you in to the Sistine Chapel before they let general admission folks in. Being alone in the Rafael Rooms and then one of two groups in the Chapel was absolutely worth it for us. And yes, you can then stay in the museum after. The one caveat is that this is provided by the Museum itself, so you don’t get a choice of guides and their itinerary is more or less set. For the Forum/Coliseum, having a tour guide will help you get in faster, but the value add will be how much historical information you want provided (since there are some but not many informational signs in the Coliseum and even fewer on the Forum/Domus Aurea) versus if you just want to be there. There’s a cottage industry of History/Archeology grad students moonlighting as tour guides if you really want a deep dive, that’s always fun.
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Apr 2, 2024 07:05
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IMO paying for a good guide is worth it, you've spent loads to be there in the first place and I find they make the experience substantially better. Loads more interesting than all but the best audioguides (sadly! Seems like a gap in the market)
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Apr 2, 2024 07:33
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Guy Axlerod posted:I've gotten into the US National Park Passport stamps. I know Japan has something similar in train stations and other tourist attractions. Is there anything similar in Europe? It's been hard to google, I mostly get postage stamps and questions about real passports. I'm going to Paris in May, and usually go to Poland at least once a year. Any tips on where to find some stamps, or even what to google to get better results? The closest thing I can think of is that some of the microstates offer unofficial tourist stamps at the tourist info. I have one from Liechtenstein. They don't stamp on entry. You could also get into collecting tourist 0-euro bank notes for which you can find vending machines at some very touristy places all over Europe and even worldwide. Here is a Paris one: http://www.euro-souvenirscheine.de/details.php?ID=354 Relatedly, of course there's also those coin press machines where you put a 5 ct coin and an euro in, spin a handle like crazy, and it presses some picture of the local sight into the 5 ct coin.
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Apr 2, 2024 11:18
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Tour for the Vatican is a must, reiterating what Shartre (lol) said. The Vatican is a total clusterfuck of humanity and being with a sanctioned tour helps cut through the morass of tourists. For the Coliseum and Forum, either way. We booked a tour for them, but toward the end of the Coliseum our guide had a panic attack that lasted at least 20 minutes because he couldn't find two people in the group before we told him we were bouncing and started looking around ourselves.
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Apr 2, 2024 14:59
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Carbon dioxide posted:The closest thing I can think of is that some of the microstates offer unofficial tourist stamps at the tourist info. I have one from Liechtenstein. They don't stamp on entry. Yeah Lichtenstein Tourist Office and San Marino Tourist Office are the only ones I can ever remember seeing in Europe that are purely tourist stamps, i.e. no way to even get one officially. There's also some idea that fake passport stamps (e.g. Machu Picchu or whatever) can be seen badly by immigration officials, although I don't know if that's just an old wives' tale as no one ever cared about my Liechtenstein Tourist Office stamp, and I doubt anyone knows what a Liechtenstein is, and it says "Tourist Office" on it, and it was the first stamp on the first page of my last two passports.
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Apr 2, 2024 16:21
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Has much changed at the Colosseum / Forum since 2011? I might be going back in October. Back then, I just walked up to the Palatine Hill ticket office, purchased a combo ticket, then cut the line at the Colosseum. This was during the summer, so it was crowded but manageable. But I realize that Instagram has ruined everything, so...
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Apr 2, 2024 16:53
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Saladman posted:Yeah Lichtenstein Tourist Office and San Marino Tourist Office are the only ones I can ever remember seeing in Europe that are purely tourist stamps, i.e. no way to even get one officially. I have a notebook to use for this. I'm not going to waste space in my real passport.
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Apr 2, 2024 17:02
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Ferdinand Bardamu posted:Has much changed at the Colosseum / Forum since 2011? I might be going back in October. Back then, I just walked up to the Palatine Hill ticket office, purchased a combo ticket, then cut the line at the Colosseum. This was during the summer, so it was crowded but manageable. But I realize that Instagram has ruined everything, so... Yes, anything you want to do in Rome, book in advance online. This accelerated even more post-COVID. Rome was always ridiculously popular and crowded, even before Instagram, although some places got absolutely over-touristed like Trevi Fountain (absolutely skip, it's like a metal concert mosh pit there now in terms of crowds) and the Pantheon (now requires payment and queueing to go in - although it's still pretty spectacular). Rome is big though, and once you're outside of the medieval center and the Vatican itself, then it's fine. E: I don't think the forum actually sells out, but you can have long queues. Some things completely sell out, and other things sell day-of tickets but with stupid queues. I was there in April a couple years ago and decided not to go in because of the queue — and I was sick and had been in a couple times before. Saladman fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Apr 2, 2024 |
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Apr 2, 2024 17:46
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Ferdinand Bardamu posted:Has much changed at the Colosseum / Forum since 2011? I might be going back in October. Back then, I just walked up to the Palatine Hill ticket office, purchased a combo ticket, then cut the line at the Colosseum. This was during the summer, so it was crowded but manageable. But I realize that Instagram has ruined everything, so...
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Apr 2, 2024 22:40
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Saladman posted:Yes, anything you want to do in Rome, book in advance online. This accelerated even more post-COVID. Rome was always ridiculously popular and crowded, even before Instagram, although some places got absolutely over-touristed like Trevi Fountain (absolutely skip, it's like a metal concert mosh pit there now in terms of crowds) and the Pantheon (now requires payment and queueing to go in - although it's still pretty spectacular). Rome is big though, and once you're outside of the medieval center and the Vatican itself, then it's fine. Sounds like the Vatican tour is definitely worth it, then.
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Apr 3, 2024 01:02
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The fountain was worth seeing for me, but that was before Covid. I stayed right by the Vatican and you can walk to the fountain, it's a decent walk but boy oh boy it's a good one.
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Apr 3, 2024 03:12
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Saladman posted:Huh, is it noteworthy compared to the Bolzen area? We were tentatively planning to spend about 12 days split between the Dolomites (probably around Cortina) and the Slovenian Alps this September, mostly hiking, or doing whatever else is in the area when it's raining. We spent a week in Slovenia about 10 years ago, but just in the cities, of which Ljubljana was nice, Maribor blew, and we thought the tiny coast was kinda alright. Garda is incredible, I'd go there over driving through the Dolomites (which are also nice) since you live in Switzerland. One thing I'd recommend for September/October hiking in the Bozen area is to hike the Chestnut Trail / Keschtnweg. I would take the train to Brixen/Bressanone and walk from the station up a hill to the start of the trail. I would make it to Chiusa, where you have to wander past an abbey that overlooks the town. The Alpe di Siusi / Schlern is across the narrow valley, always in eyesight, while you walk. It's where Terrence Malick filmed part of his last movie. https://www.suedtirolerland.it/en/leisure-activities/mountains-and-hiking/in-the-valle-isarco/chestnut-trail/
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Apr 3, 2024 03:23
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I actually have a very nice picture of my brother and his fiancee at Trevi from not long before covid. It's possible they were just really lucky, I can't remember what time of year they went.
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Apr 3, 2024 06:21
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Hedgehog Pie posted:I actually have a very nice picture of my brother and his fiancee at Trevi from not long before covid. It's possible they were just really lucky, I can't remember what time of year they went. My wife and I walked by after dinner last year, so maybe 10:30-11pm, and it was quiet enough that we were able to get a photo directly in front of it with nobody else in the shot.
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Apr 3, 2024 06:56
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