Back from two months solo in Europe including Turkey and Russia. Any questions?
 

I am just back after 8 weeks that covered:<BR><BR>Spain-Madrid, Seville, Cordoba,Granada and Barcelona<BR>France-Lyon and Paris<BR>Brugge Belgium<BR>Amsterdam<BR>Venice, San Gmignano,Montalcino,Rome<BR>Greece-Athens,Santorini, Rhodes<BR>Turkey-Istanbul, Cappadocia, Marmaris<BR>Russia-St. Petersburg,Moscow, <BR>London<BR><BR>Yes, it was alot of traveling between places but I enjoy doing that and then going back to the areas I loved on future trips. My favorites were probably Cappadocia, Moscow, Seville and Lyon of the places I had never been before but I can never get enough of Italy and that remains at the top of the list. Let me know if I can answer any questions.

couldn't let such a fascinating trip drop too far down!<BR><BR>did you drive, or take a train, what was the biggest surprise of the trip, what were the circumstances of your favorite person/character you met? what is the funniest story of this whole experience? any touching or poignant moments you'd like to share?

How did you find St. Petersburg? Decaying or in the process of being restored? I've heard both.<BR><BR>What was your impressions of Istanbul?

What did you like about Lyon? Where did you stay in Paris and Lyon?

Flygirl, I took trains when I was in western Europe and did a few days of driving in Tuscany since I had a friend join me. When I left Rome for Greece I started doing more flying because of the lack of trains.<BR><BR>My most humorous moment was probably the big and very narrow hill getting into the walls of San Gimingnano, I hadnt driven a stick shift in years and I stalled and needed help from a non english speaking man since just 10-12 inches back would have put us over a steep hill. He was kind enough to get in the car and drive it out of danger but not without a few choice words in Italian.<BR><BR>The most poignant would have been the children of Turkey. One little girl asked if I had a pen she could have, something no 7 year old in the US would not even think twice about.<BR><BR>One difficult thing about going so many places is that they do all start to run together!

Mark, St. Petersburg is being restored for a big celebration that I think is supposed to take place next year so there is scaffolding up on some buildings. I certainly would not say it is decaying but I did not enjoy the atmosphere of St.Petersburg nearly as much as Moscow and would certainly choose Moscow for a return trip. <BR><BR>Istanbul was a very interesting place but with the lack of tourists I think the vendors are maybe a little more "enthusiastic" than I would like. I wish I would have stayed in Taxsim instead of Sultanhmet to get away from being hassled. I am sure part of it was being a blonde woman traveling alone but it got old. I would certainly encourage a trip to Turkey to include Istanbul but I enjoyed Cappadocia more.<BR><BR>To Dianne, Lyon was such a beautiful city and felt much smaller than what it really is. The food, the Vieux Lyon with its beautiful buildings, good wandering around city. I went into Lyon without hotel reservations so my first night there was at Hotel Bellecordiere which is a modest place but my next two nights were at Hotel Residence which was around $50 for a single and very nice. Not Ritz nice, but as a three star hotel it was better than some of the four star hotels I have stayed in.<BR><BR>In Paris I stayed at Grand Hotel Balcons at the suggestion of many on this board, it was a good price and a great location.<BR><BR>Hope that helps.

ttt

Deb,<BR> Where did you stay in Istanbul? Any restaurant recommendations? Did you drive to Cappadocia?<BR><BR>Thanks!

In Istanbul I stayed at the Hotel spectra which is a Best Western. It is right by all the sites. I think I paid around $60/night for a single. I flew on Turkish Airlines to Kayseri and our guide picked us up in Kayseri to start our tour of Cappadocia. On my return I took a turkish airlines minivan that picks you up at your hotel in Urgup and takes you back to the airport in Kayseri for about $5.00. I would assume they also have a van that would pick you up in kayseri and get you to Urgup.

I'm so jealous of your incredible itinerary!<BR><BR>Any must-sees / must-dos in Russia would be most appreciated. I'm off in a couple of weeks time and can't wait!

Hi! Thank goodness... I am about to go to Italy in a couple weeks, and have some questions I'm hoping you can help with. I'm meeting my boyfriend there--do you have any suggestions as to where we should not miss? We're meeting in Naples, then possibly doing Capri, Rome and Wine Country..maybe Venice, too. I want to go to an opera while we're in Italy--do you know the dress code for this occasion? Formal/inmformal, etc.? What is the general dress like there? Any help you can give would be most appreciated. Thank you!

Andrea, Are you going with a tour or on your own? In St. Petersburg I of course did the Hermitage. I had hired a guide for that day and regret using a guide there because I would have preferred just to wander. The day I went there were no lines to get in but the next day there were. Having a guide gets you to the front of the line and some places the lines can be long. I am torn on whether to suggest a guide for Peterhof, The line outside was horrible and I dont know how long people were waiting but it must have been well over and hour or two. That was a Saturday so that probably made it a little worse. With a guide we went right in and it was nice to have some explanation of things but for exploring the grounds I would have rather been on my own to sit and enjoy the beautiful gardens. In taking a guide you also have to pay their entrance, hydrofoil, and hourly rate so that could add up. I would probably suggest some kind of group tour set up by your hotel if you can find it.<BR>I would highly recommend going into the church of the spilled blood(which is almost as beautiful inside as outside) and St. Isaacs. I must admit to not loving St.Petersburg so I didn't do as much as I normally would in terms of just walking and exploring the city.<BR>Moscow was a different story because the weather was beautiful and I loved the architecture I spent alot of time just wandering there. The main site in Moscow is the Kremlin, I went there alone and enjoyed just wandering through the churches etc but I am sure you would get alot more info from a guide. I just dont do tours well. I spent half a day at Sergeyev-Posad which is about an hour outside of Moscow and enjoyed that very much. The arbat is a street closed off to traffic that is a nice way to shop for souveniers and is a good walk to get there. Also try to get to the Pushkin if you are into museums. <BR>Where are you staying in Moscow? Hopefully close to the Kremlin and all the sites. I was getting weary of museums by the time I got to Moscow so most of my time was spent walking on Tverskya or just exploring the downtown area near the Kremlin and soaking in the sites. Let me know if you have other questions.

Molly, I love Italy and I am sure you will too. I thought the Amalfi Coast area was lovely and relaxing, my favorites were the town of Amalfi and Positano. Ravello was a nice day trip as was Capri. The dress throughout Italy is casual but definately not sloppy casual. I always wear sandals and floods, capris or a skirt. I will wear jeans or pants if it is cool out but at the time of year you are going it will be quite warm. If I do wear jeans it is with a fun top of some sort, never a t-shirt and never shorts. Cant speak for the opera, but if you do a search on the word opera you should get your answer because I know that has been asked before. Whatever you do, dont overpack. It can make for a miserable trip to be lugging too many bags around. I took one bag and a daypack for 2 months and it was fine.<BR>It sounds like your itinerary is still up in the air but my personal favorites in Italy are Venice(three times in the past 4 years) and Tuscany(wine country) with Florence as a close second. It depends on what you enjoy most-Museums,nightlife, exploring small towns etc. Pompeii is not far outside of Naples and is very interesting but will be quite hot this time of year. If you want more detailed info then send it to my e-mail at [email protected] . One thing I will say is that since it sounds like you are not sure where you are going you should firm that up because it can be very difficult to find a hotel in Italy on short notice in July and August.

Deb, what hotel did you stay at in Moscow? Looking for something fairly close to the Kremlin for a reasonable price. Thanks

Hi Deb!<BR><BR>I'll be in Russia at the end of next month. Although most of my time will be spent in the far Eastern part of European Russia, of course, I have to spend a few days in Moscow and St. Petersburg!<BR><BR>My questions:<BR><BR>1) Did you travel solo? I only ask because I'm female and will be traveling solo myself.<BR><BR>2) In M and St (Moscow and St. Petersburg), what did you do in the evenings? Were you ever by yourself?<BR><BR>3) Besides the Kremlin and museums, what did you do in Moscow? You mentioned Tverskaya; what did you do there?<BR><BR>4) Any particularly cool shops in M or St.? I mean, besides the upscale shops that you can find in Paris or any major European city. I'm not going to chop for Chanel or Dior in Moscow. {grin}<BR><BR>5) Any particular restaurants or clubs that you really enjoyed in the Russian cities?<BR><BR>Thanks very much!<BR><BR>Jennifer

Scooby -- although I haven't been to Moscow (yet!), I've noticed that you can get a LOT more for the money in an apartment rather than a hotel. Have you looked into apartments at all?<BR><BR>Jennifer

To Scooby, I stayed at Hotel Budapest which is only about ten minutes from the Kremlin and was very nice. I paid $90/night which I thought was quite reasonable. Good breakfast brought to your room each morning.<BR><BR>For Jennifer, Yes I was alone. The only time I felt uncomfortable was in the airports where the taxi drivers are relentless and rude. I hired a guide for a few hours the first day and that got me kind of used to the subway etc. I also met up with someone from this board and we hit it off. In Moscow I had a friend of a friend who live there and he showed me around a bit. So, while I was alone alot, I also work hard to find people to meet up with.<BR>At night in St.Petersburg there are concerts and things like that going on, or the canal cruise to do. I did not enjoy St.Petersburg and I found it too cold and cloudy for me so I must admit to going up to my room early while I was there. I would have dinner then spend the evening reading or something. In Moscow, I walked alot, had a glass of wine in an outdoor cafe by Kremlin, chatted with some people etc. As I mentioned above I met up with the friend of a friend for dinner one night. The same goes for Tverskya street that after almost two months of traveling I really enjoy just walking and stopping for lunch, sitting in a park watching people etc. I walk alot just to get a feel for places.<BR>There is alot of upscale shopping in Moscow but GUM also has the benetton etc that you see everywhere in Europe. I stayed at hotel Budapest and if you wander around that area north of the Kremlin there are too many stores to mention. Also dont forget the Arbat for souvenirs. I dont go to clubs by myself because that makes me uncomfortable but we did go to a restaurant called Settebello in Moscow which was very good. There was a mexican restaurant across from the Savoy that was good but I had been away from Arizona for almost two months by then and was really craving it. <BR>I had problems finding things to "do" in St.Petersburg because I didn't enjoy it there but in Moscow I could have filled another couple of days just wandering around.<BR>Also there is an english language newspaper that is put out in both St.Petersburg and Moscow that the hotels all have and it gives you ideas on restaurants and things to do.<BR>Let me know if you have other questions.

I hope to go to Seville next May. What area did you love best. I can't wait. I love back streets and a lot of charm what did you do there that you loved? What food did you like best?

Deb, I enjoyed Seville for the beautiful buildings (Plaza Espana, the cathedral) the town plaza's, and good general exploring. I also think a side trip to cordoba is wonderful if you have the time. If you want back streets there is no place like Seville for that. It generally took me about 20 minutes to find my hotel each time I wanted to go back.<BR>I think you are asking where I liked the food best of all the places I went on my trip and there is no doubt it was Tuscany with France a close second.

If you're interested in Seville and travelling alone, you might also want to consider a walking/touring holiday with a company like Exodus. I did a walking holiday in the Sierra de Aracena (about 1 1/2 hours out of Seville), plus two days in Seville - and the trip was spectacular. The walking holiday got us off the tourist track, plus we got to enjoy Seville. Make sure you travel before mid-June, though. Seville is a frying pan.