Enjoyed your post! Thank you..

I have travelled to many of the places you mentioned
and agree wuth you interpretation. Loved Potsdam and the Louvre. Would like to see Istanbul someday.

My husband and I are taking our 3 young boys to England and Ireland for a month this summer.
Our cottage near Galway is booked,we'll be in Harrogate England at my sister's for awhile, but I can't decide on where to stay in London. Apartment or hotel?(5 nights) Do you have any ideas?

Sincerely,
Teresa Sutherland

Thanks Neal, for the last minute advice. You were exactly right when you mentioned Carnaby St. When I returned to Iowa in the summer of 69 I was lightyears ahead of everyone in fashion. And my daughter even wanted to have her picture taken on Abbey Rd. I am just as happy to live in the present though. The past was fun, the present is better, and the future? Too much adventure, too little time.

Reading these replies has been great! Old Al, maybe you could change your name to Wise Al. You have a perspective gained by experience and wisdom, it seems. Here are some of my favorites. PARIS: Ste Chapelle is #1 on my list. A croc monsieur for breakfast in the cafe adjacent to Notre Dame,then a photo opportunity on top of the Arc de Triomphe with the Eiffel in the background (hold the spiked wall and toss back your head for the care-free-I'm-in-Paris look). VIENNA: a ride in the horsedrawn carriage from St. Stephansdom to Stadparke for icecream and to listen to the waltz music (the clipclop of the horse hooves will lull you to sleep). VENICE: just before daybreak, not too many tourists out, the water is lapping at the edges of the gondolas parked in front of the Doges at San Marco Square. Also, if it is your first time to Venice, arrive by train and don't be in the bathroom when you go over the water and see the city for the first time. MILAN: go to the top of the Cathedral among the spikes. Then spend the evening at the sidewalk tables listening to the music and watching the Italians stroll. Cool. BLACK FOREST: get lost amid the deep, lush, green leaves and wind up at Hexenlochmuhle(had to look at the spelling on my beer glass). BRUGES: train from Brussels for a day, enjoy walking through the medieval town and buy a tapistry. LONDON: not London, but Canterbury: Canterbury Cathedral, and go when a church choir is singing. Also somewhere in the area of Kent is Hever Castle, where Henry VIII met and decided to have Ann Boleyn as his wife. IRELAND: the West Coast of Clare, feel the windspray at Cliffs of Moher, drive through the Burren, walk through the ruined monasteries, have a chicken sandwich in a pub in a tiny town. PROVENCE: St. Paul de Vence, Chagall's gravesite in the cemetary there.

Just a thought to all those people above who didn't enjoy the Louvre ..... I visited during September and again in October and only found crowding around the Mona Lisa. I found that if you waited about two minutes people in front of the painting those in front moved away, then I enjoy it close up for a minute (when the flashes weren't going off illegally!). The painting itself is smaller than one might expect and I wondered to myself if it might not be a copy that's on display, as the guards never seemed to tell people not to use their flash units - if this is going on all the time then the painting will be eventually be adversely affected by the continual light flashes. The other parts of the Louvre that I enjoyed especially, such as the Mediaeval Treasury and the foundations of the old Louvre, people were very thin on the ground. Also, if you buy a museum pass at another museum that has fewer crowds, i.e. Cluny Museum, you just walk into the Louvre skipping the ticket queue.

All greats tips. Sending this site back up. Keep writing.

Thanks Lori I check this often and can't believe I'd miss all this great stuff. Thanks also to Wise Old Al (Owl) and those terrific tips. Hope I'm still tipping at your age. Please don't tell too many people about the Marmottan as this is a fantastic place; I love the building even without it's great paintings. If Stone Henge is too crowded(and it's fenced off so you can't get close anyway) how about going to some other standing stones with fewer people and you get to go right up to them; take a picnic. If you do go to the top of the Leaning Tower in Pisa (and I do every time I go to Italy and will next time too) have a look at the baptistry next to the cathedral. It should be more appreciated than it is. Great postings. Let's keep sending this one up.

Great

Anywhere in the world you may go, just don't be too sophistocated! Every site I have seen in Europe has thrilled me, touristy or not. I still remember the little girl in 4th grade who saw those places in her geography book and heard her teacher described them.
My heart sings and I remind myself that I made it and I really am here!!!! No place is bad if you are seeing it in person after it has resided in your imagination for your whole life.

I agree completely with the last post. The first time I went to Paris, I was completely in awe of the Eiffel Tower, especially after having a picture of it hanging in my room growing up. I am still amazed at it. I think there is nothing more pretentious than a person who feels he or she is so sophisticated that the "touristy" attractions are beneath them. Everyone sees something in a different light. To some, the Louvre may be just the Mona Lisa, but to others it is so much more. Experience it all!

Great comments and tips but would like to see more on Italy.
My husband, 12 year old daughter, and I will be in Venice, Florence, Rome (sidetrip to Pompeii), for 13 days in late June-early July.
We're going to use trains for transportation. What are ctivities that are a waste of (precious) time???
To MONICA: I've been reading your postings for months and know that you are going right before we do. I hope that you will post here upon your return! Buon Viaggio!!!

In Rome: Get a hotel that is centrally located so you can walk to a lot of different tourist spots. Go see the Trevi fountain and toss in a coin. Go back and see it at night. It's really very pretty. Take a nap on the Spanish steps and watch the people walk by. Sip a cappucino at one of the cafes nearby. Walk through the Vatican Museum and find the little private place for prayer -- a white alcove, plain and peaceful, amongst all the glittering art. Go the the Basilica and climb the roof to see the amazing view of Rome. Take home some holy water, open it three months after you come home, and realize that it still smells like flowers. Go to the Coliseum and see this amazing feat of architecture and engineering. Pet the cats.

My husband and I loved Rome! Left out one thing -- eat, eat, eat!!

I've thoroughly enjoyed the various posts. It's interesting to read the comments. While we are certainly not seasoned travellers we have been to many of the sights mentioned. Some of the comments I agree with and others I do not. But the important thing as a "sightseer" is that we have been there. I wouldn't have missed the Eiffel Tower for anything, but personally enjoyed the top of the Arc de Triomphe more. We're not really Museum people but how could you go to Paris without going to the Lourve. My wife was in total awe of Jerusaleum but the Pyramids at Giza in Egypt blew me away. (WE couldn't even agree) I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder. Nevertheless these are all interesting comments.
Paul J.

I love all the comments. I agree that "waste of time" is definitely subjective, but there are some things that I would avoid. The Pompey and Vesuvius in Italy was a very dusty experience. My camcorder has never worked the same since... The catacombs in Rome were ok. but I would not see them again. I definitely would spend more time in Florence. The David is worth at least half an hour. The changing of the guard is a pass, specially since it can be cancelled at any time if it rains. The top of the Eiffel tower at night is something I'd do again, very romantic and spellbinding. The Lion monument in Lucerne was nice, but not awesome. Venice was wonderful and the canals were not dirty. London is very very expensive these days, I came back a week ago, and everyone is in a hurry in the sidewalks and streets. I hope that I don't sound negative, there is so much I loved, but that would be another topic..

I love all the comments. I agree that "waste of time" is definitely subjective, but there are some things that I would avoid. The Pompey and Vesuvius in Italy was a very dusty experience. My camcorder has never worked the same since... The catacombs in Rome were ok. but I would not see them again. I definitely would spend more time in Florence. The David is worth at least half an hour. The changing of the guard is a pass, specially since it can be cancelled at any time if it rains. The top of the Eiffel tower at night is something I'd do again, very romantic and spellbinding. The Lion monument in Lucerne was nice, but not awesome. Venice was wonderful and the canals were not dirty. London is very very expensive these days, I came back a week ago, and everyone is in a hurry in the sidewalks and streets. I hope that I don't sound negative, there is so much I loved, but that would be another topic..

Not to start a flame war, but I thought Pompeii was fascinating. To see the ruins that have survived all of these centuries, under all of the volcanic ash and soot was amazing. Not to mention that some of the mosiac tile and paintings on the walls remain as true as they were in 79 AD (or whenever). There is a mosiac tile foyer with a picture of a vicious dog that does not have a tile out of place of cracked. Not to mention the fact that these early Romans were geniuses when it came to engineering. The other amazing thing is that you can still see the ruts in the road from the constant wear and tear inflicted by the chariots. Don't miss Pompeii, but keep in mind that the outside of the ruins is one giant tourist trap. Ciao!!!

To Michele - my wife and I went to Italy in February (great time to go - weather was great, crowds light) - anyway, try your best to get to Siena on a day trip from Florence (comfortable buses run frequently each day from the bus depot across from main train station) - Siena is a truly beautiful medieval Tuscan hill town that shouldn't be missed. In Florence, the museums are worth every lira and minute you spend there - and just strolling around is an experience in itself - be sure to walk across the Ponte Vecchia to the other side of the Arno - look for (ask directions to) a little restaurant called the Quattro Leoni (Four Lions) which is off the beaten toursit track - same with "Maximillian" near the university (a one-woman show where the owner greets and seats you, cooks, brings your bill - food is awesome but make sure you have time to spare).
Here's my two cents worth on the topic of things that are a waste of time: the keys to a great vacation are defining what you are truly interested in seeing and doing the necessary research to make the trip enjoyable - this avoids the waste of time that occurs when you arrive in a town and then scratch your head deciding where to go. Good planning does not mean the trip is regimented or lacking in spontaneity - on the contrary, it LEAVES TIME for finding the unexpected, lingering a little longer at a memorable place, and it means you do the trip your way, not the way the tour guides tell you to do it.
Anyway, enjoy your trip - Italy is fantastic.

Forget GYM in Moscow, it's only a high priced shopping mall with high priced western goods that you can find at your local mall.

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Although my wife (and I'm sure many others would disagree), I think Stonehenge was a waste of time. The location was uninteresting (by a highway), the stones were fenced off and there was an admission charge to see rocks. There are more interesting, though less famous, stone circles in Britain (I loved Castlerigg--near Keswick). I you do go to Stonehenge, after you are awed (or maybe not), go to nearby Salisbury--a nice old town with a nice cathedral.