There are other cities in Europe that I find charming for different reasons, but if I have to pick an absolute favorite, it's Lisbon. I have been trying to figure out how to move there for going on 4 years now.
Barcelona is the top of my list. It's vibrant and delightful with fascinating history and art.
I also love London (lived there for several years), Sevilla and Edinburgh.
On the smaller side, I adore Heidelberg. Scenic and friendly.
I agree about Barcelona, the city is so cosmopolitan and still beautiful in its own way. It looks like New York a bit, but it was like 5 times cheaper. We got a deal there and slept for 15 Euro a night in a double room with own bathroom and a kitchen on the floor. Some of the best days in my life.
Post by dorothyinAus on May 25, 2014 18:53:47 GMT -5
Helsinki.
I really loved the feel of the city. It was easy to explore, friendly and welcoming. I missed so much! I would love to go back and spend much more time there.
Barcelona is the top of my list. It's vibrant and delightful with fascinating history and art.
I also love London (lived there for several years), Sevilla and Edinburgh.
On the smaller side, I adore Heidelberg. Scenic and friendly.
I agree about Barcelona, the city is so cosmopolitan and still beautiful in its own way. It looks like New York a bit, but it was like 5 times cheaper. We got a deal there and slept for 15 Euro a night in a double room with own bathroom and a kitchen on the floor. Some of the best days in my life.
I'm intrigued by your comparison to NYC. Were there specific parts of aspects of each city that you found comparable? I wouldn't have ventured this comparison myself so am curious.
Post by HamishHealys on May 27, 2014 2:30:31 GMT -5
Antwerp, Prague and Barcelona are all absolutely stunning, and while Prague is very affordable, the food in Barcelona is maybe as good as any city on Earth, which neither Antwerp or Prague can claim.
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind.”
Longyearbyen is a new favourite but then I love Scandinavia and the Nordics Helsinki for style Valetta in Malta for somewhere hotter and because the drinks are cheap / gelato is amazing Ljubljana for access to adventure sports Paris because my husband speaks french and it's hot.
Oh and Oslo because I got to hang out with GilliC. Oslo is expensive but totally underrated.
So far Paris is the winner. It's so beautiful, so many things to do, BREAD, and the people were actually super friendly and everyone spoke English.
I'm so glad to hear you had this experience in Paris. Part of me wondered if one of the reasons why we winded up being so fond of Paris, is because everyone talked down about it before we went. All I heard was how rude everyone was, and how expensive things were, and how people could speak English, but wouldn't...basically to just be dicks. All of those things couldn't have been further from the truth. People were so nice. Like, going out of their way nice. Prices seemed to be fair, and everyone was extremely willing to speak English. We had a wonderful experience.
So far Paris is the winner. It's so beautiful, so many things to do, BREAD, and the people were actually super friendly and everyone spoke English.
I'm so glad to hear you had this experience in Paris. Part of me wondered if one of the reasons why we winded up being so fond of Paris, is because everyone talked down about it before we went. All I heard was how rude everyone was, and how expensive things were, and how people could speak English, but wouldn't...basically to just be dicks. All of those things couldn't have been further from the truth. People were so nice. Like, going out of their way nice. Prices seemed to be fair, and everyone was extremely willing to speak English. We had a wonderful experience.
I am wondering if that's the case for us too. I would try to speak French and then they would respond in English. We had asked a waiter at Frogburger St Michel if he spoke English and he said with a great smile, "Of course we speak English!" And prices compared to here were not that different. But then again, I live in Southern California.
Same with Prague. I had heard that Prague service was not about smiles and being outwardly friendly, but people were with us. I stopped in at the Starbucks in Wenceslas Square and the barista wrote me a cute note:
(My name is Heather. It was different each time I went into a Starbucks
I'm so glad to hear you had this experience in Paris. Part of me wondered if one of the reasons why we winded up being so fond of Paris, is because everyone talked down about it before we went. All I heard was how rude everyone was, and how expensive things were, and how people could speak English, but wouldn't...basically to just be dicks. All of those things couldn't have been further from the truth. People were so nice. Like, going out of their way nice. Prices seemed to be fair, and everyone was extremely willing to speak English. We had a wonderful experience.
I am wondering if that's the case for us too. I would try to speak French and then they would respond in English. We had asked a waiter at Frogburger St Michel if he spoke English and he said with a great smile, "Of course we speak English!" And prices compared to here were not that different. But then again, I live in Southern California.
Same with Prague. I had heard that Prague service was not about smiles and being outwardly friendly, but people were with us. I stopped in at the Starbucks in Wenceslas Square and the barista wrote me a cute note:
(My name is Heather. It was different each time I went into a Starbucks
How sweet! Prague is definitely on our list.
One of my favorite memories of Paris happened when we first got there. We stopped in a small cafe on our way to Notre Dame. We were both a little hesitant knowing only minimal French. We were just kind of taking things in, adjusting to a new country, sipping wine & looking out the window at Notre Dame, when a sweet older woman came in with her small dog, and sat down next to me. She kept looking over at us and smiling, and I smiled back at her & her pup and said a quick bonjour. She then started talking to us in very broken English and insisted that we try these amazing truffles that came with the bread she had ordered. She asked if it was our first time in Paris, and she just seemed so pleased with the idea of young love in the city of love. She wished us an amazing trip, and she was just so sweet & genuine. I wanted to hug her.