Amsterdam Part 2 And My Last Week In Paris

Sorry it has taken so long for me to finally conclude my travel blog. It seems as though there is just as much to do after getting back from abroad as there is to do before going abroad. That, and I have been working almost non-stop since I got back. A week later, I finally have a few hours to myself to sit down and share the end of my trip with everyone who has been faithfully following it so far.

I'll start by finishing the weekend in Amsterdam. I woke up in the hostel in Amsterdam with a migraine from hell and the sun streaming in through the unusually large windows to torture me a little more. The sun always has a way of finding me when I have a migraine. But I was not going to let that get me down when I only had one last full day in Amsterdam. I took an Excedrin Migraine and dragged myself down three flights of stairs to the cafeteria of the hostel to take advantage of the free breakfast. I had a bowl of granola cereal, some bread and honey, and orange juice-flavored water. It hit the spot just as much as I expected a free hostel breakfast to, but by the time I had finished eating, my headache was almost gone (thank you, Excedrin).

Kaylin and I met up with Amanda in Dam Square at ten o'clock that morning. Right on Dam Square, there was a Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, and with coupons that we had in a city guide from the hostel, admission was only 16 euros. So we went in, where we immediately had our picture taken with a wax figure of Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean (which we didn't buy since it cost 8 euros, yuck). Then we were shuffled onto an elevator with about sixteen other people and taken up to the next level. As soon as we stepped off of the elevator, we were greeted by a giant wax figure (it had to have been 30 feet tall), that was a seventeenth-century Dutchman who was made of all of the symbols of Holland, such as windmills, tulips, clogs, and pilgrim-like attire. There was a little show put on (yes, this giant thing talked, which didn't help with the creepiness factor) about the history of Holland during its golden age. There was an exhibit that took up one whole floor of the museum that was a reconstruction of Amsterdam in the 1600s, which was really interesting. It had wax dolls dressed up in the fashions of the time. They looked a lot like the pilgrims who first colonized the Americas at Plymouth, because the pilgrims actually moved from England to Holland before setting off for the New World. Then we walked around the corner and suddenly we were in a Pirates of the Caribbean-themed horror house. I was not prepared for a horror house when I went into the wax museum. I assumed that I would see celebrities, take some cool pictures, and walk around in a museum where people did not jump out covered in stage blood and grab me or get in my face. So I was especially unprepared when the latter did occur. I was at the very front of the group of about sixteen people or so, when I walked into a room that was designed to look like the pirate prison from the movies. I went up to a wax figure of a female pirate was was looking at it, when out of nowhere, a man jumps out screaming, which of course made me scream and start running. That is apparently what they want you to do, because the guy started chasing me around making growling noises and getting really close to my face. He had dreaded hair and his face was covered in stage blood and black grease... he was so scary! Once I figured out what was going on, I started laughing and he went to harrass some other people. As we went through the horror house, some rooms had walls made completely of mirrors, and since I was at the front of the line, I was the idiot who had to keep walking into mirrors for a few minutes before finding the exit. One room had a person in a jail cell who was banging chains up against the bars of the cell and I thought that he was locked in and wouldn't jump out at me. But as soon as I felt comfortable, he jumped out of a door that I hadn't seen and I screamed and ran. This part of the museum went on way longer than my nerves could really handle and by the time it was over, I was ready to go into a room where that wouldn't happen. Finally we made it to the good part. I saw Elvis, Bob Marley, Freddy Mercury, David Bowie, The Spice Girls, Justin Timberlake, James Bond, Humphrey Bogart, Mona Lisa, and even the Pope. It was over too soon, and the last room was the gift shop (how thoughtful of them!).

After the wax museum, the three of us did a little shopping which is always a lot of fun. We randomly ran into Russ' cousin Drew and a few of his friends, so we all went out to lunch together at a little cafe near Dam Square. After a quick lunch, we split and Amanda, Kaylin and I went off on our museum quest. We jumped on the tram and headed straight for the famous Rijksmuseum, which houses a lot of artwork from artist Rembrant. My experience at this museum wasn't that great. It had some wonderful artwork and I enjoyed what I saw, but most of the museum was closed due to renovations. There was only one wing open and we were in and out of the museum in a little over an hour, which was a tease compared to the Louvre (which I went to four times and still didn't see everything because it was so big). And since most of the museum was closed down, you'd think they would charge a reduced price. But no. It still costs over ten euros to get in, with no student discounts! I was not very happy.

After the somewhat disappointing Rijksmuseum, we ran into a stand that sold ice cream, waffles, and crepes. The estrogen in me was crying out for chocolate, so I had to indulge. I got a waffle topped with hot fudge and it was probably the most amazing thing that I have ever eaten. I could have eaten about ten more. It was probably my favorite thing in Amsterdam.

But right next door to the Rijksmuseum was the Van Gogh museum, and I was really excited about that. It costs 12.50 euros to get in (no student discount, ugh), but the entire museum was open and full of hundreds of original artwork from Vincent Van Gogh himself. It was extraordinary and well worth the cost to see all of the amazing paintings he did. There were a lot that I was very familiar with, but there were a lot that I had never seen before. He experimented a lot with different styles, and even did a lot of Japanese-style artwork. He is best-known for his impressionist paintings, all of which were beautiful.

After a long day of shopping and museum-hopping, we were hungry, so we walked through town looking for a place that had good food for affordable prices. We finally settled on an Italian place along one of the big canals that carved through the city. I had a Heineken that cost four euros but was still cheaper than pop, and some of the best lasagne that I've ever had.

When we finished dinner, we took a cruise through the city in the canals. It was amazing, and gave a unigue perspective of the city. It lasted about and hour and only cost seven euros, so it was well worth the trip. It took us through the oldest parts of the city, the parts of town that were the wealthiest when built, the old Jewish quarter, and even into the harbor. It was the perfect time to take a canal cruise, too. The sun was setting, but it wasn't dark. It was cool and breezy without being cold and the boat took us through the city in a slow, leisurely fashion.

We spent the rest of the evening wandering around the city, shopping and occasionally getting lost (that's what we get for not having a Rick Steve's Amsterdam book!). It was a lot of fun and we got to see more of the city than I expected. The canals were beautiful and it was fun to watch the boats flow lazily by and to walk along the cobblestone streets just like people have been doing for hundreds of years in Amsterdam. There were trees all along the canals and rows upon rows of bicycles. I'm sure there are more bicycles than vehicles in Amsterdam, and the bikes are more dangerous than the vehicles. The drivers in Amsterdam are really laid-back in comparison to Parisian drivers, but walk across the bike paths at your own risk. And keep your ears open for the little ding ding of the bicycle bells that tell you to move or be moved, or you will get run over. I was more cautious of the bikes than the cars.

Before my trip to Holland, a few people asked me about Dutch food, and I wasn't really sure what to tell them. I didn't know what would be considered Dutch food myself. So I did some investigating and the only things I could really find that seemed more emphasized than other culinary delights were pancakes and waffles, as well as beer of course (Heineken is brewed in Amsterdam - I saw the brewery with my own eyes!). Pancakes stands were everywhere. If you often find yourself walking down the street and craving pancakes, Holland is the place for you! Pancakes stands are like the hot dog stands of Holland. Of course, there were oddly a lot of hot dog stands there too, so maybe that's a bad analogy. But you get the point.

The next morning, we got up and caught our train with out any problems are arrived in Paris at the same time that the first cyclists from the Tour de France were rolling at top speed up the Champs-Elysees toward the Arc de Triomphe to complete their race.

And thus began my last week in France. I must say that I really enjoyed my time in France and I was very opposed to leaving. I love Paris and everything about it. People keep asking me what the best part of Paris was, and I honestly can't boil it down to one thing. And there is only one thing that I didn't like about Paris: the lack of elevators. But when my legs were nice and toned at the end of the month, I even came to love the lack of elevators in Paris. I feel like my personality really fits Paris too, because people aren't in-you-face friendly, but they are helpful when you need them. I never had anyone treat me disrespectfully or insult me because I don't speak French fluently or because I am an American. Even if I said something incorrectly or was having trouble saying something, they weren't mean or rude; they always tried to help the best they could and eventually we would find some level of understanding. Anyone who says that the French hate Americans or treat Americans poorly has never been to France or dealt with a French person. In every store I went in, they were playing American music over the P.A., and in every theater they were playing at least one or two American movies (I saw Kung-Fu Panda in Paris!), and they eat some American foods. They have McDonalds and Starbucks everywhere (although all McDonalds advertisements have a disclaimer like our Surgeon General's warning, and they have stricter regulations on how food can be processed in France, so it is a little healthier). But they still have their own unique culture of cafes and farmer's markets, and small bakeries, and they are the most fashionable people on the planet, make no doubt of that. In truth, I found that the French aren't all that different from Americans.

I will miss a lot of things about Paris:

1. The metro! Every city needs a subway system. It is so efficient and it is pathetic that American cities have not adopted this efficient form of public transportation. For all of you Cincinnatians, if Cincy had a subway like Paris' metro, you could get from Eastgate to Downtown in twenty minutes. And you don't have to pay for gas! Why don't we have this again?
2. The smell of fresh bread baking at the patisserie every morning when I walk out my door.
3. Great shopping around every corner. It wouldn't be Paris if it didn't have a department store or clothing boutique every fifty meters.
4. Cafes. It's more about the atmosphere. You can get a table outside on the sidewalk and people watch all day long or eaves-drop on peoples' conversations.
5. Chocolate. It is so much richer in Europe than in America. Their regular chocolate is like our dark chocolate in richness. Their dark chocolate was just too rich for me.
6. Good, cheap wine. It's made right there in France, so it is really cheap, and authentic.
7. The Louvre. My Friday night ritual in Paris was to spend at least four hours at the Louvre, and I already miss it. I could spend days at a time in the Louvre. If you are going to Paris, absolutely DO NOT miss the Louvre.
8. Speaking French!
9. Having a different museum for practically every weekend of the year! No other city compares to Paris in culture. There are so many cultural activities happening every single day all over the city. Museums, theatre, opera, musicals, art, bookstores on every corner, and music everywhere from bars and cafes to the metro. It is impossible to be bored in this city.
10. The Parks. There were parks and quiet places all over the city where you could get away from urban life for a few hours everyday. There were old men playing chess and boules while sipping on wine, people relaxing in the sun doing crossword puzzles or reading, children playing, and just Parisians at leisure.
11. How clean the city is. Paris is one of the cleanest cities I've ever been to. There are green trash bags every fifty feet or so, and yellow trash cans for recyclables. Parisians take care of their city.
12. How safe the city is. Most of Paris felt very safe and I never felt threatened walking around at night or in the daytime. The metro can be a little shady at night time (a lot of homeless people sleep there at night), but there are always people around. I have been to some shady areas of town (quite by accident), but it was nowhere near as dangerous as taking a wrong turn in downtown Cincinnati or Detroit.

I loved Paris and I definitely plan on going back someday. Hopefully next time I will be going to stay. Thanks for reading, everyone, and I hope I've kept you entertained while keeping you posted on my trip!

Au revoir!