Vacation / Travel

#1,827
#1,827
walkenvol said:
We’ve done 3 of the Viking river tours and they went great removing all the stress by taking care of everything. It’s a bit intimidating to me to try and figure out all the destinations, hotels, food and travel on my own. Lots of folks do it successfully, but I haven’t gotten brave enough yet to try.
Click to expand...
Doing the Danube this year. Viking is great.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Orange., orangebloodgmc, Outofmyvolcanmind and 1 other person
#1,828
#1,828
Go aeiou said:
Wife could go to only London, and stay in the theatre district and be happy.
Plenty to see in the UK. A trip to most places in Europe/the world make you realize how new we are.
I say the people in England speak English funny. In Ireland it is harder to understand. In Scotland it sounds like a different language.
We love to travel. Hate to fly to get there.
Click to expand...
You may have looked at it, but Turkish Airlines has phenomenal prices on Business Class. I flew RT last year to Paris for $2700.

You do go through Istanbul. Coming back I had a 14 hour layover and grabbed a ride downtown to old Istanbul.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Orange., orangebloodgmc and ATC_VOL
#1,829
#1,829
Ten years ago, I was doing a bike & barge tour along the Rhine. At Cologne, we had to tie up beside a Viking ship and pass through to visit the city. Compared to our barge, it was luxurious, and the staff were very friendly and accommodating.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GroverCleveland
#1,830
#1,830
GroverCleveland said:
You may have looked at it, but Turkish Airlines has phenomenal prices on Business Class. I flew RT last year to Paris for $2700.

You do go through Istanbul. Coming back I had a 14 hour layover and grabbed a ride downtown to old Istanbul.
Click to expand...
Ever go to the underground market? Grand Bazaar?
A different world.
 
#1,831
#1,831
GroverCleveland said:
You may have looked at it, but Turkish Airlines has phenomenal prices on Business Class. I flew RT last year to Paris for $2700.

You do go through Istanbul. Coming back I had a 14 hour layover and grabbed a ride downtown to old Istanbul.
Click to expand...
Hmmm, I've been using Google Flights, and it must not include Turkish Airlines. Decent prices on Iceland Air, but not lie flat seats in Business.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UT_Dutchman
#1,834
#1,834
walkenvol said:
We went to the Dachau museum when visiting Munich - an emotionally moving experience. On our visit there were a few groups of teenagers touring the site. We were told Germany requires their schools to take all students there so they won’t forget what happened.
Click to expand...
Obviously nowhere near the emotional density, but have any of you been to the WWII museum in New Orleans? I went and had a lump in my throat nearly the entire time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UT_Dutchman, orangebloodgmc and GroverCleveland
#1,836
#1,836
Go aeiou said:
Ever go to the underground market? Grand Bazaar?
A different world.
Click to expand...
I did not have that much time. I intend to make a trip to Gallipoli in the next two years and will have more time to spend in Istanbul as well.

Would really like to go to the Crimea and stand in the Valley of Death.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Go aeiou
#1,837
#1,837
Go aeiou said:
Hmmm, I've been using Google Flights, and it must not include Turkish Airlines. Decent prices on Iceland Air, but not lie flat seats in Business.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised you're not seeing TA unless the destination is not served by them. I've only flown once and that was RT to Paris. The next trip is to Budapest and coming back out of either Frankfort or Munich most likely. All of these are served by TA.

I'm seeing $3300 right now on that trip for second half of October. Substantially less than any other airline.
 
Last edited:
#1,839
#1,839
GroverCleveland said:
Not familiar, but the First Lady has talked about that. Might be one she does with the daughter, while I chase around France looking at battlefields.
Click to expand...
You'll definitely see battlefields and dug entrenchments in the day at Normandy. Here was our itinerary. We did the following excursions:

- Chateau Gaillard hike
- Honfleur Excursion
- Normandy US landing beaches
- Medieval Rouen walking tour
- Monet's home and gardens
- Chateau Malmaison Excursion

No packing/unpacking until it was over. Just a wonderful experience and all-inclusive minus the crew tip at the end.

 
  • Like
Reactions: GroverCleveland
#1,840
#1,840
GroverCleveland said:
Not familiar, but the First Lady has talked about that. Might be one she does with the daughter, while I chase around France looking at battlefields.
Click to expand...
My father was a Marine who was in France at the end of WW2. He described it as completly destroyed. He also said it was so sad because there was almost no food and no jobs. Mothers were having to prostitute to feed their children.
I think that is all he ever spoke of the war.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Outofmyvolcanmind and GroverCleveland
#1,841
#1,841
Outofmyvolcanmind said:
You'll definitely see battlefields and dug entrenchments in the day at Normandy. Here was our itinerary. We did the following excursions:

- Chateau Gaillard hike
- Honfleur Excursion
- Normandy US landing beaches
- Medieval Rouen walking tour
- Monet's home and gardens
- Chateau Malmaison Excursion

No packing/unpacking until it was over. Just a wonderful experience and all-inclusive minus the crew tip at the end.

Click to expand...
Sounds great! But I'll do a separate trip on Normandy. Check the military history thread about my trip to northern France this past October.
 
  • Like
Reactions: orangebloodgmc and Outofmyvolcanmind
#1,843
#1,843
Outofmyvolcanmind said:
I see what you mean. Then the river cruise would not be for you. You will want three days minimum in Normandy. That being said I have amazing pictures
Click to expand...
I've also been to Isandlwana and Rourke's Drift in South Africa, not to mention most of the big ones here: Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Shiloh, Brice's Crossing, Chickamauga, Andersonville, and Jeff Davis State Park (where he was captured). Have also been to Arnhem & Oosterbeek, the site of the 82nd Airborne's assault across the Waal at Nijmegen in the Netherlands (Market-Garden WW2, A Bridge Too Far).

Got a ton to see. As mentioned, Gallipoli, Normandy, Waterloo, Dachau, Auschwitz, Bastogne, back to South Africa for some of the Boer War sites.
 
#1,844
#1,844
Please keep thread humming guys - always helpful to hear of other’s experiences when thinking of a destination. I’ve grown to not trust reviews much these days and I don’t think VN has been invaded by the BOTS yet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GroverCleveland
#1,845
#1,845
Here's one for you all. I went to Italy when I was newly married and did the tourist attractions of Rome, Naples (Pompeii) and Vanice. Last year I went back to visit with my wife's family. They live near Bari in a mountain village (Montescaglioso). A short drive to Matera. Matera was the most magical place I have traveled to. That hill is where the crucifix was stationed for the movie Passion of the Christ. You can see caves deep in those hills. People were still living in them 20 years ago.1771015455738.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: UT_Dutchman, ATC_VOL, GroverCleveland and 2 others
#1,849
#1,849
GroverCleveland said:
I've also been to Isandlwana and Rourke's Drift in South Africa, not to mention most of the big ones here: Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Shiloh, Brice's Crossing, Chickamauga, Andersonville, and Jeff Davis State Park (where he was captured). Have also been to Arnhem & Oosterbeek, the site of the 82nd Airborne's assault across the Waal at Nijmegen in the Netherlands (Market-Garden WW2, A Bridge Too Far).

Got a ton to see. As mentioned, Gallipoli, Normandy, Waterloo, Dachau, Auschwitz, Bastogne, back to South Africa for some of the Boer War sites.
Click to expand...
Maybe you can help me. My biggest reason for wanting to go to Normandy was my grandfather. He was a Staff Sargent and infantry squad leader in the US Army (March 1941 to Sept 1945) While he didn't fight on D-day, he landed months later at Normandy. His division (28th division and 112th regiment, Company H) assisted with Paris liberation and then faced massive casualties at Hurtgen Forest and Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded a bronze star and a purple heart (injured in the Ardennes).

Are there tours for family members that fought in these battles that can take us there or is this something I would need to explore on my own? Would love to do with my sons.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ATC_VOL and orangebloodgmc
#1,850
#1,850
Outofmyvolcanmind said:
Maybe you can help me. My biggest reason for wanting to go to Normandy was my grandfather. He was a Staff Sargent and infantry squad leader in the US Army (March 1941 to Sept 1945) While he didn't fight on D-day, he landed months later at Normandy. His division (28th division and 112th regiment, Company H) assisted with Paris liberation and then faced massive casualties at Hurtgen Forest and Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded a bronze star and a purple heart (injured in the Ardennes).

Are there tours for family members that fought in these battles that can take us there or is this something I would need to explore on my own? Would love to do with my sons.
Click to expand...
You can hire private tour guides. They are expensive. I hired one for my first day at Verdun ahead of time and he was 360eu, about $440. A number of quotes from other guides were much higher. But they can customized the tour. I found him through TourHQ.com.

Depending on your resources, you can have entire tour planned out or perhaps did as I did with a selective, targeted tour mixed with my knowledge about what I wanted to see and do. Also allows time to do things not planned.

Make sure you know the payment terms. I had made a deposit online. I assumed I would pay by credit card when the tour ended, however Cecil only took payment through some app they use a lot in Europe and I flat out was not going to setup some app on my phone in five minutes, so we had to scramble a day or two to wire the money. I had enough cash, but did not want to use the bulk of what I had brought. He was cool, but I did not like being unprepared for that.
 
New Posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

Advertisement



Back
Top