Guest Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 I'm hanging out in this thread only for the wealth of advice because I want to do some travel in Europe; just not sure when that will be. I'm currently very enamoured of the idea of using my plethora of travel points to go to London, but I'm dithering mainly because I don't (yet?) have a travel companion for this trip idea. I am not opposed to going by myself, but I think DH will pass out at the mere suggestion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Given your length of stay, I suggest you get a Paris museum pass. Whether or not you save money, you will save oodles of time you would have spent standing in line. You can either order it ahead of time online, or if you buy it there, I suggest purchasing it at a little museum, rather that at a major museum with a major line. I have a box full of Paris guides somewhere, but I have always referred to the DK Paris guidebook more than any other when I was actually in the city. It is a bit heavier due to the glossy pages, but very useful, especially if you are very visual. I have actually purchased multiple copies of this book, and I give them to friends who are going. I also like Rick Steve's books for general travel planning tips before the trip. :iagree: The museum pass is excellent. I also used the DK Paris guidebook. It has so much amazing info in it, and great maps. If you like live music, you may want to check on-line to see if there are any concerts or operas. I got to see a concert at a beautiful church my last time in Paris and it was a wonderful experience. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Re: tsa restrictions: If it were me, I would totally go makeup free, buy shampoo in Paris or whatever or rely on the hotels to provide the mini samplers rather than get stuck in a tsa line. It's 8 days---don't waste in in line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 I like Rick Steves walk guides for Paris. I was able to download them from my library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Before I forget climbing to the tower at Notre Dame is supposed to be fabulous. We have never managed to get in the line early enough. Go first thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 (edited) With regards to trainers/sneakers or no: I would wear your most comfortable waterproof shoes. It's true that middle-aged people in Europe are less likely to wear trainers, but you are going to be a very obvious tourist anyway (different body language, clothing, hair style, vocal pitch, etc.) so I wouldn't worry about it. An alternative half-way-house would be leather Gore-Tex walking shoes. About wearing boots on the plane: I flew within the UK last month and they weren't requiring people wearing shoes to take them off at Security but those wearing boots did have to remove them. I don't know whether that bothers you or not, nor do I know if that is Europe-wide. I also tend not to take shampoo on the plane - I buy when we arrive if necessary. The only liquids I take are any medicines that I might need, prescribed or not. OTC medicines will be different or differently-packaged overseas, so I normally take small bottles of the few things that would make us comfortable if we came down with a cold: decongestant, cough suppressant, etc. Edited December 31, 2016 by Laura Corin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bootsie Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 The only liquids I take are any medicines that I might need, prescribed or not. OTC medicines will be different or differently-packaged overseas, so I normally take small bottles of the few things that would make us comfortable if we came down with a cold: decongestant, cough suppressant, etc. If you wear contact lenses, make sure that you take any cleanser or eye drops you use with them. If you ever take anything like ibuprofen pack some. You will find many natural remedies (teas, etc.) in a drug store but will have to go to a pharmacy to get ibuprofen or other over-the-counter items were are used to getting in the US at a drug store. I have even had to go to a pharmacy to get rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide when in Europe. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 If you wear contact lenses, make sure that you take any cleanser or eye drops you use with them. If you ever take anything like ibuprofen pack some. You will find many natural remedies (teas, etc.) in a drug store but will have to go to a pharmacy to get ibuprofen or other over-the-counter items were are used to getting in the US at a drug store. I have even had to go to a pharmacy to get rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide when in Europe. Yes, these things are very variable country-by-country. In the UK, Ibuprofen (up to two boxes at a time) is available in the supermarket, but that's not the case in every country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted March 1, 2017 Author Share Posted March 1, 2017 I just want to say that I am all packed and ready to go! :D I have an early morning flight to DC tomorrow to meet my dd and we set off to Europe on Thursday! I got everything into my carry-on and my backpack. :hurray: I still can't believe we are really going! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Have a great time! Can't wait for the entertaining tales you send our way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 If you wear contact lenses, make sure that you take any cleanser or eye drops you use with them. If you ever take anything like ibuprofen pack some. You will find many natural remedies (teas, etc.) in a drug store but will have to go to a pharmacy to get ibuprofen or other over-the-counter items were are used to getting in the US at a drug store. I have even had to go to a pharmacy to get rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide when in Europe. I'd forgotten some contact lens liquids when I went to Germany. I was stumped because they weren't available at either of two grocery stores, or the pharmacy. I asked, and I was told to go to the Eye Doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 Have a fabulous time! Looking forward to hearing all about when you get back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted March 1, 2017 Share Posted March 1, 2017 OH yay! Have so much fun and then tell us all about it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted March 20, 2017 Author Share Posted March 20, 2017 Hi All~ I've been back for a week now. I'm still catching up on laundry, but otherwise, am back to routine. :) What a great trip! We went to Brussels, Brugge, and Paris! I scratched an item off of my bucket list when we saw the Mona Lisa. Brugge was a favorite! It is so charming and delightful! Our trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower was special because my daughter started making plans for that when she was 3 years old. :) I found all of my Rick Steves research profitable! It really gave me a realistic view of what to expect. We took trains all over the place. The high speed train from Brussels to Paris was a cinch, and the Paris subway system is super easy to use. We found the people in Belgium and France wonderful. We never picked up a single hint of them not liking Americans. They were very polite and always willing to speak English. I was inspired by the amount of people who were at least bilingual if not multilingual. They were amazing! I took two pairs of comfortable shoes. :) We did walk an average of about 5 miles per day, just like you all said! My boots were perfect. I also bought this pair of shoes from Payless of all places. I cannot tell you how amazingly comfortable they were. I walked in ease for miles and miles in them. I know they are technically "work shoes," but they are cute and you would never know they are meant for work. Thank you all for the help in planning. It was such a blessing to spend that time with my girl. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 So glad you had a great time! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Sounds so fun. I am glad you got to go with her. Were you nervous at all traveling in Brussels or Paris? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted March 20, 2017 Author Share Posted March 20, 2017 Sounds so fun. I am glad you got to go with her. Were you nervous at all traveling in Brussels or Paris? Not at all. The soldiers with guns are a slight bit intimidating in the Brussels train stations, but we felt safe everywhere we were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 Not at all. The soldiers with guns are a slight bit intimidating in the Brussels train stations, but we felt safe everywhere we were. Thank you for that. We have a trip booked to Europe and are really unsure as where we are going. We are flying into Copenhagen, but thought we might travel around a bit. I was thinking that I wanted to stay up north. Norway, Ireland, England and the like for safety reasons. I really want to go south (in a perfect world) but I am just so scared about it. Not that I don't want to see the north, I want to see every country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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