Reflecting On: Holland and France

It's time for my second installment of my "Reflecting On" series.  I've decided to answer some of the questions in two parts - one for each country.  Here we go!

What did I love the most about Holland?  France?

Holland:  Mike and I were constantly mistaken for locals, which was super flattering!  Being tall and fair was probably part of it, but it was nice to know that we didn't stick out like sore thumbs.

France: Probably seeing all my friends, but also being able to speak French without people immediately switching into English.  Last time I was there, I had a heavy accent (thank you, Russia) and anytime I began to speak in French, store clerks would switch into English.  I felt like my language skills had greatly improved and it made me more confident.

What did I not love?

There were three things that I did not love so much.  First was the Euro exchange rate ($1 = 1€30).  It made my wallet (and me) want to cry.  The worst part about the Euro, in my opinion, is that you walk into a cafe and see that a cafe noisette (my new favorite thing) is 5€.  That's not bad in my head because I drop to Euro sign and put a dollar sign in its place.  Oh - $5 for coffee?  Not horrible in Paris.  So I order it and enjoy my little slice of caffeinated heaven. Then I do the conversion in my head and realize that I just spent roughly $7 on a cup of joe!  Gets me every. single. time.  The joys of the two currencies being just off enough to kind of screw you when you think something doesn't cost all that much. 

Speaking of the Euro, holy moly are cabs expensive.  We had to take a cab to the airport in Lyon because we needed to be there before the tram opened, and our 25 minute ride was about 75€!  Not cool.    

The third, and final, thing that I wasn't crazy about were the bikes in Amsterdam.  I know, I know - they're such an iconic part of the city but I didn't like them.  Mainly because they are terrifying due to the fact that they are silent and fast.  Between that and me being extremely jet lagged and therefore not totally aware of my surroundings, Mike had to pull me out of the street a few times because I almost became bike road kill.  Of course, I finally got used to them on our last full day there.  And I'm sure I'd adapt to them being around if I was in Amsterdam for an extended period of time, but good grief.

If I had to change one thing about the trip, what would I have changed?

Holland: Getting more out of our days.  I mentioned a few times that we slept in because of the jet lag, which meant that we didn't have as much time to go exploring.  While I'm happy with what I saw, I wish we could have gotten to see some other sites, like the Heineken brewery.

France: I would have really liked to have spent an extra day in Paris, but given the timing of everything, I don't think it would have worked.  Leaving on Easter was great because everything in France (and the majority of Europe for that matter) is closed that Sunday, and in France, they have Monday off as well.

Would I ever go back?

Holland: Yes.  I would very much like to go back and see some of the bigger attractions that we missed.

France: Duh.

Final Thoughts

We had a really great time, but it felt as though it was go, go, go.  I would liked to have had a day of rest, but like I said above, I don't think it would have worked out because of the timing of everything.

During this trip, we used Airbnb for our stays in Amsterdam and Paris.  I'm glad we decided to give it a try in another country.  Mike was nervous about doing that, especially in Holland since neither one of us speaks Dutch, but we didn't have any issues.  And even though we didn't have phones, it worked out really well and I'm sure we will be doing it again.  

My final (and most random) thought from this trip was that no one knocks on the bathroom doors in Europe!  I found it kind of rude, but that's just a cultural difference I guess.

Adding a pin to the map

For those of you who have been over to our apartment, you have probably seen the large map we have hanging over our bench (or in DC, hanging over Mike's computer) that has pins in that signify where we have been.  Purple pins are for me, green is for Mike, and yellow is for places that we both have been, either together or separately.  We put this together ourselves, and if you are interested in creating one of your own, contact me and I'll be happy to show you the resources that we used.  

After every trip, we update our map with new pins.  So without further ado, adding new pins to the map:

Until next time!

Lyon: Part III

As you probably gathered from some of my posts, I was beyond excited to see my friend, Lisa, in Lyon.  Mike and I made sure to clear our Saturday so that we could hang out and catch up.

We met up around noon and decided to take a walk around town.  It was like we hadn't gone more than a day without seeing each other.  Friendships like those are the best.  We talked about everything over lunch and drinks, and the best part is that Lisa's English is really good, so Mike wasn't left out of any of the conversation.  Woohoo!  Everyone wins.

What a perfect way to end our time in Europe.  I couldn't have asked for a better trip with better people.

Lyon: Part II

Up until this point of our trip, our days were crammed packed with activity.  By our second full day in Lyon, we were pretty tired and did not feel like running (or rather, walking) around at full speed.  Enter public transportation.

Not only did our Lyon City Card give us free access into the museums, but it also gave us free rides on the public transportation.  Did you know that part of the public transportation in Lyon includes a funicular?  And, side note, did you know that I only knew that word in Russian for the longest time?  Not like it is super different in English, but that was a fun moment when I showed up in Pittsburgh, pointed at the one they have, and only knew how to say it in Russian.  I got lots of quizzical looks from everyone in the car for that one.  The joys of spring breaking in Kiev :)

We took one branch of the funicular up to the hill so that we could see La Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière.  The basilica sits above the city, and it is absolutely beautiful.  Since it is such a distinct part of the Lyon skyline, we figured we should go see it.

When we arrived, they were holding a small Good Friday mass in front of the church.  We stopped to watch it for a couple of minutes, and then proceeded to go inside.  And, as per usual with the great churches in Europe, the interior did not disappoint.

After we finished gawking, we stepped out behind the church and were greeted with an amazing view.  After looking down at the city awhile, we were happy that we decided to take the lazy easy way up to the top of the hill.

There were a few sites and a museum or two that were up near the basilica, but quite frankly, I had my fill of museums and wanted to explore something else in Lyon.  The Traboules.

The Traboules were built in the 4th century so that people had a more direct route to access water from the Saône river since the winding streets made it a time consuming task.  They were then used by the silk merchants to transport their products so that they did not get ruined when it rained.  And in World War II, they were used by La Resistance.  Because only the true Lyonnais knew of their whereabouts at the time, they were used to hide from the Gestapo. Today, people's apartments can be accessed through them, as well as courtyards and winding staircases.  There is so much history in the tunnels, and I like hidden things, so it was the perfect site to explore.

After that mini-adventure, we decided to wander aimlessly around town.  We stopped and got a beer, bought some books at FNAC, and thought about food (because it's us and we're always hungry).

According to my Lonely Planet guide, Lyon is the culinary capital of France. After this trip, I totally get that.  On our first night in Lyon, we found a street lined with amazing restaurants that we kept returning to for dinner.  Our first night, we had pretty decent French food, then we went back for Ramen the second night (super French, I know), and on our third night, we went back to a Bouchon Lyonnais.

An official bouchon sign.

A Bouchon is a restaurant that you only find in Lyon as it serves Lyonnais food, which basically means a lot of meat.  We went to Aux Trois Couchons and it was one of the best meals that we had in France.  But not all Bouchons are authentic...you have to look for the sign like the one above to know that it is a real one (which means registered with the Bouchon authorities...whoever they are).

My gratin d'andouillette with chitterlings.  Google that.  I dare you.

Inside, the restaurant was jammed packed with people and knick knacks.  And the food was delicious.  You can't beat a good meal in a great atmosphere.  It was a great way to end our day.  

Lyon: Part I

Over a period of 13 years, I have been lucky enough to go to France six times.  I feel incredibly fortunate for the opportunities I have been given to travel to this beautiful country.  With the exception of my time in Corsica, I have only ever been in the north of France.  When planning this trip, I knew that I not only wanted to see my friend, Lisa, but also to see a different part of France.  And it so happened to be that I could do both of those things at once.

Lisa is actually finishing up school in St. Étienne, so she was very busy with course work and not able to meet us until Saturday, giving us two and a half days to explore Lyon on our own. 

We took the TGV from Paris to Lyon, after meeting up with Marianne and Danièle for coffee.  I was super excited to take the TGV because I have been reading about it since the 7th grade.  For those of you wondering what the TGV is, it is the high speed train in France.  It can get up to speeds up around 195 MPH.  I was probably a little too excited about taking it, but I feel like I can blame that on my grandfather, who worked for and loved the railroads, shared his passion with me, and who would have been equally pumped about our trip if he had been there.

Waiting in Gare de Lyon for our train.

The French countryside.

When I took this picture, the train was going 244 km/h, which converts to about 152 mph.

I was so excited about the train that I failed to check if Lyon had more than one train station, and if it did, which one would be best to use.  So guess who booked tickets to the wrong train station in Lyon?  This girl.  We had to take a taxi to our hotel, but we got to see some of the city that way.  You have to look at these things optimistically, especially when your husband is throwing sidelong glances at you for a 10 minute, 20 Euro cab ride.

One of the first things we did was grab a drink on one of the many barges on the Rhône.  It was a little chilly, but we had fun people watching.  The city pumped a lot of money into this area to make it a desirable hangout, and it was easy to see why.  Many groups of friends were catching up over food and beer, while sitting on the river bank, letting the last few rays of sun hit them before the sun set.  

The next day, we bought a Lyon City Card and hit up as many museums as possible.  We started with the Textile Museum, where they had an incredible exhibit on the costumes from Lyon's opera.  I wished that my sister had been there since she does theater costume design.  She would have loved it.

We also went to the Musée des Automates, which was a small, but fun museum filled with moving puppets depicting different scenes.  Each puppets is hand crafted, and we were both really impressed with the scenes that were set up.

Mike checking out the window display.

A scene from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

That was followed up by the Musée Miniature et Cinéma, which was probably our favorite of the day.  The museum was full of all sorts of movie props, scenes, and costumes.  Some examples of things they had were the Alien Queen from Alien, costumes from Lincoln, the mirror in The Matrix, and so much more.  And the final rooms of the museum were full of miniature scenes that people had crafted.  Mike really enjoyed those. 

A miniature kitchen.

A miniature school room.

A miniature grocery store.

The last museum we went to was Le Petit Musée Fantastique de Guginol.  Guginol is a famous French puppet that was created in Lyon.  He looks like this:

(via)

Since he is such a huge cultural icon, we wanted to go see the little museum about him.  Fun fact, the museum is located in the back of a store, and the entrance is covered up with curtains, which makes getting in highly confusing.  And the lady who runs the store was not very nice, but luckily her coworker was.  After some confusion, the nice guy who was working there told us that yes, in fact the museum is located in the back of the store, and then proceeded let us in.

We had a great first day and a half in Lyon.  I can understand why there are people who prefer it to Paris.  It's sort of like going from New York to DC.  New York is huge, expensive, and crammed full of people, while DC is not so big, still expensive (but not as bad) and has less people in it.  Mike and I also felt like there was a more relaxed feel about Lyon, but I think that typically happens whenever you go south in a country.  But don't get me wrong, Paris will always be my favorite place in France. :)

Montmartre and Beer

A few years ago when Mike was in Paris, he did not make it to Montmartre.  As soon as I learned this, I knew that we would have to go see it together.  After all, one of my favorite movies takes place in this part of Paris. 

We got a bit of a late start, but ended up in front of the Sacré Cœur around noon.  By some stroke of luck, we managed to find a less crowded staircase for the climb up the hill.  When we got to the top though, there was no shortage of people.  And it is easy to understand why as this spot has one of the best views of Paris. 

We walked around for a little bit and then decided to go to the Musée de Montmartre.  I had read about it here and thought that it looked really cool.  I have also been to Montmartre a few times and wanted to see something new, so this looked perfect. 

The museum opened up in 1960 in order to preserve the history of this area of Paris.  It was really fascinating to learn about the artists who spent time here.  Renior actually painted two paintings in the garden at the museum.  The painting below, The Swing, was one of them.  A similar swing where you can sit and have a photo snapped of you has been installed there. 

 

via

Not only are there beautiful gardens at the museum, but there is also a vineyard!  I love that in the middle of the hustle and bussel of Paris, there is a fully functional vineyard that produces 1,000 bottles of wine annually.  To me, it provided a sense of calm you rarely get in a large city.

We continued through the rest museum, learning about the history of Montmarte and its famous artists while looking at their work.  We both really enjoyed it and strongly suggest that you check it out if you are in the area and looking for something to do that isn't overrun with tourists. 

Since we hadn't eaten at all that day, we decided that a late lunch was in order.  This part of Montmartre can be crawling with pricy tourist traps that we wanted to avoid, so Mike and I consulated our TripAdvisor app for other options.  Just on the other side of the Sacré Cœur there was a pizza place that looked cheap and sounded good.  I know, it's just like when we were in Peru, but we were starving and the price was right.  If you are ever at Sacré Cœur and looking for a place to eat, check out La Babalou.  

If you look closely, you can see the Sacré Cœur in the window. 

Since we were full of pizza, we decided that we needed beer.  We did some research before we left and found a beer bar called La Fine Mousse near Père Lachaise.  They only serve French beers here, which is pretty cool.  Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of what I had, but Mike seemed to really like it.  But I do have to say, the space where the bar is located was pretty cool. 

I love that every time I come to Paris, I discover something new.  And this time was no different. 

Getting Medieval

As I mentioned earlier, Danièle told us she would be more than happy to take us on a day trip out of Paris since she has a car.  Mike and I have both been to Versailles, so she suggested that we go to the medievil town Provins.

Provins is a beautiful town that is about an hour to the east of Paris.  In 2001, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is easy to see why.  Provins is beautiful and they have done an excellent job of preserving it while also updating the buildings for modern life.  Many people still live there today. 

Since it was such a beautiful day, we spent it walking around the city.  A lot of the landmarks had entry fees, so we just gawked at them from the outside rather than going in.  But we did climb the city wall, which was windy but gave us a great view.  

Marianne and Mike

Danièle, Marianne and me.  As you can see, it was very windy. 

Mike and I really enjoyed our day trip.  Not only was it beautiful, but walking through a town that is older than my country was very cool.  And strolling along with Danièle was nice not only because she is great company, but also because she is full of so much knowledge about France and its history.  Trips like these become more fun when you have someone there to explain little tidbits to you. 

Our last day in Paris is coming up next, so be on the lookout for that post!

Paris, je t'aime

You could probably say that Paris was my first love.  It is the first big city that I visited outside the United States, and I fell in love with it right away.  The streets, the food, the sights, and so much more have drawn me back to this city over the years.  A lot of people like to make fun of me for loving Paris, but all I have to say to them is "Haters gonna hate."

This past Sunday, Mike and I caught the Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris. The ride was about three and a half hours long, which wasn't horrible and before we left, we hit up a small market to get some food for our trip.  Cheap and delicious. 

When we got off the train in Paris at Gare du Nord, I was expecting to see our family friend, Danièle, waiting for us.  But to my utter surprise, it wasn't Danièle who first greeted me and Mike, but rather her daughter and my friend, Marianne.  Marianne is currently living in London and flew in for a few days.  She and her mother kept it a secret from us, which made for a great surprise. And I was so happy that we were going to be able to spend some time with her. 

After arriving at our apartment and catching up at a cafe over a coffee, we decided to walk around Paris.  We had a great time wandering around aimlessly.  It was important to Mike to see the less touristy areas of Paris, and I think we accomplished that. 

After our dinner that evening at a creperie across from the Centre Pompidou, Danièle and Marianne headed back home but Mike and I decided to keep on wandering the city.  After looking for a place to grab a drink (which is surprisingly hard to do on Sundays because so much is closed) we settled on a cafe that faced Notre Dame.  While the drinks were not cheap, being able to look across the bank at one of Paris' most famous landmarks was worth it.

Not Notre Dame, but pretty nevertheless.

During our many talks, Danièle said that if we wanted to see something outside of Paris that we could because she has a car.  The next day, we decided to go to Provins, which will be my next entry.  Stay tuned!

Exploring Amsterdam

After having fun on Friday at the wedding, Mike and I had one day left to explore the city of Amsterdam.  So we decided to make the most of it.

Our day started at the Houseboat Museum, which was pretty neat.  You see them all the time on the canals, so getting to go inside one was pretty cool.  I was thinking about renting one for our time in Amsterdam and I'm glad I didn't because I didn't realize how much they rock when other boats pass by.

After we finished our little tour, we decided to head over to the Anne Frank House to see how long the line was.  We severely underestimated the wait time and when we got there, it looked like it was going to be a couple of hours, so we decided to skip it.

I am glad that I was at least able to see the house.  We also did see the Westerkerk, which Anne wrote about in her diary.  I have read her journal twice and seeing all these places was incredibly surreal to me.

We decided that our next stop should be the Amsterdam Museum.  We both really enjoyed that museum, especially the exhibit on the first map of the city.  The exhibit on the more recent eras was also very interesting.  I liked learning about the Olympics that were held in Amsterdam in the 1920s.

Since our feet started to hurt, we decided to leave and hit up the beer bar we passed by earlier, BeerTemple.  I had read about it (it is owned by the same people who own the bar I mentioned earlier) and I wanted to skip it because it said it was American themed.  Why go somewhere overseas that spealizes in stuff you can get at home, right?

Well so much for that train of thought because we ended up spending quite a bit of time there before we went to dinner.  While they bill themselves as an American beer bar, there was also a lot of stuff there from Europe, so we drank off of that menu.   And then we came back for one more drink before leaving the city center for the night.

Although we didn't hit up the major attractions in Amsterdam, we had fun seeing the less crowded areas.  Fighting crowds isn't my thing, so by avoiding that our trip was much more enjoyable.

Coming up next, Paris!  And the very pleasant surprise that was awaiting us at the Gare du Nord.