European Folks, need some advice......

[Elvis Presley]

Ok, maybe not all Europeans, but quite a few....

Heres the deal, Im taking a trip on Christmas day....flying into Amsterdam, spending some time there, going to Paris for New years......and from there travelling around Germany for the next week or so....

I need to know what I cannot miss, this is my first time in Europe so I need some advice, also, how can I avoid looking American?

I want to kinda blend in.....

Also what to do in Paris on New Years Eve.....

any help iss appreciated....

 

[sulawesigirl4]

lol, well I am not European (yet), but I am spending 8 months of the year there, been there for four, going back for four more.

Don't wear tennis shoes. Seems to me that it screams American. Also, my impressions have been that we dress more casually here than they do there. I wouldn't wear T-shirts. Then again, that's probably a no-brainer, cuz it is winter. lol.

Amsterdam is great. It's a lot more than sex and pot. Rent a bike if you can. Check out the Rijksmuseum if you are into art...lots of Rembrant and Vermeer. Don't miss Chartres (outside Paris) if you are into cathedrals or stained glass at all! It's probably the best Gothic cathedral in Europe. Berlin is supposed to be awesome! Unfortunately, I only got to hang out in the Zoo Station. If you have a chance at all, I would completely and totally recommend you swing over to Prague in the Czech Republic. It is far and away the most gorgeous city in Europe!!! As far as Germany, I have heard good things about Neuschwanstein (sp?) as a castle. The cathedral in Cologne (Koln) is also great and easy to see if you just have a quick stop there (it is right outside the station). Utrecht, near Amsterdam, is also really pretty and worth a visit or a stop on your way east.

*sigh*

I am back in the States for 3 weeks and I miss Europe, dammit!!!!

 

[Elvis Presley]

lol, well I am not European (yet), but I am spending 8 months of the year there, been there for four, going back for four more.

Don't wear tennis shoes. Seems to me that it screams American. Also, my impressions have been that we dress more casually here than they do there. I wouldn't wear T-shirts. Then again, that's probably a no-brainer, cuz it is winter. lol.

Amsterdam is great. It's a lot more than sex and pot. Rent a bike if you can. Check out the Rijksmuseum if you are into art...lots of Rembrant and Vermeer. Don't miss Chartres (outside Paris) if you are into cathedrals or stained glass at all! It's probably the best Gothic cathedral in Europe. Berlin is supposed to be awesome! Unfortunately, I only got to hang out in the Zoo Station. If you have a chance at all, I would completely and totally recommend you swing over to Prague in the Czech Republic. It is far and away the most gorgeous city in Europe!!! As far as Germany, I have heard good things about Neuschwanstein (sp?) as a castle. The cathedral in Cologne (Koln) is also great and easy to see if you just have a quick stop there (it is right outside the station). Utrecht, near Amsterdam, is also really pretty and worth a visit or a stop on your way east.

*sigh*

I am back in the States for 3 weeks and I miss Europe, dammit!!!!

Wow, thanks! Lots of good info to digest there! I appreciate it!
You wouldnt know of any good hostels in Amsterdam would you???

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Wow, thanks! Lots of good info to digest there! I appreciate it!You wouldnt know of any good hostels in Amsterdam would you???

glad to help out. I love travelling and I love Europe.

I have heard that The Flying Pig is a good Amsterdam hostel. http://www.flyingpig.nl/ Haven't stayed there myself, but that is word of mouth on the hostelling scene. Also, some good friends of mine really recommended Bob's Youth Hostel (Nieuwezijds Vooburgwal 92 1012 Tel: (3120) 623 0063 Fax: (3120) 675 6446).

As far as Paris goes, I stayed at a place called the "Young and Happy Hostel" and even though the name is cheesy, it was good for the money and location. It's right in the student quarter, so there is lots of cheap food and markets and whatnot. Less tourists.

Anyways, best of luck. I'm flying to Amsterdam on New Years morning. Feel free to PM me or sulawesigirl@isic.org if there is anything more I can help you with.

 

[Salome]

Amsterdam is great. It's a lot more than sex and pot.

have you learned nothing over here?

 

[meegannie]

I'm going to Paris in September!

 

[Rono]

have you learned nothing over here?

 

[Rono]

Ok, maybe not all Europeans, but quite a few....

Heres the deal, Im taking a trip on Christmas day....flying into Amsterdam, spending some time there, going to Paris for New years......and from there travelling around Germany for the next week or so....

I need to know what I cannot miss, this is my first time in Europe so I need some advice, also, how can I avoid looking American?

I want to kinda blend in.....

Also what to do in Paris on New Years Eve.....

any help iss appreciated....

What are your intrests ?

Read you,....

 

[dizzy]

Amsterdam is great. It's a lot more than sex and pot. Rent a bike if you can.

It's one of the best ways to see Amsterdam. I remember I almost fell into a canal though. You should check out the Van Gogh museum and the Anne Frank Huis too. The latter is pretty depressing, but I learned a lot during that visit.

I was only in Paris for 2 days (more like 1 , really) so I only got to see the touristy stuff. I Champs Elysees though. Such a romantic city.

 

[Elvis Presley]

Re: Re: European Folks, need some advice......

What are your intrests ?

Read you,....

Well, it will only be myself and one other guy on the trip and we are very laid back. Have a couple large packs and a camera and just want to have some fun really, see as much as is possible in 2 weeks. Looks like our trip will begin and end in Amsterdam however, with Paris and a good chunk of Germany in between. I have heard so much about the Rijksmuseum that I may have to make it a point to check out.
I am really interested in a good bar to hang in the evenings too.

btw....flying pig hostels look great! but they also look booked up for the time period I will be there..... ......oh well, still nowhere to stay!
What.....me worry......

 

[sulawesigirl4]

I do hope you have bought a guidebook to take along with you. They can really make or break your trip. Case in point...in August I arrived in Frankfurt via Bergen and was unable to hook up with my friend who I was to stay with for the night. It was getting late, but I was able to phone a hostel I found in the guidebook, use the subway map in the book and get myself to a comfy bed for the night. I recommend the Let's Go series.

Also, check out www.bugeurope.com and www.eurotrip.com

 

[pub crawler]

lol, well I am not European (yet), but I am spending 8 months of the year there, been there for four, going back for four more.

*sigh*

I am back in the States for 3 weeks and I miss Europe, dammit!!!!

Must be nice spending yer life traveling the world.

 

[Rono]

Maybe a youghthostel is a option.

www.njhc.org

And here is a place i always stay in the summer when i visit a concert in amsterdam.
There is a central heating but you should take some food and drinks with you, it is very simple there.

www.campingzeeburg.nl

You should visit the rijksmuseum, i needed a visit of a American girl to see the Nachtwacht. It is great,...

Read you,...

MSN: ronobono@hotmail.com

 

[AM]

how can I avoid looking American?

I want to kinda blend in.....

don?t talk at the top of your range all the time. Americans can normally be heard long before you can actually see them...


And Sula is right - if you are in Cologne, you?ve got to see the cathedral. It?s over 750 years old and very impressive.

 

[Elvis Presley]

Wow, thank you all so much, all of this info will be very helpful, writing it all down.......

Well, less than a week to go now so I have to begin some serious preparations!!!!

Who knows, if I have enough fun maybe I wont come back.....

 

[AM]

I?m sure you?re gonna enjoy yourself. Just keep an open mind.



btw - I?m going to Germany in only two days!!!!

 

[jkayet]

Re: Re: European Folks, need some advice......

don?t talk at the top of your range all the time. Americans can normally be heard long before you can actually see them...

DEFINITELY. I'm studying in London now, and I've actually been mistaken for a Brit just because I'm so soft-spoken. On public transportation, in restaurants, etc, you can always hear loud, obnoxious americans - I get so embarrased that I'm american then, because everyone gets so annoyed at the volume of voices. While I think that some europeans are louder, americans do stand out. Have fun!!

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

yeah, lesson #1 i received from my friend in Ireland before I went out there to visit him was to keep my voice down. which is hard for me, because i have a loud voice. so i made every effort to keep my voice and laughter down, so i wouldn't stand out. but it really didn't matter, because while i was in Ireland people were always coming up to my friend and i *even while we were not talking* asking us if we were American. They would tell us that we "look American".