European Lightning Tour Travelogue Part I
Have just returned from a 10 day trip to Europe and a 4 ish day trip to Boston. Here's my travelogue for the trips, broken up into several entries.
Europe Bus tour loop: Germany -> The Netherlands -> Belgium -> France -> Luxembourg -> Germany (and home)
Day 1: Flight to Frankfurt on Singapore Airlines
-We take an evening flight to Frankfurt, Germany on Singapore Airlines, which is a great airline and one I'd highly recommend to anyone. The service is great, the food is excellent by airfood standards (we got both dinner and breakfast and drinks in between), and even the seats are relatively comfortable for
economy class seats. They even gave us hot towels at the beginning and end of the flight.
-We arrived on time and were shuttled to the hotel, which was a Sheraton 15 minutes away from the airport. It's a nice hotel, though on the edge of the city and not too close to anything. There is a light rail light located right outside the hotel, however, so we take that into the downtown area of the city to the Christmas Market in Romberg that the hotel clerk recommends.
-The Christmas Market is very cute and in the 'old' part of the city. Frankfurt was completely destroyed in WWII, so it's a mix of ultra-modern buildings as well as new buildings fashioned in the style of old ones. It's an interesting bit of fake 'old' newness.
-There was hot wine available in mugs to drink as well as various fried foods. I bought gingerbread cookies (love German gingerbread) as well as these fried potato discs that tasted very much like latkes, and even came with applesauce. I also tried a very large hotdog in a rather small bun. The bread was decent and so was the hot dog, but the mustard was excellent.
Day 2: Bonn & Cologne (Germany)
-We get the excellent continental breakfast at the Sheraton which featured sliced deli meat & cheeses (as per most European hotels) as well as wheels of various cheese (soft, goat, milk, even blue cheese), an assortment of breads, and hot foods including excellent sausage and mustard.
-We join the tour group and drive in a bus to Bonn, Germany, the old capital of Germany before East & West Germany reunited. The drive through the countryside reminds me of New Zealand with rolling green hills (surprising at this chilly time of year). It is more densely populated, however, as there were villages nestled in the valleys of many of the hills.
-BONN: There's a large university there and the town as a whole is rather pretty, but the real claim to fame is that Bonn is Beethoven's hometown. We took a tour in the house he was born in and great up in, which was surprisingly intimate. Then I bought 2 kilos of oranges to eat for the rest of the trip from the
fresh fruits market in a square for 1 euro.
-COLOGNE: It's a pretty city located on the Rhine River. One of the most spectacular examples of Gothic Architecture, the Cologne Cathedral, is located in the city and not destroyed because the Americans protected it during the war. And a good thing they did--it is a beautiful building, with airy turrets and pierced windows and lovely stained glass. Its foundations were also built on an ancient Roman wall ruin. In the courtyard of the Cathedral was another German Christmas market, so I tried some potato pasta with sauerkraut and creme fraiche.
-After Cologne, we headed to a Hampton by Hilton hotel near Schipol airport in the Netherlands (or Holland, as the Dutch call it) which had free internet that was deeply welcomed.
Day 3: Holland
-After a decent breakfast at the hotel (sliced deli meat and cheeses, cereal, coffee, baked beans, scrambled eggs & sausage) we're off to a windmill village in Holland. It's a cutesy tourist trap, with real windmills in the landscape and a smattering of stores all dedicated to selling Dutch kitsch: wooden shoes, tulip bulbs, blue painted china. We watch a wooden shoe making demo, which is pretty interesting, and then sample a bunch of cheeses in a cheese making shop (which are surprisingly good, including a pesto cheese I liked). I don't want to deal with the hassle of hauling cheese around Europe, so I pass on buying
anything, but there were some good ones.
-VOLENDAM: We head off to a fishing village tourist trap with a boardwalk and various shops where you can dress in 'traditional' Dutch garb and get your photo taken. We pass on that, and just enjoy the sun on the water. On the drive out, we pass lots of farmland filled with sheep, goats, geese--very pastoral. I must say that I find looking at sheep oddly pleasant and very peaceful.
AMSTERDAM: Amsterdam is about what I expect it to be, filled with lovely old buildings, wealthy college aged boys, and bikes. Endless bikes. We go to look at a diamond factory (where diamonds are polished for sale to consumers, which is apparently a major industry for Holland) and then I go to the Rijksmuseum. They have a fantastic collection of Dutch art: still lifes, portraits, all with incredible realism and attention to detail. I took a look at the Vermeers, Van Goghs, and the Rembrandts there. The Van Goghs were nice but minor, but the Rembrandts were more impressive than I expected. There's a quality of light that can only be appreciated in person, I think. The Vermeers were like bright little jewels of painting--very charming in person.
We took a boat tour of all the canals in Amsterdam, which was rather boring but still somewhat informational. Then we did a fast walk through of the Red Light District (of course), and returned to the hotel shortly after.
Day 4: Brussels & Paris
BRUSSELS - we leave early in the morning for Brussels, Belgium, which is quite small but nice. We stop for a photo op with the Atomium, which is actually nicer and cooler than expected (built for a World's Fair some years ago). Then we journey past the Business District of glass skyscrapers and pretty modern art to the old part of the city, taking a look at the lovely Gothic city government building and a building where Karl Marx wrote his manifesto.
We eat lunch at a pretty good place where I have some herve and parmesan croquettes (the cheese was like a river of hot lava on my tongue, but still good), buy some Belgian chocolate, and I have a warm Belgian waffle. Alas, then it's time to leave, but I rather like Brussels.
PARIS - the drive to Paris takes a hideously long time due to traffic, reminding me of precisely why I hate buses so much, and we end up in a rather unfortunate hotel in a suburb of Paris. There's not much to do and there's nowhere in walking distance, so we set up camp in the hotel room and prepare for tomorrow, which should be a busy day in the city.
Europe Bus tour loop: Germany -> The Netherlands -> Belgium -> France -> Luxembourg -> Germany (and home)
Day 1: Flight to Frankfurt on Singapore Airlines
-We take an evening flight to Frankfurt, Germany on Singapore Airlines, which is a great airline and one I'd highly recommend to anyone. The service is great, the food is excellent by airfood standards (we got both dinner and breakfast and drinks in between), and even the seats are relatively comfortable for
economy class seats. They even gave us hot towels at the beginning and end of the flight.
-We arrived on time and were shuttled to the hotel, which was a Sheraton 15 minutes away from the airport. It's a nice hotel, though on the edge of the city and not too close to anything. There is a light rail light located right outside the hotel, however, so we take that into the downtown area of the city to the Christmas Market in Romberg that the hotel clerk recommends.
-The Christmas Market is very cute and in the 'old' part of the city. Frankfurt was completely destroyed in WWII, so it's a mix of ultra-modern buildings as well as new buildings fashioned in the style of old ones. It's an interesting bit of fake 'old' newness.
-There was hot wine available in mugs to drink as well as various fried foods. I bought gingerbread cookies (love German gingerbread) as well as these fried potato discs that tasted very much like latkes, and even came with applesauce. I also tried a very large hotdog in a rather small bun. The bread was decent and so was the hot dog, but the mustard was excellent.
Day 2: Bonn & Cologne (Germany)
-We get the excellent continental breakfast at the Sheraton which featured sliced deli meat & cheeses (as per most European hotels) as well as wheels of various cheese (soft, goat, milk, even blue cheese), an assortment of breads, and hot foods including excellent sausage and mustard.
-We join the tour group and drive in a bus to Bonn, Germany, the old capital of Germany before East & West Germany reunited. The drive through the countryside reminds me of New Zealand with rolling green hills (surprising at this chilly time of year). It is more densely populated, however, as there were villages nestled in the valleys of many of the hills.
-BONN: There's a large university there and the town as a whole is rather pretty, but the real claim to fame is that Bonn is Beethoven's hometown. We took a tour in the house he was born in and great up in, which was surprisingly intimate. Then I bought 2 kilos of oranges to eat for the rest of the trip from the
fresh fruits market in a square for 1 euro.
-COLOGNE: It's a pretty city located on the Rhine River. One of the most spectacular examples of Gothic Architecture, the Cologne Cathedral, is located in the city and not destroyed because the Americans protected it during the war. And a good thing they did--it is a beautiful building, with airy turrets and pierced windows and lovely stained glass. Its foundations were also built on an ancient Roman wall ruin. In the courtyard of the Cathedral was another German Christmas market, so I tried some potato pasta with sauerkraut and creme fraiche.
-After Cologne, we headed to a Hampton by Hilton hotel near Schipol airport in the Netherlands (or Holland, as the Dutch call it) which had free internet that was deeply welcomed.
Day 3: Holland
-After a decent breakfast at the hotel (sliced deli meat and cheeses, cereal, coffee, baked beans, scrambled eggs & sausage) we're off to a windmill village in Holland. It's a cutesy tourist trap, with real windmills in the landscape and a smattering of stores all dedicated to selling Dutch kitsch: wooden shoes, tulip bulbs, blue painted china. We watch a wooden shoe making demo, which is pretty interesting, and then sample a bunch of cheeses in a cheese making shop (which are surprisingly good, including a pesto cheese I liked). I don't want to deal with the hassle of hauling cheese around Europe, so I pass on buying
anything, but there were some good ones.
-VOLENDAM: We head off to a fishing village tourist trap with a boardwalk and various shops where you can dress in 'traditional' Dutch garb and get your photo taken. We pass on that, and just enjoy the sun on the water. On the drive out, we pass lots of farmland filled with sheep, goats, geese--very pastoral. I must say that I find looking at sheep oddly pleasant and very peaceful.
AMSTERDAM: Amsterdam is about what I expect it to be, filled with lovely old buildings, wealthy college aged boys, and bikes. Endless bikes. We go to look at a diamond factory (where diamonds are polished for sale to consumers, which is apparently a major industry for Holland) and then I go to the Rijksmuseum. They have a fantastic collection of Dutch art: still lifes, portraits, all with incredible realism and attention to detail. I took a look at the Vermeers, Van Goghs, and the Rembrandts there. The Van Goghs were nice but minor, but the Rembrandts were more impressive than I expected. There's a quality of light that can only be appreciated in person, I think. The Vermeers were like bright little jewels of painting--very charming in person.
We took a boat tour of all the canals in Amsterdam, which was rather boring but still somewhat informational. Then we did a fast walk through of the Red Light District (of course), and returned to the hotel shortly after.
Day 4: Brussels & Paris
BRUSSELS - we leave early in the morning for Brussels, Belgium, which is quite small but nice. We stop for a photo op with the Atomium, which is actually nicer and cooler than expected (built for a World's Fair some years ago). Then we journey past the Business District of glass skyscrapers and pretty modern art to the old part of the city, taking a look at the lovely Gothic city government building and a building where Karl Marx wrote his manifesto.
We eat lunch at a pretty good place where I have some herve and parmesan croquettes (the cheese was like a river of hot lava on my tongue, but still good), buy some Belgian chocolate, and I have a warm Belgian waffle. Alas, then it's time to leave, but I rather like Brussels.
PARIS - the drive to Paris takes a hideously long time due to traffic, reminding me of precisely why I hate buses so much, and we end up in a rather unfortunate hotel in a suburb of Paris. There's not much to do and there's nowhere in walking distance, so we set up camp in the hotel room and prepare for tomorrow, which should be a busy day in the city.