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Europe
Travel start going downhill in October, days get noticeably shorter,
wind get chillier and tourism drifts south, though autumn colours
are superb and there's elbow room all over north and middle Europe.
Map
of Europe | European
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Europe
Festivities: see European
Festivals or Arts
Festivals for more suggestions, information and some
precise dates.
France:
Nancy Jazz Festival, early Oct, 2 weeks.
Nationwide, La Semaine du Gout [Tasting Week] - teaching peopleto
appreciate good home cooking with public tastings, exhibitions,
street parties.
Paris, Salon du Chocolat - every
possible aspect of the brown wonder-drug is explored at this big
celebration in Port de Versailles. Three or four days in late October.
Germany:
Berlin Festival [music of all
sorts, drama, art] early Sept-mid Oct
Munich's Oktoberfest beer frenzy, mid Sept - early October
Ireland:
Wexford Opera Festival - a small but perfectly formed showcase for
rare works by famous composers in the tiny Theatre Royal [evening
dress required!] and around the town. Late November -early October.
Hungary:
Budapest Autumn Music
Festival - all sorts of arts, music, drama, dance, exhibitions,
poetry and kid's stuff. Mid to late October.
For
sightseeing/culture in reasonably comfortable weather conditions:
Spain:
Spain is generally warm and pleasant in October. The best bet for
a dry cultural experience is in the south, visiting the magical
Moorish cities of Seville,
Cordoba and Granada, where the days are warm and the nights coolish.
Barcelona too is a lively,
interesting city, though it can be a little chilly/wet in October.
Swimming in the Mediterranean in October is no fun, nor is the sad,
overbuilt coast that is now dedicated to sod-the-culture, we want
sun, sea and sangria tour groups.
Portugal:
Perhaps a bit wet, but often warm with blue skies in October. Try
the pleasant old-fashioned atmospheres of Lisbon,
Sintra
and Evora.
Italy:
The southern part of Italy has generally mild winters with blue
skies, so Rome, Pompeii, Herculaneum
and Sicily are excellent cultural targets, while Amalfi takes good
care of those who need a scenic uplift. Venice
is chilly, damp and foggy, but has a terrific mysterious quality,
enhanced by the lack of tourists [and relatively welcoming locals],
and spectacular Florence will
be relatively uncrowded too.
Turkey [esp. Istanbul.
More or less Europe!]
Greece
[esp. Athens,
Peloponnese peninsula, Meteora]
France
[Paris, Ile-de-France, Burgandy,
Avignon, Arles, Riviera]
Belgium
[esp. Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp,
Bruges, the Ardennes]
UK
[London]
Austria
[Vienna]
European
Country Pictures:
Austria
| England
| Finland
| Greece
| Iceland
| Italy
| Netherlands
[Holland] | Norway
| Portugal
| Russia
| Spain
| Sweden
| Switzerland
| Turkey
European
City Pictures:
Amsterdam
| Athens
| Budapest
| Edinburgh
| Genoa
| Lisbon
| London
| Madrid
| Paris
| Prague
| Rome
| Venice
| Vienna
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