We took a break from our Great Loop preparations to attend Kathleen’s biannual Evans family reunion. This time around it was in Paris, France, with a side trip to Bruges, Belgium on the front end. Bruges is a beautiful city with canals and medieval architecture that is well preserved and still in use. Once the financial capital of Europe, it is often described by visitors as “being in a fairy tale”. The 2008 movie, “In Bruges” highlights the scenery and history, although the plot—about hit men Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason, and their handler Ralph Fiennes—is dark and somewhat violent. We do recommend both the city and the movie.
We spent a week in Paris, and I am in complete agreement with those that claim that this is the most beautiful city in the world. Everywhere we turned, there were stunning cathedrals, monuments, museums and streetscapes that took our breath away. It was high season, so the crowds were large, and we added to them with about 35 participants at the family reunion. Kathleen’s oldest sister and one of her daughters live there with their families, and we’re already discussing when we might return. We took a group side trip to Versailles, where the palace and grounds wowed us with their beauty, opulence and magnitude. This was my first trip to France (Kathleen and Amy’s second), and I was so taken with the people and language as well as the sights. Not once did we encounter the stereotypical rude native who hates Americans. Quite the contrary—we made the effort to speak some French and learn local customs and were rewarded with delightful and memorable interactions with the locals.
