Where next?

Lulu, if you do not want to visit London then don’t go. How many nights will you be in Europe next Oct? Are there direct flights from where you’re flying out of to Spain, Portugal, Germany? Click on this link: https://www.google.com/travel/flights and in the Where to? field enter Spain, etc. to see what cities come up. You can even enter Europe in the Where to? field.

Well, basically every place in Europe has cafes, aesthetics, culture, and vibes!

I guess there is really no other country that called to my soul to visit

I think this is where you turn your focus. Forget about talking to other people and look more deeply at your past experiences. What specifically moved you? Was it the light, the colors, the weather? Was it stained glass windows or scenic vistas? Was it a plate of food, a winding street, a museum gallery? I know sometimes these things are hard to put into words. Take your time. Go back over your pictures. Maybe journal a little bit. But once you've dug deeper -- past "aesthetics, culture, and vibes" -- to more specifics, then it will be easier to see what other places might mirror or compliment that which moved your soul on previous trips...

Spain has a lot to offer…the Andalusian cities of Seville, Córdoba & Granada; Barcelona; Madrid with Segovia & Toledo. The fast Ave trains connect these three areas. We once flew in Lisbon then travelled to Andalusia…then trained to Madrid area…and flew home. With three plus weeks that trip could be extended to Barcelona and flying back from Barcelona.

If no other countries are calling out to you, consider more of Italy or France. Looking back I think I've spent over ten weeks in Italy, in only 6 or 7 of the regions. I'm no France expert but it looks like you haven't seen too much of France. Provence, Burgundy, Alsace, Dordogne, Loire: every area will be noticeably different.

I've spent a number of months total in Germany, no place further north than Monscahu, and there's a few areas below there which I haven't popped into. I have no problem going back to familiar places.

Well, count us in the we love London camp! I still dream almost daily about our 11 night trip there last October. We loved all the historical sites, my gosh, so much history there! Watch some Great Courses and maybe that will spur your interest.

However, if not, maybe consider some of the Scandinavian countries. What is your ancestry?

What about Ireland? Very different and the pub culture is fantastic!
Or, go back to Italy or France! I know some on this forum have been to Italy over 10 times and still plan to go back!

RE: London....I have visited London half a dozen times, half of those in the late 80s and 90s.
When I returned to London in 2017, I still enjoyed it but it seems to have lost some of its 'Britishness' and seemed instead more generically international. I had the same feeling on two subsequent trips.
My husband and son visited London and Liverpool in 2018 and much preferred Liverpool to London.
I would really like my next trip to the UK to skip London entirely.
London is interesting and there's lots of history and lots to do. You might love it, you won't know until you go but if it's charm or beauty or aesthetics, I think you're much less likely to find it in London.

You said Western Europe.

I spent years traveling to the UK, France, Italy Germany. The closest to the unknown I had ever gotten was Austria. Austria was, well it didn't speak to me. I had spent too much time and money getting that far and the next holiday was a year off so I went to the train station with no plans and ended up in Budapest. That was 20 years ago. Didn't know a thing about it, had no real interest in it, it just wasn't Vienna and I didn't like Vienna. Now, I live in Budapest.

So do your "safe" Western European trip, but on the way home stop over in some place totally off the wall. You never know ....

Based on your post, I'm going to guess that you find something to like wherever you go, so I think whatever you choose will be a success. I never knew I wanted to go to Rome until my wife told me I did, and now I'm hooked on going to Europe every year. Have you been to Naples and the Amalfi Coast Region? Naples is unlike anywhere else in Italy and should be experienced.

We did the RS Loire to the South of France tour in 2019 because it got us to some of the harder to reach places that were on our list. Because of that trip we're spending a week in the Dordogne region next Fall.

I can't get enough of England and I can't explain why. I just feel comfortable there and am fascinated by the history. We spent 2 weeks in 2022 doing a driving tour from Salisbury to Canterbury and that may go down as my best European experience so far. We're also planning a month long stay in London at some point. I remember when we first considered London but as we read a couple of guidebooks it wasn't calling to us and we dropped it a few notches. But then a seat sale came up and we went anyway, now it's my favourite European city and 2nd place isn't close. I can't explain it, it just happened. Sometimes we let the seat sales make our choice and so far there have been no regrets.

My favorite cities in Europe for the cafes and the aesthetic (in no particular order):

• Ljubljana
• Copenhagen
• Stockholm
• Ghent
• Prague
• Krakow
• Gdansk
• Bergen

I haven't been to Spain or Portugal yet (they're on my radar for 2025). October might be better suited to climates in the south of Europe if you want to sit outside and enjoy people-watching.

But the truth is, you can't go wrong. Try throwing a dart at a map of Europe and see where it takes you!

I can heartily recommend Spain, and maybe Portugal.

Spain has a nice mix of culture, art, food, and history. I think it has a very different, but in many ways similar vibe to Italy, especially in the cafe culture. We have been to Italy maybe a half dozen times, Spain about the same, or will have after April. For us it is a toss up, though next time Italy will win.

Like Italy, Spain varies greatly by region, The Andalusian South, Madrid, the Basque Region, Barcelona are all different, then there are maybe a half dozen other regions we have not explored (though Galicia and the North is on the list).

Portugal offers much the same vibe, we enjoy it, but for some reason it falls further down the list, can't really peg why.

Greece also offers a laid back cafe, sit by the water vibe, but have not been there in a decade or more, planning to go back though, and I would not overlook Croatia.

I’ve been to London six times and loved it. Hubby did not! I’m not fond of the weather, I must say. For the most part, there isn’t a language barrier! Most of the museums are free, public transportation is easy, day trips to Windsor, Bath, Stonehenge are easily done. Or, spend a few days in London then head elsewhere in England, Wales or Scotland.
I have a hard time saying what my favorite European city or country is. I enjoyed every trip.

What about a visit to Prague, Budapest and or Vienna? Or, go crazy and go to the Galapagos! Which was one of my all time favorites, and so was South Africa.
My next is Poland in September.

When is this projected trip exactly? In the summer ? October?

The main question is how adventurous and within that framework do you want to be on this trip?

Much as I like London and Paris, I always find reason to return as it will be this summer.

What about Germany for being totally adventurous, ie. go east and/or into North Germany , towns only where German tourists are about the mostly ones you'll run into, such as Cuxhaven, Magdeburg, Weimar, Heide, towns in the Greater Potsdam and Berlin area, Stralsund, Prenzlau, Greifswald, Jena. Flensburg, etc

I thought I'd never love a country as much as Italy. Then I went to Spain. Now I can't decide which is better. October is a good month for Barcelona and surroundings, if you want to go to Madrid and Andalucia, the later you can go in October, the less hot weather you're likely to have. The train system is very good and like Italy, the sooner you buy tickets the better the price. It's easy to visit both areas if your trip is closer to two weeks than one, and it's easy to fill 3 weeks or more.

Thank you everyone for your insights and replies! I really enjoyed reading them and gives me something to chew on.

Chani, so this is what I’d like to know your opinion. Why did Spain capture you as much or just as much as Italy?

Someone asked above what it was I loved about Italy and France. I love the quaint littl sidevsteeet with cafes, the colors, the food, the beautiful scenery. Italy I have been to Venice, Florence, Rome and Positano. All different flavors, all incredible. The warm people, the delicious food. I liked the old thousand year old buildings and history. I can only take a little bit of art and churches.

Paris…well, how quaint! I loved the gardens, the bridges, the romance in the air, the Seine…I liked to dress up, too, and I could there.

So…what is it about Spain that grabbed you? I really really want to know.

Spain has a lot of small streets to wander. Seville has tiled decorations. Andalucia has elaborate Moorish architecture and not just in the Alhambra. Segovia has a stunning aqueduct. Wandering into a cafe in the morning for pastry, getting gelato in the afternoon, and picking out which small plates tapa you want at night are all fun for food. Lots of good seafood and olives and wine and jamon. Good trains and buses if you like to travel without a car.

I love the quaint littl sidevsteeet with cafes, the colors, the food, the beautiful scenery.

The Netherlands and Belgium come to mind. The word quaint was surely invented for Bruges and Delft.

Easy. Spain.

If you like to dress up, then Spain. We thought the people of Spain were the best dressed in Europe. Even at the bullfight, people we dressed to the nines, including their Children.

There are quaint streets (Toledo), beautiful old and New architecture (Seville), palaces (Granada), great food galore (Madrid), soaring steeples (Barcelona), beautiful Gardens without Grass (Cordoba).
Hilltowns, car-free cities, Flamenco, history that will really make you think, etc.

We only spent 3 weeks in Spain but can’t wait to go back and explore more and revisit a few places.

Yes, I think based on your further information, it is Spain that comes to mind. I suspect you'll find parallels to the warm colors in the buildings, the light, the cafe culture, and the warmth of the people. One caveat is that Spanish food is wonderful (tapas, paella, vermouth...what's not to love!), but can be a little repetitious. Two weeks -- great! Two months? You'll need to start branching out. I'm not sure I'd say that about Italian or French cuisine.

The other caveat is the landscape. Spain is quite varied and Northern Spain is stunning. But around the major cities like Madrid and Seville the topography can be pretty darn stark. There is a reason Spanish conquerors did so well in what is now our desert Southwest. The landscapes are remarkably similar -- i.e. it ain't Tuscany or the Loire Valley!

Still, back to your original question, Where Next? I still say Spain.

Why do I keep returning to London?

Simple answer; makes me happy.

1.) I understand and enjoy the public transport even though I find walking the best way to discover sites.
2.) Museums are free and interesting.
3.) I love the weather ( seriously, sunshine all year is boring)
4.) theatre, theatre, and theatre
5.) enjoying a pint after a long walk and know I’ll be undisturbed while having it. Pub grub pleases my palette. Seeing pub dogs and cats also makes me smile.

6.) they speak English
7.) In decades of traveling to and staying in London I’ve always found something and somewhere new to explore and enjoy.
8.) street food markets
9.) parks to amble about
10.) have throughly enjoyed watching neighborhoods once considered the dregs evolve. Kings Cross, Islington, Peckham and Shoreditch are examples.
11.) have made life long friends

In Europe Been to Rome, Milan, Venice, San Casiano de Bagni, Paris ( climb Eiffel Tower, saw Mona Lisa and Venus DiMilo) , Copenhagen, Brussels, Munich, Zurich, Lake Geneva, Dublin, Belfast, Bath, Lyme Regis, and Wimbledon. Have also been to Havana and San Antonio Cuba where the film school is located.

In US: Mt Rushmore, NYC, ( visited the twin towers a few years after they were built) Boston, Chicago, Miami, the Everglades, Kansas, lived and worked in Nebraska, same with the state of Washington, watched Mt St Helens explode and saw the mudflow on the Cowlitz, watched a tornado set down in Grand Island Nebraska, went up in the St Louis Arch. I’ve river rafted in the Grand Canyon, explored the Bisiti Badlands, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Monument Valley, tribal reservations, visited the Arches. Seen Dealy Plaza in Dallas, Fort Worth and visited The Alamo. Lived in the Santa Clara Valley ( aka Silicon Valley) Walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. Visited Alcatraz. Camped at Yosemite, hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls, seen General Sherman and General Grant, been to Fort Hunter Leggit, Fort Baker, Ft Sumpter, The Presidio, Hearst Castle, Carmel, Monterey, Bodega Bay, Geyserville, Lake Tahoe, Reno, Yreka, Hilt, Ashland, Portland, Seattle, Pocotello, Salt Lake City, Grand Teton, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Alabama Foothills in CA, Manzar, Mono Lake, Bridgeport, Mt Whitney, Lake Isabella, Vancouver, Washington DC ( sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for Obamas first inauguration ) and was in Section 43, Row 21, Seat 14 at the 1989 World Series game at Candlestick Park when the earthquake hit! Wondered what’s it going to feel like
when this section cracks off and falls backward to the pavement below.

So it’s not like I haven’t been to or seen other places.

However, London will remain my favorite travel destination.

Maybe take a river cruise? That's what's on our radar. Haven't decided where, though. We were really into Portugal all during Covid and did major research, even looking at retiring there, but have now kind of calmed down about it. I am excited about Spain but for a different purpose--walking one of the Caminos. Our Barcelona/Madrid trip was probably my least favorite European trip. I would go back to Scotland in a heartbeat. That place really touched my soul, and exceeded my expectations--people, music, landscape, food, pubs, walks. Ireland I want to see more of to get a better feel. We did a Dublin/Northern Ireland trip, but I want to see more of the Republic. I enjoyed our first trip, but it didn't cast a spell on me like I thought it was going to, so I feel like I am missing something there that I want to find. Would love to do a long hike there actually. London? I have enjoyed each of my London trips, though it is not a magnet pulling me back--I would like to do more of an English countryside trip (Lake District, Moors, Yorkshire) next. Happy pre-anniversary planning!