Title: Europe-msg
Subject: Medieval points of interest in Europe.
Author: Edited by Mark Harris
Last saved by: Mark S. Harris
Keywords: Europe, vacation, medieval, points of interest.

Europe-msg - 5/17/09

Medieval points of interest in Europe.

NOTE: See also the files: England-msg, London-msg, France-msg, Ireland-msg, Scotland-msg, Paris-msg, East-Eur-msg, Germany-msg, Italy-lnks, Leicester-art.

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I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

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Thank you,
    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous
                                          Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: kathy.duffy at buckys.com (Kathy Duffy)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject:  Request for Travel Ideas
Date: Sun, 31 Jul 1994 04:45:00 GMT
Organization: Bucky's BBS (609)861-1131 * Dennisville, NJ

V>    As I have been in the service of my "master" for seven years,
 >  (at least in this part of the country) I am allowed to take a leave
 >  of two months to tend to those things I would wish to do. I wish to
 >  see Europe, England, Ireland... and all. I wish to see castles. I
 >  wish to see Midieval re-creations. I wish to see the great cathedrals
 >  and works of art. I wish to see those things which our European brothers
 >  (and sisters) have found to be relevant and reasonably accurate for our
 >  stated time period. I wish I knew where to start.

Don't miss Bruges in Belgium of all the places we visited in Europe this
was the most beautiful, the most medieval, the one place we would return
to at the drop of the hat.  There is so much medieval and renaissance
history here - architecture, museums, art, -- 13th century through
Renaissance.  The canals are lovely, the food is exquisite, the lace is
unbelievable and the chocolate is heavenly.  It was spectacular!!!

If you are going further south...Spain for instance.  Granada is the
home of the Alhambra, which took me an entire day to see.  We were there
when they opened the doors and where the last ones ushered out.  It was
the single most beautiful and ornate place I have ever seen.  The
cathedral has the tombs and effigies of Ferdinand and Isabel and the old
Moorish silk market was full of great SCA goodies.  I am still kicking
myself for not purchasing the Moors vs. crusaders chess set...

In France there is not alot of Medieval goodies in Paris but the Cluny
Musuem is devoted to it.  They even have the Red Unicorn tapestries
which were spectacular.  The Louvre of course has tons of beautiful
things from our time period, wear good comfy shoes. Don't miss the
gardens of Versailles even if they aren't period, you will never see
anything like again.

In England-- well, we lived there for 3 years and we saw a great deal.
The highlights...York in Northern England, the cathedral is sublime, the
castle museum interesting and the viking dig was memorable.  Hadrian's
wall is close by.  If you drive and are coming up from London don't miss
Lincoln.  South of London in Portsmouth at the Historic shipyards is the
Mary Rose (Henry VIII's flagship) well worth the trip and close by is a
early dark age village.  Then of course there is Stonehenge (a tad
disappointing by the way) but 20 miles north of there is Avebury where
the stone circle is large enough to surround a whole village.  You may
touch the stones unlike Stonehenge etc.  Cornwall has Tintagel and the
Castles in Wales are some of the best...Harlech, Beaumaris, Conway can
be seen in one day or two and are really close distance wise.

Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
From: bq676 at torfree.net (Kristine E. Maitland)
Subject: So what should I buy?
Organization: Toronto Free-Net
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 21:21:19 GMT

Bona dies, tutti!

I'm finally doing it: I'm going on my European tour.  I shall be 
travelling to : Rome, Florence, Venice, Lucerne (Switzerland), Paris and 
London.  All in 12 days (arghhhhhhhhh).

What I need to know is: what should I buy?  I want to pick up period-type 
stuff that I can't get in Canada.  So far, I am told that I should get a 
pair of gloves in florence as they still make them in period style.  

I also want to pick up a leather bound book in Firenze.

So. What else?  Any suggestions?

sinceremente
Inez

From: paximus at aol.com (PAXIMUS)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: So what should I buy?
Date: 14 Jul 1997 22:58:59 GMT

Well just remember to spend your money "wisely". My friend went there for
his honeymoon and was extremely conservative with his funds at the
beginning of the trip (say Firenze) and when he got to Venezia he found he
couldnt buy the things he had'nt bought before.

Florence has excellant leather goods, at I believe the Ponte Vecchio but,
the prices can still be rather expensive even with the conversion of Lire
to dollars so, make sure you figure out the cost first.

Oh and market day at the Ponte Vecchio is on a THURSDAY very important to
remember also don't freak out if they tell you the banks are on STRIKE it
justs means there going to be closed for the day or two.

I suggest checking out the musems if you can get in also the Librarys are
open to the public if your going in to study in other words don't act like
a tourist once your inside taking pictures et al.

Buy postcards from the musems cheap and they are of tons of pictures of
the musems items and all sorts of other stuff. Buy of Flag of Firenze
they're beautiful.

And bring me back a nice fruitbasket!!

Buona Fortuna

Don Giulo d'Medici
G.M. Cavalieri della Ordine dei Santo Stefano
Capt. Generale Compagnia della Bande Nere
The Italians RPFS

From: james koch <alchem at en.com>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: So what should I buy?
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 1997 19:47:45 -0400
Organization: alchem inc

Kristine E. Maitland wrote:
> I'm finally doing it: I'm going on my European tour.  I shall be
> travelling to : Rome, Florence, Venice, Lucerne (Switzerland), Paris and
> London.  All in 12 days (arghhhhhhhhh).
> 
> What I need to know is: what should I buy?  I want to pick up period-type
> stuff that I can't get in Canada.  So far, I am told that I should get a
> pair of gloves in florence as they still make them in period style.
> 
> Inez

Dear Mr. Inez,  When I last visited Florence there was an antique
(souvenir shop) type store located near the Bargello which sold original
and reproduction medieval and renaissance brass oil lamps.  The tall
table and hanging versions.  The Florentines still used these things to
light their homes at the end of the last century.  The prices on the
lamps at the time I was there were reasonable.  Florence is also full of
shops selling modern reproduction majolica!  I love majolica.  It can be
a bit expensive though, but they will ship it for you reducing the
chance of it being crushed in your luggage.  Copper aquamaniles are also
nice.  I found mine in a department store in Zurich.  Jim Koch (Gladius)

From: "Melissa Rogers" <Scott-n-Missy at worldnet.att.net>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: So what should I buy?
Date: 15 Jul 1997 01:40:17 GMT

I can only suggest a tradition within my family that I have come to
treasure:  purchase a simple painting, sketch,  etc. wherever you go.  I
have hanging in my home very inexpensive post cards from Paris, which after
being framed, look very nice and almost always draw a comment from new
visitors.  Even better though, are my "sidewalk artist" prints from
Florence, Venice, and a pair from Montreal.  I even found _old_ handpainted
book pages that illustrated several piazzas in Florence that no longer
exist in that form ... for a couple of bucks, they are invaluable to me for
those memories!  Don't pass up the street markets and small book shops.

My father's famous motto: you never regret the things you buy, you regret
the things you don't.  Unless you plan to be back over there soon, loosen
up the purse strings as much as you can afford, and buy something that
touches your heart.

Lady Eilidh nin Choinnich, Meridies

From: powers at colon.cis.ohio-state.edu (william thomas powers)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: So what should I buy?
Date: 15 Jul 1997 14:07:26 -0400
Organization: The Ohio State University, Department of Computer and Information Science

In Lucerne you should see if the Waffensaal Stampfili is still in business
and go drool over the crossbows.

wilelm

Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 13:04:50 -0600
From: valarltd at hotmail.com
Subject: Re: So what should I buy?
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca

On my European Tour,
I bought dolls.  Cheap, plastic tourist dolls, dressed in
the costumes of the region I was in.  Very inexpensive, and still
a delight 13 years later.

Buy postcards, guide books. (I have one for Notre Dame, 1 for Versailles
and 1 for Canterbury)

In Lucerne, buy Chocolate.  Also, pay a visit to Bucherer's department
store. I still wear the watch I bought there.  Don't miss the covered
bridge.

Take lots of pictures, buy lots of postcards incase the pics don't come
out.

Keep a journal.

I know nothing of Italy.

Ly. Aethelynde, Meridies

From: Robbin Long <c638414 at showme.missouri.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Backpack trip to europe
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 1998 20:30:05 -0600
Organization: University of Missouri

I went to school in Madrid, Spain, so if you speak Spanish you MUST
include Spain in your trip.  Particularly great was San Lorenzo de El
Escorial, the castle complex built by Felipe (II(?) known as the Great,
Mary of England's husband) in El Escorial, a resort town in the hills
north of Madrid.  If you saw the movie "The Four Musketeers" there is a
muraled hallway in the end that is supposed to be in Versailles, but it
was actually filmed in this castle.  Toledo, Avila (birthplace of St.
Teresa of Avila, one of the great mystics), Segovia, Granada and
Salamanca (home of the (arguably) oldest university in Europe) are also
must-sees, as well as Compostela (of pilgrim fame).  As silly as it
sounds, get one of those "Spain on $20 a day " books - they tell you the
days that admission is free at the museums and photography is allowed.  

The people are reserved, but wonderful, the food is great (if you like
LOTS of garlic and olive oil), and the weather (outside of July and
August) is fantastic (avoid Granada in August, it's beastly hot, and
Pamplona in June - too crowded).  Also, stay away from the amateur
bullfights unless you have a strong stomach, and always sit on the
shady, albeit more expensive, side.  Be warned, politics are taken much
more seriously than in the US (I actually saw partisans spit on Franco's
grave at El Valle de los Caidos).

I, too, backpacked the rest of Europe when I was done with school. 
Loved Germany, France and England, only ran into rude people in Belgium.
Watch the youth hostels, they are notoriously theft-ridden.  I took
overnight trains and slept on them, and checked into a hotel or pension
once every three days or so to get a real bath (as opposed to a
spit-bath out of a train sink).  Eurail passes are a GREAT deal, but
must be bought in the US and don't work in Great Britain (you need a
BritRail pass for that).

Have a great time, I envy you. 
Brianne 

From: georgecor at aol.com (George Cor)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Re: Backpack trip to europe
Date: 21 Mar 1998 00:29:11 GMT

>only ran into rude people in Belgium.
>Watch the youth hostels, they are notoriously theft-ridden.  I took
>overnight trains and slept on them, and checked into a hotel or pension
>once every three days or so to get a real bath (as opposed to a
>spit-bath out of a train sink).  Eurail passes are a GREAT deal, but
>must be bought in the US and don't work in Great Britain (you need a
>BritRail pass for that).

YES!!!!!!  People in Belgium are very rude. Everywhere I went there I keep
feeling spit on. The friend I went with was German and you would have thought
we were nazi's at the hotel we checked into. 
YES!!!! Youth hostles are a risk. Send the extra money and get a private room.
Sleeping on the train is good but 'sleeper cars'(bed) are extra even with your
Euro-rail pass. And to get any good sleep you have to be going a ways. (The
trains are very fast)
YES!!!! If backpacking the Euro-rail pass is the way to go. For Britain you
need a Brit-rail pass. They are more expensive. If I did it again I might get
one of the combo Brit-rail Rent-a-Car deals. Also if your going to Britain and
the main land think about how your going to get across (ferry or chunnel) and
make arrangments for everything regarding travel before you leave. It much
cheaper.

Eronric of Devon

Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:05:49 -0500
From: "tudorpot at gmail.com" <tudorpot at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] need to draw on your experience
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>

On Nov 14, 2008, at 8:48 PM, Stefan li Rous wrote:
<<<  However, we never have been folks for big tourist hotels.  I can  
stay in those in the US or Hawaii. So these other alternatives  
sound interesting. Can you provide some more details? We've also  
considered hostels, but we aren't young, college age folks any more. >>>

I was in my mid forties when I last went Europe-- Austria and Italy.  
In Vienna I stayed in a pension- a small hotel- name is not used as  
much - but think of a ten room or less accommodation - the one I  
stayed at was on the second floor of a larger building.  I think I  
paid about 30 Euros a night- that was in 2002. No flashy sign, hotel  
matchbooks, a basic cold breakfast, no night guard- you get a key to  
let yourself in after hours.

At that time there was not a lot of info on the net re Monasteries  
and Convents- I found a book at the library. Now there is a lot more  
info. You are more likely to stay in a period building this way. I  
strongly rec Lonely Planet guides.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/travel/19journeys.html?

As for age- there were many people in the sixties and seventies in  
the hostels I stayed in. In the future I will stay in them again. Too  
much is missed by staying in big hotels, you don't get the contact  
with the people and miss so much. I'd rather have the money for food,  
and more days traveling. If I had gone the conventional route- I  
would have only been able to stay in Vienna and go to my conference-  
thus missing two wonderful weeks in Italy. Another tip- I booked an  
open-jaw ticket. Flew from Toronto via London to Vienna- left from  
Rome to London and back to Toronto. Not much difference in cost, but  
I saved back tracking to Vienna. From Vienna I took the overnight  
train- sleeper- saved money on a room- and thus arrived fresh in  
Venice ready to see the sites.

In italy the most I spent was 40 euros a night for a one room with  
private bath in Venice. I found this by talking to a gentleman who  
greeted me at the train station- it is mentioned in a Lonely Planet  
guide, as a common practice. He showed me pictures of the rooms and  
where the hotel was on the map. When I agreed on one- he called and  
made the reservation-I guess he was given a commission. Very  
reasonable, and the room was perfect. I tend to not make reservations  
for more than one or two days after I land in Europe. That way I am  
free to change my plans. I found on my arrival in Florence that a  
national holiday was on - the museums were either crowded or closed-  
so I moved on to Rome and spent the extra days there.

Freda

<the end>

Edited by Mark S. Harris	Europe-msg	Page  of