the sun is out and ryanair have a sale on. what are your holiday plans this summer?
me:
no plans cuz i am broke, but i'd like see some of europe:
budapest. and not just to get my teeth done. mittel euro culture, pretty architecture, cheap booze, majik gypsies, american students to play the russian debutante's handbook-esque trickeries on. what more could you want? my flatmate lily just got back from there and says it is the new vienna. i haven't been to vienna, but it looked great in before sunrise so budapest must be the best!
finland. forests and moomin world and lakes full of suicided teens.
iceland. liver failure in reykjavík, moody primordial landscape, mystical fairy nymph creatures / bjork, drunk nordic chicks that maybe just maybe will find me thrillingly exotic, damon albairn bastardchildren, marauding vikings, um i don't what else they have there but i bet it's all good, yeah iceland is teh cool.
[ 04.04.2006, 13:52: Message edited by: vikram ]
Posted by vikram (Member # 98) on :
so this is a thread for tomorrow i guess. where in the world do you wanna go? Posted by Physic (Member # 195) on :
Rome, supposed to be great, I love italian food and I love holidays where you can combine warm weather with seeing interesting things, maybe this summer..
Barcelona I love Spain, absolutely love it, and Barcelona is one of the places I haven't been to yet, a combination of great food, beaches and things to see, what more could I want.
I also wouldn't mind seeing more of Germany, got a taster of it when I went to the Oktoberfest last year and really liked it, fascinating place and friendly people. Probably not this summer though what with the small matter of the World Cup taking place there..
[ 04.04.2006, 14:57: Message edited by: Physic ]
Posted by doc d (Member # 781) on :
detroit its more of a homage to electronica (ha ha see what i did there). i know its shitty, i know that nobody really gets what's being done by the musicians there, but i would like to be the geek of all geeks and go and see how/where/why/what. plus its the home of the mc5.
the bronx this where i'd join all the other white dudes being stared at as we took photos of everything.
barcelona
plus its got sonar right?
but in all probability i'm probably going to be working through the summer and hoping to get from the UK to live in toronto.
Posted by Darryn.R (Member # 1) on :
Moscow - Childhood dream, full of the Russian Mafia now, I bet it's a shithole and I'd get mugged. I'd have rather seen Red Square before they put a McDonalds on it.
The Ardennes - Next week, house hunting. I'll let you know what it's like.
Vegas - Just to see it, play a table, sing a Tiny Christie song and leave without cumming in Elizabeth Shue's hair.
Posted by Black Mask (Member # 185) on :
We're off to Barcelona next Monday.
I fucking love Barcelona.
[ 04.04.2006, 18:53: Message edited by: Black Mask ]
Posted by Benny the Ball (Member # 694) on :
Barcalona's fantastic, and Rome is my European "other" city.
In about five weeks I'm off to Bulgaria with my best mate for a long weekend, and then the week after that it's off to LA to get married - so, unless we can fit in a honeymoon in June, to Italy, then that'll be the end of the summer holidays for me.
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
In May, I'm heading to the Lake District for some kind of hiking holiday, apparently.
Then, in June, I'm going Spain for a culture-free loaf-around a luxury villa, holiday at the exact same place we went last year. It's stuck up in the mountains in the middle of nowhere (Alheurin el Grande) and the plan is usually to stock up on booze and drink relentlessly for the duration of the holiday without making any effort to appreciate the locale in any way whatsoever.
So it should be good.
Posted by Honeybaby (Member # 543) on :
.
[ 12.04.2006, 07:02: Message edited by: Honeybaby ]
Posted by Waynster (Member # 56) on :
Riga
I'm off there in 6 weeks for 4 nights with some good friends - its an annual thing to pull some names and numbers out of a hat which has bloomed from an afternoon in the pub for a chance to explore some of Europe's beautiful places - last year was Copenhagen, this time its the crossroads of the Baltics with this little gem of a place.
Late July/Early August - South of France
Can't be more specific than that, apart from the place we are going is somewhere near the French Foreign Legions HQ - a friend of mine has a castle down there and we are going down for his 50th Birthday for a few days. Jerry Dammers and Patrick Kluivert are supposed to be going along as well so a bit of hob-nobbing will add to a lovely weekend.
Stockholm
A beautiful city, and its looking likely more and more that I may be going to work there for a bit, which will be nice.
Posted by Dr. Benway (Member # 20) on :
Who needs a holiday when you're only 30 seconds away from finsbury park?
Posted by Louche (Member # 450) on :
I'm going to France to admire some carp in a bit. Carp as big as your arm. I'm not actually all that keen on carp, but I imagine a carp as big as your arm might be quite an impressive sight.
Posted by Vogon Poetess (Member # 164) on :
I'm taking a week off in June to watch the group games of the World Cup, but can't really take too much holiday until my OU course ends in Oct. Will take two weeks off in November - still tempted by Canada and Russia. Might have an odd long weekend city break somewhere- maybe Barcelona or somewhere Scandinavian.
I want to see more UK stuff too- like the Sutton Hoo burial site, the racing museum at Newmarket and Whitby (Dracula, abbeys and jet).
Lacking in motivation and need something to look forward to- weekends are presently drear voids punctuating drear workdays.
Posted by vikram (Member # 98) on :
Brunei, eh? How come?
Posted by Honeybaby (Member # 543) on :
.
[ 12.04.2006, 07:03: Message edited by: Honeybaby ]
Posted by ben (Member # 13) on :
THE TSARIST TYRANNY.
LENIN!
'NUFF SAID.
THE MASSES.
REVOLUTION!
THE WINTER PALACE FALLS.
So, er, yes: wife and I going to St Petersburg this summer. Any recommendations from anyone who's been?
Posted by vikram (Member # 98) on :
oh i'd love to go to russia. no advice, but a great resource for trave writings is this and more practical info here.
Posted by Thorn Davis (Member # 65) on :
I went, and it was 'good'. Lots of snow. I was there in February. Fuck, I'm trying to think what I did there now. Went to the ballet - that was well worth doing. Looked round countless palaces and went to a jazz club, which was OK; not as good as the ballet. I reckon something like that would appeal. I don't know how much airtime they give the native composers over there, but I did enjoy seeing Tchaikovsky in context, as it were. It might be interesting to go and see a performance of some other Russian heavy hitters like Stravinsky and Shostakovich, and sit there imagining what it might have been like as a Russian to hear them for the first time as Russia found that its long silent cultural voice was actually the most powerful in the world.
Posted by Bandy (Member # 12) on :
I'm a bit worried that i'm going to be too poor to go on a proper holiday this summer so instead will probably go camping in France. Old skool.
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
Why not sleep in a tree in Cornwall for £125 quid a night.
I've just done a lengthy shit - time and dimensions! - and the only thing to hand to read was a You Simply Must Do This This Summer, Oh You Must Must Must supplement from the weekend Guardian.
Posted by herbs (Member # 101) on :
I prob won't have the money to do a proper summer holiday, but may treat myself to a paddling pool and deck chair for some days off in the garden.
Howevs, I have got roped in to going on some hippy spinster singing 'workshop' holiday, where we all stay in gites on one big site, and do communal cooking. The organiser has sent highly detailed 'briefings' on exactly what to bring, like salt, pepper, oil, etc, and keeps bellowing 'JUST SHARE AND BE NICE AND EVERYONE WILL HAVE A GOOD TIME'. I'm not looking forward to it. And it's on Saturday. For a week.
To add to the teeth-grinding factor, of the 33 people going 13 have 'dietary requirements', so there'll be a fair few fussy mung-bean eating vegans with 'gluten intolerance' (for which read 'I get fat after eating three pizzas) to enjoy.
Posted by vikram (Member # 98) on :
i wouldn't mind morocco. good food, boho beaches, big sky desert, old skool cities, cheap flights.
Posted by vikram (Member # 98) on :
£70 return in august. it'd be wrong not to go.
yay, i have holiday plans now!
[ 05.04.2006, 07:12: Message edited by: vikram ]
Posted by Fionnula the Cooler (Member # 453) on :
I wonder how many starving Africans the TMO collective has killed so far as a result of unnecessary jetsetting and cheapo ryanair flights. I reckon Vogon and Thorn have slain a few families between them. Vikram's massacred an entire village. I, on the other hand, have only killed a couple of babies. So there.
Posted by Fionnula the Cooler (Member # 453) on :
The reason I know aeroplanes kill starving Africans is this:
Posted by Fionnula the Cooler (Member # 453) on :
hold on
Posted by Fionnula the Cooler (Member # 453) on :
oh yeah: The Guardian told me.
Posted by jonesy999 (Member # 5) on :
quote:Originally posted by Fionnula the Cooler: The Guardian told me.
You're a prime candidate to enjoy a night strapped into a Newquay tree boat then.
Posted by vikram (Member # 98) on :
quote:Originally posted by vikram: £70 return in august. it'd be wrong not to go.
yay, i have holiday plans now!
I went there a few years ago. It was okay.
Posted by vikram (Member # 98) on :
thanks steve, that was really helpful.
not sure if i will book tickets actually. don't have a proper job now, but should do by then. what if i can't go on hols on whatever dates i book? bleurgh. also: what monbiot sed. lol. like i care!
Posted by ben (Member # 13) on :
The ballet sounds like an excellent idea, Thorn. Shostakovich sounds good too - he provided the rousing score for Eisenstein's October, which I watched last week to get me in the mood. I also watched Battleship Potemkin which had great visuals but the score was so cheesy I turned it way down and played Jedi Mind Tricks's deathless Violent By Design which meshed surprisingly well with the action.
Posted by Dr. Benway (Member # 20) on :
quote:Originally posted by vikram: thanks steve, that was really helpful.
yeah, okay. Other things. The place is kind of run down, it's bastard hot, everybody drinks mint tea, it's bursting with westerners seeking out either an authentic ethnic experience or hash, the food is awful, everything is broken, and they like their king.
eta: and olives are abundant.
[ 05.04.2006, 07:59: Message edited by: Dr. Benway ]
Posted by dance margarita (Member # 848) on :
i will as usual be spending my usual fortnight hey- nonny- no- ing with all the beardy weirdos at kentwell. here is the front door of my house at kentwell:
in addition to laughing in the face of modern hygiene consensus by eating stews made from livestock which has been hanging from a doorjamb for upwards of 12 hours, i will also no doubt be visiting my new favourite place in the world and possible future hometown, weston - super- mare. here is a nice picture of weston pier, where i am going to one day be the driver of the train that goes up and down the pier transporting fat children and old women wearing acrylic legwarmers to hide their gout bandages. currently the position of train driver is held by a middle- class gap year kid, whose mien of intellectual overqualification combined with puppyish eagerness to please i am sure i can replicate.
also, my mate's boyfriend might be getting a job in new york, so i might go and visit them, if i ever get my money back off Those Cunting Fucks In The Tax Office.
[ 05.04.2006, 09:28: Message edited by: dance margarita ]
Posted by Samuelnorton (Member # 48) on :
Quedlinburg
One of my favourite towns in Mitteldeutschland, with a UNESCO-protected centre. The first king of the Saxons, Heinrich I, is buried here - apparently a more contemporary Heinrich also liked to visit.
Dresden
I have visited Dresden about half a dozen times, and each and every time something new has been renovated or rebuilt. Oh, and the town of Pirna is just down the road, and well worth a visit.
Wernigerode
One of the few towns in the region that I haven't visited yet, but have heard a lot of. So this summer sounds like the right time to make a first visit...
Leipzig
On 21st June we will be in Leipzig, mixing it with a bunch of Iranians and Angolans...
Le Touquet Paris Plage
We have access to a summer flat here, so I'd bargain on at least half a dozen trips across La Manche. Loads of restaurants to choose from, the beach is five minutes' walk away, and the town of Etaples with its equally good array of fine seafood restaurants is just down the road, as are a number of museums to keep any WW2 geek happy...
Pretoria
I hope to be back in Pretoria at the end of the summer (early spring out there) when the Jacarandas are in bloom and the city is shrouded in a purple cape. Jo'burg is just down the road, but the only reason I'd ever go there is when something is going on at Ellis Park or the Wanderers. I might however take a drive into the interior and see how Eugene and pals are doing in Ventersdorp, lol...
Posted by Black Mask (Member # 185) on :
quote:Originally posted by Samuelnorton: I have visited Dresden about half a dozen times,
Me too!
Posted by ben (Member # 13) on :
Wow - battle of the redexes!
Posted by Samuelnorton (Member # 48) on :
O and Vikram - Budapest is fantastic, even if that grouch Kirsty Wark didn't like the gulasz. Don't leave your bags unattended at Keleti pu. station though.
If you do Budapest you can also do both Vienna and Bratislava in the same trip - the short train journey between Budapest and Bratislava takes you along a heart-shaped route on the Donau, and Vienna is only a further hour away by boat or train. I'd get a tent and rucksack and do things the old-fashioned way - luxury hotels would just spoil the experience.
Posted by Samuelnorton (Member # 48) on :
Touché, Mask. That said I might invade Poland again this summer as well... Forgot about that.
Posted by Black Mask (Member # 185) on :
quote:Originally posted by Samuelnorton: O and Vikram - Budapest is fantastic, even if that grouch Kirsty Wark didn't like the gulasz.
as it happens it was that very programme that sparked an interest for budapest in me!
Posted by Gemini (Member # 428) on :
Barcelona is fantastic, anyone thinking about Barcelona should go to Barcelona. There is great food, fantastic cava, nice beach and incredible architecture.
I've been to Morocco - Agadir, Essaouira and Marrakech as long as you avoid Agadir I thought it was a fascinating country and would recommend it. It is hot and dusty and they all seem to mainline mint tea but again there is a fasincating sense of history and culture and if you go out of peak season and avoid agadir the rest of the western population trying to get a taste of old world are kept to a minimum.
[ 05.04.2006, 11:54: Message edited by: Gemini ]
Posted by Gemini (Member # 428) on :
Sorry double post as I seem to have clicked the wrong icon.
[ 05.04.2006, 11:54: Message edited by: Gemini ]
Posted by Samuelnorton (Member # 48) on :
quote:Originally posted by vikram: as it happens it was that very programme that sparked an interest for budapest in me!
Aha! You'll only appreciate it once you hear it when you are there, but hearing the distinctive Budapest railway station announcement jingle on that programme brought back memories of my taking on the resident station chess grand master for the princely sum of 200 Forint.
I gave him a decent game, but inevitably lost.
The jingle is played at every Hungarian railway station - hearing it over a loudspeaker at a distance of 300 yards in some obscure ten-syllabled location in the east of the country at half past three in the morning is pretty surreal. I guess this all sounds somewhat odd, but you really have to be there...
Posted by froopyscot (Member # 178) on :
quote:Originally posted by doc d: detroit its more of a homage to electronica (ha ha see what i did there). i know its shitty, i know that nobody really gets what's being done by the musicians there, but i would like to be the geek of all geeks and go and see how/where/why/what. plus its the home of the mc5.
