Anyone got any travel planned?

[braumeister]

Getting ready to pull the trigger on my first European river cruise next year.

I've read so many reports, reviews, and anecdotes about these that I finally decided it's worth trying. Looks like the Danube for a week, but not committed yet. Prices will be going up soon, so it's now or never.

 

[brett]

We are currently travelling in Greece. We have been in Athens, drove around the Pelopponese for eight days,and are now in the islands for three weeks.

So very glad we came. Airfare was a bargain, accommodation prices are low, there are not as many tourists (foreign and Greek) and the Greek people are do welcoming. And the weather has been perfect.

 

[Bamaman]

We just returned from our Baltic cruise. We hit 8 cities in 7 countries and loved them all. St. Petersburg's architecture and the Hermitage Museum were absolutely incredible. The cruise is the most cost effective way to travel Scandinavia as prices for food and drink are simply out of sight. The people are very tall, blonde and beautiful.

 

[Bamaman]

Getting ready to pull the trigger on my first European river cruise next year.

I've read so many reports, reviews, and anecdotes about these that I finally decided it's worth trying. Looks like the Danube for a week, but not committed yet. Prices will be going up soon, so it's now or never.

We have looked into European river cruises, and they're just so expensive--2x that of an ocean cruise for a Viking river cruise. Tauck Cruises are twice the price of Viking. For the same money spent, I could take two trips to Europe on my own.

We just returned from a Baltic cruise thru Scandinavia, and we saw so much. I'm afraid we'd be bored traveling so slow throughout the rivers of Europe.

 

[grasshopper]

Okay, colour me intrigued.

Just booked my flight down to Baja for what will be my first extended stay post-ER. I am going for close to 2 months (all of November and most of December), with my wife joining me for a month of that.

I hope to go back in late Winter and spend a good chunk of the Spring there - and come back when the PNW rains are waning. Giddy up.

LOL, while we will be in the Sea of Cortes in November on an Un-Cruise trip. We have kayaked Loreto- La Paz several times, but hey we may get a little rest while on a small ship.

 

[fidler4]

Three buddies and I just got back from 3-days in the Eastern Sierra's on an epic (for me at least) bike climbing trip. We stayed in Big Pine and day #1 road up White Mountain Rd. to the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest, day #2 road from Lone Pine to Horseshoe Meadows and Day #3 from Big Pine to Glacier Lodge. The scenery was amazing!!

The motto for the trip was "Push. Spin. Ride on. Eat. Sleep, Repeat"

 

[rodi]

Heading for Italy next Wednesday. Milan to Sicily for a month.

Where are you headed in Sicily - I have a travel love affair going with Sicily.

 

[explanade]

Going to Sicily too next week.

Flying into Catania, will be going to the Aeolian Islands for the first time.

Taormina had heavy rains last week. Mud slides and the funivia is out of commission.

Hoping for clear weather at end of September, early October ...

 

[rodi]

Mud slides in/around Taormina is kind of scary given it's position and verticality.

 

[explanade]

Supposedly things are open.

Heard there was some damage along the coast at Giardini Naxos below. But supposedly businesses are open down there.

I can still cancel but I'd rather spend a couple of nights in Taormina than Catania before going to Salina, though it turns out there are better transport options to Milazzo from the airport than Taormina.

 

[akck]

Making another trip to Maryland to help my oldest with projects around the house. The last trip earlier this year was to build a backyard fence. This trip is to put some drainage in his backyard and level it with top soil. He had a pond in the backyard from all the heavy rains this summer that took a week to drain.

 

[rodi]

Yeah - the train doesn't go to Taormina - so you can get off in Giardini Naxos and take a taxi up, or there is a bus. There's also a high speed bus from CTA to Taormina - takes a bit over an hour and costs less than 10Euro. It drops you at the north end of town - just below the Messina Gate. We looked at this when we were considering staying in Taormina on our summer trip - but we decided to stay in Riposto (where the cugini are) and it was served by train.

http://www.interbus.it/

 

[brett]

The bus to Taormina at Catania Airport is very convenient and operates frequently. We used it to go to Taormina for a few days and then took it down to Naxos to pick up a rental car. We highly recommend it.

We had a good time in Lipari. We dropped the car off in Cefelu, stayed for a few days and then trained to the ferry to get to Lipari. After that it was the train back to Palermo for a few days, Enjoy you trip but be aware that ferry service/tours to the islands can be interrupted by weather and high seas.

I forget the name of the town where we took the ferry. We took a local bus, about 1.5e each to the port.

We had to wait 10 minutes for the bus. There was a cab driver at the station shilling for business....he told us the bus would not come for several hours!

 

[explanade]

Milazzo?

The other port is Messina, NE tip of the island.

Yeah hoping the weather holds up through the end of the month.

 

[Nemo2]

We will be docking in Messina on Monday, Nov 02, for approx 7 hours - any suggestions?

 

[brett]

Milazzo, that is it. Not much of a town. Local bus takes you from the train station to the dock in about 15 minutes.

We did not find the trains in Sicily, at least the Palermo-Milazzo route, to be very punctual. Very unlike the mainland rail service.

We ended up flying from Palermo-Rome on Vueling. The airfare was less than half the price of rail and much more convenient. Vueling was excellent.

We did not go to Messina..sorry cannot help you.

 

[Meadbh]

I'm planning a Mediterranean vacation for next spring. A repositioning cruise across the Atlantic to Rome, a week in Tuscany, followed by a week in Malta. Suggestions for getting from Civitavecchia to Firenze, hotels in Firenze, and things to do in Malta would be very helpful. Should I rent a car in Malta, or rely on the buses? I will be staying at Golden Bay.

 

[explanade]

I believe the bus from Messina to Milazzo is about 50 minutes each way.

The Interbus from Messina to Taormina is about 60-75 minutes each way.

The train from Messina to Giardini Naxos train station is about 40-60 minutes but you'd have to take the bus or a taxi up to Taormina.

The Interbus goes to right outside the center of Taormina.

Both the Messina bus stops and the Messina train station are suppose to be a couple hundred meters from the Messina port.

 

[Moemg]

We are also going on a transatlantic next spring . It stops in the Azores , Lisbon, Spain & France and ends in Southampton , England . We are spending five days in London then flying home .

 

[brett]

We were in Malta for ten days last Sept. A few days on each island.

We had planned on renting a car but never did. The bus service is extensive but boy can those old darlings ever push to the front of the line! After that we fllew to Catania.

 

[ronin]

Leaving on a 10 day trip to Peru tomorrow. Shoulder is still pretty sketchy from the surgery so hopefully it isn't too much of an issue.

 

[travelover]

Leaving on a 10 day trip to Peru tomorrow. Shoulder is still pretty sketchy from the surgery so hopefully it isn't too much of an issue.

Watch out for altitude effects. It's gotten me both times I've been to Machu Picchu.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Take some Diamox with you to Peru. You can take it for acute onset of altitude sickness symptoms.
And have fun, it is so beautiful there!

 

[MichaelB]

Make sure to try a "Pisco Sour" or two. It won't help with any altitude sickness but it has other medicinal properties.

 

[travelover]

Take some Diamox with you to Peru. You can take it for acute onset of altitude sickness symptoms.
And have fun, it is so beautiful there!

I took it, but one side effect is that it makes you have to pee all the time. So, I found myself tired, dehydrated (from panting) and perpetually looking for a bathroom.