Take a Vacation

[Bo Diddley]

My only observation would be to not get lost in this. You might tell yourself you can find something you're interested in no matter where you go. But if you skip Normandy because your wife isn't interested in it at all, and it's something you really want to see, you might regret it later.

[Green Monstah]

So we've plotted out our itinerary. It's much more moving around than what we'd like, primarily because of trying to work our way across Normandy to Mont Saint Michel. We're trying to get a taste of both urban and rural in each of the three countries we'll be visiting.

4 nights in London
2 nights in Benson UK (with day trip to the Cotswolds, maybe more)
Chunnel train from London to Paris
2 nights in Rouen
1 night in Bayeux
1 night in Mont Saint Michel
3 nights in Paris
Fly to Florence
3 nights in Florence
3 nights near San Gimignano, Italy (with day trips to Siena, Volterra, maybe more)
Fly back home with an overnight in Zurich

Way cool. I'm jealous.

There's plenty of great places to visit in old town Zurich (but IIRC, they all close relatively early) if you have the time and energy.

[Moliere]

No need to apologize. I appreciate the insight. And she's not a fan of Monet. She does like Van Gogh's "Irises" painting (her favorite flower). Other than that, she doesn't seem to care much about art and doesn't want to go to a bunch of art museums/exhibits.

What she is interested in, is pretty much anything to do with Princess Diana or the wives of Henry VIII. So much of our time in the UK will be occupied by Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, and some castle near the border with Wales that was occupied by Catherine Parr. She claims she's related to Catherine.

If your wife dones't really care for WW2 history and she doesn't like things like the Mont Saint Michel, she might be better off spending time in the Loire Valley instead of Normandy. She'll see more castles and palaces in the Loire Valley and that seems to be her thing. The Mont Saint MIchel is incredible but there are a lot of stone steps to get up into the Abbey. PAC is correct that the shops close for the evening but that doesn't mean there isn't anything to do. Just being on the Mont and walking the ramparts without the crowds is a spiritual experience, plus seeing the tide come in "like a galloping horse" is worth the stay. If you do stay in Bayeux and your wife doesn't want to do a formal tour, at least visit the American cemetery on the cliffs overlooking Omaha Beach. I'd also suggest walking onto the beach as well. Point du Hoc can easily be done without a tour, in fact, 98% of the poeple there are not on a tour. Same with the Longues sure Mer battery.

Rouen is an incredible city, but I'm partial to it since I lived there for six months. It's centre-ville is the best in Normandy as it was mostly preserved during the war. The shops are great and the cathedral is historic. The LDS church used to be on Rue Saint Romain right next to the cathedral but unfortunately it's been moved to an office building out in the suburbs. There's an overlook of the city that is spectacular. If you want, I can give you a very detailed itinerary for Rouen. I was there last June and can still almost walk all of the centre-ville streets by memory and some of the shops are still the same as they were 25 years ago.

My advice is to pick a plan and just stick to it. You'll be happy in Normandy or the Loire Valley. You'll be happy in Lucca or Siena. My whole retirement is going to be frequent trips to Europe because there is so much to see and do in every place. Don't try to do it all and enjoy the things you are doing.

[Jeff Lebowski]

My only observation would be to not get lost in this. You might tell yourself you can find something you're interested in no matter where you go. But if you skip Normandy because your wife isn't interested in it at all, and it's something you really want to see, you might regret it later.

Ha. Says the guy who is spending part of his Japan trip at Tokyo Disneyland

[Bo Diddley]

Ha. Says the guy who is spending part of his Japan trip at Tokyo Disneyland

That only serves to reinforce the point! It's not just what one person wants to see. Both people should have a say. But I do appreciate the salt, nonetheless! Well played sir.

[Jeff Lebowski]

That only serves to reinforce the point! It's not just what one person wants to see. Both people should have a say. But I do appreciate the salt, nonetheless! Well played sir.

Both people have a say but the two people might not agree - they have different interests. But if Mamma ain't happy, nobody's happy!

[Bo Diddley]

Both people have a say but the two people might not agree - they have different interests. But if Mamma ain't happy, nobody's happy!

And if mama doesn't get to at least spend one day at Tokyo Disney, she's gonna be ticked. But seriously, when you and missus might disagree, do you defer to her? Surely there's give and take.

[Moliere]

And if mama doesn't get to at least spend one day at Tokyo Disney, she's gonna be ticked. But seriously, when you and missus might disagree, do you defer to her? Surely there's give and take.

My brother did a two week vacation across France, Belgium and the Netherlands. He sent me a picture of him and his family eating at five guys on the Champs Elysées. Sometimes you just need something comfortable and familiar so I get your wife wanted to go to Disney.

But now it’s turned into a “thing” where my brother always eats at five guys wherever he finds one in Europe. They tend to be in the main train stations. We ate there in Rome just before boarding our train to Florence and again in Milan.

[Jeff Lebowski]

And if mama doesn't get to at least spend one day at Tokyo Disney, she's gonna be ticked. But seriously, when you and missus might disagree, do you defer to her? Surely there's give and take.

I am a very lucky man in that my wife and I have similar tastes in almost everything. It helps that we both have adventurous personalities where we love trying new foods, experiences, etc.

We went on an international trip recently with a woman who is incredibly picky. Literally every meal we ate she talked about how she hated the food and couldn't believe we were eating it. Similar attitude about some of the experiences we had. I can't imagine living like that - you would be constantly miserable.

[Pelado]

No Rome? Naples? Pompei?

No, no, no.

Our current itinerary has us flying out of Rome. If we keep it that way, then we'll probably take the train into Rome from Florence and check out a site or two before our flight that night.

[Bo Diddley]

I am a very lucky man in that my wife and I have similar tastes in almost everything. It helps that we both have adventurous personalities where we love trying new foods, experiences, etc.

I think you're side-stepping the question. I'm not just talking about travel and adventure.

[Bo Diddley]

No, no, no.

Our current itinerary has us flying out of Rome. If we keep it that way, then we'll probably take the train into Rome from Florence and check out a site or two before our flight that night.

Don't get bullied into conforming with the rest of the lemmings!

[Pelado]

Way cool. I'm jealous.

There's plenty of great places to visit in old town Zurich (but IIRC, they all close relatively early) if you have the time and energy.

Our layover is from 9 pm to 1:30 pm the next day. I booked the Hyatt near the airport. I figure that if we get up early enough, we could spend a couple hours checking out Zurich before heading back to the airport.

Of course, we might change our return flight entirely which could do away with the Zurich layover.

[Jeff Lebowski]

No, no, no.

Our current itinerary has us flying out of Rome. If we keep it that way, then we'll probably take the train into Rome from Florence and check out a site or two before our flight that night.

OK, when you are in Florence I highly recommend you go the Central Market (Il Mercato Centrale). The have a food court on the bottom floor that is amazing. Salads, pizzas, sandwiches, pasta, etc. Reasonably priced, quick, and great quality. And everyone can get what they want. I recommend the margarita pizza - they use buffalo moz (mozzarella de bufala), crushed tomatoes and fresh basil. It is fun to sit and watch them make the pizzas.

If you are so inclined, they do nightly cooking classes. My daughter did one and loved it.

[Pelado]

Both people have a say but the two people might not agree - they have different interests. But if Mamma ain't happy, nobody's happy!

If she ain't happy, I ain't happy. And if she's unhappy long enough, I'll be unhappy with half my stuff.