Nine hours of flying, five countries to visit, two years of planning, and one family determined to make the most of it — we finally did it, after what seemed like an eternity of wishing, saving, studying, and preparing. We've had our first family vacation to Europe, and what a vacation it was.
The idea was simple, though the planning was complex; see as much as possible, in an area Stephanie and Brandon have always wanted to visit, without having to travel every day. Make it fun for the kids as well as for the adults, incorporate several modes of travel (while relying mainly on rail), carry everything on our backs, and do it all in just over two weeks. We also knew we wanted to enjoy some basic Europeans staples, such as beer, bread, cheese, and chocolate. Our schedule and budget were limited, but we knew the time had finally come to make this journey a reality. And so our adventure began...
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FRANCE, centered mainly in Paris, with side trips to the lovely little town of Pierrefonds, as well as the beautiful northern city of Lille.
LONDON, as we had no time for the UK in general, but still wanted to show the kids this magnificent city.
BELGIUM, because it's freaking BELGIUM. When one country makes both the world's best beer and the world's best chocolate, you make sure to visit.
THE NETHERLANDS, though only so we could enjoy the wonders of Efteling, a theme park so charming and fun, Walt Disney used it as inspiration for Disneyland. And finally,
ICELAND, because flying directly over the Arctic is awesome, even if we never managed to leave their airport.
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Icelandair flies directly from Anchorage to Keflavik Airport, about 30 miles outside Reykjavik, connecting on to Paris. And while Germany's Condor Airlines flies directly to Frankfurt, that trip takes longer, and would have put us farther from some of the sights we wanted to see in France and London. As it turned out, Icelandair was a terrific choice, with excellent service (especially for the kids) and very fair prices. We'll fly with them again if we get the chance. However, because of our changeover times, we weren't able to get out and explore the country itself. Which just means we'll have to visit Europe's largest waterfall and bask in the hot mineral springs on another trip.
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Though we only glimpsed parts of it, France was a real highlight, with Paris being Brandon's and Stephanie's favorite city. The historic heart of the city is massive, and one can spend all day exploring without ever entering the more modern business district to the west or the surrounding suburbs. Every cliché of Paris — from its history and grand architecture to the cafés, bistros, boutiques, and bakeries — they all come to life every day, and they are ubiquitous. There really are cafés on nearly every street corner, with fashionable Parisians enjoying an espresso and a cigarette while reading or chatting. Bakeries (boulangeries for breads, pâtisseries for sweets) are everywhere, and locals line up each morning for a baguette or croissants. We enjoyed several such places, often stopping by a fromagerie and a charcuterie for some cheeses and meats; dining out like a local is an experience not to be missed, but picnicking has its own charms. An accordion player set the mood for us in front of the Sacré-Cœur, and everyone was, if not outright chic, at least fashionably dressed.
In fact, the only stereotype we did not find to be true was the classic notion of the rude Parisian. Throughout our week-long stay in France (we began and ended the overall trip there), we encountered some of the kindest, most helpful people of the entire trip, always eager to greet us in English when our feeble French failed (as it usually did), and never missing an opportunity to say hello to the kids.
In fact, the only stereotype we did not find to be true was the classic notion of the rude Parisian. Throughout our week-long stay in France (we began and ended the overall trip there), we encountered some of the kindest, most helpful people of the entire trip, always eager to greet us in English when our feeble French failed (as it usually did), and never missing an opportunity to say hello to the kids.
We spent a day north of Paris in the village of Pierrefonds, home to the breathtaking Château de Pierrefonds, a castle so grand and picturesque, it's the stand-in as Camelot in the BBC show Merlin. We also stayed overnight in Lille, and were able to tour much of the historic city by foot, including the Grand Place, and a beautiful park and zoo in what was once a defensive fort known as the Citadel.
France was an absolute treat, and Paris especially was everything one dreams it could be.
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| View from our first hotel, across from Gare du Nord rail station |
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| Our reward for a morning's hike through the streets — Sacré-Cœur Basilica on Montmartre |
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| Touring the city from the top of a hop-on-hop-off bus |
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The one and only
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