Top Ten Places I've Been To [Archive]

Stewart

28th Jul 2005, 10:52

Fair enough. :)

Århus, Denmark: Nice mix of old and new, lovely canal in the centre of town with bars and cafes running its length. Interesting mix of shops to dive in and out of.
Gdynia, Poland: Snowing in January through to sun beating down in April, relatively cheap, beautiful women, Zywiec beer, nice malls. Bardzo dopsie.
Sitrah, Bahrain: No grass, just sand, minarets with muezzins' voices drifting in the sandsmacked breeze, The Warbler bar, and the smell of kebabs hanging in the night.
Köln, Germany: Nice market town, the Rhine alongside, Der Dom with its seemingly endless number of stairs yet offering an excellent view across the city and out, further out, to the country.
Praha, Czech Republic: Medieval steets always winding off yet, confusingly, leading back to the same place, ridiculously cheap beer and food, sensible Soviet transport hangover, and beautiful girls despite the ones that talk to you being whores.
Oostende, Belgium: By the sea, smooth beach, quiet town, nice markets although I admit that my trip here was about 15 years ago so my memory fails.
Singapore: Clean streets, amazing blue skies overhead, one of the best descents I've ever had, beautiful and eccentric buildings, and it just teems of life whether it be Chinese, Indian, Malaysian cultures or the vibrant vegetation that lines each road and walkway.
Leixões, Portugal: Coastal town near Oporto with a great bar scene and some nice shops to nip in and out of
Bremerhaven, Germany: Quiet town on the Elbe, tall ships near the mall, the mall itself, historical buildings out on the high street, and a Sunday so quiet you feel like the only person on the planet.
Djibouti, Djibouti: Dirty, diseased, and rife with huge flies with stray dogs wandering the makeshift roads, people washing themselves in the coast water as others have a shitting on the rock next to them. An eye opener I'm eternally thankful for.

gil

28th Jul 2005, 10:57

I've only been to two of your destinations, Blixa.

Singapore - I love it to bits, but as much because of my memory of it from the '50s as its condition now. But it is just so.... together, somehow. I hate shopping, but Singapore is shopping paradise. Tiger Balm gardens are so... tacky, yet so ambitious. They are a must. The hotels are fantastic. The food is great and varied. I hope, Blixa, you took the trouble to have tiffin at the Raffles Hotel. I think it may have been deleted by now, though it was a going concern in the early 90s.

I also like this William Gibson view of Singapore (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.04/gibson.html), rather different from my own, but entertaining. (It's 6 pages long but it's easy to miss the page change link)

Ostend - I have been in Ostend probably 50 times. On one occasion, it wasn't raining. But I like it, particularly off-season. There's a "Blackpool crossed with Portsmouth" sort of air about it in the holiday season, whereas in the winter it carries a faded 20s gentility. The Royal Ostend Golf Club is a particular treat - a really old-fashioned links course with that P G Wodehouse / Agatha Christie kind of atmosphere, but with a dual carriageway and tram / railway line running through the middle of it.

And you will never taste a better fried plaice and chips anywhere in the world than in Ostend's seafront restaurants, which stand shoulder to shoulder for miles.

youjustmightlikeit

28th Jul 2005, 13:05

At the risk of offending, you don't ask for much do you Blixa. A bar, a canal, and you're laughing. It's all a bit Wim Wenders for me.

Where are the strip joints, the wonders of the world, the big metropoli (?), the sweeping vistas?

Stewart

28th Jul 2005, 13:09

Where are the strip joints

They are between the lines. :wink:

youjustmightlikeit

28th Jul 2005, 13:12

Good ho.

gil

28th Jul 2005, 13:14

Where are the strip joints

They are between the lines. :wink: Not in Singapore, they ain't, if Gibson's to be believed.

29th Jul 2005, 18:48

Bardzo dopsie
lol
Very well indeed! :D

maxivida

30th Jul 2005, 11:57

1. Florence, IT

My first impression of Florence was dreary. I arrived on a gloomy day in September, unprepared for the humidity, faint smell of decay, those dilapidated Renaissance buildings marked by warning signs ("Pedestrians cross to the other side – this house may crumble!" or something along those lines). The city was caving in on me, I felt slightly suffocated. The next morning I woke up and realised I was in an E.M. Forster novel: from my bedroom window, I could see the sun-soaked Piazza Santa Croce, I could hear the shopkeepers arguing in that sexy dialect. Now it seems like a dream – late Summer in Tuscany, a trip to the Chianti vineyards with mad Italians who think traffic regulations are an attack on their personal freedom, the ice-cream at Vivoli's, the picnics with cantuccini dipped in vino frizzante. The marketplaces, the museums, the gardens. Beauty.

2. Amsterdam, NL

I was disarmed by its nonchalance and the casual atmosphere. Lovely flea markets, laid-back cafes, yummy Appelgebak. There's a wonderful little shop off the Dam Square, it sells the best coffee in the world, and keeps a coffee museum upstairs that's only open one day a week (I think it's Tuesday). It's Europe as it should be.

3. Lanzarote, E

I went to Lanzarote on holiday, because the brochure promised it would be different from the usual fun-in-the-sun package. Although there are places where thousands of tourists and concrete blocks baked in the hot sun co-exist in wonderful symbiosis (Costa Teguise, Puerto del Carmen), the major part of the island has preserved its bizarre Martian landscape of grey and red volcanoes, the "malpais" that stretches for miles (lava solidified into very sharp rock), the black sand beaches. Another planet.

4. Strasbourg, F

Strasbourg is amazing because history has molded it into a mixture of two cultures that were never meant to have much in common – the French and the German. It's Sauerkraut transformed into chouxcroutes, Flammekuchen becoming tartes flambées. And it works! Try the delicious Metz riesling.

5. Oxford, GB

It's every foreigner's romantic dream of England. You've got to be a bit of an Anglophile to appreciate it completely, to be in awe of the place (and especially all its literary references). I don't know if you Britons can imagine what it feels like for a fan of your culture to walk the streets of Oxford – are you proud or are you a bit blasé?

6. Vienna, A

OK, I realise Budapest would be a more interesting choice than Vienna, but to me it's like a bad carbon copy. It's amazing how well preserved Vienna is – its Austro-Hungarian charm is intact. Yes, it's extremely quaint, but it's lovely. Best cuisine I've ever tasted.

7. Les Bastides, F

Les Bastides are medieval fortified towns in the south of France – the ones I visited on a school trip at the tender age of 15 were in the vicinity of Toulouse. They are typically located on the top of a steep hill, and we had to climb our way up in the early summer heat. Stone cobbled streets, orange rooftops, creepers and vines. They seemed deserted – I suppose it was siesta time – and absolutely unreal. In a café, we drank Perrier au menthe. There was also a tiny sugar museum.

8. Dubrovnik, CRO

I've only experienced Dubrovnik antebellum, so I don't know if it's still the same, but back then it looked like Venice must have looked 500 years ago. Also, you can't really beat the Dalmatian coastline – every island is a jewel, and the good news is, it's still pretty much unaffected by mass tourism (sure, there are Germans, and there are ugly hotels, but nothing on the scale of what has been done to Spain).

9. Hamburg, D

Speaking of Germans, I see there's two German cities on Blixa's list and I suppose it wouldn't be fair to call the entire country unattractive, although I certainly wouldn't choose Cologne as one of the highlights. Shame on me, I've never been to Berlin, and they say Hamburg is the next best thing. I went there in mid-winter and it was all I'd always imagined it to be – freezing cold, pale grey, the harbour veiled in fog. The Reperbahn was fascinating – unlike the red light district in Amsterdam, it's not a bunch of cute brothels in well-kept 17th century bourgeois houses – no, it's genuinely sleazy, the people on the streets are not giggling tourists, they're dirty men looking for some action.

10. Thessalonica, GR

I don't really like Greece. It's too dirty and hot and polluted, not my cup of tea. But this city is different, especially in comparison to Athens. When I first went there it was raining and the sea was unwelcoming; somehow, it was very cosy and private. There's something irresistible about seaside towns off-season.

(actually the greatest city in the world is London, but you don't want to hear that, do you? :) )

Digger

1st Aug 2005, 9:00

5. Oxford, GB

It's every foreigner's romantic dream of England. You've got to be a bit of an Anglophile to appreciate it completely, to be in awe of the place (and especially all its literary references). I don't know if you Britons can imagine what it feels like for a fan of your culture to walk the streets of Oxford – are you proud or are you a bit blasé?

Well you'll have to get over here for the Big Day Out II Max, and walk these hallowed streets again for yourself.

I have to say, I walk or cycle them every day trying as hard as possible to avoid the potholes or the manic bus drivers. Its best on a chilly late October early Sunday morning, when the dreaming spires reach over the low mists spreading from the Isis and the Cherwell and you can go get a paper and a coffee without being trampled by awed tourists! :wink: See you next May Max (or earlier if you're about) I'm lining up literary hot spots! :D

gil

1st Aug 2005, 9:06

Amsterdam Yes, I like it. My own faves are the American Hotel, the Bali restaurant, the Van Gogh museum, the canals, the picturesqueness of it all.

Hamburg Not exactly a favourite, but a great city. My memories are tinged with the fact that I was there on a trouble-shooting job and the trouble was vast and took ages to fix.

pandop

1st Aug 2005, 21:05

Prague and Cologne would definitely be in my top ten - not sure about Amsterdam yet though, as I haven't seen very much of it.

Hazel

kumquat

11th Aug 2005, 22:32

Acco, Israel/Palestine Stunning sea views, old city, sea walls dating back from the days of the crusades, clear sea, kids throwing themselves off high rocks into the water.
Charleston, South Carolina Surely the best breakfast in the world! Fat pancakes with maple syrup, grits, eggs benedict and coffee with free refills.
Venice, Italy Relentless beauty round every stunning corner and over every picturesque bridge. And may i recommend the white chocolate gelato?
Prague, Czech the castle, old city, steep narrow cobbled streets, cheap everything, charles bridge, evocative of kundera and kafka.
Alps, France clean air, perfect snow, boarding and skiing, staggering views, french people speaking french
Barcelona, Spain Hot chocolate like melted cadburys, Gaudi's hand prints everywhere
London, England soho, bars, pubs, people spilling out onto the streets, china town, theatres, museums, galleries. everything.
Amsterdam, Holland bridges, water, canal boats, beautiful and quirky
New York, USA Everything you think it will be. pretzels, central park, piers, chrysler building. all that jazz.

youjustmightlikeit

14th Aug 2005, 23:41

Florence, IT

My first impression of Florence was dreary. I arrived on a gloomy day in September, unprepared for the humidity, faint smell of decay, those dilapidated Renaissance buildings marked by warning signs ("Pedestrians cross to the other side – this house may crumble!" or something along those lines). The city was caving in on me, I felt slightly suffocated. The next morning I woke up and realised I was in an E.M. Forster novel: from my bedroom window, I could see the sun-soaked Piazza Santa Croce, I could hear the shopkeepers arguing in that sexy dialect. Now it seems like a dream – late Summer in Tuscany, a trip to the Chianti vineyards with mad Italians who think traffic regulations are an attack on their personal freedom, the ice-cream at Vivoli's, the picnics with cantuccini dipped in vino frizzante. The marketplaces, the museums, the gardens. Beauty.

Just got back from Florence yesterday. My hopes were high after it had been praised to the high Duomo rafters by everybody and anybody you cared to ask. I left with quite the opposite impression from Max. When i first arrived i thought it was great; when you're there for more than five minutes you realise how tiny it is - really tiny. The Ponte Vecchio was a disappointment (although i don't know what i was expecting, a bridge is a bridge, right?). The queues were long, the restaurants the most expensive that i've been to, ever, in the world. The Uffizi was another disappointment, the Vatican museum outshines it in every way. As for the food, forget it, go to Pizza Express, you'll never look back. There are good points of course, three or four of the museums or galleries were a bit of a thrill, and i've got hundreds of pictures. The street theatre is great. Don't get a hotel room in the centre, you won't sleep.

Eat the gelati - glorious, but you can get those in Rome too.

All in all, i'd have to say that Rome wins hands down. It's not even close.

Digger

15th Aug 2005, 7:16

Welcome back yjmli! :)

youjustmightlikeit

15th Aug 2005, 10:14

Good to be back honeybunch.

maxivida

15th Aug 2005, 13:07

I've just come back from a holiday in Trogir (http://www.trogir-online.com/), a medieval town on the Adriatic coast, marked as UNESCO heritage. Here's a bit of an old tourist's advice: never, ever visit a place in high season, that is, from June to September. No wonder you didn't like Florence, yjmli. Even in September there were far too many tourists for my liking; I can only imagine what it must be like now or two weeks ago. Trogir was lovely, but it took us more than 40 minutes every time we wanted to get out of the town, due to the river of cars flowing in and out of it at all times (obviously the tiny, narrow streets weren't built to be motorised).

http://home.arcor.de/maxivida/riva.jpg
http://home.arcor.de/maxivida/dvoriste.jpg
http://home.arcor.de/maxivida/centar.jpg
http://home.arcor.de/maxivida/maca.jpg

We crossed the Alps on our way back, staying overnight in Trieste and Innsbruck. Beautiful places, although those mountain roads didn't really agree with my stomach. Looking down a 3000 meter deep ravine has redefined my notion of fear.

Digger, thanks for the invitation. Unfortunately, it seems like I'll be staying in Germany until further notice (due to financial reasons) but it would be great if I could get to Oxford next May. :)

John Self

15th Aug 2005, 13:48

Nice pics, max. The penultimate one isn't showing, though.

bakunin_the_cat

15th Aug 2005, 15:13

I love Florence, but I would do. I lived there. When you live there you have time to find that tiny forgotten church with Giotto frescoes on the walls. You have time to hide under the bridge and watch the beavers (not that kind yjmli!) in the Arno. You have time to get out into Tuscany to see the vineyards and olive trees bathed in honey light.

OK the food in restaurants is probably the worst in Italy, and not surprisingly the most expensive. To be honest my limited budget meant I didn't go in them that much, being just as happy with a hunk of fresh bread and goats cheese for lunch and maybe some rice, pollenta, or spaghetti in the evening, cooked by my landlady, a septagenarian yogi who could do things most people half her age wouldn't even contemplate!

maxivida

15th Aug 2005, 15:53

Nice pics, max. The penultimate one isn't showing, though.

Bad link. Fixed it now. :)

Digger

15th Aug 2005, 16:15

maxivida

15th Aug 2005, 16:52

Digger, thanks for the invitation. Unfortunately, it seems like I'll be staying in Germany until further notice (due to financial reasons) but it would be great if I could get to Oxford next May.

we'll see you then then just as all the cherrys are coming into bloom. :)

I hope so! :)

Here's some more pics, once I get started, I can't stop!

Somewhere near the island of Krk...

http://home.arcor.de/maxivida/brodic.jpg

A clocktower in Split

http://home.arcor.de/maxivida/ura.jpg

My dog sunbathing

http://home.arcor.de/maxivida/pepi-skaline.jpg

Diocletian's Palace in Split

http://home.arcor.de/maxivida/palata.jpg

Gospa od Prizidnice

http://home.arcor.de/maxivida/kriz.jpg

The Krka waterfalls

http://home.arcor.de/maxivida/slapovi.jpg

Digger

15th Aug 2005, 17:06

Have you got a Flickr (www.flickr.com) site yet Max, you should do, these are great. :D

maxivida

17th Aug 2005, 10:57

Have you got a Flickr (www.flickr.com) site yet Max, you should do, these are great. :D

Thanks for the advice, Digger. I spent the whole day yesterday resizing and uploading pictures, for those who are interested, here's my new Flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/98529952@N00/sets/763714/).

gil

17th Aug 2005, 11:46

We've always wanted to go to Venice. Any recommendations, warnings?

amarie

17th Aug 2005, 11:56

Don't go in August. It's hideously overrun with tourists and actually quite smelly as well. Apart from that it's a beautiful city!

gil

17th Aug 2005, 12:07

Don't go in August. It's hideously overrun with tourists and actually quite smelly as well. Apart from that it's a beautiful city!If not in August, when is good? We hate smelly!

amarie

17th Aug 2005, 12:14

I've only ever been in August but I'm sure spring time or early autumn would be lovely. I don't mind the heat at all, but the year I went it was absolutely scorching and humid - the heat made the stench from the canals almost overpowering. And rats! Yeurch! I went in in 1994 and it was very expensive then, so I dread to think of prices now. But all that aside, I had an amazing time and really, really enjoyed it. I'd love to go back in a less busy time of the year and do more sight-seeing as I only went for just over a week and we were busy playing in concerts for a lot of that time.

rick green

17th Aug 2005, 17:37

I only went for just over a week and we were busy playing in concerts for a lot of that time.

Hey? What's that? Brass band, bar band, or what? Sounds cool.
I was in Venice once, in the autumn I think. I recall a faint musty smell, but nothing overpowering. Alas, it was before I fully appreciated the utility of espresso. There I was in the heart of cafe country, but I couldn't stay awake. Jet lag brought me down in Venice. Still I remember it fondly. Strolling the canals at night, the wonder of Piazza San Marco (for that matter, the inside if San Marco with its gilded ceiling). Went to the Guggenheim museum, but hardly recollect that at all. In short, I'd love to go back. Must hurry though. Soon it'll be subaqueous.

gil

18th Aug 2005, 8:43

Thanks, both. Sounds like a winter break opportunity!

amarie

18th Aug 2005, 11:32

Hey? What's that? Brass band, bar band, or what? Sounds cool.

It was an orchestra that I played clarinet it. We did a few tours in Europe - they were great but really hard work, and we didn't get that much time for sight-seeing. We were all under 18 at the time so Europe's lax laws on drinking were greatly appreciated!

Jerkass

18th Aug 2005, 16:16

Don't think I've joined this post yet. Outside of England, which I like well enough that I've been trying to move there, I'd have to peg Grenada (not Granada) as one of my favorites.

Never mind all the natural beauty, the perfumed air, the Caribbean lying outside your hotel like crystal clear bath water (aside from those times the hurricanes roll in and destroy the place, of course)...this is one of perhaps, what, two places in the world where Americans are actually, as a group, genuinely liked?!?

Since I've brought up the hurricanes, I suppose I should mention that the island was devastated by one last year. I don't mean normal hurrican devastation--I mean devastation of a magnitude that destroyed a military fort built by the British, which had stood through something like 450 years of hurricane devastation. I saw some pictures and it was heartbreaking. Considering the tourism, alongside nutmeg export, drove the island's economy, I have no idea how they'll find the money to rebuild. I should probably check on the progress, now that I think about it.

rick green

18th Aug 2005, 18:13

We were all under 18 at the time so Europe's lax laws on drinking were greatly appreciated!

Ah, so that's what is meant by "continental style drinking."
Have you kept up your clarinet? You must have been quite good.

artemis

18th Aug 2005, 18:47

Try Dublin, in Irland. That was an amazing holiday!

Beth

16th Oct 2006, 5:02

Chicago, Illinois- friendly people, wonderful places to eat, good transport

White Sands, NM- not just the blinding white sands that are so soft on the feet, but many one of a kind flora and wildlife there as well. Tiny, colorful lizards that run across the dunes

Kauai, Hawaii- Small enough to explore entirely, quiet resort island where not much "happens" but everyone is busy enjoying something. Sailing, surfing, hiking. Wicked undertows for those trying to swim offshore.

Grand Canyon, AZ- no words to properly describe it, the closest are those of Alfred Bryan from 1921 "I am ten thousand cathedrals rolled into one..."

Estes Park, CO- entrance to the Rocky Mtns, altitude gives everything a crisp feel and smell, even in the summer.

Great Smoky Mtns Nat'l Park- hiker's paradise, many trails including the 5ml trip to Mt LeConte. Spend the morning climbing, reach the summit, have lunch and a nap on the ground in the bear shelter, scamper down- all in a long day. Very rare flora as well for those who are patient and careful.

Red Cloud, NE- the Willa Cather museum and places in her novels that are still there today

Gulf Shores, AL- clean beaches, friendly Southerners, warm breeze that soothes and never grows old. The ocean at night and sleeping with the door open to hear it

Atlanta, GA- rough, violent and vibrant city where you need someone to show you around who won't get you killed through southern fried daftiness

New Orleans, LA- before the storm of course, French Quarter and door after door of surprises whether shops, bars, music, seedy spots, the delight never ends. Heard the finest rendition ever of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes played right on the street by an indigent man with almost magical sounding trumpet

Kimberley

16th Oct 2006, 8:12

I've always wanted to live in London and, since June, I do. There are things I never suspected that will make it far easier to write about now I've experienced, like how noticeable the change in seasons is.

Best places I've been to are (I don't think I can stretch it to 10 without including so many equals it will be 20):

Sydney
Paris
Rome
Salzburg
Venice

Stewart

17th Oct 2006, 22:43

Beth, have you ever left the US?

Beth

17th Oct 2006, 23:55

Stewart,

:oops: no, not yet. Can you tell? ;-)

Tamora

19th Oct 2006, 16:46

Hi! I'm new in this forum, so "hello" to everybody! :razz:

Here's my Top Ten...

1. Paris
2. Dublin
3. London
4. New York
5. Miami
6. Rome
7. Cologne
8. Portrush (a tiny town in Northern Ireland)
9. Deauxville (Normandy)
10. Malta

Daveybot

19th Oct 2006, 16:48

Hi Tamora! Nice list of places, and welcome to the finest 'online' place!

Boy, that sounds pretty ridiculous, huh...?

amner

19th Oct 2006, 16:48

It might be ridiculous, Db...IF IT WEREN'T TRUE!

Oh, and welcome, Tamora.

Tamora

19th Oct 2006, 16:50

Thanks for your welcome!!

Do you refer to my list or to someone else's?

John Self

19th Oct 2006, 18:20

Welcome, Tamora. I think amner was referring to Daveybot's suggestion that calling Palimpsest the best online place was ridiculous!

As for

8. Portrush (a tiny town in Northern Ireland)

I remain to be persuaded. Admittedly it does have a great golf course (http://www.royalportrushgolfclub.com/) and approximately two nice restaurants (http://www.55-north.com/), but it's still home to the worst nightclub in the world (http://www.kellysportrush.co.uk/), and is generally a bit grim. Only last summer I went there on a scorching hot Saturday and my fiancée and I were walking down the main street. We passed a house or B&B which had a handful of young shirtless chavs in the front garden. We were both wearing our glasses that day, and I can scarcely type their Wildean response without dissolving in merriment at their sheer rapier like wit. "Specky," they cried. And that's Portrush in a nutshell.

Stewart

19th Oct 2006, 19:01

it's still home to the worst nightclub in the world (http://www.kellysportrush.co.uk/)

Frequented by a Jarvis Cocker lookalike, I see:

http://lush.kellysportrush.co.uk/images/gallery/4536134644e73.jpg

amner

19th Oct 2006, 19:03

Caption Competition!

...[thinks] "...I'll never know you..."

chillicheese

19th Oct 2006, 21:50

....I hope he can't see my bald patch.

amner

20th Oct 2006, 9:32

generally a bit grim

It looks spectacular, though:

http://55-north.com/images/portrush1.jpg

leyla

21st Oct 2006, 13:40

Hello Tamara, welcome.
Never been to Port Rush but Belfast is a very friendly place. Three of my good pals are from there (ex Methody (sp?) school) and I've spent several enjoyable Christmases there, frequenting the Croyn bar (ok, ok Crown, but I love the way my friends pronounce it... 'going doyn toyn to the croyn')...
The warmth of the people is kinda different to London where I grew up, where if you speak to a stranger on the street, the panic is visible on their face.
The families of all my pals are always so hospitable. One Christmas ten years or so ago, I was there and they started drinking at noon on Xmas eve, so of course I joined in. But I have the constitution of a gnat and quickly felt v drunk and rather ill, so i disappeared upstairs. Not wanting to block their loo with my vomit, I sneaked into my (guest) room and silently threw up in a plastic Safeways bag which I then smuggled downstairs to surreptitiously sneak into the bin. However, my pal's lovely sunny mum saw me coming back down and asked what i had in the bag, and when i muttered 'just some rubbish', insisted on taking it from me and sticking her face in it to see what the rubbish was. Urhgh. Just as well I don't drink anymore.
My fave 5 places, in no order (thinking of 10 would be too taxing on a Saturday lunchtime):

San Francisco
New York
Paris
Barcelona
London

John Self

22nd Oct 2006, 10:45

Never been to Port Rush but Belfast is a very friendly place. Three of my good pals are from there (ex Methody (sp?) school) and I've spent several enjoyable Christmases there, frequenting the Croyn bar (ok, ok Crown, but I love the way my friends pronounce it... 'going doyn toyn to the croyn')...

Yep, Methodist College Belfast, known as Methody. Some Radio 1 DJ or other used to get much amusement out of making Northern Irish callers say "pound coin" or "power shower." He also had something for Welsh callers but I can't remember what it was...

John Self

13th Nov 2006, 19:02

...And if you're going to Portrush, why not take the Antrim coast road? It's been voted (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6141692.stm) as having the fifth best views in the world, behind the likes of Sydney Harbour and before the Grand Canyon and Angel Falls. This was a survey of 5,000 customers of Jacob's Creek wine, though it doesn't say whether or not they were drunk when they answered. The local tourism agency (http://www.causewaycoastandglens.com/) will no doubt be quick to make capital of it. And why not?

leyla

14th Nov 2006, 18:04

Was it a survey of Jacob's Creek drinkers all living in N. Ireland? Only joking, I know it's beautiful in lots of places in N.Ireland. Like Scotland, it's only let down by the weather. But given global warming, in 50 years time, we'll be able to rent out our homes in the summer to disgruntled people escaping the torturous heat of Italy, France and Spain.
I thought Donegal was pretty, but it poured the whole time I was there. My friend insisted on going in the sea because it was 'summer', and came out looking like a frozen prawn.

John Self

15th Nov 2006, 13:24

And today Northern Ireland is listed as one of the top places to see in 2007 according (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6147838.stm)to the Lonely Planet Guide. The fact that the Lonely Planet was co-founded by someone from NI is of course entirely coincidental...

MisterHobgoblin

12th Feb 2007, 18:01

In no particular order

Tallinn - beautiful people; beautiful buildings; wonderful bars and restaurants; and everyone loved us because we weren't Finnish - also the local currency was the EEK and the local cigarette was the Leek, so I spent my EEKs on lots of Leeks.

St Kilda - I was lucky with the weather, but it was outstandingly spectacular; very poignant; lots of Soay sheep; fierce birds; and wonderful views of the Hebrides on the horizon

Beal Feirste - good friends, happy memories of bars (Kellys, Maddens, etc.) and restaurants (Opus 1, Green's Pizza; Cafe Clementine, etc.) - and the only surviving Tropical Ravine!

Paris - for all the touristy things, as well as a memory of great Greek kebabs

Edinburgh - world heritage site with gorgeous architecture, hilarious tours of the Queen's old boat; and the best whisky shops in the world

Fife - Tentsmuir Forest; Luvian's ice cream; Falkland; the East Neuk; the bridges; Inchcolm; St Andrew's - what more could you ask for?

County Cork - both for the city life and the pretty little harbours that smell of money (e.g. Baltimore) - and for a tractor protest against pylons in Cobh

Siena - pretty, has great ice cream and pizza, communist grafitti, Il Palio and all the associated paraphernalia

New York New York - so good they named it twice - memories of a week in December accompanied by a fluent Spanish speaker; we did the sights, but also had access to all the hispanic side of the city

Runcorn - for personal football related reasons

Ang

12th Feb 2007, 22:04

In no particular order:

Ghigha (MisterHobgoblin will know where this is)

Estes Park, CO - I'm with you Beth, gorgeous

Lake Tahoe, CA - has to be seen to be believed

Edinburgh - one day I would like to live there

Glasgow - better shopping than Edinburgh and good friends

North of Dubuque, IA - I don't remember exactly where it was but it was beautiful

Malta - the most hospitable people I've ever met

Denver, CO - lived there many years, great friends, great weather

Oxford - not far away and I love the atmosphere

Perth, Australia - reminded me of Denver

Edit: Forgot about Key West... which will I remove to get it in there?...

Oh god, San Francisco's not there either...

Colyngbourne

12th Feb 2007, 22:14

Could you expand the CO's and IA's for those of us who don't know our American states very well?

So where is Ghigha exactly?

Ang

12th Feb 2007, 22:50

Could you expand the CO's and IA's for those of us who don't know our American states very well?

So where is Ghigha exactly?
Sure thing

CO = Colorada
IA = Iowa
CA = California (you probably knew that one)

Ghigha is a little island off the west coast of Scotland. Lewis is a metropolis in comparison.

And now I'm trying to fit in Sedona, AZ (Arizona).

Too many great places.

MisterHobgoblin

13th Feb 2007, 9:24

Gigha is famous for its gardens.

http://www.gigha.org.uk/images/gallery/wholeisland.jpg

This is what it looks like and this is its website: http://www.gigha.org.uk/. It has been in the news as the residents have tried to buy it out from the landlord.

I've never been, but I'm sure I will one day soon DV.

Ang

13th Feb 2007, 10:33

I might have just been lucky but I went to Ghigha for one weekend in October 2004 and it was marvelous. The weather was amazing and we were walking along the beach... in Scotland... in October... and we weren't cold.

leyla

13th Feb 2007, 11:52

In no particular order:

Glasgow - better shopping than Edinburgh and good friends

Do I count as one of the good friends there ;-)

Ang

13th Feb 2007, 12:14

Do I count as one of the good friends there ;-)
Oh yes! Though we are yet to meet in the flesh. Soon, eh?

Miriamaok

15th Feb 2007, 14:09

My top ten places have changed alot over the past couple of years so here goes in no particular order:

1. La Paz, Bolivia - colourful markets selling everything from bowler hats to crushed llama foetuses (for casting spells), of course the ubiqitous cocoa tea for the altitude, very friendly people, hardly any tourists and a lovely hotel (http://www.hotelrosario.com/la-paz/content/view/17/30/lang,en/).
2. Machu Piccu, Peru and pretty much all of the area around Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Machu Piccu was packed with tourists when we arrived but as we were staying overnight we had the place to ourselves once all the tourists had gone back to Cusco.
3. The Otago Peninsula, outside Dunedin, New Zealand. Penguins and albatrosses. Enough said.
4. Lady Elliot Island, the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Sheer heaven - long sunny days, snorkelling and beachcombing.
5. Ballyheigue, County Kerry, Ireland. One of my favourite beaches. Huge Atlantic waves and the venue of every family holiday from 1975 to 1982.
6. St Anton am Alberg, Austria. But only in the summer when this busy ski resort becomes sleepy and peaceful. Catch a cable car up into the Alps for great walks and some people (ahem) can pretend that they are Maria from The Sound of Music and/or Heidi. Walk for hours without meeting anyone (although we did meet some German naturalists out for a hike!)
7. Santorini, Greece. All that's left of a sunken vocano is a wedge-shaped island with black sand. Blue, blue sea, white-washed buildings, donkeys!
8. Cornwall. The whole county apart from the strip of coast from Bude to Newquay which is overrun by posh people with summer homes and kids with trust funds.
9. Goleen, West Cork. My cousins have a house overlooking a beautiful secluded bay. And one of the best pubs in West Cork is nearby.
10. New York City. I want to live there someday.

There were a couple of also rans - particularly San Franciso, Santa Fe, Playa del Carmen in Mexico, Glencoe, the Brecon Beacons, Whitby, Carcassone. And there's all the top ten places that I want to go to. Maybe I should start a new thread!

MisterHobgoblin

15th Feb 2007, 15:08

It's interesting that nobody has yet said Manchester - I wonder whether this will change when they have their supercasino. Stranraer might be in with a shout, too, when it gets its mini-casino.

amarie

15th Feb 2007, 15:13

I lived in Manchester for three years and I absolutely hated it.

MisterHobgoblin

15th Feb 2007, 15:19

Was that because it didn't have a supercasino?

Colyngbourne

15th Feb 2007, 15:26

It's interesting that nobody has yet said Manchester

Why? Are you joking?
Of all the top 10 places in the world, I don't think Manchester is going to feature: it didn't in your list. ;-)

amarie

15th Feb 2007, 15:32

Was that because it didn't have a supercasino?

No, it's because it was a shit-hole.

leyla

15th Feb 2007, 21:45

Maybe it will once Little Mart teaches there.

the black rider

20th Feb 2007, 21:47

best places i've ever been to:

Switzerland: dull but pretty
Paris
Toronto: like New York, but inhabited by people with souls
London: i saw Neil Morrissey in a bar, my one and only "celebrity" encounter
Dublin: like London with eye contact
Rome: Where everyone looks like Monica Bellucci (even the men), and even someone suffering from gastric flu could still come home having gained a stone from the irresistable food
York: i was 13 and it was my first time away from home on a school trip so my judgement may be clouded with nostalgia
Portstewart: its sleepy, lovely, theres a beach and on that beach is a hill with a spooky looking convent, what more could you want?
Donegal: every irish persons childhood holiday destination

John Self

20th Feb 2007, 22:43

Portstewart: its sleepy, lovely, theres a beach and on that beach is a hill with a spooky looking convent, what more could you want?

I was there at the weekend, and the convent loomed over us as we walked the strand. A local newscaster kept turning up everywhere we went for something to eat. Portstewart's neighbour Portrush got a mention earlier in this thread, surprisingly.

MisterHobgoblin

21st Feb 2007, 9:33

I remember going to Portstewart to stay with a friend and we went to a pub with tartan walls. The band had a guitarist who was devoid of any facial expression, but when he wanted to be expressive in a solo, he came off the stage and stood on the floor facing it. The highlight of the evening was their version of I Would Walk Five Hundred Miles.

There was also, if I remember correctly, a large woman with lots of carrier bags in Portstewart called The Bag Hag. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and The Bag Hag certainly offered much to be beheld.

Oryx

22nd Feb 2007, 16:19

Toronto: like New York, but inhabited by people with souls

I'd never thought of this comparison, but it's true. And, Toronto is a hell of a lot quieter. In decibels, that is.

I lived in New York for five years, and while it remains my favourite city in the entire world to visit (beats out Paris by a hair and London by two or three), I don't think I could live there again.

I was a LOT younger then, and it was a fantastic place to be in my twenties but now that I've just arrived on the down side of forty, I like the more civilized pace of Toronto.

Beth

22nd Feb 2007, 16:59

I lived in New York for five years, and while it remains my favourite city in the entire world to visit (beats out Paris by a hair and London by two or three), I don't think I could live there again.

I was a LOT younger then, and it was a fantastic place to be in my twenties but now that I've just arrived on the down side of forty, I like the more civilized pace of Toronto.

Oryx, this is such an interesting reflection. After too many years in the flyover nether regions, I will probably sell the house and move to a tiny apartment in a big city when I get older. Either that or join MSF and see it all from a tent! Maybe even packing a tattered paper list of Palimpers favorite spots to seek...

Oryx

22nd Feb 2007, 17:30

Either that or join MSF and see it all from a tent!

Are you a doctor, Beth? My husband talks about doing that, but I'm not into the lifestyle (selfish me) and I wouldn't want to be left home for stretches of time.

I do live downtown in Toronto which is a fairly big city; just not quite as manic as New York. But I plan to move out to the country at some point soonish.

Beth

22nd Feb 2007, 18:18

Are you a doctor, Beth? My husband talks about doing that, but I'm not into the lifestyle (selfish me) and I wouldn't want to be left home for stretches of time.

Even better, Oryx! I'm a nurse ;-) . I don't know that it's selfish to have no desire for the lifestyle. Possibly wise as there's no romance to abject poverty.

John from Paris

23rd Feb 2007, 3:53

Eleven cities on my would-like-to-go-back-there-soon list, in no particular order:

• Vienna
• Berlin
• New York
• Dublin
• Lille
• Amsterdam
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• Thessaloniki [possibly the most untouristy city in Europe]
• Madrid
• Clermont-Ferrand

And currently featuring prominently on haven't-been-there-but-would-like-to list:

• Prague
• Munich
• Granada/Seville/Cordoba [doubtless in one fell swoop]
• San Francisco
• Stockholm

leyla

23rd Feb 2007, 11:53

JfP, you would LOVE San Fran. It's one of my fave places. Rolling hills, beautiful white-sanded beach on which people ride on horses or walk, beautiful white stucco houses, trams whooshing up and down the hills in town, modern art museum, enough restaurants to eat a different nationality meal every night for a month, Yo Semite's (?spelling?) majestic nature nearby, vineyards with delish Californian wine nearby, bagel shops on every street corner, eat as much as you like fruit and healthy grub bars... mmmm

Ang

23rd Feb 2007, 12:31

And San Francisco Sour Dough bread - the best.

MisterHobgoblin

26th Feb 2007, 13:12

• Thessaloniki [possibly the most untouristy city in Europe]

That's actually a title held by Lisburn.

gil

26th Feb 2007, 13:31

leyla

27th Feb 2007, 9:12

Amazing, gil! I knew that in certain countries you got paid for donating blood, but never realised that you could actually meet the relatives of those who would be using it!
If a certain group of surgeons have their way, in future a similar scenario might arise in the UK only this time it'd be your kidney being sold. A step too far, I'd say.

gil

27th Feb 2007, 9:59

Well, it was more than 40 years ago. I guess it's different now.

wshaw

28th Feb 2007, 9:53

Ah, Salonika. Happy memories! I stopped there in 1963 while hitch-hiking from Edinburgh to Athens. I was totally broke; I had lived on half a jar of pineapple jam and a packet of cheap Yugoslav cigarettes for two days.

I'm thinking on embarking on a project about hitch-hiking, and its demise. I may bug you about this story later, gil.

gil

28th Feb 2007, 10:42

You're welcome.

sam

6th Mar 2007, 23:46

I am actually leaving in a few short hours (bugger... evil insomnia will lead to death on the roads!) for my favourite place in the world - a little town outside Plettenberg Bay on South Africa's east coast, called Nature's Valley. Which is one of the corniest names ever, but it is this little town kinda stuck between this amazing forest and this incredible beach, unable to get any bigger because everything within spitting distance is a protected nature reserve. They don't even have a proper shop. Just waves and trees and lagoon.

It's about 6 hours from Cape Town, where I live.

My favourite places in the world? In no particular order...

Rio - just so cool. Especially at New Year.
New York - for all the obvious reasons
New Bethesda - tiny artist village outside Graaf Reniet, in central SA. Famous for the house of an old artist/recluse, Helen Martin... called the Owl House. She made a lot of cement owls. With bits of glass in them.
Cape Town - I know, I know. But it is.
Nature's Valley - as above
Seville - a maze of twisty passages! And geraniums.
Madrid - for the art galleries. But then I havent travelled much in Europe, so I am in no way someone who can rate art galleries... I just loved the triad in the heart of Madrid.
Tsavo - in Kenya, where you can actually get close to the plains of the Serengeti. And then when you shout " Herds of wildebeest sweeping majestically over the plains of the Serengeti!" no one catches the Fawlty Towers quote and looks at you in bemused silence. Much the same way the locals look at you if you say, " Hakuna Matata!".
London - although it scares me. Everyone looks so... insular. But I suppose thats because there is so much cool stuff to look at and such an astonishing array of public transport to get to the things you want to look at.
Melbourne - I worked there for a tiny bit and it just seemed so nice. And I love a good tram.

Jennifer

7th Mar 2007, 0:37

Ah, Salonika. Happy memories! I stopped there in 1963 while hitch-hiking from Edinburgh to Athens. I was totally broke; I had lived on half a jar of pineapple jam and a packet of cheap Yugoslav cigarettes for two days. Luckily, I carried with me a piece of paper which said, in Greek, "I want to sell my blood", this being the thing to do, apparently, to fund a hippy-style Greek holiday. I was directed to a clean-looking clinic, where a huge amount of blood was extracted from me in a very short time (it was pink and frothy, so it may have been arterial). I am talking 2 minutes here. A certain light-headedness ensued. While I was still sipping my complementary peach juice, I was approached by the client - a chap who needed the blood for a relative - who attempted to beat me down from the princely sum I'd been quoted by the medic. I was adamant, I'm afraid, so he paid up and departed, grumbling. I still feel a little guilty, but, hey, I needed the cash. I spent my blood money (about 12 pound, I think) on food and retsina. It lasted a couple of weeks, then it was back to the pineapple jam and cheap fags.

I have probably been infected by the paranoia of the whole thing, but observe the above from gil, then see this from carfilhiot's blog:

We hitch-hiked from Edinburgh to Athens... At the time, you could sell a pint of blood in Greece for an attractive sum - enough to eat modestly for a week. I'm pretty sure there's a transfusion service now. I do remember that the process was horrifyingly quick. As a blood donor in the UK, you can be lying around for twenty minutes. I don't know whether they tapped an artery or not, but my memory is that the blood was pink and foamy and the bottle was full in twenty seconds. Then a glass of peach juice and out the door.

This takes place in Thessaloniki. Am I going mad?

Colyngbourne

7th Mar 2007, 7:30

No, you're not - the tales of Carfilhiot and Fauxhunter is Gil's ongoing saga.

MisterHobgoblin

7th Mar 2007, 9:31

London - although it scares me. Everyone looks so... insular. But I suppose thats because there is so much cool stuff to look at and such an astonishing array of public transport to get to the things you want to look at.

Presumably this is a different London to the one I lived in for four years.

John from Paris

7th Mar 2007, 10:16

London - [...] such an astonishing array of public transport [...]

Yes, it doesn't sound terribly like the London I've been avoiding more and more when travelling "home" to Yorkshire (cheaper to fly via Glasgow)

... although sam does actually say "astonishing array", thereby suggesting something on display rather than something which functions in any obvious way...

PS: Welcome to the Palimpsest, Sam!

gil

7th Mar 2007, 11:25

I have probably been infected by the paranoia of the whole thing, but observe the above from gil, then see this from carfilhiot's blog.
No, you're not - the tales of Carfilhiot and Fauxhunter is Gil's ongoing saga.
Sad, but true. Carfilhiot / Fauxhunter / Ruined was an attempt at a new literary form presented as interlocked blogs. At first, I attempted to conceal my identity by representing myself as Carfilhiot. John Self penetrated the deception immediately, and HP was deeply suspicious.

Digger

7th Mar 2007, 11:52

Little ol' me, however, didn't know until today! :roll: Ho hum, I should really pay more attention! :oops:

MisterHobgoblin

14th Mar 2007, 14:17

Can I squeeze Barra airport in? Just got back from there and it is like no other airport I've been to. Here is a picture of the plane on the runway:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Plane_arrival_at_Barra_Airport.jpg (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/06/Runway-operational.JPG)

leyla

16th Mar 2007, 12:54

It's beautiful in a desolate way, Mr H, but as a nervous flyer I wouldn't be flowing with confidence at the inevitably tiny team of air traffic controllers/pilots etc.... all it would take would be one tiny eyes-screwed-shut yawn from the pilot, one small sea bird near the engines and...

MisterHobgoblin

16th Mar 2007, 13:09

Then you wouldn't have enjoyed the low level flight through the mountains of South Uist and Eriskay. The pilot was good enough to take us on a scenic detour.

I don't think air traffic control is an issue. It is the only plane in the area and the beach has no tricky obstacles to negotiate. There are no taxiing lanes, just wide open space. There is a fire truck at the airport because the fireman arrived just before the plane landed to take us back home. And as for seabirds, I guess they'd just hit the propeller and bounce off.

Barra, incidentally, is really rather different to how you would imagine from the photo - a mixture of grassy sand dunes and rocky hills/mountains with pretty little cottages and a castle in the bay of the main town (called Castlebay).

leyla

17th Mar 2007, 12:08

Thanks for that, Mr H. It's the kind of place I'd love to visit if I could guarantee it wouldn't pour with rain the whole time.

BeccaK

4th Jul 2007, 16:24

I've not posted on the top ten threads at all, so I'm making my debut mark. Hope that top ten places I've been can include top ten places I've lived, though I realize that having long-term experience of a place can skew how much you appreciate it.

1. St Andrews, Scotland
2. Bordeaux
3. Algonquin Park, Ontario
4. The Orchard, Grantchester (there is nowhere more quintissentially English on this earth)
5. Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh
6. Banff, Alberta (is Banff in Alberta? I spent my 21st birthday in this town and it was a wonderful day!)
7. A pass through the Alps between Austria and Italy. I was too young to remember what it was called, but it was absolutely absolutely beautiful.
8. Le phare des baleines, Ile de Rhe
9. Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire
10. Somewhere in Cornwall - Chapel Porth beach/Trelissick gardens, maybe

Now I'm going to read the thread and see if the places I've loved coincide with anyone else's.

:o)

Colyngbourne

5th Jul 2007, 11:05

It seems I never did this Top 10. In no particular order:

1. Helsinki – the icecream, the cherries, the trams, Stockmanns
2. Jervaulx Abbey, Wensleydale – the best place in the whole world
3. St Margrethenburg, near Chur in Switzerland - tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere
4. Cape May, New Jersey
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Salisbury, Wiltshire
7. Nuremberg/Dresden/Leipzig - the parade ground in Nuremberg, the old stadium in Leipzig, the Thomaskirche and Nikolaikirche, and fabulous New Trade Fair building. Der Zwinger and the Frauenkirche in Dresden
8. Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands
9. New York
10. Durham

BeccaK

5th Jul 2007, 11:09

5. Philadelphia, PA

I'm intrigued - what did you love about Philadelphia? My recollections include driving through some quite bad parts of the city, looking for somewhere to stay for the night, seeing the Liberty Bell, and trying to find a good sub. :o) I didn't really enjoy it very much, but it was a flying visit and not very well planned. What should I have done differently?

Colyngbourne

5th Jul 2007, 11:24

The whole "historic core zone" as they would term it in the UK, is very well laid out. I've been twice: the first time we did the official tour around the buildings/Liberty Bell etc. The second we went in the evening and did a "sight & sound" tour which has projected images on various locations and cannon going off, and you wear earphones that enact the drama. It wasn't as corny as it sounds.

South Street is a bohemian alternative scene street par excellence: we spent ages browsing all the shops along there. And the museum district is particularly fine: the Philadelphia Museum of Art is *Wonderful* and the Rodin Museum, the Franklin Institute (far better than London's Science Museum).

It's a large city with a small city feel at its heart. We were able on both trips to drive right into the centre and find any amount of roadside parking for a non-exorbitant fee, just a stone's throw from the Independence buildings.

And I haven't really touched on all the other museums I haven't visited, plus Betsy Ross house where the first American flag was sewn.

gil

5th Jul 2007, 11:41

BeccaK:
4. The Orchard, Grantchester (there is nowhere more quintissentially English on this earth) Hmmm... Jeffery Archer lives there.
5. Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh Full approval mighty impressive park in the centre of a city

Col:
1. Helsinki – the icecream, the cherries, the trams, Stockmanns Oh, yes, we ADORE Helsinki. Worked there on and off for 5 years.
3. St Margrethenburg, near Chur in Switzerland - tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere We were in Laax, near Chur, a couple of weeks ago. Love the area. Can't find St Mag on the map, though.
Betsy Ross house where the first American flag was sewn Oh, come on. That's scraping the bottom of the barrel a bit.

Colyngbourne

5th Jul 2007, 11:52

3. St Margrethenburg, near Chur in Switzerland - tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere We were in Laax, near Chur, a couple of weeks ago. Love the area. Can't find St Mag on the map, though.

Probably because I spelt it wrongly! :roll: If you look for Sankt Margrethenberg on Google Earth - it's a bit up to the left of Zizers where we had a couple of holidays with friends. What we did was follow that thin road called Furgglistrasse south to its very end, towing the kids on sledges (this is about 11 years ago), and then slowly sledged our way back down to the hamlet where we found an inn and had hot food!

Betsy Ross house where the first American flag was sewn Oh, come on. That's scraping the bottom of the barrel a bit.

;-) Well, like many of these things, it's a 'maybe' she did sew it, maybe she didn't. But as a house with a bit of history that's more than a couple of hundred years old, it's just as much a tourist draw as we would make of something similar here in the UK.