I love, love, love these reports!! But, come on...more pics please!! :clap_1:
Cork & Alli's Trip Report
- Thread starter Allifunn
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Brugge
Paris
That's more like it!! Keep 'em comin'!:clap_1:
It was grueling...but FUNN!!!!Oh, it would have been funn as heck, but (a) I wouldn't have had the energy to move around as much as you two did, and (b) no way I could travel with only as many items as would fit in a backpack. I mean, some people call my everyday handbag a Mary Poppins bag, but I need my stuff!
I hear ya girl...I never knew I could do without "stuff"!!!!
But, I did!!! ( especially when I shed a heck of alot of things in Amsterdam!)
First,,,THANKS for sharing! :clap_1: It is grayt to hear of your travels. You make a fearful American think it might be worth the anxiety! Love the pics and so glad you enjoyed the wine and chocolates....You know how to live right!!!
Cork more so than me...but I am learning! By the end of the trip, my backside finally stopped puckering.....:funn:You know what I like best about reading this? The two of you are so full of life. You're like a pair of Dodge trucks in human form:
:clap_1: Grab life by the horns!! :clap_1:
(and man, do you ever
:funn: :funn:
Cork On the Ocean
directionally challenged
Bring it on, baby! Wonder if Fraunk and Danny Boy are reading it :funn:
My notes just happen to indicate that we had a "Fobulus dinner of lunchmeats, spinach salad, brocolli salad and fruit crepes"
Allifunn, don't think the train went thru Germany this time. Not that it matters but I kinda remember checking the route and we headed due south from Amsterdam, through the Netherlands and into Belgium.
Yes, I LOVE Brussels station. Will post a photo that I have. It's Beautiful. Berlin is a close second but I love the quaint feel of Brussels. Very easy to navigate. I know it's not the first time I've been there but they must have redone it or something. I never thought of it before but you are sooo right, the stations themselves are an experience - some good, some bad. Thanks heaven for the Ibis! Very nice hotel
How true, but maybe the chef should have been able to read the menu and the navigator the signs :rofl: Showers - I'm used to it and since Ali was a little more freaked about getting rousted out of our hotel in Amsterdam, she just threw her stuff in her bags while I did a quick wash up of pits, etc.
I learned how to "non-shower" years ago. 
. Don't see it now but this wasn't the flooding shower but a good observation comes up here. WTF is with our water pressure over here. EVERY hotel, in EVERY country Ive ever been to over there is like having a firehose hit you in the face when you turn it on. 
I think my next tour will be "European showers I have known". Are you ready Allifunn? I can't even believe that I missed that internet connection while you were in the bar. I did get my first call to my parents from this room so looks like you made calls to the kids etc from here.
I've been to Brugge once before, I think but I definitely want to go back again for more now. The OLD TOWN
I know that so many cities have an old and a new town. They preserve an historic area but build modern structures near it. What did he say? Something like, just walk anywhere and you're in the old town or something? Talk about stupid american. That's what I felt like Love the way you put this because it describes our experience perfect. We leave the station, it's dark and drizzly with no movement of people. As we progress through the town, we see, lights go on in a pension, a lady sweeping the doorstep of her shop and then a group of asian tourist admiring a station. We were surely lucky to see the beautiful city of Brugge "slowly come to life"
What a wonderful cafe - soooooo Belgium! Those pastries and chocolates. mmmmmmmm. I'd be 200 lbs if I lived there.
Alli is so good about watching her sweets. I, on the other hand, had 3 eggs sunnyside up, an assortment of breads and CHOCOCHINO (white chocolate cappucino) mmmmm
I have a photo of this little cafe that I will post. The website for the cafe is: www.tearoom-carpediem.be if you want to revisit it girl.
Got some wonderful photos too of the village. I bought my parents a box of hand selected belgian chocolates here. Carried them around for 2 weeks. They took a beating . I gave them to my parents the day after I got home and they were gonna take them to Mayo Clinic with us that night but they ate the ENTIRE box in about an hour
. No chocolates for Mayo. I have made a decisions here, Real Belgian chocolates beat my previous favorite Godivas. Sorry but true!At the time, we were still planning on seeing the Ice Hotel near Rovaneimi, Finland so this was small time. If we had known, I definitely would have wanted to see the ice exhibition. I think it was 10 Euros. And just to put your mind at ease, the exhibition would have been over if we returned but beautiful Brugge would have still have been there.
OK, this is where I have to add a VERY special experience. I have ridden many, many trains and I am an almost train officianado. There's all types of trains, milk run chugga chugga trains, sleek, modern trains and then the HIGH SPEED trains such as the TGV, the Thalys, the Eurostar.
I have never been on the Thalys before and got the thrill of my life. The only route between Brussels and Paris is the high speed Thalys with a supplement of 25 Euros each for FIRST class!
http://www.o-keating.com/hsr/thalys.htm
The train was built for 200 mph and runs an average of 148-186mph. When the steward came around with sandwiches and drinks, we assumed that we had to pay like most trains so we declined. THen he kindly advised us that they are gratis and we chowed down on our free sandwiches, wine and dessert! I felt like I was one of the rich on the Orient Express!
You forgot what a PIA Paris station was (as usual) Paris Est is under renovation. We arrived at Paris Nord, walked about 5 blocks with our frigging bags to Paris Est (cause we wanted our bags in lockers at the station we'd be departing from.)Only to find that the lockers at Paris Est were closed and we had to drag them another 5 blocks back to Paris Nord to lock them up only to go through metal detectors to get to the lockers. This is the first time, this has happened. I've been doing this since 1988 and it's quite interesting to note how this type of travel has changed over the years. I remember the good old days of no train reservations and no security:roll: Anyway, on our return with these damn bags, we'd have to arrive early, pick up at Nord, drag them back to Est to depart for Salzburg but C'est la vie!
Actually, we bought Metro tickets which include local trains. But we popped up and down around the city via the Metro.
First stop...Notre-Dame. How beautiful! Then we wisked off to the left bank to walk around and enjoy the sights. (it was drizzling a bit so there were not many artists out) We stopped and had a crepe'....YUM!!! Made right before your eyes with egg, ham and cheese...It was delish!
The Metro stop lets you out right in front of Notre Dam so when we walked up the steps and got to the street, I said to Ali, "OK, There's Notre Dam, cmon back on the metro for the eiffel tower"
Was only kidding, it wasn't gonna be that bad. I promised her some pics of Notre Dam and a crepe on the Left Bank. I couldn't even finish my crepe - first time ever I couldn't!Spectacular for sure. First time I ever saw it do that and it got us behind schedule because I had allotted only 15 minutes for the eiffel tower
and we were so enthralled that we spent about an hour which was time we took from Montmontre. Arc de Triomphe, baby
At this point, I wanted to chop my feet off cause my damn shoes hurt so much. I felt like this pretty young thing was dragging this old lady through the streets of Paris You think the She Male Hooker could have been the problem. I'm a safety kinda girl and the seediest part of Paris warants a little nervousness. Remember those ladies in their minks, saying "I don't know, it still looks a little rough" :rofl:
OK, mom needs me. My dad drove her to meet a friend to get out of the house and he just hit a curb and blew the tire so I gotta go take her to her friends. Then I have to meet a friend which I now have to delay an hour so I will try to finish tonight.