Tell us about the countries you have visited.

[Pensive]

I love tourism. I think that many people does. Have you ever been out of your country? How did you find the world outside? Did you enjoy or did you hate that experience?

I think that it will be interesting to hear about the countries you have visited and your views on the culture/people/way of living there. :D

[Logos]

And have you travelled Pensive?

I've been very fortunate to have travelled so much and I plan on doing a lot more in future :D

I've driven across the United states twice and visited most of the states except Alaska, driven across Canada twice and been to all the provinces except the Northwest Territories and Labrador. I've been to Cozumel and Cancun and Mexico city, and to Europe many times including The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic and Austria.

I love travelling by train in western europe, it's so easy to get to places, but it is usually by car that I have travelled, then you can stop when ever or where ever you want and you get to see all the little places along the way. I will go to Australia and New Zealand someday, and hopefully make it to Argentina, Greece, Scotland, England, St. Petersburg Russia, Singapore, and Japan too.

I guess what I like best about travelling is spending time with people, seeing what their life is like, eating what they do, doing the usual things that they do. Visiting landmarks, museums, going to concerts and restaurants is important too though :)

[Pensive]

And have you travelled Pensive?

I've been very fortunate to have travelled so much and I plan on doing a lot more in future :D

I've driven across the United states twice and visited most of the states except Alaska, driven across Canada twice and been to all the provinces except the Northwest Territories and Labrador. I've been to Cozumel and Cancun and Mexico city, and to Europe many times including The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic and Austria.

I love travelling by train in western europe, it's so easy to get to places, but it is usually by car that I have travelled, then you can stop when ever or where ever you want and you get to see all the little places along the way. I will go to Australia and New Zealand someday, and hopefully make it to Argentina, Greece, Scotland, England, St. Petersburg Russia, Singapore, and Japan too.

I guess what I like best about travelling is spending time with people, seeing what their life is like, eating what they do, doing the usual things that they do. Visiting landmarks, museums, going to concerts and restaurants is important too though :)

Nope, I have never been out of my homeland (country) but I have been to other cities. :D

It is great that you have travelled so much. By the way, which country fascinated you the most?

[Riesa]

Hi Pensive,
Logos, You've been everywhere! How fun, I also love to travel. Once those kids of mine get a little older, I plan on doing it more too!!!
The places I've visited:
(not counting the US). France, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England,
Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, Argentina and The Bahamas.
Every place is of course interesting in it's own way, but the place that is most beautiful to me is Mexico. I wish to go to Scotland, Italy, Istanbul, Greece and Cuba; though I would never turn down a trip anywhere! The best thing about traveling is sloughing off stereotypes or generalized ideas of a place and replacing it with actual experience.

[Themis]

So far I've been to Belgium, England, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal and Turkey. (Edit: I forgot about Tunesia)

I loved the time spent there. Especially in Portugal and South Tirol. Life in Portugal is very different from life in Austria. In certain ways it seems easier and of course, they got the sea!
Though, what I liked best was Südtirol (South Tirol) which is offically part of Italy. It's the most beautiful area in the world. Very much like home, like North Tirol which is still part of Austria, but in so many ways better.

[Virgil]

Goodness some you are very well traveled. My trips abroad are quite few. I have taken several trips to Italy, and they have been extensive trips, so I've seen most of the country north of Naples. What's different about Italy from my experience the US is how distinct each region is from each other. The only other trip abraod was to London and the major cities of Scotland, both of which I enjoyed very much. My wife is hooked on going to Italy (she loves it, especially Florence) so when we talk of a vacation outside the US, she undoubtedly gravitates the discussion there.

Places we've talked about going, but haven't had the chance yet are Spain and Greece, but the whole mediterranian coast fascinates me. I could swear in a previous life I was a Greek sailor. I would like to see Israel too if peace ever came to the region. But my wife and I have family spread out across the US, and so we wind up coupling a family function with a vacation journey. And we tend to go to National Parks too.

BTW, I have an opportunity for a business conference in Berlin at the end of May. I haven't decided whether to go, but, in the event that I do go, does anyone who's been to Berlin have any advice on how to spend a day if I was able to break free. Or how about evenings? How hard is it to get around without knowing any German?

[kilted exile]

lets see now, I have been all around the UK (with the exception of Northern Ireland); driven through France on the way to Spain (watersports holiday, and trip into Barcelona to go on a tour of the NouCamp) ; been to Austria skiing (stayed in Salzburg); been to Turkey (saw Pammukale, and went on a boat trip around some wonderful bays); been on a cruise through the fjords in Norway (spent a couple of days in Bergen); and of course Canada where I am now.

There have also been a couple of flying stops watching football(in night before game, left morning after) in Holland and ......amazingly Estonia in 1996 - where the game never ended up taking place. I did not get a chance to explore these places.

The next trips I plan to take are going to be inside Canada as I have yet to leave Ontario. This summer I plan to go by train out east and then take a ferry to Nova Scotia. Then next summer the plan is to explore in a westernly direction out towards BC.

[Pensive]

Wow, It is really great to see a lot of places like that. *smiles*

Kilted, Virgil, Riesa and Logos, You guys have really travelled a lot, you have been on many pretty places and may you get the chance of travelling more and more. (if you do like tourism)

I have noticed that most of you have never been to Asian countries...

[Koa]

Yay! As the official traveller of the forum, I feel the need to contribute... ;)
Countries I've seen:
England (just England, not the rest of the Uk - I've been there several times and I love it and I hope to live there at least for a while sooner or later).
Germany (just a week and not to any major city, just one day in Stuttgart)
France (school exchange to Angers with only one day in Paris; quick trip to Grenoble and Chambéry with my parents)
Czech Republic (actually, just Prague)
Hungary (I lived there for 6 months in an university exchange programme... I adore the country and Budapest, although I didnt live there, is my favourite capital together with London...)
Russia (one month in Moscow in a language course last summer - an incredible experience, such a different, unique place...)
Finland (kinda exotic...;))
Estonia (well, two days in Tallinn...lovely city...)
what else...let me think...
Oh! Serbia and Bosnia... (I'm fascinated by Eastern Europe and the Balkans, I've been to Belgrade and up to Sarajevo while I lived in Hungary, cos I lived close to the Serbian border)
eheh I've been also for a few hours in Romania cos my Hungarian place was close to Romania too...
Austria as well, though I don't really like it...

I think that's it...well that's a lot but as Americans always note, it's realitvely easy to travel in Europe as we have so many countries so close... I love travelling, that's the only thing I spend a lot of money on, and I like to have the chance to actually live in places and not just be a tourist... Actually, travelling is my drug, I feel just so much more alive when I'm somewhere far from here...

[Dixie Chick]

I live in the USA and have visited 46 of its states.

Also been to:
Canada
Mexico - love the people
Panama
England
Netherlands
Germany
Denmark
Sweden
Belgium
Luxembourg
France
Switzerland - a favorite - love the Alps
Italy - my heritage - much family in the Dolomites
Croatia
Serbia
Macedonia
Greece

I want so much to go to South America and everywhere else that I have never been plus return to all the places I've been.

So many places, so little time, so little money... ;(

[emily655321]

*sigh* I wish I could go places like that. The main problems are money and language. I've travelled enough (Scotland for a year, Italy for a week, Paris for a week, and stops along the way) to know that I hate going anywhere I can't communicate intelligibly. Or at the very least, read the signs and order from a menu. I don't want to be one of those Americans who takes ten minutes to order a meal, all the time referring to a travel guide's list of key phrases. I don't want to be one of those people, ever. But that problem is unlikely to arise, simply because it's hard enough to afford just living in my own country, let alone Transatlantic plane fare, hotels, the time off from work... ugh. I'll never see the world. :(

The idea of travelling within my own country, though—"seeing America," as they say—bores me sick, but I'm determined to force myself. I know there will be points of interest once I get there (wherever "there" is), and it's the greatest extent of travel I can financially manage at my age. Also, New England is getting really boring. I've been to New Mexico (when I was eight), so at least I've got the Southwest done with. :p

[Virgil]

Emily - I wouldn't worry about not speaking the language, at least not in Italy. I've been amazed at how many people speak english, and the number seems to increase with every visit. Also, I happen to enjoy "seeing America." It may not offer the ancient culture of european cities but we make it up with intense, magnificent nature. Consider some of the things my wife and I have done: hike through Utah's Arches, Yellowstone, and Grand Tetons National Parks, drive up the California coast, mule ride down and up the Grand Canyon, explore the Hawian Islands. And there are a few cities worthy of mention: New York, San Diego, Washington D.C, Seattle, Boston, San Franscisco, Chicago (though I've never been there).

[Virgil]

Italy - my heritage - much family in the Dolomites
(

You're a fellow Italian-American! Yay.

[Xamonas Chegwe]

I think this is my complete list - but I think I might have missed 1 or 2.

Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Cyprus
Egypt
England
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Holland
Hong Kong
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Libya
Malta
Norway
Scotland
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Tunisia
Turkey
USA
Wales
Yugoslavia

[Pensive]

Koa, Chick, Xamonous, You have really visited a lot of places.

Koa, you are very right. It is easier to travel in Eurpion countries because they are very closer to each other.

Xamonous, You have also visited a lot of places. I am amazed. You have even visited Siri Lanka.

[Koa]

Emily - I wouldn't worry about not speaking the language, at least not in Italy. I've been amazed at how many people speak english, and the number seems to increase with every visit.

:eek: That's a big news to me. We're the least English-literate country in Europe, together with France and Spain... Though sure people working in touristic areas do know English... but if you stop a random guy on the street to ask for directions, I'm not sure of how much English you'd get out of it... but we are so good at communicating with gestures :D

The language thing shouldn't be a block in travelling...I think some people like Emily are more blocked by the fact of being American, therefore people will think that they know only English because they are Americans and don't feel the need to learn more... But really, noone would blame you too much if you are in a country for just a few days... moreover, English is indeed quite widely spoken around the world... I'm definitely not diminishing the importance of languages, as you well know that they are my only true passion, but on the other hand I won't be stopped going to a place because I don't know their language. I've lived in Hungary for 6 months and I've learnt only basic Hungarian (and at teh beginning we did order food without having a clue of what we were going to get!)... and that made me feel almost disrespectful at times cos I was living there (though their language is so hellish that they don't really expect you to know it)... and I always try to learn at least how to say Thanks in a place I visit... but well, the point of travelling is learning about a place, even about their languages...

Another great thing about living in Europe is that travelling is relatively cheap... there are a lot of cheap flights companies, which are the reason why I travel so much... and I have friends in many places so most of the time I don't have to spend money on accomodation... On the other hand, I haven't been to other continents and I'm not planning on doing it soon, because of the distance and the cost... there is so much to do in lovely Europe anyway, that I'm certainly not bored...

[Xamonas Chegwe]

I would agree with Koa. I have been to Italy many times. Compared to other European countries, there is very little English spoken.

If you want to visit a European country where most people do speak English, I would recommend the following:

Great Britain & Ireland. (Obviously!)
Greece. (Especially Athens and the more popular islands.)
Belgium. (The northern, Flemish speaking parts predominantly.)
Holland. (Almost everyone speaks German & English fluently - certainly the young.)
Germany. (Not as many English speakers as some of those above, but a lot more than in Italy.)
Austria & (the Germanic parts of) Switzerland. Similar to Germany.
Scandinavia. (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland & Iceland all have large numbers of fluent English speakers.

A lot of the former Soviet block countries have many English speakers as well. But keep to the major towns and tourist areas.

France, Italy and Spain are all difficult for those with none of the local language. But it really doesn't take much to learn enough for asking directions and making small purchases in shops. And all of the main tourist places are full of information centres with English speaking staff.

Please don't let the 'language barrier' put you off travelling.

[Petrarch's Love]

Wow, I'm so impressed by some of the travel accounts in these forums. Xamonas, what's your favorite destination from the long list you provided?

I love to travel when I get the chance. I've been across the border to Canada a few times and been on brief trips to England, Austria, and Switzerland. I've also been to France a few times--once for a month long language program including three weeks on the lovely cote d'azure--and I studied in Italy for four months,which I loved. I was staying with an Italian woman in charming Siena (right near Florence), and got a chance to really emerse myself in the language as well as travel around the country. I got a chance to go back to Tuscany for a few weeks with a friend this past summer and I was in heaven!

Emily, you'd probably find it funny that I actually sometimes had a hard time finding people who were willing to speak the language with me in Italy (especially in more touristy areas like Florence). Part of it may have been that I'm blonde and no one expected me to know Italian from my appearance (everyone in Austria would launch into German with me, assuming I was a native, even though I don't have a word off that language). I would have these silly conversations sometimes where I would speak to say, a waiter at a restraunt only in Italian and he would only respond in English. It seems they wanted to practice their English just as much as I wanted to practice my Italian, which I found amazing. As everyone else here said, absolutely do not let language be a barrier to travel. Pick up a few key phrases when you get a chance to go somewhere (or maybe even take a basic language class nights at your local city college), and smile and gesture your way through the rest. :nod:

[Xamonas Chegwe]

Wow, I'm so impressed by some of the travel accounts in these forums. Xamonas, what's your favorite destination from the long list you provided?

Wherever I happen to be usually. :lol:

I have a special fondness for Greece and Iceland. I would probably put them up at the top somewhere. But there are so many places I haven't seen yet, so my real favourite could be anywhere!

I agree about the 2-sided conversations. I tried to learn Greek for years with the same trouble: "Yia sou, ti kaneis?", "Very well thank you, how are you?" It really makes it hard to learn, especially to learn to understand the spoken language. I learnt more from watching English/US films with Greek sub-titles over there than anything else!

[emily655321]

It seems they wanted to practice their English just as much as I wanted to practice my Italian, which I found amazing.I know what you're saying, I've run into a bit of that, myself. :nod: Particularly when I was in France, I found that most of the people were delighted (and probably pretty amused :rolleyes:) by my attempts to speak French, but were more than happy to supplement the conversation with some English of their own. The most unnerving part was standing in lines, talking with my mother about how much time/money we had left, or where we were going to eat, etc., and realizing that everyone around us had stopped talking, so they could listen. It's a weird feeling, when you're not used to being out of your own country.

[Virgil]

:eek: That's a big news to me. We're the least English-literate country in Europe, together with France and Spain... Though sure people working in touristic areas do know English... but if you stop a random guy on the street to ask for directions, I'm not sure of how much English you'd get out of it... but we are so good at communicating with gestures :D

Hmm, I was startled with how many people spoke english in Italy. I mean it wasn't everyone, perhaps one out ten (to pull a figure out of the air), but that struck me as a lot. I guess then the rest of Europe is even easier to get around.

Communicating with gestures? Do you mean profane gestures or clean gestures? :D I know those Italians.

[SleepyWitch]

BTW, I have an opportunity for a business conference in Berlin at the end of May. I haven't decided whether to go, but, in the event that I do go, does anyone who's been to Berlin have any advice on how to spend a day if I was able to break free. Or how about evenings? How hard is it to get around without knowing any German?


Hey Virgil you shouldn't have any trouble getting around without knowing any German. Everybody in Germany has to study English.. some people might be reluctant to speak it (because they feel their English isn't good enough!) or might pretend not to understand it... well, there might be a slight problem in the eastern part of Berlin seeing as it was part of the GDR, where they studied Russian instead of English...
well, at least as far as talking to people is concerned there shouldn't be any problem, but to figure out things like public transport, signposts and stuff, you might need to ask colleagues or passerby for help...

edit: countries I've been to:
Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia (day trip to Bratislava), Greece, Italy, France (Paris; Provence), England (lived there for 9 months), Scotland, Wales, Sweden, Mongolia
my fave's so far have been Mongolia and, of course, the UK. if you ever get the opportunity to live in another country, seize it! you can learn so much more about a country and it's people when you actually live there...

[Whifflingpin]

"Everybody in Germany has to study English.. some people might be reluctant to speak it (because they feel their English isn't good enough!) or might pretend not to understand it..."
Ho ho - I had to hire a car once to go to Frankfurt. I don't speak German, but I learnt enough to ask for a car, until Wednesday, and so on, which was good, because the owner did not speak a word of English. Somehow, however, he managed to learn fluent English in four days, because when I got back, he was happy to chat in English.

I agree with those who say that ignorance of a language should not be a barrier to travelling - learning the few necessary words is part of the fun.("thankyou," "good/beautiful," "where from?" "where to?" "how much?" were the essential phrases for hitch-hiking (autostop) abroad when I was a student.) A smile and friendly gestures will carry you a long way.

My list is not as extensive as Xamonas' - Great Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, USA (Washington, Philadelphia) Brasil (Sao Paulo) Mexico and Greece.

Pensive first asked for our impressions of other countries, rather than mere lists. Overall, I think I have been constantly surprised by the helpfulness of people towards strangers.
Late one night, in Turkey, I was stopped by a policeman, and had visions of being thrown into a Turkish jail for vagabondage, but after a few minutes chat (in French) he saved me the effort of hitch-hiking by stopping every car that passed, until there was one going my way. Not that autostop was hard in Turkey, I was walking along, minding my own business, when a bus stopped next to me. "Para yok" I said ("no money") but the passengers just laughed, pulled me aboard and gave me a lift to the next town.
In the US, my colleague was irritated by the constant expressions of helpfulness, which he thought were meaningless hypocrisy. I found them to be literal truth. "Can I help you, sir" "Well, the music is a bit loud" Moments later the music was turned down.
Or, in a restaurant, "I'm sorry, sir, we don't have any grapefruit juice," but minutes after, there was the grapefruit juice that they'd gone out to buy, just for me.

So, next I'd better take up Pensive's challenge and visit Asia. I saw on television a month or so ago that they were stripping the fabulous blue tiles off the roofs in Samarkhand, and yesterday the Golden Mosque was destroyed - I must hurry, while there is still anything left.

.

[ClaesGefvenberg]

I love tourism. I think that many people does. Have you ever been out of your country? How did you find the world outside? Did you enjoy or did you hate that experience?
Traveling is definitely one of my favourite pastimes. It also connects well with some other interests of mine: Languages and photography. Besides, I'm generally interested in people and different cultures.

I had to give this some thought. I think this list is fairly accurate, but I may have missed a few:

Norway, Denmark, Finland, Britain, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Spain Italy, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Thailand, Kenya...

I have enjoyed them all for different reasons, so I will refrain from naming any favourites. I will however tell you about the most gratifying trip: When I was a child I dreamt about going to Africa to see the wildlife there. I honestly never thought it would happen. In the 60's, going to Africa as a tourist was considered nigh on impossible unless you happened to be filthy rich, which I am not... And yet, I have been there, and found it even more impressive than I thought it would be. To top it all I also met some increadibly nice people.

Yes, fulfilling your childhood dream is very gratifying... I recommend it ;)

/Claes

[simon]

Belize is a fun place. Alot of Mayans live there and some of the history found in the Mayan ruins is amazing, like the ball courts. There are these courts used for some type of ball game that really important to the political, social, education, and theatrical aspect of the society, only nobody knows what the rules to the game were. Belize is hear Guatemala, which I think is active right now, but they have rainforest and tropical beaches on the Cayes off the coastline. The people are great and depending where you go, it's a tiny tiny poor country with no real export value, people speak Mayan or some sort of pigeon langauge kind of like Creole, where they use english words but they all mean something completely different. I had a colourful adventure there running around snorkling and such, it's a great place to learn.

[Pensive]

So, next I'd better take up Pensive's challenge and visit Asia. I saw on television a month or so ago that they were stripping the fabulous blue tiles off the roofs in Samarkhand, and yesterday the Golden Mosque was destroyed - I must hurry, while there is still anything left.

You should visit Asian countries. You would not regret it. I am sometimes, so much surprized by the difference of culture and traditions between Eurpion and Asian society. And the odd thing is that I find most of the Eurpion countries very much alike. (I might be wrong but my limited study of different countries teach me that) while on the other hand, an Asian country is extremely different from the other Asian country. It is difficult to travel in Asia.

[sdr4jc]

um...i've been to the grand canyon...

[Matilda]

Okay. I've been to:

Denmark ( lot's of times, my grandparents live about an hour from the border)
Germany (mainly diving through)
Turkey (Side and Marmaris)
Greece (Crete)
Spain (Tenerife and Mallorca)
England (London and Devon)
Czech Republic
Belgium and Netherlands (just driving through and stopping for an ice-cream!)
France (Normandie, Paris and Languedoc)

France was my absolute favorite, and England of course. It was the first place I went by myself.

I'm going to Scotland in the Easter holidays, so I'll celebrate my 16th birthday there. :D

[Pensive]

Hey Matila, You have also been to a lot of places. Good luck in France and may you enjoy a lot!

[myself]

hello, i am an arab. i live in england and all i go to is to my country (syria) and to england. when i was 1 year till 4 me and my parent went all over Asia, maldives, malysia, india and i was born in pakistan!!!!! but i cant really remember anything of it. i can tell u more about syria.

it is in the middle east and it is a very hot country. the houses there have no roofs and the floor is concrete. i love going there, it is so koooooooooooool. shopping is so fun!!!!!!

[Pensive]

Myself: Really, You were born in Pakistan? Do you by any chance know Urdu?

[bouquin]

And have you travelled Pensive?

I've been very fortunate to have travelled so much and I plan on doing a lot more in future :D

I've driven across the United states twice and visited most of the states except Alaska, driven across Canada twice and been to all the provinces except the Northwest Territories and Labrador. I've been to Cozumel and Cancun and Mexico city, and to Europe many times including The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic and Austria.

I love travelling by train in western europe, it's so easy to get to places, but it is usually by car that I have travelled, then you can stop when ever or where ever you want and you get to see all the little places along the way. I will go to Australia and New Zealand someday, and hopefully make it to Argentina, Greece, Scotland, England, St. Petersburg Russia, Singapore, and Japan too.

I guess what I like best about travelling is spending time with people, seeing what their life is like, eating what they do, doing the usual things that they do. Visiting landmarks, museums, going to concerts and restaurants is important too though :)





hi Logos:
Make sure you go to Argentina! It is a fantastic place! I have been there 3 times and every time it is just phenomenal! Don't miss Iguazu Falls up north, the glaciers in Patagonia, and of course, the tango!
I have been to some 25 countries so far, and I intend to keep on going! My most recent destinations were Cambodia, Vietnam and Hong Kong. I went last month just before Christmas. I had a really great time. Angkor is beyond words! And Vietnam and Hong Kong are so dynamic, so full of color and life!
My present avatar (the sunset) is a photo that I took last year in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

[DickZ]

I just noticed this thread today (January 25), as I concentrate mainly on the WRITING section of the forum.

Starting next week, I'm planning to start posting a multi-part story under WRITING. It will be called A Grand Tour, and it will describe some adventures we had in visiting Moscow, Leningrad, London, Rome, Copenhagen, a few Greek islands, Jerusalem, and various other places.

It will have links to show pictures of most of the places discussed in the story. Here's a test to make sure the links will work in this forum - this test link shows (I hope) Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow’s Red Square.

I see that sometimes the link works, and sometimes it doesn't. If it doesn't work for your first attempt, you might want to try again later.

http://www.opentravelinfo.com/files/images/st_basils_cathedral_0.preview.jpg

Or try this one: http://mishuna.image.pbase.com/u42/dan_wong/upload/30599430.002.jpg

[Niamh]

Havent been to many places really;
Northern Ireland,
Scotland (a few times)
England
Wales
France
Monaco
Italy
Belgium
New Zealand.
(do the airports in Malaysia and Australia count?:p )

[TEND]

Well, I am not nearly as well travelled as many of you people though I hope to gain on you over the next couple of years. So far I've been to
Canada (Of course)
USA
Switzerland
Italy
...and the Vatican if ya wanna count it.
However! Due to my what some people call stupidity and complete lack of concern for my future, this should at least double by the end of the year (I will touch base in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Spain for sure by the end of the year, and hopefully more), and even moreso by the year after :D. So hopefully I'll remember this topic in 3 or 4 years and be able to share an extensive travel catalogue with you all.

[Bakiryu]

Only a visit back home, but you guys wouldn't want to hear about a boring little island about 1/5 of the size of florida.

[Shalot]

Havent been to many places really;
Northern Ireland,
Scotland (a few times)
England
Wales
France
Monaco
Italy
Belgium
New Zealand.
(do the airports in Malaysia and Australia count?:p )

dang, I'm jealous. That's a lot in my book!!

I've been to a few of those places really briefly: London, France, Scotland, Belgium, Germany, and Holland.

I want to go back to all of them except Belgium and France. I was most uncomfortable there.

[Niamh]

:lol: I always find it odd when people write london instead of England. Its like the checkin area in the airport. One of the Areas is for Aerlingus flights to London, The UK, and Germany....I've heard a few people saying stuff like, "I didnt know london was a country in its own right!":p
But if we are talking cities... I've been to a good few...
BTW Shalot, I really like the new avatar. :nod:

[Pensive]

Only a visit back home, but you guys wouldn't want to hear about a boring little island about 1/5 of the size of florida.

Why not? Small countries (or places) can hold a great amount of charm too. :) And let us decide about it being boring or not after having read something about it. :p

[1n50mn14]

I spent a summer with my best friend in Freisland, in the Netherlands. I couldn't tell you the city, nor pronounce it. Her parents are extremely wealthy, so we ended up travelling for most of the summer. We spent a week in the Czech Republic, three weeks in France (at her summer house =O!) riding horses and swimming, yay! And then went to Paris. Where there were some illegal catacomb adventures, but shh. We went to Germany, mostly for the industrial clubs in Berlin. And spent the rest of the summer in Amsterdam.

[Koa]

It will have links to show pictures of most of the places discussed in the story. Here's a test to make sure the links will work in this forum - this test link shows (I hope) Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow’s Red Square.

I see that sometimes the link works, and sometimes it doesn't. If it doesn't work for your first attempt, you might want to try again later.

http://www.opentravelinfo.com/files/images/st_basils_cathedral_0.preview.jpg

Or try this one: http://mishuna.image.pbase.com/u42/dan_wong/upload/30599430.002.jpg

I was so disappointed by St Basil!! It's so small and it looks like made of plastic... I was so excited about going to see the Red Square but I didnt think much of it.:sick:


:lol: I always find it odd when people write london instead of England. Its like the checkin area in the airport. One of the Areas is for Aerlingus flights to London, The UK, and Germany....I've heard a few people saying stuff like, "I didnt know london was a country in its own right!":p
But if we are talking cities... I've been to a good few...
BTW Shalot, I really like the new avatar. :nod:

I think he meant the city but don't tell me, in Italy and I think Spain too, people seem to equate London with England, so that they ask me "so, how are things in London?" or "When are you going back to London?", when I'm nowhere near London. That drives me mad :flare: :crash:

[bouquin]

Traveling is definitely one of my favourite pastimes. It also connects well with some other interests of mine: Languages and photography. Besides, I'm generally interested in people and different cultures.

I had to give this some thought. I think this list is fairly accurate, but I may have missed a few:

Norway, Denmark, Finland, Britain, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Spain Italy, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Thailand, Kenya...

I have enjoyed them all for different reasons, so I will refrain from naming any favourites. I will however tell you about the most gratifying trip: When I was a child I dreamt about going to Africa to see the wildlife there. I honestly never thought it would happen. In the 60's, going to Africa as a tourist was considered nigh on impossible unless you happened to be filthy rich, which I am not... And yet, I have been there, and found it even more impressive than I thought it would be. To top it all I also met some increadibly nice people.

Yes, fulfilling your childhood dream is very gratifying... I recommend it ;)

/Claes



I never thought I would get to go to Africa - I never even dreamed about it, in the first place! But as it has turned out, I have been there 7 times already in the past 10 years! And it is a great experience everytime. Africa is majestic and grand! I have been to Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad; and Morocco and Tunisia in the north. Perhaps my most extraordinary souvenir would be going on a 20-minute crossing of the Niger River in a dug-out canoe in pitch darkness at 2 o'clock in the morning... something that I'd rather my mother not know!

[Shalot]

:lol: I always find it odd when people write london instead of England. Its like the checkin area in the airport. One of the Areas is for Aerlingus flights to London, The UK, and Germany....I've heard a few people saying stuff like, "I didnt know london was a country in its own right!":p
But if we are talking cities... I've been to a good few...
BTW Shalot, I really like the new avatar. :nod:

I put London because it was the only place in England we went. And instead of putting Holland, I had Amsterdam when I first typed it, but then I realized that we went to some other city and while we were there (of course I don't remember much about that because I was so tired and irritated during that part of it after being dropped off in the middle of some bird infested square after 24 hours of no sleep whatsoever. But, yes, I know London isn't a country :lol:

[aabbcc]

Currently I live in - Italy
Before that, I lived in - Russia, Croatia, Hungary; the latter for quite a short period of time when I was younger so it is perhaps inutile to count it

I have visited multiple times - Hungary, Austria, Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, France, Slovenia
I have been to once - Switzerland, Greece, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Germany, Holland, I might have missed a few but those come to my mind

About the countries... what to tell... except for the worn-out cliché that each of those places is unique in its own way?
Out of all the cities I have been to, I tend to love Budapést the most, there is something special about that city... Followed by Wien and Herakleion.

I desperately want to go to Israel, but my parents are set quite against it ("When you are legally an adult and make your own money..." :rolleyes:), and I would love to go to Greece again, I love that country and the people.

[byquist]

Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada -- all great.

[kratsayra]

I haven't been to many countries outside the US:

Mexico
Canada
France
Senegal (very briefly, I had to leave earlier than planned - I intend to go back someday).

Most significantly - I lived in Cameroon for 4 months through a study abroad program while I was an undergraduate. It was the most amazing experience ever of my whole life . . . etc, etc, etc. :D I get very nostalgic about it - it was 5 years ago, and I will still go on and on about Cameroon if someone asks me about it. :p Sometimes I still even have dreams that I'm there. Perhaps I should go back, but it felt so stressful and unsafe (also I was in the city), that I don't really want to go back. Too much corruption and uncertainty - plus traveling as a young woman in west and/or central africa is something else (the stories I could tell!)

And to anyone who hasn't already graduated from college (university) and is thinking about doing a study abroad or exchange program - my advice is DO IT. No matter what country you are interested in going to, you will have an amazing and unique experience. It is one of the best opportunities you might ever have to travel and really experience another culture. I guess that advice is mostly for Americans - I don't know what university and study abroad and all that is like in other places.

[Bakiryu]

Why not? Small countries (or places) can hold a great amount of charm too. :) And let us decide about it being boring or not after having read something about it. :p

Ok sure. it was really cool. everything looked really crumbly and old in the capital but the farms and beaches were so beautiful. me and my family went to the beach and it was so beautiful and different from the dreary American beaches. Everything was colorful, most of the men were dashing and people weren't shy at all. ♥ the people were so complimentary! I plan to go back soon. Oooh and the farms and forests were beautiful too. all green and pretty!
(I'm stopping now before i write a whole essay about it :rolleyes: )