Month: November 2014

Travelling In Europe

I am constantly asked how I travel in and around Europe. Here are some links to websites I use for travel and hotel bookings.

Hotels:

Booking.com

I use this website to browse for hotels because you can put in a price, location and any other requirements you would like for your hotel. Once I find the hotel, I go directly to the website and book it there. You will get the same price and usually a much better room than if you book it with booking.com

Air travel and Car Bookings:

kayak.com

This is the best website to browse every main and cheap airline used in Europe. This will also take into account major train lines to let you compare a flight versus taking a train. What is great about this website is it takes you directly to the airline website once you make your selection.

Thomas Cook

For those special holiday getaways 🙂

Jetair 

You can find some nice prices to sunny, southern destinations such as Spain, Greece and Italy.

Trains:

Eurostar

UK

Belgium

France

Thalys

France

Belgium

Some Germany

Some Holland

ICE

Austria

Denmark

Germany

Switzerland

RailEurope

And of course, Rail Europe can search all of these sites for you. But look out because the price on this website can be much higher than booking directly on the individual websites.

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Prague: Czech it out!

Surface_Bastogne_Prague 001 Prague is a place I have come to know quite well as my travels to this enchanting city began in 2010. I always find something new to enjoy and experience when I visit Prague that each time I go feels like my first.

2013-05-04 19.22.15 The great thing about Prague is you can do and see as little as you want without losing a moment of the charm and ambiance it has to offer. But, if you see anything, if you experience anything, if you DO ANYTHING in this city, may it be the Charles Bridge. Situated in the heart of Prague, The Charles Bridge hosts a plethora of street performers, little shops and gorgeous Gothic statues to admire.

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Across the bridge, you’ll find the Prague Castle at the top of the hill. Going to the top of the tower in the castle will reward you with a majestic view over the city.

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And when you come back down, you are rewarded with memorable gold coin 🙂 Not worth anything but it’s a nice momento nonetheless.

Walking into the city offers its own splendid sites such as my favorite, the Astronomical Clock. This clock tells time based on many elements such as zodiac signs, the sun and the moon. You can go to the top but I recommend having a nice Czech beer and admiring it from the square.

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People from Czech are very proud of their beer. Which is a hot topic of debate now that I call myself 40% Belgian. They do have some nice beers and if you are interested in trying new beers, then I recommend the darker ones.

Tucked away from the city’s historical center is a tribute to the great John Lennon. I won’t bore you with a history lesson but on his death, the youths of Prague decided they wanted to pay tribute to the legend by creating a wall that symbolized freedom. At that time, it was a sign of rebellion and anyone would face prison if caught leaving messages on the wall. Today, anyone can leave graffiti or notes to express whatever it is you may be feeling on that day. 2013-05-04 18.03.35 2013-05-04 18.03.41

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Munchen: Oktoberfest 101

2014-09-20 12.16.05 HDR Munich during Oktoberfest is the happiest time of year! Contrary to popular belief, Oktoberfest actually begins the last weekend of September and goes into October. As this was my first time going to Oktoberfest, decided to go for the opening ceremonies to get the full Bavarian experience.

If you are considering going to Oktoberfest, it is best to book your hotel at the beginning of the year or you will not be sleeping in Munich. I booked my hotel around March and I only had one option left! It was a bit outside of the city but with the U-bahn, it was very convenient to navigate around the city. Hotel prices will be very expensive so just plan on spending more for a 2 or 3 star hotel then you usually would. I like to use Booking.com  for the majority of my hotel bookings as it is easy to narrow down the choices to what fits your hotel desires.

2014-09-20 09.57.55 So here is a map of how the beer tents are situated at Oktoberfest. If you don’t have a ticket to one of these beer tents, you will NOT be getting in just by waiting outside. On the first day, we stood outside of the Schottenhamel starting at 9AM to try to make it inside for the official tapping of the keg at noon! No tent or venue will serve beer until this tapping occurs.

2014-09-20 12.04.12 While you’re waiting, each beer tent has a horse drawn carriage with the house beer that parades through the festival. We were pretty fortunate with OK weather at that point, but you can not hide from rain at this place. Wear clothing that is resistant to water or else your feet will be wet and cold for the whole day.

After giving up on the beer tents, we found our way into one of the cozy beer gardens before the masses of people came in.

2014-09-20 13.29.53 HDR Ladies and Gentlemen are all dressed in the traditional bavarian dress of lederhosen and the dirndl’s that you look quite ridiculous if you are not in the fashion! Beer garden maid’s walk around with up to 10 pints of beer to serve to patrons; it always best to tip these ladies if you ever want to see a beer once it starts getting busy!

2014-09-20 12.13.15 HDR Once you have found your spot, it’s best not to move from it. As an American, we like to move from place to place in order to see as much as we can. But in this case, the line to get into a beer garden can take up to one hour! So best to find a spot, take a seat, and enjoy the surroundings! You can still order a proper meal from the beer gardens; and don’t forget to eat as those beers sneak up on you…

The festival grounds are not near the city center where you can find the Hofbrahaus. Any German native will tell you that first timers should go to the Hofbrauhaus for lunch to get a feel for the ambiance; however, you shouldnt spend too much time there. The main events occur at the festival grounds. 2014-09-21 14.08.52 2014-09-21 13.47.40 So we went for lunch: sausages and sauerkraut washed down with Weiss beer….yum!!!

2014-09-22 16.54.50Among the obvious beer drinking that occurs at Oktoberfest, it is mainly a big carnival! Rides, games and shops to cater to all ages can be found at this delightful festival. We took one day to enjoy the carnival side of it and went on the Ferris Wheel ride to see out over the festival and the beautiful city of Munich.

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Amsterdam: Canals and Bicycles and Much, Much More!

2014-09-14 12.34.53 HDR Amsterdam is a popular destination of friend’s and family who come to see me. As it is a rather short distance from my home city, it is easy and cheap to travel to this city of canals and bicycles. To get to Amsterdam, it is best to check the train schedules as it is a pain to find a parking spot in Amsterdam: an expensive pain at that! Some parking structures will cost around 50,00 euro for the day! Thalys has daily high speed trains to downtown Amsterdam that usually will cost between 40-100 euro, depending on the time you purchase. It is always worth checking first class prices as sometimes they have promotions that make the fare very cheap!

amsterdam4 So welcome to Amsterdam! The city is best known for its numerous canals, home of Anne Frank, and of course, the legal use of drugs. But, there is so much more to the city than what meets the eye. Personal preference: Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful and charming cities in Europe. You can easily navigate around on foot, tram or the most popular, bicycle. You will not be able to take a photo without several bicycles in your shot and for the lazy American, is quite a site!

Amsterdam is also home to several important art galleries and museums: The Rembrandt house, Van Gogh and the ever important Rijksmuseum highlighting Dutch painters over the year.

The Rembrandt house lets visitors see the place where Rembrandt lived and worked for his life. Like all of the museums and galleries in Amsterdam, you can purchase your tickets online to skip the queue. I always recommend doing this any opportunity to fully maximize on your time in the city.

The Rijksmuseum  has just opened its doors in April 2013 after a 10 year renovation to update the buiding to match the modern era. Personal preference: this is the most influential and important museum to the history of Dutch art anywhere. It is often impossible to have the time for every museum in a city, but if you do have the time, do not miss this!

Amsterdam1  The Anne Frank House is the most visited attraction in Amsterdam. If you do not pre book your tickets, you will expect to wait in a line for about 30-45 minutes before getting to go inside. On the link above, you can select the time and date of your visit that will allow you to walk to the front of the line.

This is also a must see!! It will not take more than one hour to go through and for those who have read the diary, it puts a very real picture into what the life was during that time for Anne and her family.

Now, Amsterdam has a lot of museums to offer but make sure you spend some time enjoying the social pleasures of the city! And yes, I do mean indulge in a space cake if it pleases you! 2014-09-13 23.11.44 In Amsterdam, a Coffee Shop is a place to buy and enjoy a variety of marijuana substances. So, if you are looking for actual coffee, you are going to be sadly mistaken!! But, with any recreational item, use with caution and care 🙂 The Heineken brewery is also an option for the beer drinkers out there; but for 20,00 euros per ticket, i would rather spend that money on drinking actual Heineken at a pub across the street!

2014-09-14 14.24.28If you have the time, take a boat ride through the many canals of Amsterdam. There are many boat companies, but I prefer Lovers one hour boat tour that departs and returns at the main train station. They have many different options based on what you would like to do. This gives you a nice overview of the city and some historical information of each part of the city.

Here is your first Dutch lesson: Kaas = Cheese. And you must eat kaas while you are in Amsterdam. You will find many kaas shops in the city but my favorite is De Kaaskelder located near the floating flower market in downtown Amsterdam. They have so many different flavors, styles, cuts of kaas that anyone can find something to his/her taste.

So when to come to Amsterdam? There are many festivals and holidays that welcome many tourists so it is up to you if you are someone who likes crowds or prefers the quieter times. Other than the usual Catholic holidays and Christmas, King’s Day (April 27th) is a day to celebrate the country’s royal leader. It has been Queen’s day for the past 200 years and in 2014 marked the first year of the change to King’s Day with the succession of Queen Beatrice’s son, King Willem Alexander.

amsterdam3 amsterdam2

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