The Syndicate

G-Man wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 8:31 pm

juliets wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 8:08 am G-Man I'm enjoying your adventures, can't wait to see the next chapter. I've never cruised, I've had the idea I wouldn't like it so I'm interested in all your tidbits.

What about cruising do you think you wouldn’t like? There are pros and cons that we experienced but far more pros than cons. The big issue is whether or not you get motion sickness. Dramamine can help. My dad needs it but neither my wife nor I felt sick.

I’ll try to post the next day tomorrow. Life is very busy right now.

Mostly I just don't know if I would like being confined to a boat except for guided tours. We are generally independent travelers when we visit places. I guess if the boat was big enough I wouldn't feel confined. I'm also not real sure about the on boat activities and whether I would like them. I'm still considering though - maybe a Viking river cruise in Europe.

G-Man I'm enjoying your adventures, can't wait to see the next chapter. I've never cruised, I've had the idea I wouldn't like it so I'm interested in all your tidbits.

Epignosis wrote: ↑Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:53 am

juliets wrote: ↑Wed Jul 18, 2018 8:00 am

Epignosis wrote: ↑Tue Jul 17, 2018 10:52 pm No matter where you go or what you do, it should always feel wonderful to be home.

Epi, I want a trip report on the vacation! Did you go to the Great Wolf Lodge again? How was white water rafting? The Moog museum? The wedding?

Yes.

One was full of wetness
One gave me a bruise
One had me singing prog rock
One cost me my shoes

Ok so lets see:

the Great Wolf was wetness?
the white water rafting cost you your shoes?
the Moog museum had you singing Prog?
but then that leaves you with a bruise at the wedding.
Maybe the wedding cost you your shoes
and the bruise was from white water rafting
or maybe I got all of them wrong!
Sounds like a good time!

Epignosis wrote: ↑Tue Jul 17, 2018 10:52 pm No matter where you go or what you do, it should always feel wonderful to be home.

Epi, I want a trip report on the vacation! Did you go to the Great Wolf Lodge again? How was white water rafting? The Moog museum? The wedding?

nutella wrote: ↑Tue Jul 03, 2018 6:10 am So I'm currently in Taipei, Taiwan for the week with my housemates and a couple other friends. It's awesome so far!! we're having great food and exploring the city. if you're friends with me on fb you can see the pictures i've posted so far, i can also upload a couple highlights here and/or in discord

Please do nutella! So excited for you!

Rico, there is an area of coastal France where you can walk from one little village to the next - JJJ probably knows the name of it I have forgotten - but you would probably enjoy it as it consists of smaller places and is on the coast. Supposedly really cool.

Sloonei wrote: ↑Sat Aug 05, 2017 7:44 pm Acadia would be an absolute paradise if not for the massive swarms of people and mosquitoes. It's the least New Englandy place I've ever seen in New England. I felt like I was in a different country.

I was lucky and went during a time of year where there were not masses of people or mosquitos.

Sloonei wrote: ↑Sat Aug 05, 2017 6:52 pm Hey look I uploaded some photos.

Vermont

Spoiler: show

A watefall


Top of a mountain, in the clouds


Lake Champlain turns out to be the best place to watch a sunset on Earth.

New Hampshire

Spoiler: show

More mountain peak clouds


View from partway up the Wrong Trail


And the "trail" itself, feat. Girl Who Got Stuck With Us

Acadia National Park (Maine)

Spoiler: show

Massachusetts

Spoiler: show

An abandoned cabin near the top of a mountain, plus a pond overflowing with frogs

View from the highest point in Massachusetts. It felt really cool to finally make it here, it's been a hiking goal of mine for years.

I'll probably continue uploading things later, here's the full album so far if anyone wants to look at more pictures of things I saw.

I love Acadia Sloonei, I'm so jealous.

Epignosis wrote: ↑Sat Aug 05, 2017 7:35 pm I've seen grass and trees like, really close up.

I don't know much about Wisconsin besides cheese and the greenbay packers or Minnesota with Mall of America and lakes. I'd probably choose New England during fall foliage or Nova Scotia to see whales. I found this pretty cool site for Nova Scotia that sorts experiences depending on your interests. You might find it interesting http://www.novascotia.com.

Ricochet wrote:

juliets wrote:

Ricochet wrote:I had a favorite ruins spot in Rome, but it wasn't within the Roman Forum.

Was the Bernini sculpture Daphnis and Apollo, in the Galleria Borghese, by any chance?

I don't feel the itch to visit either Venice or Milan, to be honest. Probably missing something, but just wouldn't put them anywhere near the top of the wishlist.

Also, silly me, forgot Pisa. I'd place it about 18th.

Yes, it was Daphne and Apollo at the Borghese. How did you know that?

Because I have mad levels of swag.

And it was one of my favorites as well and since we seem to like a handful of the same things...

Unreal that you knew that.

Also, what is in the picture? Whatever it is, I didn't see it.

Ricochet wrote:I had a favorite ruins spot in Rome, but it wasn't within the Roman Forum.

Was the Bernini sculpture Daphnis and Apollo, in the Galleria Borghese, by any chance?

I don't feel the itch to visit either Venice or Milan, to be honest. Probably missing something, but just wouldn't put them anywhere near the top of the wishlist.

Also, silly me, forgot Pisa. I'd place it about 18th.

Yes, it was Daphne and Apollo at the Borghese. How did you know that?

Sloonei wrote:

Sloonei wrote:The Cliffs of Moher are the single most impressive/terrifying natural feature I've ever seen.

When people kept ignoring the signs and walking right out to the very edge I was holding my breath. They're glorious, no doubt.

I was walking around there with two of my school chums when we first arrived at the cliffs, all of us just soaking in the view. Then the two of them decided they wanted to dangle their legs over the edge. They did that, I took a seat 10 feet back. I still get lightheaded thinking about it. I distinctly remember looking down and seeing tiny little white specs that were seagulls flying around a hundred feet below me.

This makes me feel ill to think about it. My fear of heights is alive and well.

Also, I left out Canada when I talked about my travels. Jasper National Park, Banff National Park and Lake Louise. The Canadian Rockies, beautiful.

Ricochet wrote:I've started travelling abroad rather late, around the age of 18 (I'm saying this feeling I should have done this a lot earlier than that), back when I was chasing bands touring in Europe or wanted to escape from home during the Christmas holiday or had a gf to take a vacation with. I haven't been doing it as often ever since I've exiled myself on an island in the Pacific. My parents pick me up with a rented flying boat every summer, so I usually tag along.

My power rankings thus far:

0. On top of the Vesuvius, during a surreal foggy, cloudy weather in slow anticipation of a seething rainstorm, whilst listening to Zeit
1. Florence
2. Lisbon
(=====================good friggin' luck beating the above, thus far=====================)
3. Paris (I'm including Versailles in here)
4. Budapest
5. Bruges
6. Vienna
7. Algarve (Lagos, specifically)
8. Hamburg
9. London
10. Rome
11. Prague
12. Siena
13. Berlin
14. Pompeii
15. Paola
16. Maribor
17. Cascais
18. Sagres
19. Oostende
20. Cosenza
21. Fatima

Too transitory to count: Antwerp, Belgrade, Munchen, Szeged

I'm so happy to see Florence at the top of the list. I loved Florence, The art, the art , the art. It was magnificent and easy to get around in by foot, not as large as Rome but chock full of historical things nonetheless.

Other than Florence I've been to Rome, Paris and London in Europe. Pairs was my second favorite city, again the historical sites and the art. The Louvre was outstanding. Rome was home to my favorite piece of art, a sculpture by Bernini, but I didn't dig the ruins that everyone talks so much about. A lot of it felt like, well, ruins. Bricks and rocks and things. Missed Pompeii, need to do that on a return trip.

I got stopped in Rome by the metro police - I thought they were the real police - who spoke to me in angry, loud Italian and I didn't understand a word they were saying. My husband had walked off and didn't notice they were detaining me. Turned out they wanted to see my metro ticket which he had (because I left my wallet at a museum in Florence and he decided to take control of all of my things after that). We finally got it straightened out but they made angry and rude comments (which I understood) about people who come to their country and don't speak the language. I was so angry, I wanted to tell them I was helping their country by spending my hard earned money there but I was just happy to get away from them. Ruined my day.

In Europe would like to go to Venice before it drowns, Germany, Austria and Amsterdam. Amsterdam in particular because I am trying to see all the paintings available by Vermeer before I die.

In the states I love NYC (go at Christmas time if you haven't been), Las Vegas (for the shows and the food and the spas not the gambling), Boston and San Fransisco but most of all I love the national parks. Yosemite was to die for, Zion was gorgeous, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, the Grand Tetons, and Acadia all interesting. I'd like to go to Glacier but I'm a little freaked out by the bears (I have all kinds of bear books about how they kill people, I'm fascinated). I'd like to see Hawaii but it's a long way from Florida.

My dream trip is New Zealand - hiking without the wild animals and snakes. But it's so far away, I don't know if I can stand a plane for that long.