The Paris blog is done in 3 parts which I post weekly.
Eiffel Tower
Some say Paris is The City of Love. Others call it The City of Light. Paris is a lot of things to a lot of people. It’s also the biggest tourist destination in the world. Almost eighty million people arrived in France in 2011. Most of them in Paris. see more here We went in low season and there were more tourists in Paris than I have ever seen anywhere before. High season must be dreadful in Paris.
Arc de Triomphe
Paris skyline from Eiffel Tower
The French have a reputation for being rude so why would people flock there? Paris is steeped in romance and history which is evident in their architecture. The French make sure they enjoy the best food, clothing and life style. They resonate pure class. I don’t actually think the French are rude at all. I think it’s the visitors who are rude. Imagine a Russian arriving in China and insisting on speaking Russian? It wouldn’t happen. Yet people from English speaking countries rock up in France and make no effort to speak French or even ask if it is OK to speak English. I’m with the French on this one.
Sacre Coer
We first did a – Michel Thomas – basic French speaking course and found that if we tried to speak French first, the French people almost always spoke perfect English back to us.The Michel Thomas course was our second attempt at learning French. We did a proper course at a language school and after weeks we still couldn’t speak French. They focused too much on grammar and tenses and we never got to learn how to actually speak. Michel Thomas takes phrases and gets you to very basic French fast. Which is all you need.
The other thing we found helpful in understanding the French were Stephen Clarke’s books. They are written from the perspective of a Brit, but with a brilliant sense of humour. read about him here
There is so much to see in Paris. We stayed a week and we still never got to see all we hoped. Our plan was to take a tourist map and divide the city into parts which we walked each day making sure we included the main attractions.
It is possible to hire a bicycle and ride around Paris. What is handy as you can drop the bike off at bike stands they have all over the city. Read more about that – here. All the key attractions – except Versailles – are in the city. Paris is not an inexpensive destination but it is possible to cut costs. We discovered that on certain days, some major attractions are free.
Only thing with main attractions – free or not – you queue for hours to get in. An early start is vital. We got into the Musee d’Orsay for free but sharing space with thousands of people is no fun at all. Seriously, it can take nearly all day to get to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, coz everybody is doing the exact same thing.
George Pompidou
You have to really badly want to see something and then you need to know that you are seeing it at the expense of having time to explore other aspects of the city.
Next week in – Part 2 – I deal with must-sees and getting to and from airport and in a fortnight in – Part 3 – I talk on eating and my recommendations for things to do in Paris.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
Most countries are blob shaped. Croatia is completely different. It has a long narrow strip of coast and then it takes a right turn and has another long thin piece of inland country. Which gives it a sort of upside down tick or crescent moon shape. This means that Croatia has two distinct types of vegetation and climate. Inland the weather is continental. There are lakes, bird filled wetlands and even ski resorts. The coastal area is decidedly Mediterranean and perfect for boating, water sports and working on your tan. Even the cuisine is different. Inland you can expect meaty stews and comfort food. At the coast it’s more like to be seafood, pasta and salad on the menu.
Steep steps to our accommodation in Dubrovnik
Croatia’s history is extremely important in order to get the people. It was previously part of communist Yugoslavia under Marshal Tito, who was a firm dictator. Croatia’s path to independence began in 1991 and culminated in a war that ended in 1995. Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia are Croatia’s neighbours on the coastal side. One of the worst wars in human history happened there. It’s fair to say, people in this part of the world have had their share of hardships. And you can see it in the people. Croatians are not rude but they are reserved and disinclined to engage. English is not widely spoken, certainly not in the smaller places and not by older people. One gets the feeling that this is a country finding it’s feet after years of communist isolation and harrowing wars.
Greenie in doorway to our accommodation in Dubrovnik
The influx of tourists is still relatively recent. We did this trip in 2006 and found Croatia mostly unspoilt, unlike the Portuguese and Spanish coasts where ghastly high-rise concrete developments extend as far as the eye can see. Croatia is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places on earth. Many of their old medieval cities are still relatively intact and are UNESCO world heritage sites. We never got to travel inland as we did a boating holiday. The Croatian coast is absolutely stunning. Beautiful blue seas, clear skies and a warm – but not hot – climate.
The capital of Croatia is Zagreb, which is inland. We flew directly into Dubrovnik which is probably their busiest tourist spot and one of their UNESCO heritage cities. It is a walled city and is an attraction all of it’s own. I recommend taking at least a day to walk around the walls, as well as in and about the cobbled alleys of the old town. Dubrovnik reminded me of Italy. Not surprising as Italy is just across the Adriatic Sea. There is a strong Roman influence. And the Romans are still coming. We noticed plenty Italian visitors who catch ferries across to Croatia.
Inside our accommodation in Dubrovnik
If you like historical architecture including squares, fortresses, palaces, monasteries, churches, synagogues and columns, then you will be in heaven. There is so much to see that I wouldn’t dare limit the must-sees. Here are a few recommendations from other on-line sites – meet Dubrovnik and Croatia travel blog.
Read – Part 2 – next week and the final – Part 3 – in a fortnight.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
I wasn’t actually going to write about this trip because it was such a blur. Our trip to Belgium was hectic but we did get to do a little sightseeing. However this trip, was on-the-go from start to finish. We never got to do any sightseeing. We traveled Holland from bottom to top, and from west to east. We even nipped into Germany via – Ihlow. Basically we saw Holland whizzing past from the windows of our hired car.
Ibis Schipol Amsterdam
The reason I decided to write this piece after all is because I have included our costs which might be helpful if someone is keen to explore The Netherlands by car.
Our reason for going across to Holland was to view boats as my husband wants to buy a Dutch motor cruiser.
There is a lot more to Holland than Amsterdam. Holland has quaint little villages that are steeped in antiquity, beaches and inland waterways. Driving is a perfect way to travel through these charming towns and locations. I can’t even start with what goes on in each region so I will give you links to – wikitravel, lonely planet and Holland tourism to help you get a sense of what and where.
Europcar Schipol Amsterdam
Peugeot 107 Twingo
Holland’s border with Belgium is 450 kilometres long and the border with Germany is 577 kilometres long. It is possible to drive it in a day.
Holland is flat. Seriously properly flat. The only time there is any change is when you drive on a dyke and dykes are man-made. A lot of Holland is man-made. They filled up the marshes and promptly gave themselves more space to live. And that is something I really like about Dutch people. They make a plan. They are pioneering agriculture with massive green houses that can produce huge varieties of crops. My husband thinks they build the best boats. And when their country got too small, they simply made it bigger.
Another thing about Dutch people. They are down to earth, helpful and they all speak perfect English. Which makes it an easy country to visit. Lucky for me, coming from South Africa, I can speak Afrikaans which is a derivative of Dutch so I could understand menus and road signs.
Driving on the wrong side of the road
We arrived in Amsterdam late afternoon. My husband booked our first night at the Ibis Schipol Hotel.
A free shuttle bus comes to
collect you so that was one less thing to worry about. It wasn’t the most attractive location but since we were up early the next day to collect our car back at Schipol airport, it made sense. It’s an enormous hotel. Plenty tour buses were parked outside.
We had supper that night at one of the in-house restaurants and it came to €46 incl. tip for two. We shared a bottle of wine and had a main course each. Ibis Hotel was €115 per night for two including breakfast. It was an OK semi-continental breakfast. They have vast self serve sections with the same food repeated at intervals.
Hotel ten Wolde
After breakfast we went back to Schipol Airport where we collected our car for the next three days from Europcar. It was a little Peugeot 107 Twingo and cost €70 for the three days. Insurance was an extra €10 per day. We could have hired a GPS for €12 per day.
My husband bought a GPS from Currys in the UK before we left. If you paying €12 per day and you are likely to use it again, it makes sense to rather invest in your own.
I have say that TOM TOM pronunciation of Dutch place names is atrocious. They Anglicised words so they sounded nothing like Dutch people say them. And then street names like Marie Curie and Marconi sounded nothing like they would in English. Go figure!
Small canal in Lochem
Lochem
We stopped at the petrol stations for a sandwich and a coffee in the day so we didn’t lose too much time.
Our next night was spent at a place called Huis ten Wolde. This turned out to be a spa and organic farm in a rural location near Steenwijk. The rooms were lovely and large with a huge big bed and views of the cows grazing outside. We had supper in-house in the library as they had an event on the go in the dining area. It was a lovely meal. We shared a bottle of wine and had a main course, one desert and a ‘koffee verkeerd’ or a caffe latte with their home grown milk. Our meal was €80 for two. The room was €120 per night for two including breakfast. Their morning buffet was classy with a selection of home grown dairy including their yummy yogurt.
Our car was set to a station called Radio Veronica by the car hire company. Radio Veronica play classic rock hits from the 70’s, 80’s 90’s and noughties. All the best classics from Queen to Guns and Roses. We loved it. So one more thing to like about the Dutch people. Great taste in music.
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to watch Highland Games. Scotland has many descendants living across the globe.
Making Arbroath smokies
Lassies being judged on their Highland Fling
Consider that 4.8 million Americans, 4.7 million Canadians, 800 000 people in England and even 250 000 people living in Russia consider themselves of Scottish heritage. And as many as 20% of all New Zealanders and Australians have links back to Scotland. Read more here.
There are Caledonian Societies and pipe bands all over the world keeping the traditions and customs of Scotland alive. Since I’m in Scotland for a while it made sense to go see what Scots get up to in their motherland. There are Highland games events all over Scotland – Highland Games. They have been happening for over 1000 years. Clan chiefs would rival each other with the fastest and strongest men. The dancers and pipers provided entertainment.
The most famous games are at Braemar, which Queen Elizabeth apparently always attends, and everyone flocks to see her – Queen Elizabeth and Braemar.
King Malcolm began the royal association with the games but Queen Victoria made them famous when she and Prince Albert first came to Balmoral in 1848 and started attending the games.
We went to our local Aberdeen Highland Games this last weekend Sunday 17th June 2012. The UK has had a cool wet summer so far this year. However as Scotland located in the north it’s almost always cooler than it is in the in the south. Add to that a fog that builds up at sea in the north east of Scotland called – “The Haar”. This means Aberdeen has it’s very own micro climate. What I’m saying is – this is one time you should wear a raincoat and Wellington boots.
Hammer throwers
So what happens? We arrived at Hazelhead Park and paid £6 each to go in. We were given a program with the events of the day which included bagpipe music events for various age groups, Highland Fling dancing for various age groups and athletic activities. Heavy athletics include events like stone throwing, hammer throwing and caber tossing. Light athletics are 100m, high jump and that sort of thing. And of course the tug o’war.
Tossing the caber
We went walk-about first. They had an amusement fair as well as various stalls selling food and crafts. We had been to the Outsider Music Festival some years ago and had an idea of what Scottish food stalls have on offer at public events. Sadly hot oats with cream and berries was not available nor were Stovies, not that a vegetarian like myself can eat Stovies, but it is nice when local food is on offer. What they did have were – Arbroath smokies – which are local smoked fish.
My husband decided to try a steak roll with Aberdeen Angus steak. We approached the vendor but no – the signage was designed to fool us – they didn’t actually sell – Aberdeen Angus. So we ended up having hot chips and a cup of tea.
Part 2 and the final of this piece is out next week – on this link.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
This is Part 1 of a 4 part series. Links to the other posts are at the bottom of the page.
Union Street
I recently had a Swedish friend over to visit in Scotland. Aberdeen has (sort of) become my second home so I don’t always view the city as a visitor anymore. It was lovely to have a chance to explore this part of the world again. We only had 4 days, not a lot of time.
Market Street
I decided that we would do a walking tour of Aberdeen the first half day. We stopped in at the Tourism office in Union Street and they kindly printed out a walking tour for us. Just a note here. The Tourism office is not open all day, every day. They open later than most of the other shops in the area, they close for lunch, half-days on Saturdays, and closed on Sundays. Also there is one, maybe two people at most to help. Aberdeen is clearly not a massive tourist destination.
Union Terrace Gardens
The tour starts at Castlegate, which is the furtherest end of Union Street – not too far from the Tourism office. The walk weaves around Union Street taking in historic buildings, statues and examples of Aberdeen architecture. The printed brochure includes a map and interesting information. For more on what to do in Aberdeen read – here.
Aberdeen is known as either the Silver City or the Granite City due to the silver granite buildings that comprise most of the city. It’s the third biggest city in Scotland and is a major fishing harbour. However fishing is small fry compared to the oil industry. Aberdeen is the oil capital of all Europe.
Union Square
The walk takes around an hour and a half, depending on how long you make it. If you have time in hand, and want to include a bit of shopping, or people watching, the two main shopping malls are Union Square and the combo of St Nicholas and Bon Accord Centre, which are right next to each other.
You’ll find Union Square by going down Market Street off Union Street. Head down towards the harbour and then right into Guild Street. The other two shopping centres are behind where Market Street meets Union Street.
St Nicholas Kirk
As a greenie I love the plethora of UK charity shops which usually stock exceptionally good quality used clothing. I’ve bought an almost new Marks and Spencer leather jacket for £6. (Do vegetarians wear leather? I wear recycled leather clothes but not new. Read – this – for an interesting take.) Look out for charity shops along Union Street.
There are more of them further along Union Street and up Chapel Street. My favorite area in all Aberdeen is The Spital where Old Aberdeen is. Read about it – here.
I don’t eat out much in the UK. I find restaurants very expensive and the food is not great. Service is, sorry to say this, OK. My view is tainted by the fact that I’m vegetarian. Very rarely on my travels anywhere have I found a good vegetarian meal and most Western European places are reluctant to modify a meal to accommodate me.
Charity shops
I prefer to buy a yummy take-out and eat next to a river, in a park, on a beach or even relaxing in a hotel room. No fighting, no stress and no disappointing end to an evening.
Supermarket food is brilliant and service is usually excellent.
In Part 2 – here – I talk about where to find food. Part 3 – here – deals with road trips via the coast, stone circles, the Cairgorms National Park and the Royal Deeside area. In Part 4 – here – I talk about Edinburgh.
This was a whistle stop trip as we only had two nights and three days in Belgium. The point of the visit to Belgium was essentially for my husband to look at boats. Fortunately Belgium is a small country making it possible to squeeze in a fair amount of sightseeing around the boat viewing. It’s the ideal place for a long weekend or city break.
The Eurostar
We arrived at London Heathrow early Friday morning and took the tube to St Pancras Station. That cost around £5. From there we took the Eurostar, which traveled south through the UK, into the underground tunnel, back up and on to Lille in France, ending up in Brussels. The train takes 2 hours from London to Brussels and cost £69 each. There is a one hour time difference between the UK and Belgium so bear that in mind if you make any travel connections.
Ibis Ste Catherine
Turns out the Eurostar is a great way to get around much of Europe. There are trains to Holland, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium. See more here – Eurostar.
Tin Tin fresco
The Belgian weather is a lot like Holland and Britain. It’s a sequence – the sun comes out and then it rains – all day long. We arrived at Gare du Midi/Zuid Station to a chilly, drizzly Brussels. We usually stay at Ibis Hotels since we always look for bargains. The cheapest Ibis was Centre Ste Catherine which was in the heart of the city. It wasn’t the most upmarket area but their rooms were of the same standard we have come to expect from Ibis Hotels. Affordable, comfortable, clean and decidedly compact. Most services are usually extra at Ibis, however in this particular Ibis, wi-fi was free.
Ibis do a buffet style breakfast, for a fee, with emphasis on local cuisine. We always eat breakfast out.
One reason is because we usually find cheaper food elsewhere and the second reason is that it gives us a chance to explore the place we are visiting.
Breakfast on our first day wasn’t great. We were in a helluva hurry and ate at McDonald’s. No need to explain. But on the second day we found a gorgeous place where they served pastries and quiches with coffee.
Waffles and ice cream vendor
Art at one of the underground stations
There were plenty fancy restaurants in and around the Grand Place/Grote Markt which was walking distance from our hotel. Since I don’t eat meat and Belgian food is similar to French fare, we opted to eat at the one of the Mediterranean places that we found. They are cheaper and healthier with lots of fresh salads. But not before we tried a Belgian beer, or two, in a pub. And we ate Belgian chocolate. After all that is what Belgium is famous for. Be warned. Belgian beers are surprisingly tasty and some of them pack a punch. The chocolate is divine. You can buy assorted individual hand-made chocolates and we tried loads of different ones. Good thing we only had a few days in Belgium.
Read Part 2 of our Belgium city break – here – or go back to the – Travel Archive – page to read about other destinations.
Go to – My Holidays and Trips – at the top of this page to read about other places we have visited. Or just click on – this link.
