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European Discovery, Summer 2006 with Contiki

In and around Europe

This summer we had a great vacation touring all around central Europe. Though the name of the tour was European Discovery, but it was kind of a whirlwind tour around major European cities and attractions.

During summer school holidays Priya planned to visit her parents in Hamburg, Germany. And I also joined her to give some company and fulfill my personal dream of visiting continent of Europe. We got some good deal on tickets from Natas travel fair and flew by Emirates. Initially we didn’t book any package. I was trying to book the package after reaching Hamburg. But it was difficult to match the dates and due to peak session mostly everything was sold out. I spent quite some time planning my dream itinerary but it seemed quite difficult to achieve. Finally I bought a package from Contiki tours and enjoyed it thoroughly.

For 11 days together, we toured all over Western Europe and bonded with each other. We sampled and lived out each of the different country's culture . At the same time, we had a lot of fun being with each other .

Thanks to our tour manager Dave , he brought some life to our long road trips inside the coach with his history and geography lessons of each country and city, especially those told in a storybook fashion like the story of Romulus and how he established Rome.

We explored Western Europe in all its glory, from the serene canals in Amsterdam to the dazzling Eiffel Tower in Paris. This tour breezed through 8 fantastic countries , experiencing local traditions and customs in every country like a gondola ride in Venice or stroll along the Champs Eylsees.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tanmoydas/

Route taken and entries by Real Traveler Tanmoy

  1. 1

    Day 1 : Hamburg , Germany ( The Garden City of Europe )

    Hamburg, Germany | Jun 07 '06 | Reviews: 2

    I'm not sure if I'll have time to blog each day or if I'll be able to make this interesting enough for ya'll to follow, but it's worth a mediocre s... Continue reading »

     see 7 photos »    see 2 places visited »  
  2. 2

    Day 2 : Hamburg City and Harbor Tour

    Hamburg, Germany | Jun 08 '06 | Reviews: 3

    Before we start our European Discovery with Contiki we had a free day to experience and explore Hamburg Germany's "Gateway to the World" and Hambur... Continue reading »

     see 5 photos »    see 3 places visited »  
  3. 3

    Day 3 : Hamburg to Amsterdam

    Amsterdam, Netherlands | Jun 09 '06 | Reviews: 1

    10th of June , it was our first day to start European Discovery with our Contiki Friends . We were very excited to meet our new friends and also th... Continue reading »

     see 5 photos »    see 1 place visited »  
  4. 4

    Day 4: Amsterdam sightseeing then heading to Rhine Valley, Germany

    Germany | Jun 10 '06 | Reviews: 1

    A free morning to enjoy the delights of Amsterdam before traveling on to St Goar to learn the history of German beer steins. From here a scenic... Continue reading »

     see 5 photos »    see 1 place visited »  
  5. 5

    Day 5: Rhine Valley to Munich, Germany

    Munich, Germany | Jun 11 '06 | Reviews: 1

    We travel south through Germany to Bavaria and its capital, Munich. Our orientation tour of Munich takes us to Marienplatz with its famous Glockens... Continue reading »

     see 7 photos »    see 1 place visited »  
  6. 6

    Day 6: Munich to Tyrol, Austria

    Austria | Jun 12 '06 | Reviews: 2

    Morning: Snow-capped Alps form the backdrop with an opportunity to experience white water rafting mid-morning and later be dazzled by... Continue reading »

     see 31 photos »    see 2 places visited »  
  7. 7

    Day 7: Tyrol, Austria to Venice

    Venice, Italy | Jun 13 '06 | Reviews: 1
     

    Today we wind through the astonishing beauty of the Brenner Pass to cross the border into Italy. It's a short boat ride to the historical... Continue reading »

     see 18 photos »    see 1 place visited »  
  8. 8

    Day 8: Venice to Rome

    Rome, Italy | Jun 14 '06 | Reviews: 12

    Past medieval hillside villages and through the Apennines Mountains, we travel south to the fabled Seven Hills of Rome. Do as the Romans do and... Continue reading »

     see 19 photos »    see 12 places visited »  
  9. 9

    Day 9: Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel , Colosseum and Roman ruins

    Vatican City | Jun 15 '06 | Reviews: 6

    Ancient and modern Rome awaits your discovery. Why not start your day with a guided tour of the Vatican Museums and... Continue reading »

     see 18 photos »    see 6 places visited »  
  10. 10

    Day 10: Rome to Florence (Birth place of the Renaissance)

    Florence, Italy | Jun 16 '06 | Reviews: 2

    Our morning drive leads us to Florence, the Renaissance city in the beautiful mounta... Continue reading »

     see 8 photos »    see 2 places visited »  
  11. 11

    Day 11 : Mountains of Liechtenstein , on our way to Lucerne

    Vaduz, Liechtenstein | Jun 17 '06 | Reviews: 0

     Our path takes us toward the towering Alps and the vast serene lakes of Switzerland.

    -----------... Continue reading »

     see 12 photos »  
  12. 12

    Day 11: Lucerne, Switzerland

    Lucerne, Switzerland | Jun 17 '06 | Reviews: 11

    Our path takes us toward the towering Alps and the vast serene lakes of Switzerland. Be charmed by medieval Lucerne with its Chapel Bridge, Lion... Continue reading »

     see 21 photos »    see 11 places visited »  
  13. 13

    Day 12: Lucerne to Paris and Evening with Eiffel Tower

    Paris, France | Jun 18 '06 | Reviews: 2
     

    Our focus today is the journey to Paris, the 'City of Lights'. What better introduction than with our sightseeing tour and your first glim... Continue reading »

     see 11 photos »    see 2 places visited »  
  14. 14

    Day 13: Norte Dame and The City of Paris

    Paris, France | Jun 19 '06 | Reviews: 9
     

    Visit a French perfume house and then take the opportunity to visit some of the most celebrated icons of Europe. The Louvre, Eiffel Tower,... Continue reading »

     see 30 photos »    see 9 places visited »  
  15. 15

    Day 14: Paris to Hamburg

    Brussels, Belgium | Jun 20 '06 | Reviews: 0
     

    It was my last day in Paris and we were very sad . There were 2 reasons , we spend so little time in such a great city and secondly it was en... Continue reading »

     see 12 photos »  
  16. 16

    Day 14 : Back in Hamburg .....

    Hamburg, Germany | Jun 21 '06 | Reviews: 0

    There is nothing much to read in this blog . This entry was created to make the tour map . We came to Hamburg then went for Berlin .


    <... Continue reading »

     see 1 photo »  
  17. 17

    Day 15: Berlin and Sachsenhausen

    Berlin, Germany | Jun 21 '06 | Reviews: 3
     

    We only had a day to spend in Berlin between our early morning arrival and evening departure to Hamburg. Certainly not enough to do... Continue reading »

     see 22 photos »    see 3 places visited »  
  18. 18

    Day 16: Hamburg Miniature land and Planten un Blomen

    Hamburg, Germany | Jun 22 '06 | Reviews: 3
     

    Today was kind of a family day . After a long long time I slept late till 9.00 am . 9.30 am breakfast and then we went to Miniature wonderlan... Continue reading »

     see 5 photos »    see 3 places visited »  
Travelzz avatar Travelzz on Jul. 2, 2006 @ 05:00PM said
Thanks for your time Tanmoy. I appreciate it. A major question would be about the visas. I suppose a Schengen Visa plus a UK visa should do for the trip. I regularly travel to Germany for business and thus the Schengen shouldn't be an issue. I am planning to take my wife along on one of this trips and then go for a tour after the business requirement. How difficult is to get a tourist visa for UK/Schengen area for an Indian National? Any tips? Also, do you have a rough figure of how much the entire tour cost in INR? Thanks again, Tanmoy. Have a great day.
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Tanmoy avatar Tanmoy on Jul. 2, 2006 @ 05:00PM said
Let me know what you want to know , I will help you if I can .
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Tanmoy avatar Tanmoy on Jul. 2, 2006 @ 05:00PM said
Getting a tourist visa is not an issue, I got mine from Singapore, and administration is much better. I am not sure how efficiently embassies work in India. The thumb rule is they will ask for Travel insurance and itinerary. Go through their website see the documents required, as long as you have the documents prepared they don’t have a reason to deny you giving tourist VISA. Regarding tour operators you have lot of choice. Contiki is good but very fast spaced and have a age restriction (below 35 years) . You can try others as well e.g Cosmos, Trafalgar. The routes are almost same, but every tour operator has their own bells and whistles (optional itineraries , location of hotels , detours ) and they charge you accordingly . I was very tight on budget and time and also by travel calendar and desire exactly matched with Contiki European discover. It was quite hectic, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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Travelzz avatar Travelzz on Jul. 2, 2006 @ 05:00PM said
Hello Tanmoy, Hope you are well. I am planning for this as well and am also from India. Would like to hear something about it in detail if you have the time. Thanks Tanmoy. :-)
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apollo_sunshine avatar apollo_sunshine on Jul. 2, 2006 @ 05:00PM said
We are seeking people to join us. We want your sunrise! And we want you to join us to broadcast a never ending sun. Live! The idea comes from one of our stupid thought: Why can't we keep a gorgeous moment that will never end? This is a project which needs people all around the world to achieve. We want people from different time zones to shoot the sunrises in their local places. Our optimistic outcome is installing 24 screens to display sunrises around the Earth. The Sun will keep rising from screen to screen, from bottom to top vertically. This 'never ending sun' will last for 24 hours in a day! In fact there are still many problems to solve, it's been a tough way so far. Therefore we are in need of supports. Your help will be most appreciated no matter in what aspects. It could be supporting us technically, joining us, spreading it out, giving us suggestions or anything else you could think of. You name it, we do it. Your help will be most appreciated no matter in what aspects. It could be supporting us technically, joining us, spreading it out, giving us suggestions or anything else you could think of. You name it, we do it. Details please refer to our links. URL: http://www.neverendingsun.net YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/neverendingsun2007 Blog: http://never-ending-sun.blogspot.com We sincerely seek for your kindly help. Give us a shout if you think this is awesome :) Many Thanks, Apollo Team (Jane, James, Pizza and Dawn)
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Travelingone avatar Travelingone on Jul. 2, 2006 @ 05:00PM said
Hi Tanmoy, I am presntly in USA on a work permit and I am from India. I am planing fro May 2008 visit to Europe for 25 days. i woudl like to know about the procedures to obtain visa. I appreciate as much input from your end. Thank you
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