Going to Germany for World Cup...need some help

[vanbasten]

leaving the 11th.

will see the USA/Czech Repulic game on the 12th in Gelsenkirchen. the Tunisia/Saudi Arabia game in Munich on the 14th, and the USA/Italy game in Kaiserslaughtern on the 17th.

it's going to be awesome and i can't wait...but need some help.

i want to be able to call home. i've heard about these prepaid orange phones you can purchase once your there. is this true? and is this the best option? already contacted my current carrier (verizon). they can get me a phone, but at $4.00/day rental and $1.50 minute.

i've heard about Skype as well, but internet access might be limited, and don't want to worry about a headset for this.

now more importanlty, if anyone has any recommendations on something i should see or go to while i'm there, i'm all ears.

i will also be taking a train to Amsterdam to party for a day as well. again, if there's any can't miss things to do or see, or bars to go to, please let me know.

thanks in advance!

 

[saint]

When I was in Europe and Mexico I used pre-paid AT&T phone cards and got really good rates on them. Things might have changed though because it was about 10 years ago.

I am extremely jealous of you...have a great time! The Italy-US game is the day of my wedding...arggh.

 

[redsfann]

In Amsterdam take the Heineken Brewery tour. They no longer brew beer there, but its a fun tour for a small donation to charity--It was one guilder when I was there--now in Euros??-and you get to sample the beer at the end of the tour...

Are you into art? If so, the Van Gogh and the Rembrandt museums in Amsterdam should not be missed--its the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt's birth this year as well.
also a stop at the Anne Frank house should be on the itinerary while in town. Unlike the museums, its a 15-20 minute stop, so it can easily be done if you are only going to be in town for a day.

Count me as another who is jealous of your trip. I was in Europe from May 10th-22nd, and really wanted to go during the World Cup--but flights would have been 5X more expensive than when we went--not to mention the prices of the hotel rooms and with the dollar being in the crapper right now--it woulda cost us a ton more $$ than it did...

Can't help you with the phone calls to the US from Europe as I've never made one...almost every place we went--and in all of our hotels--had free/very cheap internet access to send e-mails...

Enjoy Amsterdam, its my favorite Western European city...weather is usually lower 50s with drizzle and/or rain on a daily basis..usually fine with a lightweight, waterproof jacket and a ball cap.

 

[vanbasten]

thanks for the replies. went with the verizon option. just easier right now. will check into orange phones once i get there.

plan on going to amsterdam on friday the 16th, holland plays that day, so it should be awesome. heineken tour and rembrandt or van gogh museum sound interesting as well.

thanks again.