Feedback on Europe itinerary

Old Apr 8th, 2018, 07:26 AM
  #21  
 
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Sirminone even in October was mobbed during day but the extensive Roman ruins site was not and a reason to visit IMO.
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Old Apr 9th, 2018, 06:41 AM
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Krakow is a great city in its own right - indeed veteran traveler kja above said 5 days was not really enough for her/him - in many ways the historic capital of Poland - and a city unlike Warsaw not decimated in WW2 - so don't just consider Krakow because of Auschwitz but also one of the nicest cities in Eastern Europe.
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Old Apr 9th, 2018, 07:00 PM
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What did you like about Krakow. What did you do there?
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Old Apr 9th, 2018, 07:36 PM
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I spent one day on a group tour to Auschwitz/Birkenau, which I arranged through the TI office. I found it incredibly moving and extremely well done -- sensitive, thoughtful, and respectful. I am glad I had planned on a very quiet evening afterwards, and likewise, a very quiet next day.

Krakow has a remarkable array of glorious churches (some of the interior decorations are utterly awesome), a castle with many delightful nooks and crannies, a number of lovely gardens and parks, a glorious central square with lots of cafes and people-watching options, market areas well worth visiting whether you are interested in shopping or not, some neighborhoods worth browsing if you like that kind of thing, one of Europe's oldest universities (some utterly awesome parts of which can be visited), and some glorious museums. If you have ANY interest in art, I would encourage you to seek the Lady with an Ermine – she is truly special.

I didn’t visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine, but only because I didn’t have sufficient time. Having seen the salt mine in Salzach, I am quite sure I would have treasured Wieliczka, too.

If you don’t already have a guidebook, please get one! The cost will be nominal in comparison to the cost of your trip, and you stand to learn SOOooooo much, including things that could easily save you money, not to mention all the things you can’t possible ask about because you won’t know to ask about them!
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Old Apr 9th, 2018, 07:37 PM
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Auschwitz/Birkenau is of course chilling, unforgettable, important. But there is much to see in Krakow. The Veit Stoss altarpiece in St. Mary's. Da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine. Kazimierz. The Krakow During the Nazi Occupation exhibit, which is housed in Schindler's Factory. Cloth Hall. Wawel Castle and its Cathedral. The Collegium Maius of Jagiellonian University Gorgeous Rynek Glowny. The beautiful, leafy Planty. And there's much more.
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Old Apr 10th, 2018, 06:39 AM
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Rome Hotel Reco: Hotel Arenula in the Jewish Quarter. We have stayed there twice with satisfaction...though the last time was 2013.
  • Excellent location, especially for walking to Trastevere for dinner. (Rome is one of the most walkable cities I know.)
  • Not as easily accessible from airport as some hotels. Take the local train (FL1 I think) to Trastevere station, then tram 8. But the second time we were there (with our son & daughter-in-law), the hotel booked a car for 50 Euros...not much more than train fare for four people.
  • No lift...so you may want to be sure they give you a room on the first or second floor.
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Old Apr 10th, 2018, 07:29 AM
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Nowa Hutna is a part of Krakow planned as a new town during commie era - interesting concept and where the former Polish Pope held out so kind of a pilgrimage mecca to him - as they say about Nowa Huta - "Rome was not built in a day but Nowa Huta was"

https://www.google.com/search?q=nowa...w=1879&bih=922

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowa_Huta
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Old Apr 10th, 2018, 07:59 AM
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>>> Rome Hotel Reco: Hotel Arenula in the Jewish Quarter. We have stayed there twice with satisfaction...though the last time was 2013.

I used to stay there often. The location is excellent, especially for a first trip, because you can walk to nearly everything from there. Nowadays I tend to go to Rome mostly for one specific reason, and I choose my location based on the reason for the trip.

I don't think they have any rooms on the ground floor, which is what Americans call the first floor. The reception is on the 1st floor, which to Americans is the second floor. If you are two people and need help with the bags, one of you can walk up and they'll send someone down to help you.

Last edited by bvlenci; Apr 10th, 2018 at 08:01 AM. Reason: Addition
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Old Apr 10th, 2018, 09:12 AM
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Thanks everyone for their feedback. We decided to cut out Germany and cut out Lake Garda. I have added in purple where additions have been made. Now, I have been thinking about adding a day to Krakow to make it 3 whole days. However, where can I remove the other day from? I can not move anything before Krakow as my husband booked flights today Brussels to Krakow.
Revised Plan is:
25.08.18- Depart Australia
26.08.18 - barcelona - Land 2pm
27.08.18 - barcelona
28.08.18 - barcelona
29.08.18 - barcelona
30.08.18 - Fly from barcelona to paris
31. 08.18 - Paris
01.09.18 - Paris
02.09.18 - Paris
03.09.18 - Paris (1 night added in revision)
04.09.18 - Train Paris to Brugee
05.09.18 - Brugee (1 night added in revision)
06.09.18 - Brugee (day trip to Ghent) ----husband agreed to remove Germany if one day was added in Belgium. I can not change this, so please do not comment on this.
07.09.18 - Brugee
08.09.18 - Brussels
09.09.18 - Fly Brussels to Krakow. Arrive Krakow 1.30pm
10.09.18 - Krakow
11.09.18 - Krakow
12.09.18 - Fly Krakow to Venice
13.09.18 - Venice
14.09.18 - Venice
15.09.18 - Morning Train to Florence
16.09.18 - Florence (1 night added to Florence)
17.09.18 - Florence side trip to Pisa
18.09.18 - Florence
19.09.18 - Morning Train Florence to Sorrento
20.09.18 - Sorrento
21.09.18 - Sorrento - amalfi coast
22. 09.18 - Sorrento (Pompai day trip with car)
23.09.18 - Sorrento (Capri)
24. 09.18 - Morning Train Sorrento to Rome
25.09.18 - Rome (1 night added since revision)
26.09.18 - Rome
27.09.18 - Rome (Vatican City)
28.09.18 - Rome to Greek Islands (still in decision process).My preference to fly to island from Rome.
29.09.18 - Greek island
30.09.18 - Greek Island
01.10.18 - Greek Island
02.10.18 - Fly to Athens
3.10.18 - Athens ( 1 night added)
4.10.18 - Athens
5.10.18 - Athens
6.10.18 - Fly Back to Melbourne

Last edited by MaryAlex; Apr 10th, 2018 at 09:38 AM.
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Old Apr 10th, 2018, 11:28 AM
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Your days in Florence include a Sunday/Monday. Since many of the main Florence sights are closed every or alternating Sundays or Mondays, check the open/closed dates and times for each place you want to see. You may want to change your day trip to Pisa to Sunday. If you want to climb the Leaning Tower, you have to make a timed reservation. You should also make reservations for things in Florence you want to see that offer that option. It will save you wasting time in lines.
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Old Apr 10th, 2018, 11:47 AM
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Why Pompeii day trip by car? Trains go right to entrance from Sorrento - why car? Curious.
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Old Apr 11th, 2018, 05:45 AM
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bvlenci...

Yes...you are correct...there are no rooms on the ground floor of the Hotel Arenula, and reception is on the first floor. There are some rooms on the first floor, and the second floor is not too much of a climb once you get your bags there.

About the great location: The thing that always amazed me about Rome was that -- especially on our first trip -- we were constantly walking past streets we were looking for because everything was so much closer than it appeared on the map. Of course, today, with GPS on our phones, that would not happen, because we would know our position on the map. A great, thoroughly walkable city. (On occasion, with the traffic jams, walking was faster than the bus.)

ssander

Last edited by ssander; Apr 11th, 2018 at 05:51 AM.
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Old Apr 11th, 2018, 08:31 AM
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Yes I've found Rome always walkable - have never taken bus or taxi or metro and a day of walking between sights always yields new discoveries not planned on - historic center of Rome surprisingly compact.
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Old Apr 11th, 2018, 06:31 PM
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PalenQ...

You are so right. One of the great pleasures of Rome is finding the unexpected around nearly every corner...piazzas, fountains, palazzi, churches, ancient ruins...it's a never-ending feast...and the gelato is great, too!...try to find riso -- rice gelato...amazing!

Tip: A great, but not well-visited, church is Santa Prassede with it's fantastic mosaics. And Santa Sabina will take you back to Christian Rome before the fall of the empire.

ssander
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Old Apr 11th, 2018, 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by PalenQ
Why Pompeii day trip by car? Trains go right to entrance from Sorrento - why car? Curious.
Wasn't aware that it was easy to get too from Sorrento.

Although, I cant change my flights from Brussels to Krakow, I do have room for movement between Barcelona and Paris. I've just been looking at Belgium and although DH wants to go, I think 4 nights would be plenty, I'm not interested in the fries museum and Belgium looks boring, am I right? So If I cut the day from Belgium, thereby allowing me to add a day in Barcelona and possible do a day trip or I was contemplating, instead of doing the flight to Paris, I could do the train, but rather than doing one long train commute Barcelona to Paris, I could stop to somewhere in France for the night instead and then the next day do a shorter commute to Paris from somewhere in France. Ideally somewhere scenic and full of natural beauty.

Or is Belgiums reputation of being boring not justified?
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Old Apr 11th, 2018, 07:53 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by MaryAlex
Or is Belgiums reputation of being boring not justified?
I've never found Belgians, or Belgium, to be boring. But I think it's pretty clear at this point that my interests are quite different than yours.
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Old Apr 12th, 2018, 12:12 AM
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I wasn't aware that Belgium had a reputation for being boring. Brussels, perhaps, but the whole country? Belgium is one of my favorite places to visit in Europe - so much variety in such a small country, amazing food, and easy as pie to get around. But I also like Brussels, so maybe it's just me.
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Old Apr 12th, 2018, 01:30 AM
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>> And Santa Sabina will take you back to Christian Rome before the fall of the empire.

The Basilica of Santa Sabina, on the Aventine Hill, is one of my favorite churches in Rome. It was built in the 4th century, and there's a dedication mosaic (inside) over the main entrance, with the Latin inscription. The mosaic shows two women, one Greek and one Hebrew, representing the two main branches of Christianity at that time. There are other churches in Rome from the same period, but the others have been modified so much that the interior doesn't resemble at all the early Christian originals. Santa Sabina was modified, but not extensively, and the modifications were mostly removed in the early 20th century. What remains is a typical ancient Roman basilica, with some remaining medieval modifications. (In ancient Rome, a basilica was any large public building, for example, a law court.)

In ancient times, the Aventine Hill was part of the large and flourishing Jewish community in Rome, which extended down to the modern Ghetto and across the river into Trastevere. It's believed that the original Jewish settlement was in Trastevere.

Around the side of the church, an original door, with wooden bas relief carvings, can be seen. Ancient Roman wood carvings are very rare, because wood doesn't hold up well over time. The door has panels representing Biblical scenes. One has the earliest known representation of Jesus on the cross.

The adjacent city orange garden has very nice views over the Tiber. And further up the hill, you can look through the keyhole in the gate of the villa of the Order of the Knights of Malta, which frames perfectly, with a border of cypress trees, the cupola of St. Peter's Basilica. This villa is, like the Vatican, sovereign territory, although not a recognized country. They do have an embassy, located inside the villa. It's possible to take guided tours inside, where there is a very nice church, Santa Maria del Priorato, intricately decorated by the 18th century artist, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, famous for his etchings of Rome. He also designed the gate, and the idea of making a keyhole that framed St. Peter's. I believe the villa also hosts weddings and other events. They seemed to be setting up for an event when we were there.

One could spend a very pleasant day in this area, including the three little ancient temples at the foot of the hill, the theatre of Marcellus, the Jewish Ghetto. and the Great Synagogue. I often think it's a shame that the people I see trudging along on the overly-beaten path between the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps and the Colosseum don't skip a few of these insanely crowded spots to catch their breath and enjoy some of the hidden gems of the city.

Last edited by bvlenci; Apr 12th, 2018 at 01:36 AM. Reason: formatting, additions
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Old Apr 14th, 2018, 12:04 AM
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Originally Posted by StCirq
I wasn't aware that Belgium had a reputation for being boring. Brussels, perhaps, but the whole country? Belgium is one of my favorite places to visit in Europe - so much variety in such a small country, amazing food, and easy as pie to get around. But I also like Brussels, so maybe it's just me.
What do you recommend and where?
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Old Apr 14th, 2018, 12:43 PM
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Well many would recommend Bruges (though some detested it because of Disneyesqueness and many other tourists) and Gent - many find Brussels underwhelming but like any large world capital it has its pluses just hard to ferret out in a quick look like many take. I love Antwerp but it don't have the old looks of Gent and Bruges but in many ways is fascinating - largely built up in heyday of circa-1900 it seems when it was one of the world's largest ports which it still is. Art Nouveau is one type of architecture that shines here.
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