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Trip in June '08 - Where to go along with Berlin?

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Trip in June '08 - Where to go along with Berlin?

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Old Aug 9th, 2007, 01:07 PM
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Trip in June '08 - Where to go along with Berlin?

We are stumped! My family reunion is outside Berlin for a weekend at the end of June. My husband and I usually spend 5 days at the reunion site, and then add another week's stay someplace else to make things interesting. Last time our reunion was in Garmisch (Schloss Elmau), which seemed to give us more options for "interesting" places to visit. We spent five days on the southeast tip of Crete on a remote beach.

We are in our 30s and will be travelling with an 18 month old this time. I prefer 4 star hotels, We are both experienced travellers, but I am not hugely adventuresome, although my husband is usually able to convince me to undertake new things. We are also both foodies (my husband would ideally like to go someplace where they have great charcuterie) and are interested in a relaxing, low-key vacation. Art and museums aren't high on our list right now, although I always love visiting cathedrals and castles and the like. We are not big partiers either. Generally we like to be near the sea because we live in the mountains near a lake, and love to swim. We've been pouring over our atlas and checking out a few possible places, but are getting hung up on points south (Italy, Spain, or a return to Greece), which all seem to be really complicated to get to when you add the Berlin part of the trip. We will have a minimum of 10 days for the entire trip (reunion weekend included) and a maximum of 14, including travel time to and from northern Vermont.

Where should we go next?
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Old Aug 9th, 2007, 01:12 PM
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Definitely PRAGUE.
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Old Aug 9th, 2007, 02:31 PM
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I second Prague! We're planning a Berlin & Prague trip next spring.
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Old Aug 9th, 2007, 04:14 PM
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Hello Cheesey:

Have you thought about Dresden/Leipzig/Gorlitz? Ingo,on this board, could convince you, I'm sure. Gradyghost
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Old Aug 10th, 2007, 03:33 AM
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For a different beach experience (and though Prague is one of my all-time favorites, it does not offer a beach), you might consider Poland's Baltic Sea resort of Sopot. We spent just two days at The Grand Hotel in 2004, and felt like we were in a PBS Poirot production - very atmoshperic and a real period piece. The sea-facing room was huge with two sets of tall double french doors onto balconies. The water is so close across the sand beach - no tide! There's a pedestrian pier and music in the evenings. Sopot is a small resort with frequent commuter train service to Gdansk, Poland, which is a large city with great architecture, and plenty of restaurants and shops along its active port river. We enjoyed the food in Poland, and I found the pastry to be better than in France. But the food may not meet your guidelines.
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Old Aug 10th, 2007, 05:45 AM
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If you went to Crete last time then I guess having to fly is OK. There are at least two discount airlines servicing Berlin. Loads of interesting places to choose from. How about Izmir (though the pork products would be out!) or - wow! - Split.

Never been to Split but the idea of all those islands plus lots of history puts it high on my wish list. And you'll be able to book miles in advance and get a bargain.

Happy travels.
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Old Aug 10th, 2007, 10:00 AM
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Hi gradyghost! No, I don't think I'll succeed this time. No sea nearby, ;-) It would meet the other expectations, though.
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Old Aug 10th, 2007, 12:40 PM
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Hi
Have you considered Istria? It's part of Croatia, on the Adriatic. It used to be part of Italy, so it's bilingual in areas. In Rovinj there are hotels, some with half board. The town is beautiful with great seafood restaurants. We also stayed in Porec, had some great pizza there. There are several small mountain towns and a national park on Istria. We enjoyed it more than when we traveled to other parts of Croatia.
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Old Aug 11th, 2007, 02:29 AM
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Thank you for all your suggestions!

We will look into all of them. The headached of flying is not too much of an issue for us (although the 18 month old might change our minds about that), but we're finding that the possible extra expense of it is becoming a real deterrent. We had considered the Baltic before, but is it clean? For some reason I remember my family complaining about the Baltic way back when, and wasn't sure if that was still an issue these days.
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Old Aug 11th, 2007, 02:40 AM
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Thank you for all your suggestions!

We will look into all of them. The headached of flying is not too much of an issue for us (although the 18 month old might change our minds about that), but we're finding that the possible extra expense of it is becoming a real deterrent. We had considered the Baltic before, but is it clean? For some reason I remember my family complaining about the Baltic way back when, and wasn't sure if that was still an issue these days. Split and Istria both sound like possibilities. How much time do you think would be a minimum is those locations? I think my husband would sacrifice his charcuterie obsession if push came to shove.

Ingo, don't be sad.... Dresden is actually still high on the list too. We're in the middle of building our house, so minimizing air travel is sounding more and more appealing in the interest of saving a few pennies. So we are seriously considering staying in the Berlin area and doing day trips from the hotel, which is near Bad Saarow. How long a train ride is it to Dresden from Berlin? How many nights would you recommend staying there, and where? I'd love to know more. My mother is interested in Dresden because she says she is not likely to be in that part of Germany again, but she has no interest in Leipzig. Is she missing something?
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Old Aug 11th, 2007, 05:08 AM
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Hi cheesygirl!

No, I am not sad. You should be! ;-) No, honestly, I am sure you'll still have many more chances to see Dresden. Maybe not your mother, however, as it seems.

Bad Saarow is located somewhat east from Berlin near the motorway. There is a train from B.S. to Berlin, but this would probably be too inconvenient and time consuming for a day trip to Dresden. Honestly, if one of your family members has a car and would take you to Berlin Suedbahnhof it would save you a lot of time. From there trains take 2 hours to Dresden (leaving every two hours).

If your mother says she most likely won't visit this part of Germany again then it makes sense to day trip to Dresden. She can see some of the main sights, like the Historical Green Vault (ticket reservations better made NOW!) and the Church of Our Lady, maybe tour the opera house, see the Zwinger Palace and maybe the Old Masters Gallery or Porcelain collection there.

The real experience only comes with a stay overnight. You could spend a week here and would not run out of sights to see and things to do. Paddle Steam boat trips, steam train rides, winetastings, visits of Baroque palaces and gardens, quaint old medieval towns, touring the world-famous porcelain manufacture in Meissen, microbreweries. Hiking/walking/biking in the National Park Saxon Switzerland, canoeing etc. Not to mention evening entertainment like opera, concerts, theatre shows, clubbing and fine dining or just sitting in a beer garden by the river.

There are too many options to stay that I could list them here. The hotels range from world-class five star hotels to cosy small B&Bs, rental apartments, modern design hotels to Baroque style hotels ... central or in the countryside. Everything is available. It's a matter of the price range and preferences. Ah, just saw you prefer 4star hotels. Very centrally located in Dresden are the Steigenberger De Saxe (ask for a quiet room) and the Hilton. A five star for the price of a four star is the SAS Radisson Gewandhaus, also centrally located and a favourite of people I know. Right by the river and only a few minutes walk to the old town sights is the very good Maritim Hotel (next to it is the Congress and Convention centre, so be prepared to run into business people). Very large rooms for European standards and many with great views.

If your mother (or you) could spend one or two nights you could get a first impression and it would be a reasonable length of stay IMO.

Leipzig - a very interesting city, very enjoyable, but IMO it doesn't have *the* sight which makes it a must. Except you are a Johann Sebastian Bach fan.

One comment on the Baltic - yes, you are right, the beaches in some of the Baltic countries don't have good water quality. The water might be a bit cold for swimming in the sea, though, in June (late July/August is better, even then it's not too warm).

I highly recommend the German Baltic coast, though. Water quality is very good. Many towns/villages are picturesque, the landscape is very beautiful, especially on the island Rügen with the chalk cliffs. There are many good four star hotels in these areas, the dining is also excellent.

See? I get carried away when I start ...

Ingo
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Old Aug 11th, 2007, 06:01 AM
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I just realized I double-posted earlier...sorry about that..

Gosh Ingo, where to start! I will have to have my husband read your post. I think it will help convince him that we can make a good trip out of this without going some place much more challenging to get to. He'll just have to save his educational trip on prosciutto or Serrano for another time.

I am glad to hear that about the German Baltic. At first, we had considered doing a little vacation there, but I just wasn't sure what it was really like. When I was in high school, we did a trip to Travemuende, which was neat, but that was sooooo long ago now. I think I'll continue to look into that option as well, just in case my husband is very committed to getting some sand between his toes.

Dresden is sounding more and more appealing for me too though. I don't think we would do it as a day trip. Too much in too little time. I am sure that most of my family will have a car (especially my cousin, who lives in Berlin), and it's possible that we will even be renting one, since our plan is to stay at the hotel where the reunion is for a few extra days. So getting to the Suedbahnhof shouldn't be a problem, and it sounds like there are lots of trains to catch (in theory).

My mother is just being silly, I think. Her family is originally from the Franfurt area, so the thought of spending time in this part of Germany is for whatever reason foreign to her. Of course, they said the same thing about Bavaria, but we ended up there three years ago, so who knows what to think! I am a Bach fan, but I definitely think that it would be pushing my luck to convince DH that that is a good reason to go to Leipzig...

I will discuss all this with my husband and see if we can begin to narrow down how long we'd like to stay there, and what sort of lodging experience he would most enjoy.....and then I'm sure I'll be back with more questions! My first one though is what is the Green Vault?

And sorry for the novel...I get carried away too....
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Old Aug 11th, 2007, 07:15 AM
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LOL, mission accomplished! Yes, good idea to discuss this with your husband and to come back to the thread then.

The Green Vault? Hm, start here:
http://www.skd-dresden.de/en/museen/..._gewoelbe.html

I personally think it wouldn't make sense to hop on a plane and fly somewhere else for only five or six days. And excellent prosciutto and serrano are available anywhere in Germany. I know of some places in Dresden ;-)

Whoa! If you're a Bach fan you *must* visit Leipzig. There is a nice museum in the house where he lived and right vis-a-vis is St. Thomas church where he worked and the boys choir (Thomanerchor) is at home.

Btw, funny coincidence is that I'll be on a road trip through New England this fall. Won't go further north than Woodstock, VT and then the White Mountains in NH, though. But isn't it funny that we visit each other's home regions?

Ingo
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Old Aug 13th, 2007, 09:28 AM
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Ingo - Woodstock is 1.5 hours to the south of us. Lovely town though, and a great time of year to visit our neck of the woods. September is in fact my favorite month of the year now. My husband spent his teenage years in the Woodstock area. Have you been to Vermont before? I am not familiar with New Hampshire, really.

So I had my husband look over the info you provided, and I could have predicted this. He'd like to get his feet in the sand. It looks like we'll be headed to the Baltic. He's not so concerned about cold water apparently, and that's fine. I think he just really wants to put his feet up for two weeks and not think about anything as it turns out. I will have to save my trip to Dresden for another time. Sorry to disappoint you!

Would you advise renting a car to get up there from Berlin? I love taking the train, and am thinking it would be fun for our son who will be 18 months next June, but if it will be too much of a hassle to get to where we need to go by train, then perhaps it is not the best plan. Would you recommend the islands over the coast itself? We'd have about 6 days, I think, to spend in this area. Any thoughts?
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Old Aug 13th, 2007, 09:48 AM
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This my first U.S. trip! Never been there and look forward to the new experience. I already got great advice from friends and from other Fodorites (on a thread on the U.S. board).

So ... your hubby just wants to get his feet up and relax. Yup, that's fine, too! No, I am not disappointed. The later you come to Dresden, the more beautiful it's going to be

I strongly recommend to spend the six days on the islands. Preferably Usedom and/or Rügen. The latter has the more beautiful scenery (chalk cliffs) but is farther north. You can easily go to both by train. Actually, if I recall correctly there are direct trains from Berlin to Rügen (Binz). There are buses on the island and also the narrow-gauge steam train called Racing Roland that take you almost everywhere. For convenience you may want to rent a car for a day or so to drive around, but it's not really necessary.

Binz is the largest of the seaside towns - Sellin is smaller and quieter, but also very nice, so are Göhren and Baabe. I stayed in Sellin with American friends two (?) years ago and we liked it a lot. Binz is more upscale and has a long promenade and beach with many excellent hotels and B&Bs right there.

Definitely see the chalk cliffs in the National Park (Stubbenkammer), maybe see Cape Arkona, definitely take a ferry to the car-free island Hiddensee. Make a steam train ride to Putbus if you are a fan of steam trains. Close and above Binz on a hill is a hunting castle that might be worth exploring (great views from the tower).

I am not as familiar with Usedom island as with Rügen, sorry. Three nice seaside towns are lined up along the coast next to the Polish border: Bansin, Heringsdorf, Ahlbeck. All of them have great hotels right by the beach and promenade. Not as many sights there as far as I know, but still excellent for relaxing.

All of the beaches have white/light gray sand.

Let me know if you need more help.

Ingo
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Old Aug 13th, 2007, 10:03 AM
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hi, ingo,

[sorry, cheeseygirl, hope you don't mind my hi-jacking your post!]

thanks for all the info about Dresden. we are considering a trip next spring starting and finishing in Prague [because it's a cheap flight for us from Bristol] and "doing" Vienna, Krakow and Dresden.

do you know when the opera season will still be on in Dresden at that time?

regards, ann
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Old Aug 13th, 2007, 10:30 AM
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By Baltic Sea, perhaps you might like to consider Curonian Spit in Lithuania (not far from Berlin), a World Heritage site, with huge sanddunes, sea by both sides, visited by most German speaking tourists for walking, biking and surfing. Last month, I stayed in Nida (the main village, lovely and picturesque) for one week, it was most relaxing.

For more info, please check: www.nerija.lt.
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Old Aug 13th, 2007, 09:11 PM
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Annhig, opera season is from late August to early July. And even in July/August they have companies from other countries performing in the opera house. Last year it was a "West Side Story" production from Broadway if I recall correctly, this year it is "Stomp" (?) and so on.

Spring is an excellent season for a visit!
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Old Aug 14th, 2007, 10:14 AM
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thanks ingo,

of course, after I posted you, i decided not to be so lazy and googled the opera house myself. easy to work out after the horrors of the vienna staatsoper web-site.

how far in advance would we need to book in order to get decent tickets [ie no restricted view?]

have you got any recommendations for a centrally placed B & B?

regards, ann
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Old Aug 14th, 2007, 05:38 PM
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Hello Ingo:

You came very close to convincing Cheesegirl about the wisdom of visiting Dresden on this trip. I suspect she will do so in the future.

Before you get away to Vermont, please let us know whether you have dined at Stefan Hermann's Bean & Beluga in your home city. We're scheduled to be there in October. Gradyghost
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