there are 2 purposes to the this post:
September - England
September - France
September - Germany
October - Denmark
October - Netherlands
the first purpose of this post is to get recommendations and tips for the countries that i am going to try to hit up. if you've been to one of these countries, or know some cool stuff to do in them, please post a comment and let me know. also, let me know things to watch out for in these countries, and give general travel tips if you've ever done any big trips similar to this.
the second purpose is to let you all know the general time frames. hopefully, this will settle some of my relatives stomachs (mom). but as i've already mentioned to some friends and like i said on facebook, any friends that want to join me for any length of time, in any countries, are more than welcome to. these months and countries aren't set in stone because things happen when you travel and i need to be able to adjust. i may not have time for all of them either. thankfully, most of the earth has the internets, so i'll be able to keep in touch with anyone that wants to join and let them know of any changes. also, to a lessor degree, isn't what this blog is for? (sorry for the formatting below - the blog editor keeps it from being more readable)
the second purpose is to let you all know the general time frames. hopefully, this will settle some of my relatives stomachs (mom). but as i've already mentioned to some friends and like i said on facebook, any friends that want to join me for any length of time, in any countries, are more than welcome to. these months and countries aren't set in stone because things happen when you travel and i need to be able to adjust. i may not have time for all of them either. thankfully, most of the earth has the internets, so i'll be able to keep in touch with anyone that wants to join and let them know of any changes. also, to a lessor degree, isn't what this blog is for? (sorry for the formatting below - the blog editor keeps it from being more readable)
Month - Country
October - Guatemala
October - Belize
October - Nicaragua
October - Costa Rica
November - Panama
November - Colombia
November - Ecuador
December - Brazil
December - Uruguay
January - Argentina
January - Bolivia
February - Chile
February - Peru
March - New Zealand
April - Australia
April - Bali
May - Cambodia
May - Vietnam
June - Laos
June - Thailand
June - Burma
July - Turkey
July - Greece
July - Italy
July - Croatia
August - Hungry
August - Austria
August - Czech Republic
August - Sweden
August - Norway
September - Scotland
September - IrelandSeptember - England
September - France
September - Germany
October - Denmark
October - Netherlands
October - Belgium
October - SwitzerlandOctober - Spain
What about Nepal or India? I am more of a third world traveler so I cannot comment on much else. My roots are from Finland and you aren't going there either - they love vodka, as do you. Be sure to hit up Barcelona in Spain.
ReplyDeleteAs for advice, I would just say the obvious, which I'm sure you've got planned already. Get outside of the tourist parks, visit the people who aren't expecting a foreigner, check out the wilderness as much as possible, and don't be timid of odd-ball cuisine and culture. With that said, these are the places I've been. If you want more info on anything don't hesitate to ask. These are small bits of info and I have more.
ReplyDeleteCosta Rica - I stayed in Manuel Antonio. If you're certified, there's an island a couple hours off the coast that has some of the best scuba in the world. Manta Rays, Sharks, etc. it's supposed to be bad ass. Also the Svergne river was amazing to raft. Some of the biggest rapids I've seen.
Turkey - I'd stay where people like you, in the Northwest. Istanbul is just amazing. Check out the blue mosque and the grand bazaar right by it. Also walk across the bridge that connects Asia to Europe. On the Europe side, just underneath the bridge, there's a local market that has some incredible street food.
Greece - Athens kinda sucks. You can do it in a day or two. But the islands are amazing. If you feel like partying, there's islands for that. Otherwise, Santorini is beautiful. Find a girl to take there.
Italy - Most big cities are fairly common throughout Europe. I'm sure you'll hit them all, but as for the smaller ones, definitely go to Cinque Terra and hike all five cities. You can do this in a day. Camp on the beach there and drink wine.
England - The pound sucks. Everything here costs two or three times what it will during the rest of your trip. Especially in London. But walk around in the city, take the tube, and go to the parliament building. It's pretty amazing.
France - I just did Paris. It's cool but I didn't get out much.
Germany - Munich is sweet. Do the Hofbrauhaus. The castles are cool but you can skip if you're castled-out. Drive fast on the Autobaun. The Buchenwald is amazing, as is the Rhine river. Berlin is sick, Hamburg is sick. Basically everything in Germany is awesome.
Netherlands - Haha... Amserdam. You won't be in any state of mind to take advice here. But a couple things. Rent a bike for a day. Do your own tour. Then (without bike) I've been told you're supposed to go to a "smart shop," buy mushrooms, eat, and get on the trolly to the Van Gogh museum. When Van Gogh trips you out too much there's an awesome park just outside where you can lie in the grass.
Switzerland - I did Interlaken. Do the canyoneering. It was incredible. I stayed at the "Funny Farm" hostel, where I met some cool locals. It's fun at the hostel, they have parties every night, beach volleyball, weed growing around the pool, etc.
Spain - You have to check out the La Grada de Familia (sp?) in Barcelona. I also rented a bike for this city, rode to the castle at the top of the hill, did the La Grada Familia thing, then rode to the beach. The topless women are mostly not that great, but you'll find some good ones.
Alright man - have fun. Like I said I'm jealous.
-- Nate
Ugh! I'm so jealous! This is exactly something I want to do, but don't have the balls to do. Now's the time to do something like this, and kudos to you for not just talking about how you want to travel the world, but to do it.
ReplyDeleteGermany-
Obviously I've spent a lot of time in Germany, but I'm usually there to see family. The city I was born in, Trier, is pretty cool. It's the oldest city in Germany and used to be under roman rule--still has roman ruins. Karl Marx was also born here. Munich is also very beautiful, as well as Hamburg. I've heard Berlin is good for art lovers. I'm heading over there next summer, so won't be there the same time as you unfortunatley...
Belgium-
I recommend seeing the "Atomium" in Brussels. I have a picture of it in my photos section. It's the structure of an atom magnified 195 billion times. You can actually go in this structure. Look it up on google--it's pretty interesting. I also recommend going to Bruges. A very beautiful city and is called the Venice of the North. You HAVE to try Belgian chocoloate, particularly truffles!!! I know you're on a special diet, but it's the best chocolate you may ever have.
France-
Only have been to Paris, (and some little town on the way to Paris), but obviously very worth seeing. I would highly recommend going on a 1-2 hour boat cruise on the river Seine towards sunset. One of the most beautiful experiences of my life. The Eifel is fun to see I guess, but if I had to recommend one thing to do, please go down the Champs Elysees at night and look down the street at the Arc de Triumphe. Also check out the Sacre Coeur. I would do this during the day as the area known as "Monmarte" was kinda shady--even in daylight. It was a nice cathedral, but I was sick of getting hassled by the throngs of random people trying to sell me crap. Obviously go see the Louvre and all the other touristy stuff.
England - only have been to London. Went to the oldest pub in London called the "Prospect of Whitby." I'm assuming you are going to do this, but take the ferry from Dover to Calais when you're on your way to France.
Scotland - try to go up to the Highlands.
Look forward to hearing about your travels!
Nadine