Countdown to your next trip... Part II
 

The old thread is very long and takes forever to load - so this is Part II, 2009 edition.

Where is your next trip and how many days until you leave?

What are you most looking forward to doing or seeing?

What have you been doing to prepare? (reading books, taking language classes, watching movies...)

My two next European trips are to London (mileage run - 3 nights) and Belgium over the Thanksgiving hols. I'm barely 3 weeks out for London and almost two months out, for Belgium.

I have my tickets for both trips, and the London hotel. I don't have the Belgium trip planned, whatsoever, but I'm pretty sure of the towns where I will stay, at least.

London - I most want to visit Kenwood House, and visit with friends who live in London. I'm thinking of visiting one destination outside the city, TBD (whether it be a country walk if the weather is fine, or Hampton Court Palace...). I'm also thinking of following in YK's footsteps and checking out some Tudor sites I haven't seen yet - she has a great thread all about that. I'm certain to do at least one London Walk, as always. What is nice about the flight home is that I don't need to get in the cab to head for LHR until 1 PM, so I can actually fit in some sightseeing in the morning, and a quick lunch too.

Now, your stories!

Hi flygirl,

Thanks for your kind words! What a timely *new* thread:

<i>Where is your next trip and how many days until you leave?</i>
Berlin & Dresden. Plane departs in 25 hours. :)

<i>What are you most looking forward to doing or seeing?</i>
Lots of art, paintings, museums; and soaking in the history ... Oh, and 3 operas too!

<i>What have you been doing to prepare?</i>
Read about 5-6 novels set in Berlin (some set pre-WWII, some cold war). Saw movie Dresden (fantastic), documentary on Berlin Air Lift, and the 1960s cold war spoof movie One Two Three. We also watched DVDs of the operas we'll be seeing to brush up on the music and synopsis.

For the last 4 hours, I've been finalizing our itinerary, printing out confirmations, double-checking our tickets, and last-minute research on restaurants. I *think* I'm prepared but probably not. I also did laundry. All that's left to do is PACK!

I hope next year to be able to go to Copenhagen, and take a cruise along Norway coast in August... When swimsuits go on sale in winter, I'll get one to put on The Mermaid... anybody knows the size? :)

yk- have a great trip! Are you arriving in Berlin on election day? That should be interesting. Have a wonderful time- I can't wait to read your trip report when you get back!

flygirl- I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for your trip reports too! I'm planning on spending a few days in Belgium next May, nothing happening in 2009 unfortunately :( Well, I'm being dragged to Lake Placid next month for a long weekend but that hardly counts as a real trip.

Hi
Our next trip is April 2010. Back to Britain, our roots call us about every five years. We have the flights booked, the London Hotel, and ten weeks self catering accommodation from the Scottish borders to the Isle of Wight. I am looking forward most to the Scottish section, we have seen little of the borders area, tend to concentrate on the Highlands and Islands, but this time we have a week in Argyll and a week in Dumfries and Galloway. Also looking forward to a week on a narrowboat on the Lancaster Canal, always enjoyable. We have never been to Lincolnshire, so that is on the list, plus two full weeks in Wales, another favourite place. Just have to organise the car hire and then up up and away. Haven't got round to counting the days yet, still have to get through Christmas!
But we still have that frisson of anticipation.

Rosemary

Rosemary, now that is the way to travel!

YK, have a great time!

Apres_Londee, will do. I'll also be posting queries shortly so that might have some ideas, as well. I'm notoriously bad about posting trip reports (I usually just post photos) but since this is a short trip the odds of it happening in a timely manner are a little better!

Dayenu, that sounds great. I've always wanted to do that and every few years say "this is the year" and then other things come up instead.

<i><b>Where is your next trip and how many days until you leave?</i> </b>

I’ll be heading to Rome in 33 days! I’ll spend 3 nights there and after, will board a cruise ship for a 14-night transatlantic cruise! Ports include: Marseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Cartagena, a day at sea, Lanzarote (Canary Islands), Tenrife (CI); and 6 days at sea.

<i><b> What are you most looking forward to doing or seeing? </i></b>

All places except Rome and Barcelona are new port stops for me, so I’m looking forward to seeing new sights, meeting people, enjoying some delicious foods (during port days and of course on the ship), and having fun with friends that I have cruised with before and meeting new friends.

<i><b> What have you been doing to prepare? (reading books, taking language classes, watching movies...) </i></b>

Mostly reading books and brochures received from the various tourist offices. I meant to brush up on my Spanish, but never got to that.

Monica ((F))

Where is your next trip and how many days until you leave?
To La Villa Favorita in Alba, Italy. HELLO truffles, barolo, grissini, and agnolotti. Leaving tomorrow for 10 days!

What are you most looking forward to doing or seeing?
Have appointments to taste at several wineries including Pio Cesare and Luciano Sandrone. Looking forward to the Fiera del Tartufo Bianca, the Palio degli Asini, the Food and Wine Exhibition, a cooking lesson with Rita, and a truffle hunt. And the great restaurants.

What have you been doing to prepare?
Since coming back from our last trip to Northern Italy in May 2008, I've been looking at guide books. But most of my research has been on the Internet. I've researched enotecas, wineries, restaurants, sites, driving directions, truffles, cheeses of the Piemonte. Brushed up on my Italian. And checked many past posts on Fodor's.

Where is your next trip and how many days until you leave?
We are leaving in 6 hours for Paris, Provence, and Stresa, Italy.

What are you most looking forward to doing or seeing?
I am looking forward to catching a boat tour of the Canal St. Martin in Paris. I figure that may be an easy thing to do on our first day in the city. In Provence, we look forward to just touring the countryside and stopping whenever something catches our fancy, especially markets.

What have you been doing to prepare?
I have been listening to a series of 25 French CDs to immerse myself in the language again (college French was such a long time ago!), have my boarding passes printed out, all our apartment information, train tickets, rental car info, etc. ready to go. I read the guide books 4-5 weeks ago, and have them packed for reference. Thanks again to all of you Fodorites who have given great advice concerning where to catch the trains, leave luggage, what to see or not see, etc.

Where is your next trip and how many days until you leave?

Leaving in 8 days, flying into Brussels and then training to Bruges for 3 nights. Then training to Normandy to pick up a car and spend 4 days/nights in the countryside just outside of Bayeaux, then ending with 3 nights in Paris.

What are you most looking forward to doing or seeing?

Primarily eating, drinking and relaxing. It's been a very stressful 2 years during which I lost a job that I'd held for 28 years (took me 16 months to land in a comparable position), my wife's father passed away, and dealt with various other un-fun things.
I am a history buff, and am really looking forward to visiting the D-Day Beaches.

What have you been doing to prepare? (reading books, taking language classes, watching movies...)

No real intense preparation. I used to attempt to map out every hour of every day of our trips with all the must-sees for wherever we went - hence my nickname "The Trip Nazi" ... but we are now more likely to have a few planned excursions, and taking the rest as it comes.

My next trip will be from Cardiff to Nice. Usually go there every Xmas. Dont care for flying so it's a train to Paris and then TGV to Nice all in one day.

Will book a Hotel for two weeks between train station and seafront so as to have easy access to trains for day trips to Monaco, San Remo, Cannes, Menton, Tende,Ventigmilia,Grasse,etc.

Nice and quite at Xmas and may stop at Paris to see in the New Year.

May seem strange to others but I love to watch TV around Xmas time in Nice as you can also get Italian TV. The programmes I like are the cabaret and circus type which alas are absent in recent years in UK.

Just came home on Sept. 1st. Looking everyday for a cheap trip to anywhere in Europe. Hope to do Madrid when United starts a direct flight from Dulles in April. Probably will end up in Germany for 10 days in late Nov. early Dec.

Just returned from Spain.

Next thing booked is an award ticket to Genoa (returning from Milan) in May.

But looking at mileage opportunities, maybe New York during the Thanksgiving break and somewhere in Europe in February, March or April.

Where is your next trip and how many days until you leave?
To Paris in 7 days for two weeks, then to London for 10 days.

What are you most looking forward to doing or seeing?
I'll be seeing parts of Paris I haven't explored, going to Giverny for the first time (I can hardly believe I haven't done that yet), going to Chateau de Malmaison (Josephine's home), working on night photography, spending time with friends.
London: Dinner on my birthday at Rules, Hampton Court, Burough Market and spending time with friends.

What have you been doing to prepare?
I'm meeting a friend in Paris and we're sharing an apartment (meeting my DH in London later in the month), so she and I have taken alternate days and are planning the itineraries. It's been fun!

Other than research, I've got all my tickets, exhibit tickets, new travel purse (Eagle Creek Bohemian--think I'm gonna love it!), new 20" hard-sided spinner (I only carry on) so I'm good to go!

Next trip: Rome and Venice with the DH, DD and 2 grandsons on Christmas. I've only bought plane tickets, arranged both apartments and ordered Scavi Tour passes for the DD and older grandson (DH and I have done this already). I'll worry about the rest of the planning when I return from Paris and London.

Well, I just found one must-see for this trip - the Getty Images Gallery. While the flickr exhibit mentioned below will be gone, it sounds like a great gallery to visit and it's not far from my hotel.

http://blog.flickr.net/en/2009/09/29...allery-london/

Phillyboy, enjoy your richly deserved break. You've had a rough go of it lately, I'm sorry.

flygirl - Thanks. On the evening of my final day (October 26, 2007)of the job I mentioned, where I'd worked for 28 years, 4 months, and 8 days,(but who's counting),we left for a week in Ireland to visit my daughter who was studying in Dublin. That was our most recent vacation, and for a while it seemed like we'd never get back to Europe again.

Things still aren't perfect - are they ever? - but generally ok now.

Just noticed that I had a Senior Moment in my last post - my nickname isn't The Trip nazi, it's "The Tour Nazi".

My trip is officially on the 10-day forecast, hooray!

The day I arrive is expected to be partly sunny and 55. Not that it means anything, but it's still cool to be on the forecast.

I love it when we're on the 10 day forecast....even though it usually changes daily before the trip! It just makes me feel good.

I leave 12/4 for a week in Paris. We'd like to see the holiday lights in Paris, possibly do some Christmas shopping and look forward to enjoying the fall/winter menus.

We have an apartment and have done no real preparation for our trip....have been to Paris many times. We'll probably make some restaurant reservations before we go.

Flygirl, enjoy your time in London....looking forward to the photos!

Thanks Judy! Ironically, I just today posted my FEBRUARY London photos, if you click on my name they should come right up. I posted Paris ones on Monday this week.

Your trip sounds great! Xmas lights and all...

Lucca, Montepulciano, Cortona and Florence March 23-29, 2010. Have hotel picked out for Lucca - Universo - $68 a night including breakfast but not yet booked as it is pre-pa on Expedia. Last March hotels in Florence were reasonable -- Westin Excelsior for around $170!!! For March 2010 they seem super expensive - maybe it is just too far out yet. So thinking of 2 nighs in Monte with a day trip to Cortona, just 1 night before flying home in Florence.

I am Italian and can read it a bit, order some things, check in in Italian but really would like to learn some more.

I would LOVE to go to Paris again and just wander, relax, check out some ancillary museums... but I don't see it happening as I have a new kitchen to put it and my VISA to get paid off...