- travelrambles
Updated: Dec 31, 2020
When a friend told me he was making his way to visit Normandy to visit the WWII historical sites, the inner history nerd just had to tag along. Made my way from Paris to Caen to meet my friend. From there, we rented a car and checked out the major sites starting with Juno Beach, Omaha Beach, La Cambe (German Cemetery) & Caen Memorial Museum. It was such a humbling experience to soak in all the history and suffering. Highlight of the mini road trip? Witnessing how friendly French people can be! .. Paris can leave a bad impression to tourists. Having in-depth conversations with local about the history of the area enriched the whole experience. Even after a minor car accident, the other party was so nice I thought for a quick second they were going to invite us over for supper that night!
My friend continued on further south to Mont St. Michel while I made my way back to Paris with a quick stop to Rouen and Vernon (to check out the Monet Gardens).
- travelrambles
Updated: Dec 31, 2020
Personally, I love visiting a place for the second time. The sense of familiarity with the afforded luxury of taking one's time rather than rushing through all the must-sees, gives me a bigger appreciation for the place. I stopped in Paris for one night before making my way to Normandy and it was fabulous. I got to revisit places I loved the first time and spend more time doing nothing but people watch.
This time around, I spent majority of my time in Montmartre. Love that area! Highlight was enjoying a coffee at a small cafe, chatting with locals, with the french accordion in the background. Parfait!
Summary Days spent: 1 nights, 1 days Type of Lodging: Hostel Name of Lodging: Plug-Inn Activities: Strolling along the Seine, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur
- travelrambles
Updated: Dec 31, 2020
Stopped over in Frankfurt for the night before making my way to the Rhine Valley. To be completely honest, one day is more than enough for the City. Sights worth checking out include the Römer Square and the Main Tower. There are also a ton of free museums to visit. Disappointments? Curry Bratwursts (prefer the regular Bratwursts..).
The next stop after Frankfurt was a few days travelling along the Rhine. It was a bit lonely doing something so romantic but the experience solo was still marvelous as if travelling back in time. There are so many little towns to check out along the Rhine but the ones I visited were: Bacharach, Rudesheim, Mainz, St Goar and final stop at Koblenz.
The Rhine Valley dates back to the 13th century and is famous for its castles, historic towns and vineyards. This girl here even got to stay in a Castle overnight! :) Despite the history, family owned wine estates are struggling to survive as majority of the younger generations want nothing to do with their family's wineries (high maintenance, hard work) and prefer to work in the City. Such a shame!
Summary Days spent: 3 night, 4 days Type of Lodging: Hostel, Castle and Hotel Name of Lodging: 5 Element... Activities: History & Museums / River Cruise, Small German Towns, Wine, Wine, Wine.