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Lisa Damiano
Member
Username: Traveler83
Post Number: 30
Registered: 03-2010
Posted From: 149.101.1.121
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - 04:57 pm: | |
Hi Lester,
Thanks for the post! And for the additional sites to keep in mind when head back that way.
No, this wasn't our first space A trip (our third). We covered that much ground in 1 week because we had limited leave time (my Cat III husband could only get that week plus a few days extra off), and, more importantly, when we fly abroad we always try to jam in as many things as possible. We just assume we won't be back to the area ever again (because there are so many other places we want to see). Because of the hurried pace, we definitely will go back to see Luxembourg more thoroughly, and perhaps return to Bruges some day.
The reason we went to Trier instead of Bitburg is because we wanted to rent the car from Hertz (because of the discount code and the ability to return anywhere in Germany for an extra $12), and the Hertz wesbite does not list a location in Bitburg. The closest Hertz location we could find that would open on SUNDAY was in Trier. If we did this trip again we would still take the taxi to Trier, even if we had to pay the 50 Euro ourselves, because it worked out well and we wanted to see Trier.
We were pleased with the flights on this trip, but I think we have been fortunate in our space A travels. On our last trip (to Germany/Austria by way of Dover to Ramstein) we got on the first flight we showed up for and left on the flight we selected. It was only on our first space adventure (Italy) that we had to take a longer/delayed route home (through Sicily/Rota). Even though we've been lucky, we always plan for contingencies, and have alternative itineraries. For example, on this last trip, we had a whole itinerary for Spain (as well as guidebooks and warm weather clothes in the car) in the event we got on a flight to Rota and not Germany.
All part of the Space A fun!
Lisa |
Lester Green
Advanced Member
Username: Rtgreen5
Post Number: 332
Registered: 03-2007
Posted From: 24.60.242.66
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - 03:26 pm: | |
Lisa: I followed your progress on this trip and was wondering why you covered so much territory in such a short period of time after you subtract out the travel time from the States to Germany and return? Was this your first trip to Europe? From my experience, the closest major town to Spang is Bitburg, not Trier, but since you shared the fare with others, the cost was extremely fair. One place that I would have recommended to you was Verdun, a WWI site, which I found very interesting and was frankly overwhelmed with the enormity of the losses in the battles around there. The memorial and cemetery there are something that I will never forget, especially the wall dedicated to the soldiers that had been killed and whose remains could not be identified. If my memory serves me correctly, over 100,000 unknowns are honored in this way.
It is obvious that Bruges was your favorite destination and I can see why. Judging by your post, your Space A connections went quite well considering the limited time that you had on this trip. With the step-climbing, time change and long days that you described, you must have returned to DC quite exhausted. |
Lisa Damiano
Member
Username: Traveler83
Post Number: 28
Registered: 03-2010
Posted From: 149.101.1.120
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 06:20 pm: | |
Hi James and bcbrady,
James: We used Enterprise from BWI, only because the Hertz website was showing no cars available at the airport location. We generally use Hertz, but Enterprise was just as cheap and they had cars available.
bcbrady: It can be done, but we were EXHAUSTED a couple of nights because of the pace. I don't have children, but I could see the kids being so, so tired if you plan to hit all of these spots in one week. You should definitely do the trip, but maybe cut out a couple of stops. In Amsterdam, I think we walked/were on our feet for 14 hours in a row with only brief periods of sitting for lunch & dinner. Good luck and post your tip report when you get back!
- Lisa |
bcbrady
Member
Username: Bcbrady
Post Number: 35
Registered: 06-2005
Posted From: 72.81.222.119
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 01:23 pm: | |
Wow! So it CAN be done in a week! We were thinking about trying something similar with our 4 kids this summer but thought it might be too much to squeeze in with such a short amount of time. This definitely gives us hope!
Thanks for the trip report!! |
James E. Kale
Advanced Member
Username: Jimiam
Post Number: 176
Registered: 09-2006
Posted From: 96.231.72.54
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 08:32 am: | |
Lisa, an excellent report with lots of info worth keeping in our files. Also, thank you for the tip on returning the rental to BWI. Which rental company did you use? |
Melinda Cardarelli
Senior Member
Username: Jmcard
Post Number: 462
Registered: 06-2007
Posted From: 72.49.218.166
| | Posted on Thursday, June 17, 2010 - 02:14 am: | |
Lisa, thanks for your well-written report--easy to read yet full of important details! Glad to hear you enjoyed Vianden. We also thought it made an ideal day trip from Spangdahlem. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. |
John R Garrison
Senior Member
Username: Majorg
Post Number: 2754
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 208.81.157.86
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 - 04:34 pm: | |
Lisa:
Great report! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.
Happy Travels, John |
dinotars
Senior Member
Username: Dinotars
Post Number: 6804
Registered: 06-2003
Posted From: 173.169.151.24
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 - 03:50 pm: | |
Lisa,
Thanks for sharing your outstanding trip report. |
Lisa Damiano
Member
Username: Traveler83
Post Number: 27
Registered: 03-2010
Posted From: 149.101.1.116
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 - 01:43 pm: | |
My husband and I (CAT III) traveled from our home in Washington DC to Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands from May 28-June 5. Enjoy!
Friday, May 28: Drove from Washington DC to Dover for Friday PM flight to Ramstein. Arrived at terminal & was told that Ramstein flights were cancelled & that Spangdahlem showtime was postponed until Saturday 09:00. Stayed at Mainstay Suites for $89.
Saturday, May 29: Arrived at Dover, got boarding passes, & was told that the C-5 had a mechanical problem & that an update would be given at 15:00. Hung around USO, got lunch at Burger King, & chatted with fellow SPATS. At 15:00, personnel announced that they would have another update at 16:00. Some fed up travelers decided to leave terminal to get food & 5 minutes later they announced immediate boarding for flight. Boarded & sat in plane another 90 minutes for last minute mechanical issue, but finally left for Spang!
Sunday May 30: Arrived at Spang & shared cab to TRIER, Germany with 3 other SPATS ($50 EU total for 5 pp), where we had reserved rental at Hertz (NOTE: Trier was closest Hertz to Spang & will open on Sunday if you reserve in advance & request Sunday pick up). We used U.S. Charter discount code (650209) & got a great deal on a car until Friday ($221 EU).
First stop was TRIER city center where we stayed for a couple of hours, toured the town & grabbed lunch.
We headed west & next stopped at the American Military Cemetery in Luxembourg. Drove into Luxembourg City where we walked around the town center, saw Notre Dame Cathedral, fortifications, & generally thought that the town looked like a movie set-it was so clean and the buildings looked like they were new, but medieval. Decided we will return to Luxembourg on a later trip to spend more time.
We headed north to BASTOGNE, where we drove to the woods & found Easy Company foxholes. We also stopped at the Battle of the Bulge Memorial & met the sculptor of the 101st Airborne screaming eagle memorial there, who promptly/proudly gave us a photo of the commemoration ceremony of the memorial.
From there we drove west to BRUSSELS for a few hours where we took in the sites in the Grand Place, spent an obscene amount on chocolate at Nehaus, ate pomme frites with mayo, and strolled the town center. We didn't think we missed anything here, even though we only stayed a few hours.
Then on to BRUGES (yes, this was all the 1st day!) where we checked into our hotel & caught up on much needed sleep. (NOTE: Stayed at Hotel Adornes which we loved! Recommended by Rick Steves, this charming canalside hotel had scrumptious free breakfast, free garage parking & free bikes. Our priciest hotel at $140 per night, but well worth it.)
Monday, May 31: Toured medieval city of BRUGES on foot & bikes. Beautiful small city packed with cites & charming canals. Took in a canal cruise, ate a delicious Belgian lunch at De Koetse (it was recommended by Rick Steves), saw sites like Basilica of the Holy Blood (houses a famous relic which contains the blood of Christ), Church of Our Lady which has a Michelangelo statue, & many other sites. Ate dinner at Rock Fort which was delicious but a bit pricey (reservations are strongly urged).
Tuesday, June 1: More Bruges. Biked to Markt where we climbed the 366 steps in the Belfort to view panoramic views of the city. Also stopped at an antique print store (G&M Pollentier-Marechal) & bought a 500 year-old framed map of Bruges. Checked out & headed north.
After a harrowing drive, we arrived in THE HAGUE, Netherlands to see the Binnehof (Parliament) and Mauritshuis (Royal Art Gallery) where we saw "Girl with a Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer. Except for this 1 painting, I can’t say that The Hague was worth the stop & I would never go back.
Drove to DELFT, Netherlands, which is only about 30 minutes from The Hague & Amsterdam. Sadly, we arrived too late to see most of what we came to see (Oude Kerk, Nieuwe Kerk, Tower), but we did walk around the picturesque canal town a bit before driving to Amsterdam.
Arrived in AMSTERDAM around 18:00, checked into our canalside hotel recommended by Rick Steves (Hotel Hegra). Rooms were tiny/plain but priced at $69 per night & neighborhood was quaint/safe/located near the Anne Frank House. Parking was expensive at $25 per day (for 2 days), but the service picked up/dropped off our car in front of the hotel upon request. (NOTE: We could’ve found cheaper parking but it we would have had to leave car in less safe location & pay to take a taxi/tram back to the hotel.) Walked to dinner at yummy Italian restaurant (Pizzeria Toscana). After dinner, walked to Leidesplein square which was very lively/lined with many bars. Had a drink & walked home.
Wednesday, June 2: Walking tour of Amsterdam. Stopped at Rijksmuseum & Van Gogh Museum to see Dutch masterpieces, Dam Square, red light district/Oude Kerk, Anne Frank House (a MUST-SEE), dinner at an O'Connell's Irish Pub, took a 90 minute canal cruise of the city at dusk, & went back to the red light district at night for a 2nd look (crazy!). Collapsed into bed.
Thursday, June 3: After Breakfast, headed back to Westerkerk (next to Anne Frank House) to climb the 377 steps to the top of Amsterdam’s tallest tower. Only 6 people are allowed up every 30 min, so arrive early if you want to go up. (NOTE about churches: In Holland every church required a FEE to go in. We had never seen this before. In other countries, including Belgium/Lux/Germany/Austria/Italy, you can simply walk in & make a donation if you choose. Not in Holland.) Checked out, had car delivered & headed south.
Arrived in MAASTRICHT, Netherlands (oldest city in Holland) to see casemates & town center. Unfortunately, English tours of the casemates are only given on Saturday & the last Dutch tour left at 14:00 (10 min before we arrived). Very disappointed, so ate lunch & left.
Drove east to AACHEN, Germany to see Charlemagne’s throne/tomb in Dom Cathedral. Cathedral was absolutely beautiful, but the throne was in an area under renovation & the tomb was difficult to view. Quaint medieval town 7 will probably go back when we have more time.
From there, drove south to Vianden, Luxembourg to see Vianden Castle. We arrived after 17:00 & couldn’t go into the castle, but we took wonderful photos of the massive hilltop fortress & walked around this tiny medieval town. Ate dinner & headed back to Spang ($39) because we couldn’t get a reservation at Ramstein. 3 flights scheduled to Dover for the next day.
Friday, June 4: Woke up at 05:00 & called terminal to verify showtimes. All 3 flights were bumped to Saturday, so we went back to sleep. Once awake, we got a fast food breakfast on base & headed back to Vianden to tour the castle. Ate lunch in Vianden in cute sidewalk café. If you ever near Vianden, you should stop for a few hours.
Drove south to ECHTERNACH, Luxembourg to see medieval sites. This town was adorable & had a few interesting things to see, such as the medieval wall/towers. The surviving towers were privately sold in the 1850’s & turned into lodgings. There are actually people living inside these stone medieval towers & I read that tourists can stay in some.
Headed to Ramstein where we had a room reservation for the night ($39). The new Inn is amazingly modern & huge with a mall attached. We ate at Macaroni Grill & went to sleep knowing there were 3 flights to Dover & 1 BWI PatEx flight the next day.
Saturday, June 5: All 3 flights to Dover cancelled/bumped. Only flight left was BWI. Departure kept getting moved back, but we were manifested mid-afternoon & we left around dinnertime on a jam packed flight. Arrived at BWI at 23:30, rented car, drove to Dover to pick up our car, drove back to BWI to drop rental off ($21 versus $149 for 1 way rental) & then drove home to Washington DC. Arrived home at 05:00 and collapsed into bed.
Bruges is an absolute must-see (it was our favorite part of the trip). We also loved Bastogne & Luxembourg. Amsterdam was crazy, but there's lots to see. All in all, great trip!
- Lisa |
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