The Official™ Lashpair European Vacation™ Planning Thread !!
 

Hi Guys & Gals !

Well, we're doing another Griswald Family Vaction and it's going to be a European Vacation this time. I hope I don't end up on a billboard in Italy.

The plan is thus:

• Sydney - Singapore
• Singapore- Stuttgart
• Stuttgart – Northern Italy
• Northern Italy - Monaco / Villefranche Sur Mer / Nice
• Nice – Lognes / Marne la Vallée
• Sun 16th Oct 2011 : LashMeet @ Disneyland Paris ??
• Paris - London
• London - Leeds
• Lots of sightseeing from Leeds
• Leeds - London
• London – Hong Kong
• Thurs 4th & Fri 5th Nov 2011 : Hong Kong Disneyland
• Hong Kong - Sydney

So...

Who's got any Hints / Tips / Must-sees for any of those regions, and who's going to come to Paris for a Meet ?

I suspect we might be meeting up with Louis in Paris :cool:

PS: In Germany/Italy/Southern France & the UK, we're going to have a hire car (and a GPS!) and don't mind large drives, so we'll be doing lots of large day-trips. If it's within a 3 hour drive, it's fair game !!

I lived in Germany for a year. Need to dig out my stuff and see what was cool. The wall is down so that's out :( but Berlin is still very cool.

I hate you more than ever, if that's even possible




I'm so envious .... oh well, live vicariously ... this may be your best adventure ever. I certainly hope so. You guys are rad. But, yes, it should be me. :p

Don't be afraid to buy an ice cream sandwich from a guy on a bicycle in Singapore (and in general the street food there is fantastic).

Also, don't be afraid to purchase tickets for the rest of us to come meet you! Wow that sounds like an amazing trip!!

How long are you in Singapore? The nighttime visit to the zoo is cool but if you've done that elsewhere there's nothing unique about it.

Sentosa Island has had some additions since I was there so I don't know if the mood has changed but it was a pleasant day out and it is fun to say you're going to "the pleasure island of Sentosa." Felt like saying something out of Star Trek where apparently entire planets are dedicated to monolithic industry.

Also, you can stand at the southernmost tip of continental Asia, which is thrilling for about as long as it takes to say "****, it's too hot I want to go north again."

The Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart is pretty cool. My father's side of the family is from a little town called Grossbottwar that's not far from Stuttgart. It's a pretty little wine region.

I liked my trip to the Cote d'Azur. Here are some photos. Eze was a cool town, and you can walk the Nietzsche trail down from there to the coast. You end up close to Bono's house.

Stay on the Left Bank, I say
 

Ack, I had a post all typed out and lost it. Anyway, here are my recommendations for Paris.

Hotel we love. Two blocks from the métro, two blocks from Blvd. St. Michel, two blocks from the Luxembourg Gardens. The hotel is on a very quiet little street with the advantage that this is a honest-to-goodness neighborhood so eats are varied and affordable. You can get take-away, a sandwich, shop the food shops, or have a sit-down meal.

There are many little shops of all kinds and there's the Cluny Museum with the beautiful unicorn tapestries. Notre Dame is a nice stroll. It's just a great part of Paris. I lived on the same street as the hotel during part of the '80's.

The Luxembourg Gardens are the greatest place in the world to people watch. Go across the street to my favorite café, Le Rostand, and have something lovely to drink.

That's a start.

I'll throw a hotel recommendation of my own in if you're interested in another part of town.
Hotel Montpensier. Adjacent to Palais Royal and just a 5 minute walk to the Louvre. Which also puts it in spitting distance of the opera house, the pompidou, the tuileries. Super convenient metro stations accessing 2 lines. The hotel itself is nothing amazing, but it's charming, friendly, and cheap as chips.

If you visit Mont Matre/Sacre Coeur, don't miss the Dali Museum.

For Disneyland Paris - PLAN YOUR MEALS! Can't stress it enough. Food options outside of the sitdown restaurants that take priority seating reservations are paltry, and the hours of those restaurant can be unforgiving. If you don't have your food scheduled you'll find yourself with really really poor options.