Fave city trip Europe?

[Omega]

You know I can't tell why. It's something that people notice and tell. Water was always the first thing that come to my head. Another reason might be the sidewalks, which are quite unique, quite Portuguese, that might add something to the effect. I really don't know, but you feel it.
I was trying to search on google about the light of Lisboa, and found a wonderful well written testimony about that. look at the photos of the sidewalks.
http://abhadawesar.blogspot.com/2007/03/light-light-lisbon.html

Thanks for googling. It definitely looks bright and different, of course it's hard to tell from a photo, I'm sure the real thing is more impressive. I'll read the testimony later, thanks Von Paulus!

 

[Omega]

Well, for good romantic breaks, I would suggest going to an out of city spa resort for a weekend. There's a few of them

I didn't know that. I'll look into it. Thanks.

Also, when I said UK, it's not really London, since I lived in Nottingham. I can more easily recommend things in or around Nottingham and since you like the train so much, it's only two hours train ride from London. If you catch the Eurostar to London St Pancras then take a train to Nottingham.

The problem is I've only got one week and in London there's so much to see. I'm sure at the end of that one week I've missed lots of interesting things.

 

[Omega]

Does your guy know that ?

Yes, he won't buy me diamonds, he knows a diamond will make me as happy as, hm, a chain saw.

Depends not only on the size, but on the cut, clarity and whatever… some diamonds are worth less than €20, so you wouldn't get many chocolates.

Leonidas is the cheaper one for the hand-made stuff and is a chain so it can be found in a lot of places. If you don't like some of the weird tastes they have in some of the pralines, they also sell bags of pralines with just a chocolate filling, which are my favourite.

Leonidas has several shops in The Netherlands too.

Del Rey on the other hand is very expensive and is basically what my parents buy for people when they go visit them abroad. This one is not a chain and only exists in one or two places. One of them is close to the Keyserlei in the city centre.

Ah, thank you. I'll pay them a visit.

Yeah, I like both, but I try not to go to often otherwise I would be 200kgs by now, with my chocolate eating habits too.

I prefer chocolates. Chocolates are a rare indulgence.

La Cigale is on the higher end of your budget, cheaper places where the food is still good are the restaurant Roma and House Ho Chan in town. They would be on the lower end of the spectrum. Roma is Italian and Ho Chan is Chinese as you might have guessed.

Great. Thanks. I'm starting to get hungry.

 

[Omega]

Alas, I've never been there. My wife studied in Salzburg for 6 months though and she liked it better than Vienna.

O that's significant, that says something, well, just *one* opinion of course but I now think it's worth a closer look. I'll compare those two cities. Thank you.

 

[Corwin]

Omega, if you ever saw and enjoyed Sound of Music then Salzburgh is a MUST to visit. It's probably the only place outside of Australia I'd even consider living!!

 

[Omega]

Omega, if you ever saw and enjoyed Sound of Music then Salzburgh is a MUST to visit.

I saw bits and pieces of it, perhaps I should watch the sing-a-long. IIRC it was on tv during Christmas. I'm sure it's on sale somewhere, bargain no doubt. I can't sing but I'm sure it'll be fun.

It's probably the only place outside of Australia I'd even consider living!!

O dear. Now THAT says something. We'll bombard it.
Seriously, I promise you: I'll check it out. I got curious.

 

[Omega]

I was trying to search on google about the light of Lisboa, and found a wonderful well written testimony about that. look at the photos of the sidewalks.
http://abhadawesar.blogspot.com/2007/03/light-light-lisbon.html

I've read the testimony. Interesting phenomenon.
One thing:

the stones are all in place but they rise and dip

Best to leave my high heels at home.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Do you by any chance have any specific suggestions?

Difficult … There are so many there … Along the street "Unter den Linden", there's at one point a historical museum … I think you hould visit it, because *there* Nazis suddenly become far too real … There are some very depressing corners in this historical museum - but - I think because of that, they are worth visiting … There's imho quite a strong difference between TALKING about Nazis (on any internet forum, for example), and LIVING TO SEE them … Or rather, their remains. Clothes from people imprisoned in KZs, for example.

Then, a part further away, there's the famous Museumsinsel - with the world-famous Pergamon Altar ! I think this is rightly considered as one of the greatest pieces of Art that came to us from ancient times … And even though it's shattered into some (albeit rather big) pieces … There, you can learn a *lot* about ancient cultures ! - But maybe I'm biased, because Archaeology is my greatest hobby …

The well-known Nofretete bust is also there, and very remarkable ancient artifacts …

These are my favourite museums there.

There are more, of course. And : You should buy yourself a day ticket for the BVG trains etc. … Regions A and B at least, C would be better, but region C is also more so to say the outskirts of Berlin … Thre are fewer muzseums there.

There is a Post museum, a technics musem (it features legendary computers ! - at least that was the case when I was there, and that's already a lot of years ago …), there is the museum on peoples, it's located in Berlin-Dahlem, and it features quite a lot of different cultures of the world …

In Potsdam, I don't know much about museums. But I do LOVE the parks there ! I fell in love with the greatest park when I was there in 2004 … - Doing an internship there.

You can see a lot of photos I did there on my tiny photos album : http://my.opera.com/akrproject/albums/

Which leads me to Gent/Ghent/Gand in Belgium : This is also a fine town to visit. However, my personal impression was that of many, many older buildings looking as if they had been "worn out" … The town needs to do a *lot* to get them properly into shape again - and I'm glad they do ! And Larian studios sits there, too …

Could you give me the names of some restaurants worthwhile mentioning, with reasonable prices?

Sorry, but I don't know much about Cologne's restaurants. The only one I really know by my own experience is the Borsalino, which has reasonable prices, imho. It is located at the "Zülpicher Platz". http://www.restaurant-borsalino.de/ Negative side is that this is a favourite restaurant among studients at the weekends … - This is, because it lies close to what I call "the university area".

The only other restaurant I know from my own experience is "DA Antonio" at the "Ebert-Platz" in Cologne. The rather italian-oriented food is good, the prices a bit higher. There doesn't seem to exist any homepage for this.


And last, if you want to see famous Dinosaurs skeletons, then you might go to Frankfurt - and there to the "Senckenberg-Museum", which is about "natural history".
Unfortunately I don't know anything more about Frankfurt, because I have never been there for a longer time.

But if you want to see a REAL medieval-themed old town, then you might go to Seligenstadt - not too far away from Frankfurt. It has a still to a great extend complete mediaval inner old town, complete with a monastery. Also, this is a great place for walking alonside the river Main (which flows towards Frankfurt, which is often called "Mainhattan" [there is also a Frankfurt at the river Oder close to the Polish border, so don't mix bith !]), and for visiting Aschaffenburg wit its great castle over the river Main, and a kind of reconstructed roman house/museum.

There are photos of Seligenstadt in my "photo album", too (although part 2 is still missing … *sigh*).

Well … I think, that's it for now … LImburg an der Lahn also has a medieval old town, and Duderstadt in the Harz mountain range, too … Rothenburg ob der Tauber is said to have one, too … But I've never been there …

Edit : Salzburg is also a fine town I've been briefly there two or three times for a day, and it has left quite a good impression on me

 

[pibbur]

Omega, if you ever saw and enjoyed Sound of Music then Salzburgh is a MUST to visit. It's probably the only place outside of Australia I'd even consider living!!

WHAT????!!!

Says Pibbur who has problems understanding why anyone would not want to live in Bergen@Norway.

 

[GothicGothicness]

Well, I think he said out of the places he visited or saw… even if he had been in Bergen he would probably not have seen it for all the rain.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

I think my mother and my sister once were in Bergen. As far as I can remember, they've had fond memories of the place ...

 

[Zaleukos]

Barcelona and Lisbon were both nice and have a different feel compared to Northwestern Europe. Unfortunately the summers can be bloody hot, especially in Lisbon. April-May or Sept-Oct should offer a pleasant climate.

I also hear good things about Istanbul (Turkish/Greek/Roman influences meet) and Krakow (as one of few Polish cities that was relatively intact after WW2 and later communist rule).

 

[Von Paulus]

I've read the testimony. Interesting phenomenon.
One thing:

Best to leave my high heels at home.

Specially the stilleto ones. Once in a while we see a lady in distress.
Lisboa is not only the city. You've nearby Cascais and it's beaches and Sintra with it's overwhelming mountain beauty. Lord Byron admired Sintra:

"Lo! Cintra's glorious Eden intervenes
In variegated maze of mount and glen.
Ah me! what hand can pencil guide, or pen,
To follow half on which the eye dilates
Through views more dazzling unto mortal ken
Than those whereof such things the bard relates,
Who to the awe-struck world unlocked Elysium's gates?"

So you go from the urban ambiance to the vastness of the sea and to the mountain garden in a blink of an eye.

Barcelona and Lisbon were both nice and have a different feel compared to Northwestern Europe. Unfortunately the summers can be bloody hot, especially in Lisbon. April-May or Sept-Oct should offer a pleasant climate.

It depends. Some years ago, yes July/August would be terrible hot for people not used to that. But the Azores anticyclone is not the same as it was. But of course I too prefer the mild seasons.

 

[pibbur]

I think my mother and my sister once were in Bergen. As far as I can remember, they've had fond memories of the place …

A day in Bergen is like a day on the farm. Every meal's a banquet! Every paycheck a fortune! Every formation a parade! I LOVE Bergen!

 

[pibbur]

Well, I think he said out of the places he visited or saw… even if he had been in Bergen he would probably not have seen it for all the rain.

Which makes it all the prettier.

Says Pibbur who thinks he looks better the more he hides of his face.

 

[Omega]

Difficult … There are so many there … Along the street "Unter den Linden", there's at one point a historical museum … I think you hould visit it, because *there* Nazis suddenly become far too real … There are some very depressing corners in this historical museum - but - I think because of that, they are worth visiting … There's imho quite a strong difference between TALKING about Nazis (on any internet forum, for example), and LIVING TO SEE them … Or rather, their remains. Clothes from people imprisoned in KZs, for example.

I don't think I'll visit that. I've been to Buchenwald concentration camp, school trip, the remains were nightmarish. An aching, grievous experience. So I'd rather avoid Nazis becoming real, sorry.

Thanks for mentioning the other museums. Lots to do in Berlin, that's clear.
I had never heard of the "world famous" Pergamon Altar, but thanks to you and Google now I know.
Thanks also for the link to your album, I've watched all your pictures, except those with sunsets. Do you have any idea why the bear is Berlin's sign?

Seligenstadt seems to be a charming place. I'm familiar with the 'Fachwerkhäuser', I've seen several of them, some of them are lovely and o so old. You appreciate medieval city centres, right? Have you ever been to the Alsace (Elsass), in France? If not, you should, it's not far from where you live.

Judging from the pictures Gent in Belgium seems to be nice indeed, IIRC it attracts more tourists than Brugge.
About renovation, I don't agree with you, I would not want the whole town to look like that renovated example on image 9 of 43, it looks brand new! Renovation, yes, to conserve the building and it's details, but please, no clear colours, I'd like to see that it's an old building.
Anyway, not the right time to visit Gent, I guess, all these renovations going on in 2010.

And last, if you want to see famous Dinosaurs skeletons, then you might go to Frankfurt

Dinosaurs… You know, I've read some time ago Dutch men are the tallest in the world, I'm having enough trouble with them as it is*, don't ask me to look even further up to watch dinosaurs.

* over 2.00 m (6.56166 feet) is not unual anymore.

 

[Omega]

I also hear good things about Istanbul (Turkish/Greek/Roman influences meet) and Krakow (as one of few Polish cities that was relatively intact after WW2 and later communist rule).

Istanbul! Yes, yes. Krakow! Interesting. Two more on my list.
O my… Sigh.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Do you have any idea why the bear is Berlin's sign?

I don't know; I only know that the Bear is Berlin's heraldic sign … Doesn't say Wikipedia more on it ?

[quote9You appreciate medieval city centres, right? Have you ever been to the Alsace (Elsass), in France? If not, you should, it's not far from where you live.[/quote]

Yes, I like them, I think that's just a side-effect of having archaeology -> history as hobbies …

I'll make a mental note about the Elsaß )how it is spelled here)

About renovation, I don't agree with you, I would not want the whole town to look like that renovated example on image 9 of 43, it looks brand new! Renovation, yes, to conserve the building and it's details, but please, no clear colours, I'd like to see that it's an old building.

Well, I've been walking through the town, and I've seen older houses were seemingly still pople live in them - and to me, they were looking *really* ugly … Dark-grey, and really "worn-out" in almost the literal sense of the word … There were houses, however, which didn't look that ugly, and which I liked although they were old.

You know, I've read some time ago Dutch men are the tallest in the world, I'm having enough trouble with them as it is*, don't ask me to look even further up to watch dinosaurs.

* over 2.00 m (6.56166 feet) is not unual anymore.

Ha ! I'm only 1,68 high ! Sometimes, I even cannot reach the top shelves in grocery stores !

 

[pibbur]

Dinosaurs… You know, I've read some time ago Dutch men are the tallest in the world, I'm having enough trouble with them as it is*, don't ask me to look even further up to watch dinosaurs.

* over 2.00 m (6.56166 feet) is not unual anymore.

Like Arjen Lucassen?

 

[Omega]

I don't know; I only know that the Bear is Berlin's heraldic sign … Doesn't say Wikipedia more on it ?

Judging from Google it seems many don't know. This if what I found when searching for 'Coat of arms Bear Berlin':

Berlin’s citizens, however, wanted their own symbol and coat of arms. How or why they chose the bear remains unknown. Most likely they were thinking of Albrecht I, nicknamed "the bear", who is considered to have been the conqueror and founder of the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Another possibility is that Berliners decided on "speaking" arms since the first syllable of Berlin sounds like "Bär" (bear), although the two are not etymologically related. In medieval times "speaking" or canting arms were a favorite; people tried to depict names by use of phonetically similar symbols or rebuses. The name "Berlin" was created when slavic tribes settled in the area and means "place at the swamp" or "in a swampy area". Actually, a pearl may have been a more likely choice for canting arms given that the Middle High German word for pearl is "berle". Middle High German was the language spoken at the time and, indeed, pearls were often used in coats of arms.