Budapest is a wonderful walk around city for the grand architecture. Both sides of the Danube. Especially Buda. Going up to the castle and Fisherman’s Bastion is great and walking up in that area all day with its views and cobbled streets and churches.
For places worth going into, I really enjoyed touring the Opera House and thought the Széchenyi Thermal Bath was fun to try on a hot day.
Edinburgh - visit the castle, Rosslyn Chapel, do a city underground tour, relax in a pub, try not to freeze to death!
Just returned from 3 weeks in Argentina. Knocked out by what a good travel destination it is from north to south. Has become my favourite travel destination.
Happy to pass on any humble tips, info. etc. to any Blitzer thinking of going there.
House of Terror on Andrassy St is worth a squiz, as is the old market.
Spill the beans Gwilty.
Where did you go?
How did you get around?
What did you do?
What was good?
I’ve looked at Argentina a number of times, but it is so vast & the attractions so spread out, its tricky to get your head around.
Tickets booked for Sri Lanka in may, can’t wait
When I look at South America, I realise just how big it is and think it might be more worthwhile to break it into two…say Argentina, Chile and Peru (and possibly Colombia) in one trip, and Brazil, Mexico, Cuba in another.
Yes, I know Mexico and Cuba aren’t South America. I should say Ibero-America.
Some friends of mine just returned from there, said they loved it. They particularly raved about the food and beaches.
No, those combos wouldn’t work IMO. But I agree you need to break it down into chunks that are both manageable & cohesive.
Latin America is probably my favorite destination. I’ve visited 3 times -
Oct-Nov-Dec 1998, 9 weeks in Ecuador, Peru & Chile down the central Andes from Quito to Santiago.
Oct-Nov 2000, 6 weeks in Mexico, Guatemala & Cuba for the Ruta Maya & a bit of Caribbean.
Dec-Jan 2017, 5 weeks in Mexico through Mex City, Oaxaca, Chiapas & Yucatan.
All three trips were ‘cohesive’, but the 1st two a bit rushed for my tastes. I prefer slower travel with a sense of place & journey. Mexico alone is so culturally rich & diverse, its like travelling through Europe with each state having its own distinctive character, cuisine, indigenous culture, social dynamic & landscape. I could easily return for another 5 week trip visiting different areas.
I had planned to visit Brazil for 3-4 weeks this year, but like Argentina, the points of interest are so widely distributed it would have involved too many internal flights to be fun.
The other obvious consideration is climate, e.g. Patagonia is best Nov-Mar, but this is the rainy season in the central Andes. The central Andes are best May-Oct, but this is Hurricane season in the Caribbean etc, etc…
So yeah, lots of planning needed to make a trip work.
I’m heading to Seychelles for work end of May, anyone been there?
Yes, Argentina is a big country like Australia, so you’ll need to rely on internal flights to visit the major areas of interest. English is widely spoken, and all you may need is a bare minimum of Spanish.
The weather in Buenos Aires for our trip in March was perfect - same as Melbourne at that time. BA was great - spent 4 days there which I reckon is the bare minimum - so much to see, excellent places to eat and drink.
Recommend a day trip by boat and bus to the Tigre Delta from BA.
Foodwise, Argentina restaurants serve huge meals. Was told by a local guide on arrival in BA that when he and his girlfriend went out to dine that they only ordered one main which they shared. This turned out to be wise advice unless you are the type who individually can devour a steak the size of a door mat.
Argentina is not dirt cheap, and probably costly to tour once the internal airfares are considered, but that said, restaurant meals for meat-eaters are a bargain. At a restaurant in Salta, Mrs Gwilty and I ordered an asado mix for two at a cost of around only $25. This comprised half a chicken, 2 sausages, a kidney, a massive pork fillet, a huge steak and some other huge piece of beef. Six people could not have finished this. If you hate steak, ham, fine cheese and wine, then steer clear of Argentina. Check out the craft beer Patagonia if you ever are there.
2 days at Iguazu is a must to see the falls from both the Brazillan and Argentinian sides. These falls are breathtaking. A must do is a boat trip which takes you up to and under one of the falls - you get smashed by the torrent of water!
Salta near the Argentinian Andes is a quint colonial era city and you can take a day trip up to 4,200m. At that altitude you end up moving like Essendon when they play in Perth!
We gave Mendoza a miss - it’s the Argentine equivalent of the Barossa I think, and besides you can buy good and cheap wine everywhere else.
Bariloche is like a slice of Germany or Switzerland even down to the proliferation of chocolate shops. You almost expect to see a street sign saying Hitler Strasse!
Down to El Calafate to see the Perito Moreno Glacier - magical.
We then went deep into Patagonia and into Chile and stayed in the Torres del Paine National Park - more glaciers, spectacular scenery, and cold like Melbourne in July.
We needed to pack for all weather in March, for the beautiful warm days in BA, the tropical heat of Iguazu, the humidity of Salta, and the chill of Patagonia.
And try the beverage called mate while you are there.
I’m happy to provide a copy of our itinerary to anyone interested.
Thanks Mr Gwilty.
I’d be keen on your itinerary.
PM it if you prefer.
Visit Scottish Whisky Club - you will need to have a member help get you in.
Just amazing.
Otherwise, get thee hence to the NW of Scotland - Cape Wrath area. Incredible scenery. Stay at Rhiconnich Hotel with views across the sea loch. And their whisky collection is impressive too.
One of the bestest places I have been to.
Great country - so much to see and do. What are your plans while there?
Got a driver, doing a couple of safari’s then when out your is over we have 2 nights in Colombo. There for 2 weeks all up.
As you can guess, my wife has booked it all
Wifey has informed me that we’re heading to Singapore for 5 nights in July for my birthday. Good stuff!
Heading back to Hong Kong in October. Virgin had some business class seats going at $1500 for a limited time which is less than half the regular price so the offer was too good to pass up. Was a spur of the moment decision so not sure if we will spend all our time there or grab some cheap flights from there to somewhere else in Asia
Just back from Honkers over Easter. Two adult, one child airfare plus 6 nights at hotel in Mong Kok for 3800 bucks. Cheap as chips! Love, love, love that place.
Third time there and every time we find slightly different things to do. For such a small footprint there’s such a variety of things to do, and getting around is an absolute piece of ■■■■ (metro, buses, minibuses, taxis, walk etc).
Despite having been to Hong Kong about a dozen times I’ve only ever done a day trip to Macau and wouldn’t mind staying there a couple of days this time. Any hot tips for decent hotels and best areas to stay in would be appreciated.