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C Elegans wrote:@Fable: Don't dare to go to Scandinavia while I'm stuck in the US!

First Xandax, now Fable?
What is this evil plan?

Fiberfar wrote:First Xandax, now Fable?
What is this evil plan?

But Xandax lives in Denmark, so how can he go to Scandanavia? :

fable wrote:CE, I'll keep that in mind--thanks! While our plans are set for this fall's travels, probably in two years' time we'll be looking to spend another three weeks in one or two areas of a particular European culture. Not sure which, right now, but Sweden, Denmark, the Baltic nations, and Turkey lead the list.

You dare to consider visiting Sweden but not Finland?!

Kipi wrote:You dare to consider visiting Sweden but not Finland?!

Well, if you'll read my last post over in the classical music thread, you'll see I actually prefer Finnish concerts and composers in general to Swedish ones (with the exception of Franz Berwald, who was typically loathed in Sweden during his lifetime). But, we're both big fans of good traditional architectural styles, and from what I've been given to understand, there's not much of that in Finnish cities. Please correct me if I'm wrong on that point.

Sweden does have a lot of Baroque and neo-Baroque architecture hanging around, and the Danes have all those palaces that the English *wish* they had 400 years before.

So, convince us that we're wrong! Tell us why we should avoid a culture of tall, blonde anti-social people and go to Finland, instead!

fable wrote:I understand that while Istanbul is Euro-cosmopolitan, once you're in the hinterlands, tolerance of independent behavior among female tourists is very, how shall we say, limited. Would this be a fair assessment?

Well, I didn't get very far outside our five-star hotel, so I wouldn't say I was the best qualified to say. I don't think I would want to travel alone in the country, though.

I am in Paris now (working ).
Next weekend I will be in Amsterdam (that's more like it).

Georgi wrote:Well, I didn't get very far outside our five-star hotel, so I wouldn't say I was the best qualified to say. I don't think I would want to travel alone in the country, though.

I am in Paris now (working ).
Next weekend I will be in Amsterdam (that's more like it).

I can't speak to Istanbul, but you really should get outside the hotel in Paris and Amsterdam. There is much to see, hear, and do in both cities--and I suspect in Istanbul, too. 5-star hotels are enclaves, a little bit of international territory and classy comfort, but not much more than that, as I'm sure you're aware. They intentionally isolate you from the dirt, the smell, and the beauty of the surrounding culture.

I'll never forget one time we used some of my wife's saved up hotel points on a classy Hilton in the Pest side of Budapest. We asked the concierge at one point which tram we needed to get to a certain dingy record store on Bartok Ut. He looked at us incredulously, and said, after a looong pause, "You mean--you want to use public transportation?"

Poor soul. I hope he recovered.

Ah, that's my cue to reminisce about a friend of mine from Philly who wanted to visited Amsterdam, then do the whole Brussels, Moscow, Prague, Barcelona thing. She asked for some info on the Amsterdam sites. The first thing I told her came down to getting out of the city, to take a bus or even a bike. See some towns, go to the Onion Market in Ootmarsum, or go fierljeppen in Friesland. Visit the South-Sea museum in Enkhuizen to see reconstructed buildings and actors re-enacting the 18th century.

Turns out tourism is an ancient, ritualized custom akin to a pilgrimage and alternative travelling options are not to be considered. I think that contributed to Dutch make belief that all foreigners go to Amsterdam for drug consumption. They are too stoned out of their mind to remember where to go, except to trace their steps back to Schiphol Airport.

@Fable I would love to get out of the hotel, believe me, but when you have to be at work at 8.30am and leave at 7.00pm, it doesn't leave much time for sightseeing. At least in Paris the job isn't actually in the hotel, but a short walk over the Seine!

There is no stoning in Turkey, I know this because I am a Turk. Every country has over zealous religious or traditional people. And I dont like when you say its the trademark of East.

If you want to come here and see the sights, just have a native with you, or you can hail me anytime and I would love to help you.