A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

[AMC]

I can't be the only one here who loves to travel. I bet some of you even do it for work, you lucky ********.

I am in the process of booking a school trip to Nicaragua, and I am deciding how many extra days to stay after my program is over.

Has anyone ever been? Any recommendations? I will be in Managua for four days, after that I have up to four days to stay before needing to get back to the States. I've done some research online/in Lonely Planet, and San Juan del Sur and Cerro Negro (how can I pass up surfing down a volcano?) seem awesome. Granada and Leon are the main cultural cities, are they necessary to hit?

Can anyone weigh in on Nicaragua?

[Puck Swami]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

I've been there about 5 years ago for a short trip.

Managua is something of a disappointment. The city is still ugly as it was rocked by the big 1972 earthquake and the old dictator Somoza and his cronies pocketed much of the international aid money that flowed in, lots of the nice buildings went down, so huge chunks of the city are still empty lots, and poverty abounds. The Intercontinental hotel is nice, although it has that feel of a "compound" where lots of men in sunglasses and earpieces stand guard.

Granada is a nice Spanish colonial city, although I half expected Sandinistas with machine guns to jump out on the road up to there.

The volcano sounds fun.

[AMC]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Yeah, I've heard nothing but sketchy things about Managua. We will be in meetings for the majority of our time there. I figure any "touristy" type things will have to be in my past few days, wherever I decide to go.

[pardonme]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

We had a great time in Costa Rica, it may be worth taking a quick trip up there instead of hanging out in sketchy Nicaragua.

[zamboni crash-test dummy]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Who on this board is pretty familiar with France? I have some questions...

[RaceBoarder]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Who on this board is pretty familiar with France? I have some questions...

Cheese eating surrender monkeys

[leswp1]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Who on this board is pretty familiar with France? I have some questions...

One of the smokin' hots spent a lot of time in France fairly recently- can't remember which one. Post in the rep thread and you might find her- I think it was diva.

[jmh]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Can anyone weigh in on Nicaragua?

*****http://splinteredsunrise.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/cornholio.jpg******
NICARAGUA! In my country, we have but one bunghole. BUNGHOLIO!

(I have nothing substantial to say about Nicaragua.)

We had a great time in Costa Rica, it may be worth taking a quick trip up there instead of hanging out in sketchy Nicaragua.

I've heard the same thing from other people who've taken trips to Costa Rica including my sister and brother-in-law.

Who on this board is pretty familiar with France? I have some questions...

I'm not tremendously familiar, but there are some areas I might be able to help out with. Fire away, worst that can happen is that nobody has an answer for you.

[A Shot and a Goal]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Who on this board is pretty familiar with France? I have some questions...

Try Jacques Porriveau. He's fluent in French.

[zamboni crash-test dummy]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

I'm not tremendously familiar, but there are some areas I might be able to help out with. Fire away, worst that can happen is that nobody has an answer for you.

Well, my first question would be has anyone been to the Normandy beaches?

Second question is has anyone driven in France?

[jmh]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Well, my first question would be has anyone been to the Normandy beaches?

Second question is has anyone driven in France?

Remember what I said about the worst thing being that nobody has an answer for you?

Yeah, can't help you on those. Sorry.

[Beer Pong Horn]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Well, my first question would be has anyone been to the Normandy beaches?

Second question is has anyone driven in France?

I've been there, with my high school band. (Omaha cemetery, and Utah beach briefly) Any questions in particular?

Never driven there, though.

[zamboni crash-test dummy]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

I've been there, with my high school band. (Omaha cemetery, and Utah beach briefly) Any questions in particular?

Never driven there, though.

Did you take a guided tour? How was it?

[Beer Pong Horn]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Did you take a guided tour? How was it?

No, it wasn't really a guided tour. They have a visitor's center at Omaha and we'd studied the D-Day invasion somewhat beforehand, but mostly they let us wander the cemetery, take pictures, and go down to the beach. The cemetery itself was pretty awe-inspiring, with the rows of white crosses (and the occasional star or other symbol). It really gave a tremendous sense of patriotism, tranquility and of that generation's accomplishments. Beyond the cemetery down the hill, it looked like, well, a beach. Very few signs of the invasion left there, and the landscape has changed considerably below the cliffs.

Utah we only visited briefly, so some of us could collect sand from the beach.

I'd forgotten, we also went to Pointe du Hoc. That was much more of what one would expect of a battlefield, with the emplacements still there and open to the public, and still showing scars from the naval bombardment and the Ranger assault. Definitely worth a side trip, if you're visiting the other Normandy beaches.

[melmac]

Re: A Thread for Travel: Trips/Advice/Ideas

Well, my first question would be has anyone been to the Normandy beaches?

Second question is has anyone driven in France?

My best friend and I went a couple of years ago. Booked a tour through Viator. The driver was very knowledgable. We went to many of the same places that BPH did. There was also a nice lunch at an inn included.