London was amazing and a complete culture change from the controlled chaos of India. We had an amazing time visiting Margaret and Eric and seeing their life in London and went to this delicious Lebanese restaurant in their neighborhood. The museums were all very interesting and the best part-- Free!
Amsterdam was a beautiful city, even in winter, though it got dark at 4 pm! We still got out and enjoyed the city. Mark was surprised, considering legalized drug use and prostitution, how clean and charming the city is.
We rented an apartment in Paris through
http://www.frenchyrentals.com (highly recommended!). We stayed in the Montmartre area, and really loved our neighborhood. Despite not knowing much French, we managed on the kindness of many Parisians (or the cursing and eyerolls after we left). We saw the major sights, but also some local restaurant recommendations. My favorite was Le Gourmet, amazing 3 course dinners with a daily menu change and a lovely waiter.
We left for Florence on a night train out of Paris, not the most restful night, but we made it!
