I was in Berlin in February and definitely would recommend it as a place to visit for anyone coming to Europe. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, it's cheap, and just the general atmosphere is great. I also love the combination of new and old buildings - most of the city was rebuilt after the war.
Question: I've always wanted to learn italian but I haven't found any good audio tapes or audio courses online for it. In fact i can't find really anything. I'm headed to Rome this summer and I'm starting to think it might be a good idea to learn some before I go. Ya know the whole saying when in rome Smiley except I'm not sure how english speaking they are, can i get away with not learning? Any idea?
Responses:
Have a look at Rosetta Stone software. They have a free demo on there website which I played with for a few hours that seems pretty cool.... haven't tried the full product though
The language appeals to me too - after visiting last year I found this site: http://www.learnitalianpod.com/
The audio aspect is great.
Here is the first beginners lesson ... http://www.learnitalianpod.com/2005/11/30/greetings/
The BBC has some good online resources for learning languages. http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/
You can also search iTunes for podcasts, there are lots to choose from.
So that's where our TV licence goes! Looks like a really useful site actually, nice find.
Tip for the luggage: Buy the most extreme color of luggage you can find. Make life a lot easier when finding your bags at baggage claim. However, luggage set I bought was bright red. It was great for a couple flights but then suddenly everyone started getting red bags. Now its almost as much of a nightmare as having a black bag. I wish more colors were available.
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Thats a great tip ... a twist on it that I use is to wrap a section of the handle in colored ribbon or string. If you don't narrow it down with the bright colored luggage you sure will with the bright colored ribbon. Getting out of any airport is a priority for me!
I've always done that too, makes life a lot easier! Great tip!
Yeah - there is nothing worse than arguing with another tired traveller that that really isn't their bag they are walking off with.
Nice tip. Plus, you can probably find the ugly colored bags on clearance!
Hey, I have red luggage too! It's definitely the new black
Ok, so it's not realistic to learn the language of every country you visit, but there's nothing more arrogant than English speaking travellers expecting everyone to speak English!
If you make the effort, then you'll often be rewarded with better prices in cabs and at markets etc.
I'd suggest as a bare minimum learn "Hello" and "Thank you".
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I completely agree, you want to at the very least learn to say hello, thank you, and goodbye.
It's also polite to ask if someone speaks English before you go ahead and start chatting away.
If you make an effort you can actually pick up quite a few words fairly quickly. Even if you get it wrong, locals always appreciate that you tried.
Can anyone recommend a cheap place to stay in Manhattan. I'm a college student on a budget and am visiting for a week in December. Any tips? Prefer somewhere in Midtown.
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I stayed a couple of times at the Big Apple Hostel. The location is near Broadway and it was a great place to meet people. I was there a few years ago so it could have changed since then, not sure. http://www.bigapplehostel.com/
Check out the Sofitel. Great place. It's a 4 star on Priceline and even though it costs like $300 normal, you can get it for $160 a night through Priceline.
Recommendations for some good restaurants close by?
On previous visits I checked out Venice and Hollywood and some of the tourist spots in LA - anything else I should check out?
When I first visited NY I was straight out of University and had practically zero cash. It is an expensive place - but it is possible to have a good time there without spending a fortune.
1. buy a subway ticket for a few days - it is cheaper and you can find some cool stuff just by jumping on and getting off at a random stop.
2. check out the free Statten Island Ferry (a free view of the Statue of Liberty)
3. Walk! The best way to see everything.
Will think of some more and post them here.
Anyone else got any tips for "down and out in NYC"?
My hometown is Christchurch, New Zealand.
I love travelling - recently it has been mostly for work but I still like getting on board a plane to a new place. Pity the flights from New Zealand are so long!
I have travelled to the US a number of times including:
New York - stayed for a month in Manhattan in 2001 and visited again for a week in 2004.
San Francisco 2003 and 2004 (great city!)
Los Angeles - 2006-2008 have visited 4 times for work. About to go again!
I have also visited North Carolina, Washington DC and Vegas.
Visited Melbourne and Sydney in Australia.
I visited Europe for the first time last year. That trip included Nice in France, Monaco and a small town in Italy called Lavagna. I would love to visit Italy again and check out some more of Europe. I am planning another trip to Europe soon for work.
I have travelled all round New Zealand.
Let me know if you have any questions about those locations.
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Glad to see another antipodean (I'm an Aussie) around here. Cool
I loved San Francisco too and New York was fun. Don't have many other good things to say about the US though.
One of my best friends lives in Christchurch. I would like to go visit her one day. What are the top destinations in NZ?
Thanks! I really love Melbourne. Almost moved there a couple of times.
I think LA is hard work - basically because it is tough because it isn't as easy to get around as some other locations. I really enjoyed North Carolina. I basically just drove round the state for a few days and went to the beach. The people were really friendly and suprised I was there. Most visitors are there for business it seemed. Hoping to do some more driving in the US in the next couple of years. Perhaps up the west coast. The section between LA and SF is beautiful.
In New Zealand I think it depends what you like. If you want to get away from things the West Coast of the South Island and an area in the north of the South Island called Takaka are great. I am biased towards the South Island because I grew up here. Love the mountains.
If you are into cities and shopping I really rate Wellington. Always lots going on and lots to do in a small area. The national museum Te Papa is there and a great restaurant/cafe/bar scene - as well as shopping.
Hey, I'm an Aussie, from Perth, and travelling is my passion.
I moved to France 3 years ago so I could travel more in Europe. Being is Paris is great because it is so close to everywhere. So far I've been to:
England
Scotland
Wales
Ireland
Spain
France
Germany
Italy
Greece
Netherlands
Belgium
Luxembourg
Switzerland
Austria
Czech Republic
Denmark
Albania
It may seem like a lot but there is lots, lots more to see in Europe.
I've also travelled quite a bit around Australia, Canada, US, plus short trips to Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, and Dubai.
Next trip for me is to Morocco (going tomorrow, yay!), then to Slovakia (Bratislava) and then, I don't know where!
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Wow - sounds great. You are definitely well travelled! I am looking forward to getting back to Europe in the second half of the year. I will hopefully be based in the South of France for a while. Have some clients there. I hear there are cheap airfares from Nice. I have a friend living in Dublin that I am looking forward to catching up with.
How is your French?
Hope your finding Morocco ok Smiley I thought it was a crazy country to visit. Nice people even though everyone tries to rip you off whenever you buy something.... but that's part of the charm of the place I suppose Grin
Did you manage to try any Berber Whiskey (Mint tea)?
I didn't really enjoy Morocco. It didn't help that I got very very ill on day 2 of my trip - seriously bad food poisoning Sad I'm still quite sick now.
I loved the Berber Whiskey and the super fresh orange juice. Saw plenty of Berber Jeeps (donkeys) Cheesy but didn't appreciate the Berber Medicine (cumin mixed with water) so much!
Yeah, the people definitely do whatever they can to get money out of you. I was surprised at just how expensive everything was, especially in Marrakech.
The Atlas Mountains were probably the highlight.
Well... I don't have any problems speaking to people, I can even manage on the phone now. I make a lot of grammatical errors though, I know I do but I don't care any more.
Occasionally I think about taking some more lessons but I'm just too lazy to do it.
nice, i have been hanging out with a guy here in raliegh from perth australia. Names themo or something along that line
I'm Si, I'm from the UK (and currently back here Sad), done a bit of travelling, mostly in SE Asia - Thailand & Malaysia.
Plan on heading back that way later this year, the plan is constantly evolving but at the mo it's looking like:
Eurotunnel to France ---> Germany ---> Russia ---->China (Trans-Siberian/Manchurian, hopefully stop off in Mongolia) ---> (depending on situation) Tibet --> Nepal ---> India ---> Where-ever!
Responses:
Sounds like it'll be a great trip.
How long are you planning on taking to do it?
I don't want any time limits on returning but am not going to go until there's enough cash coming in to live and travel with minimum online time needed to manage it.
The trip ideas are constantly changing, but it would be good to travel via lots of places rather than flying over them to get somewhere. To enjoy the journey without needing a final destination.
Names nicholas, been to charlotte, california , houston, raleigh london, dubai and about 3 countries in africa. Kenya, tanzania and uganda.
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How's it going mate?
Pretty bad the recent unrest in Kenya - have you got family there?
I would love to do an African safari one day. Where do you think is the best place to do it? Tanzania?
What were you doing in Tanzania?
If you visit New Zealand and are into being away from people check out the West Coast of the South Island. A great spot is Punakaiki. It can be very wet on "the coast" - but definitely worth a visit for some great scenery. If you are driving from the top of the South Island you can drive through the Buller Gorge which is one of my favorite scenic drives in New Zealand.
Also if you time it right you can visit Hokitika for the "Wild Food Festival" (http://www.wildfoods.co.nz/) - where you can eat all manner of crazy food. The festival is in March every year.
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Sounds great! I've always wanted to see NZ, heard so many great things about your country! Hopefully I'll make it down that way sometime.
My Kiwi friend is getting married next year so I'm probably going to do a bit of a tour of NZ after going to her wedding.
I'll definitely try to visit these places. Thanks for the tip!
I used to live in Hawaii on Oahu and have been back 3 times since moving away. I wish I could afford to live there now! Anyway, for those of you looking for travel tips, here's the real deal.
The first day you get there, take it easy on the beach. The time difference is killer, especially if you live on the East Coast of the US. Trying to do too much the first day is a recipe for crankiness and frustration.
Visit Pearl Harbor early in the morning. Get there at least 30 minutes before it opens. Yes, you'll have to wait in line, but it's only 30-45 minutes. If you show up later, you'll be waiting hours.
Definitely get to Hanauma Bay. It's a great view and an awesome beach. It's great for snorkeling and seeing some tropical fish. You'll need to get here early as well. You have to wait in line to watch a movie about what you can and can't do since they are trying to conserve the reef and the surrounding area. If you wait until after the park opens, you're going to wait an hour just to get in.
If you can plan your trip for the winter, that is the best time to go to see the monster waves on the North Shore and humpback whales on the whale watching trips.
If you don't want all the hustle and bustle of Waikiki and Honolulu, stay at either the Turtle Bay Hilton on the North Shore, or the Ko Olina Resort on the western side of Oahu. Both great out of the way places.
Last, but not least, prepare yourself for lots of traffic and high prices. Traffic into Honolulu/Waikiki is outrageous. On par with cities like Los Angeles and New York. Prices, especially downtown are crazy. While the rest of the U.S. is paying $3 a gallon for gas, people in Hawaii are at nearly $4 per gallon!
If you visit England, Stonehenge is a must see in my opinion.
It is a World Heritage site and narrowly missed out on becoming one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World". It is one of the oldest man-made structures in the world and just has this magic feeling about the place.
In my opinion the ONLY time to go is the eve of the Summer Solstice when you can actually get close to the stones. If you can put up with (or even enjoy) lots of hippies and a very random mix of people, the constantly pounding drums and the (more recent) commercial aspect (burger vans etc) then nothing comes close to watching the sun rise on the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge.
Have a little of your poison of choice or just get high on the atmosphere! Rest your back against an stone pillar that was erected 4000 years ago on a site that has been used by humans for 10000 years, surrounded by thousands of people all there to celebrate something that has been celebrated by man for millennia.
The manner of the celebrations may have evolved as time has passed, but you can feel that this is something man has been doing long before we thought about Christmas or any other religious celebration.
Visit Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice and experience a unique mix of the modern and the ancient!
Official site: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/stonehenge
More info on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge
Also: http://www.stonehenge.co.uk - appears to be a commercial site and not up to date, but has some pics of previous Solstice celebrations.
This year Summer Solstice is on 21st June, so the celebrations are over the night of Friday 20th June - See you there!
One of the best things about Paris and the many beautiful parks and gardens. My favourites include:
Jardin du Luxembourg
Parc Monceau
Palais Royal
Parc Andre Citroen
Bois de Boulogne
Those are all great but there are also many smaller gardens where you can sit and relax. Just wander around and you'll find them