Besides Paris, where do you *want* to go?

[robertzimmerman]

My short list includes:

• West Africa - I love the music, and it's somewhere else to practice French.
  
• India - My lovely wife has been several times for work, and she wants me to go with her.
  
• Eastern Europe - especially Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic.
  

[Ray(aka) tripnebraska]

Next Trip most likely Tuscany, Florence, Venice.

[Shoesy]

Prague - because everyone says it's beautiful

Denmark - because I want to see where Gitte lives

[sistereurope]

As I mentioned in the other post, I'm getting ready to go to Mexico for the first time.
And I probably will have the opportunity to go to Japan sometime this year (thanks to my husband's job! yea!)

I want to see some more of Italy (Venice again of course).
We have friends in Poland, so we want to go there. I want to go to Amsterdam, the south of France, Spain, and the Greek Islands.
And some more of the carribean...

I also have the opportunity to go to Vietnam whenever we can swing it - a very good friend of ours lives in Saigon. I just need a job with 25 weeks of vacation and a big lottery win!!! ;D

[sistereurope]

oops, make that the caribbean!

[dep0515]

There are many, many places...but my "must sees" are:

Poland - to see where my family came from.
Spain - everyone says it is beyond beautiful.
Back to Italy!

[cybee]

Too many places to begin to list! However, I would love to see Prague (I am three fourth English and one fourth Czech ) as I hear it is v. walkable and beautiful!
Of course, I love the beach......so that includes a lot of potential sites....
But actually I think my next trip might include Prague (and OF COURSE, Paris!). My daughter wants to visit London... I certainly get more mixed reviews re London...but sometime we will see it for her. Don't know if we could do all three well in one trip...will see.

[GitteK]

cybee - hurry over to the other off-topic thread about where people have been. There are 2 pics from Prague for you.

Oh, if I could choose on all shelves, not worrying about money ??
- Egypt, Nile cruise, Pyramids, Valley of Kings, all that stuff. BUT I am too scared of terrorists to even think of going down there
- New Zealand
- Japan, Kyoto
- Greenland
- Peru, to see all that inca stuff incl. Machu Picchu (should be out of this world) and follow the inca trail (if I had the health to do it !!)
- Victoria Falls, Africa
- Iguazu Falls, South America
- Himalaya, Tibet (if I had the health to do it !!)
- Israel but only to visit Shoesy and taste all that fattening Jewish food
- Hawaii

[joan1]

Cybee, I would still "do London" if you are interested in history,, I read a bunch of history before I went and it did make it more interesting.

I ( if the magic money fairy comes) would like to do :

Paris ( oops, sorry it just flies off my fingers! LOL)
Italy again. ( this time Lake Como)
Greece again. ( the islands are wonderful)
Switerzland ( waiting for bags of money to appear!)
and yes, although scary,, ( North American fear of terrorism, don't know if it is founded on reality)
Egypt( I have always loved Egyptian history)
and Israel ( I am Christian, so I would love to do the Bible spots so to speak)

Tahiti, Cook Islands, and Bora Bora ( who wouldn't !!)

[cybee]

Joan1! Good point! Yes, I actually purchased Peter Ackroyd's "London" so to get a better feel for London (I purchased it shortly after I read Hussey's "Paris. The Secret History" which I quite enjoyed! So yes, I think understanding the history will be helpful for London for as you say, there is a lot of history therein! What were your fav spots there to visit?

I think I am going to also read the "Seven Stages of Paris" (which I hear good things about)!

[robertzimmerman]

Cybee, London really is a don't miss. I worked there off and on for a few years, and I only got tired of the commuting, nothing else. There's so much to see and do.

It's less accessible than Paris, it's not as pretty, and it's more expensive.

Okay, so it's not perfect.

There is a vibe and an energy in London that doesn't exist in Paris. The art scene is amazing. The museums are wonderful--in particular the V&A and the British Museum. The new(ish) British Library is fantastic. The Brits do department stores better than anyone (though I think Harrod's is overrated). Kew Gardens is just beautiful.

Oh, and the beer is much better.

[cybee]

Thanks Robert! Good to know! What area would you advise staying ? The art scene...so you mean in particular the museums and/or art galleries ? I like your specific comments and mentions of favorite spots! What department store gets top mention in your book? Certainly, I would likely see a show there too, eh? And beer...yes, indeed! I do know there are pubs a plenty! Well, so now this is sounding more fun!

[holger]

Prague! Have been looking at all the pictures so it is now becoming an obsession. Likely to go to Scotland before for a conference, what a chore (not.) then to visit close friend in Plymouth and go to London for a few days to revisit "old haunts." Since we will be so close, hope to get back to Paris so Prague is likely to come later along with Vienna and Budapest.

[susanb]

I'd like to go to:
Japan
The rest of France (only been to Paris)
Bali
Czech Republic, Poland
I also would go back to every other country I've gone to EXCEPT Mexico...sorry

[robertzimmerman]

Galleries - this is a fine list:

arts.guardian.co.uk/links/0,,797535,00.html

(The url tag doesn't like the two commas in a row. You'll have to copy and paste, not click.)

Department stores - I like Liberty and John Lewis. Fashionistas will want to go to Harvey Nichols.

The theatre! How could I forget that? The West End is every bit as interesting as Broadway in NYC.

If I were a first-time visitor to London, I would stay in Kensington or Chelsea. Yes, it's full of tourists and our fellow Americans. Yes, it's expensive. But it's handy to many things. If you want exceedingly pleasant, close-in leafy semi-surburbia, look towards Richmond. Cutting edge urban grit? Hackney or Shoreditch. Urban trendy? Clerkenwell or Docklands.

Hotels are horrifyingly expensive. If you're at all adventerous, rent a flat.

[cybee]

Robert,
Thank you so much! These appear to be exceedling excellent tips! I will look into all this and am starting to get excited about it! I appreciate your thoughts/tips so much! What are the primary differences between Kinsington and Chelsea (but I like your overview of other areas v. much!).
Yes, I do know the rate exchange/cost situation...not good. But well, a person has to do what a person has to do at times, eh? Yikes!

[andi]

I would love to go back to Arrochar in Scotland, to the place we got married, it will be 10 years next year so that may well be on the cards. Our friends are going to Prague in October and I must admit that it does sound good. Our next actual trip will be to Newquay in Cornwall in August, we like to go camping once a year. We don't drive and do the "real" camping with the stuff on our backs, we even take our 2 dogs when we can.

Oh and if I had the time and money I would love to go work in Borneo with the orangutans and Sri Lanka with the elephants for about 3-4 months each.

[Shoesy]

Joan - If you're interested in historical Christian sites, you would probably love Israel. Last Saturday we toured Jerusalem, and when we were in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre we saw so many people, Christians I assume, who obviously found the place very meaningful.

[Truffaut]

China, Russia, Eastern Africa (safari), Argentina, Spain, Italy

[joan1]

Cybee, I loved the Portrait Museam,, not everyones cup of tea, but I spent hours in there,, get the audio guide otherwise it is a bit of a wash.
The Royal British Museum,, of course,, worth several visits.
The Tower of London, the Beefeaters do put on a great tour through there. Read up on your Tudor history to really enjoy it.
St Pauls. I do love being anywhere where you can smell the ages ,, I have no other way of explaining that. LOL

A great daytrip( easy to do, by train) and worth it, is Bath. The Baths themselves of course, but, there is so much character there to see just wandering around, I also enjoyed the Clothing Museum, you know, clothes through the ages etc.

If travelling with kids, I recommend a day trip to Warwick Castle, they do a great jousting show with a catapault demonstration, horse, all the fancy knights outfits etc. The castle itself is fun to tour through, with the more medievel sections ( find the " toilet" ,, a hole over the moat) to more modern areas.

For kitshyness the town of Canterbury( hope I spelled that right, I suck at spelling) ,, the cathederal is of course a don't miss. Easy bus trip from London.

London is quite a bit more expensive then Paris in my opinion,, restaurants can eat your money like you wouldn't believe, try the food section at Marks and Spensers for some take out deli stuff, also the Indian food I had was pretty good, and I live in a city with some pretty good Indian food restaurants as we have a thriving East Indian immigrant population here.
I stayed with friends so I haven't had to spring for a hotel , and thank goodness for that, the rooms seem really expensive.

The tube was easy to learn to use,, I quite liked it.