More European Questions or How to Drive Tator and Coldie (and others) Nuts

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Soooooooooooo. . . I’ve been checking into ways to see Europe the fastest, easiest, and cheapest (that’s me, fast, cheap, and easy), so far it looks like the way to go is EuroRail or one of the other train systems. Is this true or is there a better way.

Can you give me some hints on using the system? I want to spend some time with some English friends and maybe head to Wales and Ireland. What is the best way to get there? Sleeping cars on trains?

Is backpacking through Italy (sleeping in hostels) as adventurous as it sounds or are there hidden problems. What about the weather during March and April?

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SHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT!

Hard to believe I know, but I goofed! SHIT

Mods, please move this thread to MPSIMS.

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Diane, sweetie, the only thing you do that drives me nuts is call me Tator - it’s tater. :slight_smile:

Really, there are so many variables involved, it’s hard to say what would be best for you. Let me do some research, okay? In the meantime, I’ve heard that the Rick Steve’s travel guides have tons of good info on the Eurail System. To be honest, I usually just purchase a ticket at a time, because I rarely have a week or more to travel.

And, you might want to check out flying to Britain, right near where your Father lives is a RyanAir Hub and sometimes they have incredible deals on flights to England and Ireland - as low as 20 pounds!

And please don’t ask me about Italy - for some reason I despise going there and have blocked it out of my memory. But just so everyone else knows, what part of Italy are you talking about? I’m sure that time of year, the weather varies greatly between the Northern and Southern parts.

I’ll do some checking up with my books this weekend and see what advice I can give, okay?

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Most of my travel experience has been in Eastern Europe, but let me try to take the burden off

Diane, Italian hostels, from what I remember, are nifty - in the bigger cities you’d have a few to choose from. They range from the dormitory-industrial type to the charming tile-roofed. Italy is amazing. Someday I’m going to live in an Italian coastal town, a la The Talented Mr. Ripley, and have a veranda and someone who looks like Jude Law.

In both March and April I’d recommend layers - t-shirts under lightweight sweaters under a raincoat. If you want, I can publish Maggie’s Ultimate Packing Guide: What You Can and Should Fit in Your Small Backpack.

I can recommend “Let’s Go Europe” for lots of info on accomodations. Lonely Planet’s web site rocks, and their guides are pretty decent. I love Insight Guides for their beautiful pictures, but they lack a lot of basic information that you need when you are on the ground.

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I’ve done the Eurail thing many moons ago, and here’s the impression I got.

Riding on the train is fun. You don’t have to worry about driving, and you can sleep in the train if you want. What I use to do (this is in my teen-age years) is to try and take night trains if possible so I could sleep on the train and then avoid the cost of lodgings for the night. I was too cheap for the sleeping car so I would sleep in the train seat (I learned after the first night that train conductors don’t like you sleeping on the floor and are liable to kick you awake if you’re in the way.)

Visiting some sites will obviously require you to abandon the train and rely on busses or other forms of transportation. Before buying the bus/boat/gondola ticket, make sure that it isn’t covered by your Eurail pass. Some bus tickets are free (or discounted) if you have a Eurail pass. Then in some parts you will have to hitch-hike or find other means. e.g. In Scotland I wanted to see Loch Ness (to say I’d been there) and had to hitch-hike to the youth hostel. I don’t know that I would recommend hitch-hiking to a woman travelling alone.

Youth hostels are fine as long as you don’t mind giving up your privacy. Some of them are co-ed so if that bothers you avoid those ones. You can also find cheap lodgings besides youth hostels in a crunch. I remember in London, when the youth hostel was full, asking the employee for the name of another spot and he directed me to some other cheap lodgings (where I was in a bed next to the worst snorer I’ve ever met.)

In March or April, I would recommend being ready for rain. Which actually is a good recommendation for any time of the year, except winter, in which case I would say be ready for snow.

I personally always buy a guidebook when visiting a place that’s new to me. The Lonely Planet ones are pretty good.

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Travlling by rail in the UK at the moment is a disaster zone.

There was a crash at Hatfield and they found a broken rail.
It turns out that maintenance across the whole network was put on the back-burner.
I won’t go into the politics here, all I will say is that many serious problems have been found and as a result there are speed restrictions all over the place.

Because of the volume of work and in a few cases the scale of individual jobs it may be some time before things get to normal.

Strong advice to single females in the UK, probably elswhere too, do not hitch-hike alone.

The long distance bus network is likely your cheapest and most reliable option.

If you hire a car be prepared to be surprised at the high cost of our fuel.

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casdave: Well, as far as National Express is concerned, there’s another petrol strike due in about a week. People are starting to panic buy already.

But don’t worry, Diane. The crisis should be over by the time you come over. And the National Express is a good bet. With the money you save from getting the train, you can afford to stay in a youth hostel–I speak from personal experience here. The only drawback is that the journeys usually take a long time, and the seats are uncomfortable (at least for 6’2" people–YMMV).

I’d meet you myself when you come over, but, as my sig explains, I will be in the States by then.

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Diane - promise me one thing. Come to Amsterdam!! I’ll show you quick, cheap and easy :wink:

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Yep.

For cheap and easy Coldie is your man.

:wink:

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About Eurail passes: Plan VERY carefully before you buy one. They can save you a lot of money if you’re making several long train journeys. If you’re traveling in short hops, or you’re planning to spend most of your time in countries that don’t have an extensive rail system (e.g. Ireland), it probably won’t pay off.

And Let’s Go rocks – but you’re much better off with the individual country guides than the all-Europe one.

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Of course, Diane might be more concerned about how “quick” he is.

::: g, d & r :::

I got around Europe using Arnold’s method of frequently taking night trains. (At my current advanced age, I’d probably want to find a shower somewhat more frequently, now.)

I’m guessing from the comments, so far, that Eurail and Britrail are still completely separate. That means that whatever you invest in your Eurail Pass won’t do you a bit of good in Britain. (I don’t remember whether Britrail works in Ireland.)

I did Italy and Spain in April and had very few problems with the weather. Coming from San Francisco, I’d guess that you ought to dress the way you normally would. (It will be chillier up north.) April is a great time to see Venice, especially, because winter has passed, but the canals have not had time to begin fermenting, again. This is true of Rome and Naples to a lesser extent, as well.

Up in Coldy’s neighborhood, the tulips may be out, but what I really loved about the low lands was not the tulips, but the crocuses. They often plant them in their lawns so that a grassy park will be covered by purple and white cupped blossoms. The tulips are pretty, but they tend to be found in beds or fields devoted to growing bulbs.

Youth Hostels have no problems besides the dormitory atmosphere that I can remember. (In many of them, each guest is expected to do a certain amount of the daily chores–sweeping, washing dishes, etc.–but it was hardly a burden.) To use the Youth Hostels of the International Youth Hostel Federation, you have to buy a (rather cheap) membership card.
Ah! There was an aspect of Youth Hostels in the old days that might bug you–they used to insist that you be in bed by 10:00 pm. My understanding is that that situation has changed in the larger cities, but you might want to check it out before you invest in membership.

A Google search on “hostels Europe” or “youth hostels” will turn up lots of info. The International Youth Hostel Federation is at http://www.iyhf.org/
(A hundred years ago, or so, when I was using them, the American branch of the IYHF was located in San Francisco.)

Even without the Youth Hostels, there are a lot of fairly cheap penziones (spelling varies by country).

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tomndebb, hostels have DEFINITELY changed since your day…LOL. Gdansk, Poland is the only place I’ve run across where they slavishly enforce the curfew - but in 1994 it cost only $2/night so it was worth it.

Diane, I know in some spots in Italy women can stay in convents. I stayed in one outside Florence - very clean, very quiet, gorgeous setting, women only (trust me, nice after being followed around by Italian guys all day). The guidebooks I mentioned would have info.

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My best friend and I are interested in doing the backpack thing in two years (this summer we are going to Canada for two weeks). But by then I will have enough saved to afford airfare.

Does anyone know of any super cheap airline deals? The cheapests flights we can find are upwards of $800, and we wanted something less expensive.

Oh, Coldfire, we want to stop in Amsterdam and go to a marijuana bar, and look at all the tulips, and see windmills and wear wooden clogs, and maybe you can take us to the wall where the boy blocked the hole with his finger? :wink:

What do ya think?

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Nacho4Sara – I see from your profile that you’re a college student. Get thee to the nearest Council Travel office (www.counciltravel.com) and ask for an International Student Identity Card (ISIC). You should be able to get student fares to Europe for much less than $800 – possibly as little as $200-300 if you wait for a sale and travel during the off-season.

I’m off to England for New Year’s – $329 with taxes.

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Okay Coldie (you hunk of Euro man-meat), not TOOOOOO quick, now. :wink:

I just got my Lonely Planet Western Europe Guide from my Amazon order, I’m still waiting for my Let’s Go Guide and some other one whose name escapes me.

I will be bringing my kids (two boys ages 19 and 9 (he’ll be 10), and my daughter who will be 17), although I won’t be tied down with kids the entire time. My dad lives in Germany and my older kids have made a few plans with my step-brother and my youngest will spend some time getting spoiled rotten by grandpa.

I am also bringing a guy that I have been seeing but he is only able to stay for 10 days. Being the sweet person I am :smiley: <------ phony, cheesy smile, I have pretty much given him control of those 10 days to make sure he gets to do the things he wants to do before he comes back home. I am also thinking seriously about visiting some English friends for a few days and of course, I have to meet the Euro-Dopers!!!

Other than that, I am open to suggestions. Please keep them coming! I will print out this thread and take it with me.

My daughter wants to visit Ann Frank’s house (is this possible) and wants to see the Louve. Are these worth our time?

Nacho - I have been checking for airfare for the last 8 months and it finally paid off. It started at around $1,500.00 r/t and got better the harder looked. Our tickets were $382.00 and through Delta and one of their partners (Air France) so we also earn our Sky Miles! GOOD DEAL!

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You’re still planning on coming to Dublin, right?

If you need any irish info, Diane, all you need is to ask.

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Diane, here’s a site that seems to have a lot of the information you need: 2000 Guide to European Rail Passes. Like I said, I’ve never personally bought a rail pass, so I don’t have any firsthand experience to share. You’ll probably want to schedule your travel at night when you can sleep, the sleeper cars are pretty nice, but it can be hard to sleep. Especially if you’re in a car with Albanians bearing accordians! But that just adds to the charm of rail travel, I think.

The Anne Frank house is well worth the time, but if you can’t make it there Frankfurt (about 1 hr from your Dad’s house) has an Anne Frank musuem, too. There is also the Dachau Concentration Camp outside of Munchen, which is absolutely haunting, but well worth the tears.

The Lourve is good, but I prefer the Rodin Musuem and the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. If you don’t go to Paris, there are several excellent Art Musuems in Germany. Again, in Frankfurt there is the Stadel (sp?) and in Munchen the Neue und Alte Pinothek are amazing.

And of course, you are coming to Heidelberg to see widdle 'ol me. Our castle can beat Neuschwanstein’s ass! And if you miss the Mosel Valley, which is right outside your Dad’s door, I will kick your Utah Ass! Heck, I’m counting on tagging along!

When you know your dates, e-mail me & we’ll work out a plan to meet. I was planning on hitting Dublin again in the Spring, depending on my situation, so if you go, I’ll arrange to go at the same time. WooHoo!

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Oh, Diane, you’re welcome to drive me insane as well.

Anne Frank’s house is indeed open to visitors - check out http://www.annefrank.nl for details.

As for the Louvre - I’d say yes, but you’d better be seriously into art. The place is huge and can put you into “sensory overload” easily. It took a bit of effort for me (and I’m a card-carrying art nut) to really enjoy the Louvre. YMMV.

Anyway, whatever you choose to do re the Louvre, please take the time to visit Musee de l’Orangerie (which is quite small and even in the same neighborhood) and take in Monet’s “Waterlilies”.

I’d like to buy you a beer in Hamburg, but the sad truth is that I wouldn’t put this boring city on my own itinerary for a Europe trip.

S. Norman

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I didn’t answer before because all your questions had been answered already when I stumbled upon this thread. No ill will or laziness on my behalf :wink:
Yes, it is possible to visit the Anne Frank Huis. It’s a museum these days, and it is VERY moving. IMHO, of course.
Check the English Homepage of the Anne Frank House for more details.
The Louvre is definately worth your time. One day won’t even cover it all: you need a week to see everything. But one full day ought to cover the highlights. Also, in Amsterdam: the Rijksmuseum. A spectacular collection of old masters. Furthermore, the Van Gogh Museum is worth a visit too.

Good deal on those plain tickets!

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Dammit, Norman! I’m in charge of the Dutch links here! Get back with us when she wants to go to Legoland or something :smiley:

If this works, the Internet is even simpler than I thought :slight_smile: