My husband and I are planning our second trip to Europe to celebrate our 40th Wedding Anniversary and my 60th.We have 3 must see's, Paris, Normandy and any part of Germany besides the Black Forest! We have not ruled out Amsterdam and or flying into or out of London and the chunnel to Paris. We are both physically fit, my hubby reads maps for fun, can manage a little German and we have friends near Frankfort we hope to meet up with. We loved traveling by train last time but wonder if we should rent a car for part of the trip. I am an avid cook and we are wine drinkers. My husband is a history buff, I am not but enjoy historical sites. Any suggestions would be of great help! ps We are shooting for next Sept. 2013
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10226 posts
First, congrats on the anniversary and big birthday! Will your friends meet you somewhere, or do you have to go to Frankfurt to see them? Three weeks will go fast. I'm planning a trip for the same time and it's amazing how fast those days fill up. For transportation I think a car during the Normandy portion of your trip would give you the most freedom there. A couple of suggestions off the top of my head to think of would be - Paris - Normandy - Burgundy - Rhine or Mosel (or both) River regions Paris - Normandy - Bruges - Amsterdam - Rhine/Mosel With Burgundy you get food and wine, and with the Rhine you get the wine.
With both of these options you could fly into Paris and out of Frankfurt. Or do the reverse. You have plenty of time to figure this out and for me anyway, the planning is half the fun!!
Posted by
OP
Mesa, AZ, USA
3 posts
Thanks, Andrea! Great suggestions! Our friends will meet us anywhere and would like to spend a couple days with us. They have a 3 year old, however! Funny enough, we met her drinking kirshwasser in the Black Forest, 10 years ago!
Posted by
Clarkston, USA
192 posts
Congrats on the anniversary! Husband and I will celebrate our 48th in Dublin this year. You mentioned Amsterdam...I am a large fan of that city. Went there 6 years ago but only managed 3 days. We loved it so much we saved up for 2 years and went back, 4 years ago, for a whole week. I'd go again, tomorrow, if my laundry was done up. The people were so very friendly and helpful! We saw the Anne Frank house (of course), the Dutch Resistance Museum, the Rijksmuseum, the VanGogh, went to Corrie tenBoom's home, the Kookenhoff (I'm forgetting how to spell that) Gardens, etc. and enjoyed it all.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
As far as renting a car... I would suggest it for the Normandy part of the trip, as this gives you freedom as well as the drive itself is nice. Stop in Bayeaux, beautiful town. I was there last nov. and there were hardly any tourists and the weather itself was gorgeous. I would also have a car for southern Germany...easy to drive and lots of wonderful villages and towns to visit...find your own back door.
Posted by
OP
Mesa, AZ, USA
3 posts
Thanks for all the helpful suggestions!
Posted by
Germany, Germany
813 posts
I suggest meeting up with your friends in Alsace wine route somewhere, perhaps Riquewihr or Eguisheim. In Germany the Mosel/Trier area is nice wine country as well. Both those places offer castles, wine, good local foods, and great scenery.