If you’ve read my threads, you’ll know we’ve been to France. We would like to visit another European country in a couple of years, and I welcome suggestions. I’m kind of thinking along the lines of Norway (where my ancestors came from) or Spain (because everyone says it’s wonderful). Who has some favorite countries, and why do you like them?
Netherlands anf belgium are quite nice. I especially like brussells. It had a nice dingy feel to it.
The great thing about Europe is that almost all countries have their attractions, and that all those countries are relatively small, speaking in American terms. You could do a few countries. What sort of thing would you like to see? Architecture? Culture? Party Towns?
Amsterdam has all three, but it’s not the only thing to see in Europe. Give us some more info!
Well, here are the things Mr. Pug and I love to do when traveling:
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Eat
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Drink
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Eat
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Look at architecture
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Drive through picturesque farmland
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Eat and drink some more
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Learn about local history and visit famous landmarks
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Beer break
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Visit museums
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Meet pleasant local people and talk
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Cheese break
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Wine tour
Did I leave anything out?
England. My friend is there she says that once you visit London, you’ll never want to leave.
I’m rather partial to Denmark. If you love good cheese and food in general, its a great place. For picturesque countryside and genial people it can’t be beat. From there you can go over to Norway and take the train through the Fijords (one of the most scenic rides in the world) and see the Trondheim Hammer Dance!
Copenhagen is really beautiful and you’ll want to hit Tivoli before Disney or Michael Jackson buys it (Augggghhhhh!!!). If you are at all sane, you will become instantly hooked on the little red hot dogs that they sell everywhere.
PS: Bring a shitload of bucks, because it ain’t cheap. Although the exchange rate is pretty good right now.
Oh, and did I mention the beer? The Danish Tuborg Lager and Carlsberg’s Black and Gold Special Label are to positively die for. Few beers in the world are more drinkable and go with almost any food there is.
Ahhh Dutch architecture! Comprehensive indeed is my phto collection I took while in A’dam.
Actually it just seems that way 'cause the (insert Pit worthy language here) photo people managed to destroy ALL REPEAT ALL 35 rolls of my film from the rest of my trip through the Low Countries, Greece and most importantly, three months worth of memories of my trip to Africa!
So whenever i want to reminisce about Africa, i just pull out the pics of the canalside buildings with the cool cranes at the top of each window under the fascia/soffit.
Favorite memory? When ordering a Matjes herring and chips, I asked for no mayonnaise on the chips. It came with just a little mayo:)
Ah well the fish was good.
Hey pugluvr/Coldfire, sorry about the hijack, but what do you know about Sangford (sp)? I’m going to Cologne in feb. and my friend says we have to do a day trip there to a place called Yanks or Yankee?
pugluvr, say no more! Switzerland is the answer for you (except maybe for the pleasant local people part, we know we’re better than you so we will treat you with a dignified condescension.) The mountains are magnificent, the lakes are beautiful, and you can drive through many picturesque countrysides. If you want to see museums, visit Zurich, Basel or Geneva. For architecture, visit any state capital and look up the oldest buildings and the cathedral.
You’ll love it there!
With all due respect, I would advice against Switzerland. The mountains are pretty, and some of the cities are OK, but I wouldn’t consider it the pinacle of Europe in terms of tourist attractions.
MikeG: maatjes haring! Good, huh? You ate it with fries? Maniac! It’s supposed to be eaten raw, by the tail, covered in onion bits. Hmmm!!!
nonono you misunderstand! the Maatjes ( I knew that was a little off)was raw, it just had fries on the side. They didn’t go together too well as I recall. I had it also with some crusty bread and a cold beer ohh yeah!
That was the start of my love of sushi and it was a good acclimatizer to my subsequent three months in Africa where oft’ was the time I dreamt of something that could be even tangentially identified as a food product;
even if it was a raw fish 
I suppose I could give a suggestion as to the OP.
Greece- Late fall like September as the tourists are mostly gone, the weather is still good, the prices are a lot cheaper.
Ireland-land o’ my birth; 'nuff said ( I don’t go back as often as I would like- warmer places are available and all my family has emigrated or died)
Scandinavia- I’ve only been to Denmark and Sweden but both were quite nice; very picturesque, helpful and outgoing people, highish prices.
Vienna-- This meets almost all your requirements admirably, esp. the eating/drinking/ driving aspects. The Kunsthistorische art museum is unbelievable!
All right buddy, you and me, right here right now. (Rips off shirt)
Bring it on, you smelly Emmenthaler 
Don’t make me call the United Nations.
Zenster, you’ve got my number with those Danish beers. Even the Carlsberg on tap in America is very good, and I know that our version is brewed somewhere here in the New World. I can only imagine what the real stuff tastes like. --drooling-- Hey, it’s Friday and there’s entirely too much beer talk going on. I mean, it’s only 9:30 a.m here on the west coast!
The Danish beers are just the tip of the iceberg. Allow me to teach you the only word of Danish you will need to know: bageri. Look for it on the sign. Go inside. Smell the freshly baked pastries. Point to whatever looks tempting (it’s all good) and say, “I’d like one of those please.” Eat. Repeat. Stop while some of your clothes still fit so you won’t have to be naked on the plane ride home.
When you return, you will want to hurt the next person you find hawking phony “Danish” pastries.
Denmark also has the one true Legoland. I trust I need say no more. (Except maybe “Take me with you!”)
Judging from your list of activities, I’d say go to the Czech Republic. Lots of old buildings, lots of pristine farmland and forest. Great food if you’re not a vegetarian, and amazing beer.
The wine is cheap and excellent (most of the time).
Prague is my second favourite European city (Florence is the first), and the second largest city, Brno, is just as beautiful. You want history? In WWII the Americans accidently bombed Prague, thinking it was Dresden.
The one really amazing thing about the Czech Republic is that souvenirs (all that famous Czech crystal) are really, really cheap.
Just about everybody in Prague speaks English, and everybody does speak German.
Too bad my website isn’t up yet. Maybe next week.
pugluvr,
I like your list of things!
- Eat
- Drink
- Eat
- Look at architecture
- Drive through picturesque farmland
- Eat and drink some more
- Learn about local history and visit famous landmarks
- Beer break
- Visit museums
- Meet pleasant local people and talk
- Cheese break
- Wine tour
Naturally I can recommend England. We speak your language (apart from some funny accent stuff), and the food is similar.
I think the key thing is to find the right part of England. Obviously we have cottoned on to the fact that US tourists bring CURRENCY with them, so there is a little bit of ‘make that historic building a tourist attraction’, but we really do have a lot of genuine history for you.
OK, let’s see - 1.food
We have native cuisine (fish fried in batter, plus sliced fried potatoes; beef with a batter concoction, plus baked potatoes; fired egg, fried bacon, fried sausages, baked beans … well you get the idea).
But we have masses of other cuisines. Indian, Chinese, Italian, Greek, French…
For example I live in a town, population 9,000. We have 3 Indian restaurants, 4 Chinese, two Italian and all the pubs do food too.
London has at least 10,000 restaurants.
- drink
do you prefer wine or beer? We brew a lot of beers and import a lot of wine. There are quite a few local beers, with names like Old Peculiar.
Pubs are either tied to a particular brewery, or not (in this case they’re called ‘Free Houses’ - you still have to pay )
- architecture
There’s some stuff dating back to the Romans (2000 years old). London, St. Albans and Colchester were well used Roman cities.
Of course Stonehenge is our oldest structure.
We are big on mediaeval castles. Tower of London, Leeds castle (which, confusingly, is nowhere near the city of Leeds!)…
Shakespeare is remembered at Stratford-on-Avon (this is rather ‘touristy’), and in the Globe Theatre, recently reconstructed in London.
This post is getting a bit long, so tell me if this is interesting (or feel free to e-mail). I can happily do more (and I can tell you how friendly the Dutch are as well!)
Puglvr, you need only to head up to Oakland to Neldams Danish bakery to see what my other Danish comrade Flodnak is talking about. They make the best Kringle this side of Racine, WI. Next door is the Nordic House Scandinavian delicatessen. Be sure to pick up some Tybo Danish cheese and some Liver Paste for your own open faced sandwiches.
If you actually do this, I will post some Danish recipes to my “Ultimate Recipe Thread”. Deal?
Spain all the way. Here’s my short list of reasons why:
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The Alhambra. It’s absolutely glorious, and none of the photos in guidebooks even begin to do it justice. See Granada and die happy…
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Barcelona. A surreal and wonderful city filled with improbably buildings by Gaudi and equally improbable street performers.
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Figueras, an easy day trip from Barcelona and home to several fine restaurants and the utterly mind-twisting Dali museum.
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Oh, speaking of restaurants … seafood soup, empanadas, paella, jamon serrano, fresh mussels, squid, and octopus, and an intriguing selection of sausages and cheeses. Ummm…
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The best coffee in the world.
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Picasso’s Guernica, in a room of its own at the Museo Reina Sofia, and the eerie stillness that falls over the hordes of tourists as they approach it.
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Santiago de Compostela, final destination of pilgrims from around the world. By day and by night the city is full of crowds and music; to fully appreciate the solemnity and wonder of the place, you have to see the cathedral at dawn when it’s nearly empty and the statues themselves seem more alive than the handful of praying figures.
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Outdoor cafes where you can sit for hours drinking red wine and eating olives. (And some kick-ass clubs if you go in for the more active sort of nightlife.)
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Gorgeous beaches, misty Galician hills, and long stretches of red earth and olive trees.
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Dozens of local festivals, which vary in scope and significance but usually involve some combination of history, fireworks (Spanish pyrotechnicians are world-famous), and large quantities of alcohol.
I could go on for a long time, but I think you’ve probably got the idea…