Culinary Travels in Europe

The call to travel and revisit

certain key cities in Europe

tugged at me, especially

since it was coupled with

visions of French pastries,

Dutch Masters, Belgian lace

and chocolate, and German wine. Booking

a flight and finding centrally located

international hotels is such a snap with the

Internet. Travel light in luggage and heavy in

pocket was my mother's advice to me ... many

moons ago. Now, debit and credit cards make

for smooth travel. With careful planning, a

small wheeled carry-on for the overhead and

a shoulder bag for under the seat contained

sufficient supplies and clothing for a 15-day

trip to Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne

and a boat ride along the Rhine River

Valley.

With pre-purchased local transportation

and museum passes, my daughter and I were

able to take the train directly from Charles

de Gaulle airport into Paris. Most cities

have such passes, thus simplifying travel for

maximum enjoyment. Couple this with the

ever-popular hop-on-hop-off buses which

stop at all the top sights, and you have the

makings for an unforgettable trip.

Five nights in Paris gave us ample time

to reacquaint ourselves with this fascinating

city and the Metro. Walking along the

banks of the Seine River to the Notre Dame

Cathedral (built from 1163 to 1365), we

were enticed to climb the 387 steps for an

unforgettable view.

One morning, while walking though

the park towards the Champs-Elysees and

the Arc de Triomphe, we encountered the

inaugural press coverage for Train Capitale,

a major exhibition of 30 French trains. Being

on the Champs-Elysees when it was closed to motor vehicles was a

unique experience. It was somewhat like being on Wall Street on a

Sunday.

A walk in the courtyard of the Conciergerie, where Queen Marie-

Antoinette and the other imprisoned royalty spent their final days, was

quite something. Les Miserables for real! The stark accommodations

were a dramatic contrast to the luxurious surroundings to which they

were accustomed.

The Sacre-Coeur, which sits high on the hill in Montmatre,

affords all visitors an appreciation for Romanesque and Byzantine

architecture beautifully intertwined in one monumental structure.

The Rodin Museum and gardens, filled with strong overpowering

figures sculpted by a genius, is a must, as is Invalides - Napoleon's

Tomb, designed by Liberal Bruand in the baroque style during the

1670s at the behest of King Louis XIV, originally as a place for the

wounded and invalid soldiers.

At the Eiffel Tower, built by Gustav Eiffel in 1889 for the World

Exhibition and centennial of the French Revolution, we enjoyed

breathtaking views from atop this famous 7,000-ton symbol of Paris.

What a pleasure to be able to spot the main attractions, most of

which we had visited.

After a walk through the Tuileries Gardens, we spent time at

the Louvre with a few great women: Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo

and the Three Graces. A stop at the Pompidou Center and a visit

to the neighborhoods of Les Halles market, St. Germaine, and the

Sorbonne made for another delightful day in Paris. In doing so, we

got a sense of the daily rhythm of the city

from the Parisienne's perspective.

The Opera Garnier is Paris's first and

grandest opera house, as evidenced by its

marble décor and magnificent chandeliers;

another architectural marvel. The Pantheon,

designed by Germain Soufflot over the

course of several years (1764 to1790), was

originally commissioned by Louis XV as

a church. Now a monument to France's

historic figures - including Voltaire, Zola and

Rousseau - it houses a giant 220-foot steel

pendulum commemorating Jean-Bernard-

Leon Foucault's 1851 experiment to prove

the earth's rotation.

A climb to the top of the Arc de

Triomphe, which stands 164 feet high and

was completed in 1836 to commemorate

Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz, enabled us

to see how 12 boulevards converge in one

gigantic traffic circle.

We took the Metro to Le Cordon Bleu,

the internationally acclaimed 100-year-old

cooking school, and then headed for the

Palace of Versailles (Château de Versailles).

It was a beautiful day to be visiting the Palace

and its surrounding gardens.

It was now time to head for five nights

in Amsterdam. At the train station we were

able to secure first-class seats on the Thayls

high-speed train. In less than three hours, we

were in Europe's most 17th-

century city filled with living

history, 800,000 inhabitants

and thousands of bicycles

- the favored means of

transportation. At the train

station we purchased some

tram tickets and headed for

the hotel.

With an Amsterdam

transit pass and museum

card in hand, we were set.

While at Dam Square, we

visited the Madame Tussaud

Museum where we saw the

likes of movie stars and

world leaders; even Elvis was

there. By stark contrast, we

later visited the Anne Frank

House, where Anne Frank

and her family hid during

the Nazi occupation of the

Netherlands during WWII.

They were just one of the

many families who were

secretly sheltered during this

horrific period in history. The

video interviews of Otto Frank

and his colleagues, which

was part of the presentation,

moved us to tears.

While taking a wonderfully relaxing

canal ride through the city, I was surprised

to learn that Amsterdam has more canals

than Venice. From the boat, we admired

the architectural design of the homes built

in the 1600s, all equipped with a clever

pulley system to hoist furniture through the

windows.

Our visit to the Van Gogh Museum

that featured 200 of his works was another

highlight of our stay. Stedelijk Museum,

which focuses on modern art, was less

thrilling. We walked about the very crowded

Leidseplein filled with outdoor cafés, and

took the bus to Volendam, a fishing village

and popular vacation spot.

After a visit to the Rijksmuseum,

where we were able to see masterpieces by

Rembrandt and other Dutch Masters, we

visited the Rembrandt House and saw the

living quarters of this "master," including

his bed and studio where he entertained

potential art dealers and patrons.

The ever popular Heineken tour enabled visitors to experience

the inner working of a brewery as well as enjoy the results of the

process. Needless to say, a good time was had by all.

A local bus took us to Molen van Sloten, the only working

windmill constructed to provide electricity for the municipality and,

at the same time, provide living accommodations for the family of

the worker taking care of it.

Later, we visited De Oulde Kerk for an exhibition of Impressionist

painting and De Nieuwe Kerk for an international press photo

exhibit.

At the Amsterdam House - a typical house of the 1600s, which

included a chapel with an impressive organ - we noted that climbing

those steep narrow staircases certainly kept the Dutch in shape.

Shortly after arriving in Cologne, Germany, (a three hour train

ride) we headed for the Cathedral with its magnificent stained-glass

windows and tapestries. The Dom, as it is known, was completed in

1880 and is one of the most massive Gothic structures ever built. The

spires, at 157 meters (510 feet), are quite the steep climb, but the

view from the top is breathtaking. A bus ride showing us the rebuilt

areas around the city made us realize how much of the city had

been destroyed during WWII. Interestingly enough, the Cathedral

remained unharmed.

While planning this portion of the trip, I discovered a town

named Boppard. Once there, we enjoyed a hotel room with balcony

and spectacular view of the Rhine River Valley. As we sailed along

the Rhine, we made a few stops: St. Goar for the fabled Lorelei, an

outcrop of rock where a maiden was said to have sat combing her

long blonde hair while luring passing sailors to watery graves and St.

Gorhausen for a visit to the Rheinfels Castle built in 1245 by Count

Dieter von Katzenelnbogen. Our final destination was the charming

town of Rudesheim with its many beer and wine gardens. On the

return trip to Boppard, we stopped at Bacharach for a few hours.

With the landscape dotted by vineyards and castles, the ride on the

Rhine was magnificent from start to finish.

Our journey was coming to an end, and so we boarded the train

for Brussels via Cologne. Spending the night in Brussels, which is less

than a two-hour train ride to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, enabled

us to immerse ourselves in the city famous as the center of culture

during the Middle Ages. Using the Internet, we found a fabulous

rate at the Royal Windsor Hotel, a five-star property ranked as one

of the best hotels in world. It was conveniently located in the heart

of the city and a few blocks from the Brussels Midi station. At La

Grand Place, the main square, we enjoyed the scenery as we shopped

for lace, Godiva chocolate and watercolor paintings; visited the City

Museum to see the many outfits for the famous Manneken Pis statue;

and ate our first Belgian waffle. The hop-on-hop-off bus provided us

with an open-air tour of Brussels, including: the headquarters of the

European Union EU, of which Belgium is the Capitol; the Atomium,

a giant molecule (symbol of the 1958 World's Fair exhibition); as well

as the Royal Palace and Gardens.

Lasting impressions: Western Europe is very internationalized,

as evidenced by the abundant supply of ethnic restaurants, Internet

cafes and ATMs. With living history at every turn, great museums,

great architecture, no border checks thanks to the EU, great public

transportation systems and tourist-friendly locals, you have all the

makings for a great trip.

My bags are packed for the next trip!