If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium...
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That must have been the theme of our trip in spring 2003 to Germany, Belgium, Holland and France. After an overnight flight (with no sleep) we picked up our rental auto in Paris and hit the motorway to Germany, fueling up with tiny, strong wonderful European coffees. Those distances that look so small on the European map?We discovered they're not! But we survived jet lag and 400 miles of Autobahn to enjoy the walled medieval village of Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber.
Next was a drive up the Romantic Road to tiny Bacharach, where we cruised the Rhine and explored ruined castles and cathedrals (and picked up Birkenstocks for minimal Euros!). Belgium was next on our itinerary, where we spent three nights in a 17th century apartment in beautiful Brugge, enjoying frites and waffles along with bike rides on cobblestone streets and gondola rides down shady canals. For a change of pace we took the train to Amsterdam where we visited the Van Gogh Museum and the Ann Frank house, along with other "less cultural" attractions.
Finally we drove to the Loire Valley of France, where we toured amazing chateaux and feasted on wonderful cheeses. All too soon we headed home (narrowly reaching the airport in time after a road detour through a Paris suburb, requiring my limited French skills to read detour signs).
This European adventure reminded us that once you've got the travel bug, it's a lifetime addiction.
