Hi

I’ve got lots of info for the Arles section here : www.the-languedoc-pa…

Peter

thanks Peter, I really appreciate your information
Martin

if you’re looking for a nice parisian romantic dinner i would stay away from the eifle tower, it’s going to be touristu and filled with hoards of people…..i cant reccomend anywhere but i woould try and find a cute littel resaurant on a side street and a cobblestone alley or something….maybe with a anice view of somethign else that reminds you your in paris…..

also for italy, i would definatley take the time to visit the cinque terre on the north western coast, (look for le spezia and travel by a short train ride fromt there) these five towns are beautiful, the beaches amazing……its nice to get a way fromt he hussle and bussle for a while and ly on the beach….

5. Vienna to Prague is probably best by train — 5 hours and relatively cheap. Flying will take as long (with back and forth to airports and check-in/security time) and cost more.

5 again. (to Kiev) Flights like this should be booked ASAP in your case, any cheap seats will be sold well in advance. We stayed in Hotel Andrew (AKA variously Andrew’s hotel, Hotel Andreski and just about any other way you can put hotel and Andrew together and transliterate into and out of both Ukrainian and Russian) Great location, very nice room, nice staff. Think it was less than 50 euros for a double with breakfast — but that was negotiated by Ukrainians who came to Kiev often on business, so don’t know if a tourist could do as well. Getting a Visa takes a little time (at least for US citizens). We used an expediter and paid, I think, around $100 (US) for Visa and $40 for expediter. Another option for Kiev is an apartment — often both cheaper and nicer than a hotel. You can probably google any number of options. Frankly, I think it’s unlikely that you can manage to wrangle a trip to Kiev at this late date, but GOOD LUCK, it’s a gorgeous city.

BTW, assuming you want really good French cuisine with good French wines in a fancy Parisian restaurant you should consider youself VERY luck if you get by for 130 euros each for dinner.

thanks for the tips. Kiev and Prague have been deleted this trip
Looks like sth of Germany by rail may be the replacement. At least I don’t need to worry about the visa or invitation to Kiev

1. BurgerKing

2. Go to Germany, France sucks!

3. What are the best sights to see in these districts, THE BACK OF THEM!

4. Austrian Travel Agents run more background checks than the Stasi and Securitate combined…. allow 180 days in Vienna.

5. If you are lucky enough to escape from Vienna, on your visa application, forge a letter from a Mr Josef Stallin, Head of the Collective Farming Ministry & founder of Amnesty Ukrane… worked for me!

Try Bungee jumping into the Concrete Sarcophagus at Chernobyl

6. One way ticket Albania or Kosovo wearing a Red Star Belgrade top!

quote:

1. BurgerKing

2. Go to Germany, France sucks!

3. What are the best sights to see in these districts, THE BACK OF THEM!

4. Austrian Travel Agents run more background checks than the Stasi and Securitate combined…. allow 180 days in Vienna.

5. If you are lucky enough to escape from Vienna, on your visa application, forge a letter from a Mr Josef Stallin, Head of the Collective Farming Ministry & founder of Amnesty Ukrane… worked for me!

Try Bungee jumping into the Concrete Sarcophagus at Chernobyl

6. One way ticket Albania or Kosovo wearing a Red Star Belgrade top!

youre hilarious…

quote:6. One way ticket Albania or Kosovo wearing a Red Star Belgrade top!

I have that top!

For a great meal in Paris, go to l petit keller in the 11e arr. I am not positive, but I recall it being on rue keller. THe place is a tiny little place that is not flashy, but the owners are there to help make the trip special. The food was excellent and the fixed price menu was unbelievable (for those of us on a budget). just a suggestion….

quote:
For a great meal in Paris, go to l petit keller in the 11e arr. I am not positive, but I recall it being on rue keller. THe place is a tiny little place that is not flashy, but the owners are there to help make the trip special. The food was excellent and the fixed price menu was unbelievable (for those of us on a budget). just a suggestion….

Are you willing to give up on the Kiev portion of the trip that easily? I know that is one of the cities I REALLY want to see, and I have heard some amazing things about it. Have you tried ITASoftware’s airfare search site, or some of the other powerful comparison tools out there? I bet you could get a decently priced flight, that wouldn’t make you squirm too much!

I’d just give that (and possibly the Prague) portion a second thought. I think it would add some nice spice to your trip….

Just my 2 cents

-A

quote:
Are you willing to give up on the Kiev portion of the trip that easily? I know that is one of the cities I REALLY want to see, and I have heard some amazing things about it. Have you tried ITASoftware’s airfare search site, or some of the other powerful comparison tools out there? I bet you could get a decently priced flight, that wouldn’t make you squirm too much!

I’d just give that (and possibly the Prague) portion a second thought. I think it would add some nice spice to your trip….

Just my 2 cents

thanks for your input. The airfares and availability aren’t really the problem. I can get return Prague airfares with Chech airlines for about $300 australian (including taxes)
Its more the business of securing the visa in such a short timeframe The consulate has a 10 day turn around but I either need a letter of invitation or my accomodation booked and an authorised receipt from the hotel prior to lodging for the visa. So , unfortunately something had to bend a little. I think Prague and Ukraine will be first on the visit list next time

-A

Paris is like New York, you either love it or you hate it. I love both cities. You will be there around the same time as the U.S. and Canada have spring break so you will see a lot of tourists. The Luxemburg gardens are beautiful in the spring, and all the parks have little cafe’s so you can get something to eat there. If you want a nice elegant place for a special occasion I would go to le train bleu, its like eating in a palace (www.letrainbleu.com) most of the waiters speak english and they have english menus and it’s not horribly expensive, also one of my favorite very french (if you want the real thing) places is "Le Repaire de Cartouche" tel#01.47.00.25.80, if you don’t know about the french you will find out that they are very strict about tradition, that mean’s no coffee until after the meal, you can ask for it but it still come’s after the meal and not all of the cafe’s have good food sometimes yours better off buying a sandwich at a shop. If you drink mixed drinks you will be better off going to a liquor store and making your own than getting one at a bar, or go to monoprix (chain store everywhere) and by your own wine. Lastly tipping is weird just round up maybe 3%. Have a great time