From London to Lisbon! Join us for a 3-week road trip packed with family fun in Greenwich, Belgian beer quirks, the moving history of Vimy Ridge, spontaneous stops in France (hello, raclette!), and the beautiful castles of Sintra. See our full, flexible itinerary!
The plane ride from sun-drenched Puerto Vallarta to London, England, was anything but direct. We had a brief stop in Mexico City—certainly not a regular route—but the big, comfortable plane with Aeromexico was a nice way to cross the pond. We had to quickly swap shorts and flip-flops for pants and shoes mid-flight to prepare for the much cooler European autumn. What an incredible stroke of luck: Nicola even scored an emergency exit row all to herself until a friendly Argentinian student joined her, making the long journey much better.
A Warm Welcome and London Quirks
Our European base for the first nine days was in Greenwich, England, staying with my wife Nicola’s sister, Jenny, and her husband, Garry. It was the perfect, cozy welcome back to the UK. While we enjoyed seeing the usual suspects—Tower Bridge, a sunlit stroll along the Thames with Big Ben looming—it’s the little things that stick with you. Nicola loved seeing the traditional milk deliveries right to the door! We found time for a fantastic Sunday roast at a pub up the street; I went off-piste and got the pork belly, which definitely required a separate Yorkshire pudding purchase!
Our cultural highlight was a spur-of-the-moment overnight trip to Liverpool. There was oddly no classical ballet on in London, but Jenny found one in Liverpool, so off we went! We loved the city, especially diving deep into the Beatles' history. The train ride up was lovely, but we found the greatest surprise in a public washroom: a poster of Penny Lane! The whole trip was blessed with amazing weather—Nicola kept telling everyone she’d brought the sunshine with her from Mexico!
Nicola, on the other hand, was most fascinated by the British Museum. As we’ve travelled the world, it seems every tour guide tells us something from their country is housed there, particularly in Egypt. I’ll just say this: they certainly have a lot of other people's stuff!
Bruges: Beer Pipelines and Shrek Inspiration
On October 30, 2024, it was time to move on, but we weren't alone! Nicola, on her small-town kick, picked the stunning medieval city of Bruges, Belgium. Jenny and Garry joined us, turning the start of our continental journey into a mini-family holiday! We took the Eurostar and settled into a traditional, charming Airbnb that came complete with very narrow, questionably-to-code stairs.
Bruges was magical. We fell into a happy rhythm of delicious Belgian cheese, baguettes, and ham every morning. The beer culture was a highlight, from the Jupiter glass favourite to the Garre bar. We even learned about the incredible crowdfunding project for the city’s underground beer pipeline, built because trucks couldn’t navigate the canals—genius! The city's history was full of quirks, too. A walking tour pointed out the carvings that inspired the creators of Shrek and Fiona, high up on a building in the main square. Of course, the trip wasn’t complete without proper Belgian waffles drizzled in dark chocolate and a plate of frites.
Solemn Stops: Canadian History in France and Belgium
On November 2, 2024, we took the train to Lille, France. We rented a slightly dodgy, old personal car through Turo (the door handle fell off, and the owner just shrugged!) to make a crucial day trip back into Belgium to see the Canadian war history sites. It was a sobering, necessary visit. Seeing Essex Farm, where John McCrae worked, and the vast number of unknown soldiers’ graves really put a visual to the immense, tragic loss of life.
We saved Vimy Ridge for a more focused visit on our way south. This time, we picked up our regular, door-handle-intact rental car from Europcar. The Vimy Memorial site, run by Veterans Affairs Canada, was incredibly powerful. The misty weather that day really set a sombre mood as we walked up to the memorial. We learned a startling story about an unexploded bomb found in a tree’s roots—it really highlights how the scars of war remain.
The Great French Road Trip to Perpignan
Our week-long road trip began in Vimy. We generally steered clear of Paris and headed south. Nicola brilliantly used the Airbnb map to find spontaneous stops. The town of Sens, France, caught her eye, and it was a delightful find, complete with an apartment overlooking the river. We discovered that the cathedral there was the model for Notre Dame in Paris. We had a hilarious interaction at a butcher shop where the owner, whose only English was “I love you,” offered up some delicious sausage. I, naturally, replied in French, “I love you, too,” and we all had a good laugh.
Moving on, we booked a place in Mont-Dore, a beautiful but quiet ski resort town between seasons. Our apartment was in a massive, renovated mansion that felt a bit like something out of The Shining—especially with the hallway lights on timers! After some lovely hiking, we made sure to get supplies for a mandatory raclette experience after finding the machine at our Airbnb. It was tasty, but we had a good laugh over needing a special machine just for melted cheese.
The last long driving day took us toward the southern coast. We made a detour to the famous Carcassonne—a truly fabulous castle that inspired the board game, though it’s certainly very touristy now. We made it to the coast near Perpignan and found a delightful beachside Airbnb. We had planned to fly to Barcelona from there, but flooding and cancelled flights meant we changed plans on the fly. The good thing about not booking is not cancelling! The next best option was Marseille, so we booked bus tickets instead.
Armistice Day in Marseille and Magic in Sintra
The bus ride took us to Marseille, our unexpected but delightful final stop in France. We stayed in the oldest area of the city, Le Panier, in an apartment with original floors and exposed beams—a true piece of history. We attended the Armistice Day ceremony on November 11th, noting that the French use the cornflower, not the poppy, as their symbol. We loved the city’s cultural mix and even stumbled across the famous, slow-but-clean public toilets, where you have to wait 38 seconds for the automatic wash cycle between each user.
On November 14, 2024, we flew from Marseille to Lisbon. Since we had visited the capital before, we chose to stay outside the city in the magical, forested town of Sintra, getting there easily with a cheap Uber from the airport. We were excited to be "half packers," having traded our massive bags for 40-litre packs and a rolling carry-on, using a duffel bag to combine them into one checked item—always thinking of the budget! Though the cobblestones were murder on the suitcase wheels, we made it!
We stayed right in the centre, and our time was short but sweet. Sintra is full of castles and mansions, which we enjoyed exploring. While the interior of Pena Palace was a bit of a zoo, the gardens were incredibly peaceful, and we found an unexpected view of the whole town while eating sandwiches behind an opening in a rock. We also visited the Moorish castle ruins with amazing views and, of course, hunted down the famous Portuguese custard tarts. They are very good, and the pastry is sooooooo flakey! After two nights, we took the train back to Lisbon, ready to embark on our cruise to West Africa on November 16, 2024. More on that adventure next time!
