I have never visited any European countries and am taking a first stab at getting my group of girlfriends organized!
Any thoughts on my 2 ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Darlings!
I’ve been doing some brainstorming about our trip and I’ve
come up with 2 potential options that I think would be wonderful. These are
just some thoughts I’ve had while procrastinating at work!
Idea #1 : Prague
& Vienna –
a. Vienna!
– Not just the name of that terrible, terrible tramp from the Bachelor (I miss
watching this with you gals), but also is often said to be "The City of
Dreams" because it was home to one of the world's greatest interpreters of
dreams, Professor Sigmund Freud. (lets go here http://www.traveldestinationinfo.com/vienna/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Vienna-2.jpg)
Vienna has 23 districts or wards know singularly as Bezirk in Austrian German. They vary immensely in
size and each has its own flair – perfect for a group of curious and
adventurous young Canadian women. One thing that I find quite interesting about
this place is the fact that they have a large dedication to the sport of
horseback riding, specifically Lipizzaner horses. This particular breed of
horse walks with blissful bounce and appear to be dancing – very appealing.
Vienna is also famous for its coffee
culture. "Let's have a coffee" is a very commonly heard
phrase. Although it is off season, the city has a lot of beautiful vineyards;
luckily, beer is next in importance to wine. - Dearest Amy, we will find you
something gluten free!!! Let’s go make our dreams come true in the city of
Vienna.
b. Prague!
Or the “Golden City” - In addition to seeing the beautiful gothic and
renaissance buildings in Prague (and things like this clock http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Praga_0003.JPG)
, we would fit right in with the local street style (http://www.stylemewhimsy.com/2011/11/travel-list-prague.html
( this is a great blog by the way, check it out.) Beer in the Czech Republic
has a long and important history. Prague or ‘Praha’ as the locals say, is
widely regarded as one of the most charming cities in Europe. Another beer town
- the first brewery is known to have existed in 1118. (thanks Wikipedia) –
since we really like beer, charming architecture and interesting facts about
weird countries, I believe this would be a great choice.
c. Did
you know that driving from Vienna to Prague only takes a little over 3 hours?
The super mobility of a car will save us time and money in locating budget
accommodations in small towns away from tourists and train lines. If there is
anything I’ve learned from you, the best way to experience a country is to get
to know the locals. Think of all the fun we could have stopping at little
boutiques, or packing a picnic and checking out a small art gallery along the
way. Driving would allow us to find little gems that we will remember forever.
If there is time, we could even go to Salzburg! Just a thought…..
d. Another
great things about going to these two countries is that the flights are
relatively cheap / comparable to other locations (ie London).
Idea #2 : Paris &
Amsterdam
a. We’ll always have Paris – Even though I have
never watched Casablanca, I quoted it anyways. Why you ask? Because every
movie, book and person I’ve ever talked to has told me that Paris has SOMETHING
special about it. Magical even – when you’re there you just feel it. Look at
this blog and you’ll see why - http://www.theclotheswhisperer.co.uk/2011/11/wandering-whisperer-paris-prepares-for.html The magical feelings could be related to the
amount of wine that people consume in the city; but, if we drink wine together
in Paris we can high five each other on how we’ve grown since the days of box
of wine. Now that Brooke has been here a few times, she knows what is worth
seeing and some great places to stay. How great would it be if we had a
friendship photo in front of some of these historical monuments – that’d be a
framer! A VERY important tidbit about this place is cheese. Cheese. We all love
it, Danielle always takes the biggest piece because she loves it so much. Here
is a site that boasts “What to know where to get the best French Cheese? Here
we tell you about one of the best cheese makers in Paris” http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/france/Best-Cheese-in-Paris/623 Added value bonus: Danielle speaks French and
will help us get the best wines using her knowledge of fine François culture.
b. Amsterdam
– This city fans out from the central railway station and we could easily hop
on a train to get here from Paris. In
the early 17th century, when immigration was at a peak, a comprehensive plan
was developed that was based on four concentric half-circles of canals with
their ends emerging at the IJ bay (to
get a better idea, please see this helpful photo http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/74/AmsterdamLuchtfotoBmz.jpg)
. Do you know what this means? We can take a little row boat through a canal
together. Have we done that before? NO. People who have been have told me that
there are 2 places you must visit while in the city: special cafes and the red
light districts. Once we do that, there are lots and lots of other cool things
we can do. Ie) Beer Sampling http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/things-to-do/dutch_beer
During our down time, we should wander neat little shops and make new friends.
c. Flights
are about the same as idea #1.
After reading this, you might be thinking “wow this sounds
expensive!” or "wow caitlin was really bored today".
I am also concerned
about $$$ therefore, I am happy to agree that hostels / splitting
accommodations is definitely a YES. Buying food from little groceries instead
of eating a zillions of restaurants is a YES. Having the most fun ever is a YES
YES YES.
Let me know what you think . Miss y’alls.
Have you been to Europe? Where should I go as a first timer?
