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European Vacation

scoolbubba

Brett327 gargles ballsacks
pilot
Contributor
Really?!?! I've been to Sicily thrice over the past couple of years... Loved it. Stayed in Catania all three times. Saw Taormina, Sircusa and a few other places. None too shabby and a good time to boot.

I've yet to go to mainland Italy, but want to in the near future.

I hated the cities. The countryside was amazing.

Taormina just came off as a tourist trap/breeding ground for the Jersey Shore's founding fathers. To each their own.
 

phrogpilot73

Well-Known Member
As for the French being rude? Yup. Although in the Provence region, if you avoid the tourist areas and find small places - they tend to not mind, and are very nice if you at least TRY a phrase or two in French.
 

Rocketman

Rockets Up
Contributor
As for the French being rude? Yup. Although in the Provence region, if you avoid the tourist areas and find small places - they tend to not mind, and are very nice if you at least TRY a phrase or two in French.

I think that's very true. People seemed a little more laid back in the south. I spent a few days in Aix en Provence and had a great time.
 

SynixMan

HKG Based Artificial Excrement Pilot
pilot
Contributor
I did alright in Paris speaking broken French. They appreciated if you tried, but would help out quickly to move things along.
 

NavAir42

I'm not dead yet....
pilot
Bubba, I don't know where you went in Sicily but you must have been doing something wrong. I loved Sicily. Sure small streets and dirty urban areas but great country side, incredible history, and even better food. But to each his own like you said.

I've always loved Spain, maybe because each of the regions are so different. Bilbao and Santander (on the north coast up near or in Basque country), Madrid, and Barcelona are about as different from each other as any three countries in Europe are.

England and Scotland felt almost like a second home because of the obvious cultural similarities.

I had a great time in France and found most people to be pretty polite if you tried to speak French, even in Paris where the locals can be notoriously rude. If you get the chance, go out to Normandy. It's beautiful country. Normandy also won a special place in my heart when a little old man said "Thank you for coming in 1944" with a huge smile on his face when he learned I was an American. It made me wish I could have said, thanks for coming in 1778.

Germany. Oh Germany. I'll preface this by saying I didn't get to spend much time there (2-ish days), so I don't think my experience was a large enough sample size to get an accurate picture. Everything I loved about the Italians and Greeks being laid back, the Germans weren't. Maybe that was just the culture shock of going from southern Europe after several weeks to Germany. The Germans almost seemed to have a fetish for everything being orderly. Almost like following rules was more important than what the rules meant. A letter of the law crowd, not a spirit of the law one. I remember thinking, at one point, that it just didn't shock me that the Germans were able to say "we were just following orders" when it came to the second World War and the Holocaust. I'm sure if I had been able to get out more I would have liked the place, especially if I would have been able to avail myself of some more of their beer.
 

East

东部
Contributor
Currently working in the East of Germany and being around in both East and West, have to admit that the West is still more laid back than the East.
It's the mind set and the heritage that makes the difference.
Orderly is their middle name here at the Ostfront....
 

Lucy

Member
Spent four months in France, and I'll second that the south is much friendlier than the north. Generally in the north however, acting European (soft spoken/minimal speaking, non eye contact, darker color dress) seemed to go A LOT farther than "attempting" to speak French in my experience. But yes, people will speak english to just get you to your next thing, and heaven forbid you try on a pair of shoes by yourself...O.O.

Normandy was beyond words in many ways. And oddly, the only place I heard/saw aircraft other than at the airport.

For Italy, just fyi, you pay for the water you drink, even if it was already at the table.
 

scoolbubba

Brett327 gargles ballsacks
pilot
Contributor
Bubba, I don't know where you went in Sicily but you must have been doing something wrong. I loved Sicily. Sure small streets and dirty urban areas but great country side, incredible history, and even better food. But to each his own like you said.

Maybe it's Ze German in me, but I couldn't stand the chaos of the cities; being around the base, the locals weren't exactly friendly, which probably tainted my impression a bit.

Orderly ist vunderbar. Speaking enough German and French to get around is also helpful; I didn't know a word of Italian.

The countryside was, like I said, amazing. We got out to the vineyards pretty regularly, which I highly recommend. I saw and hiked Mt Etna which was awesome, and bombing around to find mom and pop restaurants was a good time. I just absolutely hated the cities.
 

NavAir42

I'm not dead yet....
pilot
Potato, potahto. I guess it's whatever makes you tic. I happened to like the chaos. But I can see how people don't dig that. I guess I'm going to have to give Germany another shot. Damn, that'll be a lot of beer to drink if I ever get there. A lot of really good beer. Something the Italians didn't seem to have much of a clue about.
 
Thanks fellas. We have narrowed our search to the Amalfi Coast & Tuscany in Italy - gonna have about 8-9 days total including air transportation there and back. A good friend recommended renting a car iot see all the appropriate sights & Tourist traps, but I have heard that theft and Ins issues are cause for concern - any recommendations? Will probably fly direct to Rome and then car/train to Tuscany & Amalfi. Will welcome any gouge on accomodations and transportation. Thanks again for your input . . .

Hey robav8r,
I just got back from Italy yesterday and we spent 3 days in Sorrento (same peninsula as the Amalfi Coast). It is a great place for sure. The people were nice and most spoke enough english for us to be able to get around. They did seem to appreciate making an effort in Italian though.

If you're traveling with a big family you might try and look for a hotel with it's own beach. Most of the beaches are private in the area and you have to pay ~$10-20 to get in/use a chair. The public beaches we saw were overcrowded/covered in trash. A little extra for a hotel on the beach might be worth it depending on how many people you are with.

If you're gonna be in the north for long I would suggest checking out Cinque Terre. It is pretty close to Tuscany. Hiking between the villages is a great way to spend a day and the place I liked the best in Italy.
 

Rocketman

Rockets Up
Contributor
Potato, potahto. I guess it's whatever makes you tic. I happened to like the chaos. But I can see how people don't dig that. I guess I'm going to have to give Germany another shot. Damn, that'll be a lot of beer to drink if I ever get there. A lot of really good beer. Something the Italians didn't seem to have much of a clue about.

I'm the same way. I don't mind a little chaos now and then. Driving the Naples roundabouts in a rental car will get you pumped up every time. My wife almost had a stroke but I loved it. By the time we got to Positano she was hosed.

I liked everything about Germany except the "get in line and stay in line" attitude. Just driving around the countryside was worth the trip.
 

scoolbubba

Brett327 gargles ballsacks
pilot
Contributor
As somebody who flies a 4-prop American military aircraft, you should probably avoid that phrase in Germany.

Reminds me of the joke/story about the British Airways pilot landing in Frankfurt in the 60's. He requested progressive taxi because he was unfamiliar with the airport, and the ground controller got agitated, as the Speedbird was upsetting the orderly progression of things. The controller asked him if he did not know where he was going, and scolded him that he ought to be more familiar with the airport he was landing at.

The BA guy came back on the radio with "Sorry, I was only here twice back in '44, and we didn't get a chance to land."
 

Randy Daytona

Cold War Relic
pilot
Super Moderator
I think that's very true. People seemed a little more laid back in the south. I spent a few days in Aix en Provence and had a great time.

Had great times in France. The people were mostly very nice, especially if you spoke a little French and were aware of their history (we thank you for Lafayette...) The French police even helped us out tremendously by giving us a motorcycle escort to a wine tasting festival in Reims when we could not find it.

BTW, the exchange rate has really moved in our favor the past year - and should only get better for the forseeable future.

Anybody got any favorite spots to see on the Continent?
 
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