For many people, touring Europe by car is the only, and the best, way to see Europe. You have the freedom to go wherever your car can go whenever you choose. You’re not bound by public carrier schedules, and you can usually save a lot of money by “doing it yourself”. However, there is a downside. If your car breaks down, especially “in the middle of nowhere”, your plans for an idyllic cruise through Europe could be drastically affected. These problems are difficult enough to deal with at home where you know the language and the culture. What if it happens while you’re in Germany, France or in Poland?
Dining out was something of an experience. Maybe we were just in the wrong place, but there seemed to be few decent restaurants about. In the end we went to the most expensive restaurant we could find, (after a long day’s riding we would always try to find the best restaurant in town), where the wine was okay and the food not bad, but the service miserable. Maybe it’s the remoteness of mountain life which makes the population appear to be somewhat insular.
This was also demonstrated when we arrived at our hotel, where both the receptionists and the hotel manager appeared to be inscrutable to the point of being brusque.
If you have a glamorous European vacation planned with your kids, make the most of it and expose them to different cultures at every turn. Just make sure they appreciate it – spend most of the trip talking about how your father’s idea of a vacation was a night camping in the backyard, and loudly proclaiming that you don’t know how you’ll be able to afford the hotel and pay for their college education.
France. This is an excellent way to get the rug rats to try out some new cuisine. Make them sample rabbit, escargot and frog legs. Just don’t tell them what they’re eating until after they’ve swallowed. Bon appetite!
Want a romantic escape with your loved one? Take him or her to Paris, France, the city of love. Hear mighty Notre Dame’s bells ring or stand atop the Eiffel Tower and see for miles. The Louvre museum is the epicenter for art, probably most famous for Da Vinci’s grinning Mona Lisa. Is history more your style? See for yourself the mighty Arc de Triomphe, the world-famous military monument in Paris.
Ireland is the place to reawaken any latent Irish roots you might have. Seemingly endless verdant gardens and pastures are among the famous attractions of Ireland. Re-live St. Patrick’s life as you follow his path of religious influence all through Ireland. See the eerie and mysteries Newgrange, the world’s oldest astronomically aligned monument and a testament to our oldest human ancestors.
