Untitled
10 months ago
see europe! IT WILL HAPPEN BUT NOT FOR 12 YEARS WHEN ALL FIVE OF MY CHILDREN ARE GROWN!
How to see Europe
It made me
Euphoric 
"Ein, zwei, drei, suffa ... PROST!"
How I did it: For our honeymoon we booked a two-week Contiki tour through Europe. We were able to see a number of countries in brief (so now we know where we want to spend more time when we go back). In all we saw, England (London), the Netherlands (Amsterdam), Austria (Innsbruck), Belgium, Germany (the Rhine Valley and Munich), Switzerland (Lucerne), Italy (Venice), France (Paris).
Contiki is a touring company based out of Australia that caters to those ages 18-35. They are very affordable (especially for all that you pack into the trip in such a short amount of time), and our experience was excellent. As they're an international company, odds are that you'll meet some great people from all over the map on your tour. We now have friends in Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa.
In brief, here are some of my favorite things about the places we visited:
- London: the pubs, Magners, the people
- Amsterdam: the canals, Feebo, Casa Rosso, the people
- Innsbruck: Sacher Torte, the people
- Lucerne: fondue, the people, the lake, Löwendenkmal, especially the people
- Venice: all of the food (especially gelato), the pigeons, the people
- the Rhine Valley: Karl - our sommelier, hand-crafted steins, especially the people
- Munich: the history, the beer, schwein-haxen, the Hofbrauhaus, the facial hair, the lederhosen, the architecture, did I mention the beer?, the people
- Paris: crepes, the sights, the boulevards, the cafes, Monmartre, especially the people
Lessons & tips: Take a handheld GPS unit with you loaded with a map of Europe so you can wander around without having to check a map every few blocks. Sleep while you can on the bus. Be open to everything: eat everything you get a chance to, drink everything you get a chance to (in moderation), and try to meet as many people as you can.
Resources: Contiki, Garmin MapSource Europe GPS Map, Mike's Bikes, Eagle Creek All Terrain Money Belt
People doing this are also doing these things:
Entries
preferably backpacking
18 months ago
there are so many historical landmarks and places i want to see and visit!
the sistine chapel
stonehenge
rome
i cant wait.
Stowaway
22 months ago
I feel guilty admitting this.
When I was in high school, I really wanted to see Europe. “Travel is the best teacher” said Mazer Rackham. In the 19th century novel I was reading, going abroad “on holiday” was actually something prescribed by doctors for just about any illness. With no means of my own, I realized quite cleverly that my only ticket to Europe was through summer missions work. So I raised the money under the guise of sharing the Gospel to the apathetic Europeans, and I had the time of my life. Nevermind that the group leader hated me and tried to send me home for not being enthusiastic enough, (I still have bad dreams about that
). We actually did a fair amount of sightseeing. It was wonderful.
Countries seen: UK (Scotland & England), France, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia, the Republic of Czech.
Favorite place: Paris
I was seven.
2 years ago
I was seven years old. Dow Chemical sent my dad to Stade, West Germany for six months, and my mom and I joined him for the last three months of it…this was in 1977. We had a house in Stade, we drove to the Netherlands once, and we drove through Switzerland and Italy to reach Sicily. Dad had co-workers/friends in most of the places we went, so we got taken out to dinner, and taken to non-touristy sites fairly often. Like I said, I was seven, but I still have vivid memories of it.
Been to the middle east, didn't see much ;-)
2 years ago
I’ve had 2 opportunities to see Europe. School and Work ruined them both, now, I’m done. So, it’s time to start saving!!
Not just Europe, Actually
3 years ago
I wanna see the middle east too. Mainly the cairo museum in Egypt.
