I have to admit I was a little apprehensive about leaving home. After all, I’d just been gone on the writer’s retreat and to ICRS, home for just two days and then out the door again. I was excited about the destination, but apprehensive about being so far away and leaving my boys behind. But with my daughter here, who is so familiar with my son and his Fragile X issues, and my mother-in-law too, and soon to arrive would be my sister, I knew I had nothing to really worry about. Still, worry comes easily so I did some of that anyway.
But only for a little while. I tried to sleep on the plane but since I have trouble sleeping in my very own bed sometimes, I wasn’t surprised to be awake most of the time. Even in the economy class, the back of each seat is equipped with a television monitor and each person can choose to watch certain movies, television programs or even the flight path of our plane. I watched a little of the flight route, did some reading, and time passed quicker than I thought it would.
We arrived in Brussels without a problem—those are the best flights, the uneventful ones. At the airport to pick up our rental car, all I recall was how short the line yet how long the wait. But we found our car, a little black Nissan Note, and off we drove, map in hand.
This little car took only diesel, was a stick shift, but got such good gas mileage we thought for a while the gas gauge might be broken. Good mileage is a very good thing where gas is sold by the litre. Between that and the exchange rate, we paid over $6 a gallon.
Here is my first bit of advice for those who might plan a European vacation. Take a tour where someone else does the driving! Or perhaps invest in a worldwide GPA device (if you trust them), because driving in cities like Brussels, Paris, Cambrai, Ypres and others is quite a challenge. Instead of stoplights (although they do have some) they have roundabouts. My husband tells me in the European Vacation movie all you see is Chevy Chase driving around a circle, unable to decide which exit is correct. This evidently is the American way, since Neil and I found ourselves doing that more than a few times.
I will say, though, to my husband’s credit, that he got us everywhere we wanted to be (eventually!). And he even said toward the end of the trip that he liked the roundabouts – no stopping, just yield and go, which made things go faster once you had a feel for where you wanted to be.
We put about a thousand miles on that little car, and drove all over WWI’s Front Line, through Belgium and Northern France.
But first things first, and that’s Brussels. I’ll start there tomorrow!
Leave a comment about your own European travels or a research trip you took, want to take, or dream about taking, and we’ll do another contest. At the end of the week I’ll draw a random name for a free copy of my newest book, My Sister Dilly, which is set to release any day now!
no research trip for me, but my dh and son just got back from a 12 day 21 state trip and got to see a lot of neat historical sites and go to several MLB games!
that’s research for a 17 yo 🙂
congrats on your book!
We do not have any research trips planned out but do want to make a trip to Spain to see where my husband’s family is from.
Please enter me in the drawing.
Blessings,
Jo
ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com
Sounds like such a wonderful trip! The only research trip I’ve taken was to Gatlinburg, TN. No European vacations. 🙂 But my family has been to Europe (when I was a teenager), and we also got totally stuck on the roundabouts. Part of the problem was that we laughed so hard we could hardly see where we were going. 🙂
Please enter me in the drawing. missytippens [at] aol [dot] com.
The only trip I’ve made outside of the U.S. it to Canada. I loved it!
Please enter me in the contest!
Thank you.
Becky C.
rec(at)hiwaay(dot)net
I have been to Europe but it wasn’t a research trip, it was a college summer school program, but I took notes! 🙂 I was always interested in writing and figured that one day everything I seen might come in handy. So I have cool pics of Germany, Austria and the Chech Republic if I ever need them to refresh my memory. I would love to travel to a dude ranch because I have a great idea for a book involving one of those…hmm might just have to be my next adventure. 🙂
Stormi
ladystorm282001 at yahoo dot com
I’m not sure about a research trip, but I’d love to go to Italy! Always have. Enter me for the contest, please! God bless you bunches!!!!!!
liatheddrfreak (at) gmail (dot) com
Can’t wait to hear about your experience in Brussels. I just went to Belgium this summer to visit a friend (I live in Russia so it was closer for me). She lives about 15 minutes out of Brussels by express train and I went to the city for a day by myself. Not my favorite day in Belgium. I didn’t drive, I was all on the trains, which were very nice and easy to use.
Hey Maureen,
Your research vacation sounds wonderful! I’m doubtful that I’ll ever step foot outside the US but you never know. Never say never. 🙂 Please sign me up for the book drawing. I’d love to read your newest! Thanks!
I loved reading all the comments about research and vacation hopes and memories (I can relate to laughing through those roundabouts—it’s either that or cry, and who wants to do that when you’re on an adventure?)
Any kind of travel is a growing experience—you never know what you’ll come across to use in a book or even in passing conversations. I guess I can see why some people get the travel bug.
Maureen,
I’ve read this and your next post. I enjoyed hearing your impressions of Europe. It’s an incredible place.
My husband and I lived in Germany over four years when he taught US military teens in a US Army high school. We were privileged to see so many wonderful places in a number of countries.
Belgium is a nice, clean country. I’m sure you saw the lace. Gorgeous, isn’t it?
About the water. It’s not that it will make you sick. It’s just that it’s so heavy in minerals that it doesn’t taste good. And, yes, people looked at me strangely when I asked for tap water. Only did that once. After that, I realized bottled was better.
And I hear you on the street signs and street name changes. I served as navigator for my husband. We soon learned that the secret of getting around was knowing what town we were headed for. Town names are on the signs far more often than highway numbers.