A Request for Vacation Assistance

[obloquy]

I'm hoping for a little help. In April and May, my wife and I will be visiting Europe for the first time. We're planning to see Stockholm, Hamburg (and outlying areas), Brussels, Paris, London, and Ireland (we have not decided on more specific Irish destinations just yet). I can find info online about big tourist attractions, but what I am looking for from Downers is personal experience with, primarily, pubs, and also other hangouts that are highly regarded by natives. If anyone would like to chat, I'm on AIM at acleverepitaph or gmail at momeraths@gmail.com.

We won't be seeing everything by a long shot, and our time in some of these locations will be pretty limited, so we're also open to any other must not miss suggestions.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

oblo, London has been the site of several Downer meetings; I'm trying to remember the name of the wine cellar in which Squatter, Bêthberry and I met a couple of years ago. It was a very unique atmosphere, and we had a good time there! One of my favorite places in London is the South Bank of the Thames - that's where Shakespeare's rebuilt Globe Theatre is located, and it's a lovely walk, especially on the weekend when lots of performers etc. are there.

More to come as it occurs to me...

[Lalwendë]

In London I always recommend avoiding the junk like Madame Tussauds and instead seeing interesting stuff like the Cabinet War Rooms as it's a unique place and extremely well set up, but it depends if you have any interest in WWII The Tate is better than the National Gallery if art is what you want.

The British Museum is great too, but it's ridiculously big so well worth working out what you want to look at in there before you go - I like the weird obscure stuff like Dr John Dee's alchemical instruments (seen one mummy, seen 'em all...). The pub opposite the main gates, The Museum, is where Karl Marx used to have a beer (less tourists in an evening). I personally liked The Sun on Drury Lane, as it's more of a back street boozer and where Oliver Reed used to drink Pubs in London are generally one of the best things about the place. Good pubs in Soho too. Otherwise I'd say make sure you get up to York as it's way more interesting and picturesque (it also has hundreds of pubs of course...).

Beer:
http://fancyapint.com/index.html
http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs...county/London/
http://www.randompubfinder.com/
http://www.london-drinking.com/

[Mithalwen]

Currently Venice of the north isn't it Lal

Anyway a lot depends on what you are interested in - personally I would give a lot of the big museums a miss since they often contain stuff similar to other major museums in the world and I generally feel (unless you have a special interest of course) that it is more important to see London and Paris than to see their collections of Egyptology for example... go and see the stuff that is unique to the country is possible... In Paris I would say go to the Louvre for the fantastic pyramids - well I love them (my dad called them "an abortion" ) and go in for the Mona Lisa if you must .

I am probably a philistine but after all the hype it is rather an anticlimax to discover that it is just very small brown painting hanging on a wall. Personally I would rather avoid it and spend the time at the Musee Rodin - the sculptures have so much impact and some are heartstoppingly lovely or at the Musee de Cluny which houses the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. Both are small museums in historic buildings and display genuine french culture. Of the higher profile museums The Musee d'Orsay has the Impressionist collection which may not be a big draw considering how many fine collections of them are in the States but it gives a fine view of the Seine. Personally I wouldn't bother going up the Eiffel tower - the best view of Paris is from the Sacre Coeur (and you don't have to look at it from there! - don't go in unless you have a penchant for concrete interiors and religious themed tat).

Notre Dame and the Ile St Louis are great places to explore. My restaurant knowledge is more than a decade out of date alas but the Latin Quarter was usuallly the best bet....

[Lush]

If you like graveyards (and what Downer wouldn't, har har) - walk through the Pere Lachaise in Paris. Jim Morrison's grave is almost always surrounded by sullen chain-smokers, but otherwise, it's a really peaceful, beautiful place, provided that the weather is good. You can get a map where famous tombs' locations are clearly marked, so you don't get lost.

I'm actually big on the National Gallery in London - but hey, I like to feast my eyes the Renaissance and the 19th Century art.

There is a GREAT pub off of Fulham Road called The Anglesea Arms. It's not cheap (well, the entire neighbourhood is ridiculously expensive), but very, very cosy. The exact address is 15 Selwood Terrace, I believe. There's a dining room in the back, and the food is as good as the beer in that place.

[Bêthberry]

Gordon's Wine Bar is the establishment Esty described.

I second Mithalwen's recommendation of the Musee de Cluny and Ile St. Louis.

Comparing Notre Dame with St. Paul's also provides some interesting points of difference between the two countries and then of course there's the York Minster, but York isn't on your list. Too bad you aren't including Scotland--Glasgow provides intriguing contrasts. You really cannot begin to fathom the history of scotch until you've seen just how many different kinds of the stuff the Scots produce. There's barrows up north in Scotland too, but I can't comment on them.

There's a pub across from the British Museum that apparently has been annointed by several Downer meets. Esty and Squatter might recall the name/exact location.

I've always had a fancy to visit Torquay in honour of Fawlty Towers but haven't made it there yet.

If you like amusement parks, Parc Asterix just outside Paris is a hoot and much preferable to any Disney arcade.