Lordy, lordy, next year I'll be turning 40!
October 20, 2015 12:42 PM Subscribe
And I want an idea of where to celebrate in Europe.
Yes, next year I hit a milestone and I have cajoled my husband into taking me somewhere overseas for the event. We are frequent UK visitors (mostly London as we have friends and family there, but recently had a spring holiday in Kent) and there is also more family in Belfast (where my husband hasn't been since childhood).
BUT --
I have such a wanderlust to do all the things and see all the places that I need advice! Where should we go? What should we do? We tend to hit galleries and museums, like really good beer and wine, and eat well (we are vegan and vegetarian). We are not afraid of the outdoors and are reasonably fit to take on outside activities.
Things I have sussed: airline tickets (I have alerts on my iPad), accommodations (likely Air BnB). We have a decent amount of money but definitely limited.
The length of the trip will likely be from 10 to 20 days in late November (yes, I know, but that is when I was born).
Where would you go to celebrate your 40th if you had druthers and a finite budget?
Yes, next year I hit a milestone and I have cajoled my husband into taking me somewhere overseas for the event. We are frequent UK visitors (mostly London as we have friends and family there, but recently had a spring holiday in Kent) and there is also more family in Belfast (where my husband hasn't been since childhood).
BUT --
I have such a wanderlust to do all the things and see all the places that I need advice! Where should we go? What should we do? We tend to hit galleries and museums, like really good beer and wine, and eat well (we are vegan and vegetarian). We are not afraid of the outdoors and are reasonably fit to take on outside activities.
Things I have sussed: airline tickets (I have alerts on my iPad), accommodations (likely Air BnB). We have a decent amount of money but definitely limited.
The length of the trip will likely be from 10 to 20 days in late November (yes, I know, but that is when I was born).
Where would you go to celebrate your 40th if you had druthers and a finite budget?
Best answer: Amsterdam for two days of Van Gogh, and Vermeer, Rembrandt. Two nights at the Akura. The Akura is a highrise and the top floor bar is a great place to view the city. Rent a car, go to Leyden for cheese, stay at a pension, the Dutch breakfasts are splendid. Drive through Germany to Berlin. Stay at the Forum a couple of nights, again huge breakfast, take baggies for rolls and meat. Go to the Egyptisches, ans Asiatic museums, followed by the Dahlem Museum which has a great collection. Business class hotels are not particularly expensive and have huge buffet breakfasts that can become lunch.
Sometimes it is cheaper to fly into one city and out of another, enough to cover the cost of the car rental.
Between Amsterdam and Berlin are museums in Aachen, and Wiesbaden (Paul Klee lived there.) Wiesbaden is an unsung city, driving up Taunus Strasse into the Taunus Mountains is lovely.
posted by Oyéah at 12:55 PM on October 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
Sometimes it is cheaper to fly into one city and out of another, enough to cover the cost of the car rental.
Between Amsterdam and Berlin are museums in Aachen, and Wiesbaden (Paul Klee lived there.) Wiesbaden is an unsung city, driving up Taunus Strasse into the Taunus Mountains is lovely.
posted by Oyéah at 12:55 PM on October 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: That time of year? Italy or Greece. Maybe Florence, if you've not been there? It has the odd museum and food (not just food, but a culture surrounding food - restaurants with families in, talking to each other....) to die for.
PS I like taking time in one place, but I think a week there is probably enough. However the countryside round there isn't bad either. I wonder if you could spend another week on some kind of walking trail?
posted by andrewcooke at 1:02 PM on October 20, 2015
PS I like taking time in one place, but I think a week there is probably enough. However the countryside round there isn't bad either. I wonder if you could spend another week on some kind of walking trail?
posted by andrewcooke at 1:02 PM on October 20, 2015
Response by poster: Addendum: we don't mind spending one week in one place and then traveling to another place to spend one more week.
posted by Kitteh at 1:32 PM on October 20, 2015
posted by Kitteh at 1:32 PM on October 20, 2015
Best answer: Berlin! Amazing for vegans, great history and museums, just generally fun and affordable. The weather won't be awesome, but public transit there is very good, so you can likely avoid being outside too much. (pm me if you want vegan food info overload!).
Andalucia is another possibility (I was only vegetarian when I went and was totally fine, though there was surprise tuna on salads from time to time). I suspect it would be ok but not amazing for vegans, but maybe people who have been more recently can fill in more detail. But, such beautiful cities (I'd want to go to at least 2 or 3 over your 10 days) and amazing art & history, and the weather would likely be pretty decent in November.
If you do take 20 days, you might also think about Asia. That's enough time for a big city (Tokyo - doable as a vegan, not too horribly cold in the winter - for example) and a side trip to somewhere tropical and warm.
posted by snaw at 1:34 PM on October 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
Andalucia is another possibility (I was only vegetarian when I went and was totally fine, though there was surprise tuna on salads from time to time). I suspect it would be ok but not amazing for vegans, but maybe people who have been more recently can fill in more detail. But, such beautiful cities (I'd want to go to at least 2 or 3 over your 10 days) and amazing art & history, and the weather would likely be pretty decent in November.
If you do take 20 days, you might also think about Asia. That's enough time for a big city (Tokyo - doable as a vegan, not too horribly cold in the winter - for example) and a side trip to somewhere tropical and warm.
posted by snaw at 1:34 PM on October 20, 2015 [2 favorites]
Best answer: My husband and I went to Belgium around that time last year and it was a fantastic trip. We had some beautiful days and some cold drizzly days but I wouldn't say the weather was a deterrent to us having a good time.
There's amazing beer, chocolates, pretty scenery, everyone speaks like 4 languages, the public transport is easy to use.
My favorite stop on our trip was Ghent, where we rented an entire apartment on AirBnB that was absolutely outstanding and cheaper than most hotel rooms. (If you decide to look into it memail me!) Ghent is charming and beautiful, full or things to do and a short train ride from other cities you might want to visit. Also, flying into Brussels was cheaper than most other cities in the area by about $400 a ticket.
posted by Saminal at 1:35 PM on October 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
There's amazing beer, chocolates, pretty scenery, everyone speaks like 4 languages, the public transport is easy to use.
My favorite stop on our trip was Ghent, where we rented an entire apartment on AirBnB that was absolutely outstanding and cheaper than most hotel rooms. (If you decide to look into it memail me!) Ghent is charming and beautiful, full or things to do and a short train ride from other cities you might want to visit. Also, flying into Brussels was cheaper than most other cities in the area by about $400 a ticket.
posted by Saminal at 1:35 PM on October 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: My international travel these days is mostly limited to work, but I find nothing but growing love for Amsterdam. I first went as a 19 year old; most recently spent some time there in between work obligations in Denmark and rural Netherlands last month. I've popped in a few times over the years, including once during the coldest part of winter in 2012 (when the canals were frozen). I've liked it for different reasons as my age has climbed into bigger numbers, but mostly it seems like a place where people genuinely love living in their city. Restaurants and cafes and shops all welcome you in, and the energy that provides--the street scene at dusk on a Thursday, lets say--is something that perpetually leaves me thinking I wish I had more time to just be here. A friend lives near Amstelveld, which I keep finding myself drawn to in chilly weather for a drink at its edges. It's also a good vegan city, as far as that part of the world goes (vegan here; if you go, stop by Soup en Zo).
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 1:36 PM on October 20, 2015
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 1:36 PM on October 20, 2015
Best answer: Another vote for Amsterdam or Berlin, but also Prague is a beautiful city - especially so if it's snowing - with lots to do. I'm vegetarian and was fine with the food. (But I'm also turning 40 next year and I live in Belfast so if you manage to squeeze in a flying visit hit me up for a mini meetup!)
posted by billiebee at 1:40 PM on October 20, 2015
posted by billiebee at 1:40 PM on October 20, 2015
Response by poster: My husband loves Prague. He went there in his 20s and would love to go back.
Also, Asia is not really doable in terms of airline tickets. I went to Japan years and years ago but this time out, it's not affordable!
posted by Kitteh at 1:45 PM on October 20, 2015
Also, Asia is not really doable in terms of airline tickets. I went to Japan years and years ago but this time out, it's not affordable!
posted by Kitteh at 1:45 PM on October 20, 2015
I would suggest buying a recent edition of "Greek Island Hopping" by Frewin Poffley, flying to Athens, spending two days there, then taking a commuter ferry to a distant island and hopping your way back. Maybe the best vacation I ever took.
posted by Clambone at 2:55 PM on October 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Clambone at 2:55 PM on October 20, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I did a grand tour of Europe several years back and the two cities that on the top of my list to re-visit are Budapest and Barcelona.
The former had a sort of vibe like Prague, only not sick and tired of tourists. The food was terrific, if not particularly vegan/vegetarian friendly, but Hungarian wine is incredible and underrated. Soaking in one of the many thermal spas sounds like a decent winter activity. Should be relatively cheap, depending on the conversion of forints to loonies. Of course, I don't know how the political situation is at the moment.
Barcelona similarly had a very friendly feel to it, and was an exceptionally easy city to just kind of wander around the plazas and enjoy. I don't know how much of that will translate into a winter visit (I showed up to the city on my birthday, which is in the far superior month of June), but there are oodles of museums to visit. The wine was likewise excellent, and there were more vegetarian options. Options for day trips out to the mountains are an option as well.
Barring either of those, just go to Berlin; Berlin is great.
posted by Panjandrum at 3:35 PM on October 20, 2015
The former had a sort of vibe like Prague, only not sick and tired of tourists. The food was terrific, if not particularly vegan/vegetarian friendly, but Hungarian wine is incredible and underrated. Soaking in one of the many thermal spas sounds like a decent winter activity. Should be relatively cheap, depending on the conversion of forints to loonies. Of course, I don't know how the political situation is at the moment.
Barcelona similarly had a very friendly feel to it, and was an exceptionally easy city to just kind of wander around the plazas and enjoy. I don't know how much of that will translate into a winter visit (I showed up to the city on my birthday, which is in the far superior month of June), but there are oodles of museums to visit. The wine was likewise excellent, and there were more vegetarian options. Options for day trips out to the mountains are an option as well.
Barring either of those, just go to Berlin; Berlin is great.
posted by Panjandrum at 3:35 PM on October 20, 2015
Best answer: I was thinking Spain as well - I just checked a hotel we stayed at in Seville when my wife and I honeymooned there in 2011, and for a week in late November it's going for around $70 a night. And this is a 4 star place with a pool almost across the street from the train station and 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the older part of the city with the Alcazar and the cathedral. When we were there, that hotel, and other hotels of similar quality in similarly sized cities in Spain, were going for around $100 a night, but the Euro was closer to 1.5 US$ back then. We really enjoyed Granada and Cordoba as well.
The big issue with Spain would be accommodating veganism and vegetarianism. As mentioned above, some "veggie" items will still contain tuna, and bits of ham will get tossed into just about any old thing. My wife is vegetarian, and was getting tired of most places only having tortilla available for her (and even that contains eggs, so it's out for vegans), but a few cities in the south have decently sized middle eastern populations so we ended up eating a lot of that. Otherwise, cities in Andalusia may not have the options that Madrid or Barcelona will.
Spain has some excellent wines - we're partial to tempranillo, but we also toured a sherry bodega (winery) in Jerez. They had a bajillion varieties of sherry and regular wines that you'd hardly ever get to see in North America.
posted by LionIndex at 3:59 PM on October 20, 2015
The big issue with Spain would be accommodating veganism and vegetarianism. As mentioned above, some "veggie" items will still contain tuna, and bits of ham will get tossed into just about any old thing. My wife is vegetarian, and was getting tired of most places only having tortilla available for her (and even that contains eggs, so it's out for vegans), but a few cities in the south have decently sized middle eastern populations so we ended up eating a lot of that. Otherwise, cities in Andalusia may not have the options that Madrid or Barcelona will.
Spain has some excellent wines - we're partial to tempranillo, but we also toured a sherry bodega (winery) in Jerez. They had a bajillion varieties of sherry and regular wines that you'd hardly ever get to see in North America.
posted by LionIndex at 3:59 PM on October 20, 2015
Best answer: Barcelona; hands down. I went to Seville, Granada and Barcelona in Sept. last year, and for a birthday celebration of this magnitude, definitely Barcelona.
posted by soakimbo at 5:29 PM on October 20, 2015
posted by soakimbo at 5:29 PM on October 20, 2015
Best answer: I went to Paris in November and loved it.
posted by brujita at 5:49 PM on October 20, 2015
posted by brujita at 5:49 PM on October 20, 2015
Best answer: I spent my 40th in Barcelona. It was October and we stayed in a rooftop apartment rental right off of La Rambla (which sounds noisy but wasn't). Looking back now, I can't imagine a better place to have celebrated such a big birthday.
MeMail me if you want details on the apartment where we stayed--I loved it so much that I keep all the info in case we go back.
posted by yellowcandy at 8:38 PM on October 20, 2015
MeMail me if you want details on the apartment where we stayed--I loved it so much that I keep all the info in case we go back.
posted by yellowcandy at 8:38 PM on October 20, 2015
I spent my 40th in Amsterdam... and my 42nd... and my 44th... and my 46th... 47th...
You may see a pattern developing here.
posted by humboldt32 at 10:40 PM on October 20, 2015
You may see a pattern developing here.
posted by humboldt32 at 10:40 PM on October 20, 2015
Response by poster: If we wanted to do multiple countries, is it more affordable to fly out of a main city then take the train to next place but try and fly out of the city we flew into in the first place? I don't want to subject us to lengthy in between travel trying to get to one destination to the next.
posted by Kitteh at 9:04 AM on October 21, 2015
posted by Kitteh at 9:04 AM on October 21, 2015
Flying around Europe is very affordable. Depends, though, on the specifics. For instance, taking the Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris is much better than flying. Check skyscanner for prices and schedules.
http://www.skyscanner.com/
posted by humboldt32 at 9:49 AM on October 22, 2015
http://www.skyscanner.com/
posted by humboldt32 at 9:49 AM on October 22, 2015
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posted by ClarissaWAM at 12:54 PM on October 20, 2015