Dear World,
I am going to Europe! Now, I’ve never been, so I don’t want to hear any disparaging remarks from all of you people with silver spoons in your mouths (whether this is a recent acquisition or a congenital defect).1
Specifically, I’m going to Ireland for the Alasdair MacIntyre Conference. It should be a pretty awesome conference, but after I go to a few of the events, I’m pretty much on my own.
The two guys I’m traveling with are going to Amsterdam then Barcelona before they finally turn around and go back home. I’m planning on joining them for Barcelona, but I’m just not into Amsterdam: I don’t do drugs and I don’t think I’d get much pleasure out of the company of prostitutes.2
So I’m looking for a third place. The three ideas I’ve had are London, Paris, and Rome. I’m trying to learn French, so it would seem that Paris would be the way to go, but I’m ambivalent on that as well. London seems like I’m not trying hard enough to visit foreign lands, but that’s no reason not to go. Rome is cool, but since it’s farther away, it’ll end up being more expensive.
So I have no idea.
What do you guys think? Any ideas?
i’ve never been either, but here are my thoughts:
the only reason i can think of to go to paris to prove that i know how to correctly use phrases beginning with “je voudrais…” and “ou est la salle de bain?”
i think rome would be BEAUTIFUL.
i have friends who were in london this summer and loved it. the food wouldn’t be as good there, though, i’m guessing.
You should get in touch with Heather Anne. She knows all the good places.
My vote is for London. But that’s mostly because I would be living it through you and your posts on it.
I think I prefer beauty and food to correct grammar and pronunciation. Heather Anne didn’t reply to my last e-mail, so I feel all: whatevs, dude. Mandarific! Awesome. I wonder who else checks my feed periodically….
Moof says Nice, France, what does everyone else say?
I can only discuss what I know myself, I’m ignorant of all I haven’t seen with my own eyes (There is no Alaska! That’s just what they WANT you to think.)
London: Alot of amazing touristy spots, and -some- beautiful buildings, but expensive as hell. The language thing helps though
Krakow (Poland): Amazing city centre, practically the left-over Medieval town. Language barrier is difficult, but the food is pretty good, and everything is amazingly cheap (they didn’t use the Euro, and their own currency is worth very little)
Berlin and Hamburg: Some very cool touristy spots, but alot of it redone with modern things (after, you know, THE WAR). Language barrier is a pain, but it’s amazing either way. Oh, and Hamburg has an awesome night-life, mostly centred around their red light district.
Something to remember, is travel between various EU countries can be pretty cheap if you go by train.
Since the only one of those I have been to is France, I would have to say Paris. It is beautiful, and real, and sure, toursity, but would you believe I enjoyed myself thouroughly and did not visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the catacombs, but instead wandered around and ate yummy bread and acted like I knew what Iwas doing. It was amazing.
Ireland?? You lucky duck. Although I don’t envy the Alasdair MacIntyre conference. I’m reading AFTER VIRTUE right now and jesus, the man can really drone on and go off on tangents pages long (which somehow end up sort of being part of his mian argument).
That aside. I vote Rome.
Sigh…I’m envious. Are you getting this paid for by your school or are you going to fork over your own money?
im in love with london, so ill recommend that…i really didnt like rome, found it pretentious, arrogant and smelly…prague is absolutely incredible…venice is amazing as well, if you wanna head to italy go there instead of rome…
LUXEMBOURG! It’s the itty-bittiest! No, wait, go to FRANCE. I’m totally biased and my feet are swept. I mean it’s like pissing in a violin. And yes, I can say “Eurotrip,” but the first section of the compound is forever tainted by the Parisian pronunciation: “OI-row.”
PS I’m surprised your fellow travelers aren’t interested in the former soviet satellites. They seem like total “Estonia-heads.”
(+6pts. lame joke?)