NETHERLANDS (2001): Flat!!!
Amsterdam– Yes it WAS all true, and when in Rome… Leave your inhibitions at the airport terminal, but do keep your sense of culture and history. The Van Gogh Museum was a dream come true for his biggest an. The sight of elderly couples walking through the Red Light District was priceless. Oh and when in a coffee shop, realize that the treats that you eat take more time to affect you than the ones that you don’t… trust me! But the Dutch have cracked down on hedonistic tourists since I was there and I heard it is probably quite different now.
Delft– Nice pretty town, kind of boring though. However, the world-famous Delft ceramics factory was interesting.
LUXEMBOURG (2001, 2013): Proves that you can fit many beautiful things in small packages.
Luxembourg City– All the class and elegance of a major capital but in a small picturesque package. The food was great, the casements went on for miles… made it a little spooky to walk through, and the geography is stunning.
General Patton’s grave
Hamm– The only WWII Cemetery for American Soldiers I’ve ever been to. Very moving. General Patton is buried there.
Clerveaux– What a lovely little town in the Ardennes. Beautiful country, nice monastery, and WWII history everywhere. I felt like I was Snoopy the Flying Ace in The Great Pumpkin when I was trekking through the countryside.
Ettelbruck– Lively town in the middle of the country. Very pretty. Home to the Patton Museum and not far from storybook setting of the Valley of 7 Castles and Moselle Wine Country. Could make a nice base instead of the capital.
Differdange– College town south of the capital. Nothing particularly special about the place but has an awesome Italian Restaurant.
Koerich– Cute tiny town with a castle ruin in the center. Very quiet.
Hollenfels– Lovely hilltop town with a castle turned into a youth hostel. Also close to 2 other castles. The town was very well-kept and appeared quite wealthy.
BELGIUM (2001, 2005, 2013): A great Introduction to Europe, with tasty food, great beer, and people speaking a different language, but English also.
Bruges– Beautiful historic city of canals (one of the many self-proclaimed Venices of the North) and Dutch Art masterpieces, but feels like a museum. Celebrated modern opera house is striking architecturally but does not belong at all! Crashes the in tact Medieval atmosphere that is the calling card of this city that time forgot. The Belgian fries on the atmospheric Markt Square are GREAT. Was moved by the Michaelangelo sculpture in the Church of Our Lady.
Ghent– Gritty and lively city. Cool foreboding castle right in the middle of the city… very weird. Creepy torture chamber. A good alternative to touristy Bruges, more spunky than romantic.
Oostende– Nice place to go to get away from the heat. Typical resort town type of atmosphere. The North Sea is FREEZING even on the hottest days.
Ypres– The 8:00PM WW I memorial service under the arch in the center of the city everyday still is very touching.
Antwerp– One of my favorite cities. Not as polished as Bruges, or as cosmopolitan as Brussels but about as many things to see. Wonderful food, world-class art, awesome chocolate, nice jazz scene. Very laid-back.
Brussels– Beautiful city with wonderful monuments and museums. It just felt cold to me, very superficial. Kind of like a Washington DC in Europe. Mannenkin Pis was a disappointment but that wasn’t a surprise. To be fair, my brother went there at another time and loved the city. I was happy to stay in nearby Antwerp.