Plan Your Bucket-List Vacation

With recent unseasonably warm weather, I’m sure many of you, like myself, are beginning to plan your summer vacation.  Or, as I’d like to call it, my “bucket-list vacation.”  As a young teen, I read Anne Frank’s “The Diary of a Young Girl” and have since wanted to pay homage to the apartment where she and her family hid in Amsterdam during the Holocaust.

And so, my partner and I recently consulted with a travel agent to plan a dual city trip to Amsterdam and Paris, the City of Light. September’s airfare is best so we will be making pilgrimage at summer’s end.

Amsterdam highlights:

You can cycle, walk, or hop on and off the boats on the 165 canals to any of these destinations.  Museums:  Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum (Museumstraat 1); the Rembrandt House Museum (Jodenbreestraat 4); Van Gogh Museum (Museumplein 6); and The Anne Frank House, a writer’s house and biographical museum (Prisengracht 263-267).

Vonderpark is great for picnics and has an open-air theater.  The Jordaan is a neighborhood where there is hiking, canals, shopping, walking, and beer tasting. Dam Square is noted for its buildings and events.  Amsterdam also houses the Artis Zoo and the Dutch National Opera and Ballet.  Of course, there’s the infamous Red Light District.  And don’t forget to smell the flowers!

Paris highlights:  

Although Paris is a walking city, the Metro system is very efficient. Museums:  The Louvre (Mona Lisa); The Musee d’Orsay (Impressionists and Post-Impressionists); the Musee Rodin (his famous “Thinker” statue stands in direct line with the Eiffel Tower); and the Picasso Museum (includes much of his earlier work).  Take a ride on the Bateau Bus on the Seine River.  Visit Notre Dame Cathedral for the infamous gargoyles atop the gothic structure.

Dine at cafes especially in the historic Marais District to sample its breads, croissants, and wines.  One of Ernest Hemingway’s favorites was La Closerie Lilas (171 Boulevard du Montparnasse). Dine as long as you like, as you will not be rushed.  So relax, lovers.  Enjoy an after-dinner walk along the Seine or daytime through Tivoli Gardens and remember to observe the expanse slate-blue sky.

Finally, the opulent Palace of Versailles is a train ride away.  It boasts 250 acres of landscaped lawns, gardens, fountains, The Hall of Mirrors, and King Louis XIV’s Grand Apartment.

Remember, it’s never too late to start ticking off those top vacation spots from your bucket list.

Happy Travels!