Post by raool on Jul 1, 2003 16:20:16 GMT -5
After leaving for London on June 12, I got back to Canada on June 29th, exhausted but very happy.
June 13: I spent one day in London , stayed at the Picadelly Hotel, great staff but the guests were in general not friendly, not a party hostel, that's for sure.
there's a place nearby wherre you can ger a good english breakfast for 5 pounds.
I walked around the city and managed to go to the British Museum ( free). It's true, London is very expensive, you have have a friend there, try to convince them to invite you for dinner...
Next stop, Barcelona through Easyjet. Went to Gatwick on theGatwick Express. I think there are cheaper alternatives that take longer..I think the heathrow express is a waste of money, there is a tube station in the terminal unlike gatwick.
Barcelona was arguably my favourite destination. Spent 4 days there and fell in love with the architecture, the people, the Spanish way of life... A must see is the Sitges beach, 30 mins. away from the city, only 2.20 euros for the train. Great beaches, quaint little town, outrageously expensive shopping, jsut do some window shopping....
If you can, try to check out less touristy neighborhoods like Gracia where locals party. Also, if you speak Spanish, Spaniards are in general extremely nice.
there is this really cool little bar not far from the Placa Reial, Thiasson, a senegalese bar with a friendly staff and mostly local crowd. Spain was the cheapest country I went to, I had fabulous meals for 7,10 euros.
If you go out, check out a bar first, drinks are cheaper than at clubs, and then hit the club, drinks are about 7 euros in most of them but you have to realise that you are actually getting a double, your glass will be hal;f full of liquor and then they give you the redbull,coke,etc...
you don't tip there...
I was really in awe of the churches , of course la sagrada familia but mostly san Creu, the old cathedral, the view from the roof is amazing.
I stayed at the hostal opera, right off las ramblas on San Pau. At 35 euros a night, it might be a bit pricey but then again, you have an AC private room with a private bathroom + you won't stay long in your room...
next stop, marseille, about 4 hours by train. I had bought the france railpass so i only paid 6 euros between the 2 cities....spanish trains are very cheap...
what can i say about marseille, it's amazing, gritty, dirty, but so interesting. A city that deserves to be known , it has great beaches in the middle of the city, good food ( dont'bother having a bouillabaise , it's a very expensive fish stew). I had a very good meal with a friend in the old port at this Moroccan restaurant.
I was in Marseille during the Festival du Panier, a festival in their oldest neighborhood...Marseille is truly a special city, halfway between africa and europe, it is also from what i remember, teh oldest city in france.
there is theis really nice set of beaches called les Calanques not far from the city, actually, Sugiton, the closest one, is manageable by city bus, then you have to walk trhough a national park and after 30 mins, you'll get to see beautiful turquoise-blue water amid rocks...it's very beautiful....
once again, the people were friendly. I am biased, French is my first language....
The Cours Julien is an interesting part of Marseille as well, there's this caribbean restaurant at the bottom of the street that has a 16 euros menu, it's not as cheap as Barcelona but you get so much for your buck, wine, dessert, 3 dishes,etc.... 10 cours julien , i beleive.
I also went to Aix, the more upper middle class town 30 mins. from Marseille. Yes, its'pretty and it's a cliché of what France is supposed to be liek but frankly, Marseille has much more of a soul... It'sworth an afternoon but frankly, after a day, you'll see everything there needs to be seen there....
Next stop, Paris...what can I say.... there are 10 million people living there, Parisians have a bad rep but try living there every day. Yet, at every step, you get to see so much splendor...
I was staying at a friend there too but during the day, I sustained myslef on sandwiches bought at Grec restaurants, lamb sandwiches with fries inside, no , it's not gastronomical fare but it's very filling, and cheap, 4 euros, you can find them everywhere a bit out of the touristy areas....
the museums are great but please, go see somehting else than mona lisa at the louvre. it's a world class museum with so much to see, it's a pity to stand in front of a dinky little painting when there are so many empty floors of marvels waiting to be discovered.
the centre george pompidou is worth a visit.also, the institut arabe as well, you don't need to pay to go to on the terrace and you get to take the nicest pictures from there.
food-wise, in Montmattre, there's this little busy restaurant calles le Relais Gascon, it serves good food at a decent price for Paris.
Munich, last stop, for me, the most foreign of cities since I didnt'speak the language. Thank God I was staying at friends...Munich is not as exciting as the other cities I ahve been too, it's conservative like the cars it makes. Speaking of cars, you'll get to see the nicest cars there, Audis,Benzes,BMWs by the ton. I don't think it deserves more than 2 days but there's fun to be had there.... Go to a beer garden and have a mas of beer ( 1 liter). THere are really nice museums there. Don't make the smae mistake I did and wait to shop in Munich for sneakers like Pumas and Adidas...they are cheaper in Spain and France and especially in Paris, you'll get a better variety.
Go to the English Garden to relax. Yes, there is a section wehre everybody is naked. There's nothing kinky about it and its'perfectly legal. Try not to stare too much because you might look like you are the pervert...
Overall, I had a blast because I saw so much, met so many nice folks, saw my friends again, and now, I am even tempted to go work there for a while....
who knows?
June 13: I spent one day in London , stayed at the Picadelly Hotel, great staff but the guests were in general not friendly, not a party hostel, that's for sure.
there's a place nearby wherre you can ger a good english breakfast for 5 pounds.
I walked around the city and managed to go to the British Museum ( free). It's true, London is very expensive, you have have a friend there, try to convince them to invite you for dinner...
Next stop, Barcelona through Easyjet. Went to Gatwick on theGatwick Express. I think there are cheaper alternatives that take longer..I think the heathrow express is a waste of money, there is a tube station in the terminal unlike gatwick.
Barcelona was arguably my favourite destination. Spent 4 days there and fell in love with the architecture, the people, the Spanish way of life... A must see is the Sitges beach, 30 mins. away from the city, only 2.20 euros for the train. Great beaches, quaint little town, outrageously expensive shopping, jsut do some window shopping....
If you can, try to check out less touristy neighborhoods like Gracia where locals party. Also, if you speak Spanish, Spaniards are in general extremely nice.
there is this really cool little bar not far from the Placa Reial, Thiasson, a senegalese bar with a friendly staff and mostly local crowd. Spain was the cheapest country I went to, I had fabulous meals for 7,10 euros.
If you go out, check out a bar first, drinks are cheaper than at clubs, and then hit the club, drinks are about 7 euros in most of them but you have to realise that you are actually getting a double, your glass will be hal;f full of liquor and then they give you the redbull,coke,etc...
you don't tip there...
I was really in awe of the churches , of course la sagrada familia but mostly san Creu, the old cathedral, the view from the roof is amazing.
I stayed at the hostal opera, right off las ramblas on San Pau. At 35 euros a night, it might be a bit pricey but then again, you have an AC private room with a private bathroom + you won't stay long in your room...
next stop, marseille, about 4 hours by train. I had bought the france railpass so i only paid 6 euros between the 2 cities....spanish trains are very cheap...
what can i say about marseille, it's amazing, gritty, dirty, but so interesting. A city that deserves to be known , it has great beaches in the middle of the city, good food ( dont'bother having a bouillabaise , it's a very expensive fish stew). I had a very good meal with a friend in the old port at this Moroccan restaurant.
I was in Marseille during the Festival du Panier, a festival in their oldest neighborhood...Marseille is truly a special city, halfway between africa and europe, it is also from what i remember, teh oldest city in france.
there is theis really nice set of beaches called les Calanques not far from the city, actually, Sugiton, the closest one, is manageable by city bus, then you have to walk trhough a national park and after 30 mins, you'll get to see beautiful turquoise-blue water amid rocks...it's very beautiful....
once again, the people were friendly. I am biased, French is my first language....
The Cours Julien is an interesting part of Marseille as well, there's this caribbean restaurant at the bottom of the street that has a 16 euros menu, it's not as cheap as Barcelona but you get so much for your buck, wine, dessert, 3 dishes,etc.... 10 cours julien , i beleive.
I also went to Aix, the more upper middle class town 30 mins. from Marseille. Yes, its'pretty and it's a cliché of what France is supposed to be liek but frankly, Marseille has much more of a soul... It'sworth an afternoon but frankly, after a day, you'll see everything there needs to be seen there....
Next stop, Paris...what can I say.... there are 10 million people living there, Parisians have a bad rep but try living there every day. Yet, at every step, you get to see so much splendor...
I was staying at a friend there too but during the day, I sustained myslef on sandwiches bought at Grec restaurants, lamb sandwiches with fries inside, no , it's not gastronomical fare but it's very filling, and cheap, 4 euros, you can find them everywhere a bit out of the touristy areas....
the museums are great but please, go see somehting else than mona lisa at the louvre. it's a world class museum with so much to see, it's a pity to stand in front of a dinky little painting when there are so many empty floors of marvels waiting to be discovered.
the centre george pompidou is worth a visit.also, the institut arabe as well, you don't need to pay to go to on the terrace and you get to take the nicest pictures from there.
food-wise, in Montmattre, there's this little busy restaurant calles le Relais Gascon, it serves good food at a decent price for Paris.
Munich, last stop, for me, the most foreign of cities since I didnt'speak the language. Thank God I was staying at friends...Munich is not as exciting as the other cities I ahve been too, it's conservative like the cars it makes. Speaking of cars, you'll get to see the nicest cars there, Audis,Benzes,BMWs by the ton. I don't think it deserves more than 2 days but there's fun to be had there.... Go to a beer garden and have a mas of beer ( 1 liter). THere are really nice museums there. Don't make the smae mistake I did and wait to shop in Munich for sneakers like Pumas and Adidas...they are cheaper in Spain and France and especially in Paris, you'll get a better variety.
Go to the English Garden to relax. Yes, there is a section wehre everybody is naked. There's nothing kinky about it and its'perfectly legal. Try not to stare too much because you might look like you are the pervert...
Overall, I had a blast because I saw so much, met so many nice folks, saw my friends again, and now, I am even tempted to go work there for a while....
who knows?