Our bus from Paris to Amsterdam ended up not coming and Brittany and I ended up having to switch buses 2 1/2 hours later, blahh but that was OK. The only thing is there were quite a few stops and we were never sure if we were supposed to get off haha, well good thing we got off at the right stop, otherwise I guess we would've had a lot more to figure out. We found out where the cafe was we had to meet Anniek (the girl Cheryl from my lab told me about who worked there at UM for a semester). We had just missed each other and we couldn't figure out how to call her number on Brittany's calling card so after an hour I ended up going into the bar and asked and the bartender was incredibly nice and helpful. He lent me his phone to call her and we ended up meeting with her and walking to her place. That's incredible to me as well that this girl only indirectly knew us and was so willing to let us stay with her and show us around :). But man, her stairs. She lives on the 4th floor and the stairs were EXTREMELY EXTREMELY steep. It was a huge workout getting our two big suitcases up those stairs, and scary! But we managed without dying or falling or tripping, success! We went out to dinner with Anniek at this really cool place on the top floor of this building where sometimes they have live music. The decorations of the place was really artsy and there was also a terrace with a great view. A great welcome into Amsterdam, we both got this delicious beet ravioli yum! Later that night we went to a plaza with bars and walked around before heading to Paradiso, a club Anniek told us about and the best night to be there is Wednesday night which is when we went. It used to be a church so already it was awesome when we got inside and they played great music. We were both exhausted but this music deserved to be danced to, and so we danced! They played a huge variety of music too, but it was really fun.
The next day we went for a canal ride where we saw the city and learned about all the different architectures and histories of the buildings. I didn't realize what a beautiful city Amsterdam was, because let's be honest, it's reputation is legalization of marijuana and prostitution. But actually besides being quite a liberal place, which was definitely a culture shock, it's just simply a gorgeous city! It was also in ways more similar to the U.S. compared to the other places we had been to because for example, there's a huge variety of foods. Although the only area that it's not so liberal is racially, so in all the countries I had been in so far (Spain, France, now Holland) someone on the street as I was passing yelled or said "Ni-hao" to me, which is quite perplexing because clearly that's all they knew so even if I knew Mandarin they wouldn't be able to carry a conversation...so it was basically to point out that I was Asian. It's interesting how uniform each European country can be. Anyways, after the canal ride we rented bikes. EVERYONE rides a bike in Amsterdam and there are actually twice as many bikes as people. It was fun though and I really enjoyed seeing the city this way even though we definitely had to get used to it. Brittany hadn't ridden a bike in a while so it was uneasy at first and I was definitely not used to riding a bike through that many crowds of people and cars, eep! We ended up getting the hang of it though and basically biked around Amsterdam getting lost the whole day before just heading back home. A lot of the locals are extremely friendly though and we would just be standing there and they would come up seeing that we were lost and offer their help. Yay!
Anniek had told us that that Saturday there was a Gay Pride Canal Parade in Amsterdam and that it would be a shame if we missed it. So after thinking it over, we decided to change our bus ticket to later on Saturday rather than the morning so we could see it. So Thursday we biked our way to the station to change our ticket and then made our way to the Anne Frank house where she was in hiding while writing her diary. I forgot that she was in Amsterdam and didn't realize the house was there until looking it up. It was quite surreal, that her along with other Jews in hiding walked those same steps and lived in that house. The stories of that house were relived and it just reminds you of a different time, although some of these same things still exist in our world, just not as blatant as a World War II.
We ended up having enough time to also make it to the Rijksmuseum which houses the famous Rembrandt painting. It was a pretty small art museum which after visiting the Louvre, which is so overwhelming although amazing, was kind of nice. You can navigate the whole thing easily and in a reasonably short period of time.
Then we biked through Vondelpark and got ice cream sitting by a fountain/lake before heading back to Anniek's to have dinner and go out with her friends to this new bar by a canal and had a sandy area. It was a really lay-back place so it was nice after a long day.
The next day was the Gay Canal Parade. Talk about extravagance! It was really great though because as one of Anniek's friends was talking to us later he was just saying how it was about how it didn't matter who you were or where you are and that everyone was just here together celebrating. The canal boats/floats also had some messages such as tolerance, fighting AIDS and cancer, proud service members of the navy, etc., and the right to education. It's incredible that these kinds of rights are only now surfacing in our world or even still not legal. We also went on Anniek's friends' boat for a little bit on the canal to see the end of it and it was quite rocky when people were getting on and off. At one point this man was holding on to one of her friends who was sitting on the edge of the boat so that he could get on to get to his boat. One foot was on the platform while the other was on our boat and the gap was just getting further and further until he started falling in and pulled in Anniek's friend with him! He was completely drenched! Anniek was saying how it was too bad that he had to be the one who got pulled in because he's the good guy of the group.
So that was Amsterdam! We went back to Anniek's for one last dinner before very very carefully bringing our suticases down those scary stairs and heading to the bus station. The bus to the station was PACKED so there was no way we could get ourselves and our suitcases to go so we waved our arms for a good 5 minutes to get a taxi and thank god one came and got us to the station on time! But it was confusing which bus was ours and if it was there or not until the bus driver came in and herded us onto the bus, he was not pleased. I'm just going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he had a bad day. We ended up having to switch to a ferry before getting to London. And so London, next post!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Bonjour Paris!
After packing our final things and dragging our suitcases up a hill and onto the metro and a surprisingly not so bad 12 hour bus ride, Brittany and I arrived in Paris! So many people have been so great to us on this entire trip we've had so far. Someone helped us find a taxi and get to our hostel and our hostel is amazing, very clean and the reception is excellent. We got there early because check in wasn't until 2 PM so we went on this free 3 and 1/2 hour walking tour of the city. Ahh! Our guide was INCREDIBLE and we got to see a lot of the city and received a lot of tips on navigating the city and making the best use of our time. Our guide is originally from Los Angeles but he married a Parisian woman, has a 3 year old son and has been living in Paris for over 2 years now.
Afterward he took those who wanted (us definitely included) to a place to get typical french food. We both had duck and it was delicious! We also met two people from Ottawa, Canada who had been traveling for a while and we walked back with them to the metro/hostel. Then we planned what we would do for these few days and got dinner before going to Montmartre for a pub crawl (which is organized by the same company who conducted the free walking tour). It was a great night, we met a girl who is doing a teaching assistantship in France but is originally from California. We also met three Argentinians who apparently were also at the Concurso de Paella festival in Bilbao the past Sunday when we were there! Crazy. I talked to them in Spanish and it was so fun! Haha talking in Spanish in France. We also met some Aussies and they were fun as well. Elaine (the girl from California) was trying to imitate an Australian accent but said she didn't know how and one of them (Josh) just said "It's like an English accent, but less posh". One of the pubs was also decorated to be Australian and Elaine pointed out how there was a kangaroo on the bathroom door. Josh responded how that was true, that there are kangaroos everywhere but that other depictions aren't: "Like those pictures of guys sitting on rocks, why would anyone sit on a rock?" Also, his friend's name is Angus and we were commenting on how when we hear Angus we think Angus steak. Josh and Angus went on for about 15 minutes asking us about Angus steak and what it was and why we name our cows Angus and what about the cows named John, etc. Only to find out they were just pretending the whole time. Brittany programmed Angus' name into her phone as First Name: Angus, Last Name: Beef. So whenever Josh had to get Angus
he would say, "I have to go get Angus Beef!" The pub crawl ended at a bar/club but Brittany, Elaine and I left around 1:30 AM to try to catch the metro and we had transfers so Brittany and I made it to our first metro train but the transfer train never came so we had to walk back to our hostel from there. It ended up being really close though so yay!
We ended up getting up surprisingly early and had quite the productive day. We went to the Louvre and entered through the Lion's Gate entrance which apparently no one knows about because we were the only two there and got in right away. Also, we got free tickets because we had European student IDs (whoo studying in Spain!). It was also the entrance closest to the Mona Lisa, which everyone had warned me was quite small so I wasn't too surprised by that. It wasn't a life changing experience but a good one nevertheless because we actually were able to get pretty close to the painting and get some pretty nice pictures of it. Interestingly because the Louvre lets you take pictures of it now I guess? (Unlike Nick who had his camera confiscated for his contraband picture of the Mona Lisa a few years back). Our guide was basically like yeah the guards have been wearied down and they have glass over it so take pictures with or without flash, just do it! But you were allowed to take pictures in the Louvre which I thought was interesting because it's basically the best art museum in the world, but the other art museums we visited did not allow cameras...I guess to keep the appeal of actually going there?
We stayed in the Louvre for about 4 hours and only got to see basically the surface, but that is one big art museum, but gorgeous.
Afterwards we went for a stroll and got some crepes and sat by the fountain in the garden area by the Ferris wheel. Then we walked down the Champs-Élysées towards the Arc de Triomphe and saw that and the eternal flame. Apparently, the "eternal" flame has been put out twice, but they don't publicize that haha. According to our guide, the first time it happened was after France won the world cup in their own country. A Mexican man later that night in his anger decided to pee on the eternal flame and put it out. The Parisian authorities decided his punishment would be to be sent home to his country and never be allowed back to France. The second time, an Australian was cooking sausages over it and one fell in and put it out. At this point the Parisian police already had a protocol and sent him back as well. Our guide was saying if we lost our passports and wanted a free trip home, that was one way, but to first see everything we every want to see in France. Then we headed back to our hostel to have dinner before going to the Montmarte tour, which is such a cute section of Paris, or different at least. On one hand you have the Moulin Rouge and the red light district, and then up the hill you have the Sacre Coeur cathedral and where all the artists are, which is such a great scene. That night we went up the giant skyscraper in the city to see a view of Paris and it was so absolutely gorgeous, but then we went up one more level and realized there was a terrace. Wow! We just lied down on the blacktop under the Paris stars. What a day.
Our final day in Paris we visited the impressionist museum and the Palace of Versailles before grabbing some baguettes and other french pastries and wine to sit in front of the Eiffel Tower and wait for it to get dark and watch the light show. It was the perfect way to end our trip in Paris. Another group of people ended up sitting by us and talking to us, which ended up being surprisingly nice! Next stop/post: Amsterdam
Afterward he took those who wanted (us definitely included) to a place to get typical french food. We both had duck and it was delicious! We also met two people from Ottawa, Canada who had been traveling for a while and we walked back with them to the metro/hostel. Then we planned what we would do for these few days and got dinner before going to Montmartre for a pub crawl (which is organized by the same company who conducted the free walking tour). It was a great night, we met a girl who is doing a teaching assistantship in France but is originally from California. We also met three Argentinians who apparently were also at the Concurso de Paella festival in Bilbao the past Sunday when we were there! Crazy. I talked to them in Spanish and it was so fun! Haha talking in Spanish in France. We also met some Aussies and they were fun as well. Elaine (the girl from California) was trying to imitate an Australian accent but said she didn't know how and one of them (Josh) just said "It's like an English accent, but less posh". One of the pubs was also decorated to be Australian and Elaine pointed out how there was a kangaroo on the bathroom door. Josh responded how that was true, that there are kangaroos everywhere but that other depictions aren't: "Like those pictures of guys sitting on rocks, why would anyone sit on a rock?" Also, his friend's name is Angus and we were commenting on how when we hear Angus we think Angus steak. Josh and Angus went on for about 15 minutes asking us about Angus steak and what it was and why we name our cows Angus and what about the cows named John, etc. Only to find out they were just pretending the whole time. Brittany programmed Angus' name into her phone as First Name: Angus, Last Name: Beef. So whenever Josh had to get Angus
he would say, "I have to go get Angus Beef!" The pub crawl ended at a bar/club but Brittany, Elaine and I left around 1:30 AM to try to catch the metro and we had transfers so Brittany and I made it to our first metro train but the transfer train never came so we had to walk back to our hostel from there. It ended up being really close though so yay!
We ended up getting up surprisingly early and had quite the productive day. We went to the Louvre and entered through the Lion's Gate entrance which apparently no one knows about because we were the only two there and got in right away. Also, we got free tickets because we had European student IDs (whoo studying in Spain!). It was also the entrance closest to the Mona Lisa, which everyone had warned me was quite small so I wasn't too surprised by that. It wasn't a life changing experience but a good one nevertheless because we actually were able to get pretty close to the painting and get some pretty nice pictures of it. Interestingly because the Louvre lets you take pictures of it now I guess? (Unlike Nick who had his camera confiscated for his contraband picture of the Mona Lisa a few years back). Our guide was basically like yeah the guards have been wearied down and they have glass over it so take pictures with or without flash, just do it! But you were allowed to take pictures in the Louvre which I thought was interesting because it's basically the best art museum in the world, but the other art museums we visited did not allow cameras...I guess to keep the appeal of actually going there?
We stayed in the Louvre for about 4 hours and only got to see basically the surface, but that is one big art museum, but gorgeous.
Afterwards we went for a stroll and got some crepes and sat by the fountain in the garden area by the Ferris wheel. Then we walked down the Champs-Élysées towards the Arc de Triomphe and saw that and the eternal flame. Apparently, the "eternal" flame has been put out twice, but they don't publicize that haha. According to our guide, the first time it happened was after France won the world cup in their own country. A Mexican man later that night in his anger decided to pee on the eternal flame and put it out. The Parisian authorities decided his punishment would be to be sent home to his country and never be allowed back to France. The second time, an Australian was cooking sausages over it and one fell in and put it out. At this point the Parisian police already had a protocol and sent him back as well. Our guide was saying if we lost our passports and wanted a free trip home, that was one way, but to first see everything we every want to see in France. Then we headed back to our hostel to have dinner before going to the Montmarte tour, which is such a cute section of Paris, or different at least. On one hand you have the Moulin Rouge and the red light district, and then up the hill you have the Sacre Coeur cathedral and where all the artists are, which is such a great scene. That night we went up the giant skyscraper in the city to see a view of Paris and it was so absolutely gorgeous, but then we went up one more level and realized there was a terrace. Wow! We just lied down on the blacktop under the Paris stars. What a day.
Our final day in Paris we visited the impressionist museum and the Palace of Versailles before grabbing some baguettes and other french pastries and wine to sit in front of the Eiffel Tower and wait for it to get dark and watch the light show. It was the perfect way to end our trip in Paris. Another group of people ended up sitting by us and talking to us, which ended up being surprisingly nice! Next stop/post: Amsterdam
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