The MyGNR Travel Thread 2015

[Len Cnut]

Yeah, you make a fair point there actually!

[SoulMonster]

Tried walking the whole of Sunset blv in LA today. When I had only about 1 hour left to walk my feet said stop. Had to take a taxi back. Turns out now, when looking at a map, that even if I had finished all the way to Santa Monica, it wouldn't have been the whole Sunset since it doesn't start in Hollywood, which I thought, but MUCH further east, almost in downtown! Oh well. Next time with better shoes, a whole day available and a backpack for water and sun lotion.

[Len Cnut]

Tried walking the whole of Sunset blv in LA today. When I had only about 1 hour left to walk my feet said stop. Had to take a taxi back. Turns out now, when looking at a map, that even if I had finished all the way to Santa Monica, it wouldn't have been the whole Sunset since it doesn't start in Hollywood, which I thought, but MUCH further east, almost in downtown! Oh well. Next time with better shoes, a whole day available and a backpack for water and sun lotion.

You fuckin' hiking country yokels are all the same when you get in the fuckin' proper daylight and pollution and that

[spunko12345]

Was in Cornwall over the weekend for a friend's hen party, then paid a flying visit to Glasgow yesterday and looks like we'll be back up there again a couple of weeks before Christmas.

Also hoping to get our honeymoon booked to St Lucia

You lucky lucky bunny

I really want to go horseback riding in the sea but I don't think he's quite so into it

Fuckin' rope him into it, it's your honeymoon too right? See look, this is where the take part of the give and take equation comes in, you feign a little enthusiasm for the big day and then pull yourself something back with the horseback riding in the sea bit. Just the visual of it is quite something, where'd you get an idea like that in your head?

If my missus wants me to go somewhere or do something I'm not keen on (shopping mostly) then she just gives me a big plastic beaker full of Stella to take with me.

Have another look at that photo arq posted. Looks lovely, idyllic even. Blue skies, tanned beautiful people. Now imagine your there in the sea riding along with the love of your life when a lout comes trotting past on his horse with a cup full of fucking Stella spilling everywhere

[Dazey]

Was in Cornwall over the weekend for a friend's hen party, then paid a flying visit to Glasgow yesterday and looks like we'll be back up there again a couple of weeks before Christmas.

Also hoping to get our honeymoon booked to St Lucia

You lucky lucky bunny

I really want to go horseback riding in the sea but I don't think he's quite so into it

Fuckin' rope him into it, it's your honeymoon too right? See look, this is where the take part of the give and take equation comes in, you feign a little enthusiasm for the big day and then pull yourself something back with the horseback riding in the sea bit. Just the visual of it is quite something, where'd you get an idea like that in your head?

If my missus wants me to go somewhere or do something I'm not keen on (shopping mostly) then she just gives me a big plastic beaker full of Stella to take with me.

Have another look at that photo arq posted. Looks lovely, idyllic even. Blue skies, tanned beautiful people. Now imagine your there in the sea riding along with the love of your life when a lout comes trotting past on his horse with a cup full of fucking Stella spilling everywhere

Just upgraded my cup too!

[alfierose]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

[SoulMonster]

Flight got cancelled. Rebooked. 7 hours to kill at LAX.

But hey! The Americans have come up with something new! Secutiry where you don't have to remove laptop and cables from bag!

It's not a win-win situation, but I can't deny this isn't 100 % bad.

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Stay within the same time zone (more or less) - with three night you don't want jetlag to ruin things. Preferably not a long haul from the UK. What about UAE or Istanbul? Spain and Italy is always a safe bet, so is Portugal (Lisbon is a favourite). I think there are some direct flight from UK to Sicily. Chilling in a small village in Sicily while drinking excellent red wine and listening to the waves crashing against the rock wharf isn't too bad.

Edited October 28, 2015 by SoulMonster

[Graeme]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Mallorca's nice in the spring, before the tourist season gets properly underway, 3 hours flight, could grab a wee bit of sun, soak up some culture?

[Lio]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Amsterdam I'll meet you there. Or you could hop over to Antwerp and I'll buy you a drink for your birthday.

Maybe an island in the sun is more alluring though

[username]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Do yourself a favour and go to Bled in Slovenia. It's fucking stunning. Visit the Triglav National Park, the Vintgar Gorge, the Soca Valley, Lake Bled, Lake Bohinj... It's stunning.

Unless you want to party your brains out and not remember a thing. In that case go to either Prague or Bratislava.

If money isn't an issue, cancel both those plans and go to Amsterdam instead.

[alfierose]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Amsterdam I'll meet you there. Or you could hop over to Antwerp and I'll buy you a drink for your birthday.

Maybe an island in the sun is more alluring though

Thanks for all the ideas, i'm making notes. I've got free reign to go anywhere (within a sensible distance) it's making it difficult to choose to be honest.

Lio - I was considering Amsterdam, me and MB have been considering a meet up for a while. I think i'm going to do that on my own at some point though. It would be great if we could all join up.

Venice is on my list - has anyone been? Does it live up to the hype?

[SoulMonster]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Amsterdam I'll meet you there. Or you could hop over to Antwerp and I'll buy you a drink for your birthday.

Maybe an island in the sun is more alluring though

Thanks for all the ideas, i'm making notes. I've got free reign to go anywhere (within a sensible distance) it's making it difficult to choose to be honest.

Lio - I was considering Amsterdam, me and MB have been considering a meet up for a while. I think i'm going to do that on my own at some point though. It would be great if we could all join up.

Venice is on my list - has anyone been? Does it live up to the hype?

Venice is crowded. It's beautiful but crowded. I think I'd aim for a less touristy spot -- many beautiful places i Italy without throves of tourists.

[username]

Alfie, what's your main aim for this trip? Nature? Culture? Architecture? Citytrip? Partying? Debauchery and sin?

[alfierose]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Amsterdam I'll meet you there. Or you could hop over to Antwerp and I'll buy you a drink for your birthday.

Maybe an island in the sun is more alluring though

Thanks for all the ideas, i'm making notes. I've got free reign to go anywhere (within a sensible distance) it's making it difficult to choose to be honest.

Lio - I was considering Amsterdam, me and MB have been considering a meet up for a while. I think i'm going to do that on my own at some point though. It would be great if we could all join up.

Venice is on my list - has anyone been? Does it live up to the hype?

Venice is crowded. It's beautiful but crowded. I think I'd aim for a less touristy spot -- many beautiful places i Italy without throves of tourists.

Okay, i'll bear that in mind. I was okay with NY crowds, is it worse?

Alfie, what's your main aim for this trip? Nature? Culture? Architecture? Citytrip? Partying? Debauchery and sin?

Probably city trip, lots to do, I love a good museum or two. Not too hot, I burn v easily and don't want to waste time sat under shade. I don't think there will be much partying, maybe a tiny bit of sin!

[SoulMonster]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Amsterdam I'll meet you there. Or you could hop over to Antwerp and I'll buy you a drink for your birthday.

Maybe an island in the sun is more alluring though

Thanks for all the ideas, i'm making notes. I've got free reign to go anywhere (within a sensible distance) it's making it difficult to choose to be honest.

Lio - I was considering Amsterdam, me and MB have been considering a meet up for a while. I think i'm going to do that on my own at some point though. It would be great if we could all join up.

Venice is on my list - has anyone been? Does it live up to the hype?

Venice is crowded. It's beautiful but crowded. I think I'd aim for a less touristy spot -- many beautiful places i Italy without throves of tourists.

Okay, i'll bear that in mind. I was okay with NY crowds, is it worse?

The most popular tourist sites will be similar to the throngs at Times Square. I suppose.

[username]

Alfie, what's your main aim for this trip? Nature? Culture? Architecture? Citytrip? Partying? Debauchery and sin?

Probably city trip, lots to do, I love a good museum or two. Not too hot, I burn v easily and don't want to waste time sat under shade. I don't think there will be much partying, maybe a tiny bit of sin!

I'd stick with Amsterdam or Berlin then. Both have tons of everything you mentioned. So many people go to Amsterdam for weed and prostitutes, but really it has SO much more to offer. Enjoy the Rijksmeseum and the Van Gogh museum. Maybe Anne Frank, if it's late or early in the day. Go to Zaanse Schans for a day. Maybe the Keukenhof if tulips are in season. Other than that just take a boat trip and sniff up the city. It can be amazing, but you need to know what you want and what you want to avoid.

Ahh, and Berlin. I love Berlin. It's such an amazing melting pot and there's nothing like it. It's where the west and the east meet. It's where democracy and communism meet. It's where old and new meet. It's been torn by war, bombed, divided and it just got back from all of that. There's so much to do and see. So many hidden art galleries or little restaurants. And it all just works together. It's by now means the showcase German place (go to Bavaria for those), but it's unique and amazing. It's mighty and powerful and yet it's friendly and welcoming. I love Berlin.

Edited October 28, 2015 by username

[alfierose]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Amsterdam I'll meet you there. Or you could hop over to Antwerp and I'll buy you a drink for your birthday.

Maybe an island in the sun is more alluring though

Thanks for all the ideas, i'm making notes. I've got free reign to go anywhere (within a sensible distance) it's making it difficult to choose to be honest.

Lio - I was considering Amsterdam, me and MB have been considering a meet up for a while. I think i'm going to do that on my own at some point though. It would be great if we could all join up.

Venice is on my list - has anyone been? Does it live up to the hype?

Venice is crowded. It's beautiful but crowded. I think I'd aim for a less touristy spot -- many beautiful places i Italy without throves of tourists.

Okay, i'll bear that in mind. I was okay with NY crowds, is it worse?

The most popular tourist sites will be similar to the throngs at Times Square. I suppose.

That's fine if it's just major attractions I suppose. If the entire of Venice is like that I might re think. I also fancy Berlin, it's somewhere I like the idea of visiting but (and this is probably ridiculous) I can't shake the notion that it's a bit of a serious place to go to for a birthday. This sounds stupid as i'm typing it but a lot of the excursions I looked at on lastminute seemed to be WW2 related, which I would find interesting but not exactly jolly.

Alfie, what's your main aim for this trip? Nature? Culture? Architecture? Citytrip? Partying? Debauchery and sin?

Probably city trip, lots to do, I love a good museum or two. Not too hot, I burn v easily and don't want to waste time sat under shade. I don't think there will be much partying, maybe a tiny bit of sin!

I'd stick with Amsterdam or Berlin then. Both have tons of everything you mentioned. So many people go to Amsterdam for weed and prostitutes, but really it has SO much more to offer. Enjoy the Rijksmeseum and the Van Gogh museum. Maybe Anne Frank, if it's late or early in the day. Go to Zaanse Schans for a day. Maybe the Keukenhof if tulips are in season. Other than that just take a boat trip and sniff up the city. It can be amazing, but you need to know what you want and what you want to avoid.

Ahh, and Berlin. I love Berlin. It's such an amazing melting pot and there's nothing like it. It's where the west and the east meet. It's where democracy and communism meet. It's where old and new meet. It's been torn by war, bombed, divided and it just got back from all of that. There's so much to do and see. So many hidden art galleries or little restaurants. And it all just works together. It's by now means the showcase German place (go to Bavaria for those), but it's unique and amazing. It's mighty and powerful and yet it's friendly and welcoming. I love Berlin.

Ha, I just mentioned Berlin before reading your post. Not too serious then?

[SoulMonster]

I can warmly recommend Berlin. It is a big city with lots to offer.

[alfierose]

Okay, i'm going to put Berlin on the shortlist then. Only other reservation is that my husband has been before, albeit years ago. It might be nice to go somewhere neither of us have been so he doesn't spend the whole time telling me things he already knows.

[username]

Ha, I just mentioned Berlin before reading your post. Not too serious then?

Surprisingly, no! I thought it would be. Especially since Germany as a country has NO sense of humour whatsoever. But it's not. It's just the amazingly well-balanced blend of everything. It was a lot more playful and warming.

But since there's SO much going on, I'd definitely recommend reading up a little on what's there and what's going on at the time. You could just as easily fill a week there.

Edited October 28, 2015 by username

[alfierose]

Ha, I just mentioned Berlin before reading your post. Not too serious then?

Surprisingly, no! I thought it would be. Especially since Germany as a country has NO sense of humour whatsoever. But it's not. It's just the amazingly well-balanced blend of everything. It was a lot more playful and warming.

But since there's SO much going on, I'd definitely recommend reading up a little on what's there and what's going on at the time. You could just as easily fill a week there.

Vienna is supposed to be lovely too. We went to Tallinn on our honeymoon before it became more touristy, a really unusual, quaint place.

[username]

Ha, I just mentioned Berlin before reading your post. Not too serious then?

Surprisingly, no! I thought it would be. Especially since Germany as a country has NO sense of humour whatsoever. But it's not. It's just the amazingly well-balanced blend of everything. It was a lot more playful and warming.

But since there's SO much going on, I'd definitely recommend reading up a little on what's there and what's going on at the time. You could just as easily fill a week there.

Vienna is supposed to be lovely too. We went to Tallinn on our honeymoon before it became more touristy, a really unusual, quaint place.

Oh I love Vienna! I've only been there for a day, but I loved how classic and majestic it felt. We were staying with a friend (from this forum) in Bratislava and went over there by boat. Schonbrunn was absolutely gorgeous, great garden as well. The Stephansdom is a great cathedral and we had a nice time chilling at the Heldenplatz while the sun was setting. But personally pick Berlin over Vienna by a hair. I think it's that strange east/west/classic/modern melting pot vibe. Quite unique. Edited October 28, 2015 by username

[Len Cnut]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Happy 40th Grandma, its all fuckin' bingo and bridge evenings from now on darlin', knitting shawls watching Corrie

[Graeme]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Amsterdam I'll meet you there. Or you could hop over to Antwerp and I'll buy you a drink for your birthday.

Maybe an island in the sun is more alluring though

Thanks for all the ideas, i'm making notes. I've got free reign to go anywhere (within a sensible distance) it's making it difficult to choose to be honest.

Lio - I was considering Amsterdam, me and MB have been considering a meet up for a while. I think i'm going to do that on my own at some point though. It would be great if we could all join up.

Venice is on my list - has anyone been? Does it live up to the hype?

Venice is crowded. It's beautiful but crowded. I think I'd aim for a less touristy spot -- many beautiful places i Italy without throves of tourists.

Okay, i'll bear that in mind. I was okay with NY crowds, is it worse?

Alfie, what's your main aim for this trip? Nature? Culture? Architecture? Citytrip? Partying? Debauchery and sin?

Probably city trip, lots to do, I love a good museum or two. Not too hot, I burn v easily and don't want to waste time sat under shade. I don't think there will be much partying, maybe a tiny bit of sin!

Not too hot, you say? Have you considered Glasgow?

[spunko12345]

I have a milestone birthday next spring, to cheer me up celebrate I'm going away. Three nights, no kids, flying from UK. Where shall I go?

Amsterdam I'll meet you there. Or you could hop over to Antwerp and I'll buy you a drink for your birthday.

Maybe an island in the sun is more alluring though

Thanks for all the ideas, i'm making notes. I've got free reign to go anywhere (within a sensible distance) it's making it difficult to choose to be honest.

Lio - I was considering Amsterdam, me and MB have been considering a meet up for a while. I think i'm going to do that on my own at some point though. It would be great if we could all join up.

Venice is on my list - has anyone been? Does it live up to the hype?

Venice is crowded. It's beautiful but crowded. I think I'd aim for a less touristy spot -- many beautiful places i Italy without throves of tourists.

Okay, i'll bear that in mind. I was okay with NY crowds, is it worse?

Alfie, what's your main aim for this trip? Nature? Culture? Architecture? Citytrip? Partying? Debauchery and sin?

Probably city trip, lots to do, I love a good museum or two. Not too hot, I burn v easily and don't want to waste time sat under shade. I don't think there will be much partying, maybe a tiny bit of sin!

Not too hot, you say? Have you considered Glasgow?

Edited October 28, 2015 by spunko12345