Comments on: City Mouse, Country Mouse

By: Theresa

Theresa — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:03:46 +0000

I’d forgotten about that, Laura! It’s totally not somewhere I would go here in the US, but it sure was good then. I think I had ribs or something totally American. We also went to the movies in Prague and watched Moulin Rouge. It was so damn cold I think we were doing anything we could to get in somewhere warm and stay there!

I also ate at TGI Fridays in Athens. Our first week there a bunch of Greek kids took us there because it was the place to see and be seen!

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:34:22 +0000

I love the outdoors, but I tend to be more of a city girl. I love the mixture of different kinds of people that cities usually offer as well as the culture and food. I appreciate a comfortable bed in a nice hotel and dinner at a fancy restaurant… I also love the kind of cheap local food you can usually get on the street (all in all I just love food). I’m not huge on the nightlife scene, but I like visiting historical landmarks and doing walking or bike tours of various cities. Plus when you’re starting to get homesick, you’re more likely to find those things that remind you of home when you’re in the city (remember when we ate at TGI Friday’s twice in one weekend while in Prague? I never eat there in the US, but it just seemed like such a treat to have that taste of something American). The city can be tiring though, so I guess it’s just a question of finding the right balance

By: Theresa

Theresa — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:03:43 +0000

Magnifique…you’re right, I’ll definitely enjoy some city time now and then for all the reasons you mentioned. Sometimes they can seem so much less “culture shock-y” than other places or at least they can provide you with some of the comforts from home that you crave every now and then. Thanks for the insight into S. American cities.

Matt, we pretty much agree with you about guidebooks. We don’t really plan to travel with any or use them on the road (I checked these out from the library). We’re just browsing them now to get some ideas on places that might interest us and what kind of opportunities there are so we can have a basic idea of how we want to break down our time. We’re definitely not mapping out anything like be here on this day and use this bus and eat here and stay in this hotel… It’s more of a way of stimulating thinking…kind of like an intro level class for travel.

By: Nomadic Matt

Nomadic Matt — Sun, 04 May 2008 23:54:18 +0000

In the end though, guidebooks aren’t worth it. I’ve done the RTW and I can tell you, u’ll rarely use them. In fact, most of the good info comes from other travelers anyways!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 03 May 2008 16:36:04 +0000

I’m way more of a city-girl than a country-girl. Cities have just about everything that you could want or need at any hour of the day.

By: Magnifique

Magnifique — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:44:31 +0000

I have traveled to Quito, Lima, Cusco, Santiago (de Chile), Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro,
Sao Paolo, Cordoba, Montevideo and Santa Cruz (Bolivia), and to tell you the truth, I find
that cities in Latin America are not something to get terribly excited about. Of the South
American cities I’ve visited, I liked BA and Rio the best, but I also dance
tango, love wine (particularly Malbec) and steak and had the space in my suitcase to
go shopping! If you’re not planning to shop and aren’t terrribly interested in churches or
museums, maybe you would like Rio for its beaches and cable car rides/walks near
Sugarloaf. If you’re interested in dance, music and/or capoeira, besides BA and Rio, I’ve
heard Salvador de Bahia is fun. If you’re interested in wine, the vineyards outside Santiago
are great, as are those in Mendoza.

Aside from the obvious reasons for visiting the cities- visas, stocking up on supplies,
dining in a proper restaurant, internet usage, nightlife- don’t forget that inevitably you will
have culture shock. No matter what you’re like at home, I’d be willing to bet that at some
point, you will find yourself wanting to watch English language TV, drinking a cold beer/
Coke and eating a burger and fries.

Do you plan on studying Spanish or Portguese while traveling? If so, that might be another
reason to stay in a city for a few weeks.