Travel Stories and Advice

[Trinka]

I am about an hour north of LA.  I haven't read the Minnions meetup forum yet, but I can say that SF is a bit too far for me to drive (at least on a short notice)!  Glad to know there are some other fans out here around me though

HOLD THE PHONE

Other Californians?! Why am I only hearing about this now? I missed out on  San Fran meetup?!

NooooOoooOoooOoooOOooo

I live in the OC, you're like a 2 hour drive away, tops!

[Sunflower]

HOLD THE PHONE

Other Californians?! Why am I only hearing about this now? I missed out on  San Fran meetup?!

NooooOoooOoooOoooOOooo

I live in the OC, you're like a 2 hour drive away, tops!

AH HA HA

Clearly you aren't familiar with Bay Area traffic, padawan.  *Santa Cruz* (where RTR is spending the summer) is 2 hours from San Francisco.  Orange County is at least 6 hours... 5 1/2 minimum depending on traffic and bathroom breaks. 

Not that we wouldn't love to see you (and boy, would you fit into the costuming community here in the Bay Area).  It's just a longer drive (and higher gasoline bills) than you might think. 

[Gwenno]

So, my brothers and I managed to snap up a holiday in Munich (oh my gosh, we are so excited, well I'm excited, they're probably pretty excited as well, it's going to be so cool >"< ) and I was wondering if anyone has been there/lives around there and would have recommendations and tips for things to do? We're going down to Neuschwanstein castle for a day because my youngest brother loves his castles, and staying there for another because the middle brother wants to go hiking, but that's pretty much all we have planned so far So yeah, any travel advice and tips?

[DB (f.k.a. DaveBro)]

>snip!<   So yeah, any travel advice and tips?

Not specifically local, but mass German Volksmarches sounded like an open-air party I always wanted to try.     Also, geocaching (geocaching.com) is a fun, free, & portable activity that can structure undesirably empty time.  (Some empty time on vacation being highly desirable, of course!  )

I recommend also pasting your query into the Minnion Meetups! thread, and the current comments as well.  Maybe the chatroom, too.  Not everyone reads the forum.

[Trinka]

AH HA HA

Clearly you aren't familiar with Bay Area traffic, padawan.  *Santa Cruz* (where RTR is spending the summer) is 2 hours from San Francisco.  Orange County is at least 6 hours... 5 1/2 minimum depending on traffic and bathroom breaks. 

Not that we wouldn't love to see you (and boy, would you fit into the costuming community here in the Bay Area).  It's just a longer drive (and higher gasoline bills) than you might think.

Oh NOOO, did you think I meant 2 hours from here to San Francisco? Heh heh, no, I've driven there with my family, I know that it's an all day ordeal. I meant 2 hours from here to just north of LA, lol. But hey, if RTR and you are both up in the Bay, maybe I can try to make it up there sometime this summer?

[Gwenno]

Not specifically local, but mass German Volksmarches sounded like an open-air party I always wanted to try.     Also, geocaching (geocaching.com) is a fun, free, & portable activity that can structure undesirably empty time.  (Some empty time on vacation being highly desirable, of course!  )

I recommend also pasting your query into the Minnion Meetups! thread, and the current comments as well.  Maybe the chatroom, too.  Not everyone reads the forum.

Ho boy, I had a look at them both and the geocaching looks like exactly the kind of thing I'd love to try out (as in, how on earth did I not know it existed before now?). Maybe we'll give that a go ^_^ as for Volksmarches if there's one on we might give it a try, it's definitely something different although I'm still slightly confused as to exactly what's going on with them (needs more googling methinks )
It's getting late now, but maybe I'll ask in the general discussion thread come morning, thanks for the suggestions

[Solovei]

Okay so now that a few people here have been/are from to Iceland , I have an embarrassing question... It looks lovely, but... I am not an outdoorsy person, you see. I have never hiked in my life and camping terrifies me. So... is it worth going, knowing all that?

And yes I know there's Reykjavik but it seems silly to go to Iceland and only stay in one city

[Ana Nymus]

Soooo, I just wanted to dispense a tip to anyone traveling to North America and planning to do outdoor activities: watch out for poison ivy. Apparently it doesn't grow in Europe (you lucky ducks) so I thought it might be worth mentioning. Poison ivy rashes stink, and they're a great way to ruin a vacation. Ok, I'll go away now. Sorry if that was totally obvious and didn't need saying.

[viola]

Okay so now that a few people here have been/are from to Iceland , I have an embarrassing question... It looks lovely, but... I am not an outdoorsy person, you see. I have never hiked in my life and camping terrifies me. So... is it worth going, knowing all that?

And yes I know there's Reykjavik but it seems silly to go to Iceland and only stay in one city

You don't have to go camping or hiking to enjoy Iceland. I know if you want to go see the geysers they're like right by the road, and the path to them is brick so it's not that hard to walk over to them. Same with Gullfoss. It's like right next to the parking lot. You can walk up a few meters and go stand next to it, but you don't have to. Also you can drive around the entire country and only stop at diners and stuff. They have these little diners in the middle of nowhere where you can get hamburgers and giant burritos. I know I spent a lot of time hanging out with friends, we went to a club which was a lot of fun, and we went to a midnight premiere of a movie. There are lots of museums as well, and you can learn a bit about Icelandic history.

If you do go, so much of the country is geared toward tourism, and I would say while that stuff can be cool, maybe try some different things, get to know the country a little bit. Go grocery shopping, maybe try a traditional meal somewhere, go see a concert, meet new people. You are not limited to touristy things, and definitely not to nature. I'm sure there are interesting things to explore in the other towns as well. You could also try and speak Icelandic. Icelanders get really excited when foreigners speak their language. It's kinda funny to watch. Also go visit Laufey because she knows where the yummy ice cream place is and also this really cute cafe with good tea.

So yes! You can go and enjoy it without hiking or camping!

[DiscoMonster]

Are there any Finnish beers similar to the dark, low-hopped, "bread-in-a-glass" Czech varieties?  (That's for preference.)     Also, what are the popular Finnish beers?  (That's for experience.) 

Finally, is the duty-free shop the best place to buy Lakka (cloudberry liqueur)?  (That's for taking home, hoarding, and only doling out on special occasions.) 

There are lots of dark Finnish beers. I'll give you a run down on them later. Some bars in Turku will let you taste before ordering. Cosmic Comic Cafe was good like that once and Apteekki, Mallas Kukko and Teerenpeli, too. If you're in town at the weekend. Both bars have excellent selections. Lakka you can get at any duty free when leaving Finland or at Alko (the state store). More info later...

[Laufey]

Okay so now that a few people here have been/are from to Iceland , I have an embarrassing question... It looks lovely, but... I am not an outdoorsy person, you see. I have never hiked in my life and camping terrifies me. So... is it worth going, knowing all that?

And yes I know there's Reykjavik but it seems silly to go to Iceland and only stay in one city

There's plenty more to see and to do, don't worry! Besides some parts of the nature are within reach, no hiking needed; everything in Golden Circle (Gullfoss, Geysir, Þingvellir), waterfalls in the south and the glacier lagoon, Snæfellsnes and so forth. In many places you can also decide yourself how much sporty stuff you're willing to do - you can see Skógafoss without climbing on top of it (there's an amazing view from up there though) to name one example.

Reykjavík has plenty to offer, especially in the summer when all the summer festivals are on. Music, art, Medieval stuff, museums, swimming halls (they're somewhat unusual here) and so forth, and if you rent a car and drive around the Ring Road 1 I'd also recommend visiting Borgarnes, Stykkishólmur, Akureyri and the Mývatn area, and in the south Hafnarfjörður, Selfoss, Hveragerði and Vík. Plus if you ever get a chance at spending time on an Icelandic summer cottage grab it immediately!

[Bobriha]

This Sunday I am going to Almaty, mostly for the mountains that surround it but also to meet my friends.
I've been there already two times, both in Autumn.




I have no fotos of city itself, though. I may say it's cozy despite huge (at least for me. I am not fan of big cities and big amounts of people) and with a lot of greenery.

[Blackfrost]

...I'm heading to LAS VEGAS tomorrow morning...

Oh, cool.  I used to live in 'Vegas (Well, in Henderson, which is right next door to it -- the good side of Henderson, not the "Hender-tucky" side.) from '11 to '13.  Where will you all be staying?

Congrats to your mom on her 50th.  Making 50 may not be so much of an accomplishment as making 70, but it's definitely an accomplishment, nonetheless.

'Vegas can be a great town to visit, (I still have family there,) but to live in, it's a very, very hard, cold, unforgiving place.

Great place to be a tourist, though.  DO watch for the traffic and be careful of all the drunks on the sidewalks.  Have a great time!

[Solovei]

Also go visit Laufey because she knows where the yummy ice cream place is and also this really cute cafe with good tea.

You had me at "ice cream", but I cannot resist the words "cute cafe", regardless of where this happens to be located.

There's plenty more to see and to do, don't worry! Besides some parts of the nature are within reach, no hiking needed; everything in Golden Circle (Gullfoss, Geysir, Þingvellir), waterfalls in the south and the glacier lagoon, Snæfellsnes and so forth. In many places you can also decide yourself how much sporty stuff you're willing to do - you can see Skógafoss without climbing on top of it (there's an amazing view from up there though) to name one example.

Reykjavík has plenty to offer, especially in the summer when all the summer festivals are on. Music, art, Medieval stuff, museums, swimming halls (they're somewhat unusual here) and so forth, and if you rent a car and drive around the Ring Road 1 I'd also recommend visiting Borgarnes, Stykkishólmur, Akureyri and the Mývatn area, and in the south Hafnarfjörður, Selfoss, Hveragerði and Vík. Plus if you ever get a chance at spending time on an Icelandic summer cottage grab it immediately!

Ah, that's good that there's still stuff to do that isn't "lets spend a week in the frozen wastescapes of Iceland, because nature" I do enjoy festivals...

[DB (f.k.a. DaveBro)]

Soooo, I just wanted to dispense a tip to anyone traveling to North America and planning to do outdoor activities: watch out for poison ivy.  >snip!<

Actually a good call, Ana .

I wish someone had warned me before our trip to England that stinging nettles burn like bloody hell just from brushing against the plant, and can scare the blue blazes out of a neophyte before it fades in about 10 minutes.  Most embarrassing!