Dear Readers,

For generations, writers and artists have toured the continent on a Grand Tour, a city to city tour of Europe's highlights. We decided it was our turn.

Although we've visited many of Europe's cities on single trips, this time we decided to create our own Grand Tour, linking together city and alpine getaways in a two-week itinerary, all joined together by Europe's top-notch train network. The romance of the rails--combined with the continent's most romantic destinations--spelled a perfect getaway for two dedicated lovetrippers.

As you read in our last blog, we set out an itinerary which included Amsterdam, Munich, St. Moritz, Venice, and, then turning west on an overnight train, the City of Lights.

Here's a look at our itinerary:

• Arrival: Paris
• High Speed Thalys train from Paris to Amsterdam
• Two nights in Amsterdam
• Train to Munich with a stop in Cologne
• Overnight in Munich with a nightlife city tour and a morning visit to Nymphenburg Palace
• Train to St. Moritz with four nights in St. Moritz (we were attending the annual conference of the Society of American Travel Writers in the resort city)
• Bernina Express train to Torino, connecting on to Milan then to Venice
• Two nights in Venice
• Overnight train to Paris
• Three nights in Paris
• Departure from Paris

Our first real stop was Amsterdam, a longtime favorite with lovers (and the site of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's famous bed-in, held at the Amsterdam Hilton.) But, even after an overnight flight from the States to Paris, followed by a four-hour high-speed Thalys train (left) from Paris to Amsterdam, it was no bed-in for us but a quick start to our sightseeing.

Before our departure, we had made reservations for the Amstel Botel, a unique floating hotel. Located within walking distance of Amsterdam's Centraal Station, the Botel has simple accommodations--shipboard rooms with few amenities. But the Botel's biggest draw is its location: within walking distance of many of Amsterdam's top attractions. As soon as we dropped off our suitcases, we headed for the heart of downtown: Damrak. This wide boulevard is a mass of transportation options: trams, cars, and hundreds and hundreds of bicycles.

Damrak was a sea of people thanks to excellent weather, perfect for an afternoon of sightseeing. We started off on foot along this boulevard where canal cruises depart on one side and sidewalk cafes and shops line the other side.

Damrak leads to Dam Square, that day filled with locals and travelers as well as mimes and pigeons. We sat here, photographing the scene and planning our next day's itinerary--before Paris' digital camera suddenly developed a major shutter malfunction--one that had cost us many of the photos shot earlier in the day. As fate would have it, we found ourselves around the corner from a full-service camera store, one we soon found was filled with knowledgeable, helpful employees who helped us selected a new camera and set it up within minutes.

After an early dinner at the floating Sea Palace, moored next to the Botel, it was an early night and time to reset our internal body clocks.

Touring the City

The next day was our tour time. Since this was our first time in Amsterdam, we opted for several tours booked through our affiliate booking partner, Viator. We started the day with a 2-1/2 hour city tour, meeting the bus on Damrak.

The Dutch fluency with languages was apparent on our tour--one conducted in English, German, Dutch, and Spanish. We thought that mean a recorded tour with a dial to select your language channel but found out we were wrong--a live, multilingual guide conducted the excellent tour.

We wound our way through the city as our guide pointed out facts about the city (like the fact that the word "Amsterdam" comes from the dam on the Amstel River) and sights , ones that ranged from the palace to the city's many museums. We made two stops on the tour: a scenic windmill that was once an inspiration for Rembrandt and a diamond factory, to learn more about the city's diamond industry. The tour was, of course, followed by a showroom visit. Unlike a brewery or winery tour, though, there were no free samples at the end of this tour!

Amsterdam's Red Light District

Our city tour also included a cruise on Amsterdam's famous canals. Later that afternoon, we took a relaxing tour of the canals, winding along the waterways for an hour.

Later, we spend the afternoon strolling the downtown area and many of the city's museums, including the city's most unique museums: the Erotic Museum and the Sex Museum. Both were almost training for our next guided tour: the Red Light District.

We'd signed up for this Viator offering before leaving home, a little unsure of what to expect. In our next blog, we'll tell you more about this one of a kind tour to Amsterdam's most unusual neighborhood.

In the meantime, happy travels!

Paris and John

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