Crazy EuroTrip

[jeffmac]

So...I have a crazy business trip coming up that I get to take my wife and youngest daughter along on and I thought I would ask the smartest people I know (that is you forum peeps!) for any food, fun or educational suggestions:

Hannover for three days (Tue-Thurs)
Amsterdam for three days and a tradeshow (Fri-Mon)
Venice for two- this will pretend to be my weekend on Tuesday and Wednesday
Cambridge for a day on Thursday
maybe Edinburgh on Friday (this is a definite if they vote for independence because I want to see that party!)
...and then back to Amsterdam for a flight home...

My girls show up on Friday in Amsterdam so they miss the Hannover leg.

Looking for out of the way restaurants and things that I would miss if I didn't know that they were there.

I will post pics along the way and I am leaning towards carrying a Pilot and an A45...both in Dyneema...but I may take my trusty TriStar after I practice pack this weekend.

[haraya]

I like your reasoning re: Edinburgh!

We just did the "duck-into-Venice-for-24-hours" thing last month. Hopefully you will find fewer visitors there than we did in August! We practically had to walk sideways in some of the alleys, there were so many of us tourists there. But, it's Venice!

One thing I'd say is buy the (two-day or other short-term) pass for the vaporettos, before you board for Venice, as purchased individually each trip is prohibitive. I think if you take two trips you've pretty much paid for the pass. That way you can hop on and off at will.) And if you park at Tronchetto, prepay the parking.

There really wasn't time to see all the sites in La Serenissima. The line for the Basilica was too long, so we opted to just walk around one part of the city. Pick a theme and focus on that, or maybe each of you can pick a sight that you really want to see. I really loved seeing Titian's works in situ, in the church of Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. Just a rare opportunity to see a work of art in the space that it was designed for, 500 years ago (and if/when the seas rise, maybe not for much longer). We also stumbled upon an exhibit of working mechanical models based upon Leonardo da Vinci's designs. Many of them are designed to be hands-on for visitors, even kids. My engineer husband loved it.

What to skip? Hmmm... The Rialto bridge - crowded, and there are plenty of lovely, uncrowded bridges all over. (Though, the kids and I loved seeing all the strange and wonderful displays in the shop windows!)

Do you have a hotel booked? We got a quad room at Locanda Ca Del Brocchi - huge!! Practically an apartment. And fairly reasonable compared to some other things we saw. Quiet but still central. Yummy breakfast.

If we'd had a little bit more time, I'd've loved to have gone into the Guggenheim, designed my own mask (on the Calle del Fabro or Calle de le Boteghe they have workshops where you can do so), taken the kids to see the Jewish ghetto ("ghetto" means foundry), and taken a vaporetto to some of the other Venetian islands. But really, even a short time just wandering in Venice is fascinating. I hope you all have a grand trip!!

[itsablur]

This might not work out so well with a young child, but how do you feel about learning to row your own gondola in Venice? Forget posting an overpriced gondolier when you can learn to do it yourself! My wife and I found a lady who teaches gondola rowing. When we were there a few years ago. Made for a really nice afternoon out on the lagoon.

Where in Venice will you be staying? We found a bunch of nice not touristy restaurants of you just walk a little off the beaten path. Will look them up in my files...

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[backpack]

So Hannover means romantic time, lets see if Ilykway and others familiar with Germany have a tip for nice stuff to do for couples.

It seems that there is plenty to see: gardens, markets, beautiful architecture and museums.

Are you taking the train in between cities or flying?

[jeffmac]

Thanks itsablur, my daughter is 16 so physical capabilities are not an issue.

However, she might roll her eyes hard enough to capsize a gondola!

[jeffmac]

Train between Amsterdam and Hannover, plane to Venice...probably a plane for the rest of it.

[Hawaii]

while in cambridge, if possible go to evensong service in Kings College chapel.

[Frank II]

When flying back to London for Cambridge, try to get a flight to Stansted Airport as its closer to Cambridge than the others. Only a half hour by train to Cambridge with no changes.

[backpack]

Make sure you have travel insurance for the trip because Iceland just had a fairly serious earthquake which caused a lava flow eruption, it looks like Hawaii.

But, you might remember that in 2010, their big volcano with the big name Eyjafjallajökull to sputtered enough ash to stop European air traffic.

So, your best bet is to use high speed trains as much as possible within Europe.
Given the possibility of airport delays, they are faster than planes.

Check night trains which combine one night of travel with sleep, instead of the dreaded: come back early enough to the hotel to pack TB bag, check the weather, possible airport delay, airport suggested arrival time, shuttle schedule, breakfast serving time and location...

Instead of checking out, have a stroll and tea time on the town, get to the station, settle in the cabin, have dinner on the train while eating miles/kilometer and fall asleep with a guide book, the FJN (travel journal and sketch book), skyping or... homework.

It might not be possible if you have a full conference/trade show schedule and still want to do sightseeing.

[jeffmac]

Thought I would share this. I am not a photographer but Venice looks like a post card.

And I cant get it to scale from the phone. Apologies for the size.

[bltkmt]

Very cool. We are leaving for Venice tonight (and Florence/Tuscany)!

[Rocks]

Very cool. We are leaving for Venice tonight (and Florence/Tuscany)!

sigh. Venice is my favorite place in the world! Give it Rocks's love.

[Badger]

Man, Italy in early fall. Sounds splendid. @bltkmt, when you get to Venice see if there are any concerts in the Frari. They're free and the church has great acoustics. It can get chilly so bring a sweater though.


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[scribe]

Venice - if you're not hugely into art, the Secret Itinerary tour takes you behind the scenes at the Doge's Palace, including a visit to Casanova's cell in the "attic" floor: Palazzo Ducale | Secret Itineraries Tour

In Cambridge...hmm, one tends to take one's home city for granted. Don't miss the Corpus Clock, though! For an unusual kind of museum, how about the Scott Polar Research Institute? As for restaurants, what kind of food do you like? Cambridge is very cosmopolitan, so you can find everything from gourmet British pub grub to food from around the globe. For the former, try The Cambridge Brew House in King Street.

Also, rain is quite likely in both cities - there was a thunderstorm on our last day in Venice in October 2011 - so bring rainproofs or compact umbrellas!

[jeffmac]

Very cool. We are leaving for Venice tonight (and Florence/Tuscany)!

These guys made my day tons simpler. We stayed on the little island south and had a late flight out so I brought our bags to the main island and stored it.

http://veniceluggagedeposit.com