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San Sebastián-Donostia, Spain

San Sebastián-Donostia, Spain

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I stayed at Atotxa Rooms, close to the bus station where they offered discount parking. It was just off the historic Puente de Maria Kristina for easy access to Old Town. I stayed 3 nights here because of the long drive from Andorra and arrived around dinner time. They had a shared refrigerator and coffee/tea station outside the rooms that I appreciated. Recommendations Old Town Plaza de la Constitution Iglesia de San Vicente Cathedral Buen Pastor de San Sebastián Basilica…

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Andorra

Andorra

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I stayed at the Hotel de l’isard. It was a really nice room, very comfortable, and it had a refrigerator! I had my cold morning Pepsi. It was a convenient location in Andorra la Vella. I started with a visit to the tourist center for a map. The very helpful person also told me about the Rec de Sola trail; I wouldn’t have heard of this without her. I spent about 3 hours doing this hike the next morning. There…

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Zaragoza, Spain

Zaragoza, Spain

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After leaving my car in underground parking by the cathedral, I dropped off my backpack at Hotel Sauce in Old Town. There is an attached cafe/coffee shop that has good breakfast and delicious bakery items. I started my sightseeing with the Puente de Piedra and Los Leones.  I walked across the bridge for great views of Old Town on the opposite side. You can get excellent photos of the Basilica of Our Lady and the Cathedral of Salvador. I went…

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Avila, Spain

Avila, Spain

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I stayed in the lovely Hotel Palacio de Valderrábanos Ávila, a gorgeous 14th c palace. This was inside the city walls so I parked outside at their recommended lot. The hotel is on the Plaza de Catedral. I started my city visit with the magnificent 12th c gothic Cathedral. It included an audio guide. At the end of the tour they had VR headsets in 4 languages showing Avila, the cathedral, and the city walls when the cathedral was first…

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Salamanca, Spain

Salamanca, Spain

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I only spent one night in Salamanca. I stayed at the Ibis Salamanca. It was better than the Ibis in Brussels, you could actually move around the room and bath without turning sideways. They had a good breakfast buffet, also. I arrived mid-morning and headed right out to explore old town after getting a good map from the concierge. I started in Plaza Mayor. A big beautiful busy place, there are many restaurants, pastry shops, stores. I picked up a few…

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Caceres, Spain

Caceres, Spain

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I’ve been wanted to see the Basque region of Spain plus make a visit to Andorra. So I pulled out my maps and my 1000 Places to See Before You Die book and read up on other sites in Spain. I was going to visit Caceres, Salamanca, Avila, Zaragoza, then Andorra. Back into Spain I was going to see San Sebastian-Donostia, Bilbao, and Leon before stopping at Braga, Portugal on my way back to Lagos. It was a lot of…

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Brussels

Brussels

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Taking the train from Ghent, I went right to my hotel, the IBIS Brussels City Center, to store my backpack. It was a convenient location but the rooms were very tiny and the bathroom worse. I definitely do not recommend; I think most of the IBIS hotels have very small rooms. Recommendations My first morning in town I found the Banksy Museum and spent about 90 minutes here enjoying his art before picking up lunch and going to my afternoon…

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Ghent

Ghent

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I had a morning walking tour, History and Legends of Ghent, scheduled my first day in Ghent so took an early train from Bruges then went directly to Cours Saint George to drop off my backpack. The reception didn’t look great but the room was fine. Very large and comfortable. Our tour guide was informative and friendly. We started at St. Michael’s Bridge and walked along the Leie canal and the Korenlei neighborhood. We heard about the old tax house,…

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Bruges and Flanders Field

Bruges and Flanders Field

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I had a direct flight from Lagos to Brussels then took the train from the airport to Bruges the first night. I recommend the SNCB app for purchasing tickets; it was very easy. I wasn’t quite sure for the first train about buying online since I thought tickets were for a specific time. I wasn’t sure how long it would take from my gate to the train station so bought this first ticket using the machines, once I arrived at…

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Operation Overlord: The D-Day Beaches and the Battle of Normandy

Operation Overlord: The D-Day Beaches and the Battle of Normandy

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I went to New Orleans a few years ago specifically to visit the National WWII Museum and I planned my trip to Normandy to visit the D-Day beaches. I could have wandered on my own but wanted a guide, both for more information and to visit additional WWII sites beyond the beaches. I found this site for a private tour: D-Day Tours of Normandy. I booked the 3-day US based tour. I highly recommend this company; it’s run by Malcolm…

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