We spent the last part of our Eurotrip in Belgium, spending two nights in Brussels. Driving in, we stopped in Antwerp - an interesting town with a large industrial port area and a largely modern architectural feel. It's saving grace was its downtown core which seems to have been spared during 20th century wars - a beautiful central square and a stunning cathedral.
Brussels itself was a friendly place. It was easy to navigate and seemed full of people who were - well - friendly and happy to help travelers in need. This was highlighted by the owner/manager of the adorable little bed and breakfast we stayed in.
The city itself felt somewhat like a combination of all those we had visited before it. Its older architecture was reminiscent of Amsterdam's with tall, skinny buildings capped with elaborate gables. The main square was a stunning example of architectural uniformity and decoration.
To me, it also felt somewhat like Berlin. Parts of the city had been updated - the streets widened and the buildings modernized. You could walk into a certain section and be amidst buildings all built within the last thirty years - a marked change from the older, central square.
We enjoyed Brussels.
On our drive back to Paris, we took a slight detour to Ypres, the sight of much of the worst fighting of the First World War. It is located in Flanders - made famous by the tragic poem of John Macrae, "In Flanders Fields." There are WW1 cemeteries, a huge memorial arch as you enter the town centre (where I'm told they still play 'The Last Post' every day at sundown), and a fantastic WW1 museum. The museum (called the "In Flanders Fields Museum") takes you through the chronology of the war as well as the experiences of the soldiers fighting on each side. Alex and I were particularly entertained by one display that talked about how both the Canadian and the Australian soldiers were so passionate about fighting that they had to be cordoned off outside of town, having caused too much raucous with the locals.
After Ypres, we embarked on our final drive, back to Paris. Returning to Paris was somewhat like returning home. It had been my base for so much of my time in Europe and - unlike any of the other cities we drove into - is familiar to me. Coming back after an absence in unknown places made me realize that I really have come to 'know' Paris. I understand her and I think she understands me.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
I Amsterdam
My apologies for the long absence between posts. Our hotel in Amsterdam had seemingly changed its internet policy between the time we checked it out online and when we actually got there. We spent the last four days in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is a very different world. Compared to our previous stops of Paris, Strasbourg, Frankfurt, and Berlin, Amsterdam was not just picturesque and European but intense and seedy. Its intensity does not come from a frenetic pace like that of London's, but it is more that no matter where you are in the downtown core, there are people on the streets. There are people everywhere going about their business, whether legal, illegal, or somewhere in-between. The seediness on the other hand comes from city's somewhat sinister underbelly, which itself derives directly from the tolerance of soft drugs like marijuana and the legality of prostitution.
The unfortunate combination of its intensity and seediness makes inexperienced travelers like myself distinctively less relaxed. Holding purses tightly and always looking over your shoulder at night can diminish the enjoyment of an otherwise beautiful city.
But beautiful it is. Built in a "C" shape, it is comprised of concentric canals, which are lined with and connected by little streets. There are hundreds of bridges and a few thousand houseboats along the canals where residents live all year round with the luxuries of running water, electricity, and of course internet. The houses are both incredibly tall and incredibly skinny - the skinniest house in Amsterdam is about 1 meter wide. Many built before Napoleonic rule brought street numbers to Amsterdam, each house is crowned by its own distinctive gable - a way to tell between your friends' house and their neighbours'.
Our comedic canal boat captain told us that Amsterdam is not known for its palaces or churches because it was and always has been the city of the people. The French translation called it une ville des bourgeois. True to this, we hardly saw any major buildings. We spent most of our time wandering the canals and trying to discover the secrets of this ancient town.
And secrets it has. Some better kept than others of course. Without having the slightest idea of where we were or where we were going (and as my brother warned me, even someone with the strongest directional sense is always lost in Amsterdam), on the first night we turned a corner and were suddenly confronted with the red light district. I hadn't realized until that moment that the reason it has that name is because almost every window has a bright red light emanating from it. The prostitutes sit in their windows (which are also doorways) and solicit customers by advertising their products.
Tourists and perhaps potential clients stroll through and gawk at the sheer objectivity of it all. These women (I had expected but did not see a single man) seem to have made a conscious choice to sell their sexual services for money and have no problem putting themselves on display for all to see. I do not judge them, assuming that they made a truly free decision to be there - but it certainly takes some getting used to.
On one of our days in A-dam, we took a reprieve from the city's intensity to drive to The Hague, where the Dutch Parliament sits and where the International Criminal Court is located. A small town, it was quaint and quiet on a Sunday. We then made our way to Rotterdam, the largest port in the world at the mouth of the Rhine River. Having suffered massive amounts of bombing during WW2, it is mostly new, with experimental modern architecture. I find myself without much to say about it.
I'm glad we went to Amsterdam. I enjoyed the city, got lots of great pictures, and had fun. But I was not unhappy to leave. Perhaps it is a comfortable place for some, but not for me.
Amsterdam is a very different world. Compared to our previous stops of Paris, Strasbourg, Frankfurt, and Berlin, Amsterdam was not just picturesque and European but intense and seedy. Its intensity does not come from a frenetic pace like that of London's, but it is more that no matter where you are in the downtown core, there are people on the streets. There are people everywhere going about their business, whether legal, illegal, or somewhere in-between. The seediness on the other hand comes from city's somewhat sinister underbelly, which itself derives directly from the tolerance of soft drugs like marijuana and the legality of prostitution.
The unfortunate combination of its intensity and seediness makes inexperienced travelers like myself distinctively less relaxed. Holding purses tightly and always looking over your shoulder at night can diminish the enjoyment of an otherwise beautiful city.
But beautiful it is. Built in a "C" shape, it is comprised of concentric canals, which are lined with and connected by little streets. There are hundreds of bridges and a few thousand houseboats along the canals where residents live all year round with the luxuries of running water, electricity, and of course internet. The houses are both incredibly tall and incredibly skinny - the skinniest house in Amsterdam is about 1 meter wide. Many built before Napoleonic rule brought street numbers to Amsterdam, each house is crowned by its own distinctive gable - a way to tell between your friends' house and their neighbours'.
Our comedic canal boat captain told us that Amsterdam is not known for its palaces or churches because it was and always has been the city of the people. The French translation called it une ville des bourgeois. True to this, we hardly saw any major buildings. We spent most of our time wandering the canals and trying to discover the secrets of this ancient town.
And secrets it has. Some better kept than others of course. Without having the slightest idea of where we were or where we were going (and as my brother warned me, even someone with the strongest directional sense is always lost in Amsterdam), on the first night we turned a corner and were suddenly confronted with the red light district. I hadn't realized until that moment that the reason it has that name is because almost every window has a bright red light emanating from it. The prostitutes sit in their windows (which are also doorways) and solicit customers by advertising their products.
Tourists and perhaps potential clients stroll through and gawk at the sheer objectivity of it all. These women (I had expected but did not see a single man) seem to have made a conscious choice to sell their sexual services for money and have no problem putting themselves on display for all to see. I do not judge them, assuming that they made a truly free decision to be there - but it certainly takes some getting used to.
On one of our days in A-dam, we took a reprieve from the city's intensity to drive to The Hague, where the Dutch Parliament sits and where the International Criminal Court is located. A small town, it was quaint and quiet on a Sunday. We then made our way to Rotterdam, the largest port in the world at the mouth of the Rhine River. Having suffered massive amounts of bombing during WW2, it is mostly new, with experimental modern architecture. I find myself without much to say about it.
I'm glad we went to Amsterdam. I enjoyed the city, got lots of great pictures, and had fun. But I was not unhappy to leave. Perhaps it is a comfortable place for some, but not for me.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Skating in Berlin
We had another big day today. I would estimate that we walked for about 6 hours in total, covering a huge area of Berlin. One of the most personally moving stops we made was at what is known as the Topographie des Terrors. This is the former location of the headquarters of the Gestapo and the SS, as well as being the base from which the ethnic cleansing was organized. Interestingly, the Berlin wall ran right along one edge of this area - and that section of wall still stands there today.
It seems as though there has been some debate and political difficulties in trying to recognize and remember the spot - and commemorate the atrocities orchestrated from there. They are building some sort of permanent exhibition space but for now there is a temporary exhibit. Set against the dug-out foundations of the old SS and Gestapo buildings, there is a series of posters and informational plaques displaying the history of the Hitler's rise to power and the Nazi regime. Germans are clearly doing a solid job of confronting and remembering that dark period in their country's history. It is only through facing such realities that we can avoid repeating them.
We finally went skating today. We arrived too late last night and missed our chance. The weather was actually quite beautiful today (after a sprinkling of rain mid-day) - blue sky and temperatures around 8oC. There is a skating rink set up on the main street, in the midst of the Christmas fairs. It is big, well lit, and has speakers playing Christmas music. Though admittedlz it is covered in a thin layer of water because the air is too warm for ice. We rented skates and set out on the ice. It was a blast. I even have pictures to prove it (forthcoming).
In some ways, I have a semi-constant sense of skating while here in Germany. It is the first time I can remember being in a place where I do not understand any of the language and where most of the locals do not speak English. Unlike some anglophones, I don't just plough through and expect the world to bow to my needs. I actually feel guilty because I don't have even a basic understanding of German. Now it's true that there are many similarities to English but not enough to make it workable beyong being able to recognize the odd word here and there. So I put on my best "I'm so sorry" face and work with sign language.
Tomorrow we will set out back onto the autobahn to head west to Amsterdam. Amazing how fast this is flying by.
It seems as though there has been some debate and political difficulties in trying to recognize and remember the spot - and commemorate the atrocities orchestrated from there. They are building some sort of permanent exhibition space but for now there is a temporary exhibit. Set against the dug-out foundations of the old SS and Gestapo buildings, there is a series of posters and informational plaques displaying the history of the Hitler's rise to power and the Nazi regime. Germans are clearly doing a solid job of confronting and remembering that dark period in their country's history. It is only through facing such realities that we can avoid repeating them.
We finally went skating today. We arrived too late last night and missed our chance. The weather was actually quite beautiful today (after a sprinkling of rain mid-day) - blue sky and temperatures around 8oC. There is a skating rink set up on the main street, in the midst of the Christmas fairs. It is big, well lit, and has speakers playing Christmas music. Though admittedlz it is covered in a thin layer of water because the air is too warm for ice. We rented skates and set out on the ice. It was a blast. I even have pictures to prove it (forthcoming).
In some ways, I have a semi-constant sense of skating while here in Germany. It is the first time I can remember being in a place where I do not understand any of the language and where most of the locals do not speak English. Unlike some anglophones, I don't just plough through and expect the world to bow to my needs. I actually feel guilty because I don't have even a basic understanding of German. Now it's true that there are many similarities to English but not enough to make it workable beyong being able to recognize the odd word here and there. So I put on my best "I'm so sorry" face and work with sign language.
Tomorrow we will set out back onto the autobahn to head west to Amsterdam. Amazing how fast this is flying by.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Guten Tag from Berlin
We are now at the close of the fourth day of our European adventure - the first time I have had a combination of time and internet access. We left on Sunday morning heading towards Strasbourg, via Reims. Reims was a typical French town with a totally incredible cathedral - where the coronation of French kings once took place. It was a terrible day weather-wise so we just walked around the cathedral (which rivals Notre Dame in some ways), got lunch, and left.
Arriving in Strasbourg, we found our little hostel - safe and clean but leaving us thankful we were only there for one night - and set about finding dinner. Adopting the 'when in Rome' philosophy, we were wholly local in our choices - Alsatian food and Alsatian wine, including my favourite - vin chaud (glühwein in German, mulled wine in English). In the morning, we wandered around the city centre a bit. The Strasbourg cathedral was just as magnificent as that of Reims but it was incredibly different - different style, different feel. Before leaving, we visited the first of what would turn out to be many little Christmas fairs. These are held outside in town squares and in pedestrian areas (of which there are many in European cities), and vendors set up stalls of locally made goods, Christmas decorations, and foods. The weather finally turning nice, we hopped in the car for the short ride to Frankfurt.
Without realizing it, we were suddenly in Germany. There was no border, not even a noticeable sign. Hoping to have my passport stamped, I was disappointed, but I suppose took it as a sign of a more unified Europe. Our 'hostel' in Frankfurt was actually a hotel, with incredibly reasonable prices - and, unlike Strasbourg, a shower with water pressure more than a light rain. Frankfurt was badly damaged during WWII so much of the city is new. It has the distinctive feature (unlike most of France) of having skyscrapers. These aren't clumped together, however, they are stuck seemingly hodge-podge all over the city. One of these skyscrapers is the European Central Bank, which is proudly proclaimed by a huge sculpture of the symbol for the euro. What isn't modern skyscrapers in Frankfurt is relatively new low-rise. It's not quaint or as esthetically pleasing as the picturesque, mainly uniform 19th century buildings of Paris. In fact, it's decidedly uninteresting. We wandered around the centre of town, saw the cathedral (which was mostly destroyed in the war but used to be the location of the election and coronation of German kings (or emperors or something)), and found a bite to eat. Of course we wandered around the Christmas market, which was surprisingly extensive.
With a 6 hour drive ahead of us across Germany to Berlin, we set out early yesterday. The autobahn really is an experience. The drivers all seemed good and everyone appeared to understand the rules of the road - the most important of which is that if someone is coming up behind you, move out of their way. I estimated that I saw some people going upwards of 180km/h. I didn't feel as though I was ever in any danger though. Our drive turned out to be even longer than we anticipated, the lack of speed limit on the autobahn notwithstanding. We decided to change our gps setting (yes, we have a wonderful GPS named Sean. He's quite obliging) to take us off the highway so that we could see some German towns.
We finally got to Berlin after about 8 hours in the car. Oddly though it was a great day. It was a long drive but never boring. Great music from an alternation between our ipods, interesting scenery, and good conversation kept us going.
The hostel in Berlin is amazing. It is nicely decorated, big, bright, clean, safe, busy, and bustling. The staff are both cheerful and helpful, and the accommodation more than adequate - surprisingly nice and spacious. I would recommend it to anyone coming to Berlin on a budget.
Taking the recommendation of one of the staff here, we went to a Swiss restaurant for dinner. I had an absolutely delicious traditional swiss winter soup and German wild boar with mashed potatoes - because why not try interesting food, right? We washed it down with a Swiss pinot noir and I of course finished off with a mug of vin chaud (now glühwein as we are in Germany).
So far, I like Berlin. It is an interesting city. We were mostly in old East Berlin today. I absolutely cannot believe how much construction there is in this city. Street construction, new buildings, renovations, all sorts of work being done. There are few new things being constructed in Paris. There is something else you never see in Paris - empty lots. The buildings to me see more stereotypical of eastern Europe than anything similar to what I saw in Paris. No 'beautiful' buildings really. Another difference is that Berlin seems like densely packed than Paris - the streets are wider, the buildings further from each other.
Today, we saw/visited/walked by:
the Berlin cathedral,
two other cathedrals,
Bebelplatz - where the Nazis burned 25,000 books in 1933,
Unter den Linden - a famous thoroughfare,
the Brandenburg gate,
'Checkpoint Charlie' - the American army checkpoint where diplomats could enter and exit East Berlin from 1961 to 1989,
two more Christmas markets - of course,
the Holocaust memorial,
the Reichstag,
Hotel Aldon - where Michael Jackson dangled the baby out the window,
Tiergarten - a huge park in downtown Berlin,
Potsdamer Platz - the centre of modern architecture in the city.
Now we are off to go back down to one of the little Christmas markets that has a skating rink. After some skating (which with an Aussie ought to be entertaining), we're going to sample local street meat (the have 'wurst' in every type you can imagine) and of course some glühwein.
Auf wiedersehen.
Arriving in Strasbourg, we found our little hostel - safe and clean but leaving us thankful we were only there for one night - and set about finding dinner. Adopting the 'when in Rome' philosophy, we were wholly local in our choices - Alsatian food and Alsatian wine, including my favourite - vin chaud (glühwein in German, mulled wine in English). In the morning, we wandered around the city centre a bit. The Strasbourg cathedral was just as magnificent as that of Reims but it was incredibly different - different style, different feel. Before leaving, we visited the first of what would turn out to be many little Christmas fairs. These are held outside in town squares and in pedestrian areas (of which there are many in European cities), and vendors set up stalls of locally made goods, Christmas decorations, and foods. The weather finally turning nice, we hopped in the car for the short ride to Frankfurt.
Without realizing it, we were suddenly in Germany. There was no border, not even a noticeable sign. Hoping to have my passport stamped, I was disappointed, but I suppose took it as a sign of a more unified Europe. Our 'hostel' in Frankfurt was actually a hotel, with incredibly reasonable prices - and, unlike Strasbourg, a shower with water pressure more than a light rain. Frankfurt was badly damaged during WWII so much of the city is new. It has the distinctive feature (unlike most of France) of having skyscrapers. These aren't clumped together, however, they are stuck seemingly hodge-podge all over the city. One of these skyscrapers is the European Central Bank, which is proudly proclaimed by a huge sculpture of the symbol for the euro. What isn't modern skyscrapers in Frankfurt is relatively new low-rise. It's not quaint or as esthetically pleasing as the picturesque, mainly uniform 19th century buildings of Paris. In fact, it's decidedly uninteresting. We wandered around the centre of town, saw the cathedral (which was mostly destroyed in the war but used to be the location of the election and coronation of German kings (or emperors or something)), and found a bite to eat. Of course we wandered around the Christmas market, which was surprisingly extensive.
With a 6 hour drive ahead of us across Germany to Berlin, we set out early yesterday. The autobahn really is an experience. The drivers all seemed good and everyone appeared to understand the rules of the road - the most important of which is that if someone is coming up behind you, move out of their way. I estimated that I saw some people going upwards of 180km/h. I didn't feel as though I was ever in any danger though. Our drive turned out to be even longer than we anticipated, the lack of speed limit on the autobahn notwithstanding. We decided to change our gps setting (yes, we have a wonderful GPS named Sean. He's quite obliging) to take us off the highway so that we could see some German towns.
We finally got to Berlin after about 8 hours in the car. Oddly though it was a great day. It was a long drive but never boring. Great music from an alternation between our ipods, interesting scenery, and good conversation kept us going.
The hostel in Berlin is amazing. It is nicely decorated, big, bright, clean, safe, busy, and bustling. The staff are both cheerful and helpful, and the accommodation more than adequate - surprisingly nice and spacious. I would recommend it to anyone coming to Berlin on a budget.
Taking the recommendation of one of the staff here, we went to a Swiss restaurant for dinner. I had an absolutely delicious traditional swiss winter soup and German wild boar with mashed potatoes - because why not try interesting food, right? We washed it down with a Swiss pinot noir and I of course finished off with a mug of vin chaud (now glühwein as we are in Germany).
So far, I like Berlin. It is an interesting city. We were mostly in old East Berlin today. I absolutely cannot believe how much construction there is in this city. Street construction, new buildings, renovations, all sorts of work being done. There are few new things being constructed in Paris. There is something else you never see in Paris - empty lots. The buildings to me see more stereotypical of eastern Europe than anything similar to what I saw in Paris. No 'beautiful' buildings really. Another difference is that Berlin seems like densely packed than Paris - the streets are wider, the buildings further from each other.
Today, we saw/visited/walked by:
the Berlin cathedral,
two other cathedrals,
Bebelplatz - where the Nazis burned 25,000 books in 1933,
Unter den Linden - a famous thoroughfare,
the Brandenburg gate,
'Checkpoint Charlie' - the American army checkpoint where diplomats could enter and exit East Berlin from 1961 to 1989,
two more Christmas markets - of course,
the Holocaust memorial,
the Reichstag,
Hotel Aldon - where Michael Jackson dangled the baby out the window,
Tiergarten - a huge park in downtown Berlin,
Potsdamer Platz - the centre of modern architecture in the city.
Now we are off to go back down to one of the little Christmas markets that has a skating rink. After some skating (which with an Aussie ought to be entertaining), we're going to sample local street meat (the have 'wurst' in every type you can imagine) and of course some glühwein.
Auf wiedersehen.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Last night in Paris
Tonight is my last night in Paris. Yes, it's true. I can't believe how fast it went by. A month in Paris. A full six weeks in Europe. Ok ok granted I had a short reprieve at home for three days. (As a tangent, I was in Toronto for almost exactly three days, but I was gone from Paris for almost exactly four days - yes I lost a full day in transit. Kind of bizarre.)
Alex and I are still in the process of deciding on hostels for Amsterdam and Brussels. It's been interesting for me - this whole researching and deciding on hostels. You do your best - try to figure out where the cool part of town is, deciding what 'type' of place you want to stay in, and then - of course the hardest - figuring out which hostels are good and which should be avoided. There are websites where visitors can rate hostels and comment on their experience there. These do prove helpful but I find myself suffering momentary doubts like : "What if this person really hated this hostel? What if this was the worst experience of their life? What if they are really trying to screw me over?" Well, if so, then fine. I bought it.
So we are leaving tomorrow in the morning. A four hour drive to Strasbourg (yes, Rowan, via Reims... so let's make that probably five hours). Who knows what trouble we'll find in Strasbourg. Then of course the German banking capital Frankfurt. I am really excited. I am excited about the adventure of it. Yes we may encounter some setbacks. We may get lost, have car problems, or end up losing our hostel reservation. But we will get through it - and have fun while we're at it! That's the goal. Go with the flow.
Because after all, life is like a box of chocolates - so you might as well enjoy each bite.
Alex and I are still in the process of deciding on hostels for Amsterdam and Brussels. It's been interesting for me - this whole researching and deciding on hostels. You do your best - try to figure out where the cool part of town is, deciding what 'type' of place you want to stay in, and then - of course the hardest - figuring out which hostels are good and which should be avoided. There are websites where visitors can rate hostels and comment on their experience there. These do prove helpful but I find myself suffering momentary doubts like : "What if this person really hated this hostel? What if this was the worst experience of their life? What if they are really trying to screw me over?" Well, if so, then fine. I bought it.
So we are leaving tomorrow in the morning. A four hour drive to Strasbourg (yes, Rowan, via Reims... so let's make that probably five hours). Who knows what trouble we'll find in Strasbourg. Then of course the German banking capital Frankfurt. I am really excited. I am excited about the adventure of it. Yes we may encounter some setbacks. We may get lost, have car problems, or end up losing our hostel reservation. But we will get through it - and have fun while we're at it! That's the goal. Go with the flow.
Because after all, life is like a box of chocolates - so you might as well enjoy each bite.
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