Have you Travelled on the New High Speed Eurostar Yet?

The Eurostar train from London St Pancras to Paris or Brussels now travels at an incredibly fast 186 mph, reaching Brussels in just 1h 51. The ride is comfortable in non-smoking carriages. For an extra treat, I always travel in Leisure Select which gives me a delicious three course meal at my seat with wine and coffee, a choice of newspapers and magazines plus a continental socket so I can plug in my laptop.


the longest champagne bar in Europe




The world famous Brussels' Atomium is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2008 with a string of events in the new Pavilion of Happiness. It was built for the 1958 World Exhibition and completely renovated in 2003.

Eurostar are offering some fantastic Easter breaks from just £73 per person including hotel. You can book hotels on the same site.

Easter egg hunts
If you're after some fantastic Easter egg hunts then the The Chateau Vaux Le Vicomte would make a great visit for the whole family. Just outside Paris, their Easter Egg Hunt is held on both Sunday April 8th and Monday April 9th. Not only do that have egg hunts starting every 40 minutes, there are also a number of free workshops and activities such as making chocolate, origami, face painting, and more. Another option close to Paris is the marvellous Disneyland Paris. Apart from all the fantastic rides, from 19th March - 8th April there will be Easter egg painting, Easter's Big Dipper, Easter egg hunts in Alice's curious labyrinth and special Easter shows.

If you're after some Easter egg hunts in Belgium, just outside of Brussels you can visit Les Pays des Castors which is an animal park dedicated to beavers. Remember to bring your boots if you want to hunt for eggs amongst the beavers! Another hunt will be taking place in Garcet park in Brussels.

Delicious chocolates
Don't forget, that in Belgium, it's sometimes said that the Bells of Rome bring the Easter Eggs. The story goes that the bells of every church leave for Rome on Saturday which is called "Stille Zaterdag" which means "Silent Saturday" in Dutch. Then they return on Sunday with eggs... chocolate eggs hopefully and what better place to find delicious chocolate eggs than Brussels, being home to so many chocolate shops you really won't believe it! One of the most famous of these shops is Neuhaus which has now been making the finest chocolate for 150 years, so look out for their shops with amazing window displays.

Looking for environmentally friendlier travel? A Eurostar journey to Paris or Brussels emits 10 times less carbon dioxide than flying.

Choose Your City or Resort Hotel on One Site

XcapeWithUs.com are hotel reservation specialists with over 20,000 properties to choose from. Their range extends from 1 key apartments to 5+ star hotels and resorts. They build relationships with hoteliers and suppliers so you will find it difficult to match theirr prices, especially in the main European Beach and City destinations.

Winter European Flights from Just £14.99

If you are thinking of booking flights for winter 2008/2009, you will want to visit TUI Fly. They are offering real bargain tickets to several beautiful destinations all over Europe from just £14.99 - an all inclusive price! Bargain flights from Manchester and Newcastle in the UK.

They are also offering flights from March 2008 onwards from just £22.



Visit EuroTravel the one-stop site for travel to and within Europe.

Photos from Hasselt, Limburg, Belgium

I took these photos walking around Hasselt, capital of Limburg province in Belgium.

a chocolate flower for Valentine's Day from Chocoladehuis Boon in Paardsdemerstraat 13


a piano shop doorway

These seesaws hang on the side of an optician to "catch your eye" (sorry for the pun); the close-up says "God Ziet U" (God sees you).

©Antonia Stuart-James 2008 from EuroTravel the one-stop site for travel to and within Europe.

Book a Balloon Flight for a Valentine Day's Gift

Few experiences are as serene and at the same time thrilling - the sensation of time suspended as the world glides gently by. Your fun begins with the inflation of the balloon. Then away you go where the wind dictates. Once landed and the balloon packed away, you will be taken back to the launch site. Includes a safety briefing and participation in setting up the balloon and one flight for one person of 30-60 minutes (depending on weather conditions) as member of a small group of 8-16 passengers. The experience lasts 3-4 hours.




Book a Balloon Flight with Virgin Experience Days

Price:
Balloon Flight Discovery (for one) £179
Balloon Flight Explorer (for two) £349

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Great Experience Gifts for Valentine's Day Presents

Want a great and unusual Valentine's Day Present?

Hit the high notes with this fantastic recording studio experience. Picture the scene…you’re standing in front of the microphone, headphones on and lyrics in hand. The music plays and the engineer cues you in…you start to sing and it sounds amazing! Madonna watch out…when this CD gets out, there could be a new Number 1 on Top of the Pops! You’ll even get a CD of your recording to take away with you at the end of the session. The packaged includes a choice of backing track from an extensive library, an engineer assisted recording studio and a digitally recorded and mixed CD to take away. The experience lasts approx 1.5 hours

Book a recording studio with Virgin Experience Days





Price: £99

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Bargain Flight Offers All Over Europe

TUI Fly have a great offer - tickets to several beautiful destinations from just £14.99 - their all inclusive price!

TUI Fly and sister airline HLX fly all over Europe with destinations in the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, the Canaries and Morocco.

You can book up to Wednesday, at 12 pm.

Every week on Tuesday is "happy hour" between 1800 and 2400 hours during which time a wide range of cheap flights will be first issued. Even outside of our happy hours there are always many good offers to be found under "Bargain Flights".

bargain flights from Manchester with TUI Fly

flights from Birmingham for one penny

Visit EuroTravel the one-stop site for travel to and within Europe.