| devin_mm |
| Hey guys, I'm going to have about three weeks off over the Christmas holidays (I love the fort) so I'm looking at going to Europe. Specifically I'm looking to fly into; London, Amsterdam, Germany (see the Porsche and BMW factories), and maybe finally Italy (for the operas and orchestras). Has anyone been to Europe in the winter and has any recommendations (like stay home :lol: ) ? I am not looking for too much outdoor sightseeing but I hear the Christmas markets in Germany are a sight to behold. |
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| JoshP2002 |
| Buy a crap load of chocolate. |
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| sick_boy |
| one advice hold on to your shit tight, they steal right out of your pockets at the markets, and you wont even notice..... |
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| GT45 |
3 weeks isn't going to be enough time to see the uk, holland and germany. The best thing to do is go there with no plans and talk to some locals. I was in holland for 3 weeks and still didn't get to see everything.
I'm not sure of anything going on in the winter specifically, because I went in june and spent most of the time outside. I did a lot of sightseeing though, there's so much history and shit in europe. The nightlife puts edmonton to shame and I hope you're going single because the women there are awesome.
Are you going with some friends or do you have some family out there? |
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| devin_mm |
| I've revised my plans, I currently plan to use the Netherlands as my hub and go to Germany from there, I'll leave the UK for a whole other trip. I'm going alone because I just want to go, I know no one over there and I don't think I'll be able to convince anyone I know to go with me. |
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| GT45 |
Dude that's the best way to go. I was entertaining the idea of teaching esl over in Dulin Ireland. They get a lot of students from other countries in their university's.
I'm hoping to get dual citizenship in holland and live there for a little while. I don't know much for family there. But holland is an awesome place to start. It's a little expensive over there but you'll never run out of shit to do.
There's lots in germany too. I thought I'd have a hard time talking to people because I don't know the language there. But just about everyone speaks english it's awesome. I only met one girl working at macdonalds that didn't speak english.
I don't know if I'll go yet, I'd like to before the winter hits here. |
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| stealth |
I have been to all of those places mentioned except Italy.
They are beautiful places, but why don't you want to go outdoor seeing?
Thats the whole point of going!
Just walk the local markets, find some ladies, and have fun!:thumbup: |
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| Prorsumgurl83 |
Amsterdam is lots of fun - but I have only been there in the summer time (If you want to stay at a very nice hotel try Hotel Amrath, last year they just opened in a very historical and cool old building and had some wicked room deals we cashed in on).
As for Germany at Christmas time, I have done this a few times as I have family there and the smaller towns do have wonderful Christmas markets, but beware that during the actual days when it is Christmas (Dec 24-26) and New Years (Dec 31 - Jan 1) alot of the tourist and public places (museums, historical monuments, etc...) will be closed and you may find yourself with some free time and nothing to do unless you just like walking around exploring on your own and enjoying the city/towns. But if church is your thing there is plenty of Christmas services. On another note the New Years Eve celebrations involve fire crackers in the street and other celebrations.
Weather in Germany is usually around the 0-5 degrees in the Winter depending on the region you are visiting. Over the las few years they have had some noticeable ugly ice storms in Northern Germany if I recall correctly. But definitely a more comfortable temperature than Edmonton! |
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| the_fornicator |
Currently living in Munich and it doesn't get too bad. There's virtually no snow and what snow we do get it sleet. Never really sticks around. Two years ago they had an anomaly where they had over 2 feet of snowfall in a week. So it can vary.
Normally, it rarely reaches -15 there and will usually hover between 0 and -10. Keep in mind that it's more humid out there so what is -10 may feel like -18'ish.
Which part of Germany are you going to? Assuming the northern cities like Berlin or Koln since your hub is Amsterdam? |
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| devin_mm |
| I was thinking of Hamburg and Munich (I can hit up the BMW plant there) to get a taste of two ends of the country. If it's as awesome as I think it's going to be I can see myself going back in September for the famous Oktoberfest. |
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| devin_mm |
| I am also thinking of getting a personal GPS to carry around since I don't plan on driving much. Does anyone have one they suggest? I probably would have better luck buying one over there but eBay is always good. |
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| devin_mm |
| I have booked my flight! It just makes it so much more real. I'm leaving in the third week of December and coming back the second week of January. |
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