Holidays

Started by Oakleafer93, June 03, 2009, 01:17:25 PM

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majestic

Trying to organise the holidays this year! Where are people all time favourite locations?

I was thinking about Sri Lanka, May be too far away however!

Just trying to get some inspiration

Insane Bolt

Corsica, Croatia, Crete....any of Greek islands.

Owen Brannigan

Quote from: majestic on January 06, 2019, 09:43:15 AM
Trying to organise the holidays this year! Where are people all time favourite locations?

I was thinking about Sri Lanka, May be too far away however!

Just trying to get some inspiration

Norway

Orior

Who needs to travel when you have Harald Baldr and his video cam. Its addictive watching

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKr68ZJ4vv6VloNdnS2hjhA
Cover me in chocolate and feed me to the lesbians

BennyCake

Quote from: majestic on January 06, 2019, 09:43:15 AM
Trying to organise the holidays this year! Where are people all time favourite locations?

I was thinking about Sri Lanka, May be too far away however!

Just trying to get some inspiration

Ask Ian Og ;)

armaghniac

Quote from: BennyCake on January 06, 2019, 03:23:54 PM
Quote from: majestic on January 06, 2019, 09:43:15 AM
Trying to organise the holidays this year! Where are people all time favourite locations?

I was thinking about Sri Lanka, May be too far away however!

Just trying to get some inspiration

Ask Ian Og ;)

Sri Lanka is a bit different from Norway, and cheaper.
If at first you don't succeed, then goto Plan B

nrico2006

Anyone able to advise.  Going to Disneyland, flight home on Friday at 6pm.  Was hoping to go to the Eiffel tower on Friday, is it handy to get to via train from Disneyland and is there anywhere that luggage could be stored?
'To the extreme I rock a mic like a vandal, light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle.'

JoG2

Quote from: nrico2006 on January 17, 2019, 08:23:02 AM
Anyone able to advise.  Going to Disneyland, flight home on Friday at 6pm.  Was hoping to go to the Eiffel tower on Friday, is it handy to get to via train from Disneyland and is there anywhere that luggage could be stored?

We done something similar a dozen odd years ago nrico, though we stored our luggage at one of the Disney hotels nex to the Village The train station is right next to the Disney Village. We took an early train in to Paris - 45 odd minutes I think. Dandered to the river and took one of those Batobus (?) boats and got off at the Eiffil tower. There's prob quicker ways to the EF but the boat was a nice way to travel

haranguerer

Quote from: Owen Brannigan on January 06, 2019, 10:44:30 AM
Quote from: majestic on January 06, 2019, 09:43:15 AM
Trying to organise the holidays this year! Where are people all time favourite locations?

I was thinking about Sri Lanka, May be too far away however!

Just trying to get some inspiration

Norway

Tell me more Owen...would love to visit scandinavia properly, but how expensive it appears to be has put me off

Owen Brannigan

Quote from: haranguerer on January 17, 2019, 09:35:56 AM
Quote from: Owen Brannigan on January 06, 2019, 10:44:30 AM

Norway

Tell me more Owen...would love to visit scandinavia properly, but how expensive it appears to be has put me off

Over the last two years we have been to Denmark, Sweden and Norway.  Last year flew from Dublin to Stockholm and then on to Oslo before flying to Bergen on the west coast.  Our flight was meant to be Dublin - Oslo but it was cancelled and we had already booked the Oslo - Bergen flight.

Had four days each in Bergen, Oslo and Stockholm.  We had the good luck to visit during a heatwave and dry period in   Norway and Sweden whereas the summer in Bergen can be wet.  Bergen is quite touristy with cruise ships calling every day.  Great if you like history as it was developed by the Hanseatic League a northern trading area.  Great walking or hiking on the mountain around or take the easy way up on the funicular or cable car.  Very clean, very safe but food is expensive. Hotels are cheaper than equivalent in Dublin. Well worth a visit. Used it to visit the Flam valley where you travel from Bergen by train to Myrdal and then drop down 2000 ft to sea level on the Flam Train. Then take the boat for a trip through the fjords before taking the bus back to the main train line to Bergen.  Takes a whole day but not to be missed. Fjords were a great experience. Visited the Leper hospital where those who contracted leprosy in Western Norway were treated and experimented on to discover how it spread and could be contained or cured. There was a high prevalence of leprosy in this area in 19th century.

Travelled from Bergen to Oslo by train. Travelling the worth of Norway from sea level in Bergen to sea level in Oslo but reaching 1222m above sea level in the middle. Almost 7 hours on the train but the scenery is fantastic. At the highest point you reach the snow fields and glaciers and are above the tree line. 

Oslo was great. Again hotel cheaper than equivalent in Dublin. You can walk everywhere in city centre, great public transport via tram system. Very safe, rarely saw police anywhere. Cruise ships do come in but not as noticeable as smaller Bergen.  While safe, Oslo badly affected by the Breivik attack in 2011. Reminds you a bit like home in the past with bomb proofing of government buildings with bollards and concrete borders. Great place to visit for its museums and art in the national gallery.  You travel by boat to the Viking, Folk, Kon-Tiki and Fram museums. They are dedicated to the seafaring explorers from Norway from the Vikings to Amundsen to Heyerdahl and all have the original ships from each era.  Like Bergen Oslo is expensive for food but you search out eateries which are a little off the main areas and it is reasonable for a large city.  However, avoid the likes of Starbucks and Scandinavian equivalent where 2 coffees and pastries can run to over £20.

Flew from Oslo to Stockholm because there was disruption on the high speed railway as the summer is the only time to do this work. Stockholm was much different. City centre was grubby, not quite to level of Dublin.  Again the cruise ships come in to some extent. Very nice old town area. Given that it is built on islands it is easy to travel to to the main attractions by boat. Some great museums but expensive entry fees, Abba museum was over £20 (didn't go in). Travelled by boat or walked to most places, avoided the metro.  As the evening went on there was a air of menace around the main city areas as large groups of young people of migrant origin gathered and paramilitary police came out in most areas.  Hotels were slightly dearer than Norway but on a par with Dublin.  Eating out was similar to Norway.

Enjoyed the whole trip and would consider going back to Norway to travel around a bit more.

spuds

Fantastic review of holiday Owen, I'm sold!
"As I get older I notice the years less and the seasons more."
John Hubbard

manfromdelmonte

Cannot believe you described the Stockholm city centre as grubby
There are parts of Dublin that look like the third world in comparison

gallsman

Quote from: manfromdelmonte on January 19, 2019, 08:26:10 AM
Cannot believe you described the Stockholm city centre as grubby
There are parts of Dublin that look like the third world in comparison

I read it as saying it's not quite on Dublin's level of grubbiness.

manfromdelmonte

Quote from: gallsman on January 19, 2019, 09:00:19 AM
Quote from: manfromdelmonte on January 19, 2019, 08:26:10 AM
Cannot believe you described the Stockholm city centre as grubby
There are parts of Dublin that look like the third world in comparison

I read it as saying it's not quite on Dublin's level of grubbiness.
Ah, on re-reading you are correct
Stockholm is a beautiful city, on a number of islands with lovely neighbourhoods and a fantastic subway system

Owen Brannigan

Quote from: manfromdelmonte on January 20, 2019, 07:34:26 AM
Quote from: gallsman on January 19, 2019, 09:00:19 AM
Quote from: manfromdelmonte on January 19, 2019, 08:26:10 AM
Cannot believe you described the Stockholm city centre as grubby
There are parts of Dublin that look like the third world in comparison

I read it as saying it's not quite on Dublin's level of grubbiness.
Ah, on re-reading you are correct
Stockholm is a beautiful city, on a number of islands with lovely neighbourhoods and a fantastic subway system

The old town is clean and beautiful in the mornings but by late evening it has rubbish everywhere, not the Swedes' fault if tourists are like this but they need to make more effort to clean up through the day, empty a few bins.

It's the modern parts of the Stockholm city centre that tend to be grubby, as said above, not on the Dublin scale, however, it is quite far behind Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin and even Prague which has a similar old town, new town scenario.