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Choosing between Benelux or Normandy/Brittany?

Choosing between Benelux or Normandy/Brittany?

Old Jul 25th, 2007, 04:08 PM
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Choosing between Benelux or Normandy/Brittany?

Given limited time in 2008, we would LOVE to hear your opinions as to where we should focus our attention?
Benelux - Brussels, Brugge, Antwerp, Luxembourg, Amsterdam or Brittany/Normandy?
Thank you in advance for any advice you can give us.
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Old Jul 25th, 2007, 04:22 PM
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You don't mention the age of the travelers, but if you have kids, you should definitely go to Normandy. To see history first hand in that place is something I wish every young person could see. Starting with the great museum in Caen that literally walks you thru the war, the Dday beaches, the towns and the incredible cemetery. I still get goose bumps when I remember the bels tolling at noon and not a human making a sound.
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Old Jul 25th, 2007, 04:36 PM
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Brussels , Brugge isn't all that far from Normandy. I actually find the WWI war memorials and cemetaries more interesting than the WWII.There are so many and all so different and all with a different focus..mainly on individuals rather than on whole. We've had no problems flying into Brussels, driving to Brugges, then heading down thru the countryside , thru Lille, Ieper, and surrounding areas, into Normandy and WWII battlefields. The driving is easy. If you are not planning on driving .

It always amazes me that Americans neglect the part they played in WWI and fail to recognizes the 10;s of thousands that still lie there.
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Old Jul 25th, 2007, 04:39 PM
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Forgot to finish my sentence!

If you are not planning on driving, it is still any easy trip from Brussels to a point in NOrmandy that you could base and do booked tours.

Myself I prefer a car and my own agenda, since there are so many guide books to help you plan
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Old Jul 25th, 2007, 06:49 PM
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I have been to Europe many times and actually lived in the Netherlands for 4 years. I have never been to the Normandy beaches, and I really regret that....I will go back one of these years. I have been to Mont St. Michel, but I don't really think that's part of either Normandy or Brittany. It was quite nice. Having lived in The Netherlands, I am kind of partial to the Benelux countries. Amsterdam is nice and can be a lot of fun. I absolutely love Brugge....I lived in The Hague, and it was about a 3 hour train ride to Brugge....I went there a few times a year for a weekend. It is a very nice, clean, safe city. Ghent is another very nice, clean city, like Brugge....although it is more of a college town. It's close to Brugge. I like Antwerp, although it's a little more spread out than Brugge or Ghent. Perhaps it's not as clean, but it is still nice. I've been to Luxembourg City twice...I quite liked it. There is a lot of history there, with an American Cemetery; Patton is buried there. I once stayed at a hotel that proudly displays a picture of Omar Bradley who once stayed there. While I can't recommend one over the other, I would say that you'll see and do a lot in the Benelux countries and certainly enjoy your trip, but, again, I do regret having not gone to Normandy.
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Old Jul 25th, 2007, 06:53 PM
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One thing about Antwerp I forgot to mention: last time I was there, about 3 years ago, there was a lot of reconstruction on some of the old buildings....that had been going on a few years earlier, when I was living in Europe. That's probably one reason I have the impression that it is not as clean as Brugge and Ghent...I do not know the status right now of the reconstruction projects. Antwerp is also a large port city, so as you are approaching it, you see a lot of industrial areas....another reason for my impressions of not being as clean....but, in the old town is a nice place.
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