>=20 > I'm heading to Europe for my honeymoon this August, and I was > wondering if I could get some advice from residents and fellow > travellers. >=20 > 1) Is it better to get Euros or native currency? We'll be in Paris > for a few days, then down to Malaga, Spain and Estoril, Portugal. All European Union countries use the Euro as the local currency except = for UK, Denmark, and Sweden (I think). Norway and Switzerland are not = part of the EU, so they don't either. Using only Euros is VERY nice, because changing money from country to = country is a pain and expensive. By the way, one side of the Euro coins are all the same, but the back = side is different for each country. You can start a collection. > 2) What is the typical dress code for young people (24-25 yrs old) > during the summer? For going to restaurants or clubs, will they be > mostly formal? I'm a jeans and t-shirt guy mostly. You should be all set with jeans and t-shirts. Remember, it's gonna be = hot down there. You want to be comfortable. If you don't want to stand = out too much as an American, then any comfortable shoes except for = sneakers would be fine. If you really want to be safe, bring only one = button-up shirt and a pair of Docker's-like trousers. You never know if = you want to go into a fancier place with some sort of dress code. I was just in Lisbon for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Lots of = outdoor restaurants and pubs near the water, lots of young people your = age, that sort of thing. =20 > 4) Would it be more economical to get flights on local carriers for > getting around Europe, or taking the train? And any recommendations > on booking tickets over the net? The trains in Europe are wonderful and romantic. For example, you could = take the TGV (train of great speed) from Paris to Marseille or = Barcelona. That's about 900 or so kilometers. I usually figure about = one hour per 100 for the fast trains (including stops and connections). = So you are looking at about 10 hours or so from Paris to Spain, more to = Madrid. Maybe consider taking a night train. Just guessing, a night = train with a nice sleeping compartment for 2 people from Paris to = Marseille should cost less than $180 each. But if time is important, taking a plane isn't very expensive. My wife = flies now and again from Frankfurt to Milan from around $150 or so round = trip. I don't like airports so for me the break-even or cut-off point = for flying versus taking the train is about 5 or 6 hours by train. = Figure an hour to get to the airport, another hour and half to wait, = then the one to two hours in the air, etc. In other words, with the = exception of night trains, I usually fly if going by train is over 6 = hours. The trains here are very impressive, clean and comfortable. Night and = day difference between riding on Amtrak, believe me. =20 >=20 > 5) Are web cafes with the ability to upload pictures taken on our > digital camera available and cheap? I'm worried that our 256mb card > won't last the two weeks. I'll probably buy another 512mb card closer > to when we leave, but I'd still like to have the option of dumping > them onto my FTP server just in case. I just checked with my colleague from Spain. First of all, Spain is one = of the least in Europe for internet usage. You will find some internet = caf=E9s there, but not a lot. Better to buy some more flash cards. Less than 50% of people in Spain use the internet. Compared to like, = 99.99% in Finland where you never have to walk more than 2 minutes to = find a connection. He also clarified the club scene in Spain. Two things that will prevent = you from getting into most clubs: sport shoes (sneakers, tennis shoes) = and white socks. With jeans, it depends on the club. Given my track record on this list concerning electricity, I won't = comment much on that except to say this: 210 volts, 50 Hz. One more thing about France: They have a different keyboard, not even = QWERTY, so if you are like me and type with all your fingers, using one = could cause an aneurism. =20 I'm living in Heidelberg and travel a bit now and then for work. So if = you have any more specific questions, I'd be happy to help. Cheers and Bon Voyage! Lindy -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.