Karen2

JohnA, I should have thanked you in person but had forgotten that you were the one with the great suggestions.

My husband liked Liege. Has anyone been? A new friend from the Netherlands says Liege is a dump and we should go to Maastricht (sp??). I like the idea of the Conrad - I can get $133 as a weekend special. Two weeks adv and non-refundable...Does that seem special enough? That was the best I could do even with Mileage Plus certs.

bernie

Liege (Luettich) really is a dump. Industrial kind of town b u t there is a flea market on sundays which is worth any visit. Not just like other flea markets are with all that second hand clothes - very high leveled on antiques and old furnitures (they ship all over the world). Once you are there it is a full day trip, because you'll need your time making your choices.

Another way to spend time will be going to Cologne (Germany), which is a very vibrant city with history dating back to the romans - not to mention the cathedral

Think over driving it can be quite an experience in overcrowded Europe - hop on the very effcient trains. There are almost hourly departures from Brussels in virtually any direction you choose

Have fun

Karen2

Thanks, Bernie. You would know being over there. Your incredible command of English makes me wonder if you are really a native speaker or just a genius linguist??

My biggest worry is parking which is why I do not even want a car in Brussels. I remember a few years ago trying to park in Bruges. My dad, being 83, wants to take bus tours out of Brussels and not use a car at all. But we are trying to do Dunkirk, Strasbourg, etc which may not be on tours from the hotel.

stimpy

I just drove from Brussels to Herentals to Antwerpen city center today. I did drive around a bit in Antwerpen looking for the Hilton, but it wasn't too bad and now I know the city well.

The motorways are well marked with easy to read signs.

nathan detroit

If you are determined to use the train, you will find a copy of tghe Thomas Cook European Train Timetable listing all the trains, locals and express, invaluable. It can be purchased from Forsyth Travel in Kansas City (Net search will find them). For example, Brussels to Dunkirk: Dep Bru Zuid 0745, ar



Lille 0839, dep Lille 0848, ar Hasbrouck 0914 dep Hasbrouck 0922, ar Dunkirk 0952. All your trips can be pre-planned this way.

Happy travel - and cheers



Strasbourg is 5 hours by EC; train leaves Bru Zuid 0715 ar Strasbourg 1215; afternoon train leaves 1215 arrives 1708.

[This message has been edited by nathan detroit (edited 09-08-1999).]

bernie

Thank you karen2 for the compliments. Well - when you say so - I'm just a genius

Regarding travel by train. There is a web page of "Deutsche Bahn" (www.bahn.de) which has a very easy to use "timetable". I'm sure, there is a way to use it in English, too.Try

Karen2

Stimpy, Is the Antwerp Hilton good? I could use some more stays. Rates? Convenient for walking the town? Dgolds is thinking of meeting me there if our schedules match! Extension of the SF Rudi get together! Thanks! And I am not determined to take the train - on the contrary, I would prefer the car if I can be assured that parking will not be a nightmare. I would, of course, like to stay in hotels which give points, not nec possible in the smaller cities in Belgium. Suggestions are welcome.

stimpy

The Antwerpen Hilton is the best hotel in town with one of the best locations of any hotel in Europe. It's right on the large Groenplatz square next to an enormous Cathedral. The whole neighborhood is alive with literally hundreds of shops, cafe's and restaurants. They have an underground parking garage.

I think rack rates are around 9000 BEF, but if you can get a corporate rate it's about 5000 francs. It's well worth the extra money since most of the other hotels in the area aren't very good. Plus, Hilton has Double Dip points right now.

If you are driving from Brussels, head for Antwerpen Centrum and follow the Ring to the right. You'll get to the water which you follow till you see the bridge and then turn left down the tiny stone streets til you see the Hilton or the Cathedral.

johna

My understanding is that parking is a nightmare. For the major cities (Bruges, Antwerp, Brussels, & Ghent) take the train instead. Actually, we just plopped ourselves in Brussels for the entire time, and did the others as day trips. Easier traveling without luggage (and no checking in & out of hotels), and felt we could easily cover the highlights and more in each city. It made for a terrific (and easy) week.

Karen2

I really want to thank all of you for your valuable advice. However, a couple of days ago my dad (also my traveling companion) was diagnosed with a severe case of shingles, threatening his eye. He is unable to travel and Lufthansa has graciously agreed to refund the non-refundable tickets. Needless to say, I am quite disappointed as I thought we would have a fabulous time together and, of course, I am worried about him. However, yet again in my life, procrastination pays off. I had several opportunities to purchase either non-refundable hotel nights or tours and I put it off. So at least we had only one company to contact. The rest of my reservations were just that. You all have been wonderful. Lufthansa tells me it might do another auction in November.

Rudi

I have, from tcs (Touring Club of Switzerland, similar to AAA in the US) a 12 month policy with worldwide coverage that covers annulation costs (if due to health problems of any family member on or not on the trip) of trips outside Switzerland and costs, as a tcs member, SFr 150/year ($ 100). Includes not only annulation costs, but also assistance for first help, emergency/assistance flights abroad/home, legal assistance, etc., etc.

There must be something similar everywhere.

doc

Sorry to hear of the problem and glad to hear of LH's kind response. All the best health and otherwise. Sounds like a rescheduling is going to be in the works soon.