Ok, I admit it. I had never heard of Rick Steves before. I didn’t think it mattered which company we chose, but Dottie had been a fan of Rick’s shows for a long time and really wanted to go on one of his tours. We originally considered the Best of Europe in 14 Days, but Dottie fell in love with the 21 day itinerary. She figured that once we paid our air fare, adding those seven days to the trip was really a bargain. It added Amsterdam, Germany and Cinque Terre to the itinerary. We had the time—the girls were out of school for the summer, so it really was a no-brainer. It turned out to be the perfect choice for us. Now that I’ve taken a Rick Steves' tour, I have to say I’m a true believer for so many reasons. We only had 25 in our group, and I couldn’t imagine taking a trip like this with a group of 50 people. We spent a lot of time on the bus, and it was wonderful to be able to spread out and get comfortable. A group of 25 walking around in a city is manageable, but 50? Doesn’t sound good to me. Our excursions were planned so well; it was great to be able to walk right ahead of those long lines at the Vatican and other museums. There was a good mix of time with the group and time on our own. In each city, we got good instructions on traveling on our own and really enjoyed exploring a little everywhere we went. We had all age groups on our tour, and there was a lot of walking, but it was very do-able for everyone. It was nice to have many meals planned for us, and it was also nice to find our own favorites along the way. I was concerned about packing light for such a long trip, but it was great advice. People still can’t believe we each only took one little suitcase, and we actually brought more than we needed! Each of our tour guides was excellent as were the local guides we had throughout the tour. We had a couple of unexpected changes in our tour, but they were handled very well. Apparently there had been a problem with our scheduled hotel before we arrived in Venice, but we were upgraded to a four star hotel there which was lovely. The only significant unexpected change was unavoidable and came early in the tour when our guide Ferdi had to leave us because of a family emergency, and it necessitated us having a different guide in each country we visited. The transitions were handled seamlessly, though; and Karoline, Karin and Jennifer were all wonderful. We hated to part with each of them! I loved the way Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door is so up front and professional. I called the company many times with lots of questions, and everyone I spoke with was very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. I loved the fact that, should we have to interrupt our trip, we would get some money back for each day our trip was cut short. I can tell you that there was not one hidden cost or unexpected charge. And every bit of advice about getting in shape, packing, etc. was right on. The bottom line is that there is no way in the world we could have planned a trip like this on our own. We could never have done as much or seen as much in three weeks, let alone at a reasonable cost. So now I’m a convert. Dottie, you were right—Rick Steves' is the best!

Thanks to Rick Steves and company for putting together this fantastic tour. Thanks to Dottie, Kristin and Robin for taking a fantastic tour and making it just so much fun. You gave me such great photos and memorable stories. And thanks to Al for helping me get this fantastic, fun tour with its great photos and memorable stories on-line. I couldn’t have done it without you!

Watch our France slideshow here or on our Slideshows page.
Jay and Bailey from Washington and our guide Jennifer
Crème Brulee was the hands-down favorite dessert in Paris, at least for Robin and Kristin.
That’s Jennifer from California on the left (another e-mail buddy) rounding out our table.

"Buddies"

Corey from Washington, Jeff from Oregon, Wendy from Washington, Matthew from California, Courtney from Oregon, Ari from Washington and Andrew from California
Shelby from Washington, Debra from Oregon and Lita from Arizona. (Debra came to visit us in Florida!)

Barbara and Bruce from Oregon, Paul and Barbara from Florida (my e-mail buddy!)

Linda and David from Australia, Jackie and Ray from Minnesota
We took an evening cruise on the River Seine, champagne and all. The Eiffel Tower lit up at night--a sight we’ll never forget!
We had a multiple museum pass, so we took advantage of this and went to the Musee d’Orsay. It too is a beautiful building; it used to be a train station.
When Dottie was in Paris a few years ago, she remembered eating at the most wonderful little outdoor café with a great view of the Eiffel Tower, so we thought we’d eat there. We walked… and we walked… and we walked, one street after another, all around the Eiffel Tower, twice —but we never found it. Two days later, as our bus is driving us to the airport to go back home, Dottie jumps out of her seat and points, “There it is! There’s the café!” We’ll just have to catch it on our next trip to Paris, Dottie!
We saw a few of the most famous masterpieces at the Louvre, including probably it’s two most famous ladies-Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo.
Side view of Notre Dame.
Notre Dame Cathedral was absolutely gorgeous. The stained glass of Notre Dame below and Sainte-Chapelle Church on the right was incredible.
Patisseries, or pastry shops, are everywhere! Who can resist? Gelato in Italy—pastry in France.
Left Bank? Right Bank? We don’t know, but there’s our landmark in the background. We can’t get lost.
Blog entry July 21:
We LOVE Paris! It is our favorite big city. It really is a pretty city with lots of gardens and trees. And we love our little Rue Cler neighborhood with its shops, outdoor markets and cafés.

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We had our final dinner with our group, and none of us could believe it was over! What an incredible trip this had been for a group that began as 25 strangers and ended as friends. We had gone from rural Holland, to medieval Germany, to ancient Rome, to the Swiss Alps, to the Eiffel Tower and so much, much more in between in just three weeks. How lucky we were to have had this incredible trip of a lifetime together. We will never, ever forget it! Don't forget to read the Last Chapter for some serious final thoughts on what we learned and some fun things too. Thanks for joining us on our trip!
Beaune
 
Paris