DarkFruitsRam7 Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 I've been inspired by a tale my Uncle told me to do a bit of solo travelling. I'm looking at travelling round France for a few weeks in August in an effort to immerse myself in the culture and to improve my French-speaking ability. Anybody got any tips or places to visit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnero Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 On 19/06/2019 at 20:19, dcfcfan1 said: Considered that too, but do want to watch some footy! Not heard of the J-League or K-League? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McRamFan Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 40 minutes ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said: I've been inspired by a tale my Uncle told me to do a bit of solo travelling. I'm looking at travelling round France for a few weeks in August in an effort to immerse myself in the culture and to improve my French-speaking ability. Anybody got any tips or places to visit? Quebec On a serious note. Start at Lyon, down to Monaco and follow the cost, west, till you run out of time or money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EtoileSportiveDeDerby Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 48 minutes ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said: I've been inspired by a tale my Uncle told me to do a bit of solo travelling. I'm looking at travelling round France for a few weeks in August in an effort to immerse myself in the culture and to improve my French-speaking ability. Anybody got any tips or places to visit? If you start in Lyon (lovely city) and then get to Monaco (very nice part of France too) you may not see that much of France after that, it will stretch your budget trust me. As a native if you pm me and tell me what interests you mountain, seaside, cities I can give you a few pointers. As we say "Les voyages forment la jeunesses" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcfcfan1 Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 Where is the cheapest place, with the least travelling time possible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jourdan Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 7 hours ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said: I've been inspired by a tale my Uncle told me to do a bit of solo travelling. I'm looking at travelling round France for a few weeks in August in an effort to immerse myself in the culture and to improve my French-speaking ability. Anybody got any tips or places to visit? I loved Lyon. I stayed there last summer for a five day feast basically. The city has a great culinary history and is considered one of the top cities in France for food and drink. I really enjoyed it there. The food was great and the wine was great, but not only that. I also really appreciated the pace and the atmosphere of the city. Quiet, gentle, calm, cosy, friendly and welcoming. The old town is full of little restaurants called bouchons which pride themselves on offering traditional French food with a homely feel, rather than a pretentious one. In the summer they have outdoor seating. You eat, you drink, and soak in the atmosphere. They have boats lining the river which operate as bars with riverside seating. It depends what you want from your trip. But if you want to eat well, drink well and relax well, Lyon is a great starting point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkFruitsRam7 Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 Thanks for the advice, @Jourdan. @EtoileSportiveDeDerby has also recommended Lyon, so I reckon it will definitely be a stop on the tour. You seem to have travelled about a lot. I know you work in Portugal, but have you generally travelled for work or pleasure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sage Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 1 hour ago, dcfcfan1 said: Where is the cheapest place, with the least travelling time possible? Poland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jourdan Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 I would also add that in a place like France, it’s better to go for quality over quantity. Find a place you like the look of and spend a good length of time there. If you are on a budget, you can rent a place on Airbnb and you can shop in the local markets and supermarkets if you don’t want to eat out for every meal (which adds up, believe me!) It’s an expensive place. I spent a lot in Lyon but I had budgeted for it. It depends on your circumstances but I am not sure it’d make financial sense to go to multiple cities there in one trip unless you have money to burn through. If you want to practise your French, @DarkFruitsRam7, an alternative might be Brussels in Belgium. It’s a bit gritty in places but generally a really nice and vibrant city with good food and great beer. You can get there fairly inexpensively. I got a coach from London for £35. The train network in Belgium is really good but again a touch expensive - you can get to Ghent and Bruges very easily - and you can get a bus to Amsterdam too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jourdan Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 15 minutes ago, DarkFruitsRam7 said: Thanks for the advice @Jourdan. @EtoileSportiveDeDerby has also recommended Lyon, so I reckon it will definitely be a stop on the tour. You seem to have travelled about a lot. I know you work in Portugal, but have you generally travelled for work or pleasure? Well I have lived abroad for the last 6 years working as a teacher. 4 years in St. Petersburg, 1 year in Naples, and currently in Porto. Before that I studied for a semester in the US, I also did a volunteer project in Peru and a summer internship in Bulgaria. I guess it’s a bit of both. The thing is when you go from the UK to live somewhere else, it might seem like an exercise in gratification. But it’s actually much harder than people imagine. People think it’s all sunshine and rainbows. But depending on where you are and what kind of support network you have, you can get just as down, disillusioned and restless as if you were stuck in Derby. But it’s definitely a character building experience. Not quite as toughening as sitting through a year of Phil Brown or that 11 point season, but mightily close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stagtime Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 3 hours ago, dcfcfan1 said: Where is the cheapest place, with the least travelling time possible? I would have to say Lisbon, maybe Istanbul but the flight is longer. When we worked in London we went to Bordeaux and Prague for weekend trips and found everything reasonably priced.I’ve travelled the world a fair bit the last 10 or so years and just set what we are comfortable with and go for it. We’ve spent a bit of time in Iceland and Norway the last few trips and even there we just Air b&b and buy groceries in the chain stores and didn’t work out to bad. Just thought our money went further in Lisbon. I find over here in Oz has ended up being one of the most expensive places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LE_Ram Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 On 19/06/2019 at 20:01, dcfcfan1 said: Thank you guys Gonna be the first of many trips solo throughout my life- so always good to get advice. Different kettle of fish when you cant rely on friends or family to sort things out during the trip, will be a good test (albeit a bit scary) Done a fair bit of solo travel in the last year - Indonesia, Singapore, Lithuania, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Hungary, and going to Kazakhstan in a few weeks. If you want to watch footy, can't beat Eastern Europe for atmosphere - Hungary was incredible, I went to watch Ferencvarosi play Honved, plus it's quite cheap there. Just make sure you have your hotel booked and it has WiFi, and plan how you're getting from the airport to the hotel. Once you're at the hotel you can WiFi up and sort anything out, but the most important thing is having that plan of how to get from airport to hotel. Best city I've been to is Kiev - cheap flights on Ryanair, the food is good, the beer is good, there's LOTS of history, especially if you're interested in Soviet history and it's safe for a solo traveller. Plus Chernobyl is round the corner and that's definitely worth a trip. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkFruitsRam7 Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 Currently living my best life in Lanzarote. Reading the exceptionally-long Les Misérables; working my way through the all-inclusive beers (yes, @David, I’ve had a lot of beer and not a single drop of cider this holiday), sangrias, G&Ts and cocktails; eating plenty; taking the occasional dip in the pool and trying and failing to catch the eye of the odd girl. All calm before the storm of solo travelling round France and the lads holiday to Malia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frogram Posted July 6, 2019 Share Posted July 6, 2019 On 21/06/2019 at 16:50, DarkFruitsRam7 said: I've been inspired by a tale my Uncle told me to do a bit of solo travelling. I'm looking at travelling round France for a few weeks in August in an effort to immerse myself in the culture and to improve my French-speaking ability. Anybody got any tips or places to visit? Remember that Paris is all but shut in August , they are all at the seaside in Normandy/Brittany/Vendée/ Charente Maritime , adding to the huge traffic chaos and packed restaurants . I live in the Charente , ideal for discovering the south west , and has direct rail links to the UK , Paris , and Bordeaux . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddie Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 The Lost Gardens of Heligan are a con - we found them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamNut Posted July 11, 2019 Share Posted July 11, 2019 Three beautiful days on Sark. Heading home tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mucker1884 Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 18 hours ago, RamNut said: Three beautiful days on Sark. Heading home tomorrow. I'm guessing by the dates, they are your own work? I'm far from an expert, but I have to say they look rather good to me. Nice work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RamNut Posted July 12, 2019 Share Posted July 12, 2019 10 hours ago, Mucker1884 said: I'm guessing by the dates, they are your own work? I'm far from an expert, but I have to say they look rather good to me. Nice work! Just having a go. These are postcards that i send or give to people. The bottom one is a watercolour postcard that i gave to a lady where i was staying. The top one is a watercolour postcard to my brother. He'll probably bin it. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anag Ram Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 On 23/09/2018 at 12:34, Pastinaak said: Anybody going away for new year? Where's sunny in January?? Got a cruise booked. Bruges and Hamburg so not sunny but the beer should be good. First cruise with both children and three grandchildren. Should be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sith Happens Posted July 21, 2019 Share Posted July 21, 2019 4 hours ago, Anag Ram said: Got a cruise booked. Bruges and Hamburg so not sunny but the beer should be good. First cruise with both children and three grandchildren. Should be great. Have done Bruges for new year a few times, its great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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