We're back!

We've been up for almost 24 hours, thanks to US Airways officially being the worst airline out there. So I'll post some pictures (but not all 400+ of them) and updates tomorrow. One thing to say though... we seemed to be in Europe at a really unique time. We saw a motorcade in Brussels when this big EU treaty was signed, Tony Blair stepped down as PM while we were there, and then there were at least two terrorist attacks thwarted in two areas we were in only days ago. My mom and sister are still in London for the weekend. I'm sure they'll be fine, but I'm certainly glad to be home safe and sound. Thanks for the interest and the nice comments!

Update from the UK

So we spent yesterday in Brussels, which is an absolutely gorgeous city. The whole ride in through Belgium on the fast, supersmooth trains was beautiful, and then we were in awe of the city itself. We managed to snag a few different kinds of chocolate, but it's tough to transport. We'll see what is left when we get back.

We arrived at Waterloo station in London last night and took the tube in to our hotel. It's a bit out of the central city, but only a couple minutes' ride. It's so big and modern but very comfortable, especially compared to the continental rooms. We had a bit of dinner and a couple English beers at the hotel bar, and met these two British businessmen. One of them in particular told us (at length) how the British don't like the French or Germans, but really love Americans, and love to travel there on holiday and support us in general. I thought it was nice, but I get the impression he likes America more than Americans do... or maybe he had had a bit too many beers. In any event, it's very nice here, and we're off to explore!

Update 2

So we decided that since we missed our first day in Amsterdam, and we wouldn't be able to spend enough time at them anyways, that we're skipping the Hague and Rotterdam and spending the day in Amsterdam. The weather is absolutely gorgeous. It feels like September, and everyone is out enjoying it. The city itself is beautiful, much moreso than I recalled from a March trip. Tomorrow we're leaving for Brussels and chocolate, and we will take the trip under the Channel to wind up in London for the night.

Update 1

Hi, boys and girls. So this is the first chance to update this, and I have a lot of pictures but cannot upload them here. Anyways, we had some major complications with flights, and long story short never fly US Airways. We got stranded in Boston, then Philly overnight, and eventually had to take another flight to Montreal and almost Detroit. We (and the other 200 passengers) were jerked around all night and finally told to leave the aiport or they would call the police. Eventually we arrived in Paris late, after missing the first day in Amsterdam. No matter, we had the most amazing dinner at Le Taillevent and our hotel room was upgraded to some huge, fancy suite at the Hyatt. As many of you know, I proposed to Liz that night and she said yes. (She likes her ring.) We spent a few days more in Paris and saw/did a ton of stuff and had so much fun. We left this morning, and took the super-fast (and quiet!) train through the French countryside, Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, and more to Amsterdam. It rained a bit yesterday and some brief downpours over the days, but the weather has been fantastic... not too hot or cold. We just had some nice dinner at an Irish pub of all places, and are now getting acquainted with our hostel. We're on the top floor in our own little dorm-room, with quite a nice view of the park below. Anyways, I'll try to upate a bit more now until we leave here. Not sure where the next computer will be. Later!

We're off!

So we've packed the last of our things, and are doing a bit of last minute planning before we head to the airport. Yay!

Getting excited!

So today we got our train tickets for our journey around Europe, the scenic Chunnel, and the British Isles. We also got the cash for the first leg of our trip. The pounds will have to be purchased in London. We've finally figured out that we're going to take day trips to Rotterdam and The Hague in the Netherlands, Brussels and Bruges in Belgium (do all of their names start with B?) to get Laurence and MatTek their respective chocolate, and to Limerick and Mullingar (where some of my Irish ancestors are from). We've got most of our itinerary ideas together, and are working out the addresses, train stations, metro stops, etc. Four days left: two more days of work and two parties, and we're off!

I'll try to be updating this as much as possible when I'm actually on the trip and have pictures and news to share, if I can get internet access. Get excited! ;-)

Dinner on June 14th

So the first night in Paris should be romantic and special because, after all, how often are you in Paris? That means we should have a nice dinner somewhere, and we selected Le Taillevent. You have to reserve months in advance apparently, so this is basically the only thing we've decided upon yet... www.taillevent.com is the webpage, but the glowing reviews you can find online give a better sense. At 200+ dollars a person, it better be worth it!