Sunday The main train station, Lille Europe, had some nice indoor and outdoor art. I went back out after lunch to explore the fort area but couldn't see much. Instead, I headed back to the center,...
Blog posts from France
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: Lille Christmas sights
Most of the Christmas decorations were centered around the Grand Place, with a Ferris wheel and a tree (with most of the lights working) as the central draw. As you moved further from the center,...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: Lille food & drink
Sunday After dropping our bags off at the apartment, our first destination was the Marché de Wazemmes which closes at 3p on Sundays, and wouldn't be open on Monday. It took about a 15 min walk from...
Euro Christmas Markets 2022: introduction
In 2020 we had planned on a Thanksgiving trip centered on European Christmas markets, as it had been 6 years since we were last in Europe late in the year. Of course, all of our 2020 plans were...
Alsace: Strasbourg
Using our parking ticket / tram pass we took the train into town and disembarked at the central Grand Rue stop - less than a ten minute journey from the hotel. We needed a snack, so our first order...
Alsace: Colmar food + drink
It will come as no surprise that we ate well across Alsace! Thursday After settling into to our apartment we walked over to the Casino Supermarket for some groceries - orange juice, milk, granola...
Alsace: Day 3 – Riquewihr + Obernai
Riquewihr This little village really looked promising on the drive into town... However, once we parked (car lots were 3€ for two hours with no option for less time) and noticed bus loads of (mostly...
Alsace: Day 2 – Eguisheim, Munster, Ammerschwihr, Kaysersberg
Eguisheim Another item on Eric's must-see list was this small village ringed by roads with names like Rue de Riesling, Rue de Traminer, etc. Luckily we found a free parking spot near a park just...
Alsace: Day 1 – Haut-Koenigsbourg, Saint-Hippolyte, Rorschwihr, Ribeauville
Haut-Kœnigsbourg Our first day in Alsace was predicted to be the sunniest, so we decided to start explorations here to take advantage of the views. It was one of the top three items on Eric's...
Alsace: a brief stop in Metz
After sailing through customs, collecting our luggage (that we were forced to check for no good reason due to an inconsistent/jerk BA gate agent) and picking up the rental car in Luxembourg, we...
Euro summer trip 2018: overview, maps, and where we stayed
For summer 2018 a trip to the UK for work materialized, meaning a return to London and the Berkshire county area last visited in January. Since Leandra could travel with me we decided to tack on a...
Paris 2017: food & drink
Thursday Lunch @ Le Petit Marche - Having just landed and dropped off our bags we needed lunch, quickly! Even at 1:30p this restaurant was packed, but they managed to squeeze us into a small table....
Paris 2017: picnic in Luxembourg Gardens
After visiting the Musée de l'Orangerie and several other sights on Sunday, we took the metro down to the Saint Germain area and picked up picnic supplies for a relaxing lunch in the Luxembourg...
Paris 2017: sights
On this trip we spent a lot of time inside the major museums and a palace, which will have their own posts. In between we wandered around the city enjoying the many Parisian sights, taking full...
Paris 2017: museums
Musée d'Orsay Wow. Just - wow. The Orsay covers mid-19th century to early 20th century, and simply has so many masterpieces. We visited on Thursday evening when they are open late until 9:45p, and...
Paris 2017: Château de Fontainebleau
We decided to skip the uber-famous Versailles in favor of Fontainebleau in the hopes of much smaller crowds, and it worked out well for us. The trickiest part may have been figuring out the trains...
Paris 2017: introduction
In February 2017 I had an important decision to make - should I share a good deal ($385) on flights from Raleigh to Paris with Leandra? If I did, it would mean returning, and while it was nice...
France Nov 2014: Bordeaux food and drink
Bordeaux Beer Shop - walking down Rue des Faures toward the Basilica of St. Michael I noticed the word 'beer' out of the corner of my eye. Leandra was across the street and chatting with the...
Our Itinerary
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Bordeaux (Sep)
Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castile and León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)
2022 Trips
Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)