Anyone got any travel planned?

[Nemo2]

I have been to Krakow twice. It is one of my favorite cities. The Salt Mine Tour is really an experience. The miners carved statues, chapels, etc out of salt when they were not working. There is a town square that is surrounded with restaurants, shopping, church, etc. There are horse drawn carriages and people singing. If the weather is decent you can sit outside. They have umbrellas and heaters at the tables. Poland is also very cheap. They have their own currency.

We're scheduled to be in Krakow on June 11......looking forward to it.

 

[Teacher Terry]

June should be great weather. Carry an umbrella. They have a saying in Poland- "They don't say it is not raining they say it is not raining yet."

 

[Nemo2]

June should be great weather. Carry an umbrella. They have a saying in Poland- "They don't say it is not raining they say it is not raining yet."

We drip dry.......(or are we just drips? It's all so confusing.)

 

[kcowan]

I understand that a day trip to Bosnia/Montenegro/Kotor is also an option.

Just make sure they leave enough time to walk across the bridge! Do not spend too much time in the shops.

Does your trip include Pula? Its Colosseum, although smaller than Rome is totally intact. Pula is close to Trieste and Venice. The island of Krk is a destination for eastern block countries. Their nude beach is all rocks. We were disappointed in it.

 

[Meadbh]

Does your trip include Pula? Its Colosseum, although smaller than Rome is totally intact. Pula is close to Trieste and Venice. The island of Krk is a destination for eastern block countries. Their nude beach is all rocks. We were disappointed in it.

We will be visiting Pula, but not Krk.

 

[kcowan]

Very close to Plitvice and also worth a quick visit.

We think of Croatia as the BC of the Adriatic.

 

[brett]

While in dubrovnic we rented a car twice. The first trip was to Mostar, in Bosnia.
Nothing special IMHO. Second time we drove south through Montenego to Kotor. Enjoyed this very much...with a stop along the way to visit the church on a little island (forgot the name of the town). We stopped for a late breakfast by the water prior to taking the little boat over to the church. We rented from the agency that is in the Hilton just outside the main gate.

 

[Totoro]

We are scheduled to be in Kraków & Warsaw in June...any tips?

Krakow: Loved the „Wieliczka” Salt Mine - take a guided tour. There are two options: adventurous underground (with full gear) or the tourist 'normal' one. I kind of wished I did the former, but only had time for the latter. Check the schedules upfront.

The Kazimierz district in the Old Town is nice for an afternoon stroll. Ice cream stands there were lovely.

.. and Auschwitz. If you've seen the killing fields in Cambodia: it's similar in terms of impact.

 

[Nemo2]

Krakow: Loved the „Wieliczka” Salt Mine - take a guided tour. There are two options: adventurous underground (with full gear) or the tourist 'normal' one. I kind of wished I did the former, but only had time for the latter. Check the schedules upfront.

The Kazimierz district in the Old Town is nice for an afternoon stroll. Ice cream stands there were lovely.

.. and Auschwitz. If you've seen the killing fields in Cambodia: it's similar in terms of impact.

Salt mine is up at the top of the list, as is Auschwitz; although I was in Bavaria about 27 years ago I never visited Dachau, in fact Terezin in the Czech Republic is the only camp I've been to, and it pales by comparison with Auschwitz.....as a fan of human resilience I wish I'd've visited when they were filming this vid, it brings tears to my eyes:

 

[DrRoy]

I am a big fan of rugged mountains - Rockies, Sierras, Alps, Alaska. I have long thought that New Zealand would be my dream trip, but after some investigation I just yesterday started to think that Patagonia would be even better. We usually self guide, but DW and I are considering a guided photography tour. Anyone been there before?

 

[Totoro]

Been to Patagonia about ten years ago - really lovely. Torres del paine and El Chalten I liked especially. I didn't see that much though.

It's a bit more 'majestic' than New Zealand - the mountains are a bit bigger, but New Zealand overall in the Fiordland area is hard to beat

 

[audreyh1]

I am a big fan of rugged mountains - Rockies, Sierras, Alps, Alaska. I have long thought that New Zealand would be my dream trip, but after some investigation I just yesterday started to think that Patagonia would be even better. We usually self guide, but DW and I are considering a guided photography tour. Anyone been there before?

You have been to the Canadian Rockies, right? I love Colorado, but the Canadian Rockies blew me away.

 

[Meadbh]

You have been to the Canadian Rockies, right? I love Colorado, but the Canadian Rockies blew me away.

The Rockies are awesome. But I have a well travelled relative from Ireland who found them disappointing in comparison with New Zealand, where they apparently have more impressive glaciers. I don't know. I haven't been to New Zealand. If DrRoy has not already seen the Rockies, it would be a much cheaper trip.

 

[Nemo2]

If DrRoy has not already seen the Rockies, it would be a much cheaper trip.

And, although I rarely (if at all) drink anymore, Canadian beer is way better than the stuff I had in NZ 54 years ago.....(unless it's improved dramatically over the years).

 

[brett]

The 'Rockies' is often used as a generic term for mountains in Alberta and British Columbia. There are differences between the mountain ranges inside these boundaries. We have hiked, camped, travelled throughout them for many years.
Not that familiar with NZ as we have only sailed through Milford Sound however the scenery was comparable.

 

[DrRoy]

You have been to the Canadian Rockies, right? I love Colorado, but the Canadian Rockies blew me away.

Oh, yes. Banff, Yoho, and Jasper parks. See Moraine Lake, below.

And, although I rarely (if at all) drink anymore, Canadian beer is way better than the stuff I had in NZ.

+1 I'm sure.

.

 

[explanade]

I daytripped for Milford Sound and it was very gray and had poor visibility.

I like the mountains around Queenstown and Lake Wanaka. Not tall but very distinctive.

Also the mountains around Kaikoura, which recently suffered a big earthquake.

I want to go up to Banff an Moraine Lake but I found frequent flier tickets to Europe this summer and early fall so taking advantage of those. However, NY Times recommends Canada as the top place to visit this year because it's their 150th anniversary and all the national parks have free admission this year.

I don't think I would ever get tired of mountain views and lakes. I've been researching the Tyrol area of Austria as well as around Salzburg, Wolfgangsee and Hallstatt.

Incredible the number of UNESCO World Heritage in Western Austria and they all have cable cars and cog wheel trains. I'm going to spend a small fortune on them in a two-week period, if the weather holds up, that is. It's amusing a lot of the tourist sites have recommedations for what to do on rainy days because it rains so much there. But the main attractions are outdoors of course.

I chose Austria instead of Engadin, Switzerland, figuring the Euro would be more favorable to the Dollar than the Swiss Franc. Also figured hotels and food are generally more expensive in Switzerland.

However, I'm not so sure that's the case. In the Engadin region, trains seem to be more useful so you don't have to rent a car. In fact for things like the Bernina Express, it's better than driving that area.

But also, if you stay at least 2 or 3 nights, they give you a pass that covers all the cable cars and mountain railways in the region. Austria doesn't seem to have comparable promotions (well they do but the number of participating hotels is limited and the room rates are much higher just to get a pass you can get for about 65 Euro).

Seems like the tourist infrastructure for ascending all these different mountains are much more developed in the Alps (France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria) than in the Rockies.

 

[Taxman59]

Booked a 10 day Caribbean cruise with another couple today (we leave next Feb), and another cruise will be booked tomorrow for 10 days in May. For next year's cruise, the other couple is looking at all of us taking a week or so after the cruise and spending time in the Florida Keys (Mardi Gras may impact availability).

Thanks to this Forum for advice regarding spending some of the expected kid's inheritance .

 

[Lsbcal]

Just got back from a road trip to Death Valley. It's quite an amazing place and not just a flat desert. There are canyons to wonder up. The visitor center has a good description of trails (easy, moderate, strenuous). The highs were in the low 80's so this time of year is good. It was raining slightly as we left (they get 2 inches a year) so maybe in the next month there will be blooms. But there will also be more people and probably higher temperatures.

Next time we will probably fly into Las Vegas and rent a high clearance vehicle. There are several gravel roads that our Honda CRV did OK on. Probably could do most in a sedan too. Here is a pic of Titus canyon which we walked up. It was closed to traffic.

We took some little tripod chairs in and did some watercolor sketching. The day was cool in the canyon as the coastal storm approached this area.

 

[NW-Bound]

We spent a few days there with our RV a few years ago in early April. It was getting into the 100s.

At Salt Creek, there is a little pupfish that can stand water as hot as 116F (47C), and 4x more salty than seawater. A lot of oddities at Death Valley. I may come back in future trips.

 

[Mango1956]

Leaving soon for Mexico (Troncones, north of Ixtapa) for a yoga retreat. It will be so great to see some sun and clear skies after 50 inches of rain and gray in northern California this Winter! Mind you, I have never done yoga-my sister invited me, and I figure I can learn there. Mostly going for the quality time with my sister, the sun, the swimming, and the kayaking, hiking, and snorkling. It's a splurge, money-wise, but something I've never done, and DH talked me into going. So excited!!

 

[DrRoy]

DW and I are thinking of a trip to China. After some research, we are going to consider a custom tour from China Highlights or China Discovery. Anyone have experience with them? We know to avoid "forced visits" to shops and factories where they are just trying to get you to buy stuff. We know generally where we want to go and are highly interested in photography. Are there any other custom tour operators you would suggest? How about general tips if you have been there? Thanks in advance.

 

[EastWest Gal]

Just returned from two fantastic weeks in Hawaii. Went whale watching in Maui-it was fabulous. Saw brand new babies and a mama and baby whale both breach near the boat. Also went to Haleakala and watched the sunrise. You now need advanced registration for this. On the big island we did night snorkeling to see manta rays, hiked around 7 miles in Volcanoes national park, saw the volcano by helicopter, but missed going to the Mauna Kea summit due to high winds. We still had plenty of time to just relax and watch the sunset.

In May I'm going back to Italy to participate in the same music festival I did last year. In August we're headed west to watch the eclipse from a reliably sunny location-eastern Oregon. We're booked for two weeks in San Francisco for the Christmas holiday--it will be nice to spend holidays with my sister and cousins. A total of seven weeks in major travel in 2017.

I'll need a break in 2018!

 

[2017ish]

Just starting to book parts of planned 59 day (or a bit less) trip to Peru in Sept/Oct. Cuzco, Sacred Valley, Amazon, Machu Picchu, hiking, etc. Hoping to take advantage of maximum flexibility after we retire 7/31....

 

[Huston55]

Oh Oh Domino!

Headed to LA next month for a Van Morrison concert.