ballp.it
Snakes In The Ball Pit => Yay, I get to talk about me! => Topic started by: Sun Smasher on June 28, 2015, 06:38:52 am
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Citizens of Ballpit, I'm on a trip. A very, very long trip. I have no intention on returning to my homeland of America anytime soon, and I want your advise on the coolest places to go.
A little backstory first. Basically I am a freelancer, and I decided to take my show on the road in the most literal sense. When I'm not working, I'm biking, and I'm biking my way through Europe. I started in Barcelona, Spain, and right now I'm in Doolin, Ireland. I've been through Andorra, France, and England, and my plan is to continue on through to Scotland, Amsterdam, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, Itay, and Greece.
Right now, beyond the general countries, I really have no actual plans of what I'm doing and where I'm going in these countries apart from vague ideas like "the Monty Python castle", "go to a Viking museum", or "get to Munich in time for Oktoberfest", so I'm turning to you fine people for suggestions. So as the title says, tell me where to go! Since this isn't a trip I'll be able to repeat, I want to make the most of it. Thanks!
Oh, and if you're interested in following along at all I do have a trip journal: http://likegypsies.weebly.com/ (http://likegypsies.weebly.com/)
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What kinds of things do you like going to? It's kind of difficult to recommend things when you don't have a general idea of what sorts of attractions you're looking for, and how time-consuming you can have them be.
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What kinds of things do you like going to? It's kind of difficult to recommend things when you don't have a general idea of what sorts of attractions you're looking for, and how time-consuming you can have them be.
A Meat, June 28, 2015, 07:04:43 am
They can really be anything. We can go practically anywhere in the listed countries, and we have no real time frame. Festivals and events only around on certain dates probably would be no good, but museums, natural attractions, anything that could fall under "don't miss this".
Tripadvisor has been a nice go to, but it's just bogged down with literally anything, and I'm hoping that a few people who have either been to places or maybe live near those places can give good suggestions.
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In Greece, I'd suggest Thessaloniki, since it's near the really nice Macedonian museum, Delphi because it's really pretty, and Nauplion because it's also pretty and the Palamidi fortress is great. I wanted to get to Mistras, which is a Byzantine era site near Sparta, but I didn't have time to check it out. Sparta doesn't have a whole ton to look at otherwise. Athens is big and busy but they've got some good museums too.
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Brussels is an AMAZING city, both for hanging out, getting drunk, and being riffraff in general, and for being cultured and checking out architecture, museums, awesome food, what have you. It's one of the coolest places I've ever been too, hands down. A trip to Luxembourg is never wasted either, it's not as modern as Brussels and there is less to do, but there's this freakishly beautiful park pretty much in a giant gorge in the middle of the city, like, imagine a beautiful woodland paradise, and around that paradise on all sides is a gorgeous marble European city. It's unreal.
Most my time in Europe was spent going down the Rhine in Western Germany, which is also recommended if you're a Nature sort. The hills on either side are full of castles you can climb up to and be a hoodlum in, the woods are wild and free and to the south in the Ahr Valley they grow grapevines along the sides of the hills and brew EXCELLENT wines from them, and when the mist rises, you fully believe that there are probably mermaids with magical golden rings in the river just like in the operas.
And I don't know if a person can backpack to Venice but if it can be done, make it so. Venice has gotten more touristy but its still worth it.
EDIT: oh holy shit be careful going to Munich during the Fest. It's PACKED, it can get dangerous, you can get robbed, hotels are probably impossible to find unless you book now. I didn't even try, I stayed in Bonn where I was at the time. Oh, also, stop by Koeln and see the Cathedral there, since I'm thinking of Bonn/Koeln. Love that fucking Cathedral. It's RIGHT outside central station, you walk out into the square and see it rising like an armory that gained its own sentience and decided to fuse together and make a giant black iron wrought beast in the road.
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Ahr Valley they grow grapevines along the sides of the hills and brew EXCELLENT wines from them, and when the mist rises, you fully believe that there are probably mermaids with magical golden rings in the river just like in the operas. QueenSyreen, June 28, 2015, 12:01:26 pm
That sounds amazing! Good suggestions all, I'm going to add them to my list for sure.
I have heard that about the festival. I'm still not sure if we're going to go, I'm sort of on the fence. We might detour and go over to Romania instead to be near Sighisoara because they supposedly have a great Halloween festival, but that might just end up being the same sort of deal of it's just prime pickings for pick pockets.
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(http://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/blogs/geekdad/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/LBR300dpi.jpg)
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If you can get down south in England I'd head to Cornwall. From what I've seen it's the nicest part of the country and you can head down to some of the coastal towns like Port Issac (which is beautiful) or head to Marazion (where my mother was born in a tiny house next to the ocean) and visit St Michael's Mount. You can take a boat out at high tide, and then walk right back across the ocean floor at low tide.
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(http://www.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/blogs/geekdad/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/LBR300dpi.jpg)
montrith, June 28, 2015, 03:52:10 pm
I second going to Legoland in Denmark. I was there ten years ago and got food poisoning, but it was a fun experience nonetheless.
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If you can get down south in England I'd head to Cornwall. From what I've seen it's the nicest part of the country and you can head down to some of the coastal towns like Port Issac (which is beautiful) or head to Marazion (where my mother was born in a tiny house next to the ocean) and visit St Michael's Mount. You can take a boat out at high tide, and then walk right back across the ocean floor at low tide.
Blandest, June 28, 2015, 04:39:55 pm
We actually did go through mostly southern England. We went that way because I wanted to go to Highcliffe Castle super bad but then we found out they were closed while we would be in the area. We might go back down there so I can visit that place but we're not sure yet.
Also, Legoland sounds awesome. o_o
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You should go to this Finnish death metal festival and report back because I really really really wanna go to that (http://www.fdmmfest.com/)
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If/when you ever get to Oslo (or Lillehammer), send me a PM or something, and I'll show you around. Both the touristy shit and the stuff you need to be a local to know about. Or, you know, I'll give some pointers. Whatever works. Hope you're having a good trip!
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If/when you ever get to Oslo (or Lillehammer), send me a PM or something, and I'll show you around. Both the touristy shit and the stuff you need to be a local to know about. Or, you know, I'll give some pointers. Whatever works. Hope you're having a good trip!
Fanzay, June 29, 2015, 09:50:13 am
I do believe we'll be going to Oslo so I'll send you a message when that happens if for nothing else those pointers.
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If/when you ever get to Oslo (or Lillehammer), send me a PM or something, and I'll show you around. Both the touristy shit and the stuff you need to be a local to know about. Or, you know, I'll give some pointers. Whatever works. Hope you're having a good trip!
Fanzay, June 29, 2015, 09:50:13 am
I do believe we'll be going to Oslo so I'll send you a message when that happens if for nothing else those pointers.
Sun Smasher, June 29, 2015, 11:20:48 am
I'll be looking forward to it, then!
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Not to hijack the thread or anything, but I have a similar question. I'll be going to Edinburgh for the Fringe festival soon- do any of you know of neat stuff to check out around there?
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Not to hijack the thread or anything, but I have a similar question. I'll be going to Edinburgh for the Fringe festival soon- do any of you know of neat stuff to check out around there?
Nikaer Drekin, June 29, 2015, 12:17:14 pm
So my girlfriend spent a lot of time in Edinburgh and I asked her what's what. These are the things she said.
She liked the Elephant Cafe for the cake and the Frankenstein Bar for alcohols. She says get local beer there. She also says to go see The Castle, I assume there's just one. And that you could buy a ticket for just the castle but if you're in Scotland for some time to just get a historical society pass instead so you can see all the historical things around. But if you're just there for Fringe, probably not. The museum is cool (again, I assume there's just one or something), but she says make sure you go downstairs where you're in the museum, the downstairs has a cool Scottish gallery. Don't get distracted by the upstairs.
The rest I think I have to type as it was discussed.
"And the cheese shop. The cheese shop is fantastic."
"The cheese shop. Does it have a name?"
"....it's the CHEESE SHOP. Just ask someone in Edinburgh, anyone, where the cheese shop is. It's just the cheese shop."
"I'll leave you alone now."
I am sorry about my girlfriend's shit memory but I hope some of this sound cool to you.
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It does, thank her for me! My professor who's been there before actually mentioned the Frankenstein, but local cake sounds pretty fantastic too.
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Lol, I too am going to ask where "THE CHEESE SHOP" is.