ro11dice

I was wondering, for those that either live in Europe or those that have traveled there, what a great place to visit near Paris would be. I might be traveling to Paris for business but would like to know of cities close by that I could spend a couple of days. I'm thinking of London since it's easy to get there but would like to see what my fellow e60 members would suggest. I'd love to go the Ring but I don't think my wife would enjoy that too much. Thanks!

kscarrol

You are right about London, just three hours on the Chunnel to central London. A trip we took several years ago was to Normandy, as I recall it was 2-3 hours from Paris by car and a couple of days is plenty to explore. Seeing all the places associated with the Allied invasion on D-Day in person, particularly the American cemetary at Colleville-sur-Mer overlooking Omaha Beach, was a humbling experience to say the least. A trip I will never forget!

CENTRAL CALI

All I can say is you're lucky!

ro11dice

we're both lucky...we live in california. i consider that luck sometimes! good to hear from you. haven't seen you since wente vineyards.

kscarrol: thanks for the tip. i've always wanted visit omaha beach. sadly, i only know it through movies and books. we are leaning towards london but our options are open...except for the ring.

kscarrol

You won't go wrong in London, great city and the wife might appreciate the shopping etc over Normandy. The history is outstanding in both places. In London, so many things to see that a couple of days will just scratch the surface. Have you been to London before? My folks live there for part of the year and I have been numerous times so would be happy to offer tips through pm's, or we have a number of London/UK based members who could offer tips.

ro11dice

Yes, I've been to London, only once but had a great time. My wife has never been though (she's thinking Harrod's). It's been some time since I went so I wouldn't mind taking all the sites in again. I'll definitely PM you....and another trip I'll PM you is a trip to New Orleans. My wife and I have never been but we've always been wanting to....just to eat the great food! But we're thinking that won't be until 2008. Almost made a trip but Katrina beat us there which hampered our plans. We'll be there soon to support the local economy. We've been doing our part from back here in Cali through all the efforts (fundraisers, clothing donations, etc.).

kscarrol

It's appreciated, let me know when you're coming to New Orleans, drinks on me! And while Harrod's is fun to see, tell her to shop elsewhere as Harrod's is grossly overpriced, even by London standards.

MacSid

Could all depend on how you're planning on travelling.

If you're gonna fly, just about any major European city will be within an easy flight of up to/around 2 hours.

If you're gonna get on the high speed trains, then Brugge or Brussels would be real good. Brugge will earn you major romantic brownie points with your wife, believe me.

A fly-drive I would also recommend is fly from Paris to either Strasbourg or Mulhouse, and then rent a car and drive the Alsace Wine Route. This meanders along the west side of the Rhine and takes in not only the vineyards, but also some amazing castles, cathedrals and ruins along the way. The last time I did this, I flew into Mulhouse, pounded up the motorway to Strasbourg (1.5 hours) and then took the Wine Route back from Strasbourg to Mulhouse over a 2.5 day period.

MacSid

ro11dice

This sounds very interesting too. I need to re-stock on some romantic brownie points. Our last trip to Venice (which scored major points) seems to be wearing off. Thanks for the suggestion.

MacSid

That Alsace Wine Route thing's great for romantic brownie points too. Just did it again with the wife 2 weekends ago - she was suitably impressed.

MacSid