| The King's Best (& Worst) of Europe* Updated 05 April 08 |
| Ralph's Favorite Places to Visit (Ranked) - All Are Recommended 1. Brugge, Belgium 2. Western Fjords, Norway 3. Paris, France 4. Normandy, France 5. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany 6. Bergen, Norway 7. York, England 8. London, England 9. Ronda, Spain 10. Alhambra, Spain 11. Budapest, Hungary 12. Berner Oberland, Switzerland 13. Keukenhof, Netherlands 14. Berlin, Germany 15. Lake District, England 16. Prague, Czech Rep 17. Assisi, Italy 18. Rothenburg, Germany 19. Odense, Denmark 20. Trier, Germany 21. Leiden, Netherlands 22. Delft, Netherlands 23. The Hague, Netherlands 24. Edinburgh, Scotland 25. Ghent, Belgium 26. The Cotswolds, England 27. Volterra, Italy 28. Villanueva de la Concepcion, Spain 29. Oslo, Norway 30. The Trossachs, Scotland 31. Bath, England 32. Colmar/Riquewihr, France 33. San Gimignano, Italy 34. Rome, Italy 35. Cortona, Italy 36. Lisbon/Estoril, Portugal 37. Provencial Towns, Vaucluse, France 38. Haarlem, Netherlands 39. Kolding, Denmark 40. Siena, Italy 41. Carcassonne, France 42. Innsbruck, Austria 43. Arnhem, Netherlands 44. Antequerra, Spain 45. Valkenberg, Netherlands 46. Alkmaar, Netherlands 47. Amsterdam, Netherlands 48. Perugia, Italy 49. Vaison la Romaine, France 50. Luxemburg City, Luxemburg 51. Cologne, Germany 52. Enkhuizen, Netherlands 53. Namur, Belgium 54. Wurzberg, Germany Ralph's Dishonorable Mention 1. Getting a rental car in Pisa, Italy 2. Cheap, tacky, aggressive trinket sales near Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy 3. Cheapest Chinese buffet you can find in London (worst meal out ever) 4. Food and drink in Norway (average quality, very expensive) 5. Touristy Sections of Malaga, Spain 6. Antwerp, Belgium (needs a good scrub) 7. Red light district in Amsterdam (really hurts a beautiful city and attracts a lot of vice tourism that is not family friendly) 8. Versailles Palace on a Saturday in June (too crowded to enjoy) 9. Oxford, England (the campus is nice but the city around it was dirty and full of litter) 10. Vegetarian delivery pizza in Budapest with egg and brocolli, but no tomato sauce. Places We Haven't Been To Yet (But Hope to Visit) Ireland Portugal (only Ralph has been) Greece Sweden Poland (only Karen has been) Croatia Montenegro Barcelona, Spain |
| Karen's Top Landscapes 1. Western Fjords, Norway 2. Ronda, Spain 3. Bavarian and Swiss Alps 4. Tuscan/Umbrian Hills, Italy 5. Lake District, England 6. Vaucluse Region of Provence, France 7. Normandy, France 8. La Camarque, France 9. Danube Bend, Hungary Karen's Coolest Buildings 1. Alhambra (Moorish Palaces), Granada, Spain 2. Medieval Wall in Rothenburg, Germany 3. Brugge (Medieval City), Belgium 4. St. Chapelle Church, Paris, France 5. Fountains Abbey, England 6. Bavarian Castles, Germany 7. Roman Ruins in Trier, Germany; Rome, Assisi & Volterra, Italy and Provence, France 8. Tuscan/Umbrian Hill Towns, Italy 9. Norwegian Wooden Stave Churches 10. Theatre of the Estate, Prague, Czech rep. 11. Jewish Quarter, Prague, Czech Rep. 12. Medieval Scottish Castles 13. Dutch Windmills Karen's Best of The Netherlands 1. Stroopwafels (Thin hard waffles with syrup or caramel in the middle) 2. Chocolates 3. Goedkoop Bloemen (a.k.a. Cheap Flowers) 4. Delft (Historic District) 5. Local Weekly Outdoor Markets in Each Town 6. Keukenhof (Gardens) 7. Ease of Bicycling Everywhere 8. Kaasboer Selling Cheese, Eggs, and Butter at Our Door Weekly 9. Enkhuizen (Town and Zuider Zee Open Air Museum) 10. Riding in Canals and Rivers on a Private Boat Rachel's Top Things 1. Paris, France 2. Mountain Climbing (in Spain and Norway) 3. Longleat Castle and Safari Park, England 4. Go Ape! Ropes Course in Grizedale Forest, England 5. Keukenhof, Netherlands 6. Assisi, Italy (Gondor 2) 7. Shopping anywhere and everywhere (preferably with Carly) Noah's Top Things 1. Disneyland Paris 2. Duinrell Amusement Park in Wassenaar, NL 3. Midhands Rail in England 4. Brienz Rothorn Steam Cog Railway, Switzerland 5. Utrecht Train Museum, NL 6. National Railway Museum, York, England 7. French Bread 8. Italian Pizza and Gelato Rachel's Not-So Top Things 1. Regular Aroma of Nearby Farmland 2. Noah's Constant Rejoicing Every Time We See a Train or Tram 3. Dad's Death Marches (Hikes) 4. Getting Sick in London Other Cool Things Friendliest People - Scots Country with Most Consistently Excellent Food - Italy Most Bicycle Friendly Country - Netherlands Most Romantic City - Paris, France Most Romantic Countryside - Tuscany/Umbria, Italy Best Theater Town - London, England Great Inexpensive Classical Music/Ballet - Prague and Budapest Great International City -The Hague, Netherlands |
| * This is totally biased and completely subjective. If you want good advice we suggest you spend some dough and consult Rick Steves, who is very selective. If you like lots of color maps, pictures and diagrams, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides are excellent. If you like ratings and lots of options and details, Michelin Green Guides are also very good. We have also used Fodor's, Frommer's, AAA, and Lonely Planet. |