Amalfi Coast

I'm only there for a week after the program so any in "Italy" or v.close to travelling sounds sweet to me. And on a random side note about the neon tourist spandex.... I own some, and I love them. and most likely I will bring them with me and randomly bust it out some day.

As far as booking flights between citites during weekend trips and so on, is there a certain website that is the best for looking at prices?? Or a particular airline?? I would like to look at prices and airlines ahead of time so as to make the weekend trips a little less complicated.

So, if anyone is in the know, just let me know good sites, oh yeah and I would like to find a site that deals with train transportation aswell.

Ciao!

Hey Nikki,

Check out www.trenitalia.com for train schedules and prices

I book a lot of my tickets through www.travelocity.com

works best for flight/hotel combos but finds cheap flights as well

Out of curiosity Barbara, when planning to depart to wonderful European cities on weekends, is your departure location Rome?

Also, do you have particular weekends in mind for travel??
( Spontaneous??) And perhaps how often do you plan to travel??

I am just gathering peoples ideas, to see how I stand in my own preparation.

Thanks for any input!!

Nikki

p.s. If any of you have not already done so, take a peek at the Venice Carnivale mask website Mike gave to us. I think its from an e-mail, or maybe its in the carnivale posts, anyhow, OH MY!! I have just solved my souvenir crisis!! ( BEAUTIFUL MASKS!! GREAT PRICES!!)

Ok, apparently I have got my names mixed up. It was not in fact Mike who provided a mask website but rather Dave ( sorry Dave! )

But it doesn't really matter, the point remains, look at the site people, we are in for a treat during carnivale!!

Here it is

http://www.venicemaskshop.com/

All you shoppoholics, this is it for me, all my $ will fill the pockets of the venice mask makers, I may not be able to fly home after venice, but at least I won't have to "face" the music alone!!! ( this blue face is all you guys bored to death ( or sleep rather ) with my lame jokes!!

Hey Nikki,
As the bard said, “all roads lead to Rome.”
Or away from, apparently!

In other words yes, I use Rome as a point of departure when planning to FLY somewhere…as in London.
I am going to try for Switzerland too since it is SO incredibly close (and, you know, chocolate).
But I think that a train is the best choice in that situation and I have not yet researched exactly how that would work.

It looks to me as though we have 9 weekends in the semester and I plan to travel as many of them as possible (barring that pesky studying thing)
But, except for Venice *squeals* I don’t have any weekends isolated yet!

So I guess I plan right up to the edge and let spontaneity take over…. hmmm, I just wrote that and it doesn’t make sense to me either.

hey nikki!

thank you so much for posting that link! i really didn't think i was going to be buy a mask, but now that i look at them, they're gorgeous. are you buying on before you leave or once you get to venice??

Hey Elise!

I know, once you look at that site, which may I add is only a fraction
( small fraction ) of the mask shops in Venice ( of course ) it is hard to deny the inescapable desire to purchase one to wear and then subsequently take home.

I figure that I Will probably purchase a mask when in Italy. Then I don't have to pack it going there, only coming home. I Know that I am bringing one back for my sister though, what a gift!

I am sure Venice is built to handle the massive influx of people purchasing masks for Carnivale but if I have a chance to get into a mask shop prior to that weekend, I think I will and potentially avoid being stuck without.
Don't they just epitomize the beauty of Italy??

My problem will be deciding which mask to get, I am sure we will have more choice than just one store!!

Hey guys!
Is anyone thinking of getting a costume as well? Or would I be the only one dressed like in ye ol' times?
The masks are incredibly beautiful and to each mask there is a meaning to it depending where they are from, I read this somewhere, it might have been a textbook but if I can find it on the internet I will post the webpage!
Barbara I plan on going to Zurich on one of the weekends that we have free, maybe we should plan a weekend!
Nikki your cleverness never ceases to amaze me, so instead of -ing I am (lol).

Maria, Zurich sounds wonderful, come to think of it, there are few places our fellow travelling companions have mentioned that don't sound wonderful.

It would probably BE beneficial to plan for some trips ( probably the more distant ones ) ahead of time to save money and probably headaches too, so, as spontaneous as I WANT to be, some planning would not hurt any body. Like I said, the close trips, around Italy, probably require a little less time and planning, but what do I know, the furthest I have been from Edmonton Alberta is Florida, and not many places in between!

( I was on the west coast this summer, Victoria Nanaimo Area, huh, well I now know where I will retire!!!)

Zurich it is then! See how picky I am –I don’t even care WHERE in Switzerland I end up! Lets see, so far I am going to
Greece, Switzerland, London, Venice (plus back to Rome, and Florence)
The Amalfi Coast, Milan…that leaves 1 weekend FREE. *horrors*
Somebody think of something quick!!!

PARIS!!

I said that I Wouldn't, but now I think I just must see Paris, I may never, I mean NEVER Have the chance to see the Eiffel Tower again! Let alone baguettes, ( tee hee ) and crepes, and well, you know what I am talking about!! FRENCH PERFUME!!!!


Then there's Germany, Crotia is just next door, Belgium, I don't know Barbara, we don't have near enough choices to fill that last weekend, whatever shall we do??
hahahahahaha

Oh and Barbara, I second the chocolate motion! Truly, truly I do!! Oh my god, and to Switzerland by train, what magic!


There is a website I have been dabbling on, I am not sure how good it is but it gives a rough Idea of train routes throughout many European cities, what cities connect and so on...

here is what I assume is an accurate web address...

http://downloads.raileurope.com/map_of_europe/europe.html

Hope that works!!

( oh boy, I should be putting in for overtime at work, we are going to need lots of money!!

That settles it then.

The last weekend we do Paris, Germany, Crotia and Belgium.

Phew, thanks Nikki, that was close one!

you ladies read my mind! i was just talking with a friend of mine who's going to university in Geneva and she said taking the train through the Alpes is a must.

oh and Paris for the last weekend, how perfect is that?!!

so how many of you have purchased Eurorail passes?? i'm still debating on whether or not to get one...

I know, Paris. Aaaaaahhhhh!!

I know, the rail passes give me grief too. Is it cheaper to purchase individual tickets, or be prepared and just have a generic pass?? I suppose I do not truly know how the passes work, so that figures into the confusion. I suppose it would be fruitful to look at some individual fares to the destinations we've talked about, then we could cross-examine the prices of the rail passes. This is turning into too much homework.....

So, I am still debating the pass too... I just don't really know how much money I will have, at least with the rail pass I guess, I will already have the transportation paid for when I get there and all I will have to worry about is accomodation, still, I am unsure....argh!!

Ditto for me. The pass is ony about $600...if you do the 10 or 15 days in 2 months or something thing. Not sure if its worth it either as I have not really had time to check it out. Ceratinly seems like the most convenient choice at any rate.

Paris Paris Paris!!!
YAY!! I am heading there anyways at the end of the semester to spend hopefully 4 weeks, so YEA I am up for anythin! (don't know why, but I wanted to use that emoticon)

Is everyone planning on going to the A Coast after the semester or what?
Because I cant travel afterwards…although I am seriously starting to rethink that.

Anyhow, I am going to try to go DURING the semester, specifically to Herculaneum and Pompeii if anyone want to join…

Zurich! That sounds amazing! Count me in.

I am not planning on going to the A coast...I will be going on the Classics trip to Pompeii and such and think that will be sufficient. I do not want to book all my weekends since I may make plans with friends and family that are up in italy and area at the same time I will be. PARIS on the other hand would be absolutely amazing. I would almost just want to go to Paris by itself as a trip. But I guess that going into Switerland would not be half bad either.

I think that buying tickets indivdually for the train would end up being cheeper than the rail passes. Might be more stress but in the end we will save money and beable to go to more places like Paris and Greece. Oh and I can't forget Milan (soccer time!!!!!) but I only have those three extra trips so far. Well maybe one more. Sounds like a great time.

I AM SO EXICTED!!!!!

ciaociao

Barbara,

Elise and I had briefly talked about the Amalfi Coast, Positano I think, on a weekend DURING the program to accomadate those departing after school finishes. I would like to go there, I know Gabriella and I had talked about seeing more of Italy after the program in the two weeks we have extra but I am up for exploration the whole time, so I would gladly accompany you or anyone exlporing more of Italy during the program!

I think that whereever we go in Italy it shall all ( for the most part ) be fairly close so I think that trip in particular would be good for a weekend. I know that there are some creaks and groans though regarding travelling around Italy during the program, but we will do what we can I suppose. Anyhow, I am up for anything, anywhere, I don't assume I will be doing any travelling alone so I will be tagging along or spearheading trips whenever possible. I would hate for you to miss out on things because you can't stay so I think we SHOULD plan for at least one weekend wherein we travel around Italy, aside from Venice of course!!

Regarding rail passes, I have not yet myeslf figured out how often I would use one, I realise that one pass would be convenient but $600, goodness, but I suppose it would probably be the most economical, lets do some homework and reveal our finds!

Hey so what exactly is a rail pass???

What is a rail pass? A rail pass is, well, um hmmm.

Well, it is a ticket that you but that allows you to travel for a certain number of days withing a certain period of time IN CERTAIN COUNTRYS. The price varies depending on how many days, in how long a time and by the countrys you choose.

...I think