AAAAAchOOOOOOOO!

[aderam]

I got smacked up-side the head with a cold sometime in the recent past.

I am not amused.

I'm stuffed up in the extreme and my throat is sore (although guzzling tea and grapefruit juice seems to help that at least). As a result I am not looking forward to my Roman History exam tomorrow. And I'm actively avoiding picking up my paper for that class or checking the mark online because I know that I did terribly and it was for my favourite Prof too...

Anyway, I'm not too worried about the exam because I am quite good at history and interested in the Romans.

But in any case what I would much rather be doing is planning my trip to Italy followed by a whirlwind tour of Europe before heading back here.

I have to be in Gravina on July 5th for the dig, and I think I might go a bit early and spend a few days in Rome beforehand. We finish up at the dig site around the 2nd of August (I think). And from there I think I'll head north, take in a few days in Paris and then head through the Chunnel to England. I have a few friends in London right now (and hopefully at least one of them will still be there in August and willing to let me sleep on their floor) and I want to check out London sights like the British Museum etc. Also I REALLY want to see the RSC's production of Hamlet with David Tennant as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart as Claudius.

So what I'd like to know from all of you well-traveled people is this: What do I absolutely have to see? What was the best piece of advice/thing that you learned from your traveling experiences? What am I missing? Also my itinerary is by no means set, so if think I absolutely MUST go to Germany (or you know, Switzerland, which is pretty much directly between Italy and France) please tell me why you think so! I just might end up doing something exciting. :)

And in other good news: I bought a new pair of Converse today! Which was necessary because my old pair has a hole in them and I want to be able to keep them around for longer without aggravating the hole by wearing them everyday. I was thinking about getting some low-tops, but they had purple high-tops in my size. The answer was clearly obvious. So now I have some Purple Converse High-tops with toes that are far too white, although I'm sure I'll change that soon enough.

Comments

[kuwdora.livejournal.com]

Having gone to Milan Italy, Bern and Zurich in Switzerland and Berlin in Germany in 8 days, they are all absolutely amazing places.

Switzerland, is absolutely, positively, motherfucking expensive- and I'm not just saying that because of the US dollar being shit. The US dollar and CHF are actually equal in value-- it's just that Switzerland has one of the highest living standards in the entire world. So, so so very expensive.

That being said, Switzerland is lovely to visit. I partially wrote about Switzerland here (http://sleepyinspiration.blogspot.com/2008/04/days-3-4-and-5-bern-and-zurich.html) with links to my photos I took. Bern is very touristy with a gorgeous Old Town and the ambiance is downright welcoming.

Zurich is quite pricey. It's a financial center. I mean, so lots of business types. Banks. Clocks. I was suppose to stay in zurich for 2 days but I spent an assload of $$ to get a train ticket to get out of there because there wasn't a lot of stuff that I personally wanted to see.

Berlin is downright awesome if you are into the sort of lefty-scene. There are so many punks and hippie-types. There are TONS AND TONS AND TONS of awesome things to see, for real.

I have friends in Milan, so if you end up in northern Italy at any point before or after your dig, I can get you in contact with them. They will show you an awesome time around the city and feed you and I even met a nice geeky Swiss-Italian boy named Lorenzo who reads tons of comics and anime and lots of other stuff.

:-)

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

Wow. No wonder it's hard to study with all that cool stuff to think about. I am getting all distracted just remembering things.

Stuff I really liked in London that you might like: British Museum (Rosetta Stone & stolen marbles & mummies, but other stuff too), London Science Museum (both free except for gift shop), very cheap ferry-boat ride between London Bridge/St Pauls area and Greenwich, Greenwich in general (astronomy/clocks museum, actual date LINE, naval paintings gallery, and some old boats to wander through), Old Globe theatre, department store (with food) Harrods which is near the science museum, large bookstores called Hatchards and Dillons, sports-team-shirt store called Lillywhites at Piccadilly Circus, and [looks around furtively] going to McDonalds to see what is the same and what is different.

It's fun to plan some stuff ahead of time but also just do some of it randomly.

First it killed the Romans.....

[sdaha.livejournal.com]

No, no that was latin, not history, right?

Anywhere you go that's of any size you'll find so many cool interesting things to do and see that you'll enjoy it tremendously.

I agree with Hobbitbabe that London is full of really cool places and stuff. You could spend a year there and still have new things to find. I was in Paris for 4 days when I was 14. I wasn't impressed with the dirty city but the Louvre was totally worth the fuss. They have The Charioteer standing in a big space with what is left of his chariot. Amazing. And after walking through all the classical art exhibits we went to a house that was full of Impressionist paintings. It was a blast to the senses that still gives me a thrill. I believe the house was called the Tulleries but I could be wrong. It was a few years ago. Ahem.

I suggest you decide on a place to go to and wander around and snoop and experience a big, old city. Too many places could give you indigestion. Europe will still be there if and when you want to go again.

world traveler checking in ...

[denisia.livejournal.com]

My biggest piece of advice is to wander. Seriously. Take the Metro, go to an interesting neighborhood and get lost for the day; go into the supermarket, pay attention on the train. You absorb so much just by being there and being around people. I'd also suggest trying to focus on three or four cities you really want to see rather than trying to see everywhere; you'll get a lot more out of it.

Specifically, for the cities you've mentioned: London has so much to see and do that it would take pages and pages. Best museums: National Gallery, British Museum, British Library, Wallace Collection. Tower of London is touristy, but fascinating, so don't miss it. Go to Speakers' Corner or try to get a seat at Question Time. If you're anywhere near Dover or want to take a trip, they have the Roman Painted House, the ruins of a Roman tavern/hotel with central heating. It's incredibly cool.

Paris: If you're going to be there for a few days and want to hit the museums, get the Museum Card. Best museums: Musee d'Orsay, Musee du Moyen-Age; Musee Rodin, the sewers (trace Jean Valjean's route), the Catacombs, Sainte-Chapelle. The Arenes de Lutece in the 5eme is a Roman arena that is now a park, and is a great place to have a picnic. If you go to Notre-Dame, make sure you climb the towers.

Also, if it's on the way, consider stopping in Lyon. It's IMHO a much more enjoyable and nicer city than Paris and has fascinating things to see and do.