Comments on: Have guidebooks, will travel

By: bloomie

bloomie — Tue, 05 May 2009 14:49:28 +0000

I lived in London.

My not to miss spots that aren’t so touristy are

- Borough Market (the most AMAZING farmers/artisnal market in the world)

- Kew Gardens

- Hampstead Heath

- See a show at the Globe – they’re even doing Romeo and Juliet this season! It is the most amazing theater you will ever go to in your life.

- The pubs in Wapping on the Thames are unreal, 400 years old and gorgeous.

- Eat Indian food (or as they’ll merely say curry) – it’s the best outside of Southeast Asia.

- Watch a football (ie:soccer) match in a pub

- And the most British thing you can do is get rip roaringly drunk and make out with a stranger!

By: Sassy Molassy

Sassy Molassy — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:20:24 +0000

You're going to have an awesome time! I leave this Friday for Europe-Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Switzerland (not sure what cities yet), Paris, Munich and Berlin and back to ITaly for Venice and flying out of Rome. Finding cheap but decent places to stay is not easy, but we're only booking a few cities out because we want to have a flexible trip to some degree in case we say "hey, we want to stay here a little longer" or go somewhere else entirely. And, I'm with you on the shoe thing. I know I've said it before. My feet are awful as well. I'm taking with me...my favorite pair of running shoes, teva shoes http://www.zappos.com/n/p/p/7374010/c/104455.html and some flip flops. Comfort is more important than fashion when you're going to be on your feet all day, every day for hours on end. Have a blast!

By: AndyS

AndyS — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:09:59 +0000

Love the site and it’s DEFINITELY the right thing to do to take the plunge and travel – sneakers or not! The only things you’ll need are a sense of adventure and an idea what to do – there’s loads of London ideas on how not to spend a fortune on http://www.moneysavinglondon.com. And make sure you take what Rick says with a pinch of salt. If you see loads of other people nosedeep in his guidebook in the same place, it’s time to throw it away and explore for yourself!

By: vivi

vivi — Mon, 04 May 2009 04:26:30 +0000

Sneakers issue. (In case you are worried about it): Because an image is worth a thousand words, here in Europe people walk in the street, go to school, work, etc. wearing shoes like these: http://www.kicksonfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/adidas-gonz-superstar-vulc.jpg But these are only for running and no one wears them to work: http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/32/8/AAAAAvz0QQwAAAAAADKIpw.jpg Cheers and have fun :)

By: Keebler

Keebler — Sun, 03 May 2009 20:37:20 +0000

I think people are way crazy with how much prep they are saying you have to do! I’ve never even booked a hotel before going to Latin America–and my Barcelona trip was booked about a week ahead of time. I just circled some things I wanted to see and brought a map. No problems, and had a blast. Speaking the language helps, but tourist industry-fueled areas speak the language of American tourists, always. Don’t worry and have fun.

By: Mary

Mary — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:01:54 +0000

PQ, I just got back from Paris and lived there when I was your age. I too say go with the sneakers! One of the great joys of Paris is how walkable it is, a city on a human scale. I see s/o sent you a link to the RATP (public transport) site, which is interactive. You can find out exactly where a bus or metro stop is.

Don’t know what your hotel budget is, but you might want to look at the Citadines chain (citadines.com). These are apartment hotels. I once stayed at the St. Germain Citadines which was an ideal location. Some of the less central ones would have lower rates, though. If you can afford a little studio in one of these hotels, like the Bastille-Marais or Place d’Italie ones, you could save a lot on food and have the pleasure of shopping for your breakfast.

On this last trip I discovered Monop stores which are little food markets with lots of prepared meal items that looked delicious. You could get nutrition info that way, too. Have you checked out Chocolate and Zucchini blog? Clotilde, the blogger and author (a web developer and writer like you) has great hints about lunch places.

Secrets of Paris is a blog written by an American expat that’s full of great info.

I like Rick Steves but would never stay anywhere he recommends for fear of being surrounded by Steves readers!

Have you heard about the Velib, the rental bikes found all over Paris? There seems to be some problem renting them b/c you need a credit card with a “puce” (chip), but you could probably figure that out.

Have a wonderful trip.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sun, 03 May 2009 08:47:22 +0000

Just remember, some of the best places aren't found in guidebooks, they are places that you end up finding by accident! My new travel site addiction is this one: http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/ Great resources to be had! Have a wonderful trip!

By: Melissa Fast

Melissa Fast — Sun, 03 May 2009 08:20:17 +0000

Curb water consumption. I drink a LOT of water, but I found public bathrooms are not nearly as numerous in France as in the States! Taking individual packets of tissues also helps.

The best hot chocolate can be found at Angelina’s – 226 rue de Rivoli, 1st Arrondissement, Paris; phone: 011 331 42 60 82 00 (from the US). It’s a couple blocks from the Louvre. It instantly transplanted me into Wonka’s Chocolate Factory!

By: Marla

Marla — Sat, 02 May 2009 17:40:12 +0000

I am certainly not a sophisticated world traveler, but here is my big advice based on my own experience: don’t drive yourself crazy trying to see EVERYthing. Pick one thing per day that you really want to see, and spend the rest of the day wandering around seeing what happens. There are so many serendipitous adventures that won’t ever happen if you’re on a rigid schedule. For me, although I love seeing museums and monuments and all the famous stuff, I also love walking through a neighborhood and eating at the local greasy spoon and trying to experience what living there would be like.

By: annie b

annie b — Sat, 02 May 2009 10:20:13 +0000

this is a great site for the public transport in paris http://www.ratp.info/orienter/plans.php you can click on 'metro' or 'bus'. personally, i prefer to take the buses because you see a lot more. and the buses in paris are so organised, all the stops are marked (as you can see on the site) and announced on the bus, so it's hard to get lost. but if you are going from one corner of paris to the other, taking the metro is faster. i also prefer to take the bus in london, sit on the top level. have fun!