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Post by CowTown19 on Jul 5, 2005 22:37:20 GMT -5
Hey Clayton, I just got back from Barcellona, Florence, and Rome and I would say that they are all incredibly worthwhile. I'm not huge on sightseeing/museums and as such I found Florence to be kind of dull, however I had a great time clubbing there. Rome is a given, don't miss it (check out www.romeingtours.com, I did all of them and enjoyed them all) for anything.
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Post by CowTown19 on Jun 16, 2005 11:13:13 GMT -5
I just left Florence a couple of days ago and didn´t really enjoy the place a ton, there is lots of art to look at, but if you are not into art it won´t warrant 3 days, if you are into art then 3 days is great. If you like to party I suggest the Firenze inn, the place is a hole but it is a great place to party.
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Tours?
Jul 10, 2005 18:20:34 GMT -5
Post by CowTown19 on Jul 10, 2005 18:20:34 GMT -5
I think you made a wise decision to plan it yourself, and way to go with the compromise. If you do your planning ahead of time and keep yourself organized while your abroad (I printed off all my hostel confirmations, flight confirmations, and itenerary and carried it around in a ziplock) you will be fine. Suprisingly things turn out to be easier then you would think. Also, using this board is probably the smartest thing you could, and already did do. The people here are very knowledgeable and ready to help, it makes planning a breeze. (p.s. remember to breathe)
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 30, 2005 3:19:47 GMT -5
also the swap program, www.swap.ca/common/html/splash, which is a program that you pay a fee for and they set you up with accomodation listings and job postings for places that are specifically looking for limited term/foreign employment, amongst other things. A friend of mine is doing it in Paris right now, and another friend of mine just did it in New Zealand, both recommend it. Hope this helps and good luck!
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 23, 2005 22:08:56 GMT -5
I'm leaving in a week and a half too, and I'm still changing my itinerary around, don't worry too much... I think.
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 30, 2005 3:23:29 GMT -5
Well, my places are set, my rail pass is bought, my hostels are booked, and my backpack is sitting in my room. The only thing left for me to do is pack, and I leave in less than two days. I have to say that people on this board have been so helpful, and I could not have planned this trip without you all. I would not have known which railpass to buy (thanks for http://www.railsaver.com) and I would not have known how to book hostels (thanks for http://www.hostelworld.com). I would not have known how to buy a pack, or pack a pack, nor would I have known where to go. I am truely looking forward to my trip, and only have the slightest bit of stress about it. So thanks again everyone! I look forward to being able to give some advice of my own when I return.
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 18, 2005 12:46:40 GMT -5
Eagle, I fly in and out of Paris, plus I have a friend of mine who has been living there since october (she is the reason I am going to europe in the first place). Thanks for the tip on flying to London, that looks a lot more appealing and probably pretty close in cost to taking the chunnel train.
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 18, 2005 12:07:30 GMT -5
Why not use open jaw flights and fly home from your last stop? Would it be possible to vist Barcelona after Prague and then do the Italy portion, making Rome your last stop - it should be fairly easy to get flights from Rome? I've booked my tickets already, open jaw would of been a lot smarter, I should of read this site earlier.
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 18, 2005 12:05:12 GMT -5
May 2nd - Arrive in Paris 2nd - 12th in Paris (train to amsterdam) 12th-17th in Amsterdam (train to berlin) 18st-21th in Berlin (train to prague, through Decin) 22th-27th in Prague (fly to florence) 28st - June 2th Florence (day trip to pisa) (train to rome) 3th - 8th Rome (fly to barcelona) 9th - 13th Barcelona (train to london) (fly?) 14th-18th London (train to Paris) 18th - 22nd Paris (fly home on 22nd). So I've updated my itinerary, again. I think this is pretty much the closest it is going to get to being finalized. I've used www.railsaver.com and come to the conclusion that flying some of my distances would be a good idea. I moved London to the end and bumped everything up so that I don't have to make so many trips in and out of Paris. What do you all think of this? Is it feasable? Is this enough time in the cities? I could always drop one and increase the others, what do you think? Thanks again everyone for the great feedback, it has made this a lot easier, and saved me pulling out my hair.
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 16, 2005 18:23:28 GMT -5
I don't know where Ft. Worth is, curse my naiveté.
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 16, 2005 18:08:25 GMT -5
I will have a eurorail pass though, so won't the train inbetween london-paris be included in that cost? Oh, and I'm from Calgary, not Ft. Worth.
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 16, 2005 17:48:03 GMT -5
Okay, so I've updated my itenerary. Does anyone have any more suggestions? Like I said, I'm flexible. I put in Frankfurt, but I'm not positive on that... what is the best city to visit in Germany (I'll only be going to one)?
May 2nd - Arrive in Paris 2nd - 7th in Paris (train to london) 8th - 12th in London (train to Paris) 12th-15th in Paris (train to Amsterdam) 15th-20th in Amsterdam (train to frankfurt) 21st-24th in Frankfurt (train to prague) 25th-30th in Prague (fly to florence) 31st - June 5th Florence (day trip to pisa) (train to rome) 6th - 11th Rome (fly to barcelona) 12th - 17th Barcelona (train to paris) 18th - 22nd Paris (fly home on 22nd).
I have friends flying into Paris on the 10th of May, so I want to spend some time with them in Paris, and then we are going to Amsterdam together. I figured I could take the train from London to Amsterdam, but then I would not be able to spend any time with them in Paris.
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 14, 2005 19:20:19 GMT -5
I'm confused on how I get from Florence to Prague, and how I get from Barcelona to Rome. Looking at www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_schedules/index.htm, I could go Florence-Zurich-Munich-Prague, but that seems like an exessive amount of transfers. Would it be better to go Florence-Paris-Prague? Also, to get to Rome should I go Barcelona-Paris-Rome? I must say, this is turning into a frustrating process... I wish I had a magic carpet that took me where I wanted when I wanted.
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 14, 2005 17:47:54 GMT -5
I managed to register for the forums now.
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Post by CowTown19 on Apr 14, 2005 19:10:47 GMT -5
Day 19-24: Barcelona Night Train to Nice Day 25-28: Nice Evening 28: On to Venice Day 29-32: Venice I'm not positive on this, but while researching my trip I thought there was no train that linked Barcelona-Nice, or Nice-Venice. I used www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_schedules/index.htm, is this the case or do you know something I don't. Because I'd like to get on that train too!
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