Oh I meant to bookmark your TR so I can see how it progresses!

Now I see where and how the Paris day fits into your larger plans. On my first read-through of your itinerary, I thought perhaps it could have been tweaked a bit - but to be honest, it took a second reading to take it all in, and I see now how it maps out. I'd only say it's too bad you don't have a tad more time at Bay of Naples/Amalfi Coast. :)

Bon voyage!

I'm looking forward to the trip report, as I'm sure you're looking forward to starting to write it! Sounds like an interesting, and unusual for Fodor's, trip. Drive safe!

Thank you all! Yes, I can't wait for this trip to start. I just paid the balance on the car lease from Renault and the villa rental in Greece. And a friend in Europe said he'll join me in Prague, Vienna and Graz and I even found rooms for him in the same hotels and rates as mine. So all major bookings are now completed. Before we leave I have to book final details, such as tickets to the Vatican and Colosseum, a pasta cooking class in Tuscany, things like these. I was just talking to someone that just got back from Italy and he gave me a great tip for when visiting the Vatican. I will share it in my TP once I do it myself :)

Today being the anniversary of D-Day, I can't wait to visit the beaches that 150,000 allied forces invaded 68 years ago. Thousands of American, British and Canadian soldiers died or were wounded there. They had it hard so we can have it easy.

Day 1 - July 3/4
Direct flight from Calgary to Frankfurt was uneventful; I didn't sleep for one second as my usual. A shuttle from the airport took us to the Holiday Inn Express - 10 mins away - where we picked up our Renault lease car around noon on Wednesday. A friendly and helpful guy handed us over a brand new Clio. Small diesel car, but fully loaded, leather and stuff, exactly what I wanted.
The drive to Luxembourg was longer than expected due to some traffic delays on the highway - 3 hrs instead of 2, but we still got to the Campanile hotel early enough for an afterwards quick drive through Luxembourg city center and for shopping for some basic necessities (like water, wine, and scotch :). Then we drove back to the hotel and had a nice, relaxing dinner.

Day 2 - July 5
We had a very good breakfast at the hotel, very early in the morning, then got on bus 16 to the city center. Then, we visited the Bock casemates and basically walked the streets and "Places" (plazas) for the next few hours. The city center is fairly small and everything is within walking distance. I agree with other reviewers that Luxembourg is not really a tourist place; however, I did find it a good first stop in Europe to relax and get over the jet lag. Food is very good though, we had lunch in the city and dinner back at the hotel again. Let me know if you need details. I apologise for the telegraphic writing style but it's late at night and I'm trying to fall sleep. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be really awake, going to Champagne. Cheers!

PinBud, congrats on beginning your journey! Glad to hear that it's so far, so good. :)

Buna ziua agin PinBud...you're on the way! Good for you. Your TR style is fine..no one wants to read terminally boring pit-stop details. Keep it coming in telegraphic style. Watch the road...I'm afraid the traffic you hit heading for Lux is a predictor of traffic throughout the continent's more populous regions and in and around the bigger cities. Things have changed.

And once again, <i>drum bun!</i>...hoist a beer at <i>Carul cu Berre!</i>

Stu Tower

Day 3 - July 6
Even though the tank was 3/4 full, before we left Lux I filled up to take advantage of what is, apparently, the cheapest diesel in Europe. Then we drove to Reims thru the Ardennes and Champagne regions. Nice.
Reims is not what I expected; other than the cathedral itself, which is huge and beautiful, I wasn't impressed by anything else I saw in the central area.
Then we had a two o'clock appointment at the GH Mumm champagne house for a tour in English, but we were a few minutes late (caught in traffic :) so we got the French tour instead. They store 25 million bottles in 25 kms of caves, very impressive. The tasting was at the end and I picked the 24E Grand Crus option, which included Mumm de Cramant and Grant Cru. Yes, it was good, and I ended up buying 2 bottles of Brut and 1 of Demi-Sec, 25E each, which are waiting to be opened in Austria when we will be more thirsty people.
Then we drove by and stopped at some of the other houses but didn't go in as some were already closed. For dinner we just had pizza (with an egg in the middle, haha), then we went to the Fasthotel in Taissy, on the outskirts of Reims. Cheap, small, but clean and practical double room for 44 E, plus 5E for a basic breakfast.

Day 4 - July 7
Well, today was a blast! We got on the A4 before 9AM and by 10.30 we were in the parkade at Notre-Dame, one hour earlier than our booked 6 hours starting at 11.30. The parking guy said no problem, so off we go walking in Paris and taking lots of pictures at Notre-Dame, along the Seine around the island, at the Louvre, in St Michel, the Latin Quarter. We took a one hr boat as planned and we got to see the Eiffel Tower. On Pont Arts I placed a lock with our names written on it, so when I come back to Paris with my wife hopefully we'll find it in the same spot.
What can I say, Paris is gorgeous and we loved it. The kid even bought a hoodie with Paris Je T'aime. After this introductory, crash course in Paris, I can't wait to come back for at least a week.
As we left, we took the Champs Elysees, drove by the Arc de Triomphe, on the A13, where 2 hrs later we got to the Auberge de la Mue hotel in Thaon, Normandy. Right in time for dinner. More tomorrow, now i have to run and get breakfast then go to the beaches.

You are giving us all the important details. Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to hearing more.

Yay, I'm so so glad that Paris was a success!! It sounds like it went exactly and even better than planned.

Here's to the rest of your trip being more of the same!
~ ggreen

We just had one of our best dinners ever after an awesome day on the invasion beaches and Bayeux today. More tomorrow morning.

It was very interesting to read your report thanks!

Thanks guys, if you have any questions for more details let me know, it's hard to include too many details in a daily report and time is short too. For example, if you come to this area in Normandy I can fully 100% recommend this hotel/restaurant: http://www.aubergedelamue.com/
Honestly the best kept secret (no more)

Day 5 - July 8
We started our day with a great breakfast at the hotel, Auberge de la Mue in Thaon, a small village between Caen and Bayeux. Fresh bread and croissants, cold meats, cheese and yoghurt, etc etc... all the good stuff. Then we hit the road and after a 15 min drive we were at Juno Beach - the Canadian memorial which we visited for an hour or so, trying to instill in the kid some history knowledge and pride of being a Canadian :) Then we continued to the Gold Beach, Arromanches with its remains of the artificial port, Omaha Beach and the American cemetery, Pointe du Hoc, and finally the Utah Beach. The highlights were definitely Pointe du Hoc and the American cemetery, which is simply very beautiful and impressive. On the way we also stopped at a local farm producer of Calvados, where I did some tasting and bought a bottle of the 8 years stuff, 25E. THis whole trip, which as a continuous drive would take 2-3 hours, took us almost all day due to the frequent and long stops, but this is why I was here. I got to see some remnants of German bunkers, especially on the Pointe, I was very happy... On the way back on the highway from Utah to Caen I noticed the German cemetery, on the right, which I plan on visiting on my next trip to Normandy. We only had time for a very short stop in Bayeux, walked around the cathedral and the surrounding streets for about 15 minutes. Now that's on my future to do list as well, obviously to see the tapistry too. We got back to the hotel - which is by the way in a very old, nicely renovated farmhouse - at 8.30 when we had planned our dinner. It was so good that my 12 yo daughter declared that it was her best meal ever. She said that she now finally understands what the big fuss is about having some good food in Europe. To me that is really something and I am very proud of her discovery.

Day 6 - July 9
Started with another super breakfast at the Auberge - I think the kid had at least 4 chocolate croissants, fresh from the oven. Sorry to leave Normandy, which is now on my top of the list together with Bavaria, we were driving again and after a couple of hours we got to Amiens to see the cathedral, which is probably the best I've seen so far. Doesn't seem as big as the one in Reims but it is the tallest and has the largest interior of the cathedrals in France. The inside is simply a masterpiece, lots of artwork, as the cathedral is a Unesco World Heritage Centre.
Then we got stuck on the highway for a two hours traffic delay as we were leaving France getting into Belgium towards Bruxelles. Both "Alex" - my GPS - and Clio's TomTom couldn't provide any detour solution and we were beginning to wonder if we were going to sleep in the car. In the end we got going and arrived at Dinant at 7 pm. Checked in at the Ibis Hotel, which is a pleasant surprise. Located on the canal, about 700 meters from the town centre. We left our luggage in the room and immediately walked the promenade along the canal, towards the centre with its Romanesque style church sitting below the rocky hill on top of which lies the citadel. We had dinner at the Cafe Leffe, recommended by the hotel guy, another good choice (and of course had a couple glasses of good Leffe). Dinant is very beautiful, it even exceeds my expectations. As I'm writing this, I am sitting on the patio of the hotel having some pints of Stella, overlooking the canal. If you've never been to Dinant, definitely put it on your Belgium list, together with Brugge. Well, it's now dark so time to call it a day.

Very much enjoying your TR!

Loved Dinant! I decided I had to go there after seeing a photo of the church and citadel above it from across the river.

Hi Pinbud, I must admit that at first I thought your itinerary was insane and I felt slightly exhausted just reading it :) but all credit to you and I'm enjoying reading your report.

Day 7 - July 10
After breakfast, before checking out, we walked again to the city centre and took the cable car up to the Citadel (on the way back we took the stairs - 408 steep steps). The visit costs about 14 euros total for one adult and one child and includes the funicular and visiting the fortress with a guide. Our guide, of a large group of people, only spoke French and Flemish but he handed us out a leaflet in English about Dinant, the Citadel and its violent history.
On the way to Frankfurt - about 4 hrs drive - we stopped for lunch at a lovely restaurant called Blockhaus. I don't even know its exact location but I saw it from a roundabout in a nice forest and I made the sudden decision that I wanted soup. We had tomato soup, a schnitzel, and frikadeller (a big meatball) with fries and gravy. Good stuff.
By 5 we were at Parkhotel in Hattersheim, a small city close to the Frankfurt airport. Very good and clean hotel, large room, bathroom and balcony, but the best is its location in Am Markt, a piazza with restaurant terrasses, cafes, and a couple ice-cream shops. We spent all evening there enjoing some beverages. And finally some English channels on tv: BBC, CNN, and Eurosport I think (no FoxNews unfortunatelly)
Tomorrow we pick up mom from terminal 2.

I stayed at that Ibis in Dinant -- very nice. Not enough people go to Dinant, which is perhaps what makes it even lovelier.