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. 

Day Trips to Brugge and Ghent

Our entire trip could really be summed up in 5 words; Belgian waffles, french fries, and beer. It was a delicious and carb heavy weekend. :) We used Brussels as a hub and took day trips to Brugge and Ghent. I was really pleased with the way our trip turned out. Everything was so enjoyable. We had a quick walk from the hotel to catch the train. We read during the entire length of the train ride and then arrived in two very unique and beautiful places. Without the pressure of hitting major tourist spots we wandered down streets that looked like they'd have a lot of potential. Brugges led us to a quaint town with beautiful architecture, hoards of chocolate shops, and the "best frites in town". Ghent was as equally quirky as Brugges was beautiful. To my surprise we stumbled upon Graffiti Alley where in the 90s in an attempt to keep the rest of the city tag free, the local government made it legal for street artists to work on this one street. It was a stark constant to the cobblestoned streets, but added to the quirky attitude of Ghent. It was a lively city with so much to take in. At one point while Ross was inside in a chocolate shop I stayed outside and soaked up the sunshine and listened to the street musicians playing on a bridge over the canal. I adore the atmosphere live music creates. Another highlight of the trip was the 10 minutes we spent literally following our noses to find a waffle stand so we could meet our waffle quota for the day. The aroma is surprisingly strong and the goofy looks we were getting with our antics was totally worth it. 

I don't know if it was the better company or the way we approached the trip, but I had a much better time in Belgium this time around. Here's to second chances! :)

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. 

Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, City Streets

Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Napoleon's Tomb

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. 

Acropolis, Plaka, Stoa of Attalos, Temple of Hephaestus