En Route to Somewhere Else

I have often used my trip to Paris as a frame for a trip to somewhere else. Mainly because I can't imagine going to Europe without going to Paris. I have done the Paris-London thing, Paris-Perigord, Paris-Kiev, Paris-Eindhoven, Paris-Amsterdam and Paris-Venice.
I loved Lviv but wasn't too keen on Kiev. Kiev was cheaper than Paris but had nothing I wanted to buy and far too many Russians for my comfort. I was happy to get to Paris and not just for the plumbing.
 Paris and London compliment each other nicely; although each are equally outrageously expensive, people in London are definitely friendlier than their Parisian counterparts. There's something about being called "Love" that's a soothing antidote for Parisian pushiness.
Doing Venice on the same trip with Paris is asking for sensory overload. And if you think the German and American tourists are obnoxious in Paris, wait til you hit Venice, where the streets are only a fraction as wide. You're in a squeeze almost everywhere you go, almost any time of year. Venetians themselves are very friendly, if you can actually find any.
And I've been meaning to go back.
But there's something about Amsterdam that's a balm to the French experience (and no, it's not the coffee houses, though it could be). I go to Amsterdam so my wallet and I can recuperate from Paris.

It's nice to have someone waiting!