Thursday, July 22, 2010
Paris
Sam and I left alpine air for the bright lights of Paris and were excited about touring the French capital.
Paris is a beautiful city, but more beautiful from afar than up close.
The architecture and main tourist sites, like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, are stunning.
But to be honest, the streets in Paris are quite dirty and smell like piss. It seems that Parisians would rather throw trash on the ground than put it in a trashcan and urinate under a bridge or side street than find a toilet.
Despite the lack of cleanliness of the city, we really enjoyed our five nights in Paris.
We chose a hotel pretty close to the Gare de Nord train station and the Montmartre district in Paris, which turned out to be really good decisions.
Montmartre, like our tour guide said during our free walking tour, is almost like its own little village in the city of nine million. There is little traffic on the winding roads in the area, so walking isn’t a chore at all.
There are also a variety of reasonably priced restaurants in Montmartre, so we never had a problem choosing where to eat.
We only overpaid once for a meal, and that was in a place a couple of doors down from the Moulin Rouge.
Sam and I picked this joint because we were desperate to find somewhere to watch the final match of the World Cup.
The day before we decided to go to an Australian bar close by, but when we arrived there about an hour for the game started, we realized that they didn’t serve dinner, only drinks.
So we chose the place by the Moulin Rouge and ended up paying nearly 11 bucks for a pint of beer. Our bill at the end of the night was around $100 for drinks and dinner, and although the atmosphere was superb, the bill was outrageous.
It took us another three dinners to reach $100, which just goes to show you that you’ll pay top dollar for food and beverages if you decided to eat next to main tourist sites.
Eating and drinking weren’t our only activities in Paris, of course.
We toured the palace at Versailles, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, a museum called the Orangerie that housed paintings by Claude Monet and other Impressionist painters and a Salvador Dali museum in Montmartre.
We also walked under the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs Elysees.
Our favorite museum was the Dali museum because it was the most different from any museum that we’ve ever been, too.
We didn’t know before walking into the museum that Dali was a sculptor as well as an artist.
The Dali museum housed several of his sculptures and some lesser-known paintings. In all, there were more than 300 pieces at the museum, definitely worth the $11.60 we paid to get in.
The painting sets we liked the best were Dali’s take on different stories from the Bible, his depiction of Alice in Wonderland and his interpretation of the legend Tristan and Isolde.
The art in the Louvre and the Orangerie was impressive, but Dali’s work was much more interesting for Sam and me.
We also saw our first celebrity in Paris, Karl Lagerfeld, a famous fashion designer for Chanel.
We saw him outside of a bookstore and weren’t sure who he was at all. Several people around us were taking pictures, so Sam snapped a few as well. Once he took off in his Bentley, we asked a guy next to us who he was. In a flamboyant English accent he replied that it was Karl Lagerfeld, of course.
After five nights in Paris, Sam and I were ready for the less touristy and final destination on our European Tour, Bruges, Belgium.
Paris is a beautiful city, but more beautiful from afar than up close.
The architecture and main tourist sites, like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, are stunning.
But to be honest, the streets in Paris are quite dirty and smell like piss. It seems that Parisians would rather throw trash on the ground than put it in a trashcan and urinate under a bridge or side street than find a toilet.
Despite the lack of cleanliness of the city, we really enjoyed our five nights in Paris.
We chose a hotel pretty close to the Gare de Nord train station and the Montmartre district in Paris, which turned out to be really good decisions.
Montmartre, like our tour guide said during our free walking tour, is almost like its own little village in the city of nine million. There is little traffic on the winding roads in the area, so walking isn’t a chore at all.
There are also a variety of reasonably priced restaurants in Montmartre, so we never had a problem choosing where to eat.
We only overpaid once for a meal, and that was in a place a couple of doors down from the Moulin Rouge.
Sam and I picked this joint because we were desperate to find somewhere to watch the final match of the World Cup.
The day before we decided to go to an Australian bar close by, but when we arrived there about an hour for the game started, we realized that they didn’t serve dinner, only drinks.
So we chose the place by the Moulin Rouge and ended up paying nearly 11 bucks for a pint of beer. Our bill at the end of the night was around $100 for drinks and dinner, and although the atmosphere was superb, the bill was outrageous.
It took us another three dinners to reach $100, which just goes to show you that you’ll pay top dollar for food and beverages if you decided to eat next to main tourist sites.
Eating and drinking weren’t our only activities in Paris, of course.
We toured the palace at Versailles, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, a museum called the Orangerie that housed paintings by Claude Monet and other Impressionist painters and a Salvador Dali museum in Montmartre.
We also walked under the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs Elysees.
Our favorite museum was the Dali museum because it was the most different from any museum that we’ve ever been, too.
We didn’t know before walking into the museum that Dali was a sculptor as well as an artist.
The Dali museum housed several of his sculptures and some lesser-known paintings. In all, there were more than 300 pieces at the museum, definitely worth the $11.60 we paid to get in.
The painting sets we liked the best were Dali’s take on different stories from the Bible, his depiction of Alice in Wonderland and his interpretation of the legend Tristan and Isolde.
The art in the Louvre and the Orangerie was impressive, but Dali’s work was much more interesting for Sam and me.
We also saw our first celebrity in Paris, Karl Lagerfeld, a famous fashion designer for Chanel.
We saw him outside of a bookstore and weren’t sure who he was at all. Several people around us were taking pictures, so Sam snapped a few as well. Once he took off in his Bentley, we asked a guy next to us who he was. In a flamboyant English accent he replied that it was Karl Lagerfeld, of course.
After five nights in Paris, Sam and I were ready for the less touristy and final destination on our European Tour, Bruges, Belgium.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Interlaken
There’s just something about forest-covered mountains and snow-capped peaks that takes your breath away. It’s a feeling the beach, however beautiful, just can’t seem to duplicate.
Interlaken, Switzerland, situated between two ice-blue lakes in a valley surrounded by mountains, was the most serene destination of our trip.
After stepping out of the train station, you’re greeted by wooded mountains and by such blue-white water that it looks as if someone added a chemical to make it appear that color.
Sam and I decided simply looking at the mountains wouldn’t be enough, so we did two hikes during our two and a half days in Interlaken.
The first hike started from the train station and climbed the adjacent mountain to a restaurant and hotel perched on top, overlooking Interlaken and the valley below.
Interlaken sits at about 1,870 feet above sea level, but the restaurant we were hiking to is about 4,400 feet.
So, naturally, we were walking uphill most of the way.
The views down below were worth every step, as was the tranquil feeling that comes with traipsing in woods.
We weren’t just looking down, but up as well.
Interlaken is known for adventure sports, and we saw at least a dozen paragliders overhead during our two and a half hour climb to the summit.
In fact, some paragliders were only 20 feet above us at the restaurant, although their views of the valley cost at least 200 dollars.
The views we enjoyed, thankfully, were free.
The second hike was much more strenuous, but the scenery was even more spectacular.
We took a train to up into the mountains to a town called Lauterbrunnen and then embarked on another two and a half hour hike up to a small mountain village called Murren, which sits about 8,500 feet among the mountains.
Since Lauterbrunnen’s elevation is about 6,000 feet, we climbed another 2,500 feet on that hike.
On that trail we hiked by numerous mountain streams that were supplied by the mountain snow above.
The water couldn’t have been more than 40 degrees, and although I didn’t drink from the streams, the icy water felt refreshing on my head and neck during the climb.
We also saw the beautiful peaks of the tallest mountains in Europe.
The tallest mountain is called Jungfrau, which is more than 13,000 feet high.
Once we reached Murren, we had lunch on a terrace with a mountain peak backdrop.
From Murren, we took a short, 30-minute hike downhill to a small hamlet named Gimmelwald.
Only about 200 people called Gimmelwald home, as its nestled in a small valley where the main activity is cow farming. A close second is probably sitting on the porch looking at those wondrous mountaintops.
From Gimmelwald we took a large gondola back to Murren, then a combination of a train, gondola, train back to Interlaken.
You couldn’t have a bigger contrast between those peaceful mountain hikes and the atmosphere at our hostel.
Throughout our trip we’ve been staying in hostels and budget hotels, always with our own private room.
Interlaken was our first “hostel experience” with tons of young, American kids roaming around the grounds of our establishment, Balmer’s Herberge.
Our guidebook said that Balmer’s had a frat-house vibe, and it couldn’t be more true.
We weren’t impressed.
It seems like all pompous, arrogant, too-cool-for-you frat boys from American universities all converge on Balmer’s during the summer months.
The place is made for them.
There’s an open beer garden in the back that serves almost exclusively American food and two different happy hours where you can get two beers for the price of one — believe me, I’m not complaining about that aspect one bit.
Once the beer garden shuts down, a downstairs nightclub opens where there are theme parties complete a guy whose job it is to be the life of the party. There was a beach-themed party and an old school hip-hop party while we were there.
I might have had a better feeling about the place if there were more locals there, but it was almost entirely full of American college kids.
Isn’t the point of going to Europe to experience other cultures and do something that you can’t do back in the United States?
When you’re down in that nightclub listening to American hip-hop surrounded by fellow Americans in swim trunks and Hawaiian shirts, couldn’t you be at any college party in America?
It’s a comfort thing really. Going to places where you don’t speak the language can be difficult and unsettling at times. When everyone speaks English, you don’t have to worry about a thing.
With all that being said, though, Interlaken was still a great place to visit because the scenery is incomparable to anywhere else.
Interlaken, Switzerland, situated between two ice-blue lakes in a valley surrounded by mountains, was the most serene destination of our trip.
After stepping out of the train station, you’re greeted by wooded mountains and by such blue-white water that it looks as if someone added a chemical to make it appear that color.
Sam and I decided simply looking at the mountains wouldn’t be enough, so we did two hikes during our two and a half days in Interlaken.
The first hike started from the train station and climbed the adjacent mountain to a restaurant and hotel perched on top, overlooking Interlaken and the valley below.
Interlaken sits at about 1,870 feet above sea level, but the restaurant we were hiking to is about 4,400 feet.
So, naturally, we were walking uphill most of the way.
The views down below were worth every step, as was the tranquil feeling that comes with traipsing in woods.
We weren’t just looking down, but up as well.
Interlaken is known for adventure sports, and we saw at least a dozen paragliders overhead during our two and a half hour climb to the summit.
In fact, some paragliders were only 20 feet above us at the restaurant, although their views of the valley cost at least 200 dollars.
The views we enjoyed, thankfully, were free.
The second hike was much more strenuous, but the scenery was even more spectacular.
We took a train to up into the mountains to a town called Lauterbrunnen and then embarked on another two and a half hour hike up to a small mountain village called Murren, which sits about 8,500 feet among the mountains.
Since Lauterbrunnen’s elevation is about 6,000 feet, we climbed another 2,500 feet on that hike.
On that trail we hiked by numerous mountain streams that were supplied by the mountain snow above.
The water couldn’t have been more than 40 degrees, and although I didn’t drink from the streams, the icy water felt refreshing on my head and neck during the climb.
We also saw the beautiful peaks of the tallest mountains in Europe.
The tallest mountain is called Jungfrau, which is more than 13,000 feet high.
Once we reached Murren, we had lunch on a terrace with a mountain peak backdrop.
From Murren, we took a short, 30-minute hike downhill to a small hamlet named Gimmelwald.
Only about 200 people called Gimmelwald home, as its nestled in a small valley where the main activity is cow farming. A close second is probably sitting on the porch looking at those wondrous mountaintops.
From Gimmelwald we took a large gondola back to Murren, then a combination of a train, gondola, train back to Interlaken.
You couldn’t have a bigger contrast between those peaceful mountain hikes and the atmosphere at our hostel.
Throughout our trip we’ve been staying in hostels and budget hotels, always with our own private room.
Interlaken was our first “hostel experience” with tons of young, American kids roaming around the grounds of our establishment, Balmer’s Herberge.
Our guidebook said that Balmer’s had a frat-house vibe, and it couldn’t be more true.
We weren’t impressed.
It seems like all pompous, arrogant, too-cool-for-you frat boys from American universities all converge on Balmer’s during the summer months.
The place is made for them.
There’s an open beer garden in the back that serves almost exclusively American food and two different happy hours where you can get two beers for the price of one — believe me, I’m not complaining about that aspect one bit.
Once the beer garden shuts down, a downstairs nightclub opens where there are theme parties complete a guy whose job it is to be the life of the party. There was a beach-themed party and an old school hip-hop party while we were there.
I might have had a better feeling about the place if there were more locals there, but it was almost entirely full of American college kids.
Isn’t the point of going to Europe to experience other cultures and do something that you can’t do back in the United States?
When you’re down in that nightclub listening to American hip-hop surrounded by fellow Americans in swim trunks and Hawaiian shirts, couldn’t you be at any college party in America?
It’s a comfort thing really. Going to places where you don’t speak the language can be difficult and unsettling at times. When everyone speaks English, you don’t have to worry about a thing.
With all that being said, though, Interlaken was still a great place to visit because the scenery is incomparable to anywhere else.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Saint Raphael
One stop on the Mediterranean wasn’t enough for Sam and me, so we decided to try out the French Riviera after Italy’s Cinque Terre.
It wasn’t a spontaneous decision, obviously, since I’d already booked every place we were staying in Europe before boarding the plane in Kansas City.
But it turned out to be the right decision, even though it took more than seven hours to get from Italy to France.
We had to change trains four times, but we had the Mediterranean coast out of hour window most the time, so who could complain?
The beautiful beaches of Saint Raphael and its adjacent sister city Frejus were absolutely gorgeous.
We chose Saint Raphael based on the recommendation from travel guru Rick Steves’ staff, who also sold us our rail pass at a discount.
They said Saint Raphael, which is about 38 miles down the coast from Nice, is similar to Cinque Terre in that it isn’t a place frequented by tourists.
Well, foreign tourists that is.
In the two and a half days we were in Saint Raphael, we only saw, well, heard one other American couple.
Apparently Saint Raphael is where the French come for a beach vacation.
It’s easy to understand why.
The water was quite a bit warmer than Cinque Terre, and the weather was much hotter.
In other words, perfect beach weather.
Because it was late in the day when we arrived, we simply walked to the beach to take in the beautiful setting and put our feet in the warm water.
That night, we had a traditional French galettes for dinner. Galettes are like heartier crepes that are served open-face style with various fillings. Sam had chicken, crème fraiche, mushrooms and melted cheese, and I had ham, crème fraiche, mushrooms and melted cheese.
After getting some bamboo mats from a nearby supermarket, Sam and I headed to the beach and simply relaxed, alternating between sunbathing and swimming for the first full day we were there.
We tried an Indian restaurant that night and weren’t disappointed.
After dinner, we walked down the beach promenade and found a free concert happening on the pier.
Our final day in Saint Raphael was a mirror image of the first — waking up late, putting on some sunscreen and heading down to the beach.
It was heaven.
That night we dined at a restaurant right next to the Indian place, which were both just down the street from our hotel.
The only drawback about Saint Raphael was our hotel room.
We didn’t spend too much time there, but it reeked of cigarette smoke and the bathroom was so small you could barely get to the toilet.
Once you squeezed by the sink, you’d have to sit sideways on the seat because it was so close to the wall.
On the other hand, it wasn’t expensive and the owner looked like Brendan Gleeson, the British actor. He sat behind the desk sweating with his shirt half-buttoned when he checked us in.
It wasn’t a great room, but it still wasn’t as bad as the hotel room we booked in London.
For our next stop we were leaving the beach and heading to the mountains of Switzerland.
It wasn’t a spontaneous decision, obviously, since I’d already booked every place we were staying in Europe before boarding the plane in Kansas City.
But it turned out to be the right decision, even though it took more than seven hours to get from Italy to France.
We had to change trains four times, but we had the Mediterranean coast out of hour window most the time, so who could complain?
The beautiful beaches of Saint Raphael and its adjacent sister city Frejus were absolutely gorgeous.
We chose Saint Raphael based on the recommendation from travel guru Rick Steves’ staff, who also sold us our rail pass at a discount.
They said Saint Raphael, which is about 38 miles down the coast from Nice, is similar to Cinque Terre in that it isn’t a place frequented by tourists.
Well, foreign tourists that is.
In the two and a half days we were in Saint Raphael, we only saw, well, heard one other American couple.
Apparently Saint Raphael is where the French come for a beach vacation.
It’s easy to understand why.
The water was quite a bit warmer than Cinque Terre, and the weather was much hotter.
In other words, perfect beach weather.
Because it was late in the day when we arrived, we simply walked to the beach to take in the beautiful setting and put our feet in the warm water.
That night, we had a traditional French galettes for dinner. Galettes are like heartier crepes that are served open-face style with various fillings. Sam had chicken, crème fraiche, mushrooms and melted cheese, and I had ham, crème fraiche, mushrooms and melted cheese.
After getting some bamboo mats from a nearby supermarket, Sam and I headed to the beach and simply relaxed, alternating between sunbathing and swimming for the first full day we were there.
We tried an Indian restaurant that night and weren’t disappointed.
After dinner, we walked down the beach promenade and found a free concert happening on the pier.
Our final day in Saint Raphael was a mirror image of the first — waking up late, putting on some sunscreen and heading down to the beach.
It was heaven.
That night we dined at a restaurant right next to the Indian place, which were both just down the street from our hotel.
The only drawback about Saint Raphael was our hotel room.
We didn’t spend too much time there, but it reeked of cigarette smoke and the bathroom was so small you could barely get to the toilet.
Once you squeezed by the sink, you’d have to sit sideways on the seat because it was so close to the wall.
On the other hand, it wasn’t expensive and the owner looked like Brendan Gleeson, the British actor. He sat behind the desk sweating with his shirt half-buttoned when he checked us in.
It wasn’t a great room, but it still wasn’t as bad as the hotel room we booked in London.
For our next stop we were leaving the beach and heading to the mountains of Switzerland.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Cinque Terre
After spending a week weaving through the sea of tourists in Venice, Florence and Rome, the peaceful, remote cities in the Cinque Terre National Park were exactly what we needed.
Cinque Terre is situated about four hours by train north of Rome on Italy’s western coast.
The five towns that make up Cinque Terre — Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterrosso — sit right along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea among the most dramatic coastline Sam and I have ever seen.
Huge mountains and rock cliffs ascend from the shores and the Mediterranean’s blue, crystal clear water.
The towns are connected by a trail that is 9 kilometers (about 5 miles) long and takes roughly five hours to walk.
Cinque Terre is a tourist destination, so we didn’t have the area all to ourselves.
But we did get a reprieve from big city life for a while, especially on the trail.
For our first full day, we decided to get up early and walk the trail.
Because we were staying in Riomaggiore, the southern-most village, we had an easy walk to the next town over, Manarola.
The stretch between the two towns is called the Via dell’Amore, or the lover’s walk, because of its breathtaking views.
As far as Sam and I are concerned, it’s aptly named.
The views are spectacular and you never get tired of looking out over that blue, blue water.
The road to Corniglia was a pretty easy walk, until you get to the 385 steps that lead up to the city.
Corniglia is the only town in Cinque Terre not located directly on the beach. Instead, it’s perched on nearby mountains overlooking the sea.
Little did Sam and I know that those 385 steps would be a piece of cake compared to the rest of the trail.
We stopped briefly in Corniglia to snap some photos and then headed for Vernazza, four kilometers away.
Until the arrival of the train in the early 20th century, Vernazza and Corniglia were only connected by paths, so the trail we took to the fourth town was the most remote of our entire journey.
We walked away from the water and ascended into the mountainous forests, where residents have long built terraces to grow grapes that eventually become white wine.
The views of the sea from high above in the mountains weren’t the only things that stimulated our senses.
It smelled absolutely wonderful on that mountain path.
Wild olive trees could be found everywhere, as well as wild lavender and rosemary.
We were dripping with sweat when we made it to Vernazza, so we found a nice, big rock in the town’s tiny harbor and went for a swim.
The water was refreshing cold after an hour and a half on the trail.
After lying out in the sun and having a simple pizza lunch, we hit the trail again for our final destination, Monterrosso.
This last stretch of trail was only three kilometers, but it was definitely the most challenging.
You must make a long, slow climb away from Vernazza up several hundred steps and then make an equally steep descent before coming to Monterrosso.
Monterrosso has the most “resort-like” feel and the best beaches of the five towns.
After the long trek there, Sam and I found a spot on the beach and jumped into the cold water. The beaches here are not your typical white sand, but instead consist of many smooth, grey stones. And damn do they get hot.
Instead of taking a train back to Riomaggiore that evening, we decided to board a ferry that would have us back in our home village in 40 minutes. But not before enjoying some gelato. It was a fitting way to end the day. Sam and I could feel the cool sea air on our faces while looking at people on the path we had traversed earlier that day.
Because my birthday fell on the day after our trek, we decided to sleep in and spend a leisurely day on the beach. (We also decided that would be our activity for the day because we were pretty tired and sore from our hike.)
That night, we dined on typical Cinque Terre dishes.
Sam had spaghetti pomodora with prawns while I had fish cooked in a spicy, red sauce with potatoes.
It was a little odd dismantling the fish and prawns, which both came whole, but both dishes were delicious.
What an excellent birthday. In fact, what a great relaxing few days away from the city.
Cinque Terre is situated about four hours by train north of Rome on Italy’s western coast.
The five towns that make up Cinque Terre — Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterrosso — sit right along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea among the most dramatic coastline Sam and I have ever seen.
Huge mountains and rock cliffs ascend from the shores and the Mediterranean’s blue, crystal clear water.
The towns are connected by a trail that is 9 kilometers (about 5 miles) long and takes roughly five hours to walk.
Cinque Terre is a tourist destination, so we didn’t have the area all to ourselves.
But we did get a reprieve from big city life for a while, especially on the trail.
For our first full day, we decided to get up early and walk the trail.
Because we were staying in Riomaggiore, the southern-most village, we had an easy walk to the next town over, Manarola.
The stretch between the two towns is called the Via dell’Amore, or the lover’s walk, because of its breathtaking views.
As far as Sam and I are concerned, it’s aptly named.
The views are spectacular and you never get tired of looking out over that blue, blue water.
The road to Corniglia was a pretty easy walk, until you get to the 385 steps that lead up to the city.
Corniglia is the only town in Cinque Terre not located directly on the beach. Instead, it’s perched on nearby mountains overlooking the sea.
Little did Sam and I know that those 385 steps would be a piece of cake compared to the rest of the trail.
We stopped briefly in Corniglia to snap some photos and then headed for Vernazza, four kilometers away.
Until the arrival of the train in the early 20th century, Vernazza and Corniglia were only connected by paths, so the trail we took to the fourth town was the most remote of our entire journey.
We walked away from the water and ascended into the mountainous forests, where residents have long built terraces to grow grapes that eventually become white wine.
The views of the sea from high above in the mountains weren’t the only things that stimulated our senses.
It smelled absolutely wonderful on that mountain path.
Wild olive trees could be found everywhere, as well as wild lavender and rosemary.
We were dripping with sweat when we made it to Vernazza, so we found a nice, big rock in the town’s tiny harbor and went for a swim.
The water was refreshing cold after an hour and a half on the trail.
After lying out in the sun and having a simple pizza lunch, we hit the trail again for our final destination, Monterrosso.
This last stretch of trail was only three kilometers, but it was definitely the most challenging.
You must make a long, slow climb away from Vernazza up several hundred steps and then make an equally steep descent before coming to Monterrosso.
Monterrosso has the most “resort-like” feel and the best beaches of the five towns.
After the long trek there, Sam and I found a spot on the beach and jumped into the cold water. The beaches here are not your typical white sand, but instead consist of many smooth, grey stones. And damn do they get hot.
Instead of taking a train back to Riomaggiore that evening, we decided to board a ferry that would have us back in our home village in 40 minutes. But not before enjoying some gelato. It was a fitting way to end the day. Sam and I could feel the cool sea air on our faces while looking at people on the path we had traversed earlier that day.
Because my birthday fell on the day after our trek, we decided to sleep in and spend a leisurely day on the beach. (We also decided that would be our activity for the day because we were pretty tired and sore from our hike.)
That night, we dined on typical Cinque Terre dishes.
Sam had spaghetti pomodora with prawns while I had fish cooked in a spicy, red sauce with potatoes.
It was a little odd dismantling the fish and prawns, which both came whole, but both dishes were delicious.
What an excellent birthday. In fact, what a great relaxing few days away from the city.
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