This was our first trip back to Europe since we left there in January 1993.  Suzanne and Al lived in Brussels, Belgium from March 1989. On Derby Day 2010, we visited friends of ours, Ed and Linda Clark.  They had just moved to Venice, Florida.  After a couple of Mint Juleps, they asked us if we would join them in a trip to Europe. They had never been there and wanted some company. So, the planning began. Ed and Linda didn’t know what they wanted to see, but wished to see a lot. The rest is history.

We arrived at the Brussels Zaventum Airport around 8AM on October 1, 2011. We rented a mini-van. As we drove from the airport, it dawned on AL who was driving that it had been 18 years since we drove the streets of Brussels. Of course, Al took a wrong turn and ended up circling the Grand Place for a while until we found the Novetel Hotel, Grand Place. After getting lost on our way in and finally parking the car in the underground garage, we dragged our luggage to the hotel just to find out that we were registered at the Novetel Hotel "Center" which was a few blocks on the other side of the Grand Place. We ended up taking a taxi since Suzanne simply said, "I'm not pulling this suitcase another foot!" 

After arriving at the correct hotel, we registered and learned that there was a festival ending that weekend in Brussels. This included marathons, bike races and lots of celebrations. So, our rooms weren't available until 2PM. We stored our luggage and walked to "restaurant row" where we had moules and frites (mussels & fries) and beer for lunch at Chez Leon's. That first night, we walked around the St. Caterine’s area finally ending in an Italian restaurant for a light dinner.

Sunday morning, we visited the Gare du Midi market then headed to Overijse, a suburban commune where Suzanne and Al lived almost 2 decades ago. Due to the bike races, all main roads including Avenue Louise were closed off. After being stalled in traffic for what seemed like hours, we ended up going all the way to Waterloo then onto the ring to Overijse. We stopped in at Dietz Deli where Al would stop daily for fresh bread on the way home from work.  We passed our old house then stopped for lunch in Jesus Eik an adjacent commune.

Monday, we drove to Brugge which is referred to as the Venice of the north. We had great weather with all days in Belgium being warm and sunny. There we took a canal cruise then had a wonderful lunch in the main square. Tuesday, we headed to the American Women's Club. Suzanne and Al met with the President, and the VP who holds the position Suzanne held while we were there. Just before we moved from Europe, the directors were planning an expansion of the facility.  We were able to see it and take a tour of the house which brought back many memories.

Wednesday, we packed our bags, checked out of the hotel and left Brussels on our way to Normandy. First night we checked into Hotel Churchill in Bayeau and had dinner at an outside cafe. Due to the International War Correspondent’s Awards that week, there were no other rooms available. The following day we did find two at the Chateau de Sully.  After checking in at the chateau, we drove to Caen and visited the WWII museum. The following day, we toured the American Cemetery at Omaha Beach then drove along Omaha Beach. We stopped to tour some bunkers and ended up at the British Museum in Arromanches. The Brit’s museum was a real treat. On Saturday, we drove to Monte St. Michele. This is a famous island that was a walled city with a cathederal built at the top of this huge rock of an island. By then, the weather turned cold and windy.

Sunday, we drove to Paris, dropped off the car at the Orly airport and took a taxi downtown to our hotel. The Hotel California is a block from the Champs Elysee.  While in Paris for only two days, we walked the left ban and toured Notre Dame. One day, we took the train to Versailles.  It was both a frustrating and a hilarious day. We left the hotel at 8AM in order to beat the crowds at Versailles. We ended up taking 4 trains due to a train strike, taking a wrong train and generally being confused with the system. We arrived in Versailles at 12:30 PM. We started by touring the gardens then fought the many tourists and tour groups in order to tour the palace.  We didn’t enjoy it.

From Paris, we took the train to Munich. Suzanne and Al love Munich. After checking into our hotel which was located across the street from the train station, we took the metro to the Marienplatz and had dinner at the Hauxenbauer having their delicious roasted pork shanks. We took a bus tour of the city, did some shopping, then walked the open market and watched the Marienplatz glockenspiel. We picked up a rental car (Volvo station wagon) and drove to Oberammergau on Oct. 15th. We went straight to the Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas shops. We all purchased various Christmas goodies to send home. That afternoon, we toured King Ludwig's Linderholf Castle. We stayed at one of our favorite hotels, Hotel Wolf. Next day, we headed to Neuschwienstein castle then into Austria. Stayed overnight in the country outside of Innsbrook. The next day we drove thru the beautiful Austrian alps to Venice where we dropped off the Hertz car.

This was our first visit to Venice. We enjoyed it, but not as much as we like Florence. Even though it was October, Venice was full of tourists, mostly Americans. One day, we took a water bus to the Island of Murano. There we saw glass blowing. While in Venice, Suzanne bought a Murano necklace and a scarf. One night, we did some bar hopping doing the Italian version of tapas called chichetti's.  Great food, cheap/good wine (1 Euro per glass) and lots of fun meeting other people doing the same thing.

When we checked out of our hotel in Venice, it was pouring cats and dogs. We took a water taxi to the parking area and Hertz office. They drove us out of Venice to the airport where we were given a "van".  We mean, this looked like a delivery truck and rode that way. It could seat 10 or 12 people and looked like a big box.  Al drove all of Europe with a couple of exceptions.  But, this thing in the pouring rain was like driving a bus.  We did make it to Florence, parked the thing just on the outskirts since no private traffic is allowed inside the downtown city. We took a taxi to our hotel.  We did all the things one needs to in Florence.  Toured the Academia where Michelangelo’s David is located. Then toured the Ufizi and the Pitti Palace. Still a great city to visit. Did some shopping. Left Florence and drove to Milan where we dropped off the "bus" and boarded a plane the next day.

After a short flight to Paris and a LONG flight (10 hours) to Atlanta, we took the Marriott shuttle and checked into the Atlanta Airport Marriott Hotel. It was a early night. Suzanne and Al left the hotel at 5AM and drove to the Myrtle Beach area.  We picked up our feline pet, Annie, and crashed aboard our boat. Great to be home aboard Mon Amie!  A long trip but a wonderful overview of Europe.

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