Looking for trip ideas
 

I apologize for the wide distribution.

My friend and I are planning on travelling, most likely to Europe, for about a week this August. While my main interests lie in wine, food, history, architecture, my friend prefers natural beauty, scenic drives, hiking, etc...

Does anyone have any suggestions on places to go that might satisfy both of us?

Thank you SOOO much!

David

That sounds like Tuscany to me.

or Alsace, or Provence, or most of Northern Italy, or San Francisco, or southern Indiana (wink...)

Best wishes,

Rex

Rex:

It sounds like I'll have to visit southern Indiana because we don't have most of these things up here in Indianapolis.

Steve ([email protected])

We have every one of them in southern Indiana.

Start here: http://www.visitstarlight.com

:)

Wine, Rex?

I think the Lake District in England has a lot of those except the wine.

Do a B&B driving tour of Provence. We did a week last September and it was amazing. Flew into London, then on to Marseille on a cheap ticket. Picked up a rental car from EuroCar (great service, good price) drove to Cassis (storybook seaside village) for two nights. On to Vaison-la-Romaine for two nights in the mountain/wine Vaucluse region - great food and scenery, architecture in Orange the Roman theater. Two nights in Avignon at an incredible private home - lots of great architecture (Pope's Palace, wineries, Abbaye de Senanque along the way), markets, food, day trips (St Remy). Two nights in Gordes to see the famous hilltop villages and Bories.

Found all the B&Bs at: http://avignon-et-provence.com/avi/gb/pres/p1.htm
Very good web site with interact map of region. Contacts are made directly with owners, not through an agency. It was easy.

Our favorite B&B was L'Eveche in Vaison-la-Romaine. It is amazing and the hosts are absolutely charming. It is quite private. Ask for the room with the private balcony. Its only 95 Euros per night. http://eveche.free.fr/uk_index.htm

Also loved Villa Agape in Avignon:
http://avignon-et-provence.com/bb/vi.../gb/index.html Mdm. Michelle is so sweet and charming. You will never want to leave the pool and you won't believe that its all on the top floor of a pharmacy in old Avignon.

If you want more information, email to me at [email protected]

Skip southern Indiana and go to France. They have everything mentioned and I speak French better than Italian.

Of course you may have a different solution.((@))

Cinque terre...great hiking, great food and wonderful scenery. There are some great travel guides that have hikes and day trips in this area.

Hoosiers unite! We really need to get together at Oliver Winery (yes we do have wineries!) for a little meet and greet!What do you guys say?
[email protected]

Yes, wine. Evidently you didnt look at visitstarlight.com - - outstanding wines at Huber Orchard and Winery.

I'm an ex-Hoosier. Had the wine. I'll stick with my suggestion of Provence!

David

I agree that France would be the place for you... wine, food, history, possibly architecture but would also suggest The Lake District, north England. You have all the above (the wine at some good restaurants) as well at the natural beauty, scenic drives, hiking... I live 2hrs away from this breathtaking view - there is so much to discover and the views are truly awesome. You could possibly split your journey, fly from Manchester International Airport to France (1.5hr flight) and get the best of both worlds. Check out flights on http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk or www.easyjet.com (no frills airtravel from Liverpool airport).

Good luck, I hope you enjoy your trip to Europe wherever you decide to go.

Tracy

Annecy. Porto. Dolomites. Alsace. British Columbia.

The Greek island of Santorini (some believe it's Atlantis) has a thriving wine industry as well as some of the most spectacular sea views in the world, great restaurants, fantasic indigenous architecture, 2 great archaeological sites plus a museum and hiking up and down the cliffs as well as from village to village.

Loire Valley in France, tour it by bicycle.

As a former Hoosier I would suggest an exciting itinerary to include Vevay and Milan, with a side trip to Versailles. You could have lunch in Batesville and be home by dinner and watch a rerun of " Hoosiers".

amwosu:

Believe it or not, we had a bottle of an Oliver wine last night. My in-laws are Russian so at every celebration the women like sweet wines. Of course, the men drink vodka.

Steve

dis1010:
Hey! Where are all the Germany and Switzerland Lovers?
Germany boasts fine wine-growing regions along the Mosel Valley/River with numerous castles (intact and ruins) along this area and along the Rhein. Trier is one of the oldest Roman Cities with partly preserved baths, ampitheatre and 'Black Gate/Porta Nigra'.
This area affords fine hiking and water sports along the river and vineyards.
The Black Forest of Germany is EXCELLENT for natural beauty with well-marked hiking paths between old towns, old abbeys and monasteries, pristine lakes (Titisee), and clean air, tasty cakes and savory cheeses.
I can't say enough about Switzerland as well--mountain (or valley) hikes, untouched glacial lakes (Kandersteg, Zermatt area) and architecturally and historically-rich cities like Lucerne, Bern, Zug, Heidelberg and Zurich...
I choose these two countries over France or Italy any day!
Ah-Oh, I may have started a contoversial storm!

I would second Southern Indiana, with a day trip to Indianapolis (does that satisfy all of us from Indiana okay?).

In Indiana, don't forget about the Amish communities up north--well worth an overnight.

My parents live in Indiana. Does that make me a Hoosier once removed? Or a Hoosier legacy?

Go to Austria! It has got all you require: Art, architecture, wine (in the very scenic Wachau vally), culture,excellent food,and history. If you stay in Vienna you will be in a great spot for your needs and just a short drive or train ride away from great scenery, hiking etc.

Jocelyn:

We will grant you honorary Hoosier status if you promise to visit the great state frequently!

You're right, the north is nice too!

Oh, and if you can't make it to Indiana, David, Italy makes an okay second choice, I guess. :)

Hey!

Don't forget Columbus, IN for architecture. Usually ranked 6th in the US for modern architecture.

I'm sitting in a Weese right now...

:-)

Sorry, I thought you hoosiers would pick up on the fact that Vevay, Milan,and Versailles are all towns in southern Indiana within 50 miles of each other. We could add West Baden further west for you Black Forest lovers--it is right next to French Lick and not far from Santa Claus.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'm thinking Indiana might have to wait for another time...But I will do some more research and let you know what I end up doing!

Thanks,
David

*Switzerland* in the french-speaking region. Geneva and outlying areas along Lac Leman and up into the countryside, hills, mountains offer everything on both your lists.

You could also visit Brazil, Mexico, Peru, and Russiaville, or even up to Warsaw, all north of Indy. Buttttt, I'm suggesting not.

I liked Sweden myself (not having been to some of the other suggested places) Was there in November and didn't get to see too much, but I can tell you that Scandinavia is one place I'd like to spend some more time in.

Rex, do you live in Southern Indiana now? If so, where?

with only one week, I vote for Tuscany.
You have remarkable towns with preserved medieval architecture, you have wineries and amazing food, you have easy drives with short distances between towns, you have scenery, and I assume there is hiking.
Drawbacks are that August will be very crowded with travelers, including other Italians. Ditto Provence with the French.
I haven't been to Ireland, but except perhaps for the wine, that might work as well, and a week is doable.

Mystery on this thread! - - the left hand column "brings it up" saying there is (was?) a post from today, but I see none.

Anyhow - - yes, I do now live "back home" in Southern Indiana - - in Floyds Knobs (outside New Albany, just across the river from Louisville). Moved here last summer/fall.

I agree that both Tuscany and Provence would be wonderful choices. If you're looking for something a little more off the beaten path and probably quite a bit cheaper, I would also suggest looking into Hungary. I was just in Budapest and absolutely fell in love with it. It's a lot cheaper than many other EU countries, the architecture and history are fascinating, and we had some truly wonderful wines at very reasonable prices. Hungary is famous for Tokay, but they also produce some really excellent red and white wines. With a week, you could spend a few days in Budapest and then perhaps get out into the country a bit where your friend could do more outdoorsy stuff. I didn't have the chance to explore much outside the city, but the countryside looked beautiful. And there are many regions to go wine tasting (Eger, Tokaj, etc) so you could both get what you're looking for. Oh, and the food was excellent too - everything from very cheap traditional fare (absolutely delicious) to fabulous gourmet cooking.

David,
I would suggest Tusacany, it is what you are looking for. Better make your arragnments now!!!!

Ok, I am too lazy to read this entire thread right now. Has anyone mentioned Slovenia? Let's tackle the interests one by one.
Wine--major producer of good wine, esp. the Goriska Brda region which is just across the border from Italy's Friuli region. Beautiful countryside and lots of smaller wineries that have a great interest in improving the quality. There are several different wine regions in Slovenia and all have something unique to offer. One of the most unusual wines here is Teran. It is a full bodied red with a lemony tinge. Definitely an acquired taste but very different. Here is a website discussing more of what Slovenia offers in terms of wine. http://www.slovino.com/en/index.php

Now, for history combined with natural beauty, a trip to the Soca River Valley is a must. This is where Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" was set. The town of Kobarid has a wonderful WW1 museum and the whole area is dotted with memorials. The Soca River Valley is a mecca for sports enthusiasts. They offer rafting, danyoning, climbing and hiking. It is drop dead gorgeous.

For Architecture, come to Ljubljana. Joze Plecnik designed much of the city. He also contributed to Prague so you may see some similarities.

Ok...that is just a start. But come off the beaten path...skip Italy and France and come a bit farther East. You won't be disappointed!

Cheers,
Jan

Slovenia and Croatia would be for what you wish, but also Slovakia. Go into the Tatry National Forest area for some great hiking as well as old castles and interesting history.

Provence!

This maybe a little late ,but hve you considered the Ahr River Valley in Germany. There are some very quaint villages and wonderful wineries. Start in Cochem and follow down thru Ahrweiler and many more small villages.The sceney is wonderful and once pasr Cochem ,not many USA tourists.
Great fun and great wine.

My vote goes to Croatia! There is plenty of history and, of course, some of it is very recent. The scenery is amazing, the food is great, the wine is incredible and there is plenty of hiking to be done.

You could visit Plitvice National Park. Check it out at http://www.photocroatia.com/Small_Ex/NP_PLITVICE.htm

For great wine visit Zlatan Plavac winery near Zavala on Hvar

For recent history visit the War Photos Museum in Dubrovnik and also take a day trip to Mostar.

I have been to over 15 countries in Europe and I spent two weeks in Croatia this year and it tops my list of favorite coutries.

Cheers!

dis1010,
We go to Provence each year, based in St. Remy, and it would be my choice too. Burgundy should not be overlooked. Sienna and Florence merit an honorable mention since both have urban and near by country appeals.

For a quirky possibility how about the State of Maine? Except for architecture it meets your requirements. Little village inns, lobster, art galleries could help fill any "void".