Europe

Belgian beer and I go way back. I decided to spend my 40th birthday doing some things I love. Thus the idea of biking around Belgium was born.

Two years ago, teachers and I bounced around northeastern Spain with twenty something teenagers. It was so much fun the first time, we decided to do it again with another group. The cold, wet, nippy weather followed us from Omaha to London, and then jumped on the plane to Barcelona.

A London stop was added to the itinerary which meant dividing one long haul flight into shorter, more manageable flights. Ultimately, it would result in less debilitating jet lag. Also, a full day in London meant a chance to see the British Royal Jewels, ride the Underground, the London Tower, and gain a CliffsNotes feel for the Old Smoke.

An Educator’s Perspective of Traveling Abroad with Teenagers to Italy Without a doubt, travel has changed in the last 15 years. For…

Another French lesson was at the movie theater. The phone rings in the first scene, and the actress slowly picks up the phone and responds, “Allô!” Damn!!! It’s dubbed in French. Fight or flight immediately sets in as I quickly asked myself “stay? go? stay? go?” Due to the fact that it was nice and cool and could zone out a little, I stayed.

The original road trip to Belgium and visit to The Abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren was cancelled due to the exorbiant price for train tickets, I chose the alternative, the clock and watch capital of Europe, Luxembourg.

Fortunately I didn’t seek out the Tour de France, it came to me in Besançon. For those of y’all who don’t follow athletes in lycra, this is the July event where 160 or so cyclists jump on a bicycle and race around France trying to finish in the shortest time possible so they can wear a yellow jersey.

When my flight from Ireland via Frankfurt arrived during the brisk Geneva evening at 7:30, I had already mentally prepared to stay the night in Switzerland and travel onto France the next day. Yet, the last train to Besançon left in an hour. Not an overabundance of time to execute an international arrival and subsequent train departure.