Mark and Alison picked us up at the airport, everyone had a good nights sleep, and we're back at it today. We will begin posting photos tonight...we couldn't post on the road, we didn't want all the photos on my computer, we weren't sure how we'd get them back to the home machine. But we'll download tonight, and I'll begin posting, I promise.

written by  corncobb on December 2, 2008 from Colorado Springs, United States
from the travel blog: European Vacation 2008
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We're going to visit Windsor Castle tomorrow, lot's on the docket...back in touch soon...

I'll try and get more info on day 2 tomorrow as well...

written by  corncobb on November 30, 2008 from London, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: European Vacation 2008
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Our hotel...the Park City...is by far the best we've stayed in on the trip, though it's not the most expensive. The rooms are large, the beds are very comfy, we're very happy here.

We had dinner tonight at the Seashell...according to our driver, our concierge and the cabbie, it's the best fish and chips in London. I'm no expert, but I can tell you, dinner was fabulous!

We returned, had a quiet drink in the bar, and are about to turn in. We have just one full day with Stu here in London, and we're going to see a lot tomorrow. I'll have a lot to report tomorrow, no doubt...until then...

written by  corncobb on November 28, 2008 from London, United Kingdom
from the travel blog: European Vacation 2008
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Brussels seems to have nothing but churches, chocolate shops and restaurants/cafes! The selection was endless, and we enjoyed looking around the Grand Place and the vicinity. We did find some awesome chocolate, and we had one of our best meals of the trip last night...

Our hotel...the Hotel Atlas...left a bit to be desired, so if you're coming here, scratch that one off your list. Really, that's been our first hiccup, and that was minor.

We meet Stuart tomorrow afternoon at the airport to fly to London...more then.

written by  corncobb on November 27, 2008 from Brussels, Belgium
from the travel blog: European Vacation 2008
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Then, the shopping...this city has, by far, the best shopping I've ever seen. And, we saw it all. And, even though we visited every shoe store (there are hundreds), Liz didn't find any boots she loved, although I can tell you, she tried. Still, the shopping was impressive. Their local market was today, and many of these villagers must sew...probably 20% of the booths were selling fabric, notions, etc.

Had a great dinner tonight at a local seafood spot...Stu invited his friend Shey Wiley, we had a blast. We're leaving in the morning for Brussels, we'll give everyone a shout from there...for now, Happy Thanksgiving!

written by  corncobb on November 26, 2008 from Maastricht, Netherlands
from the travel blog: European Vacation 2008
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Tomorrow, we'll visit Stuart's school, and we're doing a walking tour of Maastricht, so we'll have lots more to talk about.

written by  corncobb on November 25, 2008 from Maastricht, Netherlands
from the travel blog: European Vacation 2008
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Then,we stopped for lunch, and that's where the excitement really started.

After ordering, Jerry went to the bathroom. When he returned and pulled out the chair, he startled a cat, who promptly bit and clawed, thankfully only at his jeans! It gave all in the restaurant a start, and Jerry swears it was a bobcat or mountain lion, but all is well, and everyone has their limbs.

We visited the red light district, did some shopping and had a great time riding the canal bus throughout the city. This was our only full day here, and we made the most of it, we had a lot of fun.

We'll do a little more exploring tomorrow, then its on to Maastricht to see Stu and his place of study (?). We'll be back in touch tomorrow.

written by  corncobb on November 24, 2008 from Amsterdam, Netherlands
from the travel blog: European Vacation 2008
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We didn't feel like we got enough time in Paris, but we're probably going to feel that way about all of our stops...we're visiting 5 cities in 13 days, so I know we can't do all of them justice. Nonetheless, we really enjoyed Paris, I know I liked it more than I thought I would. The food was fantastic, and the people were very nice...

We'll be in Amsterdam in a couple of hours, I'm hopeful to get all the Paris photos downloaded tonight. We'll be back in touch tomorrow.

written by  corncobb on November 23, 2008 from Amsterdam, Netherlands
from the travel blog: European Vacation 2008
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We also traveled to the antique district in northern paris...again, quite a site! At lunch, we were treated to two old women singing along with the piano and accordian players. Our little taste of paris culture.

We visited the Layfayette Galleries last night, their holiday windows are a tourist attraction...lots of animation, puppets, etc. We also strolled around the Paris Opera, a spectacular building.

written by  corncobb on November 22, 2008 from Paris, France
from the travel blog: European Vacation 2008
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Just had a wonderful breakfast downstairs, the owners of the Hotel Valadon (Victor and Maria) are delightful people. They've advised us to do the trip up the Eifel Tower this morning while it's raining...less tourists to navigate through, so that's what we'll do. We're waiting for Stuart to arrive, he should be here by 11am, then we'll head out.

We'll begin posting photos tonight...we have a full day, so we should have a good many to show you...

written by  corncobb on November 21, 2008 from Paris, France
from the travel blog: European Vacation 2008
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