Adult Content Warning

This community may contain adult content that is not suitable for minors. By closing this dialog box or continuing to navigate this site, you certify that you are 18 years of age and consent to view adult content.

World Travel Thread

Discussion in 'Permanent Threads' started by Brother J, Oct 21, 2009.

  1. bebop007

    bebop007
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    57
    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2010
    Messages:
    690
    Location:
    Chicago
    Much appreciated.

    One general travel question - Long layovers. One potential flight has us taking a twenty hour layover (each way) in Turkey. The upshot, is that tickets will be about $200 cheaper for each of us. I don't know much about Turkey (Istanbul, specifically), so I don't know if it would be worth trying to venture into the city for a quick day trip and then try to make it back to the airport for the flight into Poland. The pessimist in me is figuring that we are losing a day out of our normal vacation (each way, so 2 days of layover time essentially) and I don't see us getting a ton of rest/sleep amid all of that which means we'll probably exhausted when we finally arrive and lose a day or so recuperating.
     
  2. Whatthe...

    Whatthe...
    Expand Collapse
    Experienced Idiot

    Reputation:
    35
    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2009
    Messages:
    174
    For a 20 hour layover each way, I'd pay the extra $200 and go with a shorter layover. That's a long ass time to kick around an airport.

    That being said Istanbul is supposed to be a pretty cool city with lots to see. My wife has been there and she thought the grand bazaar was pretty cool. Which looks like its about 30mins by car from the airport.
     
  3. wexton

    wexton
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    351
    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2009
    Messages:
    3,238
    Location:
    North Coast BC
    Yea $200 for a shorter lay over is well worth not having to spend 20 hours in an airport.
     
  4. bebop007

    bebop007
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    57
    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2010
    Messages:
    690
    Location:
    Chicago
    Thanks again guys. My g/f brought it up as a possibility, but I was a little wary since I've never really done a long layover before. I would definitely prefer the shorter layover as well even if it costs a bit more.
     
  5. Rush-O-Matic

    Rush-O-Matic
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    1,307
    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2009
    Messages:
    12,100
    If you look for something to do in Turkey for that long, you'll spend $200 anyway.
     
  6. Nettdata

    Nettdata
    Expand Collapse
    Mr. Toast

    Reputation:
    2,863
    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2006
    Messages:
    25,731
    Erdogan poetry sessions are all the rage, I hear.
     
  7. AFHokie

    AFHokie
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    282
    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2010
    Messages:
    1,435
    Location:
    Manassas, VA
    Istanbul has a lot to offer over a 20hr layover, but I would also not recommend it be the first city you try your hand at layover touring.
     
  8. AFHokie

    AFHokie
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    282
    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2010
    Messages:
    1,435
    Location:
    Manassas, VA
    The new Mrs AFHokie and I just returned from our honeymoon on Easter Island. It is most definitely worth the trip, but damn we spent almost as much time in transit as we did on the island. If you plan your time well, you can see and experience just about everything you'd want to within 4-5 days. On the way there we had 22hr layover in Santiago, Chile so we went into the city and wandered around Plaza de Armas & Santa Lucía Hill. In retrospect, I wish we would've planned our time during the layover a little better because we both came away feeling underwhelmed by the city and I know Santiago has a lot more to offer than what we experienced.

    As far as the island, it was much cooler than I expected; highs in the low 70's and lows in the low 60's. The big Moai statue carvings are interesting, but there's over 800...after looking at a few sites I started to feel like I've seen them all. I'll post a few photos in the Kodak moment thread.

    We did a horseback ride to the highest point on the island and I rented a bike one morning and road the island loop. I recommend staying at one of the many cabanas on the island instead of the two luxury hotels.

    You can dive or snorkel there and interestingly one of the dive shops is run by a guy who has ties to Cousteau, but neither one of us are really into diving.
     
  9. Binary

    Binary
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    382
    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2009
    Messages:
    4,060
    Poland is a great country, I really enjoyed it.

    If you like hiking, Zakopane is simply spectacular. Just an amazing place to hike in the middle of the Polish Tatras, and many of the hikes take you right along the Slovakia border and have stunning views of both sides. There is a bus from Krakow, takes about 2 hours to get there. Worth it.
    [​IMG]

    Krakow was a nice city. The sobering trip to the concentration camps is a must-do. You can take a local bus to Oswiecim cheaply, there is no need to get involved in a tour unless you'd like someone else to tell you the history vs. reading it yourself (nothing wrong with a tour, I'm just telling you that the trip can be done cheaply). Go early, the first bus to the concentration camps, so you won't have to stand in line forever. The crowds thin out once you're inside. While you're in Oswiecim, don't miss Birkenau, it is arguably more dramatic and disturbing than Auschwitz, just because of the scale of it. It is also more open for roaming.

    While in Krakow, wander over to the Hala Targowa market after 8pm and have a kielbasa from the blue truck that parks out front. Locally famous, a line will start to form pretty soon after 8pm, and he goes until the wee hours of the morning.
    [​IMG]

    Warsaw is a nice city. It's just another nice European city, it didn't feel outstandingly special, but pleasant and lots of good food.

    Also of note, again going back to hiking (hey, it's one of my favorite things), the Bialowieza forest requires some effort to get to, but it is a pretty special place. One of the last untouched primeval forests in the world. I can provide more details if it sounds like a place you want to go, but I won't make this post into a novel for the time being.
     
  10. xrayvision

    xrayvision
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    509
    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2009
    Messages:
    6,323
    Location:
    Hyewston
    I feel you’re up to something.
     
  11. Binary

    Binary
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    382
    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2009
    Messages:
    4,060
    I'm not sure how to take that.

    @bebop007 we also went to Prague, which is a nice enough city, I just couldn't fall in love with it. Too many shitty trinket stores, too many outrageously priced food kiosks, too many people charging entrance fees to see this or that historic site... it's a shame, because it's a really pretty city. Just not my cup of tea - it's become a victim of its own tourism successes.
     
  12. Binary

    Binary
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    382
    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2009
    Messages:
    4,060
    @bebop007 asked about Bialoweiza so I thought I'd elaborate here in case anyone else found it interesting...

    The forest is on the far east border of Poland, and actually straddles the border into Belarus.

    The forest itself, ironically, has ended up virtually untouched thanks to centuries of nobility using it as their personal hunting grounds. The bison there were driven nearly to extinction, but it did leave the actual forest and most of the ecosystem intact. It's about the last piece of primeval forest left intact in Europe.

    It's a pretty special place. You can walk around the outskirts, and there are lots of nice hiking paths, but to get into the heart of the forest you must get a permit and take a not-very-cheap guide with you. Getting into the middle of the forest feels a little bit like going back in time, and I just loved it.

    [​IMG]

    Also cool is that you can actually cross over into Belarus on foot or bicycle and see the other side of the forest. Belarus only recently introduced visa-free travel across the border for some countries, when we went it was hundreds of dollars to get a Belarus visa, so the single-day transit via the forest was the best way for us to get there. The Belarusian side of the forest is nice on a bicycle - lots of long, straight, narrow roads under an enormous forest canopy. It's not a private sanctuary like the Polish side, but you can see a lot and spend a whole day on a bike pedaling around.

    [​IMG]

    Word of warning: getting there is a little painful if you're taking local transit. You have to catch a bus to Bialystok, and then another bus to the Bialoweiza village, and the bus schedule was wrong when we showed up, so we ended up sitting around Bialystok for hours. Still. If you're into wildlife or hiking, it's a unique experience.
     
  13. sisterkathlouise

    sisterkathlouise
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    160
    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2009
    Messages:
    835
    Boyfriend and I are planning a loop around the northern Adriatic late this spring. We are flying into Venice, driving down to Ancona, taking a ferry to Split, up through Croatia to Slovenia, then back to Venice. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by how much there is to see and how little time we have (13 days, but still...) So I thought I'd come here and ask if you all had any particular advice.

    FWIW, we like food and wine a WHOLE lot and as much as I can appreciate a giant touristy city, we generally enjoy getting a little ways off the beaten path even more.
     
  14. Czechvodkabaron

    Czechvodkabaron
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    95
    Joined:
    Oct 25, 2009
    Messages:
    608
    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    I will be in Pomona, CA, from Wednesday to Saturday. I've never been to CA, so I would love to hear suggestions on places to eat or visit that are in that area. I may also drive to the beach one day, so suggestions that are within an hour and a half drive or so are also welcome.
     
  15. Nettdata

    Nettdata
    Expand Collapse
    Mr. Toast

    Reputation:
    2,863
    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2006
    Messages:
    25,731
    Wow... wrong thread, apparently.

    The booze has NOTHING to do with it.

    NOTHING.

    Fuck Trump!
     
    #635 Nettdata, Mar 17, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2018
  16. Sanford Feldt

    Sanford Feldt
    Expand Collapse
    Lurker

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    May 31, 2018
    Messages:
    1
    Me and my better half planned to move to Spain in the Canaries next year. We were thinking about where to move whether Tenerife or Gran Canaria. But I like Gran Canaria more because the place seems wonderful like what I read in this article here in https://www.canaryislandsinfo.co.uk/gran-canaria/teror/... . Is there any advice you can give me on this two-island? Thanks
     
  17. Juice

    Juice
    Expand Collapse
    Moderately Gender Fluid

    Reputation:
    1,382
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    13,396
    Location:
    Boston
    Gran Canaria is nice. As far as living there, I have no idea. Its a tourist destination, so as long as you are okay with that type of environment, then why not?

    You may want to learn to speak Spanish if you dont already. Lots of regions in Spain have their own dialect, Im sure they do too. Also, you'll need to find consistent employment thats not contract-based in order to gain citizenship, as with a lot of European countries. Might be tough on such a small island that will likely cater to locals.
     
  18. whathasbeenseen

    whathasbeenseen
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    27
    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2009
    Messages:
    604
    If it helps you at all, I live in Fuerteventura. Of the two, I prefer Gran Canaria. It felt "cleaner" I guess. Tenerife is amazing and if you would like I have some friends there that may be able to help point you in the right direction. It feels built up compared to Gran Canaria, just a shitload of people. Compare that to Fuerteventura however and you'll feel like you've moved backward in time. But I love that about this place. Anyway, here to help if you'd like it.
     
  19. AFHokie

    AFHokie
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    282
    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2010
    Messages:
    1,435
    Location:
    Manassas, VA
    A last minute work trip has me in Boston today through Friday. Anything I should check out tonight or tomorrow?
     
  20. Now Slappy

    Now Slappy
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    81
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    865
    Catch a game at Fenway, they're in town. Even if you're not a huge baseball fan it really is a good time.