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Post by clocketpatch on Apr 17, 2009 5:19:44 GMT
My room mate and I are thinking of back-packing around Europe next summer if we can scrounge up the funds to do so. Do any of you know any good sites to see/ cheap places to stay at?
Newton and JJPOR, come on, share your knowledge of stuff.
. said room mate is going to London in 2 weeks with her family *jealous* I've told her to snag every brochure she lays eyes on.
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Post by merrythemad on Apr 17, 2009 11:30:32 GMT
First, I HIGHLY recommend Europe, but are you an experienced backpacker? It really isn't as romantic a notion in action as it is in thought (please don't be offended if you are an experienced backpacker, having been to my share of Dead shows I've seen many a hiker felled by good intentions and lack of preparedness). Obviously, all the hostels are good bets, I lived just outside Heidelburg, Germany for 18 months, granted this was nigh ten years ago, still it's Europe and ten years is like a second historically so most of my knowledge oughtn't be outdated, I can pm you or email you if you want, and i can offer more suggestions if you give some more details. THe UK has a superfun tour called TImelord TOurs, which as a Whovian you oughtn't miss, plus how fun to bounce outside of Torchwood and hope to see the Tardis in the rift, eh? Course, after PotD they may just hide on a soundstage somewhere and tell you got hijacked, lol. K i am not awake anough and STILL not studying so I will write more later.
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Post by clocketpatch on Apr 17, 2009 14:02:09 GMT
Pm or email away. I'm not an experience backpacker, indeed I've only had one real stay in a foreign country (but I was in a tent in the rain forest so yay! I know how to rough it, sort of) I'm impressed by your long-term living abroad skill though. that sounds like it would have been a fun year and a bit!
Time Lord Tours eh? *ponders* I wonder if I could convince the NonWhovian room mate to do that with me... probably not. Eh, whatever. She wants to go to Rome and that's just fine with me... though I wonder if it would be possible to go to Rome via Cardiff... no, that doesn't make sense at all. Oh well, we've got a year to plan the logistics of this.
Now go study Merry.
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Post by Stripes on Apr 17, 2009 16:44:25 GMT
I don't have much time right now. I will advise you, it is World Cup next summer so people who can't go to South Africa will go to countries that they support. Try to keep track on the games and who is winning and losing. Lets say you are in France and they lose the world cup, people will riot, somewhere, so be careful, they can get pretty deadly.
Summer is also VERY busy in Europe and every main city you will do to will be packed with tourist. Can you try to go in May? Less tourisit.
I too am trying to save up to go to Holland next summer so I watch the World Cup with my fellow Dutchies!
I have so much more information to give you.
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Post by jjpor on Apr 18, 2009 13:27:16 GMT
My knowledge of places outside the UK is a little scanty, so it depends if you're planning on coming here or not, and indeed on what kind of thing you plan on seeing. London, as I much as I would hate to admit it, is probably worth a look, although is insanely crowded/busy by my somewhat provincial standards (I once worked there for a while, and didn't enjoy it much at all, but working somewhere is a lot different from visiting, I guess). If you're looking at touristy type stuff, Stonehenge is worth seeing; it's a strange thing, but quite often in my limited experience these sort of places often look a lot less impressive in real life than they do on the telly. Stonehenge is the exception; the only drawbacks are it is relatively out in the middle of nowhere (although I appreciate none of the distances on our little island are as vast as you may be used to over there), and is, predictably, an absolute tourist magnet, which they will charge you an arm and a leg to see.
And of course, I'd put in a word for my own fair city; if you're interested in ships, the Beatles, or football teams, there's probably something for you to see!
Newton's idea about the football crowds is a decent plan, if you're into that kind of thing; the good nature and friendliness of football supporters is a great thing...except when it isn't! As Newton rightly points out, there is the flipside; trouble, often caused by gangs of semi-pro hooligans or overenthusiastic policing, does happen, and when it does, you don't want to be anywhere near it.
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Post by clocketpatch on Apr 18, 2009 19:22:45 GMT
I had a long chat with my professor about this hypothetical trip yesterday after handing in my final lab report. She did her masters in England and has gone pretty much everywhere on the continent (except France... for some reason). She kept recommending Barcelona which made me grin my silly head off. I think that if this trip ever does get off the ground I want to go there, wandering about, and make bad jokes about dogs with no noses that will confuse the heck out of my non-Who watching room mate.
She also said to start in the UK, and London seems a good place for that. I'd love to see Stone Henge, but the price eee! and the fact that you can't go near it, and it's between two... carriageways do you call them?
I think it would be funner to go up north and wander around some lesser known neolithic tombs, and stuff; I live being able to climb on and in things.
As for Liverpool; I have no idea how I'd swing that to the room mate, but I know I want to go there just to see those random spinning trees you have.
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Post by Stripes on Apr 18, 2009 19:34:10 GMT
London is crazy expansive. The reason why my sister and brother in law moved to Canada is because they couldn't afford to live there.
Go to Scotland, Scotland has a lot of old stuff. I want to go to this ungrounded street where people with plague were put to live. I like things like that. anything old, scary, ghost, evil etc is my cup of tea.
Plus Scotland has castles! CASTLES!!
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Post by IMForeman on Apr 19, 2009 23:29:31 GMT
No advice for you, but looking for suggestions as well, though only for the UK, and nothing so adventurous as backpacking. I'm planning on going this year with my family.
Has anyone been to any of the DW exhibitions?
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Post by magnusgreel on Apr 20, 2009 1:02:18 GMT
Cp, I think you should stay at that hostel in Amsterdam where Tegan stayed.
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Post by Stripes on Apr 20, 2009 1:21:59 GMT
Cp, I think you should stay at that hostel in Amsterdam where Tegan stayed. I don't think that one is real. I could be wrong I haven't seen it in ages. The fountine is still there. I have never seen it, though I never remember to go looking for it.
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Post by magnusgreel on Apr 20, 2009 1:28:54 GMT
I was just kidding, just trying to get Cp a free trip to Gallifrey, but you might be in a position someday Newton to let us know if the location's real at all! They did shoot in Amsterdam...
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Post by Stripes on Apr 20, 2009 1:30:52 GMT
www.raileurope.com/rail-tickets-passes/eurail-global-pass/index.htmlHere is the link to buy a trian pass to travel around europe. You need buy them BEFORE yo uleave for europe. (That is what I was told). The site can be confusing, but youth under 26 can get some great deals. Also, try to do a system where you spend a day (or two) in one city and then, during the night travel to the next city. Saves you time that way. That is how my travel and tourism tracher did it, though the rules have changed over the years. Read the websit.
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Post by clocketpatch on Apr 20, 2009 1:59:32 GMT
Thanks for the link Newton! (helpful people make me happy inside... so do student discounts). Amsterdam isn't on our short list, alas, neiher is Prague even though I kind of wanted to see the Church of Bones (because I'm creepy like that). My room mate and I both want to explore Italy (which has catacombs and those fulfil my creepy desires), I want Barcelona, she wants Paris, we both want England; thankfully these places are all more or less in a line though I've no clue how I'm going to afford this. Whatever. Student debts be damned: I want to travel!
My room mate also wants Scotland, which is not in the line. (Grrr... at the non-liney-ness which makes life difficult) but may end up happening since I have relatives there via my brother's wife who *did* say I could come stay with them if I were ever in Scotland...
The current plan is to beg a plane ticket for my graduation present and then...? because I have no flipping clue how I'm supposed to pay for this.
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