Besides Paris - where else have you been ?

[GitteK]

I am so curious....... This morning Shoesy and I had a chat about flying, going abroad etc. And it inspired me to this:
Besides Paris, where else have you been on this planet (and outside maybe ?)
How was it ? Anywhere special we should make a note of - just in case we get tired of Paris ?
Let me start - my list is not very impressive, though. I have been to:
Corfu
Krete (Chania)
Cyprus (Pafos)
Mallorca
Sardinia (Alghera)
Costa del Sol (Torremolinos)
London
France (Paris, Grenoble)
Holland (automobile trip around the country)
Czechoslovakia (Prague, Cesky Krumlov)
Germany (several automobile trips, e.g. Trier, Hildesheim, Passau)
Sweden (Stockholm)
Norway (Bergen, Oslo)
Finland (Helsinki)
Last 3 were strictly jobrelated, so I saw mostly airport, taxi, hotel and conference rooms - but spent all the time I could steal out of the programs to sightsee !)

RECOMMEND:
Corfu - so lovely, wonderful island, filled with flowers and greenery all over. Island no too big. Corfu town is supercharming with these narrow winding alleys and tavernas with yummy greek food. Seawater is crystalclear !




Prague
DO visit Prague when you have the chance. Next to Paris it is Europe's most beautiful city - not without reason called the Golden City. Prague was never bombed during WW2 - so it is practically intact. Breathtaking views over the Moldau, gorgeous baroque churches, small quiet streets with beautiful old houses, castle, cathedral. Moreover it is such a relaxed city and your dollars will last considerably longer than on Champs Elysées!

[Shoesy]

I'll start out by saying that I've never been to London, and I'm always embarrassed to admit it because it seems like everyone I know has been there at least once. My husband was there from work, but didn't find it too thrilling (people seem to either love it or hate it) so I have a feeling that I won't be taking any trips there in the near future.

France - the Loire Valley, Languedoc-Roussillon region

Italy - Rome, Venice, Verona, Tuscany

Spain - Madrid, Barcelona, Costa del Sol

Thailand - Bangkok, Chang Mai, Chang Rai

Amsterdam - only one night over 35 years ago, so I don't remember anything

[goldenmama]

The only way I could make my list look as impressive as you guys would be to list each of the 35 states in the USA that I've been to!

I've only been to England, Scotland, Wales, and the Bahamas.

Of course I highly recommend the USA so that Gittek can see all of those big, white tennis shoes and fanny packs amassed in one place!

[GitteK]

goldenmama and Shoesy - having been to 35 states in America IS impressive !!!
And how about the Bahamas ? - That's super luxury vacation, or ? I have never been out of my own continent - probably never will. I would love to go to New Zealand once - that should be amazing.

Shoes - you forgot to mention all your trips to America.

[terezacz]

Gitte, thanks for beautiful words about "my" city. Pictures are great, the Prague Castle´s view is from a Vltava bank - my favourite spot for romantic walks.

[Shoesy]

The U.S. doesn't count, Gitte. That's my other home.

[goldenmama]

But you have to count the US Shoesy! If I don't get to count it, my little list is even littler! Oh, and I've been to Canada. I only live 20 minutes away from there, but I'm counting it any way!

[Shoesy]

Oh...I forgot about Canada. I was there too. As for the U.S., goldenmama, your experience has been different since you visited 35 states. That's more than half, so you're a real patriotic American. I haven't been to many. I didn't get to see California until I had been living here in Israel for about 20 years.

[goldenmama]

I've just been to 35 states, because my husband was afraid to fly for so many years! To get to any place good, we had to drive through a lot of states! But thanks for making me seem like an American on a quest to see my country! LOL! ;D

[Shoesy]

So that why..............., goldenmama. I guess there's an advantage to every situation.

[andi]

My list ........

Spain....Costa Brava , Costa Dorada - Salou ;D, Majorca , Ibiza (but only the airport)

France.....Paris ;D, Normandy , Brittany , Dinan and Renes , St Malo , Mont St Michel

Corfu.....St Georges , Corfu town , kavos

Malta....St Pauls/Bugibba ;D

England.....many different parts

Wales.....many parts

Scotland....We got married in Arrochar, near Loch Lomond ;D, Edinburgh ;D

South Africa....Pretoria , Johannesberg , Sun City ;D, Durban , Kruger Nation Park ;D

America.....Florida ;D

Think I got them all.......The only place I hated was Corfu, St Georges, it was dirty and dull.

[GitteK]

andi - Agios Georgios is located on the southern part of the island which is economically poorer than the northern part (or was at least, when I was down there MANY years ago). That's maybe why it wasn't so charming to look at ?

[andi]

Gitte, It did'nt help that it rained for 6 and a half days out of 7 and there were dead dogs on the beach, the apartment was much less than basic, but the owners were fabulous people.

[holger]

Canada--Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Niagara onthe Lake, Stratford

Mexico- San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Queretero

Great Britain--Scotland- Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, The Hebrides, the Orkneys, Skye, Loch Ness, Callendar, Wales, York, Chester, London, Plymouth, Brighton, all the British New Towns, Cirencester, Canterbury, most of Surrey, the Lake District

Denmark-Copenhagen, Aahus, Ribe, Roervig,Elsinore, Humlabaek

Sweden- Stockhom, Visby, Malmo,Vaxho

Norway-Oslo

Finland-Helsinki

Estonia

France- Paris, Lyon, Dijon

Germany- Hanover, Hamburg

Holland- Amsterdam

Belgium-Brussels

Italy- Venice, Rome, Milan, Florence, Verona, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Capri.

Greece- Athens, Mycene, Corfu,Rhodes, Crete, Santorini

Turkey, Istanbul, the Turquoise Coast

Israel, Eygpt

Yugoslavia- Dubrovnik, Split, Montenegro, Zagreb

[GitteK]

In my next life I want to be a professor of anthropology - that's for sure !!!

[rosie]

You look like you want to be an opera singer Gite

[Truffaut]

I suppose my list is somewhat brief--34 US states, Canada, France, Germany, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic. That's one of the [very few] bad things about owning property in a particular location--you keep tending to back to the same place all the time!

[GitteK]

rosie-guest !
You obviously don't know your classics !!
This is not me - I have not such aspirations....... May I introduce to you the infamous Bianca Castafiore doing the Jewel Aria from Gounod's "Faust".
She is Captain Haddock's special friend - keeps inventing all sorts of strange names for him that almost sound as "Haddock", remember ?
If that doesn't ring a bell, this might:

tintin.francetv.fr/uk/

[robertzimmerman]

England - all over the country; I lived there 10 years.
France - too many trips to count.
Germany - we have good friends in Weisbaden (und der weiss wein ist sehr gut!)
Portugal - only once, but I'd go back.
Spain - Barcelona particularly is nice.
Belgium - underrated. I like it.
Netherlands - too flat for my taste.
Luxembourg - fun.
Switzerland - take money.
Austria - lovely.
Italy - I'm ashamed so say only one visit for skiing.
Greece - several island trips yippee.
Andorra - an excellent place to take skiing lessons.
Canada - j'adore Montréal.
Mexico - a few times.
US - mostly the west, but I love NYC
Hong Kong - wonderful place.
Sri Lanka - dangerous but beautiful.
New Zealand - I wanted to move there, but it's too far from everywhere.
Australia - 3 weeks and we barely touched it.
Thailand - Bangkok is one of the few places I hope never to visit again.

[sistereurope]

Oooh, this is fun...I can imagine that it's hard for you Truffaut...and I would feel VERY sorry for you if your property was someplace besides PARIS Seriously though...for the past 6 years (And for my husband for the past 16) we've gone to Ocracoke Island, NC - a little island off the outer banks - for 2 weeks every summer. It's beautiful there, but when you only have so much vacation it limits other trips. And now that I've developed a Paris obsession that limits things even more!!
This year we're breaking with tradition and have rented a house in Baja Mexico!!! Yea!!

But enough babbling - here's my list:

The entire East coast of the US: north to Canada (I have been to Niagara Falls), south to Florida (many times) and west to Ohio. Also Texas and Northern California for the US. I love San Francisco!!! Boston is great...one of my favorite cities, and New York is, well, New York - it's worth seeing for sure. And I used to work in DC so I've seen all the sights there a million times...

Jamaica twice - Negril, one of the most beautiful beaches ever mon!
St. Thomas twice - also great beaches.
Costa Rica - we went to the less-developed Caribbean side, and the Arenal volcano. Beautiful, wonderful country. I did a zip line over the rain forest...yikes! I'd like to go back to see the Pacific coast.

England - mainly London, but we did venture out to Stratford-upon-Avon and Cambridge.
France - PARIS twice (but I'll be back!), Reims, Epernay, Nancy, and I drove through France on my way to...
Germany - Frieburg and Hamburg five times (my sister lives in Hamburg)
Switzerland - Basel, and drove though on our way to...
Italy - spent 4 days in Venice. Sigh....

I may get to go to Japan soon...my husband is working on a project with the Japanese Space agency and he's going to go to Japan 3-4 times per year (he's been twice and is going back in 2 weeks). But it will have to work around my next Paris trip!!