RECAP :: Belgium

A month out from moving back to the States and I can easily admit that I am not ready for our European travels to come to an end. My heart sinks a little bit when I hear friends planning their summer leave trips and I mentally add on more countries and cities to my already lengthy list of places to visit. We have been to more places than I ever thought I'd see in my lifetime. Unfortunately for Ross, I want more. :) The wanderlust is bad and I don't think it'll go away anytime soon. But back to our trip... We got lucky and were able to sneak in one more last minute trip over Easter weekend. Brussels was one of the cities I visited during college and it did not leave the greatest impression. To be fair, it was sandwiched between a few days in London and Paris. So did it really have a shot of blowing me away? Not really, but I will tell you one thing. I did not forget about the food. True Belgian waffles may be one of the greatest things I've ever eaten and nowhere else cooks fries as perfectly crisp as Belgium. 

Now onto the details... 

• FLIGHT-- LUFTHANSA :: I love flying with Lufthansa if only for the fact that I can use the Passbook app and download our boarding passes directly to my phone. It is so convenient! 
• TRANSPORTATION :: We arrived in Brussels pretty late in the evening so we lazily took a cab from the airport. In Brussels and Brugge we walked. In Ghent we had to use a tram to get from the train station to the city center. On our last day we took the train to airport. It was so simple, quick, and cheap. Always the way to go we you have sufficient time to plan your routes!!
• HOTEL-- NH BRUSSELS GRAND PALACE ARENBERG :: Qualified for a genius rate through Booking.com. Great location for day trips to other cities. A 5 minute walk to Brussels' central train station. The Grand Palace and Mannekin Pis were also equally close by. A little overpriced for breakfast, but boasted one of the larger spreads we've seen offered. 

RECAP :: PARIS, FRANCE

Somehow we were fortunate enough to spend Valentine's Day weekend in Paris. Even though we have a few more months until we PCS, that was probably the last four day weekend we will be able to take advantage of. I have been to Paris once before and I was really wanting to give the city another try with my love by my side. We were able to do a mix of things I hadn't done before so it was still new and exciting. We had a wonderful time and I think it was one of Ross' favorite cities. Oh, and I legitimately got a stomach ache from the sheer amount of sugar I consumed from the croissants, crepes, and beignets. Totally worth it.

Now onto the details... 

• FLIGHT-- SWISS AIR :: This was our second time flying with Swiss Air.  It's definitely one of our favorite airlines now. Very friendly staff and free chocolate! :)
• TRANSPORTATION :: We took the metro the first day. On the second day we walked. To get to our hotel from the airport we took the RER/metro.
• HOTEL-- HOTEL TERMINUS LYON ::Conveniently located across the street from the Gare de Lyon station. Quiet at night despite the location. Small rooms, but that is standard. The breakfast was a bit overpriced so we ate at a nearby cafe instead. 

RECAP :: ATHENS, GREECE

Two and a half years in. Eight countries down. And for the first time I thought about seeing if Rick Steves had any free podcasts to download. I could kick my self in the butt for not thinking about it sooner.

Athens was one of the most enjoyable trips we've gone on. All of our trips have been nothing short of amazing having the opportunity to see incredible and monumental sights. Athens was the same. But there was this added factor of just pure enjoyment. It wasn't just sightseeing. We just felt really comfortable in the city. Because of the Rick Steves audio tour we walked around at our own place. Because of our hotel location we felt so familiar with the area. We walked everywhere and enjoyed every minute of it. The weather was perfect and stayed in the mid 60s most of the weekend. Which was just heavenly after leaving behind a German October.

Now onto the details...

• FLIGHT -- SWISS AIR :: This was our first time flying with Swiss Air. We had a layover in Zurich which had to be one of the cleanest (and most expensive) airports I've ever been in. It was a very comfortable flight and the small bars of Swiss chocolate were an added bonus. 
• TRANSPORTATION :: We used our feet mostly. :) However, we did take a bus to and from the airport which was around a 40 minute commute. Our hotel was located near Syntagma Square, a main transportation hub, which made it a very easy transfer. 
• HOTEL -- PAN HOTEL :: Fantastic hotel right on the corner of Syntagma Square near the Plaka shopping area. Within walking distance of everything. I also looked forward to breakfast every morning after I was introduced to spanakopita- a delicious breakfast pastry filled with spinach, feta cheese, and herbs. 

RECAP :: ROME, ITALY

• FLIGHT -- RYANAIR :: I cannot say enough good things about flying with RyanAir. Incredibly cheap flights. Never any delays. They have allowed us to see so much of Europe while saving some major $$$.  
• TRANSPORTATION :: Since this was such a last minute trip I did not get to plan as much as I usually do. We decided to spend a little more money and stay in a hotel that was more centrally located. This made it much more convenient for us to be within walking distant from some amazing attractions. Following advice from our friends, we purchased Hop On, Hop Off tickets and used those to get to Vatican. The price was comparable for a taxi ride and allowed us to use the bus service for days when we were tired of walking. 
• HOTEL -- HOTEL BOLIVAR :: As a mentioned above we splurged on the hotel, but it was well worth it. We definitely paid for the location and not the size of the room. It was tiny! But this wasn't an issue since I had read many reviews on TripAdvisor saying that very thing. The staff was very helpful and breakfast selection was wonderful with the most amazing view. 

(Check out this Instagram picture to see what I'm talking about!) 

Rainy Ol' London Town Recap

• FLIGHT -- RYANAIR :: We flew out of Memmingen Airport, just west of Munich. Road construction & detours turned it into a 4 hour drive. Blah, but RyanAir was running an unbelievable deal. So cheap!!
• TRANSPORTATION :: With RyanAir you fly into London Stansted, approximately 1.5 hours from London's city center. There are numerous ways to make the trip into London, but I recommend NATIONAL EXPRESS. It was only £30 for both of us round trip. But the best part was they had '2 for 1 vouchers' at a number of tourist attractions. With these vouchers we more than paid for our transportation into the city. We also took the tube/underground everywhere. No taxis for us. I recommend buying an Oyster Card. You'll receive cheaper rates- something like £7 a day. Make sure you go back to a customer service desk in the underground because you can get a refund for your deposit (£5) and what ever money you have left on your card. I'm so glad we overheard someone talking about it! On our last day we got money back for breakfast at a local cafe AND ended up only spending around £30 for three days of transportation for two people. 
• HOTEL: PREMIER INN- OLD CITY :: Since we saved so much money on our flight with RyanAir I had a little more wiggle room with our hotel. You also get to the point where you just have to bite the bullet- London's pricey (but so worth it!). Close proximity to public transportation is always number 1 for me. Well right after good reviews and safety. ;) There was an underground station less than 2 blocks away. Also, the NATIONAL EXPRESS (how we go TO and FROM the airport) had a bus stop less than 15 minutes away on Shoreditch. Easy walk! Friday was a long day of traveling so once we finally got to our hotel we didn't exactly feel like going back out for food. So we decided to eat at the hotel's restaurant. Really good food, beer, & wine! They had a good spread for breakfast as well. 

RECAP:: Pisa & Tirrenia, Italy

• FLIGHT -- RYANAIR :: Quick flight direct to Pisa in under 2 hours!
• TRANSPORTATION :: We were in a group of 4 couples, 2 of which had kids so we did a mix & often went with whatever was most convenient at the time. Sometimes we took a taxi, sometimes we took a bus. When we did pay to ride the bus it was very cheap. (Italy seemed pretty lax- we rarely saw anyone pay.) It was less than 3 EURO per couple for a 70 minute ticket.
• HOTEL -- GRAND HOTEL CONTINENTAL :: One of the pricier hotels we've stayed at but perfect for our beach front desires. Breakfast was included and they had a convenient lunch buffet by the pool. AC worked great and the hotel was conveniently located. Gelato stands and restaurants just around the corner. Short taxi ride or 25 minute bus ride to Pisa. Perfect mix for relaxing on the beach and sightseeing in the city. 

RECAP:: Barcelona, Spain

• FLIGHT -- RYANAIR :: This was our first time flying with RyanAir and we had a great experience. Absolutely no issues. For such a cheap flight we will definitely be using Ryan Air again!
• TRANSPORTATION :: We actually flew into the Girona Bavara Airport, an hour away from Barcelona. Although we landed outside the city it was an easy connection via the 'Barcelona Bus'.  The bus station is located at the end of the taxi stand at the Girona Airport. We were dropped off at Estacion del Nord, the main bus station in Barcelona. Right across the street from the bus station was the Arc de Triomf metro station. A 3-day pass for the metro system only cost us 24 Euro total.
• HOTEL: TRAVELODGE BARCELONA POBLENO :: For this trip we decided to try the Travelodge hotel chain. Much like RyanAir they are known for being a budget hotel. Just the basics. Our room was clean. Moderate size. No housekeeping which isn't an issue for a short stay. Great location.  Located just two blocks from the L4 'Llancuna' metro stop. The 'Barceloneta' Beach metro stop was just a few stops away. Also, located in a great neighborhood. Good restaurants. Just a few blocks away was a grocery store where we bought waters & snacks.

RECAP:: Amsterdam, the Netherlands

• FLIGHT -- LUFTHANSA :: On Friday afternoon we flew into the Schriphol Airport in Amsterdam. It was our first time flying with Lufthansa and we were definitely impressed. Either Lufthansa keeps their planes in pristine condition Or we had the good fortune of flying on two newer airplanes. Both were so clean! 
• TRANSPORTATION :: Several friends had recommended the Holland Pass so RC & I purchased our passes in the airport. This was super convenient because one of the tickets covers 24 transportation. Allowing us to take the metro from the Schriphol Airport to Central Station - Then from Central Station to our hotel via the tram. I am so glad we went this route. We both feared a taxi would have been pretty pricey. The public transportation in Amsterdam was fantastic. 
• HOTEL: BEST WESTERN DELPHI HOTEL :: We had a tram stop less than 200 m from our hotel. The two main lines (5, 24) came to our stop 'Apollolan'. They took us to almost all of the major attractions we wanted to see. The Rijksmuseum and I AMsterdam sign were just 2 stops away. Most of the time we would take the tram to the area we wanted to explore. Then walk around and sightsee. It really cut down on time which allowed us to see so many of the city in the short time we were there. 

MORE ON TRANSPORTATION

Bicycles are everywhere in Amsterdam. It is the main way of transportation for locals. I think I read that somewhere around 60% of people use bikes within the city. There is a special bike lane throughout the city for cyclists. We had seen this in Munich, but not on this level! The bike lanes have their own traffic signals and you better check the bike lane before you decide to cross the street! They fly and you better hope you're not in the way. Normally they'll ring the bell on their bike before they approach an intersection to remind you that they're coming through. 

Somehow I was able to take a picture of an empty street so you could get an idea of what one looks like in Amsterdam. On the far left you have bike lane which is often a different color from the rest of the street. In this case, it's a burnt red. Next is the car lane. Most people do not commute by car as parking is expensive and with so many pedestrian areas it's overall discouraged. You will mostly see taxis in this lane. Across the checkered median to the right is the track for the trams. Bus stops can also be found in this center area. Crossing the checkered median again to the right is another car lane and then bike lane. Finally on the outside you will have the pedestrian area. 

Now fill this street with cyclists, trams, buses, cars, & people and imagine crossing in total about 6 lanes of traffic. At times I felt like it was a human game of Frogger!