For the past six months we've been putting a little away each month, and for Christmas and our birthdays this year, we are asking for one thing: money for a two week trip to Europe.
A two week, romantic vacation to Europe. To say that I'm looking forward to it is a serious understatement.
I have never been across the pond (Matt has been twice!) and I have always wanted to go. I especially want to go alone with Matt, before we have kids. So it looks like it's now or never. We are thinking our trip will probably be in April or May.
There are places I know we will be visiting:
1) London, England
(Photo from here)
Besides doing the normal London things (the theater, the parks, the sights, the food, etc.) we are going to do something that I find so exciting I get super giddy just at the mere thought of it. Beware for the nerds. We are going to tour Leavesden Studios! As in, the Leavesden Studios right outside of London. As in the place that Harry Potter was made. Yeah, we are excited.
2) Durham, England
(Photo from here)
Our dear friends, Andy and Miranda Byers, just moved here so Andy can get his PhD. We'd love to spend a couple days with them and their kiddos. Durham seems like a beautiful town.
3) Paris, France
(Photo from here)
With Paris being such a quick train ride from London, why not spend a night or two here? I find that people have strong opinions about this city. It's either their favorite place in the world or they detest it. I'd like to see for myself.
From Paris I'm not so sure what the plan is. I think I want to spend a couple of days in Lake Como. London, Durham, and Paris will be amazing but Lake Como could be much more relaxing. And, if it's good enough for George Clooney, it's good enough for me.
The question lies in this, do we take an over night train to Milan from Paris and then head up to Lake Como? Do we stop in Switzerland on the way instead? Do we want Lake Como to be our final destination or do we want to squeeze in Florence or Rome or Tuscany? Since I've never been to Europe and we are at the very beginning of our planning stages, I have no idea how much time all this traveling from place to place will take.
Anyways, as we plan, I'd love your help. You know I'm all about food when I travel, so do you know of some amazing restaurants in any of these places? Do you have any other activities you'd suggest? Any advice at all and I'd love to here it!
5 comments:
whooo europe! and HOLLA for the leavesden studios! that will be very cool. i also suggest making a picnic and eating it in beautiful hyde park in london. in paris, skip the lourve (sp?) and go to the museu de orse (sp?) instead...AMAZING impressionism... i spent like 5 hours there. i also suggest taking a boat ride down the sine (sp?) river. i highly recommend switzerland... so quaint and beautiful--looks like it's right out of a fairytale book. and you KNOW im partial to my motherland, italy. ;-) i thought rome was a tad overrated but florence was divine. if you add italy to the itinerary, i suggest you eat gelato 2-3x a day. :-)
we can't WAIT to see y'all!!! There are a million and one possibilities of awesome stops along your journey! What an incredible trip this will be for the two of you! We'll be thinking of suggestions as we're building a list of places we'd like to hope over and see while they're close =)
not that you need to be told but i will slap both of you silly if you don't tour the Harry Potter lots.
Hey guys, Sounds incredible. You will have a blast. I have to put in a plug for Portugal, where I went this summer. Very easy to get to from Paris. An incredible country. Lisbon is a beautiful city, and the beaches in the Algarve (fly into Faro from Paris) are some of the prettiest I have ever seen. And one thing that is rare for Europe, is it is quite "inexpensive". Prices were very reasonable for everything, even given the wickedly bad exchange rate. And the food....sooooo good. Just simply prepared Med cuisine....lots of fresh seafood, fresh vegetables....just perfect. Happy Planning! :)
PS.....love the stripes. Ellen, you have done a great job with the apartment. And I read your mention a while back about going to school for design....I think you have a great eye, and don't let school hold you back. Lots of other ways to get into the trade, and learn from others while educating yourself too. Because with talent, you can always succeed in the design field, regardless of schooling. And you've got talent. Go for it, girl! :)
Love, Madelaine
So, the Durham visit is the romantic leg of the trip, right?
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