| Europe Itinerary |
[Oct. 9th, 2009|11:11 am] |
Normally, I don't bother to contrust itineraries, but given the convoluted nature of our impending trip I thought'd it be conducive for promptness sake. We'll be in Europe two weeks from today. I've worked on this off and on for awhile. This trip is 8 months in the making. Expense wise: it added up to 1000 for 10 nights at 4 star hotels and 1900-2000 for all travel expenses. Unfortunately, word format doesn't transfer to this journal.
Budget: $1200 food; London sightseeing $140; Wine Cellar tours $200; Inner-City travel: London: $31pp; Barcelona: $15pp;Paris:$16pp; Brussels: walk.
Chicago: leave Tulsa on Oct 22nd, 8am. Arrive Chicago: 5pm. Hotel: Hyatt Regency. Event: Stud Terkel’s Not Working @ Second City, 8pm. Oct 23rd: Art Institute, Oak Park, Navy Pier.
Travel: Flight BA0294 Chicago O’hare to London Heathrow 715pm (oct 23rd) to 920am (oct 24th).
Day 1 (Oct 24th)- London –arrive 9am. Transport: Piccadilly: terminal 5 to Earl’s Court. Hotel: Nh Kensington. Transport: Piccadilly: Earls Court to Piccadilly Circus. Dinner: Criterion Brasserie, 530pm ($32-50pp). Transport: Piccadilly to Green Park on Piccadilly line; Green Park to Victoria on Victoria line. Event: Billy Elliott Musical @ Victoria Theatre, 730pm. Transport: Victoria to Brixton on Victoria line. Event: Franz Ferdinand @ O2 Academy Brixton, 9pm-3am.
Day 2 (Oct 25th) – London – Transport: Hampton Court to Waterloo via SW train. Dinner: Harvey Nichols @ Oxo tower, 8pm($40-60 pp). Event: Inherit the Wind (Kevin Spacey) @ Old Vic Theater, 5pm.
Day 1 Sightseeing: Transport: 10 minute walk East on Cromwell Rd. Victoria & Albert Museum, 1030pm-1pm (free). Transport: Gloucester Road to Paddington via Circle Line. National Rail: London Paddington to Windsor & Eton Central. Windsor Castle ($25.87), 145pm-4pm.
Day 2 Sightseeing:. Transport: Earl’s Court to Westminster via District Line. Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral (Westminster to Mansion House), 7am-9pm; Transport: Mansion House to Tower Hill via District Line. Tower of London ($28.37), 9am-11am. Transport: London Bridge to Waterloo via Jubilee Line. South West Trains: Waterloo to Hampton Court. Hampton Court Palace ($23.36), 130am-330pm.
Travel: London St. Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord via Eurostar Train 5:25am to 8:50am (oct 26th)
Day 3 (Oct 26th) – Paris, France – arrive 9am Hotel: Pullman Paris Rive Gauche. Transport: Gare du Nord to Gare de l’Est (M5) Reims Side Trip: Pickup Sixt rental car @ Gare de l’Est. Reims: Notre Dame Cathedral & Tau, 1230-1:45pm ; Veuve-Cliquot cellar tour ($18.42),2pm-330pm; Basilica St. Remi, 3:30-415pm; Pommery cellar tour ($15), 430-530pm.
Return to Paris: Event: Joyaux Ballet @ Palais Garnier, 8pm.
Day 4 (Oct 27th) – Paris, France- Versailles Side Trip: Transport: Boulevard-Victor Station to Versailles-Rive Gauche (RER C). Day trip to Versailles 9am-1pm. Transport: Invalides to Concord (M8). Concord to Lamarck-Caulaincourt(M12).Dinner: Moulin de Gallette, 5:30pm. Transport: Lamarck to Concord (M12); Concord to Chatalet (M1). Event: Classical concert (Paris Orchestra, Yamandu Costa and Richard Galliano) @ Theatre du Chatelet, 8pm.
Day 5 (Oct 28th) – Paris, France – Rent Bikes. Lunch: Le Grand Vefour (2-star Michelin: $90 fixed-price lunch pp).
Day 4 Sightseeing: Versailles ($18.50) 9am-1pm. Transport: Versailles Rive Gauche to Victor; Balard to Invalides (M8). Transport Invalides to Musee d’Orsay (RER C). Musee d’Orsay ($8)130pm-4pm, Les Hotel Invalides or Rodin ($12.14) 4pm-530pm; Arc de Triomphe($12.86), 10-11pm
Day 5 Sightseeing: Transport: Boulevard Victor to Saint-Michel Notre Dame(RER C). Musee du Louvre($12.86)630pm-10pm, Notre dame($8.57) 1045am-1145am, Sainte Chappelle($11.43) 930am-1030am, Pantheon ($10.79)12pm-1pm. Les Arts Decoratifs & Orangerie ($21) 3 -6pm. Eiffel Tower, 10:30pm.
Day 6 (Oct 29th) : Sacre Couer. Paris Flea Market. Breakfast: Les Deux Moulins. Transport: Balard(M8) to Madeleine (M12) to Abesses Station. (M12) Airport Transport: Chateau Rouge (M4) to Gare Du Nord to Charles De gaulle(RER B)
Travel: Easyjet Flight 3919: Paris Charles De Gaulle to Barcelona 1:40pm to 3:25pm (oct 29th)
Day 6 (Oct 29th) - Barcelona, Spain. Arrive 3pm. Hotel: Hesperia Sant Just. Dinner: Picnic
Day 7 (Oct 30th)- Barcelona, Spain. Winery Tour: Codorniu; Miguel Torres Winery. Dinner: El Roco de Can Fabes (3-star Michelin: $150 fixed price menu pp);
Day 8 (Oct 31st ) - Barcelona, Spain. Lunch: Picnic. Event: Opera y Flamenco @ Palau de la Musica Catalana, 845pm.
Leisure Barcelona Sightseeing: La Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell. Casa Battlo, Conjunt Monumental de la Plaça del Rei, Catedral de Barcelona, Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, L'Hospital de la Santa Creu i San Pau, La Pedrera (Casa Milà), Museu Picasso, Museu d'Art Contemporani de Barcelona
Travel: Easyjet Flight 3920: Barcelona to Paris Charles De Gaulle 4pm-5:55p; Thalys train Paris Nord to Brussels 6:55 pm to 8:17pm. (Nov 1st)
Day 9 (Nov 1st) - Brussels, Belgium. Hotel: Sheraton Brussels, 9pm. Grand Place tour.
Day 10 (Nov 2nd)- Brussels, Belgium. Chocolate tour: Chocopolis(9am), Neuhaus, Pierre Marcolini(10am),Mary Chocolatier, 8am-11am. Side Trip: Day trip to Bruges. Travel: Arrival: SNCB train to Bruges. Every 30 minutes. Departure: Last train departs at 1058pm.
BRUGES: Lunch: Café Central. Dinner: Pieter Pourbus, 6pm($30-44pp). Drinks: t’ Zwart Huis, 8-9pm. Sightseeing: Straffe Hendrik Brewery,1230pm-145pm, Heilig-Bloedbasiliek (Basilica of the Holy Blood),2-3pm. Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady), 315pm-415pm. Belfort en Hallen (Belfry), 430-5pm. Boat Canal Tour, 9-10pm.
Day 11 (Nov 3rd): Travel: British Airways Flight 0389: Brussels to London Heathrow 7:15am-7:30am (terminal 5); British Airways Flight BA0295: London Heathrow to Chicago O’ hare 11:35am-2:15pm (terminal 5). |
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