AndiM

Here's the near last installment of our blog from our 46 night journey. We are home now and are still collecting our thoughts and sanity!
http://familyineurope.travellerspoint.com

I'll post one last entry with my final thoughts, advice, mistakes, favorites, etc.. in a few days.

AtlTravelr

Oh so glad I saw this! I am rethinking our 2 night stay in Beilstein as we need to get to Paris more quickly the next day than I thought. Trier has a train station so wondered if you'd personally recommend Trier over Beilstein as a place to stay? Or was Beilstein just so cute that it would trump? We mainly want to wander, relax, get over the flight before we meet the rest of our group and have our "high intensity" trip in France. We are 50's, like history & food, have been on the Rhine but never the Mosel. We don't mind driving. Thanks for your thoughts!

CollK

Wow...great blog and what a journey! Looking forward to the final thoughts, advice, etc.

kenav

A wonderful blog and pix. Looks like you had a great time.

oldmacdonald

This was one of the most fantastic trip reports I have ever read! Thanks so much for all your work posting!! We are also Oregonians from Portland (are you as well?), we have two young girls and we are always thinking about a trip to Europe with them. My wife and I went 10 years ago before they were born and went to a few of the places you visited (Bruges, the Mosel and Switzerland - we also went to the Berner Oberland area of Switzerland, Amsterdam and Paris. We are considering a London-Bruges-Paris trip or a Munich-Paris trip with stops in between, but we would go by rail most likely. Would love to hear more about your trip! You both seem about our age and with similar interests - maybe we could all meet for a beer sometime if you guys are in the Portland area?

AndiM

Thanks for the nice feedback! Oldmacdonald - we're from Eugene but get up to Portland fairly often for weekend breaks. We love Portland. We had also been to Europe a few times before the kids were born and finely felt brave enough to bring them. It was mostly a success. Our 4 year old gave us a run for our money sometimes. She's a firecracker! I'd still do it again though!

AtlTravelr - Trier and Beilstein are very different. If you're after the relaxed Mosel River experience, then Trier really isn't the place. It has a more "city" cosmopolitan feel - even though it isn't that large. Beilstein is very tiny and quiet. It would be a short drive from Beilstein to Cochem if you needed a little more action. Either would be a good location for discovering the Mosel since you have a car. We drove almost the entire Mosel and it took longer than I expected. The roads are slow and windy - but very scenic. Bernkastel is right in the middle of the river and is larger than Beilstein. We didn't spend much time in Bernkastel though so I can't fully recommend. I'm not being much help here. You'll love the Mosel though!

AtlTravelr

AndiM-thanks again for your input. I think we've decided the Trier will be a very good spot for us as we'll still use our car to see the smaller towns, but will be well positioned to catch the train. Glad you shared your experiences.

winnick

Great trip report! We are looking at a trip to Germany next year, trying to decide which area to visit, Mosel Valley area, Bavaria. We are also considering Alsace, France.

We were in the Dordogne region (also a little Langeudoc) earlier this year and Provence last year and loved both areas.

How would you compare the Dordogne to the areas of Germany that you visited?

Looking forward to your final thoughts...

nz101

Loved reading your blog !!

irishface

Thanks for sharing your family trip with us. I have enjoyed following you along the way and went back to the beginning of your journal to reread all about the ground you covered, the meals you ate and the stories of your daughters' doings. It was such a fun travel journal.