We're Going to Belgium--Where else would you go?

[Haven]

Hi, everyone!

My proposal to present at a conference in Belgium was accepted, so we'll be going there at the end of July/beginning of August. Now I get to plan the rest of our trip around this conference, and of course, I'd love to hear feedback from my PS friends.

We'll take ten to twelve days to travel *in addition to* the time I have to spend at the conference. Where would you go?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Amsterdam

 

[princesss]

Germany! The Netherlands! Austria!

 

[dragonfly411]

Germany, Poland. OR go WEST to FRANNNNNNNNNNNCE!

In all seriousness. I think Germany would be an awesome visit, and Poland fascinates me. Or you could even hop down to Switzerland. Belgium itself would be fun too!

 

[elrohwen]

I would do Germany and Netherlands I think. Cologne isn't too far and Trier is a fantastic town on the Mosel river that claims to be the oldest town in Germany (lots of Roman ruins and wine country!).

 

[ForteKitty]

Whatever you do, dont miss Bruges when you're in Belgium!! It's gorgeous, the Belfort has the most amazing view, the Basilica of the Holy Blood was beautiful. We took a canal tour, and it was so cute. The whole place just feels so... magical! Stay at least one night.. it's beautiful after dark. There is a restaurant that serves all you can eat ribs, i'm pretty sure it's called the Hobbit. It's really good. And the beer... well, it's Belgium.

We went to Amsterdam after Bruges, and to be completely honest, Amsterdam was a bit of a let down. I wish we went to other places in the Netherlands instead. Kind of dirty and sketchy, and i'm not the least bit prudish. It seems like the weekend tourists go there to have fun, and they completely trashed the place. Broken beer bottles all over the streets, huge pieces of trash in every canal, and half sunken boats that were molded and leaking oil into the water. The one thing i was very impressed w/ was the food. Everywhere we ate was fantastic. We had the best Indian food ever!!

If you want more info/pics, lemme know!

 

[iheartscience]

Congratulations!

I've been to Germany twice and it's a great country to visit. Good food and great beer and wine, plus it's gorgeous. If I had to pick my favorite city I'd say Berlin, although Munich is also great. I've been to Hamburg, Bamberg and Regensberg, too. I visited Auschwitz as well and obviously it makes for a very intense day, but it's well worth the trip. If you end up going to Germany I'd try to visit Berlin, Munich and Auschwitz. The other places were nice, too, but those were definitely my top three.

 

[Lula]

Congratulations, Haven! I've been fortunate enough to visit many countries in Europe, and that time of year can be tricky. Many Europeans vacation in August, so planning ahead is good. The weather can be a mixed bag, so take rain gear and also warm weather clothing. My suggestions would really depend on what you like to do. Amsterdam has some great museums, but you can see those and have some great Indonesian/Indian food in an overnight trip. It is a city, and it does get very crowded (and dirty) because it is overrun with tourists on weekends and in the summer. I'd recommend staying outside of the city and taking the train in. Amsterdam's train and tram systems are easy and cheap to use. Renting a bike in Belgium and the Netherlands is great fun. It's largely flat, so easy riding, and you can ride for miles, stopping in little towns along the way to eat pancakes! (At least in the Netherlands; I'm not sure about pancakes in Belgium -- all I remember is the mussels and french fries!).

A car or train or boat trip along the Rhine (Rhein) River is beautiful -- great wine tasting opportunities, too. The Black Forest area of Germany is gorgeous, as is the Alsace region in France. If you've got the time, and you have access to a car, and you like the mountains and hiking, I very much recommend a trip to Southern Austria and Northern Italy (Sud Tirol region). Beautiful mountains, great food (both German and Italian) and great wines -- Pinot Grigot comes from this region of Italy. St. Moritz and the Engadine region of Switzerland are west of the Sud Tirol and are beautiful as well. Most people speak at least some English, but you will not see a lot of Americans.

Venice and Lake Como are gorgeous, but I would not go there during July and August (hot weather; crowds). Some pretty cities in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria (smaller, less crowded) are Basel, Switzerland; Lucerne, Switzerland; Innsbruck, Austria; and Munich, Germany. I am not a fan of Zurich, though I've been there many times (flights) and the Bahnhofstrasse is a famous shopping area. Any of these cities can be reached by public transportation -- no need for a car. It's easy to travel around Switzerland by train and the scenery is gorgeous.

In France, besides the Alsace region, I recommend spending a little time in Paris, and then heading down the coast to LaRochelle and beyond. Great seafood! ETA: But anything along the coast, and anywhere near a beach, can be super-crowded -- again, August is vacation season, and northerners starved for sun pack up and drive their campers south for beach vacations (just like in the U.S.!).

I've also been to England and Scotland, and loved traveling in both of those countries, but it does involve some extra travel (probably a flight) to get there from Belgium. The other destinations simply require a train pass or a car.

 

[kittybean]

Venice and Lake Como are gorgeous, but I would not go there during July and August (hot weather; crowds).

I agree with Lula about Venice in July and August. Lake Como, however, was a gorgeous, serene, not-too-crowded paradise when DH and I were there in July 2009. We couldn't believe how few people were there, and the lake was practically empty when we rented a boat to go exploring. It is honestly the most beautiful place I have been in my entire life, and I've traveled to quite a few gorgeous places. If you can go there, go!

Other than that, if I were going with you, I'd probably want to go to Amsterdam and Den Hague in the Netherlands and to Paris and Versailles in France. I might venture out into the French countryside, too. I think DH and I are potentially going to Paris in May--I am really, really hoping it works out for us.

 

[zoebartlett]

I haven't been to Belgium so I can't give you any recommendations, Haven. I wanted to say though what a great opportunity you have! I'm curious about what you're speaking about and where, but you might not want to be too detailed about it here. Totally understandable...

 

[Lula]

Venice and Lake Como are gorgeous, but I would not go there during July and August (hot weather; crowds).

I agree with Lula about Venice in July and August. Lake Como, however, was a gorgeous, serene, not-too-crowded paradise when DH and I were there in July 2009. We couldn't believe how few people were there, and the lake was practically empty when we rented a boat to go exploring. It is honestly the most beautiful place I have been in my entire life, and I've traveled to quite a few gorgeous places. If you can go there, go!

Other than that, if I were going with you, I'd probably want to go to Amsterdam and Den Hague in the Netherlands and to Paris and Versailles in France. I might venture out into the French countryside, too. I think DH and I are potentially going to Paris in May--I am really, really hoping it works out for us.

Yes, Lake Como is stunning. I was there during some sort of festival, so it was very busy. That is one thing you want to check on, no matter where you go -- is if your destination is having some sort of film festival or art festival or wine festival -- there are lots of them, and you can find out the dates on the locations' websites. If you plan your trip to avoid those times, you can avoid the crowds and have better (and less expensive) hotel accommodations. The whole area around Lake Como is stunning. Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano, are long, narrow lakes bordered by both Switzerland and Italy, and surrounded by mountains -- mini Lake Comos! A beautiful part of the world, but make sure you get a hotel with air conditioning (not all hotels have it)!

 

[Haven]

Thank you for all of the great replies!

MC--DH has never been to Amsterdam, and I was there ten years ago, so that's definitely on the list of maybes. Any specific recommendations for Amsterdam?

Princesss--Haha, your enthusiasm is stirring up my wanderlust! I've never been to Germany or Austria, and I'd really like to go. My family is German, so it's even more important to me to visit.

Dragonfly--I think we will spend some time in Belgium, too. I don't know enough yet to say where, but I definitely want to poke around. I'd love to go to Switzerland. Any must sees in either?
DH and I have both been to France before, so I think we'll skip it this summer. But I do want to go back one day.

Elro--Thank you! The specifics are what I need to get started with my research. Eeeh! I'm excited to start planning.

ForteKitty--Thank you! I love the details. I'd love pictures and whatever info you'd like to share.
I'm torn on bringing DH to Amsterdam, because while he's never been there, I'm not sure he'd like it. He's a clean freak, and straight as an arrow, so hmmmm, I don't know. I went to Amsterdam while I was in college, and had a blast. But, you know, I was in COLLEGE.

Thing2--I'm so happy to hear that you loved Berlin. My family is from West Berlin, and I'd really like to spend some time there. Do you have any specific recommendations?
I've visited the Auschwitz concentration camp, but that was in Poland. What is the Auschwitz that you're talking about in Germany? (Sorry for my ignorance!)
A good friend of mine LOVES Munich, I'd love to visit there, as well. (Totally unrelated note: Eric Bana in Munich is my dream hunk.)

Lula--Thank you so much for all of the great information.
Yes, I'm definitely not happy about the timing. We usually like to go to Europe at the end of May and beginning of June, so it's a bummer that this conference falls during the busy season. BUT, I'm really excited about the conference so I figure it will make up for the bad timing.
I'm intrigued about the biking in Belgium and The Netherlands, we'd really like to bike for part of the trip. Did you rent a bike and go on your own? (We're not really tour group people, we like to do our own thing.)
I'm laughing about the Rhein trip because I'm learning German right now and the first conversation of the lessons is all about how "Andreas is from a city along the Rhein." Haha. Anyway . . .
The Sud Tirol region sounds amazing. It is on the list of things to research.
If I didn't get the speaking gig in Belgium we were probably going to spend all of our time in England and Scotland. I LOVE England, and haven't been back since I studied in London during college. And our very closest family friend (my "second mom") is from England, but her family has a farm with an enormous home and a small guest house on the grounds, and when we go to Scotland we're going to stay in the guest house. (They rent the large home out.) We'll probably end up going to England and Scotland in 2013, since we're already committed to going to Italy in 2012 with my mom. I can't wait, though. I really want to go back to Ireland, too, but DH is pretty set on seeing some new places this summer.
Great, detailed information, thank you Lula, I really appreciate it. This is just the thing I need to start narrowing down our options so I can dig in and do some research.

Thank you, everyone! Planning is half the fun for me, and you've all given me some really great starting points. I really, really appreciate the time you took to post.

 

[Haven]

I haven't been to Belgium so I can't give you any recommendations, Haven. I wanted to say though what a great opportunity you have! I'm curious about what you're speaking about and where, but you might not want to be too detailed about it here. Totally understandable...

I was wondering if you'd pop in, Zoe!
It's the European Conference on Reading. I'm doing a workshop on repackaging the writing process to honor authentic assessment and student diversity in the classroom. I'm giving the same workshop at my state conference this year, and I figured I'd submit a proposal for the European conference because I'd LOVE to swap notes with European literacy specialists. (I'm also hoping some of my favorite European linguists will be presenting, but I won't know until the full schedule is released.)

I'm still not sure whether I'm going to IRA this year--are you? We could have a mini GTG!

 

[iheartscience]

Haven-ope, my mistake-it was Dachau. (That's what I get for sneaking in PS at work.) We went to Dachau and then headed to Munich.

 

[elrohwen]

I was going to look for my pictures of Trier, but it's probably easier if you just do a Google image search for the town. Really really fantastic Roman ruins (ampetheater, huge gate). And you can't beat being in the middle of German wine country

Cologne has the amazing gorgeous cathedral I've ever seen, and I've seen quite a few. Google that one too, because my pics won't do it justice.

Germany is a great country in general and I hope you guys get to go! I never got to Berlin on my last trip there, so if you go I have to see pictures

 

[Haven]

Haven-ope, my mistake-it was Dachau. (That's what I get for sneaking in PS at work.) We went to Dachau and then headed to Munich.

Ah, that makes sense. I thought there was another Auschwitz out there, though.

I have to tell you, I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau and Majdanek when I was in Poland and while I'm glad I went, it was so difficult. It's one of those things I'm glad I've done, but unsure whether I could handle doing again. Does that make sense?
DH will probably want to visit Dachau, though, so we may go.

 

[Haven]

Thank you, Elro! I will be a-googling!

I'm excited to load up on guidebooks at the library tomorrow, too.

 

[zoebartlett]

!

I haven't been to Belgium so I can't give you any recommendations, Haven. I wanted to say though what a great opportunity you have! I'm curious about what you're speaking about and where, but you might not want to be too detailed about it here. Totally understandable...

I was wondering if you'd pop in, Zoe!
It's the European Conference on Reading. I'm doing a workshop on repackaging the writing process to honor authentic assessment and student diversity in the classroom. I'm giving the same workshop at my state conference this year, and I figured I'd submit a proposal for the European conference because I'd LOVE to swap notes with European literacy specialists. (I'm also hoping some of my favorite European linguists will be presenting, but I won't know until the full schedule is released.)

I'm still not sure whether I'm going to IRA this year--are you? We could have a mini GTG!

Ha! I promise I'm not a stalker girl. I just know the work you do and conferences are always interesting to me. It sounds AMAZING though! Sadly, I've never been to an IRA and it's definitely not doable in our budget this year. Someday though! I'd love to meet up some time.

 

[iheartscience]

Haven-ope, my mistake-it was Dachau. (That's what I get for sneaking in PS at work.) We went to Dachau and then headed to Munich.

Ah, that makes sense. I thought there was another Auschwitz out there, though.

I have to tell you, I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau and Majdanek when I was in Poland and while I'm glad I went, it was so difficult. It's one of those things I'm glad I've done, but unsure whether I could handle doing again. Does that make sense?
DH will probably want to visit Dachau, though, so we may go.

No, that definitely makes sense-I felt exactly the same way.

And I'll have to dig around and see what I can tell you about Berlin-it's been a while since I was there. I forget how old I am until I realize that trip was 8 years ago!

 

[Haven]

Re: !

Zoe--I know you're not a stalker!
I hope you do make it to an IRA convention (sorry, I kept calling it a conference earlier.) Maybe they'll have it close to you one year, so you won't have to fly! I'd love to meet up.

The big conventions are great because you come home with LOADS of free books, which is the best. I always love the sci fi presentations, they're the most fun, and they give away the best books! (Well, in my opinion, at least.)

I wonder if the Europeans are as generous with the free books. It looks like they had a lot of great exhibitors last year, so here's hoping!

 

[Haven]

Haven-ope, my mistake-it was Dachau. (That's what I get for sneaking in PS at work.) We went to Dachau and then headed to Munich.

Ah, that makes sense. I thought there was another Auschwitz out there, though.

I have to tell you, I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau and Majdanek when I was in Poland and while I'm glad I went, it was so difficult. It's one of those things I'm glad I've done, but unsure whether I could handle doing again. Does that make sense?
DH will probably want to visit Dachau, though, so we may go.

No, that definitely makes sense-I felt exactly the same way.

And I'll have to dig around and see what I can tell you about Berlin-it's been a while since I was there. I forget how old I am until I realize that trip was 8 years ago!

I'd love to hear more about Berlin if you come across anything worth passing along.
And yeah--it was hard to type out that I studied in London over TEN YEARS AGO. That made me feel really old. Blech.

 

[zoebartlett]

Ah, free books! I'd love to go. I know it would be a blast. I'm sure you'll have a great time in Belgium.

 

[TravelingGal]

Bruges. Rothenburg (Germany) if you like the tourist cutesy places. Munich.

 

[vc10um]

Haven-ope, my mistake-it was Dachau. (That's what I get for sneaking in PS at work.) We went to Dachau and then headed to Munich.

I'm going to ditto thing2's suggestion of Dachau. It's incredibly moving. I also absolutely adored Munich. If you DO go to Bavaria (the German state where Munich is located), you MUST go to Neuschwanstein!!! It is just stunningly amazing...and who could resist the castle upon which Disney based Snow White's Castle!?

I also have to recommend Koeln (Cologne). The Dom (Cathedral), like Elro said, is one of the most stunning examples of gothic architecture I've ever seen. There's also a chocolate museum near there that you can tour and it's quite fun...and delicious!

 

[basil]

Definitely go to Bruges! You can skip Brussels - it's not so great. But don't miss Bruges! My little bro's wife is from there and it's amazing. It's only like an hour or so train ride from Brussels.

 

[Haven]

vc10um--I clicked your Neuschwanstein link, and oh my goodness-talk about breathtaking!
Thank you for the tips!

 

[princesss]

I second or third or quad....ritto? the people that said Bruges. I loved it! We were only there for a night, but we went to the brewery (Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan - The Half Moon Brewery) and did the tour. It was great, and the beer can't be beat. Let me see if I can find a few pictures - we went in winter, but I'm sure it's just as beautiful in summer!

 

[TravelingGal]

vc10um--I clicked your Neuschwanstein link, and oh my goodness-talk about breathtaking!
Thank you for the tips!

The castle was never finished (there are two in the area, but the one I am talking about is the fairy tale one. It's not that impressive inside, but worth it to go for some of the views, and it really is pretty, I would reckon almost any time of the year. I went in the winter, and it looked like a winter wonderland. It's interesting to read about the history of the prince who wanted it made. Ludwig (the second, I think?)

In Munich, there is an estate owned by Ludwig I, who built a "gallery of beauties"...women he thought beautiful, or maybe did something else with! The interesting part is that many of the women are commoners. There's a can can dancer or something such rather in there too. Just interesting to see the women of the time in all in one gallery.

Dachau is very thought provoking. If you can, go when you get a tour with a guide (I believe they are free). They give you so much more insight into what you are looking at...better than the audio guides we could rent at the time.

 

[princesss]

This is Bruges - it's near the church that leans to the...left? I can't remember which way it leans.


This is some of my favourite beer in the world. Mmmmm....

 

[swimmer]

I'm going to again say Prague. Berlin is fantastic and Munich has some interesting stuff, but Prague is simply amazing. Amstertam, meh, you said you have been and the american college kids trying to get high are a plague in the summer.

Yay on getting accepted for a conference!