Because the closest I come to camping involves a hair dryer and lobster bisque...

Decisions have been made, people! And by decisions, I mean reservations! Caring for the crazy Americans this June will be the Hotel des Grandes Hommes and the Hotel Estherea.

The Hotel des Grands Hommes is located in the Saint-Germain-de-Pres area of Paris, hands-down my favorite neighborhood in the city. The hotel is directly across from the Pantheon, which, while slightly morbid, does offer some truly spectacular room views (that's the actual view from one of the rooms!). It's also right around the corner from the Luxembourg Gardens and the Sorbonne. That's right, even in a foreign country, I love me a college town! I tried to avoid staying too terribly close to the Eiffel Tower. I know that all of Paris in June is chock full of tourists, but I really want to check out the sights, then return to someplace as far from the other Americans as possible. I'll let you know how we fare.

By contrast, the Hotel Estherea is right in the city center of Amsterdam. But G stayed here the last time he was there and he loved it. He said it had a really great old-European feel to it. The photos of the place really look amazing and I can't wait to see it in person!