Where oh where do we want to go next????

@ your point Ed? Turkey is a Eurasian country. Part in Europe, part in Asia. She asked where to go next. If her family were to visit Turkey they could visit two different continents. What was your answer to her query?!?

Turkey. Honestly it's magical. Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Temple tomb at Fethiye, Ephesus. So much to see. There's a huge international fair in Izmir in August and a boat race in Foca in July. A completely unique spot to travel in Europe.

'completely unique spot to travel in Europe' Unique in europe ain't the word for it. Of the seven spots mentioned, six and a half are in asia.

How about Bulgaria? You could go from the west border to the east border, Sophia, Stara Zagora, and on the the Black Sea. That would be a trip you could brag about, and you would not likely forget any part of it.

Northern Spain is nothing like Andalucia. It is cooler, for one thing, has nice beaches, and is far less touristed. There are national parks, mountains, lots of public land, prehistoric cave paintings, Roman ruins, lots of beautiful art and architecture.

We took our kids (14 and 17) to the UK last year. We loved it! I was not overly excited to go, as I have been to France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland,Czech and London, where London was my least favourite. We picked the UK based on a few things. First, the weather - my boys do not like heat, and we knew that it would be cooler since we had to travel in summer. Second, the history - Romans, Vikings, Normans, Celts and Scots.....sooooo much to see and learn. We were fascinated by places that started out Roman, then were Viking, then Norman.....the layers of history were amazing. One of our favourite places was York, and a haunted hike with an amazing storyteller! I loved the little villages of the Cotswolds, your mother may fall in love with this area :).....we also really loved Bath. We stayed in a sweet cottage where we could walk or drive into the town to eat, etc. We then went to Scotland for a week, where the scenery is amazing! We loved Edinburgh, and Stirling, and even rented an apartment in an old Castle. We did a day trip to the Highlands, but with more time, we would have loved to see more. We drove everywhere, and loved the freedom this gave us. My husband said driving on the other side of the road was weird at first (scarier for me really!), but wasn't hard once he got used to it. We did have two home bases instead of one, but both places were wonderful, and we wouldn't have changed a thing about our trip! I think the UK is highly underrated compared to other parts of Europe, and I have to say it is now one of my favourite....

July and August, eh? Unless you enjoy heat, I'd pick someplace in northern Europe (the UK, Scandinavia, maybe the Baltics, etc.).

The point, dearest Claudia, is that she has asked (apparently) where to go in europe and every place you mentioned is either partly or entirely in asia. Then you went on to summarize that they were all a wonderful part of europe. You mentioned no spots entirely in european Turkey. It would be similar to steering somebody toward Russia and naming sixty-three places east of the Urals as having the most merit. 'Turkey is a Eurasian country' So are India, Portugal, and Mongolia. Eurasia is a single land mass, The term has no applicability regrading a country that straddles two continents.

And for the OP: Start thinking about the northern and central parts of eastern europe - - maybe even scandanavia - - for airshows where you won't melt. The best one is probably Radon in Poland, but I've the sneaking suspicion it's switched to odd-numbered years. The Czech Republic has a batch, so does Sweden.

@thank you Ed for your geography expertise. Where did you get your Doctorate? At least this time around you had a suggestion for the poster.

I would second the UK... there is so much to enjoy in the countryside and you could spend a few days in London. The other suggestion would be to head east, but I really can't think of one location there that would be good for such a long period of time. I think of that as more 'road trip'. So, if you want to move about a bit I would suggest Poland and maybe work in Czech Republic visiting Prague and Cesky Krumlov. In Poland, Krakow and of course the surrounding area. Sounds like a wonderful adventure.

Thanks! Feel free to keep your ideas coming(minus any criticisms-I won't mention any names!). I forgot, we visited East Sussex, England last summer for two weeks, including London. It is possible for us to base in two locations. I will look into all your suggestions. I have plenty of time to do lots of research since the trip is not until 2014.

Hi Kerry, We are in similar circumstances although we are thinking about a trip in July/August 2013 with our some of our family, 6 people total. We do home exchanges too. For exploring more of France, one of your ideas, have you considered Provence? We based ourselves there one summer and enjoyed the history, art, markets, scenery, etc. Usually we aren't picky about amenities but for settling in for several weeks with teenagers I would recommend trying to get a house with a nice pool to cool of in at the end of the day. Also it seems that you have never been to Switzerland, Germany or Austria. We've been wanting to do an exchange near Vienna where there is plenty to do that meets your history and art criteria and is close enough for day trips to the Czech Republic and Hungary. Berlin, Potsdam or beyond in northeastern Germany could be interesting for all of you for its history and art. We are going to nice tourist destination about 2 hours outside of Berlin for this summer. Switzerland offers unparalleled beauty and we took family there several years ago but your dollar will definitely not go as far in Switzerland. Switzerland, Germany, and Austria would most likely be cooler than the regions (Italy and Spain) you've explored before. You have the added advantage for a home exchange in living on the East Coast. Many exchangers from Europe have expressed to us that they do not want to travel the additional hours to the "left" coast. Whatever destination you all choose, have a wonderful time with a really big map of possibilities planning your adventure.

You said you like medieval villages.. does not look like you have ever been to Tuscany.. we just got back and it is amazing! So many medieval villages in one area .. Lucca, Pisa, San Gimigano, Sienna, Montareggiano, Cortona and on and on..you could then go to the east coast of Italy which looks like it has amazing beaches-- we only had three days there and now want to go back for more.

Kerry, have you considered Croatia and Slovenia? Beautiful, beautiful countries.

Thanks for all the comments. As for Tuscany, we have as a side trip to Florence. Italy has been our most frequented country; so we want to spread our wings a bit and try someplace new. I AM now researching home exchanges in Eastern/Central European locations; because this area really does excite me. I''m in awe of photo's I've seen of the Dalmation Coast and I'm very interested in seeing some cities: Vienna, Prague, Budapest, etc.... So I am looking into possibilities in that region. However, there are not nearly as many home exchanges in these countries, so I can not simply pick and choose exactly where I want to base. I am looking at an amazing home exchange in Trogir, and would be incredibly lucky to secure it. A secured home exchange (or two home exchanges) will define our base(s). We will spend at least one month. I just purchased R. Steve's guide to Eastern Europe, so that will be enormously helpful. I just saw some photos of a place I had not heard of - Plitvice Lakes - and now I am dying to go there! It looks too beautiful to be real. Anyone been? I'd love to hear back from anyone whose visited this area & I'm interested in how you were able to get around as far as communicating in this language. Is there enough english spoken to be helpful?

Hi Kerry, July and August will be hot. We're from Phoenix and ironically can't handle the heat. When we travel it's in the off season or somewhere to get away from the heat. We just got back from nearly 4 weeks in Scandinavia. We started in the Netherlands, thru Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It was incredible. Simply magical cities, clean and surrounded by the most beautiful nature. Norway in a Nutshell was the highlight, and since its almost completely riding (except SHORT walks between transportation stops) I think your mother would enjoy it a great deal with no problems. There is plenty of history to enjoy and lots of Viking sites / museums / ships to see. And although we didn't visit any beaches all the cities we visited were right on the water or or on islands.