Now that I am home from my European adventures in one piece, it is time to blog!
We invaded 3 places on our own in Europe: Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam, in that order.
We were warned by a friendly passenger not to expect immigration to be anything like Changi and he was right. It was at least more than two hours after landing before we managed to get out of the airport. And it was raining by the time we got into the city. Didnt really have a good impression of the city: the trains and stations smell funny and its crowded everywhere (wikipedia says 45 million visit Paris every year). The buildings look mostly old. Great for tourists like us who love to take photos of everything, but I cant imagine living in them. And the buildings are all of the same colour too. The view from the Arc de Triumphe is good enough for a view of the city, since Paris has a height restriction on its buildings. Going up was definitely the highlight of the Paris leg because I could finally breathe comfortably while standing above the hustle and bustle of the city below. A highly recommended, less crowded alternative to the Eiffel Tower which was flooded with long queues and guys selling cheap metal miniature eiffel towers! The metro system looked really impressive on the map because though complicated, it was extensive enough to get you to almost anywhere in the city. The only problem was that the tunnels leading to the platforms were like a maze and changing trains involved walking up and down flights of stairs! The Louvre was crowded and the guidebook predicted spending 30 years if you spent 30 secs on each exhibit. So we did our strategic planning and targeted the highlights. Below the famous inverted triangle lies the entrance lobby, as well as the Apple and Virgin stores, among others. Anyone searching for Dan Brown's holy grail will be sorely disappointed! The Mona Lisa painting was undoubtedly a major attraction. Measuring 77cm by 53cm, it looked really small against the big wall it was hung on. And the horde of tourists jostling in front of it as well as a platoon of guards to make sure everybody stood way back. Versailles was also another tourist hotspot, although there was nothing very impressive about the palace to be honest. The Montmarte district of Paris was certainly worth the visit though. The steep stairs and warnings of pickpockets aside, it was a charming little section of Paris. Some parts were crowded but other were not.
We left the ancient looking train station in Paris and arrived at the modern looking station in Berlin. In some sense, the bombings of World War II that obliterated the city did some good for it ensured that Berlin didnt end up looking like a giant museum exhibit. It had a handful of old architecture, but there were also a good number of modern-looking buidlings as well. Less crowded than Paris, the people were friendlier too. The heat wave followed us into Berlin and it was hot everyday. It was world cup fever in the city, and though tragically brought to an end, they secured 3rd place on the day we left. We did day trips out to Potsdam and the concentration camp. The berlin train system was excellent. It was never crowded, easy to use and didnt have any strange smells. Again, sometimes war and destruction gives you the opportunity to re-build and get some things done properly again. Like the Reichstag buidling (their parliament house) for example. I quite liked its concept of bringing you all the way to the top. It was practically in ruins post war, but they restored the outer walls and added in some modern looking architecture inside to create a great place to visit.
Amsterdam is aesthetically speaking, the most beautiful of the three cities. The canals and little roads give a feel different from other bustling cities. It was almost like a small quiet town in some parts. Even paved roads were rare, as most of it was red cobblestones with no clear boundary between pavement, road and tram tracks. The only problem was that we arrived on World Cup final day and so the city was flooded in orange. A reported 100,000 people squeezed into a square meant for 60,000 showed just how the city was bursting at its seams. People were walking everywhere, singing patriotic songs with a Dutch flag in one hand a bottle of beer in the other. At precisely 830pm, the streets became empty as everyone crowded into a bar or cafe. We ourselves stood outside a bar to watch the match and when the goal was scored late, late into the game, the whole city fell silent save for a couple of glasses that were smashed in shock/anger. The next day, the pretty city was covered in a mountain of trash from the night before. We were told there would not be a major clean up effort because the team would be coming back the next day and there would be another big party all over again. We were also told that many, er, "employees" of the infamous red-light district reported slow business the night before, many gave up and eventually went home. The red-light district had the effect of ensuring that it did not become a seedy part of the city. It is just a normal neighbourhood like anywhere else, and as our tour guide said, everybody just respects everybody else's space. People live upstairs and treat whatever that is going on downstairs the same way we treat our 7-11s below our void decks. We also did a cycling tour out of the city. It takes only 30 mins by bike for all signs of urbanization to disappear. Since Holland is practically flat, it was mostly an easy ride apart from the rain. The greenery everywhere was also a welcome change.
So when people ask me which of the 3 I like the most, it would have to come down to Amsterdam and Berlin. I cant really decide between the two. Transport-wise, Berlin would be the hands-down winner. But in terms of something different from Singapore, Amsterdam would take it. Also in its favour is the fact that most Dutch speak excellent English. However, I dont recall Berlin being very crowded when we were there, which suits me fine. So I cant decide!
We invaded 3 places on our own in Europe: Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam, in that order.
We were warned by a friendly passenger not to expect immigration to be anything like Changi and he was right. It was at least more than two hours after landing before we managed to get out of the airport. And it was raining by the time we got into the city. Didnt really have a good impression of the city: the trains and stations smell funny and its crowded everywhere (wikipedia says 45 million visit Paris every year). The buildings look mostly old. Great for tourists like us who love to take photos of everything, but I cant imagine living in them. And the buildings are all of the same colour too. The view from the Arc de Triumphe is good enough for a view of the city, since Paris has a height restriction on its buildings. Going up was definitely the highlight of the Paris leg because I could finally breathe comfortably while standing above the hustle and bustle of the city below. A highly recommended, less crowded alternative to the Eiffel Tower which was flooded with long queues and guys selling cheap metal miniature eiffel towers! The metro system looked really impressive on the map because though complicated, it was extensive enough to get you to almost anywhere in the city. The only problem was that the tunnels leading to the platforms were like a maze and changing trains involved walking up and down flights of stairs! The Louvre was crowded and the guidebook predicted spending 30 years if you spent 30 secs on each exhibit. So we did our strategic planning and targeted the highlights. Below the famous inverted triangle lies the entrance lobby, as well as the Apple and Virgin stores, among others. Anyone searching for Dan Brown's holy grail will be sorely disappointed! The Mona Lisa painting was undoubtedly a major attraction. Measuring 77cm by 53cm, it looked really small against the big wall it was hung on. And the horde of tourists jostling in front of it as well as a platoon of guards to make sure everybody stood way back. Versailles was also another tourist hotspot, although there was nothing very impressive about the palace to be honest. The Montmarte district of Paris was certainly worth the visit though. The steep stairs and warnings of pickpockets aside, it was a charming little section of Paris. Some parts were crowded but other were not.
We left the ancient looking train station in Paris and arrived at the modern looking station in Berlin. In some sense, the bombings of World War II that obliterated the city did some good for it ensured that Berlin didnt end up looking like a giant museum exhibit. It had a handful of old architecture, but there were also a good number of modern-looking buidlings as well. Less crowded than Paris, the people were friendlier too. The heat wave followed us into Berlin and it was hot everyday. It was world cup fever in the city, and though tragically brought to an end, they secured 3rd place on the day we left. We did day trips out to Potsdam and the concentration camp. The berlin train system was excellent. It was never crowded, easy to use and didnt have any strange smells. Again, sometimes war and destruction gives you the opportunity to re-build and get some things done properly again. Like the Reichstag buidling (their parliament house) for example. I quite liked its concept of bringing you all the way to the top. It was practically in ruins post war, but they restored the outer walls and added in some modern looking architecture inside to create a great place to visit.
Amsterdam is aesthetically speaking, the most beautiful of the three cities. The canals and little roads give a feel different from other bustling cities. It was almost like a small quiet town in some parts. Even paved roads were rare, as most of it was red cobblestones with no clear boundary between pavement, road and tram tracks. The only problem was that we arrived on World Cup final day and so the city was flooded in orange. A reported 100,000 people squeezed into a square meant for 60,000 showed just how the city was bursting at its seams. People were walking everywhere, singing patriotic songs with a Dutch flag in one hand a bottle of beer in the other. At precisely 830pm, the streets became empty as everyone crowded into a bar or cafe. We ourselves stood outside a bar to watch the match and when the goal was scored late, late into the game, the whole city fell silent save for a couple of glasses that were smashed in shock/anger. The next day, the pretty city was covered in a mountain of trash from the night before. We were told there would not be a major clean up effort because the team would be coming back the next day and there would be another big party all over again. We were also told that many, er, "employees" of the infamous red-light district reported slow business the night before, many gave up and eventually went home. The red-light district had the effect of ensuring that it did not become a seedy part of the city. It is just a normal neighbourhood like anywhere else, and as our tour guide said, everybody just respects everybody else's space. People live upstairs and treat whatever that is going on downstairs the same way we treat our 7-11s below our void decks. We also did a cycling tour out of the city. It takes only 30 mins by bike for all signs of urbanization to disappear. Since Holland is practically flat, it was mostly an easy ride apart from the rain. The greenery everywhere was also a welcome change.
So when people ask me which of the 3 I like the most, it would have to come down to Amsterdam and Berlin. I cant really decide between the two. Transport-wise, Berlin would be the hands-down winner. But in terms of something different from Singapore, Amsterdam would take it. Also in its favour is the fact that most Dutch speak excellent English. However, I dont recall Berlin being very crowded when we were there, which suits me fine. So I cant decide!
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