Europe in November/December

[Brian Shanahan]

He was in Florida and didn't visit!

I bought the ticket (not very good at waiting).  Fly into Amsterdam and fly out of Paris, but everything in between is still on the table...recommendations most welcome.

Darrell

Travel down from Amsterdam to Paris, stopping for a few days at places like den Haag, Brugge, Antwerpen, Bruxelles, Liege, Paschendaele &c. on the way. Even just keeping yourself fairly strictly on a straight line from Amsterdam to Paris, you'll see less than 10% of what's there to see in three weeks.

And you should be able to manage to book trains along the way (or even buy at stations) to suit whatever plan you come up with.

[darrelljs]

If you want I can craft a list of cool things to do in Paris that most people don't know about

Yes please !

I'd recommend the Pont du Gard and the various Roman remains in Nîmes and Arles. Other than that, I don't know much about the area.

Interesting...I'll check that out. I generally like less places/more time per place, so its going to be a tradeoff.

If you're not absolutely set on the Côte d'Azur, there are also some nice areas further West:

I will check out all those suggestions . I'm not tied to the east for sure...

Travel down from Amsterdam to Paris, stopping for a few days at places like den Haag, Brugge, Antwerpen, Bruxelles, Liege, Paschendaele &c. on the way.

I had forgotten about Brugge! Ever since I saw that movie with the Voldemort I'd wanted to visit that city...

Darrell

[AdrienIer]

If you want I can craft a list of cool things to do in Paris that most people don't know about

Yes please !

Ok let's start with museums.
The museum of arts and crafts is not as well known as the major museums of Paris, but is probably the most unique one. If you've never been there and like renaissance to modern era tools and machines it's great.
The Louvre's new (less than 10 years old) middle east wing is really interesting. Some amazing Byzantine mosaics along with beautiful stuff from the Muslim world.
Do you know the Primal Arts Museum ? It's great, and quite unique.
The museum of romantic life is really intriguing, mostly for its location : it's a small green island hidden from sight just south of Montmartre. Some of the greatest artists of the early-to-mid 19th century used to go to that building to chat, play the piano (for Liszt and Chopin), and paint (Delacroix etc...)

5 years ago I'd have included the catacombs in this list, but I think pretty much everyone knows about the Paris catacombs now.
I'll assume you've also been to the Père Lachaise cemetery, which has the oldest tombs of the city and is as gloomy as you can get.
If you like abandoned railways there's the abandoned "petite ceinture" which can be seen in several places (there's a bar just above it near Guy Moquet station, and another one at Porte de Clignancourt). Some people know how to get down to the rails but I don't :/

Outside of Paris you can take a regional train at Gare du Nord and go to Auvers sur Oise, where Van Gogh spent a lot of his life (and were he is buried). It's a lovely village, and a great day trip if the weather is kind.
There's also the Chantilly castle which is also accessible by train from Gare du Nord for a day trip, where you can eat the original "creme Chantilly".

If you're in Paris on the first Sunday of December you can take a walk on the Champs-Elysées : every month on the first Sunday the avenue is not accessible for motorized vehicles, which lets you enjoy it without fear of being run over by a car.

The cruise on the canal Saint-Martin (from Stalingrad to Bastille) is pretty cool, it's a nice cruise until you get inside the Bastille tunnel where the light is absolutely amazing (I think it's better in the morning and when it's reasonably sunny outside).

And finally Rue de Montmorency you can find the oldest inn in the city, founded by Nicolas Flamel (yes, the alchemist). It's now a fancy restaurant with a 15th century look.

I'm starting to dry up but I'll try to scratch my head for more before you arrive

Edit : I knew I had forgotten at least one : the institute of the Arab world. There's an exhibition there about oriental Christians until January, in addition to its nice collection. And whatever happens, the building that hosts the institute is really nice

[darrelljs]

Great list! Any food suggestions? I still remember the first bite I took in Paris...Moules à la crème in a little cafe. At the time the best thing I had ever eaten...

Darrell

[AdrienIer]

Have you eaten Steack Tartare ? The main idea behind it is raw meat with a lot of condiments.
Have you been to a real Crêperie for a meal ?
Did you go to Berthillon ? It's the ice cream (and sorbet) shop on the Île Saint Louis. The demand for their products is too high for their production, so they artificially reduce the demand by closing during most of the summer.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a million things

[darrelljs]

Have you eaten Steack Tartare ? The main idea behind it is raw meat with a lot of condiments.

I've had it in Kraków, where the condiments are so far as I could taste, raw egg yolk, capers, onion, salt & pepper. I'd eat it again .

Have you been to a real Crêperie for a meal ?

"real" being the operative word in that question, I can't say that I have. Do you have one in mind?

Did you go to Berthillon ? It's the ice cream (and sorbet) shop on the Île Saint Louis. The demand for their products is too high for their production, so they artificially reduce the demand by closing during most of the summer.

I'll definitely give that a shot!

Darrell

[Dark Savant]

I'm going to cause thread drift, because I'll be arriving in Europe for a conference in a few days.

I haven't stepped foot outside of North America, ever.  That's definitely unusual for someone my age (old enough that I've been playing Civ for longer than some of the people reading this have been alive); for someone whose parents immigrated to the US from overseas; and for someone who isn't from a poor background.

I'll be in Barcelona.  (Yes, I know about the potential for civil unrest there.)

I'll only have much of Sunday and maybe a few evenings free.

Any advice geared towards a first-time international traveler, and for things local to Barcelona?

[AdrienIer]

Have you eaten Steack Tartare ? The main idea behind it is raw meat with a lot of condiments.

I've had it in Kraków, where the condiments are so far as I could taste, raw egg yolk, capers, onion, salt & pepper.  I'd eat it again  .

Yeah there are those condiments, plus usually some tabasco available, and sometimes other stuff (depending on the local chef's recipe). There are also places that let you prepare it yourself : they give you the meat and many condiments and let you do your own mix.

Have you been to a real Crêperie for a meal ?

"real" being the operative word in that question, I can't say that I have.  Do you have one in mind?

By real I mean not a guy doing fast food crêpes, but a place where they serve stuff like this (made with buckwheat flour) :

I'm going to cause thread drift, because I'll be arriving in Europe for a conference in a few days.

I haven't stepped foot outside of North America, ever.  That's definitely unusual for someone my age (old enough that I've been playing Civ for longer than some of the people reading this have been alive); for someone whose parents immigrated to the US from overseas; and for someone who isn't from a poor background.

I'll be in Barcelona.  (Yes, I know about the potential for civil unrest there.)

I'll only have much of Sunday and maybe a few evenings free.

Any advice geared towards a first-time international traveler, and for things local to Barcelona?

The main difference I think you should be aware of is that people in Europe generally eat dinner later than in NA. In France, around 8PM (or 20:00 I should say) and in Spain around 22:00.

[darrelljs]

By real I mean not a guy doing fast food crêpes, but a place where they serve stuff like this (made with buckwheat flour)

Never like that! Always from a street vendor, typically pretty late at night .

Darrell

[AdrienIer]

Then I advise you to eat at one of the Crêperies near Gare Montparnasse. I go to Brittany rather often so I never go to a Crêperie in Paris, which means I can't point to a specific restaurant.
The crêpes and galettes (like the one on the photo) are great and dirt cheap in Brittany. If you're not set on having a nice weather on your trip I'd advise you to go to the Mont Saint Michel and follow that with a few days in Brittany