Paris and Amsterdam

This is part 3 in the ongoing series detailing my first trip to Europe in the Winter of 2005-2006. This may only interest some readers, be assured, regular posts will be coming. This entry picks up after Part III, and my trip to Marseilles. Thursday’s entry will detail my North Sea to Adriatic train ride across the Alps.

After our adventures in Marseilles, which included me having my pocked picked and a weird undercover French policeman try and get him to follow us, we boarded the TGV for Paris. Marseilles is a beautiful city, and one of the things we got a chance to see (and that most excited me, the literature nerd) was the Chateau d’If.

photo credit: zenra

For those that don’t know, this is the prison where Dumas’ fictional “Count of Monte Cristo” was held. The ride up to Paris was interesting. For those that haven’t been on the TGV (Which stands, curiously for Tren Gran Vitesse, or “Very Fast Train”), it’s an awesome experience. To go from palm trees in Marseilles to snowy Paris in 4 hours is really incredible.

photo credit: SnippyHolloW

Paris

There is something about visiting Paris for the first time. I have been back many times since, but the first time I was there will truly stick in my memory. We arrived at Gare d’Lyon, which is on the right bank of the Seine. As soon as we disembarked, we walked to the hostel we were staying at, which was located at Ledru-Rollin. We put our bags down, checked in, and then embarked on an amazing walking tour of the city.

We started by walking to the Notre Dame Cathedral and walking around inside. We then continued along the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) and crossed the Seine right in front of the Louvre. Deciding that we would do the Louvre in its entirity the next day, we walked down the Champs-Elysees all the way to the Arc de Triomphe.

Coming around the Trocadero, I got my first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. My first reaction was that it was quite a bit larger than I thought it would be. We took the obligatory photos and then walked to the base of the tower. Enquiring as to how much it cost to get to the top, we were told €12 to take the elevator, but further questioning led us to the fact that it only cost €3 to climb the stairs.

photo credit: conskeptical

So up we went. Let me go ahead and advise you that unless you are a good athlete, this is not a spectacular money-saving idea. We were definitely bushed when we got to the top (There are three levels, and you can only go to the 2nd highest via the stairs; the top was closed for renovations). However, we were lucky enough to ascend at a rate that got us to the top right as the sun was setting over Paris.

In the following days, we did all of the touristy stuff, seeing the Louvre, the Orsay, Montparnasse, Montmartre, Sacre Coeur, etc. They were all great, but the atmosphere of the city, for a first time visitor, was wonderful. One of the more interesting places I visited were the catacombs of Paris, a long trek through an abandoned subterranean quarry where bones from Paris’s overcrowded cemeteries were placed.

photo credit: just.in

photo credit: coralinetheblue

Fascinating, but a bit disturbing. One of the more interesting things you can see in the City of Lights.

Amsterdam

I was only in the city of Amsterdam for a day. Josh and I parted ways in Paris. He was returning to Geneva to do work and a fellowship, and I was continuing on, since my return ticket was from Rome (Or so I thought it was). I boarded in Paris and changed trains at Brussels. The hour or so I spent in Brussels was odd, because I had never experienced Flemish, and the true bilinguilism that Belgium has. It was a little disorienting. My train departed for Amsterdam, and I spent the ride looking at the foggy Dutch countryside.

My first impression of Amsterdam was that it was somewhat seedy. It was one of the only places that I felt uncomfortable. This, of course, was completely unfounded, and if I were to return to Amsterdam today, I’m sure I would feel right at home. But for someone with less than a month of travel experience under his belt, and the first time really travelling alone, being in Amsterdam, with legalised prostitution and coffee shops, and the cast of characters that both of those things attract, made me nervous.

My two main targets for my short stay in Amsterdam were Anne Frank’s House and the Rijksmuseum. I batted .500, mostly due to my less-than-stellar Dutch and difficulty comprehending the Amsterdam public transit system. Anne Frank’s house was fascinating though, and I would advocate anyone visit. You can still see the tree in the backyard that she discusses in her diary, and at the end of the tour, you can see the actual diary in her handwriting, which I thought was the most interesting part (that, and the secret door behind the bookshelf).

photo credit: carmen_seaby

I also got the chance to visit Rembrandt’s house, although for some reason, I found that to be less interesting. It’s completely reproduced, unlike Frank’s house which is pretty true to the original. Night was falling, so I made my way back to Centraal Station, passing by the main cathedral on the way. Of course, the cathedral is right in the middle of the notorious red-light district.

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