Vacation 2012

[killersheep]

Well this year has been shit trying to get time together enough to get out of town just hasn't happened and my Pacific Northwest tour (Bend, OR > Portland, OR > Seattle, WA > Vancouver, BC) looks more and more bleak with every new workday.

Next year however we are booking a week in Amsterdam followed by a week in Paris. I really like looking at old buildings and learning local histories. Anyone have any specific recommendations of things to do in those cities?

[El Kabong]

I was SUPPOSED to go to Amsterdam but ended up going to Bruges instead...still hand a great time. I would have had trouble really enjoying Amsterdam with my parents along with me.

In Paris....aaaah Paris, city of lights! If you choose to visit cathedrals you've got to take the time and find St. Chapel its faaaaaar more ornate than Notre Dame beautiful stained glass windows. Chartes Cathedral is also great the sculptures surrounding the outside and the flying buttresses are really a marvel of engineering. My top suggestion is Les Invelide(sp?) the armory/military museum, it also houses the tomb of Napoleon. That place is AMAZING! Obviously the Louvre is a high point what with its awesome collection: Nike of Samothrace, the Mona Lisa, etc. But there's also an Impressionist museum and a Picasso museum (I went to the Picasso one....meh, not my favorite). I LOVE the impressionists, Monet, Manet, Van Gough...great stuff! If you get the chance Versailles is awesome as well, the gardens are magnificent! To think they used to cut that all manually...they still have to do it with power tools which is still a chore but I'm talking they used to just use hedge clippers.

If you've got the opportunity Normandy is astonishing, so much history there!

As for cuisine, study up on your wine! You can get great wine for dirt cheap there!

Oh and if you ever stop in Bruges remember 3 things: Beer, mussels, chocolate....have all of them!!!

Bon Voyage (a year early)!!!

[killersheep]

I was SUPPOSED to go to Amsterdam but ended up going to Bruges instead...still hand a great time. I would have had trouble really enjoying Amsterdam with my parents along with me.

In Paris....aaaah Paris, city of lights! If you choose to visit cathedrals you've got to take the time and find St. Chapel its faaaaaar more ornate than Notre Dame beautiful stained glass windows. Chartes Cathedral is also great the sculptures surrounding the outside and the flying buttresses are really a marvel of engineering. My top suggestion is Les Invelide(sp?) the armory/military museum, it also houses the tomb of Napoleon. That place is AMAZING! Obviously the Louvre is a high point what with its awesome collection: Nike of Samothrace, the Mona Lisa, etc. But there's also an Impressionist museum and a Picasso museum (I went to the Picasso one....meh, not my favorite). I LOVE the impressionists, Monet, Manet, Van Gough...great stuff! If you get the chance Versailles is awesome as well, the gardens are magnificent! To think they used to cut that all manually...they still have to do it with power tools which is still a chore but I'm talking they used to just use hedge clippers.

If you've got the opportunity Normandy is astonishing, so much history there!

As for cuisine, study up on your wine! You can get great wine for dirt cheap there!

Oh and if you ever stop in Bruges remember 3 things: Beer, mussels, chocolate....have all of them!!!

Bon Voyage (a year early)!!!

Thanks for the info, I'm hoping we can pen in a few days in Bruges in transit, but I don't know if we'll have time. I'll try to take a lot of pictures, I got shafted in Venice where my memory card fdisked itself and I lost all the pics.

[CFH]

If you ever make it to Van, I humbly volunteer to be your drunken tour guide. And I promise I'll only hit on your wife when you're not there.

[Nameless]

If ever I am still in Luxembourg (looks like I go back to my Canadian east coast till I know if the UNESCO project works, in which case I am not sure where I'll land up) I could for sure join you to Amsterdam, I've been there a little week 3 years ago, it is really a cool and nice city to walk around. You can visit the Heineken brewery for one, there is an interesting clock factory a bit outside the city, that's not bad at all, you can visit the house of Anne Frank (history wise it's nice to see where it was, however, don't expect nothing spectacular), the history museum is nice and shows the urban evolution of the city. If like Bilbo, you're obsessed with jews, there is the jewish museum too (haven't been to that one). I recommand to rent a bike and to tour the city by night, Sarah will love it, many nice buildings to take in picture by night.

As for PAris... there is so much to see in there, I am not sure where to start with.

[El Kabong]

If you don't mind a crowd Les Invalides and the Louvre are great. Les Invalides is a MUST see if you enjoy history especially military history. Amazing amount of armor in that place.

If you're into more low key things I suggest the Picasso and Impressionist museums.

I didn't go to 'Moulin Rouge' as I heard: it was a tourist trap, in a bad section of town (Sacre Coeur), and I just wasn't into that whole deal.

It all depends on what you and your wife enjoy. Expect 50 billion asians taking pictures 1 at a time in front of everything....just take 1 picture, you all look alike!!!!

....Ooh do try the gelato AND the crepes with Nutella and bananas. You'll love Paris if you're a foodie.