Day 1 in Berlin, Curry Sausage & the Berlin Wall 4/12/2013

I left Amsterdam on the 7:00 am train to Berlin, a six hour train ride.  I woke up around 5:00 am to be sure I had time to be sure I had packed everything and make it to Amsterdam's Central rail station on time.  I checked out of the hostel and went to the Tram Station, a short walk down the street.  The tram arrived a few minutes after 6 am and the woman collecting fares did not charge me for the ride, my second free tram ride in Amsterdam.  I have met some of the nicest, kindest people in Amsterdam during my Europe trip.

I got to the train station around 6:20 am, my train to Berlin was not yet listed on the board. I went to get a croissant from a shop open at the station, I sat in the shop and read my Kindle, planning what I would do in Berlin.  I went out to check the board to see which track the train for Berlin would depart from, I found it & went up and waited.  The train arrived on time, I asked the conductor which car my ticket was for, I have gotten in the wrong car before, it is easier to ask the conductor, instead of finding out later.

The German train had one first class car, divided into sections which seated 6 passengers.  I found my seat among a group of 4 Germans who appeared to be close friends, the rest of the compartments were either empty or had one person, I decided to move compartments.  The group of Germans I was initially seated with were nice, but it was early, I wanted my own compartment to sleep.   My compartment began to fill up as the train made more and more stops on its way to Berlin.

The train ride was uneventful,  I talked to an older German couple who boarded the train in the middle of the trip to Berlin.  There was a language barrier but we were able to communicate, they told me about their daughter who has lived in Berlin for 20 years, the husband told me when we entered what was once East Germany.  He emphasized it has been over twenty years since Germany reunified.  I told the Germans about my trip, where I planned to go, the husband said I am a strong, courageous woman traveling all these places alone.  He also advised me to be careful in Budapest, Hungary, there is racial discrimination against people who look like me, my color, the German man said.  This is a rough interpretation, there was a language barrier, but we were able to communicate.

Me on Train to Berlin 

I arrived at Berlin Hauptbahnhof Station a little after 1 pm this afternoon, Berlin's central train station is huge, I followed the signs for exit and went to the information booth to ask where I could catch bus #142, the bus to my hostel.  I debated buying something to eat at the Berlin station, there were many choices, many American, including Vapiano.  I have not eaten at Vapiano since I left DC, I was tempted but decided to find my hostel, get checked in, and eat later.  I went to the tourist office near the exit where my bus stop was located and bought a Berlin Museum Pass for 19 Euro, hopefully I will get my moneys worth out of it.  There are a ton of museums in Berlin, I am not sure how many I will see in the three days I am here.

Me at Berlin's Central Train Station 

I got on the bus to my hostel, I had no problems finding it, I followed a couple of backpackers who I knew were headed there, we got off at the same bus stop.  The hostel is nice, I would say the nicest hostel I have stayed in yet, it is almost on the level of a hotel.  I checked into my room, none of my roommates had arrived, last time I checked I still did not have anyone in my room, will I get a private room for the price of a dorm tonight, we will see. 

I went down to the lobby to use the WIFI, then an American I met in Amsterdam walked in, saw me and we decided to go get German sausages for lunch.  Always nice to see a familiar face in a new country, someone to get lost with, a temporary travel companion.  I don't mind exploring alone either, Berlin is a huge city, so nice to have others to read the map and find destinations with. 

We got a recommendation from the hostel staff for a place to get good sausages and set out to find the place, we were both starving after our six our journeys to Berlin from Amsterdam.  The sausage place was located at a subway station, there was a crowd, we knew we had found the right place.  I ordered the curry sausages with fries, I got the large menu for 5.40 Euros, it ended up being too much sausage for me, they were delicious but I did not eat them all. 

German sausage stand recommended by Hostel Staff

It was still early, we looked at the map and decided to go to the Berlin Wall or what is left of it.  I believe in maximizing time on my short stays in the countries I am visiting across Europe, the sun was still out and the weather was warm, a walk to see where the Berlin Wall once stood sounded like a good idea to me.  We started walking towards the Berlin Wall, it was not as close as we thought, the map we had was deceptive.  The distance from the sausage stand to the Berlin Wall look close on the map, in reality it was a longer walk, maybe a mile and a half or two miles, I am not sure.  

When we neared the location of the Berlin wall, we noticed people looking at exhibits, there were signs in German without any English translation.  There was an enclosed area with three bells, we never figured out what these were were, there was no English translation.  We finally found the area where the Berlin Wall once stood, it is always powerful for me to see these historic places in person, my reaction, wow, this used to be East and West Germany, people died trying to escape the East, families were divided by the Berlin Wall.  

Memorial with Pictures of People Who Died trying to Cross the Berlin Wall 

We walked further, there were portions of the wall left still standing, there was a watchtower, across the street was a museum. We went to the park, I looked at the memorial with pictures of those who died trying to escape East Germany, people had left candles and other mementos.  I stood where the wall dividing East and West Berlin had been, one foot in the East and one foot in the West, not long ago the Berlin wall stood there.

Me crossing from East to West Berlin Where the Berlin Wall once Stood

We headed back to the hostel after visiting area where the Berlin Wall stood.  I spent the evening hanging out in the lobby using the WIFI & later moved up to the bar area to hang out.  Tomorrow, a full day of exploring Berlin.

Berlin Day 1 Photo Album:

Day 3 in Amsterdam, Museums 4/11/2013

I missed breakfast in the hostel again this morning, I am always awake early enough to make it to breakfast. I  simply prefer to stay in bed, usually reading my travel guides on my Kindle, to getting up for breakfast in the hostel's cafeteria.

My plan for today was to explore some of Amsterdam's museums and go on a canal cruise.  Amsterdam has more canals than Venice, I wanted to see Amsterdam from this perspective. I originally planned to go to the Van Gogh Museum Rijksmuseum. Someone told me yesterday the Van Gogh Museum was closed for renovations and the exhibit was relocated to another museum. I checked on the internet, the Van Gogh Museum was temporarily moved to the Hermitage Museum. When I looked up the Rijksmuseum, I learned it  would be closed until April 13, 2013, I was two days too early.

 I went to the front desk at my hostel to ask how to get to the Hermitage Museum, the woman asked if I wanted to go to the Van Gogh Museum, I say yes, but I heard it was moved to the Hermitage.  The woman said it was, but told me I could buy a discount ticket through the hostel and bypass the lines at the museum.  I looked at the other museums the hostel offered discounted tickets to, I noticed the Jewish History Museum and decided I would go there too.  I also bought a ticket for the Blue Boat Amsterdam canal cruise.

The woman at the hostel front desk marked the locations of the Hermitage Museum and Jewish History Museum on the map, and told me I had a long day ahead of me.  I agreed with her, I had a lot to see today, I went back to my room, got my jacket and umbrella and set out for my Amsterdam museum day.

It was rainy and cold today, my map was already damp by the time I made it to the main road.  The route to the Hermitage Museum was straightforward and I had no problems following the may to get there. I passed the closed the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museums on my way to the Hermitage. I also passed the Heineken Experience, most people I met had plans to go there.  I am not a beer drinker, have no interest in Heineken, was not going to waste my time or money touring Heineken's brewery.  I did take a few pictures on my way to the Hermitage, including in front of the Heineken Experience.

There was a line when I finally reached the Hermitage Museum, I was happy I had bought my ticket at the hostel, I skipped it and went directly into the museum.  The Van Gogh exhibit was full of people, but I had no problems seeing all of the paintings, drawings, etc. on display.  I watched the museum's movie on Van Gogh's life, it discussed his psychotic breaks, hospitalization, once voluntary for a year, the works he did while hospitalized and his death.  I went through the entire exhibit then I went to look for the Jewish History Museum.

I had no problems finding the Hermitage Museum, I got lost looking for the Jewish History Museum. On the map, the Jewish History Museum was located only a short distance from the hermitage, the proximity did not help me find the museum.  I passed a street where I thought the museum may be located and kept walking, past Amsterdam's opera house, I looked at my map.  I knew I was in the wrong location, I back tracked.  Finally, I asked a man for directions, he looked at my map and pointed me in the right direction.  The Jewish History Museum was on the street I had passed earlier.  Once I found the museum, I went to get lunch, Amsterdam Croquettes.

I went back to the museum and the woman told me my ticket came with a ticket the see the Portuguese Synagogue. The woman asked how long I would be in Amsterdam, I told her I was leaving tomorrow morning, she recommended I go see the Portuguese Synagogue before touring the Jewish History Museum.  I walked across the street and viewed the Portuguese Synagogue.

I went back to the Jewish History Museum, the museum tour started in the Great Synagogue. The museum covered the history of Jews in Amsterdam and the Netherlands through the present day. The exhibit began with explanations of why Jews moved to the Netherlands, fleeing persecution in other countries. The exhibits discussed Amsterdam's occupation by the Nazis, Jews being deported during WWII, how the Jewish population was decimated, etc.  The exhibits also discussed the discrimination and indifference surviving Jews faced who returned to Amsterdam after WWII, many emigrated to Israel, the US, Canada and other countries, they no longer felt safe in Amsterdam. There was also an exhibit on Jewish food, the last exhibit I saw in the museum. 

I left the Jewish History Museum about 20 minutes before 5 pm and headed for the canal cruise pick up location near my hostel.  The canal cruise began at 6pm and took us all around Amsterdam, there was some recorded narrative in English and other languages about the history of Amsterdam and some of the buildings we passed. The cruise lasted 75 minutes.

After the cruise I went to get something for dinner, I ended up at Wok to Walk, an Asian stir-fry restaurant not far from my hostel. This was the healthiest meal I have had since I arrived in Europe, I ordered the brown rice, it came with vegetables and I chose beef for my meat.  The restaurant was crowded, I got my food to go and ate in the common area at my hostel.  The meal was delicious and I am sure my body was happy to get some much needed nutrients and fiber.  

I will spend the rest of the evening packing, tomorrow I take an early morning train to Berlin. 

Amsterdam Day 3 Photo Album 

Day 2 in Amsterdam, Walking Tours & the Anne Frank House 4/10/2013

I'm still waking up early, opposite from my sleeping late habit in the US. I think it is the jet lag, although I am slowly getting over it, no more afternoon naps the past couple of days.  I read my kindle and talked to the person in the bunk next to me when I woke up this morning, she is from Holland and left this morning, she gave me some ideas of things to do in Amsterdam.

I had already somewhat planned my day, I knew I would attend a free walking tour of Amsterdam in the morning.  I was a little leery about the free walking tours because of my experience in Brussels, however today's tour was different, our guide was knowledgeable about Amsterdam's history and Amsterdam's culture today, the tour was fun, informative and I met a few people too.

Sandeman's New Amsterdam organized the tour, a tour guide stopped by my hostel around 10:30 am and asked if anyone was interested in the free walking tour, I was the only one who said yes.  We waited a few minutes to see if anyone else showed up, when nobody did we left the hostel and walked towards the city center to Dam's Square, Amsterdam's National Monument was the meeting point for the tour.  My tour guide told me about her background, she's an Amsterdam native, spent 4 years living in York England, she enjoyed England but was happy to return to her hometown.  She missed the diversity of Amsterdam while living in England.  We talked about the US and my trip through Europe too.

Me at Amsterdam's National Monument in Dam Square

There was a large group gathered at Dam's Square when we arrived. The tour guide who met me said there are usually more people, however the cold weather and today being the middle of the week, likely explained the smaller crowd.  There were several guides for the tour, I ended up with a Canadian tour guide once we were split into groups.  I wandered off to look for a snack while they were organizing the groups, when I came back I did not see the tour guide I met at the hostel so I joined another group. I did not get my snack either, not enough time to get one before the tour began, I should have gotten up in time for the free breakfast at my hostel, maybe tomorrow.

The tour took us all over Amsterdam, I will not recount every detail.  We visited Amsterdam's University which used to be the VOC, Dutch East Indian Trading Company. We walked through Amsterdam's Red Light District, we saw the prostitutes scantily clad, standing in the windows, advertising their services. Our tour guide spent a lot of time talking about Amsterdam during the first and second World Wars.  Amsterdam supplied arms to both sides during WWI and expected to do the same during WWII, but when Amsterdam was occupied by Nazi Germany, their plans ended.

Our tour guide discussed the discrimination Jews faced in Amsterdam, we saw the area where Rembrandt lived, that became the Jewish ghetto during WWII.  The tour guide explained role Amsterdam residents played in turning over Jews in Amsterdam to the Nazis during WWII, she said it is estimated the Nazis would have only discovered 10% of the Jews in Amsterdam, if the residents had not cooperated with the SS & turned in their Jewish neighbors, etc. Our tour guide said Amsterdam is ashamed of the role it played during WWII, aiding the Nazis in locating Amsterdam's Jewish residents.  A lot of the tour focused on Amsterdam while occupied by the Nazis and our tour ended near the Anne Frank house.

After the tour ended, we went to a Dutch restaurant for a traditional meal, Stamppot. The meal was delicious and filling, I went with our tour guide's recommendation and ordered the Stamppot with a meatball, the other choice was with sausage.  We also stopped at FEBO, a dutch fast food restaurant during the tour, I got a croquette for a snack.  This is the most local food I have eaten since my Europe tour began.

Me & Tour Group at Traditional Dutch Restaurant

After lunch I went to the Anne Frank house with a couple of people from the group, two of the people did not want to wait in the line and planned to return tomorrow.  Me and a guy from San Francisco stayed, I figured my time in Amsterdam is limited and I was already there, I would wait in the line.  We met a woman from Florida in line, I talked to them about how I ended up touring Europe, my experience at CIA, etc.  The line moved pretty quickly, it took about half an hour for us to get into the Anne Frank museum.  I went to Anne Frank's House when I was in Junior High School, I wanted to see it again as an adult.  The Anne Frank museum was a moving experience, an important reminder of the evil humans are capable of doing to each other.  

Me at Anne Frank's House

After Anne Frank's house I walked back towards central Amsterdam to find a place to hangout until the Red Light District Exposed Tour began.  Sandemans New Amsterdam charges for the Red Light District exposed tour, I wanted to go on it, learn about the history of Amsterdam's Red Light District and legalized prostitution, etc. I found a cafe with free WIFI, ordered Mint Tea and waited about an hour until the tour began. 

I returned to Dam Central, the National Monument was the meeting point for the Amsterdam Red Light District Exposed Tour.  I was about 3 minutes late, I looked around and did not see any tour guides or anyone waiting for the tour, I got out my map with information about the tour.  The pamphlet gave instructions to meet across the street in front of the Dam Souvenir shop if you were running late, I found the group there, collecting tickets, people buying tickets.  There were two groups, an English and a Spanish tour.  

The Red Light District Exposed Tour was good, I learned a lot about Amsterdam's sex industry and the liberal attitude the Dutch take towards these matters.  Amsterdam's red light district is unlike any place I have ever been, legalized prostitution, prostitutes standing in windows advertising their services.  Our tour guide showed us the day care the prostitutes children go to and explained a lot of wealthy families live in the neighborhood too.  She said residents explain to their children at an early age about prostitution, young children are told the women in the neighborhood sell their kisses.  

The Red Light District Exposed Tour ended at a bar, we were given discount tickets for drinks at the bar, I gave mine away.  I had a full day and was ready to head back to the hostel, I walked four minutes to Amsterdam Centraal Station and found the Tram back to my hostel.  The woman who collects fees for tickets was kind and let me ride for free. i stopped at a Dutch fast food restaurant on my way back to the hostel and bought a croquet and fries for dinner.  I ate my dinner and watched the soccer game on TV, I have no idea who was playing and I could not understand the commentary.  

I hung out in the common area of the hostel the rest of the night, I am still down here, there is no WIFI in our rooms.  Going to head upstairs and get ready for bed, I will probably explore a couple of Amsterdam's Museums tomorrow and maybe do some laundry. 

Amsterdam Day 2 Photo Album

Travel Day: Left Brussels & Arrived in Amsterdam 4/9/2013

Today was a slow day, I was up late last night talking to my hostel mates, I did not mind taking it easy today.      I only slept a few hours last night and had to check out of my Brussels hostel by 11 am.  I was going to walk around Brussels with one of my hostel mates who had a late departure time for a flight to Turkey, but when we got outside it was raining, dreary, weather, not a walk around town type of day.  I had already seen all the major tourist attractions in Brussels and decided to get my luggage and head to the train station early. Brussels train station was cold, may have been a better idea to hang out at the hostel and wait for my train.  I found a relatively warm, enclosed area at Brussels Midi station and read my Europe guidebooks on my Kindle while I waited for the train to Amsterdam.

I have an uneventful train ride in second class to Amsterdam.  Normally I would travel first class with Eurail but there were no seats Eurail seats left on the Amsterdam train, I made my reservations too late.  I had to pay 79 Euro and sit in second class, the rest of my train tickets around Europe were 3 euro or less, the 3 euro is a service fee charged by some train lines.  We arrived in Amsterdam around 5:45 pm, I got off the train and looked for an information booth to get directions to my hostel.  There was nobody working the information booth, I had rough instructions from an email the hostel sent and I went outside and looked for the tram I needed to take to get to the hostel.  I asked a couple of people and they told me the Trams I could take to get to the station near my hostel.

I arrived at the station and eventually found my way to the hostel, I asked a couple of people for directions along the way.  Everyone was friendly and they all spoke English, was nice after struggling to communicate with French speakers for the past several days.  I checked in at the hostel, very different from the other hostels I have stayed in, reminds me of a big college dorm, there are people of all ages here, I even saw a kid with his mother.  There were a few people sleeping in my room when I arrived, other that them it was quiet, everyone was out exploring Amsterdam.

I saw a flier for a tour of Amsterdam's red light district, it begins at 7pm daily, but it was already 6:58 pm, too late for me to make it today.  I considered on going on a 90 minute canal cruise, I decided against that and just went out to find something for dinner.  I ended up getting a hamburger and fries from a small shop attached to a Chinese restaurant.  I saw a flier on the door of the hamburger shop, from what I could understand, it said this shop had the best hamburger in Amsterdam, I must say it was a good hamburger, the fries, served with mayonnaise were good too.  I took a few pictures while I was out, then headed back to the hostel for a low key evening.

First Day in Amsterdam Photo Album

First Day in Brussels, Last Day in Paris 4/9/2013

I checked out of my hotel in Paris this morning and headed to Gare du Nord Station to catch my 9:22 am train to Brussels.  When I got to Gare du Nord it took me awhile to find the terminal for international train departures, I guessed the meanings of the signs and found my way to the proper area.  I bought a croissant and raisin pastry and waited for the announcement of the track the Brussels train would depart from.

I boarded the train in the wrong car, I could not read my ticket, it was in French.  I did not realize there was assigned seating, the train I planned to take to Caen yesterday was open seating.  The conductor asked to see my ticket after I boarded and started speaking to me in French, I told him I did not speak French and he switched to English.  He told me I was in car #1 and my ticket was for car #3, I got my bags and moved to car #3.  I found an English speaker in that car and asked him if there was assigned seating, he looked at my ticket and told me I was in seat number 72.  I found my seat and settled in for the short right to Brussels.

Eurail forces you to ride first class if you are over 26 years old, it is the only ticket they sell for the over 26 age group.  I did not realize first class came with food and beverage service like on an airplane, otherwise I would have saved a few Euros and not bought anything for breakfast. The train ride to Brussels was fast, about an hour and a half.  The train had wireless, I used to the time to book my hostel in Amsterdam, I did not get in any reading on the train as I had planned.

We arrived in Brussels about 15 minutes before 11 am.  I got my luggage and took the directions to the hostel out of my backpack.  I went to the entrance to the metro and tried to buy a ticket from the machine after asking which line I needed to take to get to the hostel. The woman behind me noticed I was trying to put a Euro bill into the machine, she said something to me in French, I asked her if she spoke English and she said no.  I went back to trying to buy a metro ticket from the machine, the lady then told me, no bills or no cash and pointed me to the long line where I had to buy the ticket.  I finally got my ticket, realized I had asked for directions to the wrong location, checked with the information man again, and boarded the train.

A few minutes later I was at the stop where my hostel is located.  I got directions from a man at a hotel and found the hostel, checked in, and found my room.  I could tell immediately this hostel had a different atmosphere from the hostel I stayed in in London.  I went to my room, nobody was there yet, a few minutes later my first hostel mate came in, he's from Australia.  We talked about our travels in Europe, he told me he has been traveling for 5 1/2 months, stayed in Berlin for 2 months. Next my second hostel mate arrived, she is from Germany.  We all made plans to go on the walking tour of Brussels at 2 pm, at my hostel in London, nobody was interested in going out in a group together, this is a friendlier hostel.

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I ate lunch with my hostel mate from Australia and then we went to the USE-IT office for our walking tour. The walking tour was free, the tour guide took us nowhere of interest in Brussels, we went around his old neighborhood, he showed us a few buildings, then we went to a Belgian brewery at the end of the tour to sample authentic Belgian.  I got the Kreik beer for 2 Euros, they told me it was cherry flavored and sweet, I did not like it, and gave it to my German hostel mate and she drank most of it for me.  I am not a beer drinker, it is not surprising I did not like the Kreik beer.  The tour was not great, but I got to meet and get to know some interesting people and we went on our own tour, saw the highlights of Brussels, we also joked about how bad the walking tour was. 

After we left the Belgian Brewery, we set out on our own tour of Brussels, I am only here for a day and wanted to see all the highlights.  We walked to Grand Square, looking at all the Belgian Chocolate and Waffles shops along the way.  Brussels Grand Square was an amazing sight, it was even better when we passed back through it after the sun had set and  the building were lit up.  

We walked all over Brussels, it is a  small city, and most of the attractions are close together.  We went to a Cathedral, I do not know the name and then asked for directions to Parliament.  The European Union's parliament is located in Brussels, we wanted to see it and the Brussels Parliament.  I asked a few people where NATO's headquarters were located, they said it was outside of Brussels, in the suburbs.  We ran into the NATO bus, I took a picture in front of it, that will be as close to NATO as I get on this trip to Brussels.        

After seeing the European Parliament headquarters and being told by the police we could not take pictures of some parts of the front of the building, we headed back into the main part of Brussels.  We passed by the royal Palace and saw the sunset from a hill above Brussels.  

We stopped and got directions on how to get back into the main part of Brussels, we had one more attraction we wanted to see, the Manneken Pis, a small statue of a boy peeing, which has become famous and a symbol of Brussels.  There are remakes of the Manneken Pis everywhere in Brussels, on chocolate boxes, in store windows, every turn,  you see the Manneken Pis.  

We ended the day at Pizza Hut after searching for Belgian food and finding only expensive places to eat. We headed back to our hostel around 10 pm, we had a full day of exploring Brussels, most of us were only staying a short time, I leave for Amsterdam tomorrow afternoon.  Brussels is a city you can see in one day, I will explore some more of Brussels tomorrow, maybe go to a museum, I have not decided yet.  We stayed up late talking in the hostel, my hostel mates are from all over, Turkey, Australia, Mexico, Germany, Japan, we met people today from Pakistan, India, England.  Everyone is finally  falling asleep, this is the last sentence of my blog post for today, I'm going to bed too. 

Brussels Photo Album 

Day 4 in Paris, the Eiffel Tower & the Notre Dame Cathedral 4/7/2013

I started off the day planning to go to the Caen Memorial, Caen was the site of a long and bloody battle after D-Day during World War II.  Caen is a two hour train ride from Saint Lazare Station in Paris, I had planned to catch the 9:10 am train.

I initially woke up at what I thought was 5 am this morning, I stayed in bed since this was too early for me to get ready to leave my 9:10 am train to Caen.  When I looked at my cell phone clock again it was 7:00am, I got up and began to get dressed.  I left the hotel around what I thought was 8 am and took the metro to Saint Lazare Station.

When I arrived at Saint Lazare, I looked for trains to Caen, all I could find listed on the boards was an 11:45 am train.  However, I knew there was a 9:10 am and 9:45 am train, I had confirmed this with the Eurail staff yesterday.  I found information staff and asked them where the train to Caen departed from, an English speaking staffer directed me to the terminal.  I walked up and down looking for the 9:10 am train to Caen, I then went to the information office to get help.

The woman in the information office also spoke English and she told me there was an 11:45 am train, I told her I thought there was a 9:10 am train to Caen, she said there was and it left almost an hour ago.  I looked at the clock in the information office and it said 10:00 am, I could not believe it, somehow I had lost an hour.  I got my cell phone out of my backpack and checked the time, my cell phone  was an hour behind, it said 8am.

I have a prepaid cell phone I bought in London, it is a cheap phone and the time does not update automatically when the battery is removed.  When I went to the cell phone store yesterday to ask about my phone, the staffer removed my battery to locate my phone number on the SIM card, this reset the clock on my cell phone.  I set the time on my cell phone early this morning when I woke up, unfortunately, I set it to the wrong time, an hour behind.  Thus, I was an hour late for my train to Caen.

I decided to wait for the 11:45 am train to Caen, I figured I would still have enough time to see the Museum which is open until 7 pm. I went to Starbucks to get out of the cold, read my kindle and wait for the train.  At about 20 minutes before the scheduled departure time for Caen I went to look for the train.  I checked in the information office and they said all I needed to do was show my Eurail Global pass to the conductor and board the train.  I showed my pass to the conductor and he directed me to the first two train cars, first class. If you are over 26 years old and buy a Eurail pass you are forced to travel first class, they only sell second class Eurail passes to people under 26 years old.

I boarded the train and waited for our 11:45 am departure.  A lot of time passed and I looked at the clock, it was noon and the train had not moved, I figured we would be leaving at any minute. My train from London to Paris did not leave at the exact departure time, I thought this was the case with the Caen train.  I continued to wait, some announcements were made in French I could not understand, I decided to give the train a deadline, if it had not departed by 1 pm, I would get off the train and go sightseeing in Paris.

A little after 12:30 pm after a few more announcements in French, I got up and went to look for an English speaker to find out what was going on with the train. I found a woman talking to the conductor and asked her if she spoke English, she said yes and explained the train had broken down.  She told me they had replaced the locomotive, I think she meant engine or some other part, but the train still was not working. I asked her if they knew what time the train would leave, she said they did not, and that it could be a long time.  The woman told me there was also a 2:45 train to Caen, if this train did not start working.

I decided to abort my trip to Caen, the 2:45 train would not give me enough time to visit the museum.  I was disappointed but knew I would be back in Paris and could take a day trip to Caen another time.  Since my trip to Caen did not work out, I went to the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral. My first stop was the Eiffel Tower, I took several pictures there, I met some Chinese and one of them asked me to pose for a picture with him.  I got a picture with the Chinese man too.  I got in line to go up the Eiffel tower but decided pictures were enough for this trip, I became impatient with the long, slow moving line.

I walked around the Eiffel Tower park area, the layout reminded me of the National Mall in Washington, DC, there were joggers running in the area, similar to the Mall.  I thought about what else I wanted to do while I strolled in the Eiffel Tower park area, I remembered I wanted to take a cruise along the Seine, and see Paris from a different perspective. I walked to the area where the Seine River cruises depart, bought a ticket and boarded the boat. The Seine River cruise was an un-narrated hop on hop off boat, I only planned to go as far as the Notre Dame Cathedral.

I got off the Seine River Cruise at the Notre Dame Cathedral stop and made my way over to the Cathedral  taking a few pictures alone the way.  I was hungry and went to buy a sandwich from one of the shops on a road near the Notre Dame Cathedral.  I got my usual French sandwich, ham on a baguette, no dressing, no may, no sauce, just a dry sandwich.  I went back to the Cathedral and got in line. I mistakenly thought I was in the line to climb the Cathedral's tower, I was in the line to go into the Cathedral, it was a long but fast moving line. I took some pictures inside Notre Dame and then went outside to look for the line for climbing to the Cathedral's tower.  I saw the line to climb the 300+ steps to the top of the Notre Dame Cathedral and decided against it, I was satisfied with the view I got from inside and outside the cathedral.  I will save the climb for next time, like with the Eiffel Tower, I was not in a line waiting mood today.

I decided to head back to my hotel after seeing  the Notre Dame Cathedral.  I walk around and found bus #27, it took me back to the area where my hotel is located, Les Gobelins Metro station.  I decided too take the afternoon off, I have been busy sightseeing since I left the US last week, I needed some down time to prepare for my trip to Brussels tomorrow morning.  

Paris Day 4 Photo Album

Day 3 in Paris, Arc de Triomphe & Champs Elysees 4/6/2013

I woke up around 7 am, my wake up time is getting later and later every day.  I started the day by looking for trains to Barcelona, Spain, the website directed me to book in person because my departure date was next week, too soon to book online.  I looked up Eurail pass online and found the Paris station for the Eurail help office, got dressed and headed to the train station.

I spent the morning and part of the afternoon at Gare de Paris Saint Lazare station booking the rest of my trip through Europe. The Eurail representative was very helpful and helped me plan my entire tour of Europe.  We initially booked my trip to Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon, then the Eurail representative suggested I change my itinerary if I planned to get to all of the countries on my list.  He explained Spain  and Portugal are from everything it is better to end my trip in Spain/Portugal rather than beginning there, best way to get as  much use out of my Eurail Global Pass as possible.  After 3+ hours of discussing my plans and booking tickets on various trains, we were finished, the Eurail representative said he hungry and tired, but his wife was a great cook and he would eat at home.

I was tired after standing for 3+ hours planning my Europe trip, I was also happy to have an idea, some concrete plans for my tour of Europe.  Now I can start booking hostels in advance and planning more detailed itineraries  I know where I am going.  My plans can change, the nice thing about the Eurail Pass, you are not tied into anything, you can change your reservations, adjust your plans if necessary.  My Eurail representative also taught me a few French words, one was Haut, window or window seat.

After we finished booking my Eurail pass tickets, I asked the Eurail representative for directions to Champs Elysees.  He gave me quick directions, I thanked him twice in French and English for all the time he spent helping me and set out for sightseeing.  I was not sure of the directions the Eurail rep gave me so I double checked in the information office at the station, the person confirmed, 2 metro stops to Champs Elysees, to be sure I knew where I was going, I asked a third person when I got into the metro, he gave me the clearest directions and I was at the Champs Elysees Metro in no time.

The first thing I saw when I exited the metro at Champs Elysees was the statue of Charles de Gaulle, I shot a few pictures and on my return trip to the station, I got someone to take a couple of pictures of me with the statue.

I got my bearings after exiting the station and began to walk down Avenue des Champs Elysees, I saw the Arc de Triomphe and crossed the street to the middle of the intersection to get a better view. I took a few pictures and a passerby took pictures of me.  I took pictures all the way to the Arc de Triomphe, and stopped for lunch along the way.

 I finally reached the traffic circle at the Arc de Triomphe and searched for an entry to the area where the Arc de Triomphe stood, it seemed to be on its own island from my perspective from the street.  I walked around the traffic circle and found the entrance to the underground passage leading to the Arc de Triomphe.

I got in the line to buy a ticket to climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, the line was not very long and moved quickly, the ticket cost 9.50 Euros.  I took a few pictures below the Arc de Triomphe, at the grave of the unknown soldier, and the flame of remembrance  before starting the climb to the top. It was a long climb to the top, a narrow spiral staircase, I cannot remember how long it took to get to the top.  A few people stopped and took breaks along the way, I kept a steady pace and made it to the top without stopping.  I did move aside once to let a fast walking man pass me.

There were views from all of Paris from atop the Arc de Triomphe, I could see the Eiffel Tower and surrounding areas.  I took a few pictures atop the Arc de Triomphe and in the exhibit area one level below and then began my descent back to the bottom.

After I left the Arc de Triomphe I walked to the opposite end of the Chanps Elysees to see the Egyptian  Obelisk in front of the Place de la Concorde. There were many people out walking along the Champs Elysees, at one point I saw a large crowd lined up in front of a fancy fence, I went to see what everyone was waiting for, the line was for the Abercrombie & Fitch store.

After taking a few pictures at to Obelisk, I headed back to the metro station, I needed to go back to the Eurail office to check on my morning train to Caen tomorrow, I did not have a ticket.  I went back to the Eurail desk, the woman told me I did not need a ticket, just show my pass for the train to Caen in the morning.  I considered going to the Eiffel tower, but my feet were sore, I was ready to head back to my hotel for the evening.  I went to look for a bathroom, I did not wait in the long line at the Arc de Triomphe, hoping I would find a shorter line at the metro station.  The line was somewhat shorter at the metro station, but that short, fast moving line came at a price, 50 Euros to use the bathroom.  This marked the first time I have had to pay to use a bathroom.  I vaguely remember paying to use the loo in London in Junior High School, but my memory has faded, I cannot be sure.

Getting back to my hotel from Saint Lazare Station proved to be a challenge.  I could not find a bus stop for the bus I took to Saint Lazare this morning.  I walked around for several minutes, when I could not find the bus stop, I decided I would take the metro.  I asked for directions to Les Gobelins metro stop, the woman told me she spoke a little English and gave me directions.  As I was walking to the train, a group approached me and said Bonsoir, pardon, they began asking me for directions in French.  My response, I do not speak English, the woman said, English, I said I mean I do not speak French and apologized.

I found the train the woman at the information desk told me to take and then I started looking at the subway map.  The rail station rep instructed me to transfer at Republique station to another line, but I did not see Les Goblins on this line, I searched the map. I got of at the Republique metro station, walked around looking for where to connect, then I saw a sign, Station D'Italie.  I recognized the name, it was a mall I had gone to yesterday to buy a new SIM card for my cell phone.  I decided to go there, the mall/station was close to my hotel and I needed to stop by the cell phone store again anyways.

I went to the cell phone shop at D'Italie Station, my phone was not working, I could not make international calls.  After a long wait, the store was busy, I had to take a number, I spoke to the rep at the store and he told me my phone should be working by Monday.  He said the new Sim card would take a few days to work.  I hope he is right, I will be leaving for Brussels Monday, I will not have time to go back to the cell phone store before I leave.

After I left the cell phone store, I found my way to Avenue des Gobelins and started back to my hotel. I stopped at a pizza restaurant, ordered pepperoni pizza, they asked me if I liked egg, I said yes, when I got back to my hotel, I found an egg on my pizza.  I was exhausted when I got home, I went back out to by water and that was the end of a busy day.

Arc de Triomphe & Champs Elysees Photo Album