Adventure Across the Pond

Day 14: Den Haag ( Round 2)

Day 14. The last day of my spring break European adventure. The day started off with I nice walk around the Hague again. It was much better this time because it was sunny and warm. I walked into the middle of town and got one last pastry which was delicious as always. Then it was time for a trip to the beach. Once again this was much better because it was sunny and warm. The pier is a very cool place and it was a lot of fun walking up and down the whole place.  It was a great last day in Holland and a great way to end the trip.   It is a bittersweet feeling though. I’m sad that the trip is over but it was one of the most draining things I’ve done yet in my life. I’ve learned many things on my trip. I’ve even picked up a bit of French (thanks to my French-Canadian friends) and some Dutch. I have to fully appreciate another corner of the world. I met some amazing people and some ehh not so amazing but nonetheless it was truly fantastic. It is some thing that i will remember forever. I just touched down in Belfast so i guess all that is left to say is…… 3 weeks till Italy.

 

Well what promised to be an utterly terrible rainy day turned out to be a gorgeous tour day. I took a tour to Brugge, Belgium and I had been checking the weather constantly hoping it would change from a cold and rainy day. Miraculously it did. The bus left from Amsterdam do we had to get up early to catch the train into the city. The bus left at 10 am and it was a 3 hour trip to Brugge. We got in around 1pm and decided to take another canal tour. To be honest I think the canals in Brugge are better than Amsterdam. The whole town of Brugge is simply beautiful. Even though it was still cloudy at this point, the buildings were very cool to look at and I had a really nice time. Plus, there was this gorgeous black lab puppy on the boat and I enjoyed getting to pet it. After the canal it was time for the first part of the holy trinity to present itself. At lunch I ordered a beer with my lunch. I figured a large couldn’t be too big…. Whoops. I ended up getting basically a jug of this amazing Belgian beer. It made for a very fun afternoon. After lunch it was time for the second part of the trinity which was the Belgian Chocolate. We stopped in this chocolate shop to get some chocolate. There is literally a chocolate shop every few houses. Which is both very good and very bad. I found the best chocolate I’ve ever tasted in that shop. It was a chocolate morsel with Creme brule in the middle. Best thing since man discovered fire. To top the whole experience off, the waffle shop had to be the next stop. I got this amazing waffle with chocolate and whipped Cream. The trinity of Belgian Beer, Chocolate, and Waffles made my day spectacular. After stuffing my belly and then some I walked around for a while soaking in the sunshine and the beautiful scenery in the town of Brugge. Unfortunately the tour was only a day trip and before I knew it, I was back on the bus headed back to Amsterdam. After a very long but amazing day it was one more train ride back to Den Haag and then to bed.

 

Day 12: Amsterdam

This morning we got up at a decent time and headed to Amsterdam. It was only Kelsey and I because Arthur had class. It’s about a 45 min train ride from Den Haag to Amsterdam so we got into the city around 11:30.  We thought it would be a good idea to do the canal tour right off the bat. Our weather was pretty decent so the canal tour was very enjoyable. The canal and water system in the area is simply amazing. After the canal tour we went in for a bite to eat and it was a very good lunch and by good I mean cheap, which is always good. After the canal tour we went and found the big ‘I Am Amsterdam’ sign. It was located in front of the wax museum. We took some cool pictures and then decided the lines for the surrounding museums weren’t for us and we chose to walk around the city instead. I very much enjoyed just walking around. The buildings and houses are very different from what I saw in England and France. I really like the architecture and all the waterways around the houses. Before too long it was getting late so we hopped on the train back to The Hague. We had a nice dinner with Arthur’s family again. The food and wine were very delicious. Ended up watching some soccer on the tele before bed.

Strolling around Paris

This morning there was a plan in place I swear. The plan was to get up early and head to Versailles and Muse d’Orse.  That was the plan I promise…. Well, it didn’t happen at all. I woke up and had a serious disregard for lines, queues, and anything touristy. I’d been waiting in lines and doing tours for like 6 days straight and I had enough. Instead I got up and enjoyed a wonderful day just walking around Paris. I stopped again in the morning for some chocolate pastries and walked all over the city. I ended up walking to the Arc d’Triumph , which was really cool, and then all the way back to the louvre. As I walked I stopped in random pastry and bread shops to keep my belly full. I literally only ate pastries and bread the entire day and it was beautiful. I really enjoyed my walk during the day. I kinda got tired and so I ended up walking back to my hotel for a little nap but I got myself back up, grabbed a pastry and headed back to my favorite place in Paris. That night, was one if not my favorite night on the trip. I ended up listening to this awesome street performer play right near the Eiffel tower. He wasn’t that great of a singer but he was so genuine and cool. He kept getting people from around the world to come sing songs with him. And it was cold that night but I sat out there for close to three hours and listening to him with a good 60 other people. Hearing 60 people sing “One Love” by Bob Marley, on the steps overlooking the Eiffel Tower lit up at night is beyond surreal. I really didn’t want him to stop singing but as time went by it got late and before I knew it I was saying goodbye to Paris and off to bed again.

Day 8:

St. Malo, Le Mont St. Michael

The second day of my trip through northern France starting off with another wonderful shower and amazing French breakfast. After shower and feeding time I was back on the bus to go to St. Malo. Now the weather wasn’t great and it was a tad cold but St. Malo is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been. The walled city is one of my favorite places thus far. The city inside is so cool with all the shops and eateries. And then the views from the walls are simply spectacular. I want… No, need a house/ boat there. It is on the list now. I spent most of my time there with 2 of the Canadians I met and we just walked through the city and then on the walls. It was an awesome time. Then after our walk around we stopped in for a bite to eat which was really nice. Especially for those of us who opted for the Irish coffee. After lunch it was onto the bus again for Le Mont Saint Michel. The place was founded as an abbey and the abbey of Saint Michael sat on top of the mountain (hill) on the island. During high tide the abbey would not be accessible if the man made road hadn’t been built. The abbey itself grew over the centuries and is a mix of different styles of architecture. The view of what it is today is truly one of a kind. I visited during low tides so it wasn’t as prominent but nonetheless the structure of the abbey and surrounding town is spectacular. I really enjoyed climbing the narrow streets all the way to the top of the abbey. I stopped in a few shops on the way up and grabbed some cool cookies that are only made in the area around Le Mont Saint Michel. I had a really good time in the town and on the trip. I even tried to ask the guide if I could stay on the trip for the longer journey. Stupid lawsuit regulations didn’t let me but I tried. Since the trip was over for me I headed back to Paris to enjoy the Eiffel Tower at night again. After another long day it was a metro ride and small back to the hotel and bed.

Rouen, Normandy, Caen

Well today was meant to start my big trip through Northern France…. And I have to thank my body clock for knowing to wake up in time for the trip because I caught the bus with literally one minute to spare. I needed to charge both my camera and phone for the trip last night and I was so exhausted from being awake for so long that I plugged my camera in, laid down on the bed and passed out. I fell asleep in my clothes and with the light on and everything, thank god I packed before I laid down though. Anyways, the story goes that I woke up and did the whole bolt upright thing in bed. I realized it was still dark out so I wasn’t in full panic mode yet. I then saw my phone was dead and had to wait a few minutes for it to charge so I could check the time…. It said 6:43 and my bus left at 7:15. The station was half way across Pairs. I believe I said some very obscene words as I threw water on my face, grabbed my bag, found some clothes and sprinted out the door. I ran to the metro station and then realized I left my coins on the table and all I had was a 50 euro note and the ticket machines don’t take 50’s. I then had to butcher my way through French to ask this guy for 2 euros for the metro ticket. That guy deserves a medal if I ever see him again. I got the ticket and sprinted down to the train. I got on just as it was about to leave. Then I had to switch trains half way through to get to the proper stop. I luckily caught that train just as it arrived. When I got off that train it was 7:11 and I had about 3 blocks to go. So… I sprinted through the middle of Paris to the stop. If you think the louvre looks cool regularly, you should try sprinting by it.  But I finally made it and showed the guide my ticket. She was really nice and funny the whole trip but her first words to me were “mr. Brock I presume”. I found it amusing later on in the day but at that point I was happy just to have made it. And basically as soon as I had gotten in my seat and heard the guide finish talking, I passed out again. Before I knew it we were in Rouen. This is the place where Van Gogh painted his famous Rouen Cathedral at different times of the day to capture how the sun reflects off the facade. Unfortunately the facade had scaffolding on it and I couldn’t see much but none the less it was very cool. After that we walked under this amazing clock in the middle of Rouen. The clock actually doesn’t tell time, but it shows phases of the moon and other indicators to what time of year it is. It’s called Le ros Horloge. After walking by the clock we walked to where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. There is now a chapel right beside where she was burned. After Rouen we drove to a little costal town. The weather still hadn’t improved but it was a gorgeous town nonetheless. We ate lunch there and had a nice walk around. I’m not exactly sure where we were but oh well. After lunch we traveled out to Normandy. The first stop was Omaha beach where the American forces first made birth. The beach is a very eerie place to be. The beach is silent except for the waves. It is a very humbling place to visit. The most special thing was finding a cross drawn in the sand on the beach. After a short visit to the beach we went to the American cemetery. The cemetery is beautiful. The is a brilliant diagrams at the front soliciting the battle and the troops movement and then the entire field of white Italian marble crosses that all face west towards the United States. It to is a very humbling place. The only thing I missed at the cemetery is the grave of Quentin Roosevelt. I don’t know why, but he was a WWI pilot that fought with a family member of mine and he’s buried in Normandy. After walking around the cemetery for a little over an hour, we began our trip to Caen to stay overnight. We drove to the hotel and trough the tour I got my own hotel room which seemed like a 5 star Hilton compared to what I’d been staying in. I took my first proper shower in 5 days as soon as I got to the room. The tour provided a really nice dinner and over dinner and drinks I met some really cool people on the tour with me. I got to know a few people from Canada really well. They were fun to be around and were truly awesome people. After dinner I headed off to bed for a proper nights sleep.