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Mrs. Midcoast

Mom Blogger - Musings from the Heart of America

Adventures photography

Spring Europe Road Trip: Netherlands, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium

January 12, 2019

I’ve finally gotten around to blogging about our European Adventure and included links to all the places we stayed which I highly recommend! It was an amazing trip and we saw so much! Will forever remember being with my best friend and our daughters! Here is the basic itinerary for our spring European road trip. Our home base was my best friend Lindsay’s home in Breda, Netherlands.

May 1-12, 2018. 

We got a lot done on this trip in a short amount of time. Using the car was the key to moving quickly. We didn’t have to wait around for public transportation and could stop wherever we wanted if we saw something neat.

I did not drive, but it didn’t seem much different than the US. In Germany there was no speed limit most of the time, so we made great time on that long leg of the trip.

We mainly visited attractions early in the morning then drove in the afternoon to the next destination. This way the girls could take a nap in the car and we could stop in a new country or city for meals. The days were LONG! I mean we were up at 7am and out until 10pm most days, which is a lot for little girls….and me! But there was so much to see that I didn’t care how tired I was.

  • May 1: Kansas City → Chicago → Amsterdam Airport
  • May 2: Amsterdam Airport → Lisse Holland → Breda, Netherlands
  • May 3: Breda → Cochem, Germany
  • May 4: Cochem, Germany→ Burg Eltz Castle → Schwangau, Germany
  • May 5: Neuschwanstein Castle → Liechtenstein → drive through Austria → Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
  • May 6: Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland → Eguisheim, France → Colmar, France
  • May 7: Comar, France → Luxembourg → Breda, Netherlands
  • May 8: Breda → Zaanse Schans → Amsterdam → Breda
  • May 9: Breda → Versailles, France
  • May 10: Versailles, France → Giverny, France
  • May 11: Giverny, France → Antwerp, Belgium → Breda, Netherlands
  • May 12: Breda, Netherlands → Chicago → Kansas City

Road Trip Part One

For part one of the trip we were lucky to have Lindsay’s husband Ivan drive us since this was the long part of the adventure. We also had their dog Winston with us which was fun.

Breda → Cochem → Neuschwanstein → Liechtenstein → Lauterbrunnen → Eguisheim → Colmar → Luxembourg → Breda

Stop 1: Lisse, Netherlands Holland

from Amsterdam Airport right to the Tulip Fields of Lisse, Holland

Stop 2: Cochem, Germany

We left May 3rd and drove to Cochem

Stop 3: Burg Eltz Castle

We stopped at Burg Eltz Castle on the way to Neuschwanstein


Stop 4: Neuschwanstein Castle

May 4th we drove from Cochem to Schwangau to stay the night. Then spent the next day May 5th at Neuschwanstein Castle

Stop 5: Principality of Liechtenstein

May 5th after visiting Neuschwanstein we stopped in Liechtenstein for the afternoon on our way to Switzerland

Stop 6: Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

We arrived in the evening on May 5th in Lauterbrunnen and spent the next day in Switzerland

Stop 7: Eguisheim, France

The evening of May 6th we stopped in Eguisheim to tour the little town and eat dinner

Stop 8: Colmar, France

We spent the night May 6th in Colmar and toured the town the next day

Stop 9: Luxembourg

May 7th we left stopped in Luxembourg on our way back home so we could cross another country off our list

Road Trip Part Two

This part was just us four girls, no boys or dogs, but we still had fun!

Breda → Zaanse Schans → Amsterdam → Breda

Stop 10: Zaanse Schans Netherlands

May 8th, back in The Netherlands we visited Zaanse Schans in the morning

Stop 11: Amsterdam

Afternoon on May 8th we stopped in Amsterdam for the afternoon and evening

Road Trip Part Three

For this part of the road trip it was also just us four girls.

Breda → Versailles → Giverny → Antwerp → Breda

Stop 12: Versailles, France

May 9th we left Breda in the morning and drove straight to Versailles and spent the day there

Stop 13: Giverny, France

May 10th we drove to Giverny and toured the town

Stop 14: Antwerp, Belgium

May 11th we left Giverny and spent the afternoon in Belgium on our way home. May 12th we spent the morning in Breda and flew home that afternoon.
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Adventures

Europe Trip Stop 14: Antwerp, Belgium

May 14, 2018

May 11, 2018

Last stop on our adventure….Antwerp, Belgium. We drove through on the way back and well, the Belgian chocolate and waffles were calling our name!

about a 4.5 hour drive from our Giverny Hotel to Antwerp

Antwerp was a great place to get a taste of Belgium for a few hours. The old gothic style buildings were so ornate and the city was lively.

There was a chocolate shop every 50 feet! Like fancy chocolates that were so pretty. It took us a while to decide which shop we wanted to buy our chocolates at. We got to pick out the ones we wanted and put them in a pink Belgium house tin, which was a bonus because we collect little houses from everywhere we go.

There were street entertainers that the girls just loved to dance to their music. We found another castle and climbed on all of the monuments. I was worried Eloise would get bored in the city, but the girls just made their own fun adventure wherever we went.

I was glad that I only had one of my kids with me though. It would have been difficult to keep track of 4 kids. I was able to relax only having to keep an eye on 1 kid running around. I would have been totally on edge with more than that. Totally doable, but the stress factor would have increased greatly.

We still can’t believe how lucky we were with the weather at every place we went. It was like the perfect temperature, the sun was always out just enough so that it wasn’t blinding us or we were sweating all day. Never had to mess with sunscreen! Not to cold that we had to mess with big coats. If you have kids you know that coats/hats/gloves and sunscreen are just a hot mess.

So if you do this trip (which I highly recommend) May 1-12 was the perfect time to go to all of the locations. I may even recommend to go a few days earlier to make sure to get the tulips in Holland as we cut it very close to deadheading time.

I hope documenting our adventures gives you some ideas and inspiration for planning your trip! I can’t tell you how helpful all of the bloggers out there were when planning this trip. So many places I would never have though to adventure came from other bloggers.

There really wasn’t a whole lot I found online about traveling to these specific places with young children so I for sure wanted to get it blogged to help some parents that travel with kids. I absolutely love traveling with my kids and I really don’t like traveling without them, but to be done right it takes a lot more planning when the kids are along.

 
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Adventures

Europe Trip Stop 13: Giverny, France – Claude Monet’s House and Gardens

May 13, 2018

May 10, 2018.

about 47 minutes from our castle hotel to Giverny

At the gateway to Normandy, 75 km from Paris and 60 km from Rouen, the village of Giverny (pronounced Jee-va-nyee) is located on the right bank of the River Seine, at its confluence with one of the two branches of the River Epte lined with willows and poplars.

Claude Monet, the painter who founded the Impressionist school lived in Giverny for 43 years. His house and his garden, the village of Giverny and its surroundings, were his subject matter and they still attract half a million visitors each year from all over the world, as well as painters, charmed by the unique light of the Seine Valley.

If I could live in any house in the whole world, this is the one I would pick. It is SOOOOOO my style. Everything French vintage and so colorful. 

garden de Claude monet
claude_monet_kitchen_giverny_france
monet's_house_giverny_france
monet_hosue_garden_giverny_france
giverny_garden_de_claude_monet
monet's_water_garden_france

Atelier Hans

While we were walking through the village of Giverny we happened upon this cute little Atelier of artist Patrick Hans. It was amazing to walk through and look at all of his original artworks. I regret not taking more pictures, but at the time, I didn’t really think about it. The shop contained many of Hans’ original paintings on the walls and some reproduction prints that you could purchase

Patrick_hans_giverny

Patrick Hans 

1990 Hans broke with the professional world and decided to devote himself entirely to painting. He opened a small workshop adjoining his home in Montigny les Cormeilles, accessible to the public. His works are essentially inspired by Val d’oisienne; he exhibited in numerous salons and managed to be selected for the salons of Autumn and French Artists at the Grand Palais where his paintings of large dimensions have with the public a great success.
Wishing to develop his business, he decided to settle in Giverny, privileged place of impressionism and also profitable place for its inspiration, the quality of life, and the tourist attendance. He therefore lives a few hundred meters from the Claude Monet Museum in a quiet and relaxing place where his home and his studio are in every way source of fullness. He starts working in Claude Monet’s garden. His paintings reflect the influence of place and impressionism. Many articles flourish in the press. A cosmopolitan public frequents his studio.The Fall shows and French Artists are again successful. He begins the cycle of regional exhibitions by the Galerie du Démocrate.
Then, in 1993, it will be the Hirsch Gallery of Lyons the Forest, two renowned restaurants for permanent exhibitions, the Amyot Gallery rue Saint Louis in the island in Paris and salesrooms throughout France.
In 1994, after an exhibition at Crédit Lyonnais in Vernon, it was the Hotel Normandy and the Salle d’armes at the Pont de l’Arche, not forgetting some group exhibitions.
But it is especially the opening of a gallery located in front of the Claude Monet Museum which will attract, during the season 1994, more than 23000 visitors who will attend the walls of this place held by the artist himself.
The year 1995 begins with an exhibition located at Espace Philippe Auguste de Vernon.
Paralally at the seasonal opening of his gallery each year in Giverny, attracting several thousand visitors, Patrick Hans exhibits in November 1996 in the old workshops of Manet, St. Petersburg street in Paris, the cultural center André Malraux Kremlin Bicetre in the month in November 1999, at the Marie G. Tribeca Gallery New York in December 2002 and finally in Japan in 2004, as part of the Claude Monet Museum’s partnership with this country. In February 2000, Patrick Hans moved to the small village of Gommecourt 5 km from Giverny, where he built a large workshop to work and receive customers, while maintaining its Giverny gallery where admirers are crowded more and more numerous to contemplate his works.
Patrick Hans, since 15 years of professionalism, has made a name for himself. Its reputation goes well beyond the regional framework. Its production and sales have continued to grow.His works, except a very large French clientele, are now present in more than 25 foreign countries including the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Australia, Korea, India, etc …
His main sources of inspiration are currently, in addition to the gardens of Claude Monet and the Hotel Baudy, the edges of the Epte and the Seine, the forest and the fields of Giverny, as well as the surrounding landscapes.

So now I am officially an art owner 🙂 I wanted one of his paintings of Monet’s garden since that’s where we were and where his studio is. So this is my tiny little painting.  It’s about 6 by 9 inches in real life.  I chose it because there is pink on Monet’s bridge. I hope to someday buy one of his big paintings.

Hotel Baudy

We ate at the Ancient Hotel Baudy.  The Hôtel Baudy was a center of artistic life in the Giverny heyday. It is now still a café and restaurant, with period decoration. Monet and all his painter pals used to hang out there.

Le Moulin des Chennevieres Giverny is the cute little B&B where we stayed. It was a few minutes walk to Claude Monet’s House and Garden and was the perfect location to stay in Giverny.

The Inn is an old-timbered stone mill, from the 17th century, is situated in Claude Monet’s beloved village, just a short walk from Monet’s House and the Museum of the Impressionisms. This favorite gathering-place of the 19th century Impressionists, permeated with art history, is a living reference work of famous painting subjects.  Home to several artists,the mill itself was also a favorite subject of the numerous painters: in 1892 Théodore Robinson did a serie of paintings of it which are now part of some of the greatest art collections in the wold, included the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The surrounding park which covers three hectares and enhanced by century-old trees, is crisscrossed by several différent branches of the Epte River, with a small central island which is home to our exotic animals, including Wallaby, ostriches,emus and alpaca.

giverny_france
Le Moulin des Chennevières
Le Moulin des Chennevières

It was so fun to explore the grounds of the B&B. We watched a mama wallaby carry around her baby in her pocket. The cute little guinea pigs were just running around.

giverny_bed_and_breakfast
7 minute walk from our B&B to Monet’s House/Garden Entrance
 
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Europe Trip Stop 12: Chateau de Versailles – Versailles, France

May 12, 2018

May 9, 2018

The Palace of Versailles was the place I was most looking forward to visiting before the trip. I guess if you can be a fan of a dead royal person, I am one. The story of Marie Antoinette just fascinates me and I have always wanted to visit her palace. 

We left Breda, Netherlands in the morning and set out for about a 4.5 hour drive to Versailles.  We drove through Paris. I showed Eloise the Eiffel Tower from the window of the car. We didn’t stop though. Lindsay and I lived in Paris for a few weeks one summer with a host family, and it is a neat place, but it’s not somewhere that I would set out to visit multiple times since we were there for so long. Plus, I usually prefer exploring outside the big cities. 

Versailles is one of the most visited destinations on the planet so I knew it would be crowded. I did some research on how to visit the palace where it is less crowded. I came up with the plan to visit Versailles in REVERSE!!!

This was the best way to see it!  When we first got to the palace we drove past the main entrance to the Palace and went in the side entrance which most people probably don’t even know exists. No line! walked right into the gate near the Estate of Trianon. We got a macaroon then spent a few hours visiting the Hamlet and Petit Trianon which is the little Village that Marie Antoinette had built with little houses, gardens, animals, a real working little country village of her own.

Next up we walked to the Petit Trianon. Which was a gift to Marie Antoinette from Louis XVI in 1774 so she could escape court life. 

After that we got back in the car and drove 10 minutes to the main gate and parked in the 3rd row. The last admission to the palace is at 5:00pm. Our plan was to get there around 4:30 and that was about what happened.

During the day the lines are hours long stretching out the main gate. We walked right up and into the palace. We walked easily through every room, most of which were empty of tourists. It was seriously the coolest thing!  Standing in the giant hallway of Versailles with NOBODY else in it was breathtaking. 

If we would have gone to the main palace first we would have been crushed in a mob of people and it would have taken hours to walk through the whole place. We walked through the whole palace in about 45 minutes. Then went out to the gardens and Grand Canal to watch the sun start to set. 

The Hall of Mirrors at Versailles is probably the most famous. It has giant mirrors that reflect the Grand Canal out the windows. It was so pretty. 

versailles hall of mirrors empty

The Palace of Versailles was a huge success! We didn’t see everything, but I don’t think it’s possible in one day with 4 year old kids. It is a lot of walking so comfortable shoes are a must. 

After visiting the Palace of Versailles that afternoon we went to our hotel. We wanted to stay in a real castle and we actually found one that was surrounded by a moat. It was pretty fantastic!  

The hotel is about 40 minutes west of Paris and about 30 minutes from Versailles, so it was a great location to stay if you don’t want to stay in Paris. 

Chateau de Villiers le Mahieu  

The Château de Villiers-le-Mahieu 4*, was built in the 13th Century and was originally a fortress. But over the centuries and under different owners, its function changed somewhat. The Marquis of Attily rebuilt it in 1642, and under his stewardship it gained the status of a château. After him, a number of owners oversaw the château, up to the Count Charles de Rohan Chabot, who restored it, giving it its present appearance. Its charm was what attracted the painter Bernard Buffet, who lived in the château until 1979.

In 1981, Jean-Luc Chaufour has been using his passion for old buildings and for history to help restore and adapt this magisterial site, so that guests feel right at home in this superb four-star Château-Hotel and its breathtaking, otherworldly setting.

Our room was in the tower! I tried to get some pictures of us in the windows, but it was kinda hard without having my professional camera with me. Hey, iPhone cameras have come a long way though and when traveling through Europe with a 4 year old, I’m already carrying enough stuff. So it is what it is. 

 
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Europe Trip Stop 11: Amsterdam, Netherlands

May 11, 2018

May 8, 2018

After the morning at Zaans Schans we spent the afternoon exploring Amsterdam which is about 30 minutes south and on our way back to Breda.

The street entertainers are a favorite of the girls as well as chasing pigeons around town squares.

We ate lunch, went shopping explored the canals.

 
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Europe Trip Stop 10: Zaanse Schans, Netherlands

May 10, 2018

May 8, 2018

Next stop learning about traditional Dutch culture in North Holland about 1.5 hours north of Breda and about 30 minutes north of Amsterdam.

Zaanse Schans (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈzaːnsə ˈsxɑns]) is a neighbourhood of Zaandam, near Zaandijk, Netherlands. It is best known for its collection of well-preserved historic windmills and houses. It’s an open-air museum which is a free outdoor park with a collection of historical windmills. You can also find the very first Albert Heijn grocery store in the Netherlands. This monumental building is now a museum complete with the original furniture and fixtures from 1887.

There is a wooden shoe workshop at the Zaanse Schans where we got to see the clog makers make clogs and learn about the history of wooden shoes.

We also got to go inside a real working windmill.

In de Gecroonde Duyvekater Bakery Museum is located in a charming house dating back to 1658. The bakery is decorated in 19th-century style and features an authentic oven from that time. The bakery got its name from a type of sweet bread that is still made in the Zaan region.

Kuiperij in Zaanse Schans is where barrels were made to transport goods. The historic family business has been preserved exactly as it was during the cooperage heyday and is now managed by the Zaans Museum. The Zaans Museum tells the story of daily life in the Zaan region over the centuries. The Zaan was one of the oldest industrial areas in Europe, and wind and water played an essential role in its success.

The Catharina Hoeve is an authentic 17th-century cheese farm where you can attend a cheese making demonstration, as well as tasting the various products and exploring the gift shop, where you’ll find a wide variety of cow, sheep and goat products.

 
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Europe Trip Stop 9: Luxembourg

May 9, 2018

We stopped in Luxembourg for the afternoon on our way home. Shortest post ever, because the only pictures I took were of my beer at lunch. and Ivan took a picture of us at the restaurant.

Battin is the beer I tried from Luxembourg
 
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Hi! I'm Sarah, mom of four, living the dream in the MidCoast. This is my journey of moming, crafting, traveling, shoping, saving, living, loving, learning, etc. I'm really good at run-on sentences. I don't have time to proofread and I assume if you are here you are a busy mom as well, so you don't care. Thanks for stopping by!
xoxo,
Mrs. Midcoast

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Europe Trip Stop 14: Antwerp, Belgium

Spring Europe Road Trip: Netherlands, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium

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