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I'm contemplating the idea of skiving off and hitting the dirt on the other side of the pond. I have lots of friends around the UK, Spain and Germany, but I'd love to ditch them at some point and go off on my own. I'm thinking I will go against all American corporate rules and take a real holiday. Yes, 2 months or so depending on how things go and starting sometime in the Spring.
Any suggetions on what I should see, do, visit? Are there any events that I simply must check out? Any regional stuff happening?
oodles of hugs,
~a~
Any suggetions on what I should see, do, visit? Are there any events that I simply must check out? Any regional stuff happening?
oodles of hugs,
~a~
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Re: Considering Europe
Thu, January 20, 2005 - 8:04 PM<repeating: envy is a deadly sin.... envy is a deadly sin... envy is a deadly sin...> -
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Re: Considering Europe
Fri, January 21, 2005 - 9:09 AMhey hey funky lady
nice move!
MM we have the regional burn in spain in july Nowhere 2005 checkout euroburners.org.
Asmsterdam is a must, we have a burner there who is forever hosting people, chris is in switzerland, a couple in germany a few in paris edinburgh, ireland, our regional leader is in barcelona. basicly joing the mailing list and there are people all over.
Decompression was in december so you missed the boat on that one but Nowhere is shaping up well. There were 46 people last year so a reminissance ofd the good old days of bakerbeach.
Amsterdam must be done, london is funky thats where i lives you will not be short of a place to stay, freakiest city in the world, i've ben here and still findin new stuff. Magic mushroom delivery companys and illeagal immigrants with stalls on the high street. Copenhagen is funky but xpensive but you can get a train to sweeden for ten bucks,
The running of the nudes is on in pampalona (like the runnin of the bulls but without the animal cruelty and more nudity) la tomitina in Valencia in august, giant tomatoe figh in the streets is cool. The summer is festival season so loads of cool shit, if you like candy raving think 50,000 ravers in the summer sun with a funfair,
rome should be seen, dublin is just for drinking niot a lot else to do but your so pissed you dont care.mmm oh theres l;oads of shit I'll tell you over beers chicken, the first round is on me
see you soon -
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Unsu...
Re: Considering Europe
Fri, January 21, 2005 - 5:40 PMNice! I'm ready to leave right now! I'll take your advice and sign up on the euroburners list. I'll also try to get in touch with you and others as the time gets closer. I promised some non-burner friends I'd run around with them for a bit in London but I have a feeling I'll be itching to find something to get into soon after I'm there. I have a tentitive list of places to hit. London (and various other parts of the south is a given, Prague is a place I've always wanted to get to, Germany has to be done to see some friends. I think I will probably get to Spain and I really REALLY can't leave Amsterdam off my list.
Chicken's checkin' on airfare! haha -
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Unsu...
Re: Considering Europe
Fri, January 21, 2005 - 5:59 PMgo to prague. it's absolutely breathtaking.
not to mention, the beer is cheap. -
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Re: Considering Europe
Sat, January 22, 2005 - 2:44 PMmy view on prauge is its somewhere I always wanted to go but its become really over touristy now. cheap flights in europe as little as $2 to fly from london to prague mean you get loads of stag weeekends and now the czechs are marketing to that contingency. go to Talin in estonia or riga in Latvia they are in the same postintion prauge were 10 years ago, newly joined european union countrys but still really cheap. And minus the foot ball teams and stag nights.
Once you get to europe you can fly dirt cheap! there are loads of real bargain flights.
but Talin is the way of the future. -
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Re: Considering Europe
Sat, January 22, 2005 - 9:36 PM$2?
Ya can't buy a bag of fish 'n chips for $2 !!! -
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Re: Considering Europe
Sun, January 23, 2005 - 10:00 AMI weny return to malmo (thats in sweeden..........a country in the north beside norway.....bout 8000 miles east of america, not gonna try you guys with geography) for $2, there are plenty of deals if you are flexible
i swear amphetamine abuse has not ravaged my senses....well maybe a little but not on this front.
www.ryanair.com
www.easyjet.com
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Unsu...
Re: Considering Europe
Sun, January 23, 2005 - 1:51 PMthanks for the update, i was last in prague in '01 (just after 9.11 in fact) and it was an amazing place then...but i was also staying with locals, we were there for a week, and it was december so not exactly the tourist season.
one of my best memories of anyplace ever is the square on a freezing cold december day...hundreds of vendors selling holiday gifts of every imaginable thing, the cheerful press of people who know that holidays are coming, the scent of mulled wine and roasted corn in the air, a light dusting of snow coming down, giving everything including all the christmas lights a gingerbread look...and christmas carols being sung by a huge group of kids on a stage. it was really lovely.
i envy europeans with the cheap travel deals...sure we get cheap flights here in the states too, but not usually to anyplace you'd actually WANT to go unless you're from there. and NEVER for 2bucks.
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Unsu...
Re: Considering Europe
Mon, January 24, 2005 - 10:32 AMDAMN! I was trying to get to Prague before it became completely Westernized and full of McDonald's and Starbucks. Am I too late??? I like the idea of checking out Estonia though. Good thinking. I'm going to look into this.
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Re: Considering Europe
Tue, January 25, 2005 - 10:54 PMAmsterdam, eh? I'll be there for 10 days at the end of April (following my 2 1/2 months in an ashram in India). Sounds like someone I should look up to say hello.
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Re: Considering Europe
Sun, January 23, 2005 - 3:10 PMI have been to Europe 3 times, but not since 97...
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND since you are going for so long, as I did, renting a car, getting off the train paths and centralizations around train stations.
On my last trip, for 3 weeks I drove all over Germany and Norther Italy, and it was the greatest!!!
Moreover, I also recommend going with one of the international rental companies, I went with Avis, which give you the opportunity for no extra cost to pick up a car at a set time/location in some city of one country, and then dropping it off at some however later date in some other part of the same country, and pretty much no matter where you drive the car in between, rather than picking up in one country and dropping off in another country, which costs a whole lot more. I found and you may also that Germany provides the by far cheapest weekly rates.
Thus, catching a train from Amsterdam to Koln (Cologne) I picked up a rental reserved at the closest Avis location and dropped off 3 weeks later in Saarbrucken near to where I then caught a train to Paris. I think it then averaged out to $15 a day, though gas is about 3x as expensive than here, so the economical model is best.
Also, reserving the rental with a credit card provides (most c.c.'s do) a good amount of rental auto insurance for no charge--this came in handy for me, as I did cause a minor bit of body damage, and which cost me nothing. You will also have to get which is easy a euro driving pass...
You may find however that any rental car company will more or less forbid you in the contract from taking the car into any eastern euro country, unless you pay a higher amount, though Czech Republic and a few others may now be an exception.
Other than that, I would recommend a lot of time in Italy, so much rich to see, as well as a lot of time in France (all over, especially Paris!), Germany (all over, especially Berlin!), and Czech Republic.
If you do go to Italy in a rental, plan well ahead, unless $ is no problem, for avoiding freeway tolls, which are on a lot of superfreeways--you will then be able to get off into more countryside on the somewhat slower smaller hiways. Depending on how much time, how much you want to see in Italy in a set amount of time, train may be more economical and convenient?
I would also look forward to trying to catch carnivals around various Euro cities, especially in the southern countries as Spring and Summer occur.
Gotta echo Diva Flamma on going to Prague, ...and the Prague free beer: besides meeting and staying a night with a 50ish gentleman and his wife, he and I went out to the corner bar and got pretty drunk that night, and buying some others some tall beers, and tipping appropriately, on my entire expense of about $5.50.
And in case you really didn't already know, if you are not rich to stay in a hotel, every night, hostels really are a great way to go. -
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Re: Considering Europe
Sun, January 23, 2005 - 4:41 PM"You will also have to get which is easy a euro driving pass... "
I thought they honored US driving licenses? I've driven there before, but never with a Euro license (and the rental company didn't ask for one; was fine with the US one). Is this new? -
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Re: Considering Europe
Sun, January 23, 2005 - 5:50 PMYes, that does seem to be a more correct recollection than that a euro driving pass, or "international driving permit," rather, as it is called, is required--though at the time, beyond it being recommended, I think it was a requirement if one wished to drive in Eastern Europe, as well as for renting a car, which I was planning to do. I'm not sure what the requirements are now.
I think I got it through the same office I got my passport at, at the post office, and it is not a license, but a supplement to your regular u.s. driver's license.
It essentially was a picture of you, listing some vital info and signature, and some detailed info translated in several languages, requiring no tests or anything more than way too much money (like $20.00).
I also recall that my regular u.s. license was my primary form of i.d. with the rental company desks I interacted with, but I don't recall how much the int'l driving permit was necessary after all to have or not with them?
I had a brief encounter with the german border police on the border with the czech republic, as I had ventured down another logging road that paralleled the border by a few hundred feet, which I shouldn't have, what with big red X signs indicating as such, but I was adventuresome, and this time getting caught (the day before I went down another, crossed the border, several times, hiking up in the Bavarian Mountains, and slept in my car for the night) and this permit did come in handy I think along with my passport, with the german translations (though one of them could speak some good enough english).
BTW, these 3 police who drove in an army green vw bus with a huge single blue emergency blue light on top, were nice and friendly, we chatted a bit about "Nevada," and didn't make a big deal at all about my transgression, not even calling in my info to dispatch like other (u.s.) police, as long as I stayed off these dirt roads, and didn't cross the border. -
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Unsu...
Re: Considering Europe
Mon, January 24, 2005 - 7:51 AMI see...loads of advise for Alanna and her Eurrrrrrrro travel...but what about ME...and my Cambodia travels? Come on Peeps!! J/K hee hee
Hey Alanna..GO!!! You'll have athe time of your life!! I got friends in Norway and Denmark. They'd love to have you!!
xoxo -
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Unsu...
Re: Considering Europe
Mon, January 24, 2005 - 10:25 AMDuuuuuude! haha What the hell are you doing up at 7:51 am? Uh! I wish I had some travel tips for you for Cambodia. The only thing I can think of is TAKE ME WITH YOU!! :) That's advice worth paying for right there!
Maybe you can put in for a trip somewhere in EU while I'm there and we can rip up a town or two. FUN! And I'd absolutely LOVE to meet your friends that wear clogs.
:)
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Re: Considering Europe
Tue, January 25, 2005 - 11:10 PMGermans love the American West. Last time I was at Arches Nat'l Park, there were way more Germans than Amies...
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International Driving Permit
Wed, January 26, 2005 - 2:15 PMThey used to give these to you free at AAA, so if you have a membership just ask them, or it'll be cheaper then most places.
You're supposed to have one in most countries, but I've had one each time I've travelled and no one has ever cared.
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Unsu...
Re: Considering Europe
Mon, January 24, 2005 - 10:30 AMI love the idea of driving. One of my favorite trips was renting a car in the UK and driving from top to bottom staying in little pubs along the way. Or renting a car and going from the top of Costa Rica all the way down to the peninsula. So much fun and met some really great people. So the driving trips have been very memorable. I'll definitely consider this. Only problem is I'd feel more comfortable knowing the language of wherever I am driving. Is this something to worry about? There's no way I'm going to be able to learn so many different languages before I leave. I'm American! -
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Unsu...
Re: Considering Europe
Mon, January 24, 2005 - 11:47 AMi have found that in most countries, the signs are in at least two languages (the native tongue and english). even when they aren't, if you have a map, it's no different than driving around in a strange city...you look for the name of the place you want to go to and you find the highways that take you there. road signs that direct you to watch out for things always have a symbol on them that sort of gives you the idea of what to worry about.
the exception: places where the alphabet is not the same--for example, in greece. at least for me, deceiphering symbols is really hard traveling at 100 K/H.
talking to people face to face you will be fine...one of the reasons why americans don't learn as many foreign languages as people in other countries (aside from not traveling as much and an american-centric attitude) is because they do not have to. english is a required second language in so many countries because over time its evolved into one of the most universally spoken languages. there are always going to be people who don't speak a word of it though and this is half the fun of travel, learning new pantomime. i was recently in a foreign country and i for whatever eason decided i wanted to get my legs waxed. i had no idea how to express any of it and the person i was asking spoke no english. i pantomimed leg waxing (complete with scream of horror) and he sent me to exactly the right place.
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Re: Considering Europe
Mon, January 24, 2005 - 3:13 PMheh heh
>>>i had no idea how to express any of it and the person i was asking spoke no english. i pantomimed leg waxing (complete with scream of horror) and he sent me to exactly the right place.
Yeah, reminds me of being in Venice at a little trattoria, eating a meal, and then trying to explain that I would like a pizza to go, spending about a minute and a half with a waitress and then waitron who spoke as about as much english as I spoke of italian, going through the motions, pointing to the item on the menu, put item in a box,...take out the door...., until "take out" finally clicked--"Oh! take out!"
And Alanna, heck, if you found driving on the wrong side of the road in UK no problem, signage in the rest of Europe really isn't any more that difficult--lots of just plain symbols, not so much wordage--gotta remember though those red X in a blue circle with tiny arrows pointing in the opposite direction than would seem so obvious as meaning Do not Park in <<that direction, heh heh, came back to almost trying to put my key in another car door lock, to see, yes, my car was towed, in Munich, after a very long day trekking around....
Gotta watch out on the autobahn, too, heck in much of Europe, the absolute get out my right away now to go 130+ km/h in the left lane, and anything slower than the next car, RIGHT LANE!
Other than that, some of your better travel guides, like Lonely Planet, contain in the back and in other parts auto signage translations. Also, rental companies usually provide some handouts, as do auto insurance companies (some of your local auto insurance companies like AAA also provide some GREAT free maps). -
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Re: Considering Europe
Tue, January 25, 2005 - 2:51 AMalanna my dear it sounds like you will be joining us here soon, me thinks the deliberation is over and you really really wanna come out to play!!
Languages thing is fine, my advise is to at least learn hello and thank you in the local language. It is really quote scary to visit scandanavia and see how well they all apeak English, if you arrive and are humble about not speaking the local language people are generally very amenable to help you. If you bowl in as many English and americans do with "Hey buddy, Gimmie a large order of ham and eggs, hey buddy dont you even speak english, Jees you dont realloy make the effort do you guys. wandering around speakin french, jees Makes you wonder why we saved your ass in the War". Actually overheard from a bunch oftourists in Belgium, not like the vast majority of tourists i know, but enven asshole can buy cheap oplane tickets these days.
You wont need to learn all the languages, and if you need help just ask someone young, oh and gifting is a really good way to get by when your in a land of strangers.
It works outside Black rock city too.
Ohh alana's cioming over to play I'm so excitied -
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Unsu...
Re: Considering Europe
Tue, January 25, 2005 - 7:27 AMcouldn't agree more with nurse on the learning at least a few words:
hello
goodbye
please
thank you
help
bathroom
restaurant
as for humbling, here's how common it is to be multi-lingual. we went to a restaurant in israel. the waiter spoke mandarin, hebrew, and english...fluently. so did the cooks. the child who lived in the house where we stayed spoke hebrew, swiss, and english. he is FOUR. every person we met spoke at LEAST two languages totally fluently, often three or four.
me? i can speak my native tongue, and i can understand spoken french and can read it but speaking it is another matter. and that's it. hardly comparable!
at least i'm aware of my own ignorance.
the one thing i find funny and it's happened a few times now. when i got a country where the language isn't english, i find myself thinking in french and using french (and more rarely, spanish) words for things. it's like my brain says...ok, it's not english, let's try the only other thing you know on for size.
anyone else do that too>
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Re: Considering Europe
Tue, January 25, 2005 - 11:14 PMNot only do they not have to because of English use elsewhere, but also, for most Americans that don't go abroad, they don't need to learn another language here. Unlike Europe, we don't have many languages in close proximity. In some places French is useful, in others Spanish, but other than that, English gets you everything.
The thing about Americans not being able to learn languages is a convenient canard...
What's really annoying is when you try to use a local language in, say, Germany, and they condescendingly respond in English so as not to tax your poor little American brain... -
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Re: Considering Europe
Wed, January 26, 2005 - 12:06 AMI have to say more of my friends here in LA speak a second language than my friends in London.
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