Belgium

  Our "home base" was in Brussels, Belgium.  Neither of us had been to Belgium before, let alone Brussels.  Staying with a friend and having someone who knows their way around and speaks the language was a huge help.  We spent a number of the days in the two weeks in Brussels, ranging out to the other places.  While in Belgium we spent around 4 days in Brussels, one day in Antwerp and one day in Bruges.

  While neither of us speak French or Flemish, we had a reasonably easy time getting around.  In Brussels and Bruges many (most) people spoke English too, and in Antwerp we only went to the Zoo so there wasn't much need to speak to anyone.  The public transportation was another factor in making it easy for us.  Obviously the train system in Europe is excellent, and the subway in Brussels was also very user friendly.

  One of the most important topics of any vacation is food.  We had a couple of decent meals in Belgium - although frankly, the best meals we had were in Kathy's apartment!  Overall, the meals we had in Amsterdam and Paris were better (although even Paris was hit or miss).