A Unique Trip in Europe...

The possibilities are endless: Ride horses in the Camargue Go Rodelbahning outside Salzburg Search for Nessie at Loch Ness Go trout fishing in the Pyrenees Rent a race car at the famous Nuernberg Ring Race Track (see who can get the best time) Eat a raw herring in the Netherlands Smoke a joint in Amsterdam Sky dive above Champagne Go natural on a nude beach on the French Riviera Run with the Bulls in Pamplona (July) Wear togas to the Roman Forum Kiss the Blarney Stone Swim the Hellespont (sorry, it's the romantic in me) Cross the Rubicon Watch lava flow at Mt. Etna (now erupting!) Go Surfing in Wales Go on the "City of the Dead" tour in Edinburgh (and very possibly have an encounter with a poltergeist)
I could go on! Let us know what you decide!

Michael, Sounds like you're planning a slightly different version of The Amazing Race. I can't think of any ideas to contribute at the moment, but I'll post another note if I do. Interesting idea....

Riding on a horse down Champs Elysees like Lady Godiva sounds very appealing to me...but wait, this might not be everyone's fantasy! Sounds like this is going to be a fun trip. How about sky diving? I don't know which countries you are going to pick though, but a friend did that in Switzerland and had an awesome experience. I still like the idea of riding around naked with long hair down to my hips...I'll need a wig though, and not too sure I should show the effects of a 40-something body in public, but hey, the French and pretty open minded folks! :-)

For a weekend?

Haha, I guess that's what it sounds like! No, as of now we have 11 days to spare. Thanks for catching that.

I watched a Venetian go fishing with his young son on a canal on Venice, why not try that. They caught one right away but instead of whacking it on the head to kill it, as we do, they squeezed it to death in a towel.

I guess if you are going to yodel from the top of a mountain, wearing Liederhosen (lit. songs pants) would be appropriate, but I don't know what they are like or where you find them.

You could do a search for "lederhosen" instead and would find them. Are you looking for dirndls for the wives too? This would not be an inexpensive "secret weekend"!

I'll warn you, though, lederhosen ain't cheap. They're "leather pants," not the song pants Lee was talking about. For a kid, they run around $70. I just assume for an adult they'll be more expensive. Hasn't some asked about this before? Maybe someone on the board should start a lederhosen rental business.

<<please throw out any crazy idea you might have!>> Paint yourselves purple, rent unicycles, and ride down the Champs Elysees while singing "Margaritaville." Well, you asked.

It could be fun. Years ago, as a college student studying in Germany, we did a "treasure hunt" on a visit to Florence. One of the things on the list was a test drive in a Maserati. Darned if the coolest, suavest guy in our group didn't pull it off! The rest of us didn't get to go along, unfortunately. As Lee suggested, it would help you find the leather pants if you spell it correctly. You may be able to rent them (along with Dirndls for the women) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Then you could ride the lift to the top of the zugspite and yodel from there. (to do it right you should do the ascent to the true peak, not stay on the deck of the Bierstube.) Here's another idea: dinner in a cablecar suspended in the air, with views over the Lake (Vierwaldstattersee, aka Lake Lucerne): http://www.rigi.ch/en/navpage-SummerRIGI-SummerTippWVR-52166.html

Go to the highlands of Scotland, tour a distillery, then drink the singlemalt scotch made there at a picnic on a highland moor with homemade shortbread. Walk along the shore of the loch, around the valley and on the moutain, seeing the day in all its aspects. Listen to a distant piper (bagpiper) as he salutes the sunset. * To make it a real fantasy, walk down to the castle (or stately home) for a romantic supper and a night in a four-poster bed- with a fireplace in the bedroom and more of the scotch and shortbread on the bedside table. (I think is the kind of idea you are looking for- right?)

Spain. Dress like a matador and take a bullfighting lesson. Scotland. Wear a kilt and play a bagpipe.
France. Go to a naturist beach and wear nothing.

Depending on close you all REALLY are, how about a sauna in Helsinki... Cooking classes in Paris... Agri-tourism is also a big thing in many places - from making wine to sheering sheep to making limoncello...

I have a few of such ideas on my bucket list and already checked off! Though most are somewhat "tame" in comparison ;-) Including * celebrating New Year's Eve at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, staying in a castle overlooking the Rhine, picknicking on a beach in Brittany in January, * attending a World Cup game (the Women's Cup will be held in June/July 2011 in Germany). Some things I'd still like to do: * a concert with the choir at the St Thomas church in Leipzig www.thomaskirche.org * a concert with Patricia Kaas at the Olympia in Paris * hiking with my kids in the Wadden Sea
www.waddensea-worldheritage.org

Here are some more ideas... Recite a soliloquy at the Globe Theatre, London Walk in the footsteps of Wallace and Bruce in a kilt at Bannockburn and Stirling and sing Scotland the Brave. Take a boat (not the bridge!) over the sea to Skye. Dance in Ceilidh in a village pub. Ride in a viking longship through a fiord. I'm looking forward to seeing more ideas! Pam

Thanks everyone! These idea are just what we are looking for. Keep them coming. Someone mentioned not knowing where we are planning on going. Honestly we are pretty open, although we have friends (that can provide cheap lodging) in Paris, the Provence region, and all over Italy. But again, we're open to anywhere. We've been saving our pennies and have 6 more months to do so! Once we get all of our ideas lined up logistically, I'll make sure and share our more than likely extremely intricate plan on here. But again, keep those ideas rolling. Love 'em.

Sweden for Midsommar. Do the little frog dance (Små grodorna) around the Midsommar pole. If you want to study the steps before you go, check here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut-tDvlSIU4

A Turkish bath. Everyone puts on berets, scarves and little fake pencil thin mustaches, sits in a Paris cafe, drinks Absinthe and smokes Galoises. Have obscure philosophical arguments. In London, take your cowboy hat and go down to Marble Arch station. Sing "London Homesick Blues." Take an armadillo with you.

Cool idea.....what I would do is recreate that fun afternoon in "Roman Holiday" (Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck) - gelato on the Spanish Steps, racing around Roma on a scooter, etc. (and how lucky is your wife to have such a thoughtful hubby)

Go to a cooking class in the country of your favorite cuisine. Then prepare something based on what you learned (need to stay in an apartment or somewhere with kitchen priviledges). Have a romantic dinner and eat what you prepared. Dress in authentic costume of natives of that country. Hong Kong would be a wonderful choice... so would Austria... Or some of the Balkans countries... or the Netherlands...

Write a script, get costumes and film your own 'Romantic Holiday" in the countries and locations of your choice.

We actually are incorporating video and film into the whole plan. My friend/partner in crime for this whole thing does a lot of videography and we'd like to create a series of short films starring two important characters, us when we're old men! Each short film will be based on us looking back and wishing we had done a certain thing (these ideas on this thread) when we were younger. The idea would be that everytime we complete a bucket list item from the previous video, we watch a new one and go do what our future, old selves regretted not doing. We want it to be over-the-top and hilarious! We've got a lot of work ahead of us, we know. Thanks again for the help so far.

How about a cooking class in Bologna, Italy (the culinary heartland of Italy)? There are several in English who also offer tours along with the class and most are reasonably priced. My buddy and I sent our wives to one a few weeks ago and it made quite an impression on them. They want to do it once a month now...

Early morning access to Stonehenge. You get in with only 24 other people, have access to the circle not just from the outside sidewalk. This is before the site is open to visitors. Pretty darn amazing. Top it off with a visit to Bath, Avebury, (more standing stones), Salisbury (amazing church that was in Pillars of the Earth TV series) then London. England is so quick to get to, easy to travel in, no language barrier, tons and tons of history. Wonderful B & B's to stay in and the food was pretty darn good as well !

Wow! You guys sound like a fun bunch. OK, since there will be filming invovled in your adventures, I double-dog dare you to find the glass gazebo from the Sound of Music (it is a tourist spot), each couple dress like Liesel and her beau and sing "Sixteen going on Seventeen", film it and post it on You Tube! Oh yeah, let us all know how to find it.

@ Lisa- the Gazebo is now located on the grounds of Helbrun Castle (the one with all the trick foutains). Also, it is not a large as it appears in the movie. Your suggesstion got me thinking.... We actually loved the movie so much that we had a Sound Of Music themed wedding....
Why not duplicate several of the scenes.... the do-re-mi sequences can be done rather easily as many are in Mirable Gardens... Then there is the scene on top of the high walk way (I can never remember the name of the building where you have to pay to use the elevator to get up there)... You can go up to the moutains to the little meadow where they picnic, ride bikes along the country roads of the area under the trees, even walk though the grave yard that inspired the fake one used in the movie. And the wedding was filmed at a lovely little church in Mondsee (camera angles were creative to make it appear larger).

I must say I am guilty of actually going on the Sound of Music tour! I was the only guy in his mid twenties on that bus. So I know where those things are, and that is a good idea. Whatever we do, we'll try to post some ridiculous things on YouTube for your enjoyment!

The least expensive method to buy lederhosen and dirndle's has been Ebay in my experience. $65 each. But buyer beware....this is how I came to become familiar with the term "moose knuckle". The male version of the woman's "camel _____" - well you get the picture. How about a dog sled ride in the Alps? Or milking cows or making cheese? Film a segment on eating the absolute stinkiest cheese you can find in France? Schnapps tasting in Austria? How about the Tomato Throwing Festival in Spain?? That would make for great memories and film! Any opportunity for weaponry....I did a chincy lilttle crossbow thing in Prague...that was fun. Do let us know what your final intinerary is. Would love to know and I love your film idea. I personally would LOVE to do the Nurnemburg Ringstrasse!!

The fact that you are incorporating video reminded me of something. Someone posted a link to a video a few months back where a guy did the same dance to the same song in a lot of countriesand had the locals do the dance with him. He then spliced it all together for a heck of a video to the song. Maybe someone here knows what I'm referring to and can post the link. Other ideas: bicycle tour in Amsterdam reenact the scenes from Sounds of Music around Salzburg start the wave at a cricket match dress in your finest attire and eat at McDonalds in Paris sing o soleil mio (spell) in Florence
dance the Polka in the Hofbrauhaus

Deb, I think you may be referring to "Where in the Hell is Matt?"
http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/videos.shtml Oh, and the pathway above Salzburg is Monchsburg Walk. You can get there either by walking down from the Hohensalzburg Fortress or taking the elevator up to the Museum of Modern Art. Sadly, the gazebo at Hellbrun Palace is closed. You can only look at it from the outside. Hope I didn't burst anyone's bubble....

Another thought... what about Chevy Chase's "European Vacation"??? Might be some scenes you could duplicate..... Or some of the Pink Panther movies.... Or "If Its Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium" Books... Bill Bryson's travel books, Dan Brown novels, Sherlock Holmes stories.....

If you every want to do some oddities in the USA - try coffin racing or fruitcake tossing in Manitou Springs, CO. We camped along Loch Ness - didn't see Nessie, though. Hang gliding above Interlaken. I love your idea - not so sure we're such crazy travelers (though some think our travel by Bike Friday is crazy by itself :) Buying lavender on the Croatian island island of Hvar, - we did an Dalmation Island Boat/Bike tour). Plitvice Lakes, Croatia (not sure what you'd "do" there, but it sure is a pretty place (just don't try to swim - it's not allowed) Hurtigruten cruise (ferry) in the fjords of Norway - above the Arctic Circle for 3 days of sailing :). You can do shorter trips from one town to another - ferry style. I loved this post - what fun ideas.

Last month's AAA magazine recommends Gladiator for a Day in Rome. Run by Gruppo Storico Romano, there is a "training area where visitors dress in gladiatorial regalia and learn the ins and outs of swordplay." Sounds like fun to me! www.gsr-roma.com

Go donkey trekking in the vineyards of the Hérault or Provence.