4 countries, 5 cities.
We went to Amsterdam for 2 nights and then we took Thalys to Antwerp where we based there for 2 nights and a day trip to Brugge. Then, we took Thalys again to Paris for 2 nights and then we flew to Palma de Mallorca for 3 nights and back to Paris for another 2 nights and then head home.
Overall, our 12 days 11 nights holiday in Europe was great however...
We didn't have a good start on our vacation to Europe and neither we have a good ending. All thanks to KLM and Air France. What a horrible experience. On the day we were supposed to depart Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam, they announced that the flight had to be delayed for 25 hours due to technical problem. It was 11pm. We were told to collect our luggage and call customer service to rebook our flights but their customer service was unreachable. It was way passed midnight by the time we got our luggage and we were tired and cranky. They offered accommodation for passengers who needed one. We decided to take a cab home. What pissed me off is that we weren't informed that they rebooked us on Qatar Airways which will be departing at 10AM. I only found out at 9AM when I logged in to KLM website to check on my flight status. We couldn't make it for this flight and why no one called us to inform? I got panicked and was wondering if I miss this one, which flight are we on then? So, we went all the way to KLM Office at KLIA airport to clarify. We were told that we will still be able to board this delayed flight. Gosh, the hassle and the anxiety seriously ruined our holiday mood.
We were supposed to fly home from Paris with Air France. Unfortunately, there was a strike and we were only notified that our flight was cancelled on our last night in Paris. We made lots of phone call again trying to get the unreachable KLM customer service. We called Air France in the US instead and got help. All flights were full and we only got the next available flight (MAS Airline) which will depart a day later. So, we had to find accommodation for the next night because we couldn't extend one more night at the current hotel we were staying (because it was fully booked). The stranded feeling wasn't good at all. We almost didn't get a seat on MAS Airline when we checked in. We were told it was overbooked but they still have seats. We just didn't get to sit next to each other.
We submitted our request for compensation on KLM website but no word from them so far. It's been 2 weeks now. KLM sucks.
I will try to blog my itinerary in detail for each city but if you're really interested and couldn't wait, please drop me an email.
In summary:
Amsterdam - I love the Countryside Bike Tour. Cheese and coffee is really good. I mean the real coffee. Not Amsterdam's "Coffee". Lol.
Antwerp - The old town is pretty and the mussels are delicious! Not forgetting all the Belgium beers as well. It's the same price as Coke. Lol!
Brugge - Michael and Anne drove 5 hours from Germany to join us in Brugge. I love the medieval city and cobblestoned streets. Oooh, not forgeting Belgium chocolates and Flemish Beef Stew. Sooooo yummy!
Paris - Celebrated Ryan's birthday on Bateaux Mouches cruise dinner along Seine river. Very romantic. I also love the Best of Paris Bike Tour from Blue Bike Tour.
Mallorca - Seafood overload on this island. We had seafood every single day here. Love the ride on the old wooden train to Soller and then we visited a pretty village called Fornalutx. We also rented a vespa for a day which was fun too.
