European Tour

First stop: Eat loadsa pannekoeke! Next it's off to Anne Frank House for our scheduled visit.

Later we get our clogs and patrol the streets of Amsterdam, beginning with the district of Jordaan. The narrow canals & streets of trendy Jordaan are flanked by indie boutiques, cozy pubs & hip eateries. Stalls at the Noordermarkt square market offer jewellery, clothes, antiques & organic food.

Next day: Lots & lots more walking - mind the killer bicycles & trams! With the weather so fine & temperature maxing at 25 degrees celcius today, a cruise along Amsterdam's fine canals is the perfect way to follow up a decadent stroopwafel breakfast. Watch out for the beautifully restored Dutch architecture & bridges all along water's edge. You'll have loads of stunning photo-opps #forthegram.

There's the Albert Cuyp Market at lunchtime (how about some mayo with your fries?) & the beautiful site of the Rijksmuseum in Museum Square.

The sun only sets at 10pm, so we'll be out & about till late, soaking up some World Cup Football fever on the streets as we go. We can sleep on the train tomorrow :)

You can catch a few zzzzz's as we depart Amsterdam by train, but we pass the German city of Cologne, which is rather pretty (probably smells nice too). The journey winds southward through Frankfurt into Basel, Switzerland, where you definitely want to be wide awake as we approach the Alps. We change trains in Lugano, last stop before entering Italy.

After checking in at our hotel, we meet up with our friends & head straight to the majestic Duomo di Milano cathedral to see it all lit up once the sun sets. A healthy plate of authentic Italian pasta is a must tonight

We spend our day exploring Castello Sforzesco (or Sforza Castle) & sharing it with you :) This sprawling museum complex with gardens was built in the 15th century by Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan. 

So you think this is going to be a long, boring trip? Guess again. This journey passes through some of the most beautiful European vistas. One moment you're in Italy & just like that, France! You'll see the landscape change from luxurious Mediterranean coastline, perching houses arranged like a sea-facing amphitheatre that lights up like Christmas as the sun makes its descent onto the horizon, to mountains approaching in the distance. Think Monaco, Nice, Cannes, and by sundown we'll steam into the port city of Marseille.

We have a wait a while, stretch our legs & refresh ourselves at the train station, until the next portion of the journey begins..

As we traverse the south-west corner of France, you'll fall asleep to the sight of the mighty Pyrenees as we pass through Toulouse and you'll wake up to the sight of vineyards in the wine-growing region of Bordeaux. But there's no time for wine tasting - we've got beaches to get to!

We'll make our way from Bordeaux-St Jean to San Sebastian, crossing over the French-Spanish border. Our pension is located in the old town, or Parte Vieja - we'll explore a bit, have some lunch & head off to the surfing beach of Zurriola Beach with our dessert, and watch the sun take forever to set on this Atlantic paradise.

Over the next 2 days, we soak up some Spanish sun (praying the rain stays mainly on the plains) & relax with some well-deserved beach time. We stroll around Monte Urgull onto La Concha beach, picnic on the beach with some fresh cherries, strawberries & peaches from a local market, and freshly baked bread with chorizo, cheese & salad. Mmmm... delicioso! You can watch me sample some sangria as we immerse ourselves in some San Sebastian culture via its famed pinxto, dig into some paella, possibly do some shoe shopping (Spain have the best shoe stores!), as we navigate & lose our way through the colourful labyrinth of Parte Vieja.

For the best views of San Sebastian & surrounds, we take the wooden funicular, oldest of its kind in the Basque country, dating back to 1912, up Monte Igueldo. There's a vintage fairground sprawling the top with rides & food stalls to enjoy - this is where you'll be introduced to one of the best things you'll ever eat: chocolate con churros!

There will be time to laze on the beautiful beach of Ondarreta, some swimming, some bronzing, some photographing of the isle of Santa Clara situated inside the bay. A lengthy leisurely stroll all along the promenade takes us back towards the bustling, vibey Parte Vieja.

We leave Spain in the early hours of the morning, retrace our steps to Bordeaux & travel through the Loire region northwards. We pass through some agricultural areas with dairy farms & apple orchards in the north-western corner of France where Normandy borders Brittany, until we arrive at its dramatic coastline of white, rocky cliffs, steeped in history. We're staying in Beauvoir, situated in direct, unimpeded view of the iconic Abbey of Mont Saint Michel - the 2nd box on my travel bucket list I'll be ticking off on this trip!

This is a place of romance & history, geography & architecture, gastronomy & calvados. Lots of walking, steps to climb, omelettes to eat, pics to take & much to learn. Originally a Benedictine abbey, magnificent monastic buildings were added through medieval times, with a giant golden statue of St Michael for its crowning glory. Once the tide comes in, it becomes an isle; once out, we'll be able to walk right around its beach. At night, it will be lit up like a fairy tale castle - something I've dreamt of seeing up close for a long time..

Finally we make our way to Paris. There's so much to see in this vibrant European capital city, so I'm afraid you must prepare yourself for some more walking, oohing & aahing. A hop-on hop-off bateau-mouche along the river Seine will help us get around some of the major sites: the Louvre museum, Place de la Concorde, Cathedral de Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, Champs Elysees, the gardens of Tuileries & Luxembourg, & my favourite part of Paris, Montmartre with the imposing Basilica of Sacre Coeur & adorable Place du Tertre where the legends of 20th century art used to roam.

If we have time to fit it in, we'll check out the Catacombs of Paris, which hold the remains of more than 6 million people in a tunnel network built to consolidate the city's ancient stone mines. No visit to Paris will be complete without some crepes, some kitsch souvenir shopping of tiny little Eiffel Towers on keyrings & an apron for your granny.

This entire day is dedicated to Disneyland Paris where we have access to both parks all day! Prepare to run yourselves ragged from one end to the other & back again. No more words - just hold your breath & enjoy!!

If you're not too tired, we'll rise early for a 'quick' visit to Musee d'Orsay, my favourite gallery in Paris - just a little more Van Gogh et al before we leave, please.

Then it's time to pack up our stuff, check out, bid Paris adieu. First stop Doha, then home. This concludes your first travel experience abroad - hope it's a good one!