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| Amsterdam Germany and Brussels |
Showing posts with label Amsterdam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amsterdam. Show all posts
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Serene Europe Part 2
Day 3
Having slept very late, it was very difficult for us to get up and get ready early. Still we all managed to get into the bus by 8.30 and our journey towards cologne began. It was about 4 hrs journey and I spent most of the time sleeping… We reached the city of cologne at arnd 1 and having held the world’s tallest structure title for 4 years, the Cologne Cathedral was quite visible from the outskirts of the city itself.
We had a small tour of the city for about an hour and then we reached the cathedral. It was pretty similar to the Notre Dame which had had gone during my Paris trip, with its twin spires. But the spires of Notre Dame were very small compared to the Cologne one. The internal architecture was pretty similar though.
After going arnd the cathedral, we had our packed lunch in the bus and started towards a village called Boppard from where we were to take a cruise on the River Rhine. It was a very beautiful sight all through the journey.
It was something like this. From right to left – Hills, a line of houses, a road, the Rhine, a road, a line of houses and Hills with a railway line along he hills in many places. There were numerous Castles on either side of Rhine. It did not belong to kings but to Rich merchants who conducted their trade thru Rhine, one of the lifelines of Germany. The sunset cruise was just Beautiful. I braved the cold winds and stayed on the open top deck for most of the time to enjoy the splendor arnd.
After an hour an a half, we got down and boarded the bus for our hotel in Hockenheim. On the way we saw a bit of snow on ground. My first snow!!!!! There was just a little snow on ground. But still I was so happy to see snow. The first time you get to see snow, it really gives you a great joy and you get lost in it’s beauty. A friend of mine who lives in the US now had called home and her to be brother-in-law was there. She was going to speak to him for the first time. Just as he came on line, she opened her window and saw snow for the first time. She was awe struck and started chanting “Snow, snow…” The poor guy on the other side must have been so confused until she got her senses back. :) . We then had our dinner on the way in an Indian restaurant in Manheim. We reached there at arnd 9.30 and had to wait for about 45 minutes as the ppl from the other coach from Taj tours were also having their dinner in the same restaurant. After the dinner we reached our hotel and immediately fell asleep.
Day 4
As usual, we got up with great difficulty and got ready by 9 for the final stage of the tour. Back to London. We started of with a pretty familiar note, the driver missing an exit and going arnd for sometime before we caught the right highway. But we weren’t prepared for the sight ahead.
Suddenly out of nowhere the landscape changed drastically. The green grasslands were replaced by a white blanket. The previous day I had seen my first snow but today was the day when I saw real snow. It was also snowing pretty hard. I felt out of the world. We stopped for about 5 minutes at a place. But unfortunately where we stopped, didn’t have that much snow on ground. Nevertheless in was snowing slightly. I enjoyed my first snowfall and then got along the journey. We then entered Luxemberg and stopped for fuel. An that’s where I held snow in my hand for the first time. And we played a bit throwing snow on each other for some time.
Then we entered Belgium and had lunch at a Pizza Hut Express. We entered the city of Brussels at arnd 4 and we were welcome by yet another snowfall. Keeping up the tradition followed through the tour, the driver got lost in the city and after yet another unscheduled tour of the city, we reached the grand place.
We then saw the Manneken Pis. We bought some of the famous Belgian chocolates and then returned to our Bus. Our Ferry back was at 8.15 and we were already late to catch it. So we had to give the Atomium a miss and rush towards Calaise.
Thanks to the long Easter weekend, there was a huge rush of ppl getting back to London; we were caught up in a huge queue. But thankfully we got a place in the 9.25 ferry. We crossed the channel and were back in London by midnight. The driver still did not want to break the tradition and promptly got lost on the way and reached another end of London and one of the passengers’ had to guide him through to our drop off point.
And that was the end of a tour with mixed experiences. I’ve stared planning for the next trip. But one thing’s for sure. I’m NOT going to take up any package tours. :)
Having slept very late, it was very difficult for us to get up and get ready early. Still we all managed to get into the bus by 8.30 and our journey towards cologne began. It was about 4 hrs journey and I spent most of the time sleeping… We reached the city of cologne at arnd 1 and having held the world’s tallest structure title for 4 years, the Cologne Cathedral was quite visible from the outskirts of the city itself.
We had a small tour of the city for about an hour and then we reached the cathedral. It was pretty similar to the Notre Dame which had had gone during my Paris trip, with its twin spires. But the spires of Notre Dame were very small compared to the Cologne one. The internal architecture was pretty similar though. After going arnd the cathedral, we had our packed lunch in the bus and started towards a village called Boppard from where we were to take a cruise on the River Rhine. It was a very beautiful sight all through the journey.
It was something like this. From right to left – Hills, a line of houses, a road, the Rhine, a road, a line of houses and Hills with a railway line along he hills in many places. There were numerous Castles on either side of Rhine. It did not belong to kings but to Rich merchants who conducted their trade thru Rhine, one of the lifelines of Germany. The sunset cruise was just Beautiful. I braved the cold winds and stayed on the open top deck for most of the time to enjoy the splendor arnd. After an hour an a half, we got down and boarded the bus for our hotel in Hockenheim. On the way we saw a bit of snow on ground. My first snow!!!!! There was just a little snow on ground. But still I was so happy to see snow. The first time you get to see snow, it really gives you a great joy and you get lost in it’s beauty. A friend of mine who lives in the US now had called home and her to be brother-in-law was there. She was going to speak to him for the first time. Just as he came on line, she opened her window and saw snow for the first time. She was awe struck and started chanting “Snow, snow…” The poor guy on the other side must have been so confused until she got her senses back. :) . We then had our dinner on the way in an Indian restaurant in Manheim. We reached there at arnd 9.30 and had to wait for about 45 minutes as the ppl from the other coach from Taj tours were also having their dinner in the same restaurant. After the dinner we reached our hotel and immediately fell asleep.
Day 4
As usual, we got up with great difficulty and got ready by 9 for the final stage of the tour. Back to London. We started of with a pretty familiar note, the driver missing an exit and going arnd for sometime before we caught the right highway. But we weren’t prepared for the sight ahead.
Suddenly out of nowhere the landscape changed drastically. The green grasslands were replaced by a white blanket. The previous day I had seen my first snow but today was the day when I saw real snow. It was also snowing pretty hard. I felt out of the world. We stopped for about 5 minutes at a place. But unfortunately where we stopped, didn’t have that much snow on ground. Nevertheless in was snowing slightly. I enjoyed my first snowfall and then got along the journey. We then entered Luxemberg and stopped for fuel. An that’s where I held snow in my hand for the first time. And we played a bit throwing snow on each other for some time. Then we entered Belgium and had lunch at a Pizza Hut Express. We entered the city of Brussels at arnd 4 and we were welcome by yet another snowfall. Keeping up the tradition followed through the tour, the driver got lost in the city and after yet another unscheduled tour of the city, we reached the grand place.
We then saw the Manneken Pis. We bought some of the famous Belgian chocolates and then returned to our Bus. Our Ferry back was at 8.15 and we were already late to catch it. So we had to give the Atomium a miss and rush towards Calaise. Thanks to the long Easter weekend, there was a huge rush of ppl getting back to London; we were caught up in a huge queue. But thankfully we got a place in the 9.25 ferry. We crossed the channel and were back in London by midnight. The driver still did not want to break the tradition and promptly got lost on the way and reached another end of London and one of the passengers’ had to guide him through to our drop off point.
And that was the end of a tour with mixed experiences. I’ve stared planning for the next trip. But one thing’s for sure. I’m NOT going to take up any package tours. :)
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Serene Europe Part 1
Yes that’s how Taj tours calls it- the four day trip to Holland and Germany (With a little of Belgium thrown in). No don’t ask me yet how can you cover 3 countries in 4 days coz the actual plan was to go to Amsterdam, see Brussels on the way, visit the cologne Cathedral and back, that’s just 3 cities.
Our initial plan was to plan the trip on our own like we did for Paris. But somehow things didn’t work out and by the time we set up everything, the hotels/hostels were full and the rent for the available once were way beyond our budget. We didn’t have a choice but to take up the package tour. We didn’t have to look for economical way of travelling staying and eating coz everything is managed by them including Indian style lunch and dinner. But there ended the advantages. Actually speaking even those were a bit on the not so good side… oops after having put lots of ‘disappointments’ in my previous travelogue, I decided to show case only the +ves in this one. But cudn’t help. Going forward I’ll try hard not to put -ve tone. And a separate blog for the amazing Taj tours management.
Here we go… We started on the 21st at 6.30 from London. Bad weather meant our Ferry to cross the channel got delayed and we sat watching Phir Hera Pheri(Another advantage of an Indian tour operator). After having crossed the channel twice during our Paris visit at night, I got a chance to watch the channel in day light. It was a beautiful sight… with the blue water and the land on either side.
By the time Britain goes off sight, u will get to see France pretty quickly. France greeted us with steady showers. So by the time we were near Brussels, we were late. The rain also hadn’t stopped. So we continued our travel to Amsterdam. We actually stayed a little away from the city of Amsterdam and din’t realize until the next day morning that our hotel was bang in the middle of the world’s largest Tulip farms. But we were at a time when they just have planted the plants after winter. So it was more of greenery arnd us. There were other flowers though in quite a few shades scattered here and there.
Day 2
Our first stop for the day was the Keukenhof Tulip gardens. On the way we saw huge Daffodil farms with bright yellow flowers, all shyly facing the ground like a bride. The gardens had opened just the previous day. .
So most of the Tulips plants were in their various stages of growthRight from just planted tiny ones to those with big bright colourful bulbs. We had about 2 hrs but it just wasn’t enough to enjoy the beauty of those wonderful flowers. Every time we thought ok we’ve seen all the shades, the next bed will have another bright shade we wud least expect.The forecast for all 4 days was cloudy, windy, rains and an occasional snow. Luckily for us, it started to rain just as we were about to leave and stopped by the time we stopped next.
This time to a cheese and clog making factory. There they showed us how they make Cheese and Clog (A boot made of wood worn by lots of ppl in Holland, majorly farmers and workers).
We also tasted about 10 different varieties of cheese and I bought a cake of cheese called the old cheese. It had a slightly sour taste. I liked it a lot though.
We then had lunch outside the factory. It was one unforgettable lunch I’ve ever had. Just as we took our food served hot from the catering Van, the temperature went down drastically and the slight drizzle turned into little hail stones. I was sooo hungry and the food was also hot and tasty. So had to bare the cold and finish the lunch. By the time I was done with it, my hands were dark red. Ran into the bus with a cup of hot Chaai and the watery Chaai was next to Amruth…
Next stop was a Diamond factory in Amsterdam. They first showed us the various shapes into which diamonds are cut and then showed us a few really Huge diamonds which cost upwards of 25000 pounds. A years’ salary for one small stone made of carbon. I don’t want diamonds. ;). By this time I started feeling like one of the so called Industrial visits we had gone during college.
Holland is famous for its Dikes and Bikes. There are an estimated 1 million cycles for a population of about 1.5 million. I could see ample examples of the number of cycles. Where ever there was a wall and a metallic structure, you are sure to find cycles locked to them.
We then went on a canal cruise through the famous network of canals within the city which earned it the name “The Venice of the North”.
I somehow didn’t find it that attractive and I now have second thoughts on my Venice trip plan. If Venice is going to be just canals and buildings, I might actually not enjoy it that much. My taste is more of open areas, forests, beaches, mountains. More of a naturalist. . After the cruise we walked through the shops in the city centre. I have heard it’s a very liberal city. But I was stunned to see Hashish and Marijuana being sold openly in the form of cigarettes and chocolates.
It was arnd 7 by then and the initial plan was to go back to the hotel, have dinner and come back to have a look at the night life of the city and the RLD. It wasn’t in the itinerary but the tour manager said he’ll take us. But the driver was not ready to drive as he was tired. So a small group of guys arranged a cab and went on our own. After roaming arnd the RLD and attending a show, we came to the place where our cab was supposed to pick us back. The Cab wala got caught up somewhere and we had to wait for an hour in the sub zero temperature. It was almost 2 by the time we reached the hotel and slept. We had to get up and get ready before 8.30 the next day to start towards Germany….
Our initial plan was to plan the trip on our own like we did for Paris. But somehow things didn’t work out and by the time we set up everything, the hotels/hostels were full and the rent for the available once were way beyond our budget. We didn’t have a choice but to take up the package tour. We didn’t have to look for economical way of travelling staying and eating coz everything is managed by them including Indian style lunch and dinner. But there ended the advantages. Actually speaking even those were a bit on the not so good side… oops after having put lots of ‘disappointments’ in my previous travelogue, I decided to show case only the +ves in this one. But cudn’t help. Going forward I’ll try hard not to put -ve tone. And a separate blog for the amazing Taj tours management.
Here we go… We started on the 21st at 6.30 from London. Bad weather meant our Ferry to cross the channel got delayed and we sat watching Phir Hera Pheri(Another advantage of an Indian tour operator). After having crossed the channel twice during our Paris visit at night, I got a chance to watch the channel in day light. It was a beautiful sight… with the blue water and the land on either side.
By the time Britain goes off sight, u will get to see France pretty quickly. France greeted us with steady showers. So by the time we were near Brussels, we were late. The rain also hadn’t stopped. So we continued our travel to Amsterdam. We actually stayed a little away from the city of Amsterdam and din’t realize until the next day morning that our hotel was bang in the middle of the world’s largest Tulip farms. But we were at a time when they just have planted the plants after winter. So it was more of greenery arnd us. There were other flowers though in quite a few shades scattered here and there.Day 2
Our first stop for the day was the Keukenhof Tulip gardens. On the way we saw huge Daffodil farms with bright yellow flowers, all shyly facing the ground like a bride. The gardens had opened just the previous day. .
So most of the Tulips plants were in their various stages of growthRight from just planted tiny ones to those with big bright colourful bulbs. We had about 2 hrs but it just wasn’t enough to enjoy the beauty of those wonderful flowers. Every time we thought ok we’ve seen all the shades, the next bed will have another bright shade we wud least expect.The forecast for all 4 days was cloudy, windy, rains and an occasional snow. Luckily for us, it started to rain just as we were about to leave and stopped by the time we stopped next.This time to a cheese and clog making factory. There they showed us how they make Cheese and Clog (A boot made of wood worn by lots of ppl in Holland, majorly farmers and workers).
We also tasted about 10 different varieties of cheese and I bought a cake of cheese called the old cheese. It had a slightly sour taste. I liked it a lot though.We then had lunch outside the factory. It was one unforgettable lunch I’ve ever had. Just as we took our food served hot from the catering Van, the temperature went down drastically and the slight drizzle turned into little hail stones. I was sooo hungry and the food was also hot and tasty. So had to bare the cold and finish the lunch. By the time I was done with it, my hands were dark red. Ran into the bus with a cup of hot Chaai and the watery Chaai was next to Amruth…
Next stop was a Diamond factory in Amsterdam. They first showed us the various shapes into which diamonds are cut and then showed us a few really Huge diamonds which cost upwards of 25000 pounds. A years’ salary for one small stone made of carbon. I don’t want diamonds. ;). By this time I started feeling like one of the so called Industrial visits we had gone during college.
Holland is famous for its Dikes and Bikes. There are an estimated 1 million cycles for a population of about 1.5 million. I could see ample examples of the number of cycles. Where ever there was a wall and a metallic structure, you are sure to find cycles locked to them.
We then went on a canal cruise through the famous network of canals within the city which earned it the name “The Venice of the North”.
I somehow didn’t find it that attractive and I now have second thoughts on my Venice trip plan. If Venice is going to be just canals and buildings, I might actually not enjoy it that much. My taste is more of open areas, forests, beaches, mountains. More of a naturalist. . After the cruise we walked through the shops in the city centre. I have heard it’s a very liberal city. But I was stunned to see Hashish and Marijuana being sold openly in the form of cigarettes and chocolates.
It was arnd 7 by then and the initial plan was to go back to the hotel, have dinner and come back to have a look at the night life of the city and the RLD. It wasn’t in the itinerary but the tour manager said he’ll take us. But the driver was not ready to drive as he was tired. So a small group of guys arranged a cab and went on our own. After roaming arnd the RLD and attending a show, we came to the place where our cab was supposed to pick us back. The Cab wala got caught up somewhere and we had to wait for an hour in the sub zero temperature. It was almost 2 by the time we reached the hotel and slept. We had to get up and get ready before 8.30 the next day to start towards Germany….
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