"Moving" to Europe

[Qdeathstar 1763]

Id like to take a train from France to China.... That sounds like a real adventure...

[cuda 939]

Fish & Chips may not be anything special, but they're a national treasure because they helped us fuel the soldiers during World War 1, and it caught on. Fish & Chips is like what McDonalds is to 'merica, a cheap fast food alternative. Most of us don't really eat it all that often, but it's an end of the month sort of food, before we get paid.

im just sayin bro

[Barrybran 851]

I've only been to Edinburgh, Dublin, Paris and Amsterdam so I can't offer much but here are my basic thoughts:

Edinburgh: Old, oversized town but good for a visit for a couple of days. Not much there but the Castle and Royal Mile are good for a day trip and of course, scotch is fantastic;

Dublin: Great place to drink but a shithole during the day. Visiting the prison to hear stories about Easter Massacre was a highlight as was the Guinness Factory (I like Guinness so maybe I'm biased). Many people I met went outside of Dublin and had an even better time;

Paris: Food! Aside from that, I enjoyed people watching. So many people, everyone is dressed well, even the homeless are interesting. When I was there I heard what sounded like a carnival with people everywhere and bands playing outside of my hotel only to find it was a protest. The Parisians definitely do things with flair. Moulin Rouge was expensive but a highlight. A big downside was there were too many people;

Amsterdam: For me, Amsterdam was overrated. If you like clubbing, great. If you're past that phase then you could probably see the canals and Anne Frank house and move on. The enjoyed tours through the canals and Red Light district but my highlight of Amsterdam was having a conversation with my tour guide who happened to be from the city I'm from in Australia and had moved to Amsterdam. People are very friendly and laid back.

I haven't been there but an old workmate of mine visited the 'Bone Church' about 60km outside of Prague. The whole thing is decorated with human skeletons and is both freaky and amazing.

I like gtagrl's idea. With limited time and money, prioritise what you want to do so you don't miss the things you really want to see and do yet still have time and money for adventure.

[cuda 939]

Id like to take a train from France to China.... That sounds like a real adventure...

I've pondered walking all through China, but I might need to take a sabbatical year or something.

[narcolepsy 581]

Here's what you can also do: not have fish and chips.

Sorry UK, but putting fish and chips together isn't enough to call it "national cuisine" - it's fucking fried fish with chips. In other parts of the world we just call that unoriginal, we don't mix the two together because there's literally 3000 other things you could do with fish/chips.

Thank god for all the immigrants that brought good fucking food here.

It certainly wasn't a portugeezer who brought clean water here

Fish and chips down south is a disgrace anyway

[Brian 972]

I can't see what's so attractive about China other than being able to taste iPhone 3's in the air and seeing nothing but smog.

[GunSmith 2452]

Don't knock it 'til you taste it.

[Massacre 7646]

I can't see what's so attractive about China other than being able to taste iPhone 3's in the air and seeing nothing but smog.

I'll take China over any part of Europe that isn't on the southern coast of the continent. If it's European and isn't Italy, Greece, Spain, or Portugal, it's not worth visiting.

[cuda 939]

I can't see what's so attractive about China other than being able to taste iPhone 3's in the air and seeing nothing but smog.

That's extremely ignorant. You'll learn as you age, I guess.

[Qdeathstar 1763]

I can't see what's so attractive about China other than being able to taste iPhone 3's in the air and seeing nothing but smog.

China is a actually not that bad, i went there about 7 years ago for two weeks... Its more like america than you'd think, especially in the cities,

[GunSmith 2452]

No shit? You must tell me about this experience sometime, Qdpie.

[Massacre 7646]

Its more like america than you'd think, especially in the cities,

Fucking Hong Kong, man.

[Brian 972]

I can't see what's so attractive about China other than being able to taste iPhone 3's in the air and seeing nothing but smog.

That's extremely ignorant. You'll learn as you age, I guess.

I wasn't really being serious, my cousin goes to China all the time, like literally all the time, usually on business now, but he has been doing so for over a decade. He has a huge love affair with the country, and he's going to even teach his baby how to speak Chinese along with English. From the pictures he has shown me and the stories, it's a place I do want to visit, but it's not at the top of my list.

[GunSmith 2452]

Holy fuckin' self-contradiction, Batman.

[Brian 972]

Not really, I made a half assed attempt at a joke.

[Qdeathstar 1763]

^ audience at brians standup comedy show.

[TheAnalogKid2112 163]

Hell yeah. So many replies. Most of you are helping me out quite a bit and I thank you.

Don't listen to Massacre or Dup, don't ever fucking stick to tourist areas - you will never get to experience the real feel of the country.

- steer away from tourist traps.

Visit coastal areas in southern Europe, there's true beauty in the south of Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, etc...

Visit Malta. Malta is fucking awesome.

Go in the summer, everything is better with a clear sky.

I really hope you go and do this, it's an amazing experience. Don't fucking worry about getting mugged and whatnot, just don't be stupid, I've never had any issue in my travels.

1. I don't intend on sticking to tourist areas. There are of course things I've always dreamed about seeing, like the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, the Vatcan, etc... but I'm more of an off-the-beaten-path kind of guy and especially more into nature and old architecture. I could give a fuck about buying a bunch of magnets.

2. Malta? What the fuck is Malta?

3. The reason I plan on September is to go after the hundred thousand high school kids and families visiting Europe for summer vacation. Do you think a September-November trip would negatively affect my enjoyment of the environment?

4. I'm not too worried about mugging to be honest, just trying to get a feel of what I may not be able to read on the internet. I'm a 190lb, 6 foot tall man who grew up in downtown Las Vegas. It's not like I'm a sheltered Christian boy from Minnesota. I don't think I'll be someones first target.

-You have to go to Nice. Do it in the summer.

-If you find yourself in Italy, avoid the north (unless you really like white people and mountains) and stick to the southern coastline.

-Istanbul (not Constantinople) is cool as fuck.

-The Dutch are immensely nice people.

-Keep two wallets on hand:

-If you cross France, don't go to the restaurants within a mile of the Eiffel Tower. They're for gullible tourists and probably serve reheated frozen food at a ridiculous markup. Ask the oldest guy you see to tell you where he eats.

-Don't backpack across Europe. Thousands of white guys have done it before you. It's no longer cool and it's no longer life-affirming, not to mention it's very unoriginal. Dare to be different: backpack across Asia or Australia instead.

1. Never heard of Nice, but since I'll be in France I'll make it happen. Thanks.

2. I love mountains and white people. I hope to make it up north in Italy but may begin in Rome.. perhaps I'll take the train all the way south when leaving Germany instead of flying.

3. I hadn't even considered Turkey, the Netherlands or Poland, but the former two look really cool after a quick Google Image search. Next time.

4. I really dig that wallet idea just in case, even though I'm not a Jew. Solid.

5. Fuck you.

Well if you do come to England my advice is don't go anywhere within 50 miles of London unless you like hearing arabic being spoken all the time and see lots of dusky bearded people walking round in their pyjamas. Even outside that radius you're not safe. I would suggest somewhere rural like Cornwall, i've always liked Cornwall... except the incessant hills. Didn't somebody here used to live in Cornwall? It wasn't Pec or EMBO.

Strange. Is London really not worth a visit or are you being a dick? I would like to see a nice place in England since I intend on checking Ireland out but this kind of puts me off. A coworker from Germany also said everyone in London are fucking nuts. Maybe I'll begin this Trip in Norway instead..

..........................................................lots of words

Shit, that seriously was the most helpful post yet. Most was stuff I'd already thought about, but you turned my jumbled mess of ideas into a well-organized write-up.

I do intend on smelling like shit most of this trip, bringing barely any clothes. Not even bringing a phone. The occasional check-in on a hostels internet terminal will do. May sell my laptop for a more portable notebook computer. Already planning on the cheapest hostels and seldom nice meals. I will get to know the art of sandwich well.

Thanks a ton.

Visit cities and more isolated areas. I love http://www.wikitravel.com for information. I'd also get yourself a metal detector or something, and go out into the woods in various countries, you can find small treasures from Roman Times to WWII and anywhere in between. Visit historical spots, get a varied experience in climates and regions.

Some places I'd recomend would be Sweden/Norway above the arctic circle and also the Southern regions. You will most likely be able to see the northern lights and beautiful mountains and forests in the north.

Germany has many great places, I'd recommend Berlin and Munich for a great experience.

Italy is another nice country, but don't only stick to the coast, the northern parts offer some wonderful experiences as well. Speaking of the that region, I'd visit Switzerland, Austria, and France as well.

Russia would be another nice place, and a few friends of mine have visited Poland, and they would recommend Warsaw as a nice place to visit. Poland is a beautiful country.

I'd visit Dublin, as a friend of mine also went there and loved it.

Fuck. All of this sounds perfect, particularly the metal detector idea. I'm a big history buff (primary reason I'm choosing Europe over an American trek)

The more I think about it the more appealing beginning the trip in Norway sounds. Like I said, I'm much more into the nature and scenery of these new lands than anything.

Germany and Italy are two countries that I've been 100% on since the beginning. Luckily, one of my coworkers lived in Germany for the first 30 years of her life so I'm set on things to do there. The northern part of Italy is an idea I'm starting to get into.

Switzerland sounds perfect but may be out of my budget. We'll see.

What was that a picture of?

Edinburgh: Old, oversized town but good for a visit for a couple of days. Not much there but the Castle and Royal Mile are good for a day trip and of course, scotch is fantastic;

Dublin: Great place to drink but a shithole during the day. Visiting the prison to hear stories about Easter Massacre was a highlight as was the Guinness Factory (I like Guinness so maybe I'm biased). Many people I met went outside of Dublin and had an even better time;

Paris: Food! Aside from that, I enjoyed people watching. So many people, everyone is dressed well, even the homeless are interesting. When I was there I heard what sounded like a carnival with people everywhere and bands playing outside of my hotel only to find it was a protest. The Parisians definitely do things with flair.

Amsterdam

I haven't been there but an old workmate of mine visited the 'Bone Church' about 60km outside of Prague. The whole thing is decorated with human skeletons and is both freaky and amazing.

I like gtagrl's idea. With limited time and money, prioritise what you want to do so you don't miss the things you really want to see and do yet still have time and money for adventure.

Scotland eh? Hadn't even considered that. If I'm correct that's as far north as it gets in the UK.. so maybe if I end up in Ireland I'll go there too..

That Paris protest bit cracked me up. Looks like my food budget should be saved for Paris.

Not really interested in Amsterdam.

Bone Church sounds fucking RAD and metal as fuck but I'm probably not reaching that far east from how zig-zagged my route is seeming so far.

Yep. Gtagrl is right on the ball. Luckily my mom loves my idea and is allowing me to move back in until I depart so that's a nice chunk of my paycheck I can put right toward this trip. I may be able to have a little more fun than I originally hoped.

On a side note, fuck fish and chips. I'm not really a fan of fried food. I want some weird shit while I'm out there. Snails, bison cock, lemming ear, whatever the fuck you Eurodudes feast upon.

[DuPz0r 5361]

If you do decide to go to the UK, I'd suggest going here first, as it's one of the most dull parts of Europe. (Maybe I'm baised because I live here). You can get a train to France in minutes anyway, so it's not as if it'll take a long time to leave.

[Rob 1390]

Wow. That's depressing.

[gtagrl 4317]

Nice, Analog, you've got the right attitude and therefore are going to enjoy the fuck out of your adventure. One thought about clothing...it's fine if you're going to keep things low key, but bring one "good" shirt you could throw on if you're visiting a sacred place or someone's grandma invites you home for supper. I'm not talking tuxedo shirt, just one thing that's a step up from the t-shirts you'll be grubbing in 90% of the time.

A history buff, eh? Is Greece on your list? If so, consider both Thessaloniki and Crete (you only need 2 days in Athens to see the Acropolis and the best museums).

[Brian 972]

The picture was of some mountains in northern Italy during the summer.

[Massacre 7646]

If you go to Greece, you'd be a fucktard not to grab a boat to Turkey. Yes, Turkey is in Asia, but it's going to be the best scenery of your trip, should you decide to go there.

If you think you can survive Spain (just stick to areas with heavy foot traffic, if you're out at night), fly to Portugal and head east.

When you reach Italy, travel around the coast until you get to Lecce, in Apulia. This is the easternmost point in Italy. Enjoy the scenery, then head north, where you can grab a ferry from Brindisi to Igoumenitsa, in Greece. By taking a ferry to Greece, you avoid Slovakia, Bosnia, Albania, and all the other Slavic countries, which are boring.

You get a lot of scenery on your way to Athens. Once you get there, you can either head north along the coast, which will take you west, into Turkey, or you can try to grab another ferry. I don't know where the ferries run to or from when going from Greece to Turkey, so you're on your own if that's the way you go.

Turkey is gorgeous and incredible and would be the most memorable place you've ever been to. You will remember every moment of that trip in photographic detail, because there is no greater adventure one can go on in the modern age. Go as far east as Cappadocia (it's in the Nevsehir Province, in Central Anatolia), and don't let extremists blow you up. You can either go straight to Istanbul when you get to Turkey, or avoid it and come back later, so the trip ends there. I suggest the latter.

[Rob 1390]

Croatia. Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful and amazing places you will ever see.

[gtagrl 4317]

Massacre has a good point, Turkey is worth the visit and ferry rides are easy to find from Greece.

[Qdeathstar 1763]

Yeah, but the boats tend to capsize...