Auto Rental- I leased a car for 28 days with Europe by Car. It cost $950, including pickup right at Amsterdam airport, very easy. It included unlimited mileage, and included collision damage waiver.

Insurance- Leasing is great as it includes it, but you need a minimum stay of 17 days to qualify. Also need about a month notice although they can do it sooner. Card deposit but remaining needs to be a check. Gas is expensive in Europe except for Germany. About $4.50/gallon, half that in Germany. Tolls are expensive in France and Italy, but the roads are great. Cars are small, so the Pegueot 306 4-door that we drove was too big. Too big to park many times. Nice care though and also, brand new with 10 miles on it, CD player too. They sell the cars after to the French who like cars that Americans have owned previously. This is the story I heard anyway.

Renting- Weekly about $120-$250/week. But insurance is $12-25/day, or $85-175/week. Some Gold and Platinum Credit cards will get that waived, but check specifically with a customer service rep and get it in writing as it gets confusing. That is why I lease instead of rented. Everything was included in the lease(collision, theft, etc.)

Driving- In Holland, there are many other lanes than the ones for the autos. For instance, most cities and towns have a lane for buses and taxis, and a bike lane, marked off to the right of the auto lanes. Do not drive in these!! Also, a road might look like you should go staight and actually go off to the right, so be careful. Signs are marked pretty well.

Driving Times- From Amsterdam, to Utrecht, about 45-60 minutes depending on traffic and a straight shot. Get a decent map once there, no need to get them here. Travel light.

Utrecht to Lunetten, about 15-20 minutes this requires some reading of a good map. The train is easier. Ask for the Train to Houten, and get off in Lunetten and it is a 20 minute walk along a nice path to Boerderij Mereveld, an old Carriage House converted into a Meeting area. It looks like a big farmhouse. Very nice inside.

Utrecht to Houten- travelling by bus is easy, car easy too. By train, get off in Houten, and then a bus to Schalkwijk. This will be posted later as the directions are not too simple to describe. There is in the old section of Houten an awesome bakery. One of the best!! Also, Godiva and Neuhaus chocolate are around, Neuhaus is better, and also the chocolate is $20/pound, not $40 like here in the States.

From Houten to Zeist- I don't know right now

From Houten to Schalkwijk- this is where Vera lives and is where the Wedding service is at. Schalkwijk(the Sch is like the English "k"), is a very small town, and with many farms, pastures and cows. The air is clean as it is in most of Holland and Europe, except for maybe the really big cities like Milan and Paris, but not like LA or Denver, more like New York or Boston.

Cobble stone streets abound and it is normal to see buildings from the 1400's and 1500's.

Belgium- Brussels is a $50 roundtrip train ride about 2 hours as is another city in Begium, Antwerp. Antwerp has a diamond and jewelry district which is one of the best in the world. Gold at spot price plus a small fee. Expect to pay about 1/4 of what you'd pay in the states. You can get a receipt and a special one to present at the Amsterdam airport to get your taxes back which is hefty, about 12%. Pay by credit card and you will not get charged the fee if you send them the form back. Come here for more information and links or call me for assistance.

Paris- can be driven and if the leased car is opted for then you can pick up here and save $90. Hostels abound as some nice hotels. 2 or 3 stars are fine, and they can be expensive. I have one that was pretty good, and about $70/nite , right near the Eiffel Tower. Croissants are amazing and inexpensive, about $.50/each. Driving to Paris was nice. Great roads but the tolls are significant and add up fast. I heard that you can drive on the smaller roads and bypass the toll roads, but remember France is pretty large compared to the rest of the countries.

Driving- again, it is great and can allow much opportunity for exploring. No need for Signal Triangle for Italy. Also, can get a AAA International license easily about, $15. But I never had to use it, and I hear an American one is fine. I drove through Holland, France to Lyon, to Cannes, along the Mediterranean, through Monaco and into Italy , and almost 3/4 down through Italy, across to the Adriatic and up along the coast through San Marino, and then into Bolgona , bypassed Milan, and into Lake Como, through Suisse, the alps, 20 mile tunnels, and into Germany, and then Belgium and up into Holland again. As easy to drive if not easier. Even in Italy along mountains, not so bad at all, not as much as websites led me to believe. The only issue is get out of the way of fast approaching cars, they will be impatient. But no worries. Also, the mopeds are sometimes annoying at first as they drive with there own rules, but once you realize that , it is easy not to worry about that. The cars are mostly normal.

In France we parked on the street outside the hotel, look for little boxes on a post to pay with. And also for 3 days in an area on the street near a main area, where you can pay by credit card when you leave, about $12/day.

The underground is France is fine and in the Netherlands it is pretty amazing to see the punctuality and all.

Language, almost everyone is Holland speaks excellent English, as well as other languages. In France some speak English, and they are accomodating despite what you hear. Just try a little and they will help or just speak english straight off. In Italy if you go there, not too much English but the menus are easy as there are so many Italian dishes in America. The cities are fine. Don't expect too much in the small, out of the way towns though. But near tourist areas are fine.

Money, Europe is on the Euro. About even with the dollar. Dollars are excepted almost everyone. What is nice is that you don't have to change from one country to the next. Can exchange at airports. Also ATM's are best. And Credit Cards almost everywhere.

Vera-

Testimonies, books about Marriage and Dating, and Decisions, Counsel, Confirmations

Stories about Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Driving Lessons,

Pictures of Holland, Utrecht, Houten, Schalkwijk, Paris, Brussels, Antwerpen, Cannes, Monaco, San Remo, Montespertoli,Siena, Florence, Neuhaus, Rome, Campobasso, Termoli,Suisse,Germany,

Vera photo album