a thoughtful web.
Good ideas and conversation. No ads, no tracking.   Login or Take a Tour!
comment by elizabeth
elizabeth  ·  1589 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: November 20, 2019

In about 10 days, I'll be done with the plastic project i've been helping on and I'll have about 2 week of free time in europe. Right now, I have exactly zero plans. I really don't want to spend much money and hostels are kind of expensive in northern europe, so wherever i find a free place to crash is top of the list. Thinking of exploring around Belgium/Netherlands/Germany? Really drawn to Berlin, as usual. But maybe i'll cave and go to the UK. I don't really like London honestly, but I know so many people there I might suck up my dislike of the city in favour of seing some friends.

Maybe I'm just in a crappy mood today, but the prospect of going through a touristy checklist of sights in the cold and without much budget sounds really unappealing right now. I need to find some purpose or direction to make this travel time more enjoyable.





necroptosis  ·  1589 days ago  ·  link  ·  

If you can find a cheap flight I would highly suggest Riga. It's by far one of my favorite cities in Europe and fairly cheap.

Staying closer to where you are, I've really enjoyed visiting Maastricht. The old town is incredibly charming and it has a wonderful jazz scene due to the music conservatory. There are a couple cool churches converted into modern amenities, my personal favorite being this bookstore. Eben-Emael is also pretty interesting to check out if you're into WWII history.

I would highly suggest against going to Stuttgart, but if for some reason you find yourself coming this way you are more than welcome to crash on my couch.

elizabeth  ·  1588 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yeah, if stay in the area Rotterdam and Maastricht are on my list for sure! Maybe a quick visit to Brussels too.

goobster  ·  1589 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Zagreb, Ljubljana, Novi Sad, Sarajevo. All fantastic cities, cheap, with vibrant youth culture, art, music, and a genuine passion for making foreigners feel welcome. I'd bet you could find someone to crash with there in about 2 days, and have a wonderful time.

They are also beautiful in winter.

And they support the slower pace of life, too... the "cafe culture"... maybe instead of blasting around the world to different sites, it would be good to nest somewhere for the winter. Maybe get a job in a coffee shop or art gallery, to keep the pennies coming in, while you just chill and dig in to the local culture and scene.

Damn.... maybe I'll quit my job today and go do that myself! :-) (Except, my old dog is getting down to her last few months, and I need to be here for her... and for my wife, when our dog passes.)

ButterflyEffect  ·  1589 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Check out Romania for me and let me know how it is. Have heard it's cheap and beautiful there but maybe not?

elizabeth  ·  1589 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I was there in not winter some years ago and Bucharest was really cool. But my most memorable moments there were due to the people hosting us on couchsurfing being some super cool street artists that took us with them when they went to do some graffiti at this abandoned place. The south-eastern part of europe holds a special place in my heart - it was my first real travel experience without my parents and we hitchhiked with my boyfriend across many countries. And how affordable it is is a nice bonus.

kingmudsy  ·  1589 days ago  ·  link  ·  

You travel more than most, but I'm sure the idea of a city's depth hasn't been lost on you: You can live in the same place for decades and still discover new things by going out of your comfort zone. If you end up going to London, is there some aspect of it you could go out on a limb to sample? Maybe a subculture you'd like to engage?

You could pick something super obscure about northern europe and chase it to its fullest extent for no reason. Maybe some old cathedrals or local delicacies? Break into some abandoned buildings?

I don't know. It's honestly tough for me to empathize with not wanting to go through a touristy checklist of sights in the cold and without much budget.