I'm back from Europe!! - YorkieTalk.com Forums

Reese1 · 10-20-2010, 01:46 AM

We got back this past weekend, but I have been fighting jet lag since we got back, ugh! Fortunately, it wasn't this bad going over!

It was a whirlwind, it was extremely fast paced, but boy did we get to see a lot!
We were in London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Karlsruhe/Germany, Lucerne, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome, Montecatini, Nice & Paris!
We had such a fabulous time and we couldn't have asked for a better tour group, we laughed and enjoyed each other so much!!
It's just amazing how different all the countries are from the people, landscape, architecture, etc..
We had two 1/2 days of rain in London & one day of rain in Rome, but great weather otherwise!
The only bad thing. Paris unions went on strike two days before we headed there and we were scheduled to go on a first class TGV train ( 5 1/2hrs) from Nice to Paris. They were only running 2 trains the day we went and we had to go 3 hours earlier and we didn't have reserve tickets for that time.
Well in France, once you are on the train, they can't ask you to get off, but you have to move when people who do have reserve tickets come on.
So most of the group either shared seats or some stood for 3-4 hours!! It was the train ride from h*ll, but it was our only choice to get to Paris!
Unfortunately the strike canceled our excursion to Monte Carlo/Monaco, which broke my heart!

It was the reason we picked this trip over another.

I really enjoyed all the areas we went, there is just so much beauty & history to be found everywhere. I would love to go back and travel more through Germany, Austria & Switzerland!
I think almost everything looked the way I had always imagined. I think the only thing that really took me by surprise, I thought certain landmarks were out a little ways or more secluded. Not right in the middle of the city and so visible. (i.e. Rome ruins, Buckingham Palace, etc..)
Food is sooo expensive, especially Paris! We paid 6 Euros for a diet coke (they call coke light) which is over $8!

I actually lost 1 1/2lbs while I was gone, I was so shocked!! I certainly ate enough gelato, chocolate & macaroons!

I think what is so amazing is just the history. Seeing things that are a thousand, two thousand years old. It's surreal. I can remember walking through the Forum & colosseum in Rome and thinking it looked like something Disney would build!
We all said that a lot on the trip how so many of the homes & buildings looked like Disney villages.

It was an awesome experience that I feel blessed to have shared with my Mom. It was a long time dream!

kjc · 10-20-2010, 02:55 AM

Thank God you made it back! I was so worried... the day after you left the US released an alert that terrorists would be targeting visitors in Europe and for US citizens to stay home if possible!

So glad you had a good time....

Reese1 · 10-20-2010, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjc

Thank God you made it back! I was so worried... the day after you left the US released an alert that terrorists would be targeting visitors in Europe and for US citizens to stay home if possible!

So glad you had a good time....

I think we turned the tv on a couple of times the whole trip. (most of the time we couldn't find any English stations.)
We left London the day after those alerts and several people on the tour were so nervous when we were sitting to board the Eurostar to Belgium. London was added after we left and they went on strike the day we left!
A couple were thinking of flying home before we reached Paris since France & Germany were mentioned on the alert.
Germany downplayed the whole thing and France basically said they weren't involved in the alert and they were both mad at the US for posting the alert.
It's strange how different it is when you are out of the country.
I think the strike was a bigger ordeal overall! I appreciate the concern.
The day we flew home from Paris, there was the concern over the fuel due to the strike. I was just relieved to make it out of the airport!

jfalz73 · 10-20-2010, 03:34 AM

So glad you had such a wonderful time and are back safe and sound!!

BonBon · 10-20-2010, 04:13 AM

Your trip sounds fabulous! Welcome back!

AllDogBoots · 10-20-2010, 05:50 AM

I'm glad you had a wonderful time. I bet it was the experience of a lifetime. Paris is ridiculously expensive. I was there an extra week when the volcano erupted and boy did we spend a ton of money.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjc

Thank God you made it back! I was so worried... the day after you left the US released an alert that terrorists would be targeting visitors in Europe and for US citizens to stay home if possible!

So glad you had a good time....

i was worried too!

shodanusmc · 10-20-2010, 06:02 AM

""We were in London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Karlsruhe/Germany, Lucerne, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome, Montecatini, Nice & Paris!""

You hit a lot of places. Sounds great. Too bad about the Strike in France. I have some friends that arrived in Paris on Sunday for 2 weeks of business. I sent them an email that they may have to swim the channel and fly back thru London.

Did you notice how old world parts of Rome Smelled? You can tell it is old. Rome is my Favorite for history, but I love Florence for the beauty. Someday I want to return to Lao's, and Viet Nam, and also see Cambodia. So far, my wife is not buying it, but I have time to get her to see the light. Northern Thailand is also beautiful, you just want to make sure you go during the right season.

Reese1 · 10-20-2010, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllDogBoots

I'm glad you had a wonderful time. I bet it was the experience of a lifetime. Paris is ridiculously expensive. I was there an extra week when the volcano erupted and boy did we spend a ton of money.

i was worried too!

I was telling our group about you while we were there! I thought we were going to get stranded too!
Do you remember the hotel you stayed at in Paris? I didn't like our hotel there at all, not a good location for walking at all. The Nice hotel wasn't a good location either, but the other hotels were all good!
I really feel for what you had to spend!
This cafe in Paris tried to screw us on the meal by charging us 2 Euros for a bunch of croissants they placed on our table, that we didn't order.

AllDogBoots · 10-20-2010, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reese1

I was telling our group about you while we were there! I thought we were going to get stranded too!
Do you remember the hotel you stayed at in Paris? I didn't like our hotel there at all, not a good location for walking at all. The Nice hotel wasn't a good location either, but the other hotels were all good!
I really feel for what you had to spend!
This cafe in Paris tried to screw us on the meal by charging us 2 Euros for a bunch of croissants they placed on our table, that we didn't order.

The hotel I stayed at overlooked the Eiffel Tower. While that sounds incredible, it was a terrible walking area. I can't remember the name, which is crazy because I was there forever!! Tough crowd in Paris, huh? How did you like London? I've never visited the other cities you toured.

Reese1 · 10-20-2010, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shodanusmc

""We were in London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Karlsruhe/Germany, Lucerne, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome, Montecatini, Nice & Paris!""

You hit a lot of places. Sounds great. Too bad about the Strike in France. I have some friends that arrived in Paris on Sunday for 2 weeks of business. I sent them an email that they may have to swim the channel and fly back thru London.

Did you notice how old world parts of Rome Smelled? You can tell it is old. Rome is my Favorite for history, but I love Florence for the beauty. Someday I want to return to Lao's, and Viet Nam, and also see Cambodia. So far, my wife is not buying it, but I have time to get her to see the light. Northern Thailand is also beautiful, you just want to make sure you go during the right season.

Oh my gosh, I hope your friends don't get delayed. I know when we were there, they said the airports would be out of fuel within a couple of weeks!

Rome didn't smell, actually none of the countries did! A few people on our tour had been to Rome & Venice and were expecting that. Our tour guide said they had really improved things.
We walked A LOT in Rome and it was fine and Venice was too!
I think what I found really disappointing was all the graffiti in Italy & Paris, what a shame!
Florence was nice! We stayed in Montecatini which was about 30min. from there and it was beautiful!

Next trip to Europe will be Scotland/Ireland & hitting the outskirts of London!

So your wife has no interest in visiting any of those areas? I've heard Thailand is beautiful.

yorkieusa · 10-20-2010, 08:05 AM

I'm glad you're back safely and had a great time!

Rachael x · 10-20-2010, 08:26 AM

Glad that your back and you had a wonderful time, any photos?

Reese1 · 10-20-2010, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AllDogBoots

The hotel I stayed at overlooked the Eiffel Tower. While that sounds incredible, it was a terrible walking area. I can't remember the name, which is crazy because I was there forever!! Tough crowd in Paris, huh? How did you like London? I've never visited the other cities you toured.

Our hotel was a terrible walking area too. It was almost down by an industrial area. The only thing close was a McDonalds with a water park.
I LOVED our London hotel (Park Plaza Westminster Bridge) it was brand new and our room looked out at Big Ben & Parliament. It was so easy to walk to things. My favorite hotel!
I rode the London Eye, which I never thought I would do since I have a fear of heights, but you don't even feel like you are moving!
Going up in the Eiffel tower didn't scare me either, I was shocked!
I think the French people I didn't feel as much as a connection to as the other countries.

Reese1 · 10-20-2010, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rachael x

Glad that your back and you had a wonderful time, any photos?

I have a lot of pics to go through! I'm not the greatest photographer, so I have to wade through all the shots of tunnels, sides of trucks, trees, etc..!
I'm glad that I can share photos with other people on the tour, since we had better photographers there!

AllDogBoots · 10-20-2010, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reese1

Our hotel was a terrible walking area too. It was almost down by an industrial area. The only thing close was a McDonalds with a water park.
I LOVED our London hotel (Park Plaza Westminster Bridge) it was brand new and our room looked out at Big Ben & Parliament. It was so easy to walk to things. My favorite hotel!
I rode the London Eye, which I never thought I would do since I have a fear of heights, but you don't even feel like you are moving!
Going up in the Eiffel tower didn't scare me either, I was shocked!
I think the French people I didn't feel as much as a connection to as the other countries.

That's where I stayed in London!

The buffet breakfast was not the best though LOL. I also rode the London Eye and it was awesome. I'm native from NYC so London was amazing to me. I just didn't "get" Paris, but I can appreciate the architecture.

10-20-2010, 01:46 AM	#1
Reese1 Donating YT 5000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 5,304	I'm back from Europe!! We got back this past weekend, but I have been fighting jet lag since we got back, ugh! Fortunately, it wasn't this bad going over! It was a whirlwind, it was extremely fast paced, but boy did we get to see a lot! We were in London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Karlsruhe/Germany, Lucerne, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome, Montecatini, Nice & Paris! We had such a fabulous time and we couldn't have asked for a better tour group, we laughed and enjoyed each other so much!! It's just amazing how different all the countries are from the people, landscape, architecture, etc.. We had two 1/2 days of rain in London & one day of rain in Rome, but great weather otherwise! The only bad thing. Paris unions went on strike two days before we headed there and we were scheduled to go on a first class TGV train ( 5 1/2hrs) from Nice to Paris. They were only running 2 trains the day we went and we had to go 3 hours earlier and we didn't have reserve tickets for that time. Well in France, once you are on the train, they can't ask you to get off, but you have to move when people who do have reserve tickets come on. So most of the group either shared seats or some stood for 3-4 hours!! It was the train ride from h*ll, but it was our only choice to get to Paris! Unfortunately the strike canceled our excursion to Monte Carlo/Monaco, which broke my heart! It was the reason we picked this trip over another. I really enjoyed all the areas we went, there is just so much beauty & history to be found everywhere. I would love to go back and travel more through Germany, Austria & Switzerland! I think almost everything looked the way I had always imagined. I think the only thing that really took me by surprise, I thought certain landmarks were out a little ways or more secluded. Not right in the middle of the city and so visible. (i.e. Rome ruins, Buckingham Palace, etc..) Food is sooo expensive, especially Paris! We paid 6 Euros for a diet coke (they call coke light) which is over $8! I actually lost 1 1/2lbs while I was gone, I was so shocked!! I certainly ate enough gelato, chocolate & macaroons! I think what is so amazing is just the history. Seeing things that are a thousand, two thousand years old. It's surreal. I can remember walking through the Forum & colosseum in Rome and thinking it looked like something Disney would build! We all said that a lot on the trip how so many of the homes & buildings looked like Disney villages. It was an awesome experience that I feel blessed to have shared with my Mom. It was a long time dream! __________________ Crosley Wrigley Camden

10-20-2010, 02:55 AM	#2
kjc I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 18,866	Thank God you made it back! I was so worried... the day after you left the US released an alert that terrorists would be targeting visitors in Europe and for US citizens to stay home if possible! So glad you had a good time.... __________________ Kat Chloe Lizzy PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity

10-20-2010, 03:34 AM	#4
jfalz73 Owned by my yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Coats, NC Posts: 5,001	So glad you had such a wonderful time and are back safe and sound!! __________________ My little dog-a heartbeat at my feet. -Edith Wharton jeanne BrooklynBenjamin

10-20-2010, 04:13 AM	#5
BonBon Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: With my yorkies Posts: 10,350	Your trip sounds fabulous! Welcome back! __________________ He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion. -- Author Unknown

10-20-2010, 08:05 AM	#11
yorkieusa Crazy about Kacee! Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Kansas Posts: 21,173	I'm glad you're back safely and had a great time! __________________ Karen Kacee Muffin 1991-2005 Rest in Peace My Little Angel

10-20-2010, 06:02 AM	#7
shodanusmc BANNED! Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,603	""We were in London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Karlsruhe/Germany, Lucerne, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome, Montecatini, Nice & Paris!"" You hit a lot of places. Sounds great. Too bad about the Strike in France. I have some friends that arrived in Paris on Sunday for 2 weeks of business. I sent them an email that they may have to swim the channel and fly back thru London. Did you notice how old world parts of Rome Smelled? You can tell it is old. Rome is my Favorite for history, but I love Florence for the beauty. Someday I want to return to Lao's, and Viet Nam, and also see Cambodia. So far, my wife is not buying it, but I have time to get her to see the light. Northern Thailand is also beautiful, you just want to make sure you go during the right season.

10-20-2010, 08:26 AM	#12
Rachael x Poppy's Mamma ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: England Posts: 3,751 Blog Entries: 3	Glad that your back and you had a wonderful time, any photos? __________________ Rachael & Poppy