15

OP....you were right not to choose South Africa for the food!

Although if you like fish its pretty good there,and there are some decent modern SA restaurants in Cape Town and Joburg.Also the winelands...Franschoek and Stellenbosch in particular.

Much of the rest of the country is a culinary wasteland I'm afraid.......but it is still an amazing country on so many other levels.

16

Mrs_Trellis, I admit I did not think of Rome at all! It would definitely hit the art/people watching/food portion of things, and I'm guessing it's probably right in line with Paris pricing and a bit more expensive than Barcelona. Do the array of arts and entertainment offerings compare well with Paris? I imagine they would, but would love more details on their jazz/live music scene and operas.

And thanks, lucapal on confirming my ideas on South African cuisine. I'm definitely making a trip to the winelands for a least 2-3 nights, so I'll get my fill of innovative eats there and otherwise just eat to live.

17

Hello,
Did you consider Madrid? World famous galleries and great food. Although from your descriptions, I would choose Paris.

18

Hello !

If you don't like the cold, keep in mind that even in Europe you should wear a coat in February. But in France, or Spain, the weather is warmer than in New-York at that time of year.

Everything you want for this trip, you'll find in Paris, which in a multicultural city.
But you'll find it in Barcelona too. The city is really great.
You'll find all this in London too.
In fact, in most European cities you'll find what you want (Vienna, Lisboa, Madrid, Stockholm...)
I guess if I were you, I'll choose Rome. I never been there, and aveyone says it's a beautiful city.

I'll just say a bit more about Paris, as I live there.
February is not the best month to visit Paris (it's usually the month were I want to go away from Paris to seek the sun) but if you don't mind having a few rrainy days, you’ll have a great trip there. And if you like museums, rainy days are not so bad once your inside. And you can aslo have a walk in the « passages couverts » where you can find nice restaurants and original shops.
If you like jazz, you could go to some place like the New Morning, you could see great live music. You should book in advance.
About cuisine, you’ll find everything in Paris, from « cuisine de bistrot » (croque-monsieur or steak and fries) to international cuisine (japanese, italian...)