Dear Readers.
We have finished our long 24 days trip, planned and executed by us, no travel agent or tour company. Just us and internet were the tools of our plan. Here is the Curtain Raiser Part I for first 8 days covering Paris, Ghent and Amsterdam.
Day 1 - Our trip started from Paris. On day one, we had settled down by lunchtime hence we had the only half day available. When in Paris, if one does not visit Eiffel Tower on the first available opportunity, your visit is not counted (just joking), Once we set out, the first place we visited was obviously Eiffel tower. The mesmerizing monument synonymous with Paris.
We went all the way up to the summit (top) by lift and had a great Bird's Eye view of Paris.
After our trip to the top of Eiffel, the day was still bright and it looked a nice idea to take a boat tour in the Seine river, which, like all major European cities, flows through the City. We took the one-hour boat cruise which took us past many bridges and iconic buildings, churches and museums. It was a fun trip.
By the time we finished this cruise, we were awake for straight 38 hours (except sporadic sleep in the Aircraft). end of this cruise also marked the end of the day for us. We had our dinner and slept off.
Day 2 - Day two of the trip and Paris was the real full day we had to visit places. Taking a metro from Cadet (metro station), where we lived in a B & B we headed to the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral at "Ile de La Cite" island in the middle of the river. After getting down at the nearest metro station we walked to this place. The first sight left us speechless. It was a tall, majestic and big structure. The enthusiasm of the crowd was fully justified.
We then went to Chatelet, a big market to have our fill. Very next to this place is the Church of St Eustache. A lovely Gothic Structure with beautiful stained glasses and murals. Not even 1/10 famous as Notre Dame Cathedral nor as grand, the place, however, is very beautiful and worth visit.
Next was the Louvre Palace. There are hundreds of grand buildings in Paris but the grandness of Louvre Palace is outstanding. There is also a big museum which has a commemorative Pyramid structure made of glass in the central courtyard.
There is a huge public garden with this place. It is fun to watch people having a picnic with their own wine, bread and cheese. We also followed suit.
Next place we visited was Arc De Triomphe, The victory gate commemorating those who died in the French Revolution and WW I. A grand Arch predates India Gate by over 100 years. We were very happy to be there.
After a quick dinner, we went to the Eiffel Tower to view its illumination and the sparkle display that happens every hour. Eiffel Tower has a different character in the night. This day was wound up after this visit.
Day 3 - Our third day of the trip was also our third day at Paris. Technically it was just a half day at Paris as the afternoon we had to take our Bus to Ghent in Belgium. The time in hand permitted us only one visit. We choose to go to Sacre Couer, The "Basilica of the Sacred Heart" of Paris. A beautiful Church on a hillock.
Climbing up to the Dome (only external viewing gallery) is an effort with many stairs to climb (about 300 narrow spiral ones, no Lift). I did climb and enjoyed the view.
After this tour, it was check-out and going to Bercey Seine Bus station to catch our bus for Ghent, It was a 4 PM bus which took us to Ghent in about two hours. After check-in into our B and B and a good cup of coffee, we set out (it was dusk by the time we got out).
We walked to the city centre (a very compact place which was full of tourists and students alike, the day being Saturday). On the way, we clicked illuminated Gravensteen Castle (by mobile camera hence the photo is not here). We took a small stroll along the river and had dinner (famous Belgian Fries, what we call as french fries is actually Belgian, invented in this very town). Post dinner we called it a day.
Day 4 - Ghent (Belgium). This day we utilized for exploring Ghent on Foot, yes on foot, because Ghent attractions, the important ones are all doable on foot. As we set out with a map we realised that Sint Elisabeth (Chruch) is very close to us. It was this the first place we visited. We could not go inside as the Sunday service was going on. The church has a good facade and we enjoyed being there.
Once we were done with the castle tour, we walked down to Sint Niklaas Kirk (Chruch), another beautiful Building.
A little bit of further walking from this church took us to Ghent Belfry (clock/observation tower) with adjoining Merchant's Hall. Belfry (Clock Tower) built in the 14th century AD is among the tallest structure which is a clock tower as well as the guard tower. One can go all the way up to the top of the tower, walking or by taking a lift from the first floor.
After this visit, we crossed Concert Hall, another beautiful building, en route to Sint Baaf's (Saint Bravo's) cathedral. It is a worth visit place with beautiful and imposing exterior and even more beautiful interior,
It was late lunch time of 1500 hrs. After a peaceful and filling lunch, we visited our last two places of Ghent, the Sint Michielburg Bridge, a small ancient bridge, considered a romantic place as the Saint Michel Church provides beautiful backdrop when one stands on this bridge for the Photo. Passing over this bridge we visited this church which was very grand from outside but looked as if it is closed down.
Since the day was tiring, post this visit we called it a day, As such, we had to take a bus to Amsterdam in the morning at 0555 hrs,
Day 5 - First Day at Amsterdam - Day started early as we had to catch a bus for Amsterdam. The Flixbus service (as always) started on time and reached Amsterdam on time. We reached our B & B and checked in. Post Brunch we left for Anne Frank House (Museum). One gets to live, for a very short time, the tough life that Anne Frank, her family and few others (all of them Jews) lived for a few years in German-occupied Amsterdam. The movie "Anne Frank's Diary" gave voice to her felling, in Anne Frank House those times come alive.
By the time we were done with that place, it was evening (around 7 pm). after a long day and this visit, we decided to wind up the day after a quick dinner.
Day 6 - Day 2 at Amsterdam - This day we were booked for Heineken Experience (Visit to Heineken Brewery (Non-functional). Here one gets to see the process of beer making and also gets to taste drought beer. Two to three hours spent there were full of fun.
We thereafter went to the Rijks Museum. One of the major museum. The visit to Rijks was very interesting and educative. We ended our day strolling around the Amsterdam Central area followed by dinner.
Day 7 - Day 3 at Amsterdam. Programme for the day was a two-part trip. The morning session was for a trip to Zaanse Schans to see last few traditional windmills, then on to Marken. After Marken, we were to go to Volandam. We were scheduled for a trip to Keukenhof Tulip Gardens in the afternoon.
Morning trip started on time. First stop was Zaanse Schans for windmills. the place was wow, nature was so beautiful. The trip to the windmills was very great. We saw a mill extracting groundnut oil. The programme got derailed at this point. We missed the bus. We had no option but to go back to Amsterdam.
We decided to continue with our Keukenhauf Tulip Garden tour. As for Countryside tour that we missed, we had to pay rescheduling charges but we got it rescheduled to next day morning.
Post lunch we took off for Keukenhof Tulip Gardens. This place is just beautiful. One can see tulip fields also on the way to Keukenhof Gardens. This garden is very big and has good trees, ponds and many varieties of Tulips. It was a fun visiting Keukenhof Gardens.
Day 8 - Last Half day at Amsterdam. We took the countryside tour (which we missed yesterday) which took us to Windmills, Marken and Volendam. Windmills were anyway seen the previous day. At Marken, we visited a Clog (wooden shoes) factory. It was a good experience seeing the wooden shoes being made. From Marken, we took a boat to Volendam, a traditional village with many Dutch restaurants and Cheese outlets (where they show you the steps of Cheesemaking). Both the activities, a visit to the cheese factory and also lunch at a traditional restaurant were good.
On return, we picked up our luggage and went to Amsterdam Centraal (central) station for our train to Cologne.
The first part of the trip summary stops here. It is just a "curtain raiser". Day wise trip blogs with many more photographs and information are to follow. The balance summary of the trip is also in the making and appear as the next two parts. Do watch this space.
We have finished our long 24 days trip, planned and executed by us, no travel agent or tour company. Just us and internet were the tools of our plan. Here is the Curtain Raiser Part I for first 8 days covering Paris, Ghent and Amsterdam.
Day 1 - Our trip started from Paris. On day one, we had settled down by lunchtime hence we had the only half day available. When in Paris, if one does not visit Eiffel Tower on the first available opportunity, your visit is not counted (just joking), Once we set out, the first place we visited was obviously Eiffel tower. The mesmerizing monument synonymous with Paris.
We went all the way up to the summit (top) by lift and had a great Bird's Eye view of Paris.
After our trip to the top of Eiffel, the day was still bright and it looked a nice idea to take a boat tour in the Seine river, which, like all major European cities, flows through the City. We took the one-hour boat cruise which took us past many bridges and iconic buildings, churches and museums. It was a fun trip.
By the time we finished this cruise, we were awake for straight 38 hours (except sporadic sleep in the Aircraft). end of this cruise also marked the end of the day for us. We had our dinner and slept off.
Day 2 - Day two of the trip and Paris was the real full day we had to visit places. Taking a metro from Cadet (metro station), where we lived in a B & B we headed to the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral at "Ile de La Cite" island in the middle of the river. After getting down at the nearest metro station we walked to this place. The first sight left us speechless. It was a tall, majestic and big structure. The enthusiasm of the crowd was fully justified.
Next was the Louvre Palace. There are hundreds of grand buildings in Paris but the grandness of Louvre Palace is outstanding. There is also a big museum which has a commemorative Pyramid structure made of glass in the central courtyard.
There is a huge public garden with this place. It is fun to watch people having a picnic with their own wine, bread and cheese. We also followed suit.
Next place we visited was Arc De Triomphe, The victory gate commemorating those who died in the French Revolution and WW I. A grand Arch predates India Gate by over 100 years. We were very happy to be there.
After a quick dinner, we went to the Eiffel Tower to view its illumination and the sparkle display that happens every hour. Eiffel Tower has a different character in the night. This day was wound up after this visit.
Day 3 - Our third day of the trip was also our third day at Paris. Technically it was just a half day at Paris as the afternoon we had to take our Bus to Ghent in Belgium. The time in hand permitted us only one visit. We choose to go to Sacre Couer, The "Basilica of the Sacred Heart" of Paris. A beautiful Church on a hillock.
Climbing up to the Dome (only external viewing gallery) is an effort with many stairs to climb (about 300 narrow spiral ones, no Lift). I did climb and enjoyed the view.
After this tour, it was check-out and going to Bercey Seine Bus station to catch our bus for Ghent, It was a 4 PM bus which took us to Ghent in about two hours. After check-in into our B and B and a good cup of coffee, we set out (it was dusk by the time we got out).
We walked to the city centre (a very compact place which was full of tourists and students alike, the day being Saturday). On the way, we clicked illuminated Gravensteen Castle (by mobile camera hence the photo is not here). We took a small stroll along the river and had dinner (famous Belgian Fries, what we call as french fries is actually Belgian, invented in this very town). Post dinner we called it a day.
Day 4 - Ghent (Belgium). This day we utilized for exploring Ghent on Foot, yes on foot, because Ghent attractions, the important ones are all doable on foot. As we set out with a map we realised that Sint Elisabeth (Chruch) is very close to us. It was this the first place we visited. We could not go inside as the Sunday service was going on. The church has a good facade and we enjoyed being there.
After this place, we went to Gravensteen Castle, a structure which has been in existence in some or the other form from the 9th century AD. The present castle is an imposing structure with many chambers. One can visit the castle and see a variety of things apart from getting a birds-eye view of the surrounding,
Once we were done with the castle tour, we walked down to Sint Niklaas Kirk (Chruch), another beautiful Building.
A little bit of further walking from this church took us to Ghent Belfry (clock/observation tower) with adjoining Merchant's Hall. Belfry (Clock Tower) built in the 14th century AD is among the tallest structure which is a clock tower as well as the guard tower. One can go all the way up to the top of the tower, walking or by taking a lift from the first floor.
After this visit, we crossed Concert Hall, another beautiful building, en route to Sint Baaf's (Saint Bravo's) cathedral. It is a worth visit place with beautiful and imposing exterior and even more beautiful interior,
It was late lunch time of 1500 hrs. After a peaceful and filling lunch, we visited our last two places of Ghent, the Sint Michielburg Bridge, a small ancient bridge, considered a romantic place as the Saint Michel Church provides beautiful backdrop when one stands on this bridge for the Photo. Passing over this bridge we visited this church which was very grand from outside but looked as if it is closed down.
Since the day was tiring, post this visit we called it a day, As such, we had to take a bus to Amsterdam in the morning at 0555 hrs,
Day 5 - First Day at Amsterdam - Day started early as we had to catch a bus for Amsterdam. The Flixbus service (as always) started on time and reached Amsterdam on time. We reached our B & B and checked in. Post Brunch we left for Anne Frank House (Museum). One gets to live, for a very short time, the tough life that Anne Frank, her family and few others (all of them Jews) lived for a few years in German-occupied Amsterdam. The movie "Anne Frank's Diary" gave voice to her felling, in Anne Frank House those times come alive.
By the time we were done with that place, it was evening (around 7 pm). after a long day and this visit, we decided to wind up the day after a quick dinner.
Day 6 - Day 2 at Amsterdam - This day we were booked for Heineken Experience (Visit to Heineken Brewery (Non-functional). Here one gets to see the process of beer making and also gets to taste drought beer. Two to three hours spent there were full of fun.
We thereafter went to the Rijks Museum. One of the major museum. The visit to Rijks was very interesting and educative. We ended our day strolling around the Amsterdam Central area followed by dinner.
Day 7 - Day 3 at Amsterdam. Programme for the day was a two-part trip. The morning session was for a trip to Zaanse Schans to see last few traditional windmills, then on to Marken. After Marken, we were to go to Volandam. We were scheduled for a trip to Keukenhof Tulip Gardens in the afternoon.
Morning trip started on time. First stop was Zaanse Schans for windmills. the place was wow, nature was so beautiful. The trip to the windmills was very great. We saw a mill extracting groundnut oil. The programme got derailed at this point. We missed the bus. We had no option but to go back to Amsterdam.
We decided to continue with our Keukenhauf Tulip Garden tour. As for Countryside tour that we missed, we had to pay rescheduling charges but we got it rescheduled to next day morning.
Day 8 - Last Half day at Amsterdam. We took the countryside tour (which we missed yesterday) which took us to Windmills, Marken and Volendam. Windmills were anyway seen the previous day. At Marken, we visited a Clog (wooden shoes) factory. It was a good experience seeing the wooden shoes being made. From Marken, we took a boat to Volendam, a traditional village with many Dutch restaurants and Cheese outlets (where they show you the steps of Cheesemaking). Both the activities, a visit to the cheese factory and also lunch at a traditional restaurant were good.
On return, we picked up our luggage and went to Amsterdam Centraal (central) station for our train to Cologne.
The first part of the trip summary stops here. It is just a "curtain raiser". Day wise trip blogs with many more photographs and information are to follow. The balance summary of the trip is also in the making and appear as the next two parts. Do watch this space.
nice writeup and photographs
ReplyDeleteVery good.. nice pics and commentory
ReplyDeleteNicely written, good pictures and informative.
ReplyDeleteIs it easy to travel within cities using public transport...?
It is extremely easy and whole of Europe has very good public transport. In fact soon a blog post on public transport would be posted
DeleteFantastic sir, will catch up for detailed information.
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog and Get the best deals https://vimianostravel.com/world-tours/europe-tour-packages/
ReplyDelete