Best of the Trip, Part 2

Posted on January 14, 2009
Filed Under Call us tourists, Random musing | Leave a Comment

Posted by Sierra

This is a list of our favorite things from Europe.

Best Town Name: Vrh, Croatia (2nd Place: Krk, Croatia)

Best Gelato: Festival del Gelato, Florence, Italy: It’s got tons of exotic flavors like Meringue and Profiterole, and a 50s-style atmosphere. Vestri, Florence for Dad: Its chili chocolate had rich chocolate and spicy chili.

Best Cake: Frutti di Bosco at Stan’s cousin Cathy’s house: Fruits of the forest, cream with berries inside and on top, being sweet but not overpowering.

Best Meal: In’t Spinnekopke, Brussels, Belgium: Charming waiter who spoke English well, traditional food paired with beer, cozy setting. Good dessert. Sierra ordered fondue and found out that “fondue” is the French word for “croquettes,” so her best meal was Bir & Fud in Rome, Italy: wholesome pizzas with a relaxed-ish atmosphere. Fun waiter who also spoke English well.

Best Apartment: Dubrovnik, Croatia: Enormous, spotless (didn’t have to clean dishes before we used them), new, 2 bathrooms, three TV’S (one per bedroom and one in the main room), washing machine, internet that eventually worked.

Best Hostel: Rothenburg, Germany (see Where We’re Staying)

Best Overall Accomodation: La Four a Sel, France (see A Short BOTT Sneak Peek)

Best Hotel: Crown Plaza, Bruges, Belgium: In the center of town, large room, pool, comfortable beds, felt spoiled.

Worst Meal: Trattoria alla Rivetta, Venice, Italy: Gruff waiter, insultingly small portions, tourist trap, terrible value.

Best Cheese: Mozzarella from Riardo, Italy, area (brought to us at Cathy’s by Enzo)

Best Artisan Experience: Le Gruyères, Switzerland: We got to watch them make the wheels, and we got to watch the cheese-turning robot. (See Gruyère, Just the Facts)

Best Non-Art Museum: Flanders Field Museum in Ypres, Belgium: Evocative, slightly chilling, the people working there know how to make a museum interactive, very good at personalizing.

Best Art Museum: The Louvre, Paris, France (see Ooh, La! La!)

Best Drive: Drive along Croatia’s coast. Pretty, turquoise water with islands, cliffs and small towns.

Best Hike: Cinque Terre, Italy: Picturesque, cool little towns, terracing, astonishing amount of rock, ruggedness of attending to agriculture along the coast. See “Around Europe in 80 Photos” for picture(s). Mom liked the orange and lime trees.

Best Mountain Hike: Jungfrau, Alps, Switzerland: Little towns that are sorta like ski villages, sound of cow and goat bells. Took a gondola lift to get there.

Best Road Signs: Germany: Tell you when you enter a town, when you leave it, and how far it is to the nearest town.

Best Single Dish: Pumpkin Soup at 1516 in Vienna, Austria for Mom, Cheese Fondue in Fribourg, Switzerland for Dad and Sierra.

Best Beer: West Vleteren 12 for Mom, too many for Dad.

Best Wine: Domaine de Nerleux Saumur Champigny Clos des Chatains for Mom, Clos Montalbarie Pecharment from Contesse F. de St. Exupery Creyesse, 2008, for Dad, N/A for Sierra.

Worst Country for Driving or Being a Passenger: Italy

Cleanest Rest Areas: Croatian toll road (Nobody uses them)

Best Pizza: Bir & Fud

Best Chocolate: Dumon, Bruges, Belgium

Best Bookstore: Paperback Exchange, Florence, Italy: English selection

Best Grocery Store: Coop in Florence, Italy

Best Celebrity Sighting: Dad seeing the Pope on All Saint’s Day in Vatican City

Best (and most) Free Samples: Cailler, Switzerland (See Around Europe in 80 Photos)

Worst Beer: Truffle Beer (the fungus, not the chocolate).

Best Large City: Paris, France

Best Medium-sized City: Venice, Italy

Best Town: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Deutschland

Best Art City: Firenze, Italia; Paris, France for Mom

Best Guesthouse/Pension: Pension Kovac in Radejovice, Slovenia

Best Tourist Attraction: Eiffel Tower (at night)

Best Historic Site: Pompeii

Best Castle/Palace: Schloss Helbrunn in Salzburg, Austria

Favorite Country: Italy (regardless of driving)

Best Market: Sarlat, France

Best Breakfast: Mercure, Furth, Germany

Best Christmas Market: Dresden, Germany (includes a great Medieval Market)

Best Painting: Sistine Madonna, Gemaldegalerie Alte Meisters, Dresden, Germany

Best Sculpture: La¨coon, Museo Vaticano, Vatican City

Worst Bird-Poop Problem: Rome, Italy

Best Souvenir: Cowbell, Switzerland

Strangest License Plate Sighting: California in Croatia

Best Idea That Americans Should Adopt: Pedestrainized Areas

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