What To Do In Europe

[jyl]

Looking for ideas on things to do on my upcoming trip.

Paris 12/18
Marseilles 12/23
Barcelona 12/28
Copenhagen 12/30
Portland 1/5

I've been to Paris dozens of times (lived there too), Marseille we'll be staying with locals, been to Barcelona several times, first time in Copenhagen (I might have backpacked there as a student but can't remember).

Looking for out of the ordinary things to do, little places to visit.

[RKDinOKC]

Go to a bar in a questionable back alley area and get rolled by a prostitute and her pimp. It's a friend of mines most memorable part of his month long trip to Europe.

[tabs]

Start a war

[livi]

There are several exciting no-go zones in most of those cities.

[Otter74]

I love Copenhagen. I also love art and design, and eating well and beer:

I like to visit the Mikkeller bar in the middle of the city. The name of the neighborhood is escaping me at the moment.

I find the street food on Papieronen (sp? - "Paper Island" in English) to be a great place to eat and hang out on a weekend evening. (Copenhagen Street Food) This may not apply as much in the winter, though, since it may be a bit cold to sit outside (I've been there in the summer and spring, but not winter.) On the way there, you will walk past Noma, where you could ponder what else you could be eating if it were possible to get a reservation.

I also like Warpigs, the BBQ / beer place in the market area near the train station.

The Louisana Museum of Modern Art, a bit north of the city, is well worth a visit if you like modern art. It is an easy train ride (about 30-40 minutes, I think), and it is also an easy bike ride ("National Cycle Route 9". Helsingor, aka Hamlet's castle, is about 15km past it. The two of those would make a nice day.

If I remember more, I'll mention it.

[GH85Carrera]

From what I have heard there are a couple of historical places in those cities. Maybe an old church or two.

[MRM]

The only advice I have is for Paris. I strongly recommend renting a car and spending a day driving to the Battle field of Verdun. It is the 100th anniversary of the battle. The fort of Verdun is now a museum you can walk through. There are two two other museums and the companion fort to Verdun that you can tour. To give you a scale of the destruction of Verdun, imagine a picture of all the D Day cemeteries you've seen with their endless row upon row of silent crosses. Verdun's cemeteries dwarf D Day's. There is an ossuary that is the centerpiece of the memorial that contains the remains of 250,000 people. Their remains are in the ossuary because there wasn't enough of their bodies left to burry in a grave. All the fighting was done by artilery. When a shell hit people just disappeared. There was so much ordinance fired that the trees and grass are still stunted from the chemicals. They left the shell craters and trenches so you can still see what it was like then. It's a comfortable day trip but youlll want to get an early start. It's about 100 miles from Paris.

The other thing to do is also to rent a car and drive to Normandy and see Omaha Beach and Point Hoc. It's best if you stay in Caen for a day or two, but you can do it from Paris. But the point is that once you get to Caen or in that area, get off the highway and drive the country roads toward Omaha Beach. Every corner brings an older and more magestic chateau, village church, etc. it's just spectacular.

[Otter74]

Along the lines of MRM's recommendations I will also mention the memorial for the village of Oradour-sur-Glane. I don't think this is suitable for the OP's trip, as he appears to only have about four days in Paris or Paris-ish, but it's worth mentioning for anyone who reads this thread in the future.

It is a fair bit south of Paris, and closer to Limoge. I was driving to the Dordogne this summer and had no idea I was near it until I saw a sign for it on the autoroute and changed my plans for the afternoon to visit it. It is a really haunting memorial.

[rusnak]

For the first part of your trip, learn how to smoke and hurl insults.

Portland? Keep it weird. See, like that.

[LWJ]

There is a flea market in Paris. I think that would be a kick. I think it is on Saturday. A big deal.

[Charles Freeborn]

If you've already been to those places, why not jump on a train and go somewhere new?

Love Paris - I have deep family roots there, 10eme today, but single digits back in the day. Normandy and Brittany too.
But why stop there? Prague is freakin' rippin' cool - one of only a few cities not bombed flat in any war resplendent with a Jewish museum built by Hitler. Yep, him. Very interesting storyline there.
Kutna Hora has a really cool church... Berlin has a world class musical instrument museum, as well as many a plaza and building front with bullet hole patches. Just sit and gaze and you can re-create the Cossacks on one side of a wall and the Nazi's on the other... magical...

[gshase]

If I recall correctly in Marseilles down by the pier there were 2 hookers, the one on the left was a dude.......My mind is a little fuzzy......1978 I was in the Navy. Yea the Left.

[tevake]

Here is a shift, how about a couple of days cruising the canals aboard a canal boat?
We did a little of this in England and it was a great experence. Taking us along the old freeway of the past. Small towns and Great old pubs along the way. A glimps of another lifestyle, that of living aboard and traveling the historic inland waterways.

So many choices! Have a fun trip!

Cheers Richard

Ps oops, I see that you are heading there soon, may want to save the canals for warmer weather.

[Fast Freddy 944]

Be sure to stop by Germany, I lived there for 6 years, the auto-bahn, rent a super car, nuff said!

[tevake]

Grab a train to interlocken Switzerland. Check out the alpine winter wonderland surrounding,
Wengen is my favorite place there.
Take the incline train to the Junfraujock. The views, neigh the whole area will blow you away.

Cheers Richard

[Deschodt]

Re: Marseille... Get out of there and visit around it... Cassis + the big cliff above it (lovely drive too), Aix en provence... Les baux de provence (super cool medieval city)... Maybe Avignon (city of the popes).. Marseille itself, not so much...

[Alfasrule]

Go visit Jim in Paris!
What a site Jim Morrison Grave!
Picasso Museum

[Holger]

Originally Posted by Fast Freddy 944

Be sure to stop by Germany, I lived there for 6 years, the auto-bahn, rent a super car, nuff said!

But be sure to post the exact time when you will do that so that I know when to stay at home!
We have enough accidents produced by ourselves around here.