Where are you going.. (Travel Thread)

[Spekulatius]

[Marco Van Basten]

@Spekulatius, stunning, is it France?  Where?

[SharperDingaan]

Doing two weeks of hiking in Madeira during Feb/March, as part of a multi-year Africa travel project; travelling to/from via a stop over in Lisbon.

Way more time than really required, but as I'm now retired ... swimming in the mid atlantic gulf stream every other day, seems like a pretty good gig!

 

SD

  

[Marco Van Basten]

3 hours ago, SharperDingaan said:

Doing two weeks of hiking in Madeira during Feb/March, as part of a multi-year Africa travel project; travelling to/from via a stop over in Lisbon.

Way more time than really required, but as I'm now retired ... swimming in the mid atlantic gulf stream every other day, seems like a pretty good gig!

 

SD

  

Is swimming in Madeira comfortable in December?  What is the water temperature?  Thank you.  

[villainx]

Heading to Denver to what reddit folks are saying mild weather.  Unfortunately, family was planning to ski.

 

 

[SharperDingaan]

4 hours ago, Marco Van Basten said:

Is swimming in Madeira comfortable in December?  What is the water temperature?  Thank you.  

 

Sea temp is 18-19 Celsius; 6 degrees higher in the summer. To Europeans the island itself is pretty much the same as a east coast Canadian going down to the Carribean for winter break .. but less crowded.

 

SD

[Spekulatius]

On 12/18/2025 at 9:31 PM, Marco Van Basten said:

@Spekulatius, stunning, is it France?  Where?

Nancy. Very underrated. I have also been to Dijon but like Nancy better. You get fabulous food in both cities and many others. People are very friendly in smaller cities. France is not just Paris…

[Marco Van Basten]

4 hours ago, Spekulatius said:

Nancy. Very underrated. I have also been to Dijon but like Nancy better. You get fabulous food in both cities and many others. People are very friendly in smaller cities. France is not just Paris…

I should have known.  I was in Nancy in 2014, I love Dijion, why do you like Nancy better?

[UK]

Did not imagined how beautiful Catalonia is:). All these places are within 100km or max 1 hour from Barcelona.

Edited December 21, 2025 by UK

[maxthetrade]

Weather in Germany sucks, so we went to Phuket over Christmas and New Year. Nature and weather over here are fantastic. 
I’m not completely convinced by the electric installations though

Wish you all a happy New Year

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2025 by maxthetrade

[Spekulatius]

On 12/21/2025 at 3:22 AM, Marco Van Basten said:

I should have known.  I was in Nancy in 2014, I love Dijion, why do you like Nancy better?

Both are great but Nancy seem more intimate, smaller and has a more coherent architecture. 

[Charlie]

3 hours ago, maxthetrade said:

Weather in Germany sucks, so we went to Phuket over Christmas and New Year. Nature and weather over here are fantastic. 
I’m not completely convinced by the electric installations though

Wish you all a happy New Year

Weather in Germany really sucked, so we escaped to Side, Turkey. 

Great weather, mediterranen food at the mediterranen sea and red wine.

It´s a children hotel, so our children love it.

 

Nothing is better, than a little bit sun in the winter. 

Edited December 29, 2025 by Charlie

[John Hjorth]

3 hours ago, maxthetrade said:

... I’m not completely convinced by the electric installations though ...
 

 

... 
 

 

 - One moment I just thought : 'What is that black spagetti hovering in the air?' - Great dry German humor, Max [ @maxthetrade ] ! 

[LC]

On 12/18/2025 at 7:12 PM, villainx said:

Heading to Denver to what reddit folks are saying mild weather.  Unfortunately, family was planning to ski.

 

 

Oof - sorry...

Early season (pre-Jan) skiing can be rough in the mountain west. I hope you had fun, though!

 

I am currently stopped over in NYC. Spent a week with some extended family, we skied upstate at Gore Mtn. Was not bad terrain really, some parts I could see being quite technical which I like. And the core ski group is young and talented. But similarly poor conditions... thanks for nothing, global warming! 

 

On my way to Chamonix for the real leg of the ski trip. Similar not-great conditions to be expected, but will be my first time skiing the french alps so looking forward to the experience!

[maxthetrade]

19 hours ago, Charlie said:

Weather in Germany really sucked, so we escaped to Side, Turkey. 

Great weather, mediterranen food at the mediterranen sea and red wine.

It´s a children hotel, so our children love it.

 

Nothing is better, than a little bit sun in the winter. 

I know that area, we have an apartment in Antalya, my wife bought it when she had an fruit import/export business in Ukraine and had to travel to Turkey often. 
We usually don‘t go there in Winter though as the weather is somewhat unstable and often raining.
 

[Charlie]

4 hours ago, maxthetrade said:

On 12/29/2025 at 2:13 PM, Charlie said:

Weather in Germany really sucked, so we escaped to Side, Turkey. 

Great weather, mediterranen food at the mediterranen sea and red wine.

It´s a children hotel, so our children love it.

 

Nothing is better, than a little bit sun in the winter. 

I know that area, we have an apartment in Antalya, my wife bought it when she had an fruit import/export business in Ukraine and had to travel to Turkey often. 
We usually don‘t go there in Winter though as the weather is somewhat unstable and often raining.

25 years ago my brother moved from Germany to Thailand.

Now he lives a little bit above Phuket, is married with a Thai woman and

owns some land near the sea. He is architect and built his own house on the land.

He has a very relaxing life in Thailand. 

He owns some Berkshire shares and is probably very good at doing nothing. 

Perhaps I should do the same. 

 

[Gamecock-YT]

5 hours ago, Charlie said:

25 years ago my brother moved from Germany to Thailand.

Now he lives a little bit above Phuket, is married with a Thai woman and

owns some land near the sea. He is architect and built his own house on the land.

He has a very relaxing life in Thailand. 

He owns some Berkshire shares and is probably very good at doing nothing. 

Perhaps I should do the same. 

 

you mean his wife owns the land, farang can’t own land.

[Charlie]

11 hours ago, Gamecock-YT said:

you mean his wife owns the land, farang can’t own land.

You are right.

[whiskybravo]

On 12/29/2025 at 7:53 AM, LC said:

On my way to Chamonix for the real leg of the ski trip. Similar not-great conditions to be expected, but will be my first time skiing the french alps so looking forward to the experience!

Fantastic, enjoy Mont Blanc!  We had an incredible experience across the border in Courmayeur watching, in the piazza, Italy beat France in the 2006 World Cup final, Zidane head but and all (one moment of satisfaction, one lifetime of regret!).  Then the absolute crazy all night celebration.

 

 

[villainx]

On 12/29/2025 at 7:53 AM, LC said:

Oof - sorry...

Early season (pre-Jan) skiing can be rough in the mountain west. I hope you had fun, though!

 

I am currently stopped over in NYC. Spent a week with some extended family, we skied upstate at Gore Mtn. Was not bad terrain really, some parts I could see being quite technical which I like. And the core ski group is young and talented. But similarly poor conditions... thanks for nothing, global warming! 

 

On my way to Chamonix for the real leg of the ski trip. Similar not-great conditions to be expected, but will be my first time skiing the french alps so looking forward to the experience!

 

Gore Mtn was one of my favorite when I was a kid!  Seeing it mentioned brought back a bunch of fond memories.

 

We were lucky enough to get about a foot of new snow the day before we got to the resort.  For my boys, it was probably perfect, and they spent most of the days there in group lessons.  I snowboarded with them on the last day and conditions were - while probably not prime west powder - still decent; I'd say like a very good east coast day.  

 

My oldest kid was so sad when we first got to Denver because the forecast was still bleak, especially as a blizzard bore down the east coast area.  Turned into glee as the snow reports came in.

 

Hope you got similar luck in the alps!  

 

 

[LC]

4 hours ago, villainx said:

My oldest kid was so sad when we first got to Denver because the forecast was still bleak, especially as a blizzard bore down the east coast area.  Turned into glee as the snow reports came in.

 

Hope you got similar luck in the alps!

That dry western snow is something special for sure (champagne powder)

 

No such luck here, conditions are quite sad. But where there is sorrow, there is wine. And so it is not all sad!

 

If I can figure how to post pictures I will do so! The prominence of these exposed mountains make an impressive backdrop! Cheers and happy skiing.

[Vish_ram]

I would love to hear some travel agent recommendations for Cairo/Nile cruise. 

[UK]

During the winter holidays we went with the car from Barcelona to Peniche (Portugal) via Madrid and after spending some time in PT, went back via Salamanca, Burgos, Zaragosa. Despite being colder (and wetter) vs south, especially if you are in elevated places:), my general conclusion is the more north I see, the more I like it:). Less crowdy, more authentic, interesting food etc.

 

I have never been there, but my number one destination for the next time will be this https://ingreenspain.es/en/.

 

"A place exists in the North of Spain where the intense green blends into the deep blue that writhes between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea; a landscape of unique beauty that is a meeting point of ancestral traditions and avant-garde trends. Few are those who know that another Spain exists, far removed from the stereotypes, an Atlantic Spain, a “Green Spain, The spirit of the North”

 

Several GoT filming locations (Dragonstone) is also in this region:)

 

Edited January 9 by UK

[cwericb]

On 1/9/2026 at 12:25 AM, UK said:

During the winter holidays we went with the car from Barcelona to Peniche (Portugal) via Madrid and after spending some time in PT, went back via Salamanca, Burgos, Zaragosa. Despite being colder (and wetter) vs south, especially if you are in elevated places:), my general conclusion is the more north I see, the more I like it:). Less crowdy, more authentic, interesting food etc.

 

I have never been there, but my number one destination for the next time will be this https://ingreenspain.es/en/.

 

"A place exists in the North of Spain where the intense green blends into the deep blue that writhes between the Atlantic Ocean and the Cantabrian Sea; a landscape of unique beauty that is a meeting point of ancestral traditions and avant-garde trends. Few are those who know that another Spain exists, far removed from the stereotypes, an Atlantic Spain, a “Green Spain, The spirit of the North”

 

Several GoT filming locations (Dragonstone) is also in this region:)

 

 

Spent quite a bit if time in the Piniche area. My sister and her husband have a house with a cottage on the same property(free rent for me!) in the Areia Branca/Lourinhã area, just south of Piniche. Great area to visit and is called the Silver Coast, They spend most of the year there and only spend about three months in the summer in Canada now.

Right now it is pretty cool and damp there in that area of Portugal.

[Whensthepaintdry?]

We briefly went to the Asturias a couple years ago and really enjoyed it. We biked/hiked around Somiedo national park and Picos. We are going back in May and plan to visit different areas in/around Asturias hopefully making it to the coast this time. We are currently in the planning phase. It will be for about 3 weeks and it is our first out of the country trip with our son.