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3/12/2010 1:43:16 PM

well if there is any way to change places of stay, then I recommend changed Montreax to someplace else. Its just at the other end of the lake from Geneva so if you can get some excuse to travel across the country then why not? You know the itinerary of the plane trip? Might be another stop to make. You are gonna fly into either Zurich or Basel, which both have some neat places......man what you really need to do is stay for longer than a week haha.

3/12/2010 1:45:58 PM

okay, so it turns out that we don't have actual tickets and hotel reservations...we have cash available to us to spend on a trip in the amount that it would theoretically cost to do the trip as advertised

which is great...we definitely want to go to switzerland for a while, but we're deciding how long...we're extending the trip by a week, so we'll have 2 weeks in total (minus a day each way for flights)...we were thinking about spending several days in geneva and then taking the train or driving into france and ending up in paris

i've never been to this part of europe and it's pretty overwhelming because it doesn't seem like you can go wrong...i mean, you're in switzerland/france

so...suggestions? we want quality over quantity, so it's not about how much we can see so much as a relaxed time seeing/doing awesome things

we want to do some day hikes in switzerland...where do we want to be? i've heard such mixed things about paris, but she's been there before and felt rushed and really wants to go back...i could take it or leave it, but i certainly wouldn't mind seeing paris at least once if i never again

also, how do travel agents work? i think we have to go through this particular travel agency because they have the money, even though i'm quite sure my fiancée and i could handle this all on our own...do we have to pay them or do they get kickbacks (commission) from the airlines/hotels/whatever they set us up with?

[Edited on April 9, 2010 at 2:31 PM. Reason : .]

4/9/2010 2:30:21 PM

that is flat out amazing.

4/9/2010 2:31:38 PM

i'd be putting that money in the bank

we got this depression on. i got to do for me and mine.


but then again i don't think i'd ever have a desire to go to europe no matter how much money i had

4/9/2010 2:34:35 PM

^ that thought very briefly entered my mind...BUT:

1.) we DO have a desire to see europe...money comes and goes, but experiences are forever
2.) i don't think we could take the money even if we wanted to...i think it's actually held by the travel agency and we pay whatever additional our trip costs

4/9/2010 2:36:51 PM

oh, i see. can you take the trip to other places? i'd get the travel agency to give me gas money to get to the coast and get them to book a day of fishing with a guide.

[Edited on April 9, 2010 at 2:40 PM. Reason : fishing hole waypoints on my gps are forever ]

4/9/2010 2:39:40 PM

well, that's essentially how it works out, yes...i assume we could, technically, go anywhere

we WANT to go there, though

4/9/2010 2:41:10 PM

bring your green shirt you bitchmade ass bad boy faggot

4/9/2010 2:45:53 PM

i will be in DEUTSCHLAND next year and wanted to find a way to get to Lucerne, but unfortunately I think I will have to settle for Konigssee or Chiemsee

4/9/2010 2:51:00 PM

^^ i might

[Edited on April 9, 2010 at 3:08 PM. Reason : definitely bringing my hat]

4/9/2010 2:52:12 PM

Congrats!

4/9/2010 3:08:08 PM

Quote :

"also, how do travel agents work? i think we have to go through this particular travel agency because they have the money, even though i'm quite sure my fiancée and i could handle this all on our own...do we have to pay them or do they get kickbacks (commission) from the airlines/hotels/whatever they set us up with?"

You SHOULD NOT have to pay them. If the travel agency does charge a service fee, they should have charged it to NPR.

The travel agency will get commission from the airline and hotel and any tours they are doing for you.

My mom owns a travel agency so I am well versed

What travel agency are you using?

4/9/2010 3:41:01 PM

Paris is alright...but unless you are into art museums you can see all the interesting stuff in two days. Maybe even one....I was there over new years and its cool but pretty boring by European standards. If you are planning on making a trek anyway why not stop in Paris for a couple days and then train it up to London where all the real action happens. Then you can leave from there. There any chance that you are going to have a car at all?

4/9/2010 5:43:22 PM

Hot damn. I should donate to NPR. Congrats, sir!

4/9/2010 6:15:21 PM

okay, i think we've changed our plans a bit...right now, we're thinking we'll do 5 days in switzerland and 5 days in venice

at least, that's what my fiancée is thinking...I'M thinking that while we can do 5 days in switzerland with no problem, 5 days in venice, even if we use it as a hub and travel from there, will be a waste of time...venice is small, and i'm thinking 2 FULL days would be plenty to see everything we want to see

anyone have some suggestions for italy? venice is a must, but if we have 3 days to go somewhere else in italy, where should it be? we've both been traveling before and regretted trying to fit too much in and not having enough time to enjoy an area, so i'd rather spend those last 3 days in one place

[Edited on June 18, 2010 at 9:29 AM. Reason : grammar]

6/18/2010 9:15:38 AM

amalfi coast!

6/18/2010 9:29:22 AM

oooh...i forgot about the amalfi coast...DO WANT to go

6/18/2010 9:30:25 AM

^^^ como was really nice, plus it's more or less on the way back to switzerland if you've gotta fly out of there

6/18/2010 9:33:20 AM

Rome is of course pretty cool. I liked Naples though I wish I'd had more time there (be sure to have some pizza there if you go). I also did a day hike in the Abruzzi mountains which was absolutely amazing and dinner at a local agriturismo, but it's a bit out of the way of the major cities.

6/18/2010 9:34:36 AM

^^ we can fly out of wherever we want...we haven't arranged flights yet, though we need to do it soon, which is why we're trying to figure out a basic schedule...never heard of como, but i'll check it out

^ you know, i really don't have any strong desire to see rome...i would stop by in a heartbeat if we had more time, but it's not the top of my list...which works well, because she's been there before and spent a fair amount of time, so i think she'd rather see some other places, as well

we're doing some day hikes in the swiss alps, but the abruzzi mountains sounds cool, too...maybe we'll add that to our itinerary

[Edited on June 18, 2010 at 9:40 AM. Reason : .]

6/18/2010 9:40:28 AM

congrats

6/18/2010 9:49:55 AM

^^I totally agree that 2 days in Venice is enough (that is exactly how much time we spent there and we left having seen literally EVERYTHING)

You don't want to be spending to much of your ten days traveling though.

Man....I want to go back overseas

6/18/2010 10:35:00 AM

below is our rough itinerary...we have 10 days of fun stuff, with 1 day on either end dedicated to flying in and out (so 12 days total)...opinions as to whether this is too much (or just right) are welcome

switzerland
- appenzell (we're going to stay at the berggasthaus aescher: http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/travel/themehotels/typically-swiss-hotels/all-typically-swiss-hotels/berggasthaus-aescher.html)
- day hiking speer
- luzern

italy
- lake como (specifically bellagio)
- la spezia (cinque terre, genoa, that area)
- venice

7/13/2010 10:59:07 AM

bump

2/4/2011 3:33:18 PM

thxu

remember to donate during the february fund drive!

i keep telling myself that if i (or my wife) won another trip we wouldn't accept it...but i know i would, anyway

2/4/2011 3:36:47 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZoC4dk3IXI

2/4/2011 3:37:55 PM

on a related note, i want a rockapella cd tape

[Edited on February 4, 2011 at 3:43 PM. Reason : tape!]

2/4/2011 3:43:06 PM

yeah i heard your story on NPR this morning

kinda wanted to enter just so eric hodge can call me up and i can be like "WOOOOOOO IM GOIN TO KINSTON"

2/4/2011 4:45:45 PM

Quote :

"kinda wanted to enter just so eric hodge can call me up and i can be like "WOOOOOOO IM GOIN TO KINSTON""

haha

2/4/2011 4:48:09 PM

I'm going to take the liberty of calling the swedish authorities and warn them about you. don't worry, i'll tell the EVERYTHING.

5/3/2011 10:10:41 AM

about 8 months late, chief

5/3/2011 10:12:48 AM

i obviously wasn't the least bit serious
something i heard in a movie
nice pictures tho

5/3/2011 10:16:26 AM