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Post by rikita on Oct 3, 2024 16:59:03 GMT -5
so, next summer is still a while away, but I am already wondering what to do then ...
a. and I take turns chosing where we travel (so far, she usually chose sweden), and she suggested I should chose spain next year, so that is one option, and as we go through france on the way, we could stop at euro disney ... but i was also thinking slovenia sounds nice ... but then, my brother suggested we go to poland together, to a theater festival my aunt and uncle organize, and then i thought since they are in eastern poland, i could travel on to lithuania and maybe also latvia from there (turns out my brother can't get time off when the theater festival is, but now the idea is there, for me) ... and at some point i was thinking maybe liechtenstein would be fun, just because there we might have a chance actually seeing most of the country on one trip ...
one thing is, i spent a lot on this year's trip to denmark and sweden, and the one in the year after might get quite expensive again, so i maybe something that isn't too expensive would be good ...
so, some thoughts are ... spain is not that expensive (but disney is) and it'd be an opportunity for a. to get some contact with spanish and french, as she'll have to chose which of the two she wants to start learning in 7th grade, but also, since the summer break is in july/august, it'd be very hot there ... and as i said, at least the disney part would be quite expensive.
liechtenstein could be combined with participating in our climbing group's trip to the alps, but i suppose it'd be quite expensive, and really i have no idea what we can do there ...
slovenia is probably not that expensive (though not sure) and i heard it is quite pretty ... and could be combined with the alps, again ... not feeling that excited about the idea, yet, though ...
poland + lithuania + latvia is a lot, of course - though there are boats going to germany directly from latvia, so that'd save some time (still avoiding flying unless i go to another continent) and it seems like a cool trip, though traveling between the countries might be a bit complicated, too, and again probably not that expensive, i suppose (but no idea).
so, anyway, has anyone been to several of these countries and can give me some thoughts?
we'll have three weeks (two, if we participate in the trip to the alps) and usually just like to do a combination of things, a bit of nature, a bit of culture, maybe a day at the beach, maybe some fun for kids things in between ...
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Post by tzarine on Oct 3, 2024 20:16:59 GMT -5
we love spain
donostia
barcelona
madrid
want me to send you my spain article?
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Post by sophie on Oct 3, 2024 22:04:27 GMT -5
I’ve been to Poland many times (part of the family is Polish) and took our son there when he was younger a couple of times. I haven’t been there in the past few years, so I don’t know how it changed, but the mountainous area on the border with Slovakia is very nice with lots of hiking. I don’t know about climbing. I remember it as being very reasonably priced for tourists. Definitely not as hot as Spain would be.
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Post by sprite on Oct 4, 2024 3:45:14 GMT -5
For Spain, if you went to Northern Spain, it wouldn't be quite as hot. You could spend time on the coast (San Sebastian, Bilbao, Salinas), then through the Picos Europa to Leon and Burgos. You could even combine it with the Pyrenees and Bordeaux/Brittany on the French side, to get a taste of both languages.
There are a lot of pilgrim walking routes, good outdoor climbing, Roman remains, the Museum of Human Evolution (Burgos) is good for science and culture. The food is fantastic and not expensive. Maybe just 1 day at Euro Disney on the way home?
The Tatras in Poland and Slovakia are indeed amazing, and the tourist infrastructure is both well-developed and cheaper than Germany. Walking, climbing, hot springs, castles, roman and prehistoric ruins, the edge of the Ottoman empire... And the sausages. Oh, their sausages and cured meats make me want to cry. The bread will probably feel familiar too, they also love a crust so hard a person needs to go to the Jaw Gym just to eat it.
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Post by rikita on Oct 4, 2024 18:39:43 GMT -5
yes, if spain i was thinking northern spain and mountains ... i'd like some hiking, though not sure a. will want to ...
for poland, the idea was visiting my aunt in masuria and then on to lithuania (maybe one stop either on the way, or if it more convenient, going to gdansk and take a night bus from there), so much more north than the tatra. the thing that kind of tempts me there, is that i'd visit two countries i haven't been to yet (lithuania and latvia), since i have been to pland, spain and france ...
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Post by tzarine on Oct 5, 2024 21:05:39 GMT -5
there's also the camino de santiago in spain
love the beach in donostia
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Post by riverhorse on Oct 6, 2024 9:34:41 GMT -5
Sprite's first paragraph above basically is my last summer holiday to a T, except for the Brittany bit. It was truly wonderful and I can very much recommend it.
However, my heart will always be in Slovenia, I would go there again and again. To me it is the most beautiful Alpine country in all of Europe.
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Post by sprite on Oct 7, 2024 5:46:08 GMT -5
Sprite's first paragraph above basically is my last summer holiday to a T, except for the Brittany bit. It was truly wonderful and I can very much recommend it. Ha! We did the Avila/Salamanca/Leon/Burgos loop, resisting the urge to include the coast because it would just be too much moving around. So, the coast and Picos are on the list for another holiday! |
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Post by rikita on Oct 10, 2024 16:58:50 GMT -5
riverhorse and sprite - can you tell me your itineraries (and how long they took)? did you have a car or take public transport - since i don't drive i have to see what is doable without a car ... one thing about spain is that it is quite far away and i don't want to fly, either (we have a big journey planned the year after and i only want to fly every few years). but france/spain is starting to sound more interesting, before i was thinking more poland and lithuania ... asked a. which of the two she prefers (france/spain or poland/lithuania) - and she said UK ... (after that, she said poland, though) ...
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Post by sprite on Oct 11, 2024 13:15:50 GMT -5
What about sleeper trains to Madrid?
From there, the trains and busses are pretty good--we had a car because partner insists on it.
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Post by rikita on Oct 11, 2024 18:20:37 GMT -5
yes, i have to check about that ... so far, i can only find connections with several changes, though, that take at least like 24 hours ... but maybe there are more connections in summer (and i also haven't searched very thoroughly, yet) ...
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Post by sprite on Oct 12, 2024 12:33:05 GMT -5
Yeah, I know there's a paris/madid sleeper, and a paris/munich, but I'd assume you'd have to spend the full day in Paris between trains.
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Post by Phar Lap on Oct 17, 2024 5:11:39 GMT -5
yes, i have to check about that ... so far, i can only find connections with several changes, though, that take at least like 24 hours ... but maybe there are more connections in summer (and i also haven't searched very thoroughly, yet) ... Rikita, I was advised to use Man in Seat 61 for the best in train travel. I have used it for both European and Asian train travel and can thoroughly recommend this website. Good luck and happy travels. The Man in Seat 61 |
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