So, FH and I are going for 10 days to London and Paris, leaving next monday. I've been keeping an eye on the news and the riots in and around Paris are concerning me. I'm wondering if it might be wise to change that part of our Honeymoon, but not sure what kind of penalites we would be have to pay because it's only a week away.
IrishBride-05
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Re: Honeymoon Concerns
I think I would consider it. They had a curfew there last night in one suburb, but I'm not sure if it affected the city center. I do think you will pass through the neighborhoods on the way to/from the airport. Call your TA and check on the consequences of changing. I could recommend some alternatives if you like. Good luck
FallBride05
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Thanks - I did speak with my travel agent and she was advising me to make other plans in lieu of Paris Why does this have to happen 5 days before my wedding?
I called the airline and they told me that as of right now they don't have any policy in place to waive the $100 per person penalty fee for changing the flights. I knew things were going along too smoothly...
IrishBride-05
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I think it's wise. They are advising our associates not to travel there.
alex110879
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Why dont you go and spend sometime in other parts of england.... Bath is gorgeous.... I have been to several different countries in europe and, well, paris is the only one i didnt feel comfortable in, so add in the riots and I would say it is DEFINITELY worth the 200.00... Consider this, better to have had this happen now 5 days before then when you are there
FallBride05
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FH doesn't want to hastily make a change to our plans and we've agreed to wait at least until this Friday and keep monitoring the situation. He's willing to take the loss on the Eurostar tickets as after today they are non-refundable. His position is that we aren't leaving for Paris until the 20th and we can even monitor the situation while in London and decide while we're there as well.
takeoutcook
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Re: Honeymoon Concerns
First of all - I'm so sorry this is happening. I love Paris, but honestly, I think I would change my plans as well. If you stay in England you could hop up to Scotland, which is really fantastic - see the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh or see the countryside. Wales is also lovely and just a train ride away.
I lived in Ireland for a bit so I'll always recommend Ireland - and ryanair has incredibly inexpensive flights to Ireland from England - like $20!!!!!!!
If you want to go to Continental Europe, then I'd HIGHLY recommend one of my favorite places - BELGIUM. Brussels is a tiny city that is teeming with culture. . . wander the winding streets of the city, take photos in the Grand Place - which has been called one of the most beautiful public squares in Europe, speak french (or flemish) while you feast on mussels, or waffles, or fries - or beer - the belgians invented all of them. I personally prefer Belgium to France - I found it incredibly romantic. It has tons of museums (the Van Gogh museum is a standout), gorgeous cathedrals, and the food is similar to the french style of cooking. I think I gained 10 pounds in my week there.
Bruge (approximately a 40 minute train ride from Belgium) is called the Venice of the North - a gorgeous medieval city that is filled with canals.
IrishBride-05
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Re: Honeymoon Concerns
Posted by takeoutcook
First of all - I'm so sorry this is happening. I love Paris, but honestly, I think I would change my plans as well. If you stay in England you could hop up to Scotland, which is really fantastic - see the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh or see the countryside. Wales is also lovely and just a train ride away.
I lived in Ireland for a bit so I'll always recommend Ireland - and ryanair has incredibly inexpensive flights to Ireland from England - like $20!!!!!!!
If you want to go to Continental Europe, then I'd HIGHLY recommend one of my favorite places - BELGIUM. Brussels is a tiny city that is teeming with culture. . . wander the winding streets of the city, take photos in the Grand Place - which has been called one of the most beautiful public squares in Europe, speak french (or flemish) while you feast on mussels, or waffles, or fries - or beer - the belgians invented all of them. I personally prefer Belgium to France - I found it incredibly romantic. It has tons of museums (the Van Gogh museum is a standout), gorgeous cathedrals, and the food is similar to the french style of cooking. I think I gained 10 pounds in my week there.
Bruge (approximately a 40 minute train ride from Belgium) is called the Venice of the North - a gorgeous medieval city that is filled with canals.
I completely agree. I would seriously consider changing your plans. I was just speaking with my father and the reports in Europe are pretty bad. I always read the news on here...
I also second Belgium and Brussels in particular. I travelled there a lot for work before I moved here and the food is incredible! Along with Bruge, you can travel south to the mountains, the Dordogne region, which has beautiful scenery and castles. I would also recommend Amsterdam which is a short flight from London or Copenhagen in Denmark.
FallBride05
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Re: Honeymoon Concerns
To change our flights home, the airfare is ridiculous even though they are waiving the $100 change fee for us. So, FH had a good idea which we are checking with our Travel agent.
The plan is to take the train from London to Brussels the day we were originally going to go to Paris. Stay in Brussels until the day before we are due to come home, then take the train to Paris and stay at a hotel near the airport for our morning flight home.
FallBride05
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Re: Honeymoon Concerns - Update at bottom
So, we made the change... we're going to Brussels for 3 days instead of Paris. The more I look at websites and read about Brussels, the more excited I am.
takeoutcook
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I love Brussels - It's so gorgeous. The Grand Place is so unbelievably pretty you'll take about 20 pictures of it. . . and you have to get a photo by the Mannequin Pis - a statue of a little boy who is peeing. . . they dress him up in little costumes throughout the year.
You can also go to the cartoon museum - TinTin is a famous belgian cartoon. . . one of my favorites as a kid.
I may be a bit fond of hyperbole, but I really dont think I'm exaggerating when I say that Bruge is one of the most romantic cities in Europe. you MUST go there for the day - 40 minutes or so from Brussels. . . actually, just about everything in Belgium seems to be 40-60 minutes from Brussels. Ghent, Antwerpt - it's a really fantastic country - I'd go back every year if I could.
FallBride05
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Thank you!! I feel so much better about changing our plans at the last minute like this. We're actually staying at a hotel next to the Grand Place. I'm looking forward to going to some of the of the chocolate museums.
BHW
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IMO, the chocolate in Belgium is sooo much better than Swiss chocolate. It's worth a trip just to have their chocolate.
Definitely check out Bruge if you can. It's a beautiful city. It's also very well known for its handmade lace. Have a great time.
IrishBride-05
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Re: Honeymoon Concerns - Update at bottom
Posted by FallBride05
Thank you!! I feel so much better about changing our plans at the last minute like this. We're actually staying at a hotel next to the Grand Place. I'm looking forward to going to some of the of the chocolate museums.
I'm glad it all worked out. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful HM
