Welcome Back Joanofarc!!!! - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**Canadian Dude** · 11-12-2003, 07:09 PM

Hey Babes!! Hope you had a great time over seas...when you get over the jet lag be sure to fill us in!!!

Its great to have ya back!! Time to start planning the next one!!!

TUI · 11-12-2003, 10:13 PM

hey welcome back JOA!

so whats next on the travel agenda?

**joanofarc** · 11-13-2003, 02:50 PM

man, i've been thinking for days how i could break it to everyone on the boards... but... as much fun as i had on the trip - i didn't do it on a budget

okay, i consider myself an outdoors woman, i like to rough it - but i guess only when i'm out in nature, surrounded by trees and mountains and fresh pure air.

i stayed 6 nights in a hotel in munich that cost 95 euro per night - and i paid it gladly! maybe i'll be ousted from the boards now, but i totally prefer a hotel to a hostel - in fact, i tried to avoid hostels at all costs over there - fuck pissing in the hallway and fuck shower shoes too!! i mean i didn't spend exorbitantly, but i spent more per day on lodging than i had originally budgeted ($45 compared with $25) - damn, some of the hostel privates i saw though were so grody, i wouldn't stay there - haha - i must be a priss!

i had to break this news first and foremost before i continue with my travel stories.

**Canadian Dude** · 11-13-2003, 03:10 PM

No worries JOA, I flew to Europe first class because it had more leg room for my 6'4" frame...I had a laps in will power

You may have treated yourself to a cozy room at a hotel, BUT you had to have saved money other ways..right? If ya did scrimp somewhere thats ok in my books.

If you can treat yourself to a luxury, I say go for it! But as I found out the last time, once you spend on the "treat" then ya gotta save a buck somewhere else.

Just good to have ya back dafe and sound!!!

(ps, how did the airplane ride go??? wink,wink,nudge,nudge)

**joanofarc** · 11-13-2003, 03:13 PM

so these are the usable highlights:

we spent 3 days in the black forest, which was beautiful.
this is where i discovered that i highly prefer small towns to the larger cities.

we stumbled into a town called KIRCHZARTEN, which was accessible by train and had hiking opportunities abound. we hiked one day about 4 hours and experienced some of the most breaktaking views imaginable - it was the forest itself that was so impressive - all that light play practically paralyzed me. i can highly recommend the gasthaus we stayed at GASTHAUS LOWEN - 70 euro per night for a double room with bath, breakfast included - worth every penny!! they had a heater in the bathroom which i loved, and the restaurant connected with the place had delicious steak as well as ice cream sundaes, moderately priced.

because i know you're all wondering - our flight was fully booked - there just wasn't an opportunity for us to be 'alone' i was aiming for the flight home - damn! booked solid!! in fact we didn't even have seats together (thanks hotwire)

MUNICH was the bomb!!

what a chill city! maybe it's their proximity to italy, i don't know... but as cosmopolitan as it was, it just had this really relaxed vibe. the highlight there - and you all have to do this - tony, you freak nasty, you'll love it! the MULLERSCHES VOLKSBAD was so incredible. it's this old art deco building and you can go there and get butt naked with a bunch of bavarians. there are various steam/sauna rooms and pools of fresh, warm, ice cold water - ah, what a place!! i was there maybe three times just soaking it up.

highly recommended:

hotel mariandl
expensive, ok, very expensive - but damn, what beautifully appointed rooms! and they have this cafe downstairs - i heard great jazz there everynight - it was the total hot spot too, always packed - from 10am till late at night! even if you don't stay there, try their cafe, it was really cool!

pension frank
we stayed here too, it was nice - surely cheaper, but shower on the floor. this was more the kind of place to meet other youngstas - a really trendy neighborhood, being in the uni. district, but all you could need nearby, ie; laundromat - pizza - museums (see the museum of modern art!)

and last, but god damn! not least - LIEBIGHOF restaurant!! expensive, but worth every damn penny! just delicious!!

*those places were all recommended to me by a german ex-co-worker! he was right on the money.

in the end, lodging was the only thing i spent tons of money on - we ate really cheaply, lots of salami and cheese sandwiches - but we had coffee once a day and dessert everynight. all said and done, i say we spent about $75 usd per day - but - that really afforded us a lot of comfort. i don't regret any of that, i'll do the same next time i'm in europe, i found it worth it. i struggled with disappointment for a while, in myself, that i wanted such nice sleeping arrangements - but i have to admit - a little luxury goes a long way

**Mocassin** · 11-13-2003, 03:55 PM

Haha! Joan...What a nice trip! Haaaaa....The black forest! :D

Don't worry, when in Greece, I was so tired of the heat and sleeping in broken beds full of bugs for the last month, that I slept in a few expensive hotels with climatisation and nice, white beds...On the last night of our trip, my friend and I slept in a 200euros/night hotel hehheeheh!

**Diorama** · 11-13-2003, 05:46 PM

awesome trip Joan! what's next for ya? I loved southern germany too. Breathtaking is the word for it I believe. Don't worry about staying in a hotel. We'll still call ya a backpacker! :P

**worldwidemike** · 11-13-2003, 09:04 PM

Joan, if they boot you from the Boards, they gotta boot me, too! I haven't stayed in a hostel since 1985. It was on that five week trip to Scotland, mixing in B&B stays with hostels, that I finally said, "You know, I'm done sleeping in hostels and smelling someone else stinky feet all night."

I still try to travel cheaply, I just stay in 3-star hotels, usually. The lowest cost, best value one I can find with a shower and toilet in the same room.

My guess is TP won't kick us off his site...we're a pretty inclusive bunch, and the more viewpoints and opinions on a place that you can get on a place you're going to, the better.

Your trip sounds great. I gotta get back to doing some hiking. I used to ALWAYS include at least one day hike in my trips...

worldwidemike

**travelpunk** · 11-14-2003, 01:29 AM

Note to self, block the IP addresses of WWM and Joa..... :greenguy: hahaha

Travel in style! That's what I'm talking about! Look, I've NEVER slept in a hostel dorm myself

! I averaged about $45US dollars on accommodations too! On my Budget page I recommend $75 a day, to be safe. It was mostly because of the acommodation situation.

Back to the important thing, JOANOFARC is back!
We've missed you here, babe! You missed some action!There was even a brief attempt of a DITFART mutiny, but that came and went like like a pitcher of beer.

We're just glad that you had a great time and came back in one piece. Hope you ate well

!

**Mocassin** · 11-17-2003, 07:29 PM

Quote:

There was even a brief attempt of a DITFART mutiny, but that came and went like like a pitcher of beer.

Pffffffffffffffff.......