dell
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Post by dell on Sept 10, 2014 8:46:33 GMT
I was having a conversation with some people on the way to work this morning about the trip one of the lady's step daughters is currently on with her boyfriend. Apparently they've said their least favourite city so far has been New York. The ladies I was with that had been to New York were very surprised because it was a favourite of theirs. The conversation got me to thinking about how some people love a destination, while others equally dislike it. So what are some of your favourite places?
Although it can be almost impossible to pick, I think I'll start with Venice, Italy. We spent a few nights their before our Insight Italian Escapade tour and then a couple of nights during the tour. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the city. A bit of a cliche statement, but for me there is something magical about Venice. It was nice walking around the streets with wonderful sights around every corner, fun to pop on and off the vaporetti. We bought a CD off a guitarist playing outside our hotel on the Zatterre during dinner on our first night there and every time I play it I feel like I've instantly been transported back to my favourite city.
I look forward to reading about all your favourite places.
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Post by Oz-T on Sept 10, 2014 9:15:37 GMT
I'd agree with you about both New York and Venice, Dell. I enjoyed both.
New York has a certain character and attitude that really draws me in. And there was plenty to see and do. I look back at some of our photos and recall our family trip to the USA - it was the first major overseas holiday that we took the kids on (they were aged 12 and 10 at the time).
And what more can be said about Venice? Well, lot's really. It has a charm that isn't duplicated anywhere in the world. We stayed at a hotel right on the Grand Canal, across from the train station, in a couple of rooms (the kids came along on that one too, at the insistence of Mrs Oz - they were by then 19 & 17).
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dell
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Post by dell on Sept 11, 2014 4:16:38 GMT
I haven't been to New York yet myself. It has long been on my wish list though.
You must have great memories from trips with your kids. Are they keen travelers too?
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Post by Boop on Sept 11, 2014 5:07:46 GMT
Hi dell!
What a great topic!
I have to say that, for me, Prague has been my favourite place to visit. Everything about Prague was exciting, especially the shopping 
Venice is a very close second.....what a magical place!
New York is on my list, (because of the shopping) and the food has a little to do with my desire to go there. 
I'm hoping to do the Christmas tour to Prague, Vienna and Budapest, not this year but next and I'm looking forward to that.
There are so many wonderful places to visit in this world, it's hard to narrow it down to a few!! |
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Post by Oz-T on Sept 11, 2014 6:13:43 GMT
I haven't been to New York yet myself. It has long been on my wish list though. You must have great memories from trips with your kids. Are they keen travelers too? Yes, I think the travel bug gene transferred to our kids, Dell. Since our last overseas family holiday they've separately pursued international travel with their partners. Last year my daughter and her boyfriend went to parts of Asia that I've never been to. My son has been to Vanuatu, and another trip to Bali with his girlfriend (now fiancee). Later this year they will be in the USA. World travel has become quite affordable and normal these days. |
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Post by keitel on Sept 11, 2014 8:35:48 GMT
The test of a special place for me is one that I can spend five days there walk for many hours and still not bored. That certainly applies to New York, Paris, London and maybe Beijing.
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Post by Oz-T on Sept 11, 2014 9:54:15 GMT
I'm not surprised, Keitel. There's even evidence of your New York visit....   |
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Post by Boop on Sept 11, 2014 16:59:03 GMT
The test of a special place for me is one that I can spend five days there walk for many hours and still not bored. That certainly applies to New York, Paris, London and maybe Beijing. Hi keitel! Did you find Paris an easy walkaround or was it somewhat of a maze?? I'd like to go solo but have the feeling it is a challenge to navigate.... |
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Post by chech on Sept 11, 2014 19:10:59 GMT
I don't remember having trouble getting around Paris. I did spend a lot of time walking so a lot of the stuff must have been close.  |
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Post by Boop on Sept 11, 2014 19:28:28 GMT
I don't remember having trouble getting around Paris. I did spend a lot of time walking so a lot of the stuff must have been close. Were you on a tour? Do you mean a lot of the attractions, like the Tower, were close to where you were staying? Do you remember the hotel?  |
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Post by chech on Sept 11, 2014 23:33:06 GMT
I was there in 1982 with my school on tour. Don't remember hotel or anything...just that we walked a lot and saw a lot. Someone else could probably recommend a centralized hotel and from there, my memory says access to the major sites wasn't that hard. But I was much more mobile back then. |
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Post by Boop on Sept 12, 2014 0:23:31 GMT
I was there in 1982 with my school on tour. Don't remember hotel or anything...just that we walked a lot and saw a lot. Someone else could probably recommend a centralized hotel and from there, my memory says access to the major sites wasn't that hard. But I was much more mobile back then. Yeah, I hear 'ya! I think if I went there for two weeks I could likely see the sights and hit all the shopping areas. It seems like a very strollable city!  |
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Post by chech on Sept 12, 2014 0:50:10 GMT
And you could spend a day strolling the Louvre for sure! (But you'd have to get transport there). |
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Post by Oz-T on Sept 12, 2014 1:12:34 GMT
Paris is incredibly easy to explore. We've been there maybe eight times, the last one being three months ago. The underground trains are similar to how they operate in London and language isn't a major barrier once you're used to how things go. We usually walk around Paris as much as possible as that's the best way to take in all the sights.
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Post by keitel on Sept 12, 2014 5:00:57 GMT
The test of a special place for me is one that I can spend five days there walk for many hours and still not bored. That certainly applies to New York, Paris, London and maybe Beijing. Hi keitel! Did you find Paris an easy walkaround or was it somewhat of a maze?? I'd like to go solo but have the feeling it is a challenge to navigate.... Hi Boop, nice speaking to you again. Paris was quite easy actually Got a map from the hotel and branched out further each day. I think staying in a hotel near the river gives to access to most of the major sites with a minimum of problems. It also helped I was with a superior intellect(she)
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Post by Boop on Sept 12, 2014 5:56:41 GMT
Hi keitel! Did you find Paris an easy walkaround or was it somewhat of a maze?? I'd like to go solo but have the feeling it is a challenge to navigate.... Hi Boop, nice speaking to you again. Paris was quite easy actually Got a map from the hotel and branched out further each day. I think staying in a hotel near the river gives to access to most of the major sites with a minimum of problems. It also helped I was with a superior intellect(she)
Nice to see you here on this forum as well keitel! This is such a friendly place, isn't it?
Good advice about a hotel near the river (Seine?), gives me a great compass point.
Another really great city to walk around and discover was Amsterdam which I didn't find confusing at all.
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Post by Stoker on Sept 13, 2014 1:34:37 GMT
Hi Boop
We love Paris. It is easy to walk around. We got the name of a hotel from people on the old forum. It was the hotel Suez de Paris, a nice little place 5 minutes from Notre Dame, 30 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower and 25 to the Louvre. Just down the street the other way was the Luxembourg Gardens. It was in the Latin quarter and when we return we will go back to the same hotel. Me, my wife and daughter felt very safe there even walking the streets at 1:00am. A big thanks again to who ever it was that told us about this place. We like character in a hotel and this place had it. I think the building is a couple of hundred years old and the hotle has benn run by the same family for over 100 of them. Can't wait to return but this year it's Spain Morocco and Portugal. Happy traveling.
p
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Post by Boop on Sept 13, 2014 2:12:03 GMT
Hey Stoker!
Thanks for that information. That hotel sounds right up my alley, I'm going to look it up and bookmark it. I particularly love the history of the hotel and I guess there is a very good reason it's been around so long. Sounds very central too!
Happy travels to you as well... |
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Post by shannon on Sept 13, 2014 22:50:05 GMT
I think my favorite place is Rome, and particularly the forum, although I find all of Rome to be fascinating and easy to walk around. Paris runs a close second though.
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dell
New Member
Posts: 10
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Post by dell on Sept 14, 2014 2:31:49 GMT
Boop, Prague is on my wish list too. I've heard great things about the city. Do I sense a pattern with your favourite places  Isn't it great to find something special to bring back from a trip? I'd love to do a Christmas Markets tour - though I am a bit wary about the cold weather. We spent around a week in Paris before the Insight forum tour of a France in 2012 and had an amazing time. We used the Metro quite a bit and found that pretty easy once you get hold of a Metro map. When you're walking around there are many landmarks to help you find your way. If you enjoy gardens, I'd definitely recommend a trip to Monet's Garden at Giverny. We picked up a coach day trip across the road from the Louvre. We also caught the train out to Verseilles for a day, amazing! We've definitely got Paris on our list for a return visit. A stop at Angelina's tearoom for cake and hot chocolate will be a must! Oz-T it's great your kids are now heading off on their own adventures. I bet it's fun for your family to share all your travel stories. Shannon we didn't do the Forum justice. It was the last day of our trip to Italy, all our tour mates had gone home and we were in Rome for a couple of extra days, suffering from post-tour blues. Next time I think it would be good to do an in-depth tour of the Forum with a guide. |
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Post by solaria on Sept 14, 2014 3:51:06 GMT
At the top of my list would have to be Assisi, but most places in Italy I have enjoyed esp. Lucca, Montepulciano and Florence.
Prague I liked too but mainly for the Dvorak Opera we attended. I also liked London and we are looking to return in the next year or so as we didn't get to see even half of what's on offer. we also really enjoyed Edinburgh - even though it was raining most if the time!
I'm not a big city lover overall and I have never liked Auckland but I have been 3 times to Melbourne and love it! And Adelaide is a delight esp. for the wine tours of barossa annd clare valleys!
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Post by Boop on Sept 14, 2014 5:39:09 GMT
Ooops, how could I forget Assisi?! And San Gimignano was spectacular. I'm still using the black leather bag, daily, that I purchased there and yes Dell, you are correct in sensing what my favourite activity is in each place I visit!
I'm not a huge fan of gardens, in fact, having lived in and around Victoria BC for a very long time I still haven't visited Butchart Gardens which is a big tourist attraction in our part of the world!
Cold is my friend much more than heat which is why I'm set on doing the Christmas tour to Prague, Vienna and Budapest. A good fleece layer is magic!!
Prague is a wonderful place to visit on foot, so rich with history, excellent food and of course the shopping..........ahhhhh, the shopping!! Oz_T steered me towards a shopping mall, the Palladium just steps away from our hotel the Hilton Old Town Prague (great hotel). I spent an entire day at the Palladium..........in a daze!
I could go on and on.............
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Post by chech on Sept 14, 2014 14:20:41 GMT
One of my favorite places....Dubrovnik. Intact walled city that you can spend a day exploring, walking the walls and the narrow alleyways.  And there were cats...so many cats!  |
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Isn't it great to find something special to bring back from a trip? I'd love to do a Christmas Markets tour - though I am a bit wary about the cold weather. We spent around a week in Paris before the Insight forum tour of a France in 2012 and had an amazing time. We used the Metro quite a bit and found that pretty easy once you get hold of a Metro map. When you're walking around there are many landmarks to help you find your way. If you enjoy gardens, I'd definitely recommend a trip to Monet's Garden at Giverny. We picked up a coach day trip across the road from the Louvre. We also caught the train out to Verseilles for a day, amazing! We've definitely got Paris on our list for a return visit. A stop at Angelina's tearoom for cake and hot chocolate will be a must!
