I give you the story once again in english…those of you who have some difficulties to read swedish fluently…

Sitting at my seat in bus… We have just left Paris after lots of experiences and impressions. History has really been told us, both present and  bygone times. The bus journey gives time for contemplation and repetition for some of Europe’s geography. Our tour guide is a young man born in France. His presentation of that part of Western Europe we traveled through is amazing. He plays music that fits into what we have visited or been told for the moment.  Music from our young days, contemporary rock and classical 18th-century music have been mixed, depending on what we have been showed or viewed just before. An old expression: if you have made a trip, you have something to tell, and l will say: these who makes a trip with a good and enthusiastic tour guide has much more to tell.
I have decided to try to reproduce my experiences day by day. A good memory training. A good way to document on my own. And maybe someone wants to read what we’ve experienced.
Already, on the day I slid into the couch of my husband to present him the advertisement from the travel agency, I was a little nervous about how do we manage France? The spouse read and said, if we leave for that trip, I wish (he demanded) we already decide today for all the events that the tour operator offers in connection with the trip.
Wise of experience, we know we wasted a lot of time off our travels when we searched for sights, possible itineraries, etc. With the tours and events that the tour guide takes us around, save both time and money for us.
You must ignore the feeling that you are as a bunch of sheep without any own initiative. Although there is no barking dog to nibble our heels, you still feel how to unknowingly crowd with the others in the flock as you reach unknown land, it gives a strange sense of security.
Saturday’s journey through Germany and Europe’s rivers, a rehearsal of the school’s geography shared by today’s political situation. Funny, so much easier it is to remember these centuries-old towns if you get some fresh gossip to hang it up on. As we pass Hamburg, we are told that the world’s most powerful woman is currently born in this city. One hour later, we are told that this woman has just announced to the world, she will not be available for the next election period. Our journey really mix into world politics. Overnight stay in southern Germany, Ratingen. Strange that you are tired. Sitting on the butt for a whole day, although you feel as a soft bed and horizontal mode tempt. Our age sets the limits.
The following day we continue westward and arrive the Netherlands or Holland as I prefer to call it. Do not really know why they have two different names at that country, and when it’s right to use which one. But now I have traveled through the famous Maastricht area. The national anthem was played and the trip through that country became short, very short. Sorry, Dutch, we can travel your country in tulip blooming times instead …. Further to Belgium.
I sat on the bus and tried to explain to my fellow passengers, it was a long time since I saw a picture of that symbol that’s usually shown when talking about Brussels.
– The one you know is like a mekano-build of pipes and balls. A kind of cube that balances on one of the cube’s corners.
I fought with my arms and tried to describe the image I had in my head, but they wondered if I described the dying emergency landing swan ….. In the past, it was always shown on TV, that symbol … not the swan … if there were news from the European Parliament or other from Belgium. But nowadaysI think they only show the glass buildings we associate with  EU . A new loud music in the bus and Teddy, our guide is playing Belgian national anthem. Thus a new limit has been passed. We are in Belgium! This Sunday, it is not allowed to drive heavier trucks in the countries we drove in, so the traffic intensity is less gigantic. And you’ll see more from the bus window. Not just advertising from the various transport companies, as you otherwise see when you travel along the highways. The letters you see on the sides of the trucks.
Suddenly I see it, hear the guide talk about the iron atom !!! Have I never known that it’s an  atom of iron, the Atomium. A building made of aluminum made to the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958. Think! I remember that exhibition. 165 billion exaggerations of an iron atom, symbolizing the technological progress of the past and a reminder of the area in which it is located. It was built for the exhibition in 1958, intended to be dismantled afterwards. However, it just became as the symbol that was built for another world exhibition, unable to let them disappear. Instead, accident projects were transformed into major concerns for the those cities. But now at last it was a specific item, yes, that symbol, he meant! Noone in bus had any name on it, I think.  Our bus driver took us on a ”near-atomium experience”. Turned around the Atomium, like a magical dance, as if it were lucky to have not only seen it but also turned a lap around it. Further towards the city, the old center.
A short stroll into the oldest parts of Brussels and the obligatory ’Große Markt’ which all cities have one. But the big square in Brussels was really worth seeing. The buildings were magnificent around the square and we got the story of the square’s existence for centuries. In one of the alleys out of the square we stroke the arm on a statue, wishing to get good weather during our trip. Everybody had too so according to our guide, otherwise we should get unfortunate. And of course, we didn’t dare to refrain from this.
We walked into the alley past shop window after shop window with laces from Bryssel . Also lots of beautiful tapestry fabrics with famous motifs from great masters, van Gogh, Monet, Manet and all these famous artists I recognize but can’t their name. Will learn in the next life, do not get everything in this …. suddenly we reached a small crowd in a street corner …. what had happened? An accident? But we didn’t notice any traffic jam … no they stood and watched a little boy on a pedestal …. who stood and peed. A little needing boychild … Manneken pis. Many variants on the story of how it came to figure. You can google about it and believe in what you want. But the boy has many years on his shoulder for sure.
When we were to taste typical Belgian food at the lunch restaurant, we had moules frites, carbonade and ”Ballekes” (cannon-balls) la liégeoise. Really exotic. Moules frites are mussels with french fries. The mussels were served in a small bowl, in their shell. So pick it out from the shells and eat. With the fries, it was good. The carbonade tasted a bit like kalops …(a swedish dish) so probably that restaurant had a swedish cook. Ballekes was meatballs! Model a bit bigger … the sauce dropped down on my jumper just as it usually does in Sweden … so it was not as exotic as we first thought. However, …… we climbed the bus satisfied and full stomachs, going to Paris ……
At the border we heard another national anthem, this time with a happy guide who had the tricolor around his shoulders and a loud song ….. La Marseillaise. There was no doubt he was and is French, our guide.
The second symbol I spoke about, which was also meant for a short time, was built in our ”target city” Paris by Gustave Eiffel, for the 1899 World Expo in Paris. Would also ”just” excist during the expo …. yes, not more than twenty years, we saw when we’re approaching the city. It’s so special characteristic tower. I know,  once in my youth I had the desire to step up and watch the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. But would never dare to do it today. My phobias of heights and speeds have become more distinctive. So I do not climb higher than one foot has land connection. But we got to see that tower from all directions. This building is said to have been a major topic when it was built and completed. People did not like this tower which didn’t seem to have any function to fill. They said it was a shame. Today, I think nobody has any aversion to it.
We were installed (?) in a charming hotel on Montmartre and a small city tour of the bus before the twilight, dusk … dinner at a restaurant near the hotel.
Monday, another sightseeing with all those buildings you just have to see and maybe some of us also want to visit. But even by bus with our eminent driver, Jonas, made the trip valuable. Paris is crowded with cars, motorcycles, EU mopeds and lots of cyclists and people on kickboards. Our bus driver steered around and between all this traffic so I’m still amazed he didn’t rub the bus’ lacquering.
The kickboards were electric, most rented. Funny, you saw people of all ages on these ”vehicles”. The kickboards became left on a pavement anywhere. We saw cars, vans drove around and picked them where they had been left. Probably they were visible via any GPS system. Out of the car, a man popped out and put a reader to the guide rod with the little box mounted. Then he took kickboards and put it into his car. Probably you could ”hire” such a thing via the mobilephone and pay it that way too. We were impressed. But not advanced enough to use those vehicle …. yet.
The evening was devoted to a boat trip on Seine. The buildings that lined the river we began to recognize. The Louvre is mastodontic. I’m a bad art connoisseur, and the interest to enter this museum is equal to zero. When our guide told me how many pieces of art there were gathered in this house, I definitely didn’t find it as something tempting to visit. He told us, if you stayed 30 seconds in front of each painting and / or statue it would take four and a half months to look at everyone. Our time in Paris was not enough!
But I liked the Eiffel Tower in the dark. For five minutes every hour after the dusk it’s sparkling from thousands of lights,  making the whole tower glitter. Fancy. Felt almost like they were flirting with us tourists, it was probably meant so.. Dinner at a restaurant les Noce de Jeannette, French cuisine is good food. I felt like we ate and drank very good and all the time …

Tuesday, Notre Dame. We went into the city to visit the church. This cathedral as it required eight generations to build. On the small island located in the middle of Seine in the heart of Paris, Ile de la Cité. Early mornings are not my cup of tea, but on such a trip you can’t risk any chances. Having such a guide as we’ve had shouldn’t be missed! So when we arrived to Notre Dame, my medications began to make themselves known. I have to get a toilet !! We had seen some strange little houses here and there on the sidewalks with the text toilet. My first thought was …. pissoar … but the necessity knows no law. I went away to take a look at the buttons next to something similar to a door. Vacant it showed, and a little green lamp shone on the button. I pressed the button and …. Sesame open you !! A door slipped aside and I stepped in. Press a new button with a symbol >l<.  What a tecnical genious, that girl!! In foreign countries! A lavatory, really good condition. I undressed my jacket and while l relieved my body, a woman was talking loudly in any speaker …. ???? But what did she say? I didn’t care,  I had eased the pressure,l had done what a woman had to do….
But OMG what she was chatting …. did I make any mistake? Was the French people disappointed with me? I didn’t care at all, done is done. And that was a relief. Ready? There was nothing to flush  the toilet with. Was it possibly a magic formula to be wised? No, l didn’t find any piece of information how to do. I decided to try the button with the symbol <l>  again, and I got the doors to work. Stepped out on the sidewalk, strolled back to my travel company who stood in queue to get into the big cathedral in front of us. Our guide asked me if I found a toilet, and he looked impressed when I was telling my adventure. I said I never found the flush button, but that wasn’t my problem. It became the next visitor’s headache. The following day I had to visit these small establishments that were not a pissoar, but for both men and women. And then I got the explanation that they flush automatically when leaving the place. Good for the prospective paristurist to know, I think.
After visiting Notre Dame the walk continued into the Latin Quarter, but by now I was pleased with all walking. We decided to visit any restaurant for a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Arrived into a restaurant, we sat with a menu in our hands, I saw at the table next to us, a couple who ate onion soup. Wow …we changed our minds. The spouse hates onion soup, so he got Måsakäringar instead. Måsakäringar are snails, escargot. What a fiest! I got my soupe aux oignons. There we sat and had quickly changed our coffee for a lunch instead.
Should we have a cup anyway?
But hi you there?? …. a cup of coffee? After the meal?? But – creme brülé then? Well… no java but creme brulée with crispy surface ….

Wednesday was a challenge for my feet. Versaille is not a small cabin. This castle and these gardens. Our guide let us free for four hours before he invited picnic in Versaille’s garden. Then my soles felt as they were pounding. But what a splendor, the rooms and garden in this castle. Will be experienced. Can not be described.

The French are a proud people. With all these revolutions and  dethonement… kings emperors presidents …. in the palace rooms you were able to follow times like moving. Paintings along the walls described the story. Oh oh oh….
Afternoon, some hours in the hotel room. Sometimes you have to rest both your feet and your head. Evening dinner at the height of Sacré-Cœur, finished our days in Paris.
The journey home passed Reims, a city in Champagne. A visit to a champagne manufacturer who told us what procedures a wine is going to undergo to be a sparkling wine. Explains why there are so heavy bottles when buying these varieties. We tasted samples of different varieties, mums. A small souvenir in the luggage from that company.  And we do like some nice drinking.
We ate lunch in Luxembourg, not every day we’re visiting Luxembourg. It is one of these small countries we have around Europe. A country that does not differ from France if you look for city plans and building styles. We heard their national hymn, and a small description of the small country’s economic conditions. I think my knowledge of the world economy is far too weak to understand what was meant, but it seemed as if you are wealthy it is a smart thing to move to Luxembourg. But we aren’t … so it we stay in our country.. …
The last night in a hotel in southern Germany was in a magnificent hotel. A more spacious room with a balcony. But not at all like the charming little narrow hotel in Paris. But you’ll just sleep ….how can you  get so tired of sitting down all day, but even my own bed was nice when we got home.
Home sweethome ….. they say  …