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My trip last year, my trip this year

Hi all,

I have a dual purpose to this email, my apologies for its length. First, to thank the forum for all of the help a year ago when I was heading on my first trip to Europe in my 55th year of age. We stayed a month. I received invaluable information from many of you, I was SO much better prepared because of this forum, even though I was still a nervous wreck the first couple of days. I have shortly described our trip and itinerary below in case anyone was interested in doing any of these places or things. Note, we were in Limerick a week for work, then the rest was for fun. Second purpose of the email is that we are lucky enough to be able to return again this summer, this time spending 10 days in Galway, then who knows? That's my second question.

First off, our trip.
Limerick, Ireland: 6 days, stayed at the University of Limerick: Went to Cliffs of Moher, numerous pubs of course, St. John's Castle, the Milk Market, St. Mary's Cathedral, the Hunt Museum. Favorite establishments include Nancy Blakes, Paddy Frawley's, the Locke Pub, Poppadom Restaurant.

Amsterdam, 2.5 days, flew Air Lingus, stayed in an Airbnb: Trammed to most areas of the city, Rijksmuseum, Vondelpark, Red Light District quick stroll, Albert Cuypmarkt, day trip to Haarlem, Anne Frank house, flower garden area, cheese museum. Loved, loved Amsterdam. Establishments included De Vergulde Gader in Jordaan, Smit & Dorlas for pancake, P.King, De Wasserette, picnic in Haarlem.

Venice 2 days, flew in Transavia from Amsterdam, stayed at Locanda la Corte Hotel: Walked and got lost a lot, photo opps everywhere you looked. Went to mask stores, St. Mark's Square, Rialto Bridge, L'Accademia, Peggy Guggenheim museum, several churches, attended the annual Redentore Festival fireworks (which is the main reason we went, and stayed so short). Great visit, two days seemed like five, and I mean that in a good way! Establishments included the Corner Bar for lunch and Osteria al Pozzo Roverso for dinner.

Rome 3 days, rail by Trenitalia, stayed in an Airbnb near Vatican: Not great weather in Rome (rain), and did not stay in the right part of town, so Rome was our least favorite. Vatican tour with Sistine and St. Peter's, Trevi fountain, Pantheon, Colosseum, Borghese Museum. Establishments included Disola Della Pizza (disappointing), Pizzaria Bella Napoli, Il Sorpasso (very good), something Dante, gelatos.

Florence, 4 days, high speed train, stayed at Hotel Hermitage. Ponte Vecchio, Duomo, Bargello Museum, Pitti Palace, Palacio Vecchio, Academmia, Mercado Centrale, Uffizi Gallery. Loved Florence so much more than Rome, but will give Rome another shot it time. Establishments included La Grotta Guelpha, Restaurant Paoli, La Canova D'Gustavino, Cafe Memmora, Toscanella Osteria, Lob's Fish Restaurant, Gusta Leo.

Paris, 6 days, RyanAir, stayed in Airbnb in Latin Quarter. Notre Dame, Palais de la Cite, Pompidou Centre, Maubert farmer's market, St. Chappelle, Musee de la Poupee (dolls), Pere Lachaise cemetery, Viacuct, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Rodin Museum, Musee L'Orangerie, Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Montmartre, Sorbonne/Pantheon area, Luxemburg Gardens, Bastille artist market
Establishments included Cafe Volcan, Au Petit Creux, Cafe St. Victor, Chant des Voyelles, Cafe le Dant, Capadoce, Le Conti, Pomodora

Barcelona, 5 days, RyanAir, stayed in Airbnb beside Picasso museum in El Born. Sagrada Familia, Ciutadella Park, Boqueria market, Barcelona Cathedral, MACBA (modern art museum), Palal Guell (Gaudi), MNAC (Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya), Miro museum, Montjuic. A great city to end our trip, loved it there. Establishments included Lilipep, La Tasqueta 1800, La Vietnamita, El Atril, Bar la Masia, The Last Resort, Pizzarra, Enrique Thomas, Celler de la Ribera

What at trip! Loved every second.

I'm out of space here, so question #2 will be in the next post.

Paul

Posted by
92 posts

Continuation of original post:

So now, we are lucky enough to be able to go back this summer in June. 10 days will be in Galway, 10-14 days will be elsewhere after that. I'm open for any ideas. My wife does not want to go to England, or other places she has been, so Munich and Copenhagen and Sweden are out as well. We prefer cities. So thinking of any combo of the the following, more of less west to east: Madrid, Brussels, Berlin, Prague, Vienna or Salzburg, Budapest, Milan and or/ Naples, Greece, Lyon. Any gems I am missing? As you can see above, we can pack a lot into a few days. Are there best ways to string a few together? I was thinking something like Brussels, Berlin, Prague, Austria, Milan, just because they are closer.

Any advice is welcome! And I am happy to let anyone know more about my trip if interested. Our Airbnb apartment in Paris was great! And thanks again for this terrific forum that helped us travel safely, confidently and smartly.

Paul

Posted by
347 posts

Wow. That sounded fun. Just curious what it cost to spend that long.

We are looking at 3 weeks in France and Italy and working on cost estimates.

Posted by
92 posts

Hey Vick,

I don't have an accounting for everything, but here's what I have, all USD. Costs are for two people.

Amsterdam, three nights in Airbnb cost $336. Flight to Venice was $165
Venice, two nights in hotel, $349, train to Rome was $78.
Rome, three nights in Airbnb, $305, don't remember train, about the same
Florence, four nights in hotel, $593, flight to Paris $102
Paris, six nights in Airbnb, $793, flight to Barcelona $197
Barcelona, five nights in Airbnb, $508

We overspent, and when we return, we will do better now I know what to expect. If I was by myself, I probably would have had cheaper accommodations. In Florence, we stayed where my sister stayed, which was more than I wanted to spend. Anyway, to offset some of the travel costs, we ate in the room some, and no real expensive places, and got the Firenze card, the card for Paris, etc., which were fabulous deals.

Posted by
16893 posts

Berlin, Dresden, Prague, and Vienna stand out as a combination that are easily connected by train, once you fly there from Ireland.

Posted by
1056 posts

If you decide on Dresden, by all means get tickets to the Green Vault. You must do this far in advance, but you will be astounded at the treasury it contains. Individual rooms of amber, silver, gold, coats of arms, etc. Tickets are for specific times and will not be honored if you do not come on time. It was the highlight of our stay in Dresden.