European vacations

I was in Pisa in March 2000, with a tour group of my uncles former parishioners which was led by him and a tour guide from Gate 1 travel (Vanni Martinelli, THE BEST TOUR GUIDE EVER). Anyhow, as one typically arrives in Pisa via tour buses which park a short distance from the leaning tower, one usually takes a small local bus from the parking area to reach the tower. As we got off the small bus at the end of the roadway which passes under a arch and continues on to border the green area with the tower, a church and the baptistery, our guide told us to wait. He instructed us not to walk directly under the arch to the green, but to follow him. We followed him on about a 5-6 minute walk on around the edge of the walled part of the town the landmarks are in. As we reached the next portal in the wall, we proceeded through it, and then on for maybe another 100 feet until we reached the first intersection, at which point he stopped us. He then had us get our cameras ready and such and then proceed into the intersection. And BAM! there the tower! His point for having us do this was that by taking the few minutes to walk around to the other entrance, we were presented with a very sudden and dramatic view of the complete tower. If we had walked through the main entrance through the walls, the tower comes into view farther away, and you see more of it gradually. This way was MUCH more pleasing.

Malbork

UNESCO World Heritage Centre inscribed this property due to the fact that this castle is supreme example of the

medieval brick castle that characterizes the Teutonic Order in Eastern Europe.

But my explanation of start for this review would go in a different way. I had no clue about this, I had heard from friends who were working in Gdansk say,

During our honeymoon in Positano, we were coaxed into leaving the village only once - to go to Capri. The second we landed in the Marina Grande, we wished there was another boat we could get on to go back to the Amalfi Coast immediately. It was like all the worst of all the ‘transportation’ centres of Europe rolled into one - crowded, overpriced, dirty…

This had not been my first visit to Paris, in fact, it was my third and I had still not found time to explore the infamous Catacombs. It wasn’t that I had neglected to seek them out in the past, nor any shortage of time, each visit left me with two or more weeks to explore the great city. It was for the plain and simple fact that I had been utterly unable to locate them. I followed the maps, walked the narrow spider web-like streets each time until I had become hopelessly lost and frustrated before finally giving up and going back to my small apartment on the other side of the city. Any sane person probably would have given up after so many ill attempts, but on this visit, I was determined to find them and I had two weeks to do it.

Trieste must rank as one of Europe’s most under-rated cities. Lying in the forgotten north-eastern corner of Italy, for years almost cut off from the rest of the country by the so-called Iron Curtain, the port city of Triests is neglected by the tourist crowds in favour of its better known and more beautiful sister venice. I must admit that passing through Trieste by train five years ago en route to Slovenija, there did not seem much to stop for. It seemed ordinary, nondescript, industrial, consisting solely of factories, cranes and mist. A town made to be forgotten…and forget it I did, until I happened across Ryanair’s website offering flights from London Stansted to Trieste Airport for a ridiculously low sum. A quick glance at a map, and my head was filled with ideas of a short trip to Slovenija, a country I had wanted to re-visit for some time. Trieste would just provide a convenient and cheap gateway, nothing more.

I visited Verona in the context of a trip where I saw a different small city every day for a week. I feel as though my visit could not have done it justice, and it was just enough to whet my appetite to return.

Verona is wonderful if you don’t want to go to the countryside, but you also aren’t up for a big urban center like Rome or Milan. There are enough sites, stores and restaurants to keep you entertained for a long weekend and maybe even a full week.

The museum-going highlight of my trip to Amsterdam surprisingly turned out to be the Tropenmuseum (also hailed by ptieman in one of his Amsterdam travelogues).

The Tropenmuseum (Tropical Museum)is located in the east side of Amsterdam, near Ooster Park (the eastern park). Oficially known as the KIT(an anacronym which roughly translates as the Tropical Culture Institute), KIT also hosts the Kindermuseum ( Children’s Museum)in the same building.

A sun-filled sky greeted us in the morning and we set off for Siena, taking only 40 minutes to get there from our Castello di Gargonza (See “Day Tips From Castello Di Gargonza” at http://www.epinions.com/content_23620128388) and find the free underground parking at the train station. We had to walk a few blocks up the hill to get inside the walls of old town Siena, but the exercise was good.

People competed with motorcycles and cars on the narrow cobblestone streets and before long we came to an opening where we saw a huge piazza, Il Campo, with the Town Hall and Torre (tower)del Mangia next to it. It was a great photo opportunity!

Review Topic: Sights & Attractions

I hadn’t been on skis since 1974, so why did I decide to check out the Holmenkollen ski jump? Guidebooks talk about the incredible view, and I wanted to see it.

Holmenkollen is a famous Olympic ski jump tower and has been the center of Norwegian ski sport for over 100 years. About a 35-minute train ride from Oslo, it was the site of the first annual ski jump competition in 1892. The jump has been rebuilt several times over the years. In 1952, permanent spectator stands and referee boxes were built for the Winter Olympics. 150,000 spectators - a longstanding record - watched in person that year.

Continued from "Part II of III - Mykonos - Party Island: Beach by Day, Town by Night"

http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-4C10-F759EB9-3A00BC84-prod2

Santorini was my favorite part of the trip. I actually wish that my girlfriend and I had planned more time in Santorini, rather than Mykonos. I really just wish my whole vacation was longer.