I'm baaaaaaaaaaack- Paris, Bruge, Amsterdam
 

All the Fodors advice I got was so helpful, it was like having a concierge.

Warning: Don't read this if long trip reports annoy you!

I spent 2 weeks in Bruges, Amsterdam, Paris. Traveled by train, VRBO (separate reports written) in Amsterdam and Paris were perfect. The Prinsenhof in Bruge was a winner, a perfect place to recover from jet lag, very gracious owners, just a darling hotel, a real gem.

I was alone most of the time which is a great way to go sightseeing, in my opinion! I never felt unsafe or lonely, my husband was relieved that I jetted off alone without any qualms as he could not take any vacation time in June. (ALso, he does not do crowds! We are cooking up a fly fishing trip to Scotland.) I saw my daughter for 2-3 hours every evening in Paris when she was down with classes. She also was in Amsterdam for a few days with me.

I did all the usual stuff: canal rides, churches, museums, monuments, day trips to Chartes and Versailles. Several prix-fix meals in Paris, Seine cruise, street markets.
The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower were insufferably crowded, the rest was easy to navigate. Paris practically crippled me with all the Metro stairs and the miles and miles of walking I so enjoyed.

Looking back, here are a few unexpected highlights:

Notre Dame at night. I wandered in at 9PM, sun still up and windows glowing. There were lots of people seated in there, I was puzzled. Then there was some fanfare and an IMAX-type presentation began called (in French) The Mysteries of the Rosary. It was
dazzling, lots of opera music, a 50 minute visual presentation that is difficult to describe. It is free, on Mondays and Thursdays, I think it ends soon. It was a very memorable evening for me, totally by accident.

I visited St Sulpice one afternoon. There were only a handful of visitors in this magnificent church. All of a sudden the organ (one of Europe's biggest) started thundering. The organist was there to practice, it was surreal!

One early AM in Bruge I stumbled across their huge twice-weekly market. I got some bread and fruit and sat in a bench near the Burg. Suddenly there were hundreds of kids on bikes spilling out out that shiny golden arch, all on their way to school. This was such a lovely sight, I will never forget it.

In Paris on rue Mouffetard where I was staying I waved "bonjour" to a restaurant owner. She was Armenian and after a few pleasantries we discovered we used to practically be neighbors. She insisted I come in and have tea and treats with her, we chatted for about 90 minutes, it was a charming interlude.

Speaking of meeting neighbors, at a cafe next to the Amsterdam Bloemmarkt I met some people who lived 3 blocks from me!

Matisse is my all time favorite artist, I luckily discovered the Matisse Exhibition at Luxembourg Museum, most of which is closed for renovation.

Sunday my enery was flagging and I spent an idyllic few hours by the basin in Luxembourg Gardens watching the kids and their toy sailboats.

Weather just perfect the whole 2 weeks. Very cool and overcast in Bruges and Amsterdam with the exception of one hellacious thunderstom in Amsterdam that knocked the Metro out of commission. In PAris it was clear and cool, it did not get warm until the last day. No rain. I found this all amazing since the extended forecast called for rain my entire trip and yet it only rained once for a few hours.

Unfortunately I landed with a thud when I arrived at home. In Paris I got a blister, it was innocuous and didn't hamper me. When I was changing planes in Cincinnati I started feeling baaaaad. I chalked it up to the rigors of travel. WHen I got home I was horrified to see that my foot was hot, swollen, and red streaks were quickly advancing up my leg! I went straight to the ER with chills and a temp of 101. I spent the day getting IV hydration and IV antiobiotics as I had a raging infection in my foot, the exact bacteria still undetermined. I still have some kind of needle in my arm and am going back in today and maybe even tomorrow for more IV antibiotics plus 10 days of oral pills. I suppose this could happen anywhere, I am thankful I was almost home when I got sick because this would have been daunting in Paris on a weekend.

I still have jet lag and I am hobbling about. It was such a wonderful trip, all the major parts came of without a hitch, much of it due to the expert advice I received on this board!

I am sooo sorry about your foot Vivi... Do get better.

But I LOVED your report - I loved hearing about your "magic moments" ...
serendipity!

Take very special care of you...

How wonderful How terrible!!
I am so glad you had a good time, how funny that you met "neighbors" and I enjoyed reading of your "highlights"..
I am sorry to hear about your foot, Good Grief!!
I hope you are already feeling almost perfect, thank you for posting!
((F))Scarlett

Thanks for the report and hoping that "HepLock" in your arm will be out soon, too.

Good to read your report...good that you were not too far from home when you began to feel poorly as well!
We are off to Amsterdam, Bruges, and eventually Paris in less than 2 weeks...when you feel like it, please write more!!!

Thanks for posting, vivi.

Get well quick.

Look forward to more.

((I))

Great report, very sorry to hear about the infection-hope it heals quickly!

Thanks for the report and I'm so glad the bad thing didn't happen till you got home. You must have some good karma.

How awful about your foot...hopefully, you will be back to 100% soon.

And thank you for posting your trip report, since I will be visiting these same cities in 3 1/2 months, it gave me some ideas as to what to do.

BTW, I also think that sometimes, sightseeing by yourself is the best way, I think you actually see more of the details of a place, because there is no one to distract you.

Great report, vivi! Those are exactly the kind of experiences I love best.

Hope your foot heals quickly - good thing you noticed the swelling and red streaks when you did.

Thanks for the comments and the sympathy! I had another IV infusion of antibiotics today which seems to have done the trick.

Some more comments about my trip. (Again, skip this if detailed travel reports aggravate you!)

Mobal Phone- Probably should have skipped it, I only used it twice to call the landlords; it did come in handy for that. I left if with my daughter as she will be in Europe for several more months.

Laptop-- So glad I took it. I had wireless at every place I stayed. Since I was traveling alone it was wonderful to feel connected with my husband and kids are are all far-flung this summer. I also used it several times to make reservations during my trip and look up info. For me having the laptop was not a liability, it enhanced my trip.

Digital camera- First time I ever traveled with one. Loved it. I only took it out a few days with me becuase I just hate carrying stuff. But got some great photos. While I am on the subject, I did observe the Japanese and their cameras, they must take a million fotos each, they were relentless, LOL.

Security: Never noticed any pickpockets, didn't hear of anybody being targeted, nobody even remotely messed with me.

Laundry- Confounding. Both VRBOs had combo washer/dryers. Right off the bat in Amsterdam I completely fried 2 of the 4 shirts I brought, thus paring down my wardrobe dramatically. In Paris it happened again. Suffice it to say I was not competent in this area.

Train travel- Brussels to Bruge, Bruge to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Paris. All without a hitch, second class very comfortable. Only needed reservations to Paris.

Traveling alone- Love it. After years of schlepping the whole family all over and being responsible for everybody's happiness, traveling solo suits me great! My husband eschews big cities and gladly lets me go to NY a few times a year by myself, ditto this trip to Europe. ( He would have mutinied in Paris! We take a 10 day trip every October to the Great Outdoors, usually in Canada.) My daughter is staying in Paris this summer and met me in AMsterdam for a few days, so it was perfect.

Bruge- I was absolutely enchanted by this town, like being in a storybook land. It was practically deserted in the evenings, the only sound was clinking glasses and quiet conversation the cafes that all had roaring fires. Just lovely. The Belgians were charming and helpful.

Amsterdam- Similarly charming even with its bawdiness. The Dutch were mostly jolly and helpful. I really love Amsterdam.

Paris- Literally overwhelmed me. A magnificent city, but it totally exhausted me. I could not possible see it all, even in 8 days. Yesterday This was my 4th time there, I dont recall it being so immense. I never got my bearings there and was continually lost. I even gave up carrying a map and just walked everywhere, running into what I wanted to see eventually. I loved that little street full of pet stores along the Seine and the bird market on Sunday; both happenstances. Highlights: the churches, especially St Chapelle, St Eustache, Notre Dame. Chartes was just amazing to me. Disappontment: The Louvre due to the Disneylandish crowds.

OK, thank you for letting me prattle!

LOL... getting lost in Paris... I kept my mantra "where's the river?"
"Where's the river?" that helped me.

I didn't even understand the relationship of the Seine to the sights til I took a river cruise on the second to the last night! And I am ashamed to say I have a degree in geography, LOL.

Vivi,

You are making me look forward to my trip so much! I have extremely wonderful things about Bruges and I don't think I'll be disappointed, Paris..well, due to a long story of childhood stories, I've had a negative feeling towards Paris, but I am really looking forward to visiting it and seeing it through my own eyes and through my ancestors' eyes who hated everything French.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your trip report!

Loved your report and your thoughts re: traveling alone. If you've read my recent report to London-Paris-Amsterdam, you know I had similar feelings about trying to please my entire family for meals and activities everyday. Next visit to Paris I go alone, or with only one girlfriend!

vivi
Just the sort of experiences we are hoping to happen across in Paris, not even thinking about the main tourist attractions,just to wander by. Did the touristy things years ago. Hope your health is on the mend.

We were thinking about a day trip to Bruges from PAris, know its not enough time etc but Bruges sounds idylic and we would appreciate sitting on a coach for a few hours after all the walking in PAris.

Thanks for your report.

Lyn

Vivi, sounds like you are feeling a little better, that's good.

Thanks for posting your trip report. Going to Brugge and Amsterdam next year.

Take care of yourself!

I enjoying reading your report. So sorry to hear about your foot -- no fun at all. Fortunately, it did not ruin your holiday. Glad to know you are doing better.