Where should Tep go in December?

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I may as well ask ILE for opinions on this, since the collective travel experience is certainly way greater than my own.

I realized today that I had no real reason not to go to Europe -- or somewhere, but probably Europe or northern Africa -- for part of Christmas break, and I had already gotten my passport for something else, so I figure what the hell.

I don't want to go somewhere overly touristy (Rome is a possible exception to this), but I would like it to be somewhere where at least some people will speak English, and that has an airport. I've done absolutely no looking around yet, since I've just decided this. Basically, I want to go somewhere for three or four days -- I can't likely afford more than that -- where I can find things that I can get to without renting a car (I don't drive). I don't like tour groups and that sort of thing. Interesting-looking cafes are just as nice as historical monuments. Clubbing is irrelevant. Climate negotiable -- I won't be there long enough for it to be a pro or con. I would like to have a hotel room which is easily accessible from wherever the things are that I will be going to do/see during the day -- "accessible" can mean by cab, bus, foot, whatever.

I've ruled out anything in the Pacific because airfare is a good deal more expensive. At the moment, purely on whim -- this is all whim, or impulse, or no no, I have it, WHIMPULSE -- I'm leaning towards Tangier or southern Spain.

Anyone have any suggestions, positive or negative?

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 25 August 2003 22:03 (twenty-two years ago)

well, hows abuot london?

im not sure which parts of europe (if any) are going to be that warm in december. what about Porto? (thuogh i think is more expensive than Lisbon)

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 25 August 2003 22:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I was wondering about London, too. Part of me feels like I want to be somewhere where I'll hear many people speaking something that isn't English, even if it isn't a language I know -- I've never experienced that.

Non-warm is okay! I mean, it's gonna be cold here, so as long as I'm not in Denmark or something I'm sure I'd be fine. I hadn't even thought about Portugal at all, much less Porto or Lisbon specifically -- but that would be cool. That goes in the running.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 25 August 2003 22:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Budapest. There's a lot to see and it's really inexpensive.

― kirsten (kirsten), Monday, 25 August 2003 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

If you could afford to spend three or four days in London, you could probably afford to spend at least a week in Budapest.

― kirsten (kirsten), Monday, 25 August 2003 22:20 (twenty-two years ago)

You know, when I got bored and was staring at a map of Europe today, I kept looking at Budapest and going, "I have no idea what Budapest is like. What about Budapest?" So that's on the shortlist for sure -- especially if it's cheap.

(I have something like three or four weeks off; I certainly can't afford to travel for that long, nor take that long off from work, but the "a few days" part is flexible according to prices, basically.)

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 25 August 2003 22:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm looking at ticket prices, and Budapest is considerably cheaper than Tangier or southern Spain, too -- and about the same as London. Oooh.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 25 August 2003 23:01 (twenty-two years ago)

melbourne or dunedin. it will be summer.

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Monday, 25 August 2003 23:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Airfare to Australia is way out of my league, unfortunately :/ It's double to triple anything else I'm looking at. Possibly next year.

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 25 August 2003 23:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Wa-ho, putting the days around Christmas in as my travel times is doubling the cost of everything. Dammit. Is it really that much more expensive to travel at the holiday? Is that a dumb question?

(I don't ever travel.)

― Tep (ktepi), Monday, 25 August 2003 23:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Why don't you go somewhere you've never been, like New Hampshire?

― The Man they call Dan (The Man they call Dan), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 00:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Holy crap, Dan is my mother!

My mother is not at ALL happy about this plan. She didn't actually say "But you're not even coming home for Christmas!" (which I wouldn't have done anyway), but the subtext was there. Part of the reason I thought of this is it turns out it's very easy -- nearly automatic -- for me to get summer funding, and there are also plentiful fellowships which pay a fair bit more than I'm getting for teaching. (Which is odd: $4000 a semester for assistant-instructing vs. $7000 a semester for having-to-do-nothing-at-all...)

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 00:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Go to Budapest, Tep! It's great and I can give you lots of tips.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 01:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Ooh, like what? That's what I'm leaning towards at the moment, of the things I've looked at (Rome, Lisbon, and London are the rest of the current shortlist; a lot has been eliminated because airfare is so much steeper). A cursory look around found me six nights in a hotel + round-trip airfare cheap enough that I would have more than reasonable walking-around money (assuming I have a good sense of walking-around money...)

Perversely or sensibly, depending on what kind of person you are I guess, one of the reasons it appeals is because I know next to nothing about it. (I strongly considered moving to Bangkok at one point, for the same reason.) Anything west of that, I can at least spout trivia or regurgitate common knowledge. Budapest? The Danube and paprikash. That's what I know. And I guess I'm not positive the Danube actually goes near/through the city, I just assume it does.

I would like to make this an annual thing, if my income doesn't wilt. Not always abroad, but once a year, around Christmas, head off somewhere new. I actually thought about NYC, even (never been there, and thanks to ILX, could hopefully nudge enough people to show me cool things), but my mother would absolutely disown me if I flew to New York instead of New Hampshire at Christmas. I'm going to have to strictly budget my entertainment-type spending for the rest of the year to be able to afford this without killing my savings, but between Netflix and a great library, I don't think that'll be much noticeable.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

I'd like to write a big long post about Budapest right now but I'm kind of weary and nic-fitty and it wouldn't come out right. Suffice to say though that I think it's a fantastic & beautiful city, still pretty cheap as these things go, lots to explore. It's actually two cities (or was until they merged, but the old names still apply), Buda and Pest, separated by the Danube. Buda is hilly and somewhat mazy, Pest is flat and 19th-century-style-grid-layout-ish. Wow I really can not write right now. Soon I will tell you more.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 01:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Oooh. Okay, this is sounding good.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 01:57 (twenty-two years ago)

You should definitely go to the factory district.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:02 (twenty-two years ago)

The statue park isn't as cool as it could be, though.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:03 (twenty-two years ago)

to see garfield: the movie.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:09 (twenty-two years ago)

also worth doing is going to the beautiful old opera house on andrassy and buying a $5 ticket to see an ancient touring production of la traviata (or whatever's playing that week), sitting up in the nosebleed seats and watching society types in the boxes combing their hair and stuff.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:10 (twenty-two years ago)

If Garfield's out at Christmas, I will see it in Budapest (or wherever), which would be the best Christmas ever.

There's a hostel "in downtown Budapest" with private rooms for $15/night. That sounds way too good to be true.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:11 (twenty-two years ago)

go to brno and see an opera for thirty cents.

and other cool stuff.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh yeah, I stayed in a hostel in Budapest for $10 or $15 a night. Also, my friend and I went out for dinner and we split an appetizer and two bottles of wine and we each had an entree, and the bill was like $18.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:15 (twenty-two years ago)

yup it's cheap. what was the hostel's name tep? and where was it exactly?

― s1utsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:16 (twenty-two years ago)

it's been almost a year since that last trip, I am now officially starting to get nostalgic

― s1utsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:17 (twenty-two years ago)

The only downside to spending $10 - $15 a night for accommodations (at least where we stayed) was that we had to share a room with two guys, and one of them walked in on me just as I was getting out of the shower. There was a nice bar, though.
Anyway, a private room sounds much nicer. GO FOR IT.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Go to Bangkok. There's still a bar there where they'll give you 100 dollars to shit in a woman's mouth onstage. Good times.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Serious answer: Dublin.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:21 (twenty-two years ago)

did you know that that's the biggest city in the world?

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:23 (twenty-two years ago)

How come you never call anymore, Tep?

― The Man they call Dan (The Man they call Dan), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Mom, get off the internet, it's naughty here.

The Red Bus Hostel has a damn long url on this hostels site, but anyway, that's the link, it's "in the very centre of downtown Budapest" at 14 Semmelweis Utca. I thought the hotel prices had been good, but holy crap. You know what $15 would get me in New Orleans? A blowjob from a frat boy and a black eye.

I'm basically just looking at random Budapest-related things on the internet right now, as I happen to find them.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay, so that blowjob thing was a non sequitur.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Or a Freudian slip.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Lebanon! It's got a bit of everything. Incredible Roman ruins, Phoenician and Muslim sites, and Beirut is a pretty cool city. And Damascus is just 3 hours by bus, where you can visit the Umayyad Mosque, and go up to Aleppo or Krak Des Chevaliers [breathaking remains of a crusader castle] or Palmyra [probably the best preserved roman ruins in the world, and not a single tourist in sight]...

And it's CHEAP. And safe.

― phil-two (phil-two), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:31 (twenty-two years ago)

that sounds great, I'd love to go to Lebanon.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:39 (twenty-two years ago)

though a $15 blowjob from a fratboy... what could beat that?

― phil-two (phil-two), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:45 (twenty-two years ago)

don't forget the black eye!

― s1utsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, now Lebanon would be cool. Question about both there and Budapest -- I don't speak the local language. How much difficulty is that going to give me?

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 02:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Most young people in Beirut speak English, moreso than in Budapest. If you hang around the American University of Beirut, they even speak with our accents! If you can wrangle a fake student ID/ISIC card, I got a return ticket from Prague to Beirut for like $140usd. www.gtsint.cz

― phil-two (phil-two), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 03:02 (twenty-two years ago)

did you know that that's the biggest city in the world?

Seoul is now the world's most populous city. Bangkok is 12th.

― Kenan Hebert (kenan), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 04:08 (twenty-two years ago)

i thought it was mexico city?

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 06:10 (twenty-two years ago)

isn't Mexico City the largest in area?

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 06:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Rank City [Proper] est. 2003 Population
1. Mumbai (Bombay), India 12,383,100
2. Buenos Aires, Argentina 12,116,400
3. Karachi, Pakistan 10,537,200
4. Manila, Philippines 10,232,900
5. Delhi, India 10,203,700
6. Sao Paulo, Brazil 10,195,000
7. Seoul, South Korea 9,630,600
8. Istanbul, Turkey 9,419,000
9. Shanghai, China 9,005,600
10. Dhaka, Bangladesh 8,942,300
11. Jakarta, Indonesia 8,827,900
12. Mexico City, Mexico 8,681,400
13. Moscow, Russia 8,368,200
14. Lagos, Nigeria 8,349,700
15. Tokyo, Japan 8,240,100
16. Lima, Peru 8,113,000
17. New York City, U.S. 8,084,316
18. Cairo, Egypt 7,937,700
19. Teheran, Iran 7,893,700
20. London, United Kingdom 7,417,700

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 06:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Erm, Lapland? Can you say 'hi' to santa for me?

(sorry!)

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 08:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I was about to tell you how lovely my Christmas in Rome experience was, and now you've all got me convinced to go to Budapest!

but seriously, xmas in Rome was ecstatically wonderful and not touristy at all really...actually quite a relief from the nonstop commercialism of the states. And we went in a busy year, 2000, Jubilee year at the Vatican and the last time they'd have the Porto Santo open for 25 years. We've been planning to go back this year and also do Sicily if money allows, but time will tell. It will not really challenge you in the way that Budapest might, but you will lose yourself in an orgy of beautiful surroundings and amazing wine and cheese and pastries and chocolate and coffee aaaarrrrhghhhhmmmmm.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 14:19 (twenty-two years ago)

See, that's what I was wondering about Rome -- I thought to myself, eh, if I'm going to go to Rome, I'd rather go in late summer when it's all empty ... but on the other hand, Rome, Christmas, that sorta fits ... but I figured every Catholic tourist in the world had thought that too.

So Rome's still in the running. The main thing that knocks it down a peg is the girlfriend's a classicist, so we're definitely going there at some point anyway.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 14:36 (twenty-two years ago)

DUBLIN IS THE BIGGEST CITY IN THE WORLD.

― RJG (RJG), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Tripoli might have a shot at it, if you say it fast.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 14:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I think you can get a lot more frat-boy blowjobs and a lot fewer black eyes from your $15 in Budapest. Maybe.

― Chris P (Chris P), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

oh christ don't go to rome in summer it will be a million degrees! And everyone takes holiday in late summer and nothing is open to see. Rome at christmas was pretty comfortable, a sweater and a jacket and hat kept you plenty warm when walking around. Don't hesitate to get one of the umbrellas from the street vendors because it does drizzle all the time, though.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

From everything I've read, Rome in the summer is like New Orleans in the summer -- so, yeah, it would suck, but I still love the idea of being there when there are hardly any tourists and even a lot of locals have left :)

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 18:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I was in Rome in June, and there were a lot of tourists and it was so hot it was almost unbearable. My friend and I were able to rent out a nice air-conditioned apartment, but even then it was very uncomfortable.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 18:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Tep: nothing will be open. this includes resturants and shops, which is where they keep the food. THE FOOD.

― teeny (teeny), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 18:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Wait, I want the food.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 26 August 2003 18:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, Italy in the late summer is not such a good idea--it's not like all the tourists and some of the locals have left, it's more like the other way around.

― s1utsky (slutsky), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 04:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Fuck English speakers.

― hstencil, Wednesday, 27 August 2003 05:22 (twenty-two years ago)

or you could check out Naples, which seriously rocks. Amazing food, stunning surroundings, few tourists and you can even go to Capri for a day-trip (how cool is that?).
Not sure winter is the best time to go to Budapest, which, great as it is, is a massive and somewhat pompous city, better appreciated during the springtime. Think Vienna's sibling.

― Fabrice (Fabfunk), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 07:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Dude screw all that come to Lexington we'll take care of ya!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 07:07 (twenty-two years ago)

DUBLIN IS THE BIGGEST CITY IN THE WORLD.

it is! the biggest city *mutter*in a country called ireland*mutter* in the WORLD! you work for bord failte don't you.

― angela (angela), Wednesday, 27 August 2003 07:18 (twenty-two years ago)

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