I'm so excited to be signed up for my 2nd RS Tour! I had so much fun on the 21BOE in May of 2016 that I had to go back! This time, instead of traveling solo, I'll be going with a friend I met here on the boards. She was originally waitlisted for my tour, but unfortunately never got off the waitlist. However, she and I really hit it off and became fast friends. Both of us have been wanting a travel buddy (she is single and I have a husband who doesn't like to travel) and this will be our first trip together. We plan to have a blast deciding our itineraries, meeting new people and visiting exciting places. One of our mutual goals is to enjoy the Oktoberfest in Munich! We plan to fly out early, a few days pre-tour, to explore Munich and be there for the opening day of the festival. Then we'll head to Paris for the start of our tour. The tour does go back to Munich while O-fest is still going on. This will give us a chance to wear our dirndls again and see a bit more of the city. There are so many options of what to do on this tour! I look forward to revisiting some favorite places and things from the 21 BOE as well as seeing and learning new things and experiencing some different places. The biggest dilemma (and what a problem to have) is how to narrow those options down to a doable level! I'd love to meet anybody who will be taking this tour with us- or is considering it, as well as anybody else with an interest in the itinerary.
Lisa
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
Great, Lisa -- hope you stay healthier than on your prior tour!
Posted by
OP
Nebraska
333 posts
Me too! I've lost a ton of weight since the last tour and plan to keep strengthening my ankles, lol! I plan to run partway up those mountains. I have a point to prove with Neuschwanstein Castle! I also plan to be better rested before I leave. None of my kids are allowed to plan weddings in 2017!
Lisa
Posted by
North Georgia, USA
1097 posts
We took this one in 2013 and it was fantastic. You've already hit the same cities except Munich, right? We did a tour with a city greeter on arrival day in Munich which was really a good orientation to the city. She was super nice and even though it was raining and we were freezing, we forged on! She recommended a great traditional place for dinner too. This is a free tour and one on one, not a group. Check it out. We actually spent our one full day in Munich taking a day trip to Salzburg. The wife of a colleague of my husband's is from Salzburg and they were there for the summer so we met them and had a great day with locals. Since you're going to be hitting Munich twice, consider taking a train to Salzburg if you want to do something different. We loved it.
Let us know what you are interested in that you didn't do on the BOE 21 day if you need some help narrowing your options!
Posted by
OP
Nebraska
333 posts
Thanks, Celeste!
My travel buddy and I need to get together to narrow down our options. We just paid our deposits and wanted to get things lined up for Oktoberfest first, since that will book up quickly. We'd discussed taking a bike tour of Munich the first day, to get a layout of the city and some fresh air and exercise after sitting so long on a plane. Day two we discussed a trip to Hitler's Eagle's Nest and Berchtesgaden. Day three will be the opening day of Oktoberfest and we want to see the parades and enjoy all the festivities. Day four will hopefully be sleeping in and then flying to Paris to settle in before the tour starts the next day. All of the tour towns will be same except for Munich instead of Bacharach and Rothenburg and Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland instead of Stechelberg. Also, no Florence. My buddy, S., has never been to most of the places we're going, so I'm not sure what she'll want to see yet. She has been to Paris. We both want to go up the Eiffel tower. I've seen it twice now, but still haven't been up inside. We agreed to seeing a show at the Moulin Rouge. I kinda want to go to Disney Paris, but won't be upset if I don't. There is so much to see in Paris! That will be a tough place to narrow down. I think my Scottish friend is going to meet us there, she speaks fluent French and knows the city like the back of her hand, so she's a valuable resource for Paris! Beaune will be all about the wine, lol. I think Lauterbrunnen will be a close repeat of the 21BOE and I'm fine with that. Trummelbach Falls are amazing and I'd love to go back to the Shilthorn and see it in it's fall glory. My 21BOE was in May and the mountain was still snow covered and freezing, but so spectacular! I loved getting to drive the gondola down the mountain and look forward to a mountain hike in the alps. My Swiss friend is going to join us for our Switzerland days, so she might have some great ideas for us too. Of course we'll be back in Munich for a day and a half... we'll probably want to revisit Oktoberfest. We've discussed a day trip to see Neuschwanstein, I have a beef with that mountain and something to prove- but haven't set that in stone yet. Vienna would be wonderful too, I've not been and it IS on my want to see list, so I'll have to check that out! Thanks for the tip! Venice... I'm all for not planning anything for Venice (except a gondola ride). Venice is such a great city to just wander in and see what you stumble across. I'd probably be content to spend the whole visit in St Marco Square, drinking limoncello and people watching! I kinda feel the same way about Montorosso. Last time I was there I took the boat to Portovenere and loved it. I'd love to share that with S. She loves to hike, so, I imagine some hiking will be done! Cinque Terre is at the top of her bucket list, so I'm cool to let her call most of the shots on what we do there- as long as I get some delicious pesto from Belvedere Ristorante! Rome is a question mark yet. We know we want the day trip to Pompeii/Amalfi, but not sure about the other two days. So as I read back over this, Paris, Munich and Rome are most open to suggestions! We have lots of ideas, but nothing for sure yet. Part of the fun is hearing ideas and doing the research!
Lisa