June–July 2007 Amsterdam – Paris – Lyon – Marseilles – Nice/Cannes – Genoa – Florence – Siena/San Gimignano – Basel – Luxembourg – Strasbourg – Frankfurt – Vancouver
HOLLAND
Flew into Amsterdam (Air Transat) early afternoon, and got a hotel. Hotels were quite full, but lucked out with one in the Warmoestraat area. Walked around to re-acquaint myself with the city, had some dinner, and then hit the bars in the evening.
Had a nice breakfast the following morning on the Warmoestraat. The restaurants can be so cool. Spent the entire day walking around, and had a nice time. Hit the bars again that evening.
FRANCE
The following morning, took the TGV (hi-speed) train into Paris (2 hours) and got a hotel for one night. Pricey. And very difficult to find an available room. Walked around, and headed over to the Left Bank to explore. Had some dinner, and headed out to the bars in the Marais area. The next morning, it was impossible to book a hotel. Period.
Wanting to explore some of the smaller towns of France, I headed from Paris to Lyon for two nights, and was very intrigued by the Old Town on the second day. Tons of stairs led me around the old buildings of the old town. Very enchanting. Got absolutely soaked by a torrential downpour in the latter part of the evening. Hysterical. Took a tour through the Imprimerie Museum (printing museum) and it was amazing to see a Linotype machine and how it works, and fiddling with metal type. Had a wonderful dinner in a restaurant. It's amazing how all the restaurants fill up in the evenings. Phenomenal really.
From Lyon, I took the train down to the coast to Marseille. Beautiful weather. What a nice city, nestled in a lovely port full of sailboats. Again, lots of stairs to walk up and down. Street musicians were really entertaining in the evening.
From Marseille, took the train along the coast to Nice, and got a nice hotel close to the beach (although not directly on the beach). Walked along the beach, and through the old town.
The following day, took the local bus to Cannes, and found an Advertising Design Exhibition entitled "Act Responsible", which was fascinating. Went for a nice swim. Back to Nice for the evening.
ITALY
From Nice, journeyed a short distance to Ventimiglia, on the Italian coast. Nice little beach town, with lots of pizzerias along the beach strip. Went for a swim. Had a nice dinner.
From Ventimiglia, continued on to Genova, Italy. Got a nice hotel near the train station, and wandered around with the aid of a map. Great architecture and interesting old town.
From Genova, continued on to Pisa and toured the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Cathedral (quite impressive). Had a lunch, and went back to the train station. Went on to Florence.
Secured a great hotel room for two nights close to the train station in Florence, with an amazing view of the Duomo from the room. Nice family-run place. Walked around. Found a great wine bar across from the Pitti Palace.
Spent the entire following day on a self-guided tour through the towns of Siena and San Gimignano in Tuscany (south of Florence). Amazing medieval towns. In fact, San Gimignano was like a medieval Manhattan from a distance. Back to Florence for dinner and the rest of the evening.
SWITZERLAND
From Florence, went up to Milano train station, and took a stab at somewhere in Switzerland (without a map), and decided on Basel. Turned out to be the best location to get up to Strasbourg (totally by chance). Stayed in a single room in a youth hostel in Basel. Pretty town, but very quiet at night.
FRANCE
Continued on from Basel to Strasbourg (back in France) and really enjoyed the old solid architecture and canals of the city. Had a nice dinner with a glass of red wine at a little pizzeria.
LUXEMBOURG
From Strasbourg, went up to Luxembourg City the next morning, and wandered the city and the parks. Amazing topography. Had a nice dinner in the old part of town, outside on a patio.
GERMANY
From Luxembourg, continued on to Frankfurt (by the hi-speed ICE train) for one night, and flew out from there the following late afternoon, after some shopping.
