Traveler's Tales

[the rockin edge]

that is so cool tre!
I knew I liked you. when were you there?

october 2002

I know a great waffle stand in Brugge

 

[new_craic_girl]

lol

 

[new_craic_girl]

me - gimmelwald in 93
brugge in 93, 2001, 2003 (I had relatives living in belgium, so i had a reason to keep going back - as if the chocolate and waffles weren't enough of a reason).

 

[the rockin edge]

brugge in 93, 2001, 2003 (I had relatives living in belgium, so i had a reason to keep going back - as if the chocolate and waffles weren't enough of a reason).

cool

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Ahh Sula, you're still here! I remember you from - god, can I say *years* ago!! Hope you're well...

Would love to go to indonesia. A couple of my mates have been - all seemingly went on round the world trips; two ended up making it to indonesia and staying there for a good portion of their year The closest I've made it so far is malaysian borneo, which was wild.. very cool place, if indonesia's anything like it i'm sure i'd love it.

actually, on that note, can i ask a stupid question purely out of curiosity? i remember hearing somewhere that in parts of indonesian borneo there are still cannibals... is that true? and if so, who might they feast on???!

Still alive and kicking. I just went to Africa for a few years.

If you like Borneo on the Malaysian side, then you would definitely like Indonesia, methinks. The cool think about Indo is that it is so diverse. You have tropical rainforests and jungles, beaches, thousands of different ethnic groups and languages, a variety of food depending on where you visit...really something for everyone, imho.

Last I checked there are no cannibals in Borneo (which btw, is known as Kalimantan in Indonesia NOT Borneo). There are reported to still be some primitive groups in Irian Jaya (the Indonesian half of the island shared by Papua New Guinea) who practice cannalism but that may just be silly rumors. For my part, I never saw any in my 13 years.

 

[Merc]

Merc- beautiful picture! Looks like a great area. One heck of a hike up there though!

Thanks!

It takes a few hours to get up there, but it's all worth it!

 

[Merc]

I have friends in Stavanger (well actually across the bay from Stavanger) and I spent a few days visiting them a couple of years ago. Very lovely area. We went swimming in an icy cold river near their house. Had a ride on the ferry. Took a boat up to Bergen where I travelled out into the countryside for a friends wedding. I have to say, I've visited a lot of countries, but I really enjoyed Norway. The people were very warm and friendly. I was offered a ride into Oslo from the airport by the man whom I'd sat next to during the plane ride, which saved me a lot of money. And when it looked like I would have to fly before the wedding of said friend, the extended family of the bride pulled some strings and paid to change my tickets so I could be there for the wedding, then drove me to the airport and saw me safely on my way. Norway and Norwegians.

Well, it's a small world we live in!

So, your friends in Stavanger - are they American? I was very surprised how many Americans that live in Stavanger, but I learned it's because of the oil...

Your story about the wedding, plane tickets and drive to the airport - it shows exactly the Norwegians warm!

I'm currently living in Sub-saharan Africa but unfortunately haven't been able to travel as much as I would have liked while here. I've been to Mauritania in addition to Mali. In a few weeks I'll be travelling overland to Burkina Faso and Ghana, so I'm looking forward to that.

So, do you have any good advice for moving to Africa? I'm moving to Kenya in February and I've never been to Sub-Saharan African before, so I could use some advice...

Edited to add: If you can give any advice - I would imagine there are pretty big cultural differences between east- and west-Africa?

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Well, it's a small world we live in!

So, your friends in Stavanger - are they American? I was very surprised how many Americans that live in Stavanger, but I learned it's because of the oil...

Your story about the wedding, plane tickets and drive to the airport - it shows exactly the Norwegians warm!

My friends are Norsk. I actually have a LOT of Norwegian friends from my college days...the school I went to in Minnesota had some sort of exchange thingy with a Norwegian school. And then one of my American friends got engaged (and married in the story I mentioned) to a Norwegian girl whose family has this cute little farm in the countryside outside of Bergen. I was lucky enough to be able to stay with friends everywhere I went in Norway. The thing I always have enjoyed about my Norwegian friends is their openness and their passion for speaking honestly. I remember in college that they were always the ones the least full of "bullshit" and were never shy to tell things as they saw it. We could get into heated intellectual debates about politics or religion and at the end they would laugh and say lets go have a beer. Not so with my American friends who seem to take such discussions more personally. But that's just an observation...I may be way off.

So, do you have any good advice for moving to Africa? I'm moving to Kenya in February and I've never been to Sub-Saharan African before, so I could use some advice...

Edited to add: If you can give any advice - I would imagine there are pretty big cultural differences between east- and west-Africa?

Well, you're correct in that there are a lot of differences between East and West Africa. I haven't been able to get over to the East but from talking to other friends of mine who have been in both parts, it seems to be the common concensus that you go to East Africa for the animal parks and to West Africa for the people (and the music!) Not that East Africans aren't nice, I'm sure, but they don't have quite the reputation for warm hospitality that West Africans do. In any case, I guess my main advice would be (as for anyone moving to a new culture/continent) be open-minded, flexible and willing to seize the moment. If someone invites you to a wedding or some other event, GO! Those little moments of intimacy in a strange culture are what really makes it worth it. In the end, I have found that Africans are just like any other people. They want the same basic things that we do - a job, education and health for their children, a place to sleep, food to eat, security. We're one but we're not the same, I guess.

 

[Sherry Darling]

One word of advice about Sub-Saharan Africa--if you're lost, be very suspicious of any directions you might get. They consider it impolite to be "unhelpful" so some folks will make up answers rather than appear to be unable to help. Ilearned this the hard way in Zimbabwe

MissMaCo--a very interesting point you've raised. As an army brat (my dad was in the military), I learned early that you can't move away from your problems. You always go with you. But one of my favorite things about travel is the way it recharges me and clears my head at the same time. I love learning about myself in new cultures and how other people exist in the world. I always come back changed. And I love traveling solo--SO empowering, it's like total freedom. It's a drug. LOL.

Me and my Ma in London (she came to visit when I was studying there )

 

[U2@NYC]

Well, well, well... great thread. I am one of those believers in the fact that money spent in travel is the best money ever spent (although sometimes I go crazy when I travel and then I suffer the consequences on my credit card ).

Here is a brief summary of where I have been in Europe (will post other continents and places) and my favorite places / recommendations in each place:

Europe

UK. I love London (probably in my Top 5 for cities worldwide). Oxford, Eton, Windsor. Edinburgh and the Northern Lakes in Scotland (loved the region, but that Nessie museum is a rip-off ).

Spain: drove all around the Western part of Spain and loved Galicia (Santiago is gorgeous). Also liked Madrid, Toledo and, my favorite Spanish city, Barcelona.

Portugal: drove all around the country and was not super impressed, although I heard that Lisbon has dramatically improved in the past few years. Stayed in a monastery converted to hotel in Northern Portugal (little town called Guimaraes), which was just .

France: Paris is the most beautiful city in the world . I like to say that, in Paris, you can stand in a corner and there will always be something beautiful to see if you turn your face 360 degrees. It is simply magnificent and I have been there like 5 times and do not get tired of it. We also spent three weeks driving around the French countryside (all the way from Normandie to the Cote d'Azur) and loved it. Highlights for me were Mont Saint Michel, Carcassonne, Nice, Cannes and Eze Village.

Italy: ah, perhaps the most beautiful country in the world. I lived there for 3 months and had the chance of driving all the way from the Swiss border to Sicily. Was very impressed by the Amalfi Coast near Napoli (Positano, Ravello, Capri) but also loved Rome, Florence, Verona, Venice, San Gimignano, Siena, Pienza (and Tuscany in general), Taormina, etc. Milan was slightly disappointing but has the best Italian restaurant ever: Boccondivino.

Switzerland: have a good friend living in Zurich, so I have been there several times. Loved the city although it is a little slow. Also drove around the country quite a bit and, as you may imagine, it is like an Alpine postcard.

Germany: drove all around the country. I love Berlin, not only for what it is, but also for what it means I also liked Munich and the whole Bavaria region (these two castles in the south were impressive). North is, in my opinion, less pretty and pictoresque but still worth it.

Austria: been to Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Salzburg means a lot to me because it was where I proposed to my wife and then we went to see a show with Mozart music I love the chocolates there (Mozartkugeln?)! Vienna is pretty but was a little disappointed as I was coming from Prague

Czech Republic: after Paris, Prague is my second favorite city in the world. So beautiful, particularly the old neighborhood (Mala Strana).

Denmark: drove all around the country and liked Copenhagen a lot... that Tivoli garden is really cute.

Norway: also drove around quite a bit (crossed by ferry from Denmark). Did a fjord cruise from Bergen that was just

Turkey: as you can see from my pics on Sicy's thread I've had the pleasure of being there for work 3 times during the last year. Gorgeous country (and food). Highlights for me are Istanbul, Cappadoccia (Urgup), Ephesos and the Aegean Sea.

Greece: been to Athens (pretty city, particularly the Plaka or old neighborhood) but the islands are gorgeous (Mikonos, Santorini).

Hungary: been only to Budapest. The Buda part of the city is very pretty (like a small Prague) and the food (gulasch) is also great.

Other continents to come later today / tomorrow.

 

[Merc]

My friends are Norsk. I actually have a LOT of Norwegian friends from my college days...the school I went to in Minnesota had some sort of exchange thingy with a Norwegian school. And then one of my American friends got engaged (and married in the story I mentioned) to a Norwegian girl whose family has this cute little farm in the countryside outside of Bergen. I was lucky enough to be able to stay with friends everywhere I went in Norway. The thing I always have enjoyed about my Norwegian friends is their openness and their passion for speaking honestly. I remember in college that they were always the ones the least full of "bullshit" and were never shy to tell things as they saw it. We could get into heated intellectual debates about politics or religion and at the end they would laugh and say lets go have a beer. Not so with my American friends who seem to take such discussions more personally. But that's just an observation...I may be way off.

I don't know if you're way off... we had some American pharmacy students visiting, following one of our classes, a few months back. All very nice and very friendly, but you just discover some of the small differences there are between the cultures... As you mention yourself, with discussions - I experienced that myself, when we had to discuss the biggest health problems in the world - I can get very and maybe even a little when the discussion turn to international health and that, as you say yourself, might have been taken as a personal attack (judgeing from the look on their faces and their comments there was a good posibility of that) ... but thats just the way we're used to discussing things - and still being friends afterwards!

Well, you're correct in that there are a lot of differences between East and West Africa. I haven't been able to get over to the East but from talking to other friends of mine who have been in both parts, it seems to be the common concensus that you go to East Africa for the animal parks and to West Africa for the people (and the music!) Not that East Africans aren't nice, I'm sure, but they don't have quite the reputation for warm hospitality that West Africans do. In any case, I guess my main advice would be (as for anyone moving to a new culture/continent) be open-minded, flexible and willing to seize the moment. If someone invites you to a wedding or some other event, GO! Those little moments of intimacy in a strange culture are what really makes it worth it. In the end, I have found that Africans are just like any other people. They want the same basic things that we do - a job, education and health for their children, a place to sleep, food to eat, security. We're one but we're not the same, I guess.

Advice taken! And your last part is very beautiful said - couldn't agree more!

Well, if you want to take some days off and cross the continent, I'll be happy to show you around Nairobi (or where exactly I'll be staying)!

 

[*Ally*]

great thread!! travel is one of my greatest passions- i love to hear where others have been...

here's a list of where i've travelled to:

India (my FAVORITE trip! i must go back there someday and go to Mumbai)
Turkey
Greece
Spain
Ireland (been there 3 times)
England (studied abroad in London during college)
Scotland (yes, Edinburgh is gorgeous)
France (studied abroad in Paris during college- i adore that city...)
Italy (Florence is amazing)
Czech Republic (Prague... wow)
Belgium
Holland (Amsterdam )
Switzerland
Austria
Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Quebec)

I've been all over the US, too... i think there are too many places to list. Here are some of my favorites:

Maine (driving up the coast)
Vermont
Martha's Vineyard
Charleston, South Carolina
Savannah, GA
San Francisco
Los Angeles
San Diego
Chicago

i am dying to go to Africa and Japan. hopefully someday that will become a reality. and i'm really lucky in that i live in one of my favorite places on earth, New York City.

 

[Barunka]

U2@NYC

Czech Republic: after Paris, Prague is my second favorite city in the world. So beautiful, particularly the old neighborhood (Mala Strana).

*Ally*

Czech Republic (Prague... wow)

 

[U2@NYC]

U2@NYC

Czech Republic: after Paris, Prague is my second favorite city in the world. So beautiful, particularly the old neighborhood (Mala Strana).

*Ally*

Czech Republic (Prague... wow)

 

[menelaos]

I started travelling with my friends and not with my parents only the last year...
I 've been to Italy twice, Rome the first time (including a U2 concert )
and Venice and lake Garda the was my second trip in this awesome country...
I have travelled in many places in Germany (incl. Berlin just 1 year after the Berlin Wall Fall you could even that time see destroyed buildings from WW II)...
And I also went to the Swiss mountains...
I don't know if I must include almost all the trademark places in Greece incl. Santorini, Crete wich btw is my island, Athens and many more...

For this year I plan to go to Vancouver if there is a new leg so I can attend a show in Canada, and if this doesn't happen I will go to Berlin or Paris...
I really want to visit Prague and Budapest wich have the best architecture in Europe...

 

[yolland]

I don't know if I must include almost all the trademark places in Greece incl. Santorini, Crete wich btw is my island, Athens and many more...

What are some of the best places to visit on Crete, besides the obligatory stop in Iraklio to visit Knossos?

On my all-too-brief trip to Greece a few years back I visited Athens, Delphi, the Meteora, Nafplio, Iraklio, and Samos. I would very much like to see more of the islands, as well of the Peloponnese and northern Greece, particularly Thessaloniki, where my mother is from originally.

It's a beautiful, beautiful country. You are fortunate.

 

[menelaos]

What are some of the best places to visit on Crete, besides the obligatory stop in Iraklio to visit Knossos?

On my all-too-brief trip to Greece a few years back I visited Athens, Delphi, the Meteora, Nafplio, Iraklio, and Samos. I would very much like to see more of the islands, as well of the Peloponnese and northern Greece, particularly Thessaloniki, where my mother is from originally.

It's a beautiful, beautiful country. You are fortunate.

I have posted some photos of the island in this thread...Cheak it out...
Crete is one of the most beautiful islands in the world...You can find whatever you want there...Nightlife or wild nature...

 

[menelaos]

Check this thread: this is my land........my laaaaaaaand......