Tales of 4 Cities - Brussels

The last leg. We basically just explored the places near our hotel. The best form of exploring is usually by foot so pictures would do?

What did I remember from this trip? We ate a lot of chocolates, visited Tintin (my childhood hero), witnessing the Brussels Marathon...




It was a lazy weekend for us.

Tales of 4 Cities - Amsterdam

Oh Amsterdam! A beautiful place and one which amazed me not just with her scenery but also the infamous red light district.

Marj who is a Dutch gave me some notes before we set off and well, we tried to achieve as much as possible!

A few things to remember:

- If you go out at night the trams stop running at about midnight. Most people cycle between places. I’d suggest renting bicycles.

- Shops close early (5-6pm) except on Thursday evening they stay open until 9pm. The shopping street is called Kalverstraat.

- A Coffee Shop sells weed, hash, hallucinogenic mushrooms, space cake, etc and sometimes also coffee.

- A Café sells coffee, cookies, cakes, etc.

- Almost everyone in Amsterdam speaks English

Things to do in Amsterdam:

- Anne Frank house

- The Wax Museum (in Dam Square)

- Have a picnic / walk around Vondel Park (although it might be cold in September)

- The NEMO. The architecture is quite cool and the view from the top is nice.

- There are seven or so Red Light districts (de Wallen (the walls) in Dutch). They’re very safe and an interesting place to walk through at night. The big annoyance is drunk tourists acting stupid – which can also be entertaining to watch. I would suggest visiting the main red light district near the Oude Kerk (the Old Church). There is also a Prostitution Information Center (PIC) set up by a former sex worker to inform the public about the facts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_Information_Center

- For more tips visit this site - http://www.iamsterdam.com/.

- There’s a big “I AMSTERDAM” statue in one of the parks that they set up. It’s a good place to take souvenir pictures.

- Van Gogh Museum

To eat:

- Pancakes! The places that sell them are called Pancake Houses. Holland uses a special kind of syrup on pancakes that I’m pretty sure you don’t find in other countries.

- Haaring (herring). It’s raw and usually you put onions on top. They sell this in little stands on the side of the street.

- Patat (French fries). You’ll have to ask people when you’re there, but there’s a Patat stand that has been around for a hundred years or so and you can get all different types of sauces to put on top

- Kebab – this is more of a food you eat after a long night out. Yum yum.

- Poffertjes (small poofy pancakes with butter and powdered sugar).

- Sit at a café and drink coffee with spekulaas (dutch ginger cookies). The Dutch are crazy about philosophizing and talking about politics over coffee.

That's all, folks!

Tales of 4 Cities - Paris

Paris. The second leg. We spent a relaxed week in the romantic city.

Getting around: Metro tickets can be bought in batches of 10.

Accommodation: We booked a room at Boissiere (53, rue Jean Jaurès, Levallois Perret) for a few days before walking a few metres down the road and checked into another hotel - My Hotel in France . It was a really good deal as breakfast was provided and each day, you are entitled to a brown bag of sandwich, bottled water and cut fruits. =) Oh yes, there's free wifi. =))

Some of the places that we visited:

1. Musee du Louvre (the very famous Mona Lisa painting is a draw! There are some eateries in the museum so no worries. You can take pictures of the paintings unless otherwise told. Closed on Tuesdays and public hols; free 1st Sun of the month. I find the audio guide helpful)

2. Eiffel Tower. We did not go all the way up but just lingered at the bottom. It's good enough. (Exit Champ-de-Mars)

3. Notre-Dame. Then go and search for Berthillon ice-cream located on the smaller island (Ile St-Louis) next to Notre-Dame. Recommended by a colleague and it's really yummy!

4. Sacre- Coeur. Nice and of course the cafes and sidewalk in Montmartre. Moulin Rouge is located there but nothing fantastic about the show. Email them to make reservation; pay on the spot.

5. Arc de Triomphe. Located at the top of the Champs-Elysees (where the shopping area is).

6. Pantheon. We didn't go in (not really worth it).

7. There is a group who organised FREE Paris walk for tourists. They meet at the fountain of the Metro exit, St-Michel. Good English speaking guides. We went with them to Versailles and they explained well the history too. Nice big gardens at Versailles and great history lessons!

8. La Vallee Village. Big brand names at discounted prices. Take RER A and exit at Val d'Europe.

9. Parks & Gardens: Have some sandwiches and a book and bum there. Jardin du Luxembourg & Jardin des Tuileries are beautiful, esp the former.

Things to do:
- Have at least one nice French meal.
- Be like the Parisians. Take your time to sip your expresso @ cafes/bars, watching people pass by you.
- Always start any conversation with Bonjour!
- Walk down La Seine with your loved one(s). It's really a romantic thing to do!

A tale of 4 cities (London)

Honeymoon. London --> Paris --> Amsterdam --> Brussels --> London

Sept - Oct 2009.

Before setting off for the trip, we had booked some of our accommodation via hostel.com or booking.com. Needless to say, accommodation in western Europe is expensive and basically the cost is the major consideration, followed by the location and whether the room had attached bathroom. A good proportion of our accommodation was in the range of 60 Euro for a twin ensuite per day. (London cost more!)



For travellers who do not really have the time to explore a place in great detail, I find these guidebooks friendly. They recommended the top 10 places and well, you won't get wrong. Of course, there are not as many recommendations as LonelyPlanet or Fodors.

So here goes, some of my own recommendations!








London

Accommodation is the main wallet-drainer. In Britain, you can pay a lot and still get a shoebox, so go as basic as possible. Also, aim for rates that include breakfast as that will save you a small sum.

Places where I have visited and enjoyed.

1. Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square

2. Buckingham Palace

3. National Gallery

4. Tate Modern

5. Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens (go for English tea at one of the cafes there).

6. Visit Harrods!

7. Soho and the West End - Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly circus, Leicester Square (could buy cut-price theatre tickets), Chinatown...

7. Shopping area - Oxford Street, Porttobello Road, Harrods (do dress well if you intend to go in!)

The city of London is easily explorable on foot. You see more things too! Of course, when you arrive at Heathrow Airport, get a top-up card called Oyster Card (aka our Ezlink card) to travel on the tube. We put in 25 pounds. It should be sufficient but we also walked A LOT!

Check this out! http://www.londontown.com/London_for_Backpackers.pdf

Eating in London can be expensive, so grab a sandwich for a leisurely picnic at several parks in the heart of the city such as Hyde Park, Green Park and Regent's Park. I like those at Pret A Manger (wide range and healthy!) and EAT. If cost is still the issue, you will always have the supermarket! Camden market has cheap food there, though a bit far from the city centre. Must eat - duck @ Four Seasons at Bayswater!