Dates – April 15th – 17th 2005
We arrived in Amsterdam on Friday afternoon and immediately it felt very different from many of the other cities we’ve visited in Europe. Amsterdam has a very laid-back, almost college-dorm feeling to it. I think this has to do with its compact size, huge numbers of bicycles and a very young and energetic crowd. Our first sight was to visit the Heineken Experience (picture) which is basically a glorified television commercial. It was actually a lot of fun since you get three beers with admission and a couple of interesting rides, but there really wasn’t much “informative” about the museum. For dinner, we went to a small Indonesian restaurant recommended by one of the workers at Heineken Experience. The food was excellent, and spicy.
On Saturday, we walked around town amongst the numerous canals and quaint streets of Amsterdam (picture). We has pancakes for breakfast (picture), and took a canal cruise (picture) in the afternoon. In the evening, we went to a club in Leidsplein and had a great time.
On Sunday, our last day, we spent the morning visiting the Rijksmuseum (picture) and the Van Gogh museum. We also took a tour of a diamond jeweler and visited the flower market and bought some tulips. We then took a late flight back to Paris.
April 18, 2005
March 29, 2005
Lisbon
Dates – March 26th – 28th 2005
March 28th was a national holiday in France. At first, we didn’t have any plans and were going to spend the weekend in Paris but, at the last minute, we decided to book a trip to Lisbon for the weekend. We flew Air France and stayed at the Le Meridian just a few minutes by taxi or metro from the old city center, Rossio.
We arrived in Lisbon on Saturday afternoon. After quickly checking into our hotel, we immediately made our way to the city center, Rossio. We walked around the Baixa area and then took tram 28 (and old, wooden tram left around mostly for nostalgic tourists; it reminded me of the wild mouse rollercoaster ride at Playland in Vancouver) up to the Alfama quarter. The Alfama quarter is high on a hill overlooking the Atlantic ocean and the city of Lisbon itself. Here, there are some wonderful, windy cobblestone streets with trams dangerously careening up and down them. We spent some time sitting at a small café with magnificent views.
On Saturday evening, we took a taxi (extremely cheap in Lisbon, by the way) down to the Docas area. This is a modern area by the waterfront with a thriving nightlife and great (although pricey) restaurants. Here, we had fish soup, bacalau (salted cod) and some very fresh mangoes from Brazil.
On Sunday, we spent the day in the Belem area (along the waterfront) and saw the Torre de Belem, Monumento dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries) and the Jeronumos Monastery. It was a nice sunny day, so it was nice to spend some time in the fresh air of the waterfront region. On Sunday evening, we spent our time in the Oceanaria district on the south eastern edge side of Lisbon. This area was the site of Expo 98 and is made up of brand new centers and a large, modern shopping mall.
March 28th was a national holiday in France. At first, we didn’t have any plans and were going to spend the weekend in Paris but, at the last minute, we decided to book a trip to Lisbon for the weekend. We flew Air France and stayed at the Le Meridian just a few minutes by taxi or metro from the old city center, Rossio.
We arrived in Lisbon on Saturday afternoon. After quickly checking into our hotel, we immediately made our way to the city center, Rossio. We walked around the Baixa area and then took tram 28 (and old, wooden tram left around mostly for nostalgic tourists; it reminded me of the wild mouse rollercoaster ride at Playland in Vancouver) up to the Alfama quarter. The Alfama quarter is high on a hill overlooking the Atlantic ocean and the city of Lisbon itself. Here, there are some wonderful, windy cobblestone streets with trams dangerously careening up and down them. We spent some time sitting at a small café with magnificent views.
On Saturday evening, we took a taxi (extremely cheap in Lisbon, by the way) down to the Docas area. This is a modern area by the waterfront with a thriving nightlife and great (although pricey) restaurants. Here, we had fish soup, bacalau (salted cod) and some very fresh mangoes from Brazil.
On Sunday, we spent the day in the Belem area (along the waterfront) and saw the Torre de Belem, Monumento dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries) and the Jeronumos Monastery. It was a nice sunny day, so it was nice to spend some time in the fresh air of the waterfront region. On Sunday evening, we spent our time in the Oceanaria district on the south eastern edge side of Lisbon. This area was the site of Expo 98 and is made up of brand new centers and a large, modern shopping mall.
March 20, 2005
Normandy and Brittany
Mont Saint Michel
Originally uploaded by SaurabhA.
In March 2005, while Aliya was in town, we decided to take a road trip out to Brittany and Normandy over the weekend. So we rented a little car called a Modus, by Renault, packed it up, and hit the autoroute in hopes of finding our way to Mount Saint Michel, Saint Malo and Dinan.
The french countryside was absolutely beautiful. There were little villages and farms all the way to Saint Malo and, as luck would have it, the weather was gorgeous (25 degrees Celsius - in the middle of March nonetheless).
Our first stop was Mount Saint Michel. You really have to see this site to truly grasp just how amazing it is. Basically, it is a mountain with a walled town on top; all of which sits out in the English Channel. When the tide is in, the whole mountain and town are surrounded by the Sea. When the tide is out, everything is surrounded by sandy plains.
Our second stop was Saint Malo which is also a walled city on the English Channel. We spent the night here at a quaint little hotel with very friendly and helpful owners. We spent our time in Saint Malo enjoying the beautiful coastal scenery while walking around (and sitting on) the wall that surrounds the city. This was one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. To sum it up in one sentence, Saint Malo is what you'd get if you mixed an old medieval town with the climate and environment of a coastal resort.
On our way home the next day, we stopped by another walled city called Dinan. Again, this quaint little town had a character of its own, with winding stone roads, a beautiful port and bridge. We had lunch here (crepes and seafood) and relaxed on a patio in the sunshine before heading back for Paris.
February 7, 2005
Brussels
Dates – February 5th – 6th 2005
Our expectations in going to Brussels weren't very high. We figured we'd make the quick trip out there from Paris over a weekend for which we really didn't have any other plans. We quickly learned, however, that Brussels is a great little town to have a good time in.
First of all, the food was fantastic. The mussels (picture) were absolutely the best we've ever tasted. They are served in a large pot in which they are steamed in marinated water. We also tried mussels that were steamed in a beer broth - also an excellent dish. Speaking of beer, the variety and flavor of beers in Brussels was wonderful. I stuck to some of the more popular beers in town while Nadya also tried a refreshing raspberry beer.
On the sweeter side, the waffles and chocolate are to die for. There was little waffle stands at pretty much every street corner serving fresh, hot waffles. And then there is the chocolate. I don't think I have to say much other than we brought five boxes home with us. They'd all be finished too if I hadn't promised to save a few for Aliya when she gets to Paris :)
Well, we only spent one night in Brussels, but we got to enjoy the food, see the Grand Place (one of the more beautiful squares in Europe), the Atomium (a giant model of an atom) and even do a bit of clothes shopping. One of the nice surprises of Brussels was that the great food and shopping is also extremely cheap. So if you're looking for a nice lunch to go with some new clothes, this is the place for you.
Our expectations in going to Brussels weren't very high. We figured we'd make the quick trip out there from Paris over a weekend for which we really didn't have any other plans. We quickly learned, however, that Brussels is a great little town to have a good time in.
First of all, the food was fantastic. The mussels (picture) were absolutely the best we've ever tasted. They are served in a large pot in which they are steamed in marinated water. We also tried mussels that were steamed in a beer broth - also an excellent dish. Speaking of beer, the variety and flavor of beers in Brussels was wonderful. I stuck to some of the more popular beers in town while Nadya also tried a refreshing raspberry beer.
On the sweeter side, the waffles and chocolate are to die for. There was little waffle stands at pretty much every street corner serving fresh, hot waffles. And then there is the chocolate. I don't think I have to say much other than we brought five boxes home with us. They'd all be finished too if I hadn't promised to save a few for Aliya when she gets to Paris :)
Well, we only spent one night in Brussels, but we got to enjoy the food, see the Grand Place (one of the more beautiful squares in Europe), the Atomium (a giant model of an atom) and even do a bit of clothes shopping. One of the nice surprises of Brussels was that the great food and shopping is also extremely cheap. So if you're looking for a nice lunch to go with some new clothes, this is the place for you.
December 28, 2004
Barcelona
Dates – December 24th – 27th 2004
We arrived in Barcelona, Spain on December 24th. It was clear and sunny in Barcelona for most of our trip, but it was much colder than we expected. As you can see in our photos, we were bundled up quite a bit the whole time. We'd definitely like to make another trip out here during the spring or summer months.
We visited some of the famous sites of Barcelona. On the first night, we went out for dinner in the old city center and went to the Picasso museum. The museum was interesting in that it contains the early works of Picasso during his time in Spain. There are also later works, but the Picasso museum in Paris (which we've also visited) has a better selection of Picasso's later works.
The most impressive sight in Barcelona is certainly the Sagrada Familia (by Antonio Gaudi). It is an enormous church that has been under construction for a hundred years. It is in the typical Gaudi style, incorporating natural themes into the architecture itself. In fact, the enormous columns that make up the inside of the church look like trees. The intricacy of the exterior is also amazing. It is far and away the most intricately detailed structure of its size that I've ever seen.
We also took a trip out to Mont Juic, which is a mountain (well, really a very large hill) that overlooks the sea on one side and the city on the other. At the top of the mountain is a castle with a moat and everything. Very nice.
We had a wonderful time in Barcelona. The food was great (Paella, Tapas, Cava, and fish) and the shopping was some of the best in the world (Barcelona has more shops per capita than anywhere else in Europe).
We arrived in Barcelona, Spain on December 24th. It was clear and sunny in Barcelona for most of our trip, but it was much colder than we expected. As you can see in our photos, we were bundled up quite a bit the whole time. We'd definitely like to make another trip out here during the spring or summer months.
We visited some of the famous sites of Barcelona. On the first night, we went out for dinner in the old city center and went to the Picasso museum. The museum was interesting in that it contains the early works of Picasso during his time in Spain. There are also later works, but the Picasso museum in Paris (which we've also visited) has a better selection of Picasso's later works.
The most impressive sight in Barcelona is certainly the Sagrada Familia (by Antonio Gaudi). It is an enormous church that has been under construction for a hundred years. It is in the typical Gaudi style, incorporating natural themes into the architecture itself. In fact, the enormous columns that make up the inside of the church look like trees. The intricacy of the exterior is also amazing. It is far and away the most intricately detailed structure of its size that I've ever seen.
We also took a trip out to Mont Juic, which is a mountain (well, really a very large hill) that overlooks the sea on one side and the city on the other. At the top of the mountain is a castle with a moat and everything. Very nice.
We had a wonderful time in Barcelona. The food was great (Paella, Tapas, Cava, and fish) and the shopping was some of the best in the world (Barcelona has more shops per capita than anywhere else in Europe).