I Need Your Advice

no source ^ | 02.14.2007 | big guy and rusty 99

[mickey finn]

I was in Rome over Christmas and had a wonderful time. There was almost no traffic in the city on Christmas day, and people were walking down the middle of the streets in a very festive mood. Italy was very expensive with our dollar being weak now. The price of beer at lunch almost had me drinking water, but that was not cheap either, so I stuck with beer.

I never thought to worry about terrorism, but kept my wallet secure and stayed aware of people around me.

[Night Hides Not]

Found that the best beers were the local microbrews that each town seemed to have. Hefeweizen became a favorite of mine.

One of my favorite spots was the Konigsbacher brewery in Koblenz. Its restaurant always had bock beer on tap, and you can enjoy your meal with a nice view of the Rhine River.

[mickey finn]

In Rome you must go to the Vatican. I was blown away. No pictures can do it justice. Just absorb as much as you can while you are there. Get a guide, you skip the lines, learn the history, and see the best stuff. Also see the other important spots, Palatine Hill, The Forum, the Coliseum.

All of Italy is a shopping mecca. Being a male American I was not excited about it, however for those into high fashion I have never seen so many shoe and clothes stores in my life. I don't know how they all stay in business.

[MNlurker]

Buy only one bottle of water and then fill up from the Roman fountains all over the city. The water is better than anything you'll get out of the taps here in the States.

[MNlurker]

I countered with wine...lots and lots of wine. Water I just filled up at fountains throughout the city.

[leda]

timely travel thread :)

[Logic n' Reason]

I have just returned from living in Europe for the last 18 months. Traveled extensively in: Germany, Belgium,Switzerland, UK, Ireland, Scotland, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and spent a bit of time in Sweden.

Had absolutely no problems...anywhere. Nicest folks were the Austrians, the French (sorry Freepers - they really were), and the Swiss. But overall, never ran into any group or nationality that was bad.

Tips: prepare a detailed itinerary (stick to it) and give a copy of it to those remaining in the US; keep copy of your passport in safe place; never travel without passport - anywhere for any reason. Learn a phrase or two in German, French, and Italian.

Most of all...take 100X more pictures than you think you need!

I envy you the trip!

[TexasRepublic]

Terrorist incidents in Europe are rare, despite the publicity when it does happen. She is far more likely to be mugged at Walmart than blown up in Europe. Tell her to just go and blend in and not look/act like an American. Any woman with a bit of fashion sense should be able to gauge the current styles once she arrives in Europe and buy some local nondescript clothes.

[Central Scrutiniser]

Europe?

Prague, Galway and Reykjavik.

3 amazing cities, all a bit off the beaten track.

And good beer at each.

[eleni121]

We are in the planning stages of a trip to Greece.

Never has been a problem. And it shouldn't be a problem.

[isom35]

I tell anyone about to travel watch the movie "Hostel".

[chilepepper]

stick to the ex-iron curtain eastern european countries - Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia/Lithuania, even Romania or Bulgaria, or a bit more risky Slovenia, Slovakia or Croatia.

I believe *none* of the above countries have any significant muslim population, ergo no terrorism! ...and I believe *all* of them a friendly to the US

[eleni121]

Rome --- Trastevere and the catacombs and Via Veneto (say ciao to Marcello)

Florence/Firenze- everything - the bridge the Duomo

http://www.duomofirenze.it/index-eng.htm

[KsSunflower]

Thanks so much! Awesome website!! Ciao!

[eleni121]

You are soooo lucky to be going to the eternal city.

"Arrivederci, fai buon viaggio e segui il tuo cuore/istinto (instinct)"

[Myrddin]

Leaving for Rome and Florence tomorrow...any advice or suggestions on "must do" activities or great places to shop?

I was in Rome in 2005 to deliver a technical paper. I would put the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica on the top of the list of things to see. The Colosseum and adjacent ruins of ancient Rome 2nd on the list of "must see" items while in Rome. The marble work in St Peter's is astonishing. The artwork inside the Vatican is also astonishing. My one day tour at the Louvre in Paris was also top of the list.

[Myrddin]

Also, it is considered polite, and good form to at least learn some basic phrases, and also to be able to understand them in your host country. You can buy different language programs at Barnes & Noble.

I'll second that recommendation. My wife and I studiously went through the Barnes & Noble Italian lessons on CDROM. The Pimsleur Basic Italian gave me more than enough to feel comfortable. It was my wife's first trip to a non-English speaking country. She fared just fine. We practiced Italian around the house for a couple weeks before the trip. It's well worth the $20 and time to do it.

[RepoGirl]

Yipes! Thanks for the huge response!

I have to admit, I've been a bit of a nervous nelly as of late, re: foreign travel, but many Freepers raise valid and logical points regarding safety here and abroad.

As far as protective coloring, I've got that covered. I've got my 'city vibe' down pat, and always dress and act a little more formally over there. I lived in London and have traveled extensively throughout the UK, France and The Netherlands -- but all pre 9/11.

The itinerary for this upcoming trip will be France and Italy -- Paris, and then Rome and I believe, Florence. I'm excited, but have to admit, I've probably ingested a little too much of the doom and gloom from the news lately. Again, I haven't traveled abroad since before the war started, so I've had these nightmare visions of encountering angry leftists, Mohhamedeans with molotov cocktails, etc. Guess I just wanted to take a pulse check from those who have traveled abroad these last 6 years before I stepped back into the fray.

One question, if I'm traveling with an iPod -- what kind of power adaptor would or should I buy so I can keep it charged?

Thanks for everyone's comments, I'll say this again -- Freepers are some of the finest folk around.

[WesternCulture]

First of all, as a European, I'd like say:

Welcome to Europe!

In resemblance to many FReepers above, I'd say most of Europe is very safe.

In the case of France and Italy remember:

- Watch out for pickpockets in surroundings where many tourists gather.

- Try to avoid looking and behaving like too much of a "tourist".

- If strangers confront you, or even just, seemingly, bump into you in the street by accident, be on your alert, especially if they are Gypsy-looking! (Not wishing to say ALL Gypsies are thieves - but they are heavily overrepresented among pickpockets in France, Italy and elsewhere in Europe).

- As a friend of Italy I hate to say this, but the further south you go in Italy, the more of street crime you're probably exposing yourself to. Naples, Calabria, Puglia and Sicily still have problems with different mafias like the Camorra/'Ndrangheta/Cosa Nostra/Stidda/Sacra Corona Unita. However, tourists are seldom targets for the most violent of attacks. Sooner, what one should be aware of as a tourist is that mafia crime leads to spin-off effects like robberies, drug abuse and all kinds of minor thefts. Again, few tourists get into deep trouble in Southern Italy.

When it comes to terrorist attacks and riots, it's worth pointing out that:

- Large, especially large capital, cities of Europe have much more of immigrant problems than small and mid size cities/towns. Hardly surprising, opposition and violence between different ethnic groups is a much bigger problem in London, Berlin and Paris than in Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

- Concerning muslims, there are muslims and there are muslims. For instance, Germany is (permanent/temporary) home to millions of muslims just like the UK and France, but has the lowest crime rate in the EU (at least it had one or two years ago). One reason is that many German Muslims are of Turkish origin. Turkish muslims in general seem to be more law abiding than many other Muslim immigrants (I've walked around in ghetto areas of Istanbul at midnight - safest place on earth. Turkish law enforcement is brutal, but it's efficient).

- Concerning terrorist attacks, the safest "tourist" areas in Europe are probably places like the countryside of Tuscany, Loire Valley, Provence and other such wonderful rural parts of the continent. Naturally, terrorists choose targets in well known cities like NYC, Madrid and London as they'll get much much more attention from doing so than blowing up a barn in the Chianti district or something like that. Even if they attacked a famous tourist attraction like Le château de Chenonceau (famous palace in the Loire Valley), what would the point be? What would such a deed signal? - Down with symbolic remnants of the pre revolutionary France upper class!?

Images of the Loire Valley by the way;

http://france-for-visitors.com/photo-gallery/loire/index.html

If anyone wishes to feel completely safe on his/her trip to France and Italy, while still experiencing some of the best things Europe has to offer, then one could always arrive at a smaller European airport (not Heathrow, London), perhaps in Switzerland and forget about big cities like Milan, Florence, Paris, Marseille and Rome. Instead there's the opportunity of exploring the magnificent countrysides of these nations. You'll eat better (lots of tourist traps in Paris, Venice, Rome and Florence) and it'll be cheaper buying a famous wine directly from the producer etc, etc.

By the way, one mistake we Northern Europeans (I'm Swedish) and you Americans often make is that we fail to give proper attention to the fact that in Italy and France, POLITENESS and MUTUAL RESPECT are much more important things in everyday life than in our "Protestant" culture. If you want people to be service minded and helpful, try speaking a little Italian/French and display interest in and - even better - genuine acquaintance to their local/regional history and traditions.

Generally speaking, places like Volterra or San Gimignano, Tuscany are not the center of the universe, but to the locals they ARE and respecting this fact can, contrary to being a burden, turn into a very rewarding thing.

Undeniably, large cities like Florence often feature great attractions, but, as a matter of example, just check out what Pistoia, a rather unknown little Tuscan town has to offer:

http://digilander.libero.it/pistoia_tour/home_page.htm

- A perfect place for enjoying a glass of Carmignano or Brunello di Montalcino and getting repatriated to Roman Antiquity and the Renaissance, the cradle of modern Western Civilization.

Speaking of Tuscany and safety, the overwhelming attractions and experiences Florence offer are actually more than some tourists can handle and yearly people end up in hospital, suffering from the famous "Stendhal Syndrome". It's not just a myth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stendhal_syndrome

Many people would say a tour of France and Italy excluding visits to big cities like Paris, Florence and Rome is incomplete. While this remains true, all friends of Western Civilization likewise once ought to encounter the "Terroir", the "Contado", the "Campagna" of these three cities that once nurtured these triumphant urban accomplishments.

The surrounding countryside of Florence, traditionally known as "Il Contado", is not only beautiful. It also gave birth to a son like Leonardo da Vinci, to whom we are all indepted.

The same goes for the Loire Valley (south/south west of Paris) and a french renaissance genius like François Rabelais.

Just like Leonardo and François, we ought to make full use of our ability of rational thought while, simultaneously, keeping all of our senses open to beauty. Doing so, we'll be safer, happier and also more productive heirs to such common Western fore-bearers - despite the fact that the world is part ugly. This spirit is in fact expressed in the "national" hymn of the EU. Friedrich Schiller wrote the words (in the form of a poem) and later on, Ludwig van Beethoven based his most famous symphony, the 9th and last one, on them.

As long as Westerners have a spirit like this, the West will not be endangered:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode_an_die_Freude

Greetings from Gothenburg/Göteborg, Sweden!