After waking up at the Apollo Hotel, we had breakfast in the restaurant and headed via train to Rotterdam and boat to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring historic Dutch windmills. After, we returned to Rotterdam where we saw the city’s unique cube houses and had dinner at the Market Hall.
Continue reading “Kinderdijk and Rotterdam”Den Bosch
After waking up at the Apollo Hotel and having breakfast, we took the train to Den Bosch. Once there, we took a canal tour and visited a museum dedicated to local painter Jheronimus Bosch. We followed up with a quick visit to St. John’s Cathedral before meeting up with a friend.
Continue reading “Den Bosch”Geneva to Yvoire and Nyon on Lac Léman
After an excellent breakfast at the Marriott, we took the tram to Geneva and walked around where the Rhône starts on the western end of Lac Léman. We then caught the next CGN paddle steamer, the Simplon, to Yvoire, France. We had lunch in the small town and walked around a bit before catching a different CGN boat to Nyon, on the northern Swiss side of the Léman. We walked around town for awhile before heading back to Geneva by train to end the day.
Continue reading “Geneva to Yvoire and Nyon on Lac Léman”Annecy
After landing at GVA, we checked into the Marriott, dropped off our bags, and headed to Annecy in France. We walked through the Vieille Ville (Old City) and had lunch. Afterwards, we walked through the Jardins de l’Europe before doing the 1.5 hour Grand Lake Cruise of Lac d’Annecy with Compagnie des Bateaux d’Annecy. The weather was getting worse on our way back to town. After disembarking, we returned to the train station to return to Geneva and to end the day.
Continue reading “Annecy”Rising Up From the Catacombs to the Eiffel Tower
We started out by heading to the Catacombs of Paris, a series of underground tunnels where human remains were moved after the city’s cemeteries were filled in the 18th century. Afterwards, we had lunch at a restaurant by Rue Daguerre, a pedestrianized street lined with cafes and shops.
After lunch, we took the Metro over to Cité, an island in the middle of the Seine. We visited the Sainte-Chapelle, a former royal chapel. We also saw the exterior of the Notre Dame de Paris, the city’s famous cathedral which is currently being restored after suffering a fire in 2019.
We then made our way to the Eiffel Tower where we took a 1 hour boat sightseeing cruise with Bateaux Parisiens, which we received as a welcome amenity yesterday from the Le Méridien Etoile. Afterwards, we went up to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Eiffel Tower where we spent the rest of the evening.
Continue reading “Rising Up From the Catacombs to the Eiffel Tower”