Grand Tour of Europe

I subscribe to Scott's Cheap Flights, which finds cheap fares and send emails to its subscribers.  I saw one to Europe for about $500 and decided to book a trip to Paris for 3 weeks.  I had not decided where to go but I figured I've been to Europe enough times that I know how to fill up a 3-week itinerary.  After much researching and planning, I decided we were going to start with 4 days in Paris, 3 days in London, 4 days in Switzerland, 4 days in Munich, 3 days in Amsterdam and finally, 2 days in Paris again.

Escargot

Sacré-Cœur

Palace of Versailles, Louis XIV's gilded palace and gardens

Macaroons

Eiffel Tower at night

Crêpe

French Croissant - the best!

No matter how many times you've been to Paris, you never get tired of it.  So many things to see, so many things to do.  Flaky croissant, escargot, crepes, cheese, wine, etc.  Museum, old architecture buildings, churches, monuments, gardens, farmers' markets, etc.  It's easy to get around Paris on the Metro.  Buy a 7-day pass and you can take the train from the airport to the city and also to Versailles.
Hotels are expensive but staying further away from the 1st and 2nd Arrondissement, you will find hotels at a more moderate price.  If you are willing to walk for 30 minutes or more you will see more of Paris.  Eating at a regular French restaurant can be expensive but you can find some reasonable prix fixe (fixed price) dinners in the Latin Quarter, across the river from the Notre Dame Cathedral.

We took an Eurostar train from Gare du Nord train station to London.  The "chunnel" train goes under the English Channel, taking a little over 2 hours for the journey.  That is very convenient compared to the old way of taking a bus or train to Calais and then taking the ferry to Dover, then another bus to London proper.  At London we get off at the St. Pancras/King's Cross station and from there we can take the Underground to anywhere in metropolitan London.  We met my son's family in London and spent three wonderful cold and rainy days together.  Like Paris, London is best enjoyed walking around:  London Eye, Borough's Market, Tower Bridge, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, Chinatown, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, etc.  We stayed at a hotel on the other side of the River Thames from Big Ben.  Of course, no visit to London is complete with a fish and chips meal.

Borough Market

Iconic Tower Bridge

London Eye, next to County Hall, where we stayed

Fish and Chips at Masters Superfish, near Waterloo Station

The next part of our trip is a 4-day train journey around Switzerland.  Whenever you read about my beautiful train journeys around the world, Switzerland is always on the top of the list with multiple train journeys.  No doubt the natural beauty of Switzerland helps but without the right trains, you can't enjoy the scenery.  I will write more about this train trip around Switzerland in the next post.

After Switzerland, we took a bus from Zurich to Munich, Germany.  It's a 5-hour ride and costs only about US$25 each.  Taking a train would take about the same time if you find one that is direct (no stops) but at a much higher price.  The bus runs almost every hour with a few stops and a ferry ride across a lake.  For another $2 you get to reserve your seat.

We went to Munich for 2 reasons:  to visit my friend Tobias and his family and to see the Christmas markets.  We were there for 4 nights and unfortunately it rained almost every day.  On top of that I contracted a virus on the third night and it caused me to vomit and had diarrhea all night.  A visit to an urgent care clinic with an IV for dehydration costs me a bank-breaking amount of 62€ or about US$70.  In the US it'd have easily costs me at least US$500.

One of the stands at a Christmas Market

In Marienplatz, selling hot wine in front of the Glockenspiel

A live Christmas play

One of the treats of visiting friends in Munich are the local meals.  We were treated to a family-style breakfast spread of cheese, cold cuts, sausage, yogurt, fruits, fresh baked bread, smoked salmon, etc. It was a meal worthy of royalty.  The next morning we were treated to a breakfast at a popular restaurant.  It's so popular that our table reservation was for only 2 hours.  Again, the bread, cold cuts,  cheese and everything was top-notch.  The joy of having friends when you travel.

A family breakfast for the royalty

A towering selection for breakfast for two

German Bread are to "die for!"

The last part of our trip took us to Amsterdam.  We flew from Munich, landed at Schipol Airport and took a 30-minute train ride to Central Station in the city center.  It was easy and convenient.  At the Central Station we took a 15-minute ferry ride to our DoubleTree Hilton Hotel at NDSM wharf.  That may sound like a hassle but we find that it's easier than dragging your suitcases.  The hotel is beautiful and the service excellent.

We took a canal cruise to see the Light Event.  Many places in the city are lit up with special lighting for this once-a-year event.  The next day we walked around the city but I still had remnants of my virus infection so I wasn't exactly in the best shape.  We felt better on our last day in Amsterdam and were able to walk around the city all day.  It was a beautiful walk through parts of Amsterdam that are not frequented by tourists.

Tulips are synonymous with Holland

A tourist boat cruising near the city center

A typical canal neighborhood

Bicycle culture is a big part of Amsterdam

The red light district

From Amsterdam we took a 3-hour high-speed Thalys train to Paris.  It costs about US$150 each.  There may be cheaper options but taking trains in Europe is always a nice experience.  The cabin was spacious and boarding the train was easy.  We took the ferry to the Central Station, scan our tickets to get in, find the right platform and about 15 minutes before the departure time, go up to the platform.  No going through security and no delays.  Americans who had this experience often wonder why there are not more trains in the United States.

At Paris' Gare du Nord train station I bought tickets to the Metro to go to our hotel in the 14th Arrondissement.  It was quite a challenge as there were many stairs to carry up our heavy suitcases.  Unfortunately, I was also pickpocketed between the train station and the hotel.  Being a Friday afternoon, the trains were also very crowded.  We were warned many times in Paris about the pickpockets.  Coming from Amsterdam, Germany and Switzerland, you get a little lax.  All my credit cards were stolen plus other documents.  All the credit card companies, except one, were quick to realize that it was fraud and rejected the transactions.  I did not lose any money.

On the last 2 nights of our trip I intentionally booked a room at an upscale Curio by Hilton hotel in an area that is south of the Seine River and the St. Germain area.  I want to walk in a neighborhood that is different from where we were before.  So, on our last day, we walked from the hotel near the Pernety Metro station towards the popular Le Jardin du Luxembourg (or Luxembourg Gardens), the Pantheon and University of Paris areas.  On our way we were delighted to come across a farmers' market in the Montparnasse area.  Farmers' markets are common all over Paris.  It's how a lot of Parisians shop for their daily staples.  We did not see any gargantuan supermarket like Safeway's or Kroger's in the US.  The meat, seafood and vegetables are not only cheaper but fresher than what you find in the supermarkets.  It was a treat to walk through one.

French dinner at Bistrotters Restaurant near the hotel

Farmers' Market near the Montparnasse Tower (in the background)

Fresh Oysters

Malis Restaurant in Chinatown, in the 13th Arrondissement

For our final dinner we decided to walk to Chinatown (in the rain) in the 13th Arrondissement to find some good Asian food.  We stumbled upon a Cambodian/Thai/Vietnamese restaurant in a shopping center.  It was surprisingly very good and inexpensive.  We were able to converse with the owner in Cantonese and learned about how they live in Paris.

At the hotel we met a fine bartender from South Carolina, fluent in French, and living in Paris because of her parents moving there.  In the morning we stopped at the Police Precinct to lodge a police report on the pickpocketing on our way to take the train to the Charles de Gaulle Airport.
What a lovely 3-week trip it was.