I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I was planning on seeing Salzburg, Neuschwanstein Castle and Dachau with my family. Although I've already been to Austria and Germany, I have yet to go to these places so I'm super excited. I'm possibly the most excited about going on the Sound of Music Tour. I'm a nerd, I know.
We're also going to Tuscany and London while my family is here. I've been to Tuscany and London once before, but I'm seeing slightly different places in Tuscany and I could go to London a million times and never get bored with it. It's probably my favorite city in Europe that I've seen so far.
Next week Sean and I are going to Germany to talk to his surgeon about what can be done about these ridiculous back problems he's had for the past few years and we're taking the opportunity to go see Luxembourg, specifically the American cemetery where General George Patton is buried and then going on on to Bastogne, Belgium (Battle of the Bulge) and if you've seen Band of Brothers you're probably more familiar with it. I'm giddy with excitement about it. I'm a huge fan of WWII history and to actually see these places is amazing to me. We're also tossing around the idea of going to Trier too.
I'm also planning a trip to the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland in July, around the Murren area,sort of a late birthday trip for me (Sean isn't going) and I'm looking forward to exploring this beautiful region and playing Heidi for a few days.
Last, but not least I've planned a solo trip to Paris in August, when Sean will be gone training. It's going to be a semi-long trip as there is a LOT I want to see in Paris and I also want to spend a day at Disneyland Paris while there, as I'm a huge Disney fan.
Now this is where you guys come in. If you have been to Paris/Bastogne/Trier/Switzerland and you have any tips, suggestions on places to stay (I'm a budget girl, so the cheaper the better, yet not a total dump) attractions that I can't miss out on, the best views or someplace that I have to eat. Please tell me. Suggestions and tips from people who have actually been there, make trips so much better.
13 comments:
I can't wait to hear about your Sound of Music tour! That's on the top of my MUST DO list while we're there!
About 10 years ago, I was in Bastogne. Sadly, I couldn't even begin to remember where I stayed or ate. I do remember I encountered the rudest Belgian man at a local shop....not that he was indicative of the rest of the local population. However, it was very pretty there and we must have left from there to head over to Luxembourg. The main reason we were there was to view the battlefield (obvs)I am sure that you will enjoy it!
I adore Paris! It's my favourite European city by far. I use to live in Tours, which is about 2 hours from there so I spent many weekends in Paris. I stayed in a place called Vintage Hostel every time. It's on the same street as Gare du Nord, which is a major train/metro station. It was super easy to get to everything. Brioche Doré is a yummy bakery. My favourite french treats are pain au chocolat and tarte aux framboises. Euro Disney honestly wasn't that great. I call it the poor ghetto cousin of the Disney's haha. I wish I'd gone to Monet's garden's in Giverny while I was there but didn't get the chance. Oh and I always got the carnet of 10 métro tickets so I didn't have to pay cash for each trip. I'm so jealous, I miss France so much!
Never been to any of the places you've mentioned but it sure sounds like you're going to have an amazing summer!!
Spend as much time in Paris as you can, it's just so big and there is so much to see. We went for 4 days and that wasn't nearly enough. I am a huge budgeting person too and found it nearly impossible in Switzerland. Even though the exchange rate is good everything is just crazy expensive. We just made a day trip to Zurich and still wound up spending a few hundred dollars.
My European travels were during high school with my family, so I was blessedly ignorant of the budget. :)
But I agree with above comments that Switzerland is crazy expensive. I visited Geneva, and didn't much care for it. The people weren't as friendly as in Germany or Austria.
SALZBURG IS AMAZING! I didn't get to take the Sound of Music tour, so you'll be one up on me there. The thing I enjoyed most in that city was touring the "fortress" -- the big white castle that overlooks the city. And I also went to a chamber music concert one evening that was held in a room of the fortress. Loved that! Look for the square with the giant chess board -- it used to have a vendor who sold the best apple strudel. :)
Here's a trip recap written by a fellow milspouse blogger about her trip to Salzburg.
http://liveforart.blogspot.com/2011/02/hills-are-alive-with-sound-of-mozart.html
So happy for you that you're really taking advantage of your last few months in Europe. :)
what a great list of places to visit! you will love salburg! i'm a huge sound of music fan too...there's so much to do in that small city!
My first trip overseas my dad and I went to Salzburg. It is absolutely beautiful and you will love seeing all of the Sound of Music sights! It was almost 15 years ago and I still remember it like it was yesterday! Gosh that makes me sound/feel old....
You are not a dork at all! I've been wanting to go on that Sound of Music tour for about 2 years now!!
We've been to Belgium and Luxembourg a couple of times. You can save a lot of money by not staying in the "touristy" spots in that area. We stayed in St. Vith (Belgium) at a small bed and breakfast on a lake/pond. Easy driving to Bastogne or Lux. There's also a cool place called the Bier Museum near St. Vith, too!
If you're a history nerd like me, you'll love Bastonge and Luxembourg. Make sure to check out the German military cemetery as well we the American one-they're just right down the road from each other. The differences are really interesting!
We stayed at Hotel Leon in Bastonge, right on the town square- small and personal.
If you don't have time for Trier, that's ok. There's Roman ruins, which are nice for us who don't live in Italy, but not anything as spectacular, from what I've seen.
Never been anywhere but the US and Canada (only there for like fifteen minutes back when I was like three... HA!) but I can't wait to hear about all of the places you have left to see! Enjoy the rest of your time there :)
I agree with westcoastsoul that Euro Disney was not that great. I don't want to discourage you, but maybe add it on your list in case you run out of stuff to do in Paris (haha) instead of making it a priority. I really enjoyed the catacombs, the marche aux puces de clignancourt (which is a giant flee market) and the opera garnier (if you can purchase a ticket to see the opera during your trip I would highly recommend it).
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