Travel Thread

[skullman80]

Ok so sounds like Italy over Ireland....off to research.

[tifosi77]

Firenze is tremendous; it's like the epicenter of the birth of modern art, architecture, and literature from 500 years ago, and you can see it almost everywhere you look. If you're going to be in that neck of the world, would also highly recommend Siena and San Gimignano. Toscana is also extra fun if you've ever played Assassin's Creed II.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

When we eventually make our way to Europe, it’s probably to Italy for at least 7 days, Ireland for 3, and possibly Germany for a few.

you need at least 10 days for Italy.

I will let my wife know that Ireland has been cut.

you could also just decide to cut Southern Italy. Florence is a must. Venice was meh though.

Florence was my favorite, but I also liked Venice. The Doge's palace, St. Mark's Cathedral and Square, and the Bridge of Sighs were cool. I liked how there was no vehicle traffic, and the food was pretty good as well. The Rick Steve's books were really invaluable for helping us see some things that you would miss if you did a tour group.

[NTP66]

I want to visit the areas that my family is from, though I couldn’t see spending more than a day in both Naples and Abruzzo. I’d love to see a Milan game at the San Siro, though I can’t see being there during the season.

Ireland... meh. I’d probably dig the castles, but that’s about it. Can’t argue with my wife, though.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

My mom's family is from Pacentro in Abruzzo. I didn't get there when I went, but it's a nice little town if you travel there.

[tifosi77]

We've had success using the Frommer's and Lonely Planet guide books.

Also, I just checked and saw that the Italian consulate is dahntahn near the Duquesne campus. I'd recommend reaching out to them and the Italia national travel agency (they may have an office in the consulate). We did a lot of our own planning for the trip to Bacelona, and Turespaña was super helpful; I think they sent us probably $200 worth of free stuff.

[NTP66]

My mom's family is from Pacentro in Abruzzo. I didn't get there when I went, but it's a nice little town if you travel there.

Pianello here.

[shafnutz05]

We went to both Italy and Ireland eight years ago.

Absolutely loved Dublin. We didn't venture too far outside of there due to time constraints. That said, we did take the train down the coast a little bit and did a great walk that took us by Enya's castle, which was cool. People there are so friendly.

Italy... First and foremost, I'll say that I did NOT like Rome. Visiting the historic sites was obviously cool, but at the end of the day it's a large city and very dirty. To add, the gypsies are out of control there. Had several occurrences where one would start jabbering at me trying to distract me. Keep your valuables close at hand. I did appreciate the history though.

Now outside Rome? Another story. We visited Orvieto which to this day is probably the coolest place I ever visited. Did a private winery tour near there and then took the funicular up to the bluff that the town sits on with its cathedral. Absolutely beautiful, highly recommend visiting there. And only an hour train ride.



On our last day, we took the train south down to Nettuno and visited the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. That was an overwhelming experience. Almost like the Normandy of the Mediterranean. Nearly 8,000 American war dead buried there. Since we were there in January, we were just about the only ones there at the time.

[obhave]

It kills me a bit inside when people only fit in Dublin when they go to Ireland.

[NTP66]

It kills me a bit inside when people only fit in Dublin when they go to Ireland.

When we get to Ireland, I don't even think Dublin was on my list.

[obhave]

It kills me a bit inside when people only fit in Dublin when they go to Ireland.

When we get to Ireland, I don't even think Dublin was on my list.

There is so really cool historical stuff in Dublin that I recommend, but honestly, two days max and go see the rest of the country..

[willeyeam]

i'd probably spend 75% of my time golfing if I did Ireland

[skullman80]

It sounds like I need a list from people who have been to both Ireland and Italy of things to do/don't do and places to see/not see. I'm lazy and would appreciate the help insight so I can try to plan this out haha.

[shoeshine boy]

Italy:
visited Rome, Florence, Modena, Venice and Milan (mostly because that's where my friends lived)

Rome: like Shaf said, dirty, lots of gypsy pickpockets but historical sites cannot be missed. we did Ancient Rome, Vatican, Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain.
my favorite part was hanging out in St, Peter's Square at night. it was just so peaceful.

Florence: my favorite. enjoyed the deals in the Leather Market, David statue, various bridges, food (especially Wild Boar dishes) was incredible. Osteria Cinghiale Bianco was our favorite: https://cinghialebianco.com/home-english/

Modena: we did a day trip to dine at the #1 restaurant in the world at the time, Osteria Francescana: https://osteriafrancescana.it/
worth every penny.

Venice: fascinating city. I did find it (obviously) very damp. the lack of cars and trucks was interesting. even though I'm a seafood fan I didn't really care for the food. we visited the other islands as well, Murano and Burano. interesting to see but I don't think I'd go back again.

Milan: this was where our friends were living so we stayed there about a week. we did do some touristy things but mostly enjoyed Milan like a local since our friends were taking us around. would probably only go again as a gateway point because that's the city Emirates flies into and that was one of the most enjoyable flights I've ever had.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

@skullman80
This is what I did in Ireland:
3 nights in Dublin (1 day was because of the PSU game at Croke Park. I didn't find anything that unique about the stadium other than normally they don't allow alcohol at your seats. If you can, I'd check out a game of Irish (Gaelic) Football or hurling. Irish Football is like a combo of Rugby and soccer, but fast paced and a decent amount of scoring. Hurling is like a combination of field hockey and lacrosse, and also fast paced.

While in Dublin, we did the following in the order I'd recommend:
1. St. Patrick's Cathedral
2. Cobblestone Pub - authentic Irish pub near Jameson factory. There will be live music from locals playing fiddle and other Irish instruments.
3. Guinness Storehouse - the tour itself is meh, but at the end you get a free pint of beer in the Gravity Bar which provides outstanding views of the entire city.
4. Jameson Factory - again the tour was meh, but you get to taste the whiskey and get a free mixed drink at the end of the tour.
5. Trinity College/Book of Kells - The college is pretty and the library long room looks like something straight out of Hogwarts, but I'd skip standing in line to view the Book of Kells unless it was a short one.
6. Temple Bar area - reminded me of older version of Carson Street. It was extremely crowded when we were there because of the game, so maybe that soured me on the experience, but I found it to be nothing special.

Other than that we would walk around town and hop into pubs for a pint if they looked unique.

The only thing that I regret not seeing while there was the Kilmainham Gaol, which is an old jailhouse. They had limited hours so you need to plan ahead to visit.

I'll recommend the stuff outside of Dublin in another post later.

[willeyeam]

I accidentally took a class on Florence (long story) - history of Renaissance art in Florence. And ever since it I've really wanted to go. I think everyone I know that has been has loved it

[NTP66]

Speaking of travel. From earlier this year:

I swear, if AA wasn't the only real player at PHL, I'd never fly them again. They apparently changed their refund policy to require a 4-hour flight change in order to receive a full cash refund, up 2 hours from the previous policy. Thankfully, I was able to argue my case with the CSR who was adamant that I was ineligible until I asked her to look at the purchase date, clearly showing that it was prior to the new April 2020 change. So my refund requests are submitted, but I doubt I'll see that $4500 for another month. Who knows, the bean counter who reviews all refund requests may try and deny it again, too.

And a story I just came across:

Airlines Are Withholding Billions in Refunds—That’s Billions With a B

Refunds delayed and denied. Vouchers worth thousands of dollars that have already expired, or are so rule-bound they’re useless. Interminable telephone holds, unanswered emails and complaints ignored.

Consumers continue to battle airlines over canceled tickets. At stake are literally billions of dollars—and likely lasting animosity toward airlines over punitive policies.

U.S. travel agencies have already handled more than $1 billion in airline cash refunds, according to Airlines Reporting Corp., which processes tickets. That doesn’t count refunds issued directly by airlines, which likely more than doubles that total. Then there’s the far more common outcome of a voucher issued instead of a refund, allowing the airline to hang on to a customer’s cash.

The U.S. Transportation Department warned that any airline operating in the U.S., foreign or domestic, had to refund tickets for flights the airline canceled and couldn’t offer an alternative without a “substantial” schedule change. But many international carriers have offered only vouchers. Some forced consumers into accepting vouchers before the airline officially removed flights from its schedule. Some have delayed paying refunds while waiting for government bailouts or new investment.

**** vouchers, and **** these airlines trying to **** everyone over.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

your life must really suck ntp

[tifosi77]

It kills me a bit inside when people only fit in Dublin when they go to Ireland.

My family is from Donegal, so the extent that we'll visit Dublin if we ever go will entail the airport.

[tifosi77]

Modena: we did a day trip to dine at the #1 restaurant in the world at the time, Osteria Francescana: https://osteriafrancescana.it/
worth every penny.

Massimo Bottura is one of my culinary heroes. His cookbook is titled "Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef"..... he himself is a skinny Italian chef. lol

[tifosi77]

It sounds like I need a list from people who have been to both Ireland and Italy of things to do/don't do and places to see/not see. I'm lazy and would appreciate the help insight so I can try to plan this out haha.

We stayed in Toscana, outside of the town of Cortine, which is sort of about the size of a big shopping mall. We visited San Donato, Tavarnelle, Poggibonsi, San Gimignano, Siena (my favorite), and we did a day trip on my 35th birthday to visit Maranello and did Ferrari stuff. (We ate at Ristorante Cavallino, which fulfilled a bucket list wish I'd had since I was like 12 years old.) Really, a lot of these places can come off as almost interchangeable - "Oooh look, a 500-year old church" -- repeat - but it honestly is quite moving.

We moved up to Firenze for what was supposed to be 4 days of art and culture, but by 6 pm that night we both got hit with food poisoning and sort of had to stay no more than 8' away from the bathroom for the remainder of the trip.

Pro tip: If you visit Toscana or Umbria, please know that they do not favor the idea of putting salt in their bread doughs. So anything bread-related that isn't grilled/toasted has roughly the same flavor as cardboard.

[NTP66]

It kills me a bit inside when people only fit in Dublin when they go to Ireland.

My family is from Donegal, so the extent that we'll visit Dublin if we ever go will entail the airport.

Exit 91, home of Living Treasures.

[shafnutz05]

Well, we officially booked our house down in Salvo for the last week of October. I'm really excited to bring our dog to the beach with us for the first time.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Nice, we used to go to Waves every year. Should be pleasant (and cooler) in October. The water could still be warm enough to swim in, too.

[obhave]

Has anyone hear been to the Adirondacks? Fingerlake region? I am trying to find a place for a week long vacation in October where I don't have to worry about getting a COVID test or isolating upon arrival. And I don't like week long beach vacations.