France & Belgium: much better the second time around

[l3tang]

Back in 1998, my family and I took a bus tour of Europe, which included stops at Brussels and Paris, amongst several other cities. That trip did not leave me with the feeling that I saw what these places had to offer. We were only in each city long enough to see the biggest attractions, like the Manneken Pis, Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame. There is so much more to these cities that I had to go back. At last, I got my chance.

For my very delayed graduation trip, I decided to go to Paris and Brussels, with several day trips out from both cities. I went for a total of 17 days, including the flight days. I won't give a day-by-day account but here's a summary and some tips. Well, mainly tips but all based on experience.

• Living near a grocery store is the best thing ever. You can get water, drinks, and snacks for way cheaper than at tourist attractions.
• Restaurants work on their own schedule. Kitchens and restaurants may be closed at unexpected times, like 6pm on a Sunday. Be sure to check the opening hours before going.
• Be sure to check reviews of restaurants beforehand. The price that you pay does not guarantee the quality of food. We went to a few places where we paid a lot and the food wasn't great, and then others where the food was incredible and I didn't pay so much. (Contact me if you want recommendations.)
• Prepare your days based on the weather report but assume the weather will be better. We had been extremely lucky on the trip with regards to weather. For example, we had a hectic day trip planned to Mont St Michel, France. We booked the train tickets ahead of time and then the weather report said there was going to be a thunderstorm all day the day we were going. We almost cancelled the trip but decided to go anyway. It turned out being a cloudy day and didn't start to rain until we were done leaving. Sometimes, things just work out.
• Back up your pictures often. We had an unfortunate "event" where one of our cameras got stolen. Luckily, we had backed up the pictures on that camera the night before so we didn't lose that many pictures. (And if you're curious, the camera was on its second life already. It seems it was meant to go.)
• If you like Monet's water lily paintings, I recommend going to Giverny, France, and see the real garden before seeing the paintings at Musée de l'Orangerie (which are worth the visit on its own). You gain a greater appreciation for the paintings after seeing the real thing. Tip: there are a lot less people at the garden after 4:30. A great time for pictures.
• If you do go to Giverny, don't depend on the buses in Vernon to get you there. If you miss the bus or if it's full, you'll be waiting 2 hours for the next one. Just share a cab with the other people waiting for the bus. We did, and turned out cheaper than the bus.
• The abbey at Mont St Michel is not as high up or as hard to get to as anticipated. The view of the island and the view from the top are worth the trip. Oh, I recommend staying a night nearby instead of doing it as a day trip. It's quite time consuming running around to catch buses and trains. And, you'd get to see the night view, which I'm sure would have been fantastic.
• Get a transit day pass in Ghent. The buses might not stop or go where you thought it would, even when you're following the map.
• Bring a device with GPS. It comes in handy as you're trying to locate stores, restaurants, or other attractions.
• If you like your food to be on the bland side (which I do, i.e. less salt), your taste buds may be in overload mode when you eat out. Many foods tended to be on the salty side, or had a much stronger flavour. Not necessarily a bad thing, especially when it comes to desserts. Yum.
• "Marinated salmon" is apparently a cooking style in Belgium. The salmon is cooked in the marinade over a long period of time, and it comes out somewhat raw. (I'm not sure if that's true or not but that's what the waiter told me.) I'm used to the salmon being cooked in a marinade until it's fully cooked through. Be careful if you ever order "marinated" anything.
• Belgium truly does have the best chocolate. Be sure to try a bunch of different stores. You won't be disappointed.
• Macarons (not macaroons) are everywhere in Paris. Be sure to try different flavours and from different stores. The best I've had so far was the Rose flavour. You're in for a surprise.

While I know I will want to come back to these cities and countries again in the future, I gotta say that I got my fill for now. I'm very happy to be home again, even if it's just for a week.