We took the easy train ride from Brussels to Bruges, which took a little over an hour, and after less than a ten minute cab ride, we arrived at the Hotel Casselbergh, which was our oasis inside the romantic city of Bruges. With a gym and spa that included a sauna and steam room and an area to relax that was free for all guests, it was nice to take time out to rejuvenate after running around in the cold for a few days. The rooms were modern and the beds comfortable! You can also enjoy the delicious buffet breakfast with an array of breads, jams, lox, cheeses, as well as your traditional items you’d find at home. 
Before I traveled to Belgium, everyone was asking me if I was going to go to Bruges and said I needed to see the movie, “In Bruges.” I can now see why it was the setting for this and many other movies. The city is comprised of Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic architecture and has a deep history which you can learn about through one of the city tours or purchasing a 48 city pass that allows you to explore the museums and historical sites for either free or a discounted price. When the weather is nice, you must enjoy a canal ride around the city and don’t forget to stop by the Minnewater, where the beautiful Bruges swans hang out. Because of the beautiful surroundings, it is mostly referred to as “the lake of love,” the Dutch word “Minne” meaning love.
With many romantic accommodations ranging from your traditional hotels to bed and breakfasts to suites in larger mansions, you’ll find the perfect place to make your stay special.
In additional to the historical and beautiful sites, there are probably more chocolate shops per square mile than anywhere I’ve ever been. Lace is also popular in Bruges and many stores carry very nice handmade items. If you are looking for any kind of beer or beer glass, check out the 2be store for all your chocolate, beer and honey needs! 
The food in Bruges was spectacular. For lunch we enjoyed a traditional Flemish dish of beef stew, perfect after walking around during the cold winter day. Dinner was at Restaurant Cafedraal which was also the setting for the fight scene in the movie, “In Bruges.” I think that dinner was one of the best meals I had while in Belgium and the service (we had Igor as our server) was really friendly and personable. I had oysters from France that were so plump and yummy and then the cod with steamed vegetables that just fell off the fork into my mouth so smoothly! My friend had the bouillabaisse and as an appetizer, a dish consisting a homemade pasta, fresh tomatoes, Spanish ham and grated parmesan cheese. I am not a huge beer drinker, but of course when in Belgium, one must try the local brews. I decided to go with a cherry beer called Liefmans, which has been around since the 1600s but can only be found here, and for someone who doesn’t like beer, it was a great option! My friend opted for the Duvel. 
So if you are looking for a charming, romantic getaway with great food, ambiance and people, definitely put Bruges on your list and enjoy a perfect mix of exploring, eating, drinking and relaxing! To find out more about Bruges, please visit www.visitflanders.us
After our time in Montpellier, we took the EuRail to Nice. I love the EuRail…it’s such a great feeling that you can go anywhere in Europe with a simple train ride. However, that day, the EuRail employees decided to go on strike and it took us a bit longer to get to Nice. They advise reserving a seat on the train before going as they tend to fill up. Our train was filled to the max, but I’m not sure how it would’ve been if everyone wasn’t trying to get on the one train to Nice that day. 
When we arrived at the Nice Rail Station, the rental car companies were right there. While EuRail makes stops along the coast, we decided to rent a car so we could drive up into the mountains to the Medieval Villages and we wouldn’t be locked into a schedule. We made Nice our home base, as it’s central to Cannes, Monaco, Antibes, and villages like Saint Paul de Vence and Eze. We even had a chance to drive into Italy to San Remo. 
The Palais de La Mediterrranee, a Concorde Hotel, is a spectacular property located on the Promenade des Anglais. Overlooking the beautiful blue Mediterranean, and a few minutes from Old City, the hotel has been a symbol of the French Riviera for over 80 years. While Palais de la Mediterranee is a luxurious and contemporary hotel, it retains its most symbolic features such as the monumental facade, and has been listed as a historical monument since 1989. It also has a great casino, a turkish bath, pool, sauna, gym, and a great restaurant, which serves a delicious buffet breakfast including various breads and pastries, dried and fresh fruit, salmon, popular Nice dishes such as ratatouille, and fresh squeezed juices. While it may be a bit of a splurge for some, I highly recommend staying here if you can.
So if your budget doesn’t allow you to stay right on the promenade, there is a terrific hotel just a few blocks in from the water. If you are like me who was out from morning until night and only used the hotel to sleep and for breakfast, Hotel Brice is the perfect answer. Set back in a beautiful garden setting, the hotel is priced very reasonably and also has a nice buffet breakfast. The front desk is very helpful with directions and things to do. You can also stop into the Nice Tourism Office located on the promenade, just a few steps down from the Palais de la Mediterranee.
There is so much to do in Nice and the surrounding Riviera region. I would give yourself at least five days in the area, so you can enjoy each place and not feel rushed to see everything. While it was neat to see Cannes, the home of the famous film festival, and the neighboring coastal towns including Antibes, Juan les Pins, and Monaco (you must go to the Monte Carlo casino!), I enjoyed the character of Nice the most. Its feel was both French and Italian with a wide array of shops, restaurants, museums, and attractions. Definitely walk to Castle Hill and take the stairs to the top. It offers spectacular views of the Riviera and Nice. The water was so buoyant and wonderful to swim in. However, I wish I knew to bring my rock shoes. Instead of sand, the beach is layered in rocks, which can be painful walking from your towel to the water! Be sure to check out the local fruit and vegetable, flower, and fish markets. 
The food and wine was spectacular. Some of the local dishes you should try are of course the salade nicoise, pan-bagnats, ratatouille, and pissaladiere, an onion tart with anchovy fillets and black olives. We also ate a lot of gelato, and it was delicious everywhere! 
The last few times I had been water skiing, I never quite made it up long enough to ride the waves, so I didn’t know what the outcome of this would be, but to my surprise and thrill, I made it up after falling two times and stayed up on the board for the length of the pool. Yes, we did it in the pool rather than the ocean, which was probably good since we were all first timers. It was such a freeing and exhilarating feeling when grabbing the chord and standing up on the board. The two time kite boarding world champion, Sebastian Garat was in attendance and he put on a great demonstration for us. 
We also had the opportunity to ride a foot bike, which was a lot of fun. The next day we took a trip to Herault, about a half an hour outside of Montpellier where we had the option to scale some mountains, also known as ferretta with the Aupalya Cevennes Agency in Saint Bauzille de Putois. After a hike up with our harnesses and helmets, we were shown how to walk along a thin wooden piece while clipping our harnesses on and off the string above. I usually am a pretty adventurous person, but all of a sudden I found myself overcome with fear to the point of tears. I’m not quite sure why I was so scared, as I’ve rock climbed and repelled before. 
Maybe it was the fact of walking along the side of the mountain rather than up and down. However, the rest of the group loved their experience which included a few zip lines and cave exploration. After a delicious lunch, we went canoeing through some fierce rapids, which was a ton of fun, except for the time that the canoe hit a rock that we couldn’t move and I went flying out and hit my foot against the rock and then preceded to get dragged down, hitting rock after rock before getting back on the boat. That’s when I realized why they tell you to wear sneakers! All in all, it was a great day and a lot of fun!
In the center of town in the tourism office where you can find all the information you need about Montpellier and you can rent bikes for free through their network of free public bikes called velomagg.
wheelies on their bikes, and everyone else, drinking beer and lining the banks of the Lez, hooting and hollering for their favorite competitor. 
I love traveling, but absolutely despise the traffic you may get caught in on your way to the airport. I was so afraid we were going to miss the flight as the gate closed at 6 and we were still sitting on the Van Wyck in route to JFK Airport at 5:55. I was freaking out, to say the least. However, I called the gate and they were so nice to hold it open until 6:05 and at 6:04, I ran to the ticket counter…we made it! And not only did we make it, but we had the opportunity to upgrade to business class because of our type of ticket. I went from being completely frazzled to utterly relaxed and comfortable on my Air France flight to Paris, which would then connect to Montpellier.
I was so excited to find out that my seat reclined into a bed with a push of a button. Since France is ahead by six hours, when we arrived, it was going to be time to start the day, so sleep was very important and I was so happy this time I wouldn’t have to struggle with the perfect position so that my neck wouldn’t end up in my lap. All the flight attendants on the Air France flight were so friendly and the food was delicious! We had an appetizer of foie gras with chutney and an assortment of breads and cheeses. The main course was snapper with greens and potatoes, and for dessert, a peach tart.
It’s a creative city with beautiful architecture in the historic center. Comedie Square is in the center of it all with the beautiful opera house as the backdrop and this weekend, there is a book market as well as a craft fair with artisans selling everything including hats, earrings, shoes, bags, and plenty of bread and cheese. We took a tour of the Fabre Museum, which is the premiere art museum of Montpellier and features works from some of the most famous artists in the world. It takes you from the Renaissance Era through Romanticism, Impressionism right up into today’s contemporary art and into present. 
For anyone planning a trip to Lucerne, you must take a trip to Mt. Pilatus. While you can get there by train if you’re on a tight schedule, I’d recommend taking the catamaran across Lake Lucerne, which is a beautiful ride as the mountains surround you. The boat drops you off right where the railroad ride up the mountain begins. And what a ride it was! It is the steepest cog railroad in the world and takes you right along the snow that’s still on the mountains. After you step off the cog railway, you can hike up the stairs of the mountain for about ten minutes and arrive at the top of Mt. Pilatus which offers spectacular scenic views and great photo opportunities. 
When you’ve spent enough time to enjoy this all, you can stop for a great cheese fondue lunch at one of the few restaurants on the mountain before taking a cable car back down. You have the option of stopping halfway down to go tobogganing, tree walking, or 
ziplining in very well set up activity area on the mountain, perfect for even the younger hikers. Then at your leisure, step into an individual cable car for your smooth ride down the rest of the mountain, allowing for full 360 degree views all the way to the bottom.
center, and be back in enough time for dinner in Lucerne. Our farewell dinner was held at the restaurant at the beautiful Romantik Hotel Wilden Mann, where we stayed for our time in Lucerne. The hotel extends along seven buildings in the historic Old City of Lucerne. Each of the fifty hotel rooms has it’s own unique character. The hotel was first mentioned in Old Lucerne in 1517, and then again in 1529 as a pub without a license to operate as a tavern. The main building was originally a washhouse and the stables were removed from the ground floor when the Wilden Mann was listed as a hotel in 1860. To top it off, it’s right near one of many of Lucerne’s cathedrals, so with your window open, you can enjoy a cool breeze as you listen to the beautiful church bells ring throughout the city.
They were awarded this status by the UN in 2001. The region contains the largest and most diverse moor landscapes in Switzerland and is home to a significant variety of flora and fauna. About 17,000 people live in the eight municipalities that make up the Biosphere. A walk through the biosphere allows visitors to get a first hand natural look at a large scale effort of sustainability. It won the 2008 “To Do!” Award for socially responsible tourism as the model region for sustainable living and working. 
Along the peaceful hike, we had the opportunity to walk in some moor, a cool mud which made our feet feel wonderful afterwards. In the Biosphere, there marked hiking trails to get you even closer to nature.
We also spent time with some adorable cows. They came right up to us and as we started walking away, they followed right behind with their cowbells clanking away. It was really sweet. The cows weren’t the only friendly ones. In the sheep farm, the sheep were very anxious to come say hi and slober all over your hand if you let it. The happiness and comfort of the animals in Switzerland is something paramount, and local residents claim they can firmly tell the difference between eating all natural, free-ranging grass fed animals of their home country than when it is imported from elsewhere…. Speaking of food, lunch was at a fabulous restaurant in town, Restaurant Bahnhofli, which was a suprising treat just adjacent to the Entlebuch train station.
There’s nothing better than watching sweaty guys tackle each other in saw dust. The crowd was a show in itself consisting of everyone from young kids enjoying ice cream to elders in their wheelchairs. There were yodelers, drunk guys screaming sounds I’ve never heard at any game in the states, and food vendors of all kinds selling all kinds of sausage and Bratkase, a piece of toast smothered with inches of roclette cheese. Of course we had to try one of these and it was phenomenal!
