Countries you've visited?

[TsarMatt]

I tried searching for a thread like this but came up empty.

Which countries have you visited? I went overseas for the first time last year. I went to the States, and visited New York and Boston respectively (I am from Australia). I decided to go at it alone, actually, which was a pretty bold move for me since, before my trip, I had never gone on a plane before and I was/am only 20 years old.

In fact, I have never even been interstate before in my own country which I find slightly amusing. I managed to travel from state to state in America within ten days but not in Australia in 20 years. :snigger We didn't grow up with a whole lot of money but after years of saving from work and saving in general, I said the hell with out and just experienced.

I loved New York. Vibrant, alive, so distinctively different to Melbourne. I love how spirited the city is, even when walking around Times Square at 3:00am in the morning. It just provided such a fresh contrast to my homeland. I can really see why some people dub it as the cultural capital of the world. Boston was impeccable for its history - the Freedom Trail was excellent, but in terms of overall 'lifestyle', it didn't feel that much different to Australia. It also really lacked a nightlife. But it was good, overall - in retrospect, though, a tad underwhelming, but anything would feel sort of 'dry' in comparison to NYC. I wish I spent more time there, actually.

The day I left Boston to come home it was -6c. The day I arrived in Australia it was 41c. I was surprised I didn't get sick or suffer from any jet lag since it was my first flying.

I'd love to go to Thailand, Italy or Japan next, but I need to save up....again, and considering my studying schedule, I doubt I'd find the time or the money.

How about you guys?

 

[brokenshoelace]

Great thread. Off the top of my head:

Lebanon (where I'm originally from), Syria, Egypt (Cairo and Sharm el Sheikh), UAE (mainly Dubai), Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, France, Canada (where I live) and the United States (I'm sure I'm forgetting something).

Paris is my favorite city in the world. I've been there 3-4 times and it never gets old. Truly breathtaking in so many ways. It's difficult to explain the sense of "charm" that city exudes unless you've been there.

New York is New York. I don't know any other way to put it. You either love it or you hate -- or at least that's what everyone says. Me? I liked it. Didn't love it, but certainly didn't hate it. It's definitely unique, and for that alone it's worth the visit. Though come to think of it, there are some things about it that I really loved (Time Square being one). I visited it about a month or so before 9/11 and got to visit the WTC.

I love Montreal, but I guess that doesn't count since I live there.

Italy was absolutely amazing. Visited Rome, Florence and Venice, and each was so different, so unique, so fantastic. One of the most memorable trips of my life.

I'll say this for Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt), if you're a beach person, it's heaven on earth. I'm an experienced diver and the Red Sea is probably the greatest dive spot in the world. I didn't care much for Cairo, but the Pyramids are a sight to behold.

 

[Kieran]

England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland.

Vietnam, United States.

Most of these, I've visited a few times, and different places within the countries. Only been to Switzerland and Belgium once.

Favourite cities: New York, Rome, Vienna

Favourite places: Sicily, Sardinia, Halong Bay.

Places I want to go to: Jerusalem, Buenos Aires, Cuba, California...

 

[DarthFed]

For me it has been Greece, China, Mexico and Canada. The first of those was going to Toronto with the family when I was 14 so I didn't really experience any night life though I did enjoy the city.

China was an absolute blast as my childhood friend is perfectly fluent in Chinese so he was the tour guide. I just remember the first day I was up 28 straight hours including the 12 hour flight over there. Despite a lot of partying I saw pretty much everything I wanted to see. We climbed the Great Wall hungover. Can't say it was easy or even fun but it was an experience. The Forbidden City and Chinese Parliament building was spectacular. Since I went in 2009 it was a year after the 2008 Beijing Olympics so we were able to tour some of the site. And finally we spent a few days in Xian and checked out the Terracotta Warriors.

For Mexico I was only there 4 days for a destination wedding I was the best man in. We did one of the all-inclusive resorts about 30 miles South of Cancun. The wedding was the first week of January 2010 so it was a good time to get away from winter. It was great and quite a good deal all things considered. Endless shots of Tequila as you are outside on a beach all day. Since they are free, and probably since they figured we are rich Americans, they really forced it on us as they only get tips. I'd definitely like to take a similar vacation there sometime in the future.

Then finally there was Greece in September 2010. A friend of mine who is also Greek still has his family home in the village Monastiraki right off the Aegean Sea. We were there about a week and it was so incredibly relaxing. Just countless hours spent on the beach and totally cut off from the rest of the world (no TV or internet where we were) and didn't care in the least. Night life was pretty fun too as there was a small city next to the village so I went out with my friend's sister and her friend for the nights we were there. Decent amount of people out and they don't shy away on the liquor there. Drinking at the same pace I do in the States I became a zombie one of the nights and luckily found my way back to my friend's home. My friend's sister is fluent in Greek and we ended up visiting my relatives in Aspra Spitia, a farming village just East of Olympia. We saw one of my grandpa's last living cousins and his son and granddaughter. It was quite the experience and am very thankful to have had a translator there for it.

We then went to Athens for the last few days and I actually didn't like it at all. It was surprisingly run down and didn't get the sense it'd be the greatest place to go out at night. It didn't help that Greece's economy had already taken a turn for the worse but still. We did see the Acropolis and many other tourist sites. Despite staying at a nice hotel I just thought we were there a day or two longer than we needed to be. Next time I go to Greece I want to do the Island tours and wouldn't mind seeing Olympia and Delphi.

 

[shawnbm]

I've visited England, Ireland and France on one occasion. I've been to Bimini and Abaco in the Bahamas a few times. I've been to Mexico a couple times and Peru for a wedding years ago. The missus and I spent our honeymoon in Argentina and Chile seeing lakes and glaciers. Took the kids to Costa Rica a few years back and finally saw the Pacific Ocean. Finally, since I lived in Spain, I've gotten to know a lot of that nation and Portugal next door. Those are the only countries I've visited outside the USA.

In terms of favorite cities, Chicago, New York, Madrid and Lisbon come to the fore. Those are quality cities.

 

[Kieran]

I've visited England, Ireland and France on one occasion. I've been to Bimini and Abaco in the Bahamas a few times. I've been to Mexico a couple times and Peru for a wedding years ago. The missus and I spent our honeymoon in Argentina and Chile seeing lakes and glaciers. Took the kids to Costa Rica a few years back and finally saw the Pacific Ocean. Finally, since I lived in Spain, I've gotten to know a lot of that nation and Portugal next door. Those are the only countries I've visited outside the USA.

In terms of favorite cities, Chicago, New York, Madrid and Lisbon come to the fore. Those are quality cities.

Cough. McDaids. Cough. :snigger

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Born and raised in Istanbul ,Turkey, I have seen most of Turkey and worked as a tennis coach south on the Mediterranean coast in Antalya.

After coming to Canada, I have visited most of the central and east, but never got the chance to visit BC, the west coast.

I have been to Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Germany, France, Denmark , Holland and England in Europe. Italy is on the list.

I have seen Syria and Egypt and China as well. Japan is a place I would like to see.
US of A and Mexico in North America. Among all the cities, New York has to be my favorite because it reminds me of Istanbul a lot...the energy, the crowds.

Been to a bunch of Caribbean islands including Grenada, St Marten, Barbados and Cuba. Every winter I try to take a week off to break the season in half and go to a sunny island.

Down Under has always been a dream, but so difficult to pull off. Every time I have a big chunk of time, I am pretty much obliged to go back to Istanbul to visit family. Maybe in the future, when all the funnel spiders are gone, I will go to Sydney and Melbourne.

 

[Kieran]

Istanbul, buddy, it's on my list. Lately reading a lot of history about old Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia, the Second Rome, and I'd love to go. Only hearing amazing things about Turkey...

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Istanbul, buddy, it's on my list. Lately reading a lot of history about old Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia, the Second Rome, and I'd love to go. Only hearing amazing things about Turkey...

If you ever decide to go, you have to let me know so I can give you some tips, places to see that are not all touristy...the best restaurants and such.

 

[Riotbeard]

FYI from the US. It has been a while since I traveled internationally. I do so much travel on the east coast for research that I haven't been able to afford to go overseas since college

Countries I have been:Mexico, Jamaica, other Caribbean islands that I can't remember on cruises, England (a lot of here!), France, Belgium, Canada, Holland, Germany, Austria,

New York: In my opinion it takes a special type of craziness to live here. Very fun, but exhausting. I was here two weeks for work last summer, and the way people go out and drink till late like every night and go to work the next day is insane to me, but it's so much fun in short bursts. I am actually getting to go back for two weeks again this year (God bless government grants!).

Favorite cities: (In Europe) Oxford, Amsterdam, Paris. (The U.S) Juneau, Portland (Maine not Oregon. I have been visiting friends here a bunch since living a lot of the last year in the Northeast, and love it, really would like to move here), Philadelphia, Charleston, Ashville, New Orleans.

Places I want go: Argentina, Japan, and Turkey.

 

[Moxie]

Thanks for starting this thread, TsarMatt! Very fun. I'm so happy that you liked NYC, my city. It's big and unwieldy and sometimes hard to love, but I'm pleased when people come here and appreciate it for what's best about it. I've lived here a long time, and it's still one of my favorite cities. The other one is Rome…which, even though it's ancient, it has a kind of cranky energy in real time that is very like NY's. And, while I love Paris…what's not to love?…it does seem to dine out on it's better days. I'm waiting for it to embrace the 21st C., which London has done very well.

I have traveled a lot. It nearly defines me. I lived in Spain for 3 years and Italy for 2. I even spent 3 months in Paris for work. Therefore my language skills. Sometimes it's work, sometimes choice that sends me abroad. The laundry list (in alphabetical order): I've been to Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, Switzerland, St. Barth's. (I actually have spent weeks to months, if not years, in most of those places.)

More interesting than where I've been is where I still want to go: Cuba and Turkey are top of the list. In So. America: Chile; in Asia: Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and more of China; in Africa: Senegal, So. Africa; in the Middle East: Beirut, would be my first choice, being a city person, then Damascas, and then Israel and Egypt in general.

 

[TsarMatt]

Awesome stuff, guys.

You all have really travelled the world! That's one negative about Australia - we're pretty isolated, geographically, whereas in Europe, for example, travelling from country to country is much more... accessible.

I've seen so many countries get named in this thread but not one mention of Russia. Anybody interested in going there? I'd like to one day. Probably just Moscow and St. Petersburg which are there most urbanised and historically rich areas.

 

[Moxie]

^ Oh…good call, Matt. Maybe Russia has fallen onto the less-than-appealing list, but I would love to go. My ideal trip would be to take the train from Vladivostok, travel for days across the nothingness that is so much of Russia, reading War and Peace, or The Brothers Karamazov all the way, and finish up in Moscow, then St. Petersburg. So many possible adventures…so little time! But now that you mention it, Matt, it would jump maybe to my top 5 of places I've never been/things I've never done.

 

[TsarMatt]

^ Oh…good call, Matt. Maybe Russia has fallen onto the less-than-appealing list, but I would love to go. My ideal trip would be to take the train from Vladivostok, travel for days across the nothingness that is so much of Russia, reading War and Peace, or The Brothers Karamazov all the way, and finish up in Moscow, then St. Petersburg. So many possible adventures…so little time! But now that you mention it, Matt, it would jump maybe to my top 5 of places I've never been/things I've never done.

Haha sounds good, man. I'd also recommend adding Crime and Punishment to the hypothetical reading list. Since I love desolate areas/vast landscapes, I think going to Siberia would be one hell of an adventure, too. I think that would provide quite the contrast to the vibrant and dynamic lifestyle in NYC, as well. Do you live in one of those apartments? When I was in NY, I barely saw a normal house -- just an endless array of stores and apartments. Is that accurate?

 

[Kieran]

I'd like to visit Russia, Matt, but reading the news lately, I think Russia will visit here, first... :snigger

 

[TsarMatt]

I'd like to visit Russia, Matt, but reading the news lately, I think Russia will visit here, first... :snigger

 

[britbox]

Countries visited:
England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Spain + islands (Mallorca, Tenerife), France, Italy, Portugal, United States (Florida, California), Australia, Morroco, Yugoslavia (Croatia).

Brief Stopovers: UAE (Dubai), Singapore

Favourite Cities to visit: London, Sydney

Bucket List (To Do): Las Vegas, Memphis (Gracelands), NYC, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Canada (Vancouver)

 

[TsarMatt]

^ Was it just Sydney you visited in Australia?

 

[britbox]

^ I live in Queensland Matt - on the Gold Coast (tops my favourite place to live). I've been to Brisbane, Perth and Sydney of the state capitals. Your stomping ground Melbourne is on next year's list to visit.

 

[TsarMatt]

^ Ah, I never knew you were an Aussie. Cool stuff.

Gotta ask this question quickly - NRL or AFL?