goddesstogo

Thanks Zee (um, Zed) and Mel.
Yes, I think post-covid rush to travel is a big problem. And also as you, Mel, point out, one can't be sure about the weather anymore. Travelling in October used to be lovely and comfortable and these days you could easily hit a heat wave!
I will definitely check out the 'photos of France' thread!

dreamon

I'm grateful for all the places I've visited, and perhaps especially those which are now so busy. Whenever I feel that things 'aren't as good as they used to be' I remember meeting a fellow traveller when we first visited Santorini in 1983. He had been there 20 years previously and clearly thought it wasn't as enjoyable and had become super touristy - but we thought it was wonderful. Of course Santorini is very different now to what it was in 1983, let alone the early 1960s, but people still enjoy visiting. There's always a time when things seemed better/different.

I do find myself wishing sometimes that people would slow down in their travels and experience more by not buzzing around like bees in a bottle.

goddesstogo

I think the only place I've been that was uncomfortably crowded was Siena which we just did on a day trip. It was also a very hot day. We didn't stay long.
Also, when we tried to visit San Gimignano (sp?) en route from somewhere in Italy to somewhere else in Italy, we could not even find a place to park so we just went on our way.
These two experiences were years ago.
And to each his own but I have to say I never understand wanting to stay in the busiest, most touristy part of a city. I have a friend who loves, loves, loves to stay in the heart of Times Square. Maybe this sounds snobby but I won't go near Times Square unless I'm going to the theatre.

CounterClifton

Hi Sue! That 2nd video was very helpful! Thank you. And the RS one was enough to think we may not stay super long. lol. I totally agree that we're probably going to be happier doing less popular things. We usually are. My best memories are never of hitting the famous places, yet for some reason I feel like there are a couple of things calling to me in Rome this time. Oddly I don't feel that way at all about our scheduled time in Paris or Venice and will be fine not chasing the "must sees" in either of those cities.

goddesstogo

I feel the same about avoiding the 'must sees' for the most part. For example, I've never been to the Louvre. I can't imagine spending a day in a huge museum when I could spend that day out on the streets of Paris. Plus I have no interest in seeing the Mona Lisa. On the other hand, the Musee D'Orsay was wonderful. And how could I forgo seeing the Pieta in Rome? And omg, the outstanding mosaics in Ravenna! (The mosaics were breathtakingly beautiful and there were max. half a dozen people in each of the rooms.)
But some of my very best memories are of sitting in cafes and people-watching or chatting up the couple sitting next to us in a restaurant or having dinner in a busy local joint where the food might be meh but the experience is completely ______ian (fill in the country of your choice), And we went dancing in a strange, dreamy dancehall in Berlin!

AJPeabody

GTG, you might like what I call the Other Louvre. It's their collection of nonwestern art. I think it's near the Lion's Gate. Even better is the Branley which is all non-western, wonderfully displayed.

Leely2

I tend to alternate going to Venice and Rome almost every year (except for pandemic years 2020 and 2021) as part of longer trips that include less-visited cities and towns. These are summer vacations, so definitely high season. Sometimes I decide to hit one or two big tourist sights--if I walk by and there happens to be no line. Flexibility means I enjoy my time and rarely feel crowded.

And the biggest relaxer for me is booking hotels in quiet, non-central locations. I don't like to exit my hotel and encounter wall-to-wall people. OTOH, some folks like that vibe. I was in Paris June 2019 and stayed kind of central (though nowhere near the Seine). It wasn't bad.

Longest line I ever stood in was at Musee d'Orsay, the week between Christmas and New Year. I had been there several times before, but my cousin hadn't, so we sucked it up and waited in the freezing cold. Curiously, on that same trip we cruised easily into the Louvre. Who knows, must've just been the day and the hour.

goddesstogo

Well, you get the news updates here before anyone else.
A European trip has been put on hold because I've just come back from my eye doc appointment and am now hoping to get a cataract surgery slot sometime in the fall. It's just a slim chance but I don't want to be too far away in case I get a call. So for the time being, we're going back to our original plan of a slightly longer than usual trip to New York, which is just a hope skip and jump away from home.
But the minute those cataracts are gone, boy, I'm hopping over the ocean quick like a bunny! And I'll be able to see everything -- literally and figuratively!
I'll revisit this thread at that time.

bvlenci

My favourite Michelangelo sculpture is not the Pietą, but the Moses in the church of St. Peter in Chains.

The last time I was in Paris, we hit a very long line at the Musče d'Orsay. There was a very short line for people with reservations. So while waiting in the long line, I whipped out my phone, made reservations, and switched lines.

The best visit I've had at the Vatican Museums was on a Friday evening, in August. At these hours they limit the number of entrances, and it was pleasantly uncrowded. Not all the rooms were open, but favourites like the Egyptian collection and the Etruscan collection were open. Actually, these two marvelous collections have never been crowded when I was there. My granddaughter, who was with us, was much more impressed with the Egyptian collection than the Sistine Chapel.

bvlenci

I once served as an impromptu tour guide in Rome, for my cousin, her husband, and three teens. She had reserved a private guided tour. I knew what it would be like and bowed out of the tour. After all, they had a professional guide.

We arrived there after a very hot and crowded visit to the Colosseum, where we had waited in a long security line under the broiling sun. While my relatives were waiting for their guide, packed like sardines in the entrance hall, the teens rebelled and refused to go any further. The two adults were outnumbered, so they just went back to their hotel and swam in the pool.

goddesstogo

"So while waiting in the long line, I whipped out my phone, made reservations, and switched lines."
bylenci, that is SUCH a great idea!

We've always been very lucky travellers and due to no particular good planning on my part, we've very rarely had to wait in lines and never long ones. We went to the Vatican Museum early in the morning -- just at opening time -- and there was a huge line. I asked the guard if this was the line we were to join. He asked if we were part of a tour group and we said no and he said 'oh, that just for tour groups - go in that door' and we walked right in.

"My favourite Michelangelo sculpture is not the Pietą, but the Moses in the church of St. Peter in Chains."
That one always makes me think of the Lincoln Memorial in DC!

annhig

<<The last time I was in Paris, we hit a very long line at the Musče d'Orsay. There was a very short line for people with reservations. So while waiting in the long line, I whipped out my phone, made reservations, and switched lines.>>

I agree that that was admirable quick thinking, bvl. I did something similar, though not quite that radical when i was in Paris last year and as I was nearby decided that I wanted to go to Ste Chappelle. Of course the queue was ridiculously long but I remembered reading that you could get a combined ticket with the Conciergerie so I walked up the road, bought the combined ticket at its ticket office where I was the only person there, spent about 45 mins there, then walked back to Ste Chappelle and went straight in. [well as straight in as you can go there]. I suspect that I still got in quicker than I would have if I had just joined the queue.

<<"My favourite Michelangelo sculpture is not the Pietą, but the Moses in the church of St. Peter in Chains."
That one always makes me think of the Lincoln Memorial in DC!>>

Me too, goddesstogo. I'm sorry that your travels have been temporarily curtailed but like you say it'll be wonderful to be able to see everything properly.

bvlenci

I wish I had thought of that! We waited forever to get into Ste. Chapelle! I had seen it, but my husband never had

goddesstogo

We went to the place we were supposed to buy tickets for Ste. Chappelle and were told they were sold out so we decided to forgo it. Later that day we were just walking by SC and saw that you could buy tickets there. It was just a few minutes before the concert was to start so whatever line had been there had already gone in. We bought our two tix and just walked in! That's what I mean by being lucky travellers.
(The reason we went to SC in the first place was because our young neighbour told us that he'd gone there with his girlfriend and he was so overwhelmed by the beauty of it all -- the place, the music, the candles -- that he proposed to her right then and there!)

annhig

<<I wish I had thought of that! We waited forever to get into Ste. Chapelle! I had seen it, but my husband never had>>

I can't claim that it was my idea bvl - perhaps I read it here somewhere. Sorry that you had to wait for so long, I hope your DH felt it was worth it. You too, goddesstogo. That's a lovely story about your neighbour, Having been twice now I think that's it for me.

bvlenci

We took turns getting refreshment at a bar across the street.
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