The past two weeks have been busy as crap for me. Our bosses from France are in town, and you know what that means. Still, when we go out at night after work, we try to ban shop talk (it doesn’t always work) and get around to something more fun. One of the topics was visiting Europe. Of course, the Grand European tour is something that almost everyone dreams about. It helps in planning if you know people in that part of the world. Now I am not saying that I will be hopping on the next plane to Amsterdam (though I wouldn’t mind), but I will definitely go to these places if things work out the way I plan…

Paris
Cliché, but still a must visit. The Eiffel Tower, the River Seine, Le Louvre, Versailles, the Arc de Triomphe, cafes – need I say more? Oh, and I absolutely have to go to the Ice Kube bar. It’s not a new concept, but it would be cool (no pun intended) to go there.

London
Easily accessible from France via the train that goes through the Channel Tunnel, London is definitely a must see. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and fish and chips! Maybe a visit to the West End as well.

Istanbul
Let’s deviate from the usual stops and take a look at the outer edges of Europe. We always hear talk about “East meeting West,” and there is no better place to discover that than in Istanbul. The culture is certainly unique and exhilarating.

Budapest
Another stop where the old world meets the new. Budapest is known for its night life AND thermal baths. Where else can you find such a combination?

Going to Europe? Make sure you stop by in each of these cities for at least a couple of days.