Romping and Nguyening

Normandy

Posted on March 26, 2016 by Jean Nguyen

I remember watching Saving Private Ryan when I was a 13-year-old kid, unaware of the significance and meaning of D-Day, June 6, 1944, on the German-occupied French shores. I also never imagined that I would ever visit that same cemetery in the opening scene of the film. More than double my lifetime later, I found myself sauntering along the once blood-stained beaches and gazing over the largest American cemetery in Europe with a better understanding of why thousands of young American 20-somethings sacrificed their lives for freedom.

Last month when we traveled around Germany, we visited the Tower of Terror in Berlin to learn more about the rise of Nazi Germany and the Third Reich. Not long after, we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp in the south to absorb the brutality of the Nazis. Then while in Amsterdam we visited Anne Frank’s house to understand the lives of a Jewish family in hiding during the Nazi regime. And now here we were in northern France at a site where Americans and Allies sacrificed their lives to liberate France, more so to fight for freedom.

As a result of what happened during WWII, Lower Normandy has become a popular region to visit before or after Paris. Fortunately Lower Normandy isn’t all about historic battles. It is the region of Pays d’Auge, where charming half-timbered houses can be found throughout the French countryside along with plentiful signs advertising local cider. Driving from Paris to Bayeaux was lovely, and even Chris said that it was everything he imagined the French countryside to be.

We spent the night along the coast near the Longues Batteries just north of Bayeaux.

Dry camping on cliffs overlooking the ocean is one of our favorites.

After a night of camping near batteries, we made our way to the infamous D-Day Beaches. Seven information boards and several memorials line the long stretch of beaches; because the beach is longer than it looks, I recommend the self-guided tour by bicycle or car (or tour bus).

We finished our self-guided D-Day tour with the American Cemetery. No words can describe how heartbreaking it was to gaze across the beautiful yet ghostly landscape where over 9,000 young, freedom-fighting soldiers are now buried. Even more moving was the surprisingly large WWII exhibition at the visitor center.

Following the sobering and history-filled morning, we ventured on to perhaps the most visited site in France, Mont Saint Michel. As I said earlier, Lower Normandy isn’t all about WWII. I recall seeing a photo of Mont Saint Michel somewhere, assuming it was a 3D rendering for a fantasy game because it was too surreal to be real. Well, it was definitely real. Watching Mont Saint Michel grow upon approach could easily excite anyone.

Little did we know that this popular tourist attraction required a bit of work to get there. As a cathedral and tiny, medieval town crammed onto a tidal island, there was no surprise that its roads were limited to pedestrians. But it wasn’t as simple as driving to the bridge and crossing it, as we thought it would be. There was only one massive parking lot that charged outrageous prices (€17 for motorhome parking), and €2.80 for the optional shuttle to and from Mont Saint Michel. We ended up parking in the “village” of La Rive for free, a 20-minute walk from the bridge. It took another 15-20 minutes or so to cross the bridge into Mont Saint Michel.

Once we were finally on the bridge, we couldn’t stop gaping at what stood before us.

Mont Saint Michel was, as expected, tiny and cramped, which added to the charm. Tourist shops, restaurants, creperies, and boutique hotels all lined the steep, cobblestone streets, and lead up to the cathedral.

The cathedral costs €9 to enter. It was closed when we walked by, which suited us just fine since we preferred to walk around and look out from the “island.”

Because the tidal island of Mont Saint Michel was so tiny, it ended up taking longer to walk there than walking along its narrow streets. We made it back to our car just before sundown, concluding a memorable day in Normandy.

Posted in France | Tagged d-day, mont saint michel, normandy american cemetery | Leave a comment

Paris, The Overrated City

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Jean Nguyen

I don’t know, maybe everyone hyped it up too much for me. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe spending time in Prague, Munich, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and London in the past 1.5 months prior to arriving to Paris spoiled the splendor of European cities for me. Whatever the case, I know I’ve already upset plenty of people by saying it, but I’ll say it again: Paris is an overrated city.

Everyone raves about Paris, presenting it as a unique city incomparable to any other city in the world. However, it is comparable to other major cities such as Copenhagen or London, which diminishes its uniqueness. When I imagine San Francisco, I see the rolling fog creeping over the green hills in the Marin headlands, the majestic landscape of the bay, and the unique skyline with the Transamerica tower jutting in the distance. Oh, and don’t forget the Golden Gate Bridge. When I imagine Prague, I see the centuries-old Charles Bridge stretching over the Vltava River leading up to the Prague Castle, easily seen in the distance beyond all the red roof-tiled structures and rolling hills. When I imagine Hong Kong, I see the recognizable cluster of skyscrapers stretching up into the sky, surrounded by dramatic hills and sea. When I imagine Paris, I see a flat cityscape that could easily resemble any large city, with the only differentiating factor being the world-famous phallic tower looming over the city. Without that phallic tower, Paris is naked and is stripped of its fame. That is Paris. It is not necessary to search for that epic view of San Francisco, Prague, or Hong Kong; the cities are so beautiful, the views are everywhere. In Paris I wasn’t able to find any epic views because I wasn’t willing to pay for it. If a city truly is that beautiful, there should be plenty of epic sites all around.

Like Angkor Wat is to Southeast Asia, or Machu Picchu is to South America, Paris is the same to Europe—it’s Disneyland. Uncomfortable crowds and queues, countless selfie sticks, irritating tour buses, scams and rip offs, and irresponsible tourist behavior even during the low season of March are the obvious problems. In addition to the expected annoyances in Paris, there is also the French culture of tardiness, lack of transparency in prices, and constant delays with public transportation. I can’t even imagine how terrible Paris would be in July and August. There is definitely no other Angkor Watt or Machu Picchu in the world, but there are definitely other major cities in the world comparable to Paris. As a result, I don’t understand the hype. It’s just another big city.

Still, no one should avoid visiting Paris while road tripping around France. That would be blasphemy. So I went. And I left. Now I can say I’ve been there. Photos to follow below.

Note: If traveling with an RV, I recommend boondocking or free parking along the western end of Bois de Boulogne park. We camped at Paris Indigo, which we cannot recommend for the price and lack of services they advertised. Once we parked at the campground, we saw how there were plenty of available parking spaces throughout the park, and we even saw a number of caravans and motorhomes parked along the streets.

Famous sites:

Arc de Triomph, marking perhaps the biggest cluster of traffic in all of Europe (an exaggeration, but still):

The Eiffel Tower, I will admit, was absolutely stunning and surreal. We lucked out with a perfect, sunny day. For €7 we climbed up the tower stairs and marveled at the engineering. The tower must also be seen at night because it twinkles for about 4 minutes at the top of the hour from sunset to midnight.

Views from the tower:

Night time:

The Jardin de Tuileries, easily enjoyable from a reclining chair beside a fountain:

A half day or even a full day can be spent at the world famous Louvre museum. Entering from the metro (not outside at the pyramid) will most likely grant shorter lines, but even then, the lines can still be long.

The roped barrier and line for Mona Lisa:

Beautiful galleries within the Louvre:

Simply marveling at the Louvre’s architecture during the day and night is enjoyable too.

Hotel de Ville:

I don’t understand the Notre Dame Cathedral’s fame. France, along with other European countries, have extraordinarily more beautiful cathedrals and churches than this one, especially Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The line outside was outrageous, and inside even more so.

Moulin Rouge (scam central!):

Sacre Coeur (SUPER scam central):

Visiting the graves of some famous folks such as Oscar Wilde, Victor Noir, Chopin, and Jim Morrison.

Perhaps the best thing about Paris (or should I say France) is the food (particularly pastries and baked goods). No words can describe the ecstasy upon sinking my teeth on the perfectly textured, tastefully balanced treats of France. Macarons at Lauderée, sipping cocoa and the Mont Blanc cake at Angelina’s, pan au chocolat and cappuccino at any café, baguette sandwiches, and duck dinners:

Last and almost least, the Palace of Versailles. Outside the overrated city of Paris is perhaps the most overrated palace in the world, the Palace of Versailles. This is the line before it even opened during the low season:

Don’t get me wrong. Its rooms and hallways were still beautiful.

Its gardens were also pleasant and vast, and best of all, free to the public.

Thousands of castles lay scattered throughout Europe and to visit all would require a lifetime and a fortune. Prior to coming to the Palace of Versaille, we had already seen several castles and palaces. I can’t help but assume that most people who rave about the Palace of Versaille haven’t visited many other palaces in Europe. The only major difference is…the crowds.

Clearly we knocked out most of the must-see attractions of Paris, but with the exception of the Eiffel Tower, I was more amused by the long lines than anything else. Chris had visited Paris twice before, and he looked forward to seeing the rest of France because there is so much more to France than just Paris. Like in Angkor Watt and Machu Picchu, I felt relieved to leave Paris. I couldn’t wait to see what the real France had to offer.

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Lille

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Jean Nguyen

With the city of Lille’s proximity to the Belgian border, I wouldn’t be surprised if the locals of Lille had a closer connection to Belgium than France. Either way, the stereotypical scenes of charming France awaited us for our first day to the country: numerous aromatic patisseries and boulangeres lined the cobblestone streets, boutique chocolate and macaron shops continuously beckoned us to its storefronts, and the lack of English speaking patrons and shopkeepers left me dependent on Chris’ smidgen of the French language.

Lille’s lovely town square:

Adorable shops with plenty of French delicacies proudly displayed in windows:

The best crepe I’ve ever eaten:

Lille’s odd-looking basilica:

What brought us to Lille was not because it was the first major city in northern France after crossing the French-Belgian border. In the process of applying for our 6-month French visa, I learned that I had distant relatives living in Lille! My cousin is married to a French native, whose parents reside in Lille and happily hosted us in their home.

It was a cold, stormy afternoon when we arrived to Lille, and my cousin’s in-laws gave us the ultimate French experience by lighting a wood fire in their fireplace, serving us hors d’oeuvres, and popping a bottle of champagne.

Their giant 3- or 4-storied mansion consisted of a 2-bedroom flat on each floor. We had the entire second floor flat to ourselves.

They didn’t speak a lick of English, and I didn’t know a lick of French. Fortunately they were incredibly sweet and tolerated with Chris’ French. Long and difficult conversations filled the silence between meals, but I like to think it helped Chris with the language. =) Lille was the perfect introduction to France—a petit city with all the tasty French delights, and a family to help get us started in the largest country in Europe.

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Bath

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Jean Nguyen

Why is there a popular little city in southwest England called Bath? Because of the natural hot baths the Romans built in A.D. 60! Ancient Roman baths have been built all throughout Europe during the Roman empire, but the baths in Bath, England are the most preserved Roman baths in the world. At first we were a bit hesitant to each pay the admission fee of £15, but not long after we entered we quickly learned that what we entered was more than just Roman baths. It was a museum built upon the original foundation of the baths, explaining its construction, showcasing the hundreds of artifacts found in and around the baths, and depicting what they once were. The baths had once been all indoors with monumentally tall ceilings, and now most of them remain as crumbled pools. We were the first visitors to walk through the entrance when they opened at 9am and we enjoyed the entire Roman baths to ourselves before the masses arrived.

The rare moment of vacant Roman Baths:

Other baths:

The original and natural hot springs streaming into the baths:

In addition to seeing the ancient Roman Baths, we strolled through the town center. Specific sites of interest include the Bath Abbey, directly across from the baths.

The Royal Crescent:

And tea time in the town’s oldest bakery, Sally Lunn’s:

Because it was our last full day in England, I finally inquired about the delicious buttery cream that was served with our tea time buns. That’s when I learned of southwest England’s treasure: clotted cream. Not sure if clotted cream was a specialty item, I walked into Bath’s tourist center and asked, “Can I buy clotted cream at any grocery store?” And the answer was yes! I proceeded to buy a tub of clotted cream at the nearby discount grocery store for £2.10 and later enjoyed tea time on my own account in the RV. Upon further research I learned that clotted cream’s birthplace was southwest England and finding it in the U.S. was not easy. Yay to local products!

Historic Roman baths, elegant tea houses, and scrumptious buns and clotted cream? I couldn’t have been happier. Every English local had told me Bath was a lovely town after approving of my English itinerary of London, Stonehenge, and Bath. It was definitely worth a full day’s visit after London.

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Stonehenge and Avebury

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Jean Nguyen

It wasn’t until we decided to visit England when I looked up information about Stonehenge. We’re talking about 7 days before arrival. -___-

First, I learned that advanced ticket purchase was required, specifically during the high season. Fortunately the chilly air and biting wind of early March meant it was still the low season, and there were plenty of tickets available. However upon further research I quickly discovered that ticket holders could not actually walk up to the stones; viewers could only spectate from behind a roped barrier during a thirty-minute time slot. I was advised to book the earliest ticket possible; increasing crowds later in the day only diminished the experience.

Then I learned of the Stone Circle Access Pass. Here are the details: no more than 20 or 30 people in a group, access in the early morning or early evening (not during regular hours), a 1-hour visit, and £30 per person for an up-close experience with the henge. Oh, and typically a 2-month advance reservation. It was Friday noon when I inquired about Stone Circle Access Passes for that following Monday. I figured there would be absolutely no chance of availability but I knew it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Lo and behold, there were 6 slots left for 6:45am that coming Monday!!! Have I mentioned how much I love traveling during the off-season?! Last minute sunrise at Stonehenge during clear weather? YES. OH MY GOD, YES!

After a full day in London, we drove to the nearest town to Stonehenge called Amesbury and spent the night in a free parking lot. Little did I know that there was a dirt road just outside of Stonehenge that allowed free car camping. There was even a tent along the road! We wish we had known about it. Imagine waking up to a view of Stonehenge right outside your window! I am sharing it here in the event anyone else has the opportunity to camp near Stonehenge.

We never knew that Stonehenge literally sat along the side of the freeway:

When we arrived to the visitor center, we saw that we were only an intimate group of 16 people. Wow. (There was another Stone Circle Access group at 8am and 4pm, both which were maxed out with 20 people.) Not only were we going to witness the sun climb behind Stonehenge, we were also the smallest group! I couldn’t have been happier. (When we returned later that afternoon, Stonehenge was swarmed with people.)

Sunrise at Stonehenge:

: DCIM105GOPRO

Our time concluded at 7:45am, still well before the opening of the visitor center and museum. We ran errands in nearby Salisbury and returned to Stonehenge later that afternoon to soak in the historic details at the new museum. There was even a display of what homes once looked like during the time Stonehenge flourished:

Next on our itinerary was the much lesser known Avebury Stone Circle, the largest henge in Britain just a short drive north of Stonehenge. (Stonehenge is the most complex henge, while Avebury is the largest.) The Avebury Stone Circle is so spread out that even a town with shops, a museum, and restaurant exist within the henge! Thanks to its unpopularity, the only other spectators were locals walking their dogs—no tour buses and masses of people at all! Plus, it was completely free to walk amongst the stones, although the tourist parking fee of £4 offset the free admission.

Hard to imagine that people dragged these massive stones to their current location today:

Even harder to imagine people manually digging gigantic ditches such as these using only primitive tools like antlers:

While I’m glad we visited the Avebury Stone Circle, I can’t recommend visiting unless you can drive yourself. Only local buses head to Avebury from Salisbury, which are unfortunately infrequent with journeys longer than they should be.

Everything about Stonehenge and Avebury was fortunate for us. From the last minute detour to England, to the last minute Stone Circle Access Passes, and to the rare sunny weather, we knew how fortunate we were that the chain of events fell into place and we savored every minute of it.

Posted in England | Tagged avebury, stone circle access pass | Leave a comment

London

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Jean Nguyen

“There’s no way we’re going to the UK. Not enough time, and not enough money.”

Well, we said those exact words in 2015 for the Galapagos and we ended up on a last minute cruise through those islands. It ended up being the same for England.

With the burning desire to see Stonehenge, and with ferry tickets being surprisingly affordable, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to visit England as long as we limited our stay to keep our budget on track. We also had run out of propane at this point because no one outside of Germany would fill our German propane tanks, and our only sensible option for future propane fills was to install a refillable LPG tank (only readily available in England). That’s a whole other story I’ll explain in another post. In any case, I quickly learned that taking the ferry instead of the tunnel from France to England with the RV was significantly cheaper, and ferry tickets on a weekday between 10am-3pm even more so. I booked round trip ferry tickets with a departure on Friday morning and a return on Wednesday morning, totaling £100.45 ($143.58)—much cheaper than our ferry ride to Vancouver Island!

So off we went to England!

About 2 hours later, the white cliffs of Dover steadily came into view.

Soon we were on the road! Driving on the left side of the road with a left-hand drive vehicle? I wasn’t driving and even I was stressed out.

Unfortunately our first day in England was centered around propane and other RV logistics in Canterbury, so I’ll fast forward to the next day which involves finding parking, getting into London, and finally sightseeing.

Many European major cities enforce a “low emission zone,” prohibiting older and environmentally unfriendly vehicles from entering. Vehicles caught driving within the low emission zone would be fined. London’s low emission zone was surprisingly huge—while Munich’s low emission zone only required a 20-minute commute from the outer radius, London’s required a minimum of 1 hour! It was time to get creative. Thanks to Google street view and online zone maps, I found nonresidential street parking not too far from Surbiton station. There, we secretly car camped in the residential streets.

By late Saturday morning we arrived to the streets of London, which to our surprise, reminded us of San Francisco. No other major European city was as littered, reeked of urine, scattered with homeless people, and lacked quaint bakeries. Other than the language, I hadn’t expected England to be as culturally similar to the U.S. especially since it was so famously enriched with history. It felt…like home! =)

Despite its similarities to home, we still found all the sites that made the city London. Our native British friends told us to quickly skim through the city center and immediately leave. It was no wonder why—hoards of tourists filled every inch of the street surrounding Buckingham Palace, the Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey. We took the obligatory shots and quickly left.

Red phone booths, red double decker buses, and a penny farthing:

Trafalgar Square, hosting a St. Patrick’s Day festival:

Buckingham Palace and a distant guard:

Westminster Abbey, which was unfortunately closed for a private event:

The Parliament, which looked much more magnificent in the evening:

Big Ben:

Crossing the Golden Jubilee Bridge with the London Eye in the distance:

Delicious fish and chips, of course:

Slightly north from the center lies the nation’s largest museum, the British Museum. Amazingly enough many of London’s incredible museums offer free admission, including this one. Though a half-day could easily be squandered at the British Museum, we only dropped in for one relic: the Rosetta Stone.

On the other side of the Thames River, tourists and locals alike seem to enjoy the lengthy South Bank. Despite the joggers, the lively combination of street performers, street food vendors, a merry-go-round, and the London Eye give the South Bank a taste of a carnival or fair.

Further up along the South Bank lies the Shakespeare Globe Theater:

The beautiful Millennium Bridge:

And last but not least, the Tower Bridge:

Crossing the Tower Bridge immediately took us along the 11^th century Tower of London:

North of the Tower Bridge was the lovely Spitafield Market, excellent on the weekend. I highly recommend dropping in.

And even further east along the Thames River is the green and lovely neighborhood of Greenwich. I specifically sought out Greenwich for afternoon tea, and Chris, the Prime Meridian.

Perched atop the hill at Greenwich Park are the Royal Observatory, one of the first magnetic clocks, and more interestingly, the prime meridian. Although the line marking the prime meridian was bare bones, crowds still surrounded the famous line separating east and west.

We came to Greenwich for one main reason—afternoon tea! Hotels, restaurants, and cafés offer a “London tea experience” of all types. From pretentious white-collar hotels to lower key casual teashops and restaurants, there are numerous tea experiences to choose from. Some even require advance booking! I was able to find a quaint little teashop for an affordable price at The Fan Museum that allowed walk-ins on Saturdays from 12pm-4pm. With a £4 entry fee to the museum, one can indulge in afternoon tea in the museum’s tearoom known as The Orangery for £7. An a la carte menu exists, yet we both opted for the tea set consisting of tea, scones with clotted cream (incredible!) and jam, sponge cake, and a brownie or lemon square.

Clearly there’s loads to do in London, almost overwhelmingly so. With the diverse blend of history and modern-day city, a typical tourist day in London bounces from humbling educational experiences to city luxuries and indulgences. English pubs and shopping boutiques are scattered between ancient castles and churches, making one travel back in time one moment and return to the 21st century the next. But perhaps the experience we appreciated the most was the ability to speak and understand the language of the land again, with the only difference being the charming British accent.

Posted in England | Tagged london tea, low emission zone, south bank, tower bridge | 2 Comments

Ghent

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Jean Nguyen

We had never heard of Ghent until a native Belgian whom we met in Copenhagen told us that we had to visit Ghent during our stopover in Belgium. Then when we hung out at a tourist information center in Brussels, we told another local Belgian that Ghent was our next destination, and he confirmed that it was indeed an excellent choice. Overshadowed by Brussels and Bruges, Ghent sees few tourists despite having beautiful neighborhoods and historic architecture with plenty of activities. Now after having come and gone through the lovely city, I can understand why Ghent is truly a gem to its locals.

Photos below detail our afternoon stroll through Ghent.

The 12^th century Gravensteen Castle:

Perhaps the largest toilet paper roll in the world, which belongs to the Ghent Museum of Design:

The most photogenic view of Ghent, west of the Grasbrug bridge:

Post Plaza with the Church of Saint Nicholas in the distance:

The Stadshal:

The back of the Church of Saint Nicholas:

Vrijdag market, with a monument of Jacob van Artevelde, a Flemish politician native to Ghent:

There were definitely fewer waffle shops in Ghent than Brussels, but there were still plenty of chocolate and beer shops.

During the warmer days of summer, Ghent sees approximately a million partygoers during its annual summer festival in July. Outside of those parties, live music, theaters, bars, and cafés play a huge role in everyday life in Ghent. It was a chilly Tuesday afternoon when we explored the lovely streets of Ghent, and albeit a quiet day, Ghent did not disappoint. Strolling the lovely streets suited us perfectly.

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Brussels

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Jean Nguyen

What’s there not to like about the land of waffles, fries, chocolates, and beer? Sure, perhaps the variety of waffle shops only fills the streets of Brussels to cater to tourists, but we sure didn’t mind. With the costs of transportation and food quite high and not a whole lot to do for a major city, we limited our visit to just one day. Not only did we stuff our faces with irresistible Belgian snacks and delights, we fell in love with all the upbeat music thumping softly from every shop we visited. Favorable food and music made all the difference. Albeit a brief visit, we thought it was just the perfect amount of time, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

For a pricey 1-way €3 ticket each, we rode the bus into the city from the neighboring suburb of Grimbergen where we parked the RV for free. Once in Brussels we immediately started our day at Mokafe for the typical Belgian waffle blanketed beneath a layer of fresh strawberries.

Just around the corner from Mokafe stood the Jeanneke Pis statue, literally the sister statue of the more famous Mannekin Pis. Seeing a statue of a little girl squatting and peeing was slightly disturbing. Rumor says that a restaurant owner commissioned this statue to be placed in front of his restaurant to attract more customers; now that restaurant is gone, but the statue remains, beckoning tourists to stop by.

Then we strolled through perhaps the most grand and flamboyant square in Europe, the Grand Place Square. All edifices but one (the towering City Hall) had been rebuilt after 1695 after the French shelled them. Because of its dizzying magnificence, the Grand Place is worth seeing both day and night.

Down the street from the Grand Place were waffle shops after waffle shops, with waffles starting at only €1! We eagerly loaded up on waffles.

And sure enough, the Mannekin Pis statue, which was naturally right around the corner of a waffle shop:

Mannekin Pis was the first pissing statue to be erected. It is said that he represents the Belgian rebelliousness nature and history. There is apparently an entire wardrobe of over 800 costumes for this little statue, which is held on display at a museum. He was naked when we took his picture.

For the rest of the afternoon we wandered in and out of chocolate and beer shops, stopping to snap photos of pretty scenery.

From Mont des Arts:

We fell in love with chocolate from Leonardi’s. Not only were the chocolates of fine quality, they also did not break the bank!

Beer café:

The Stock Exchange:

St. Catherine Church:

While in the heart of Brussels, we recommend dropping into Use-It, an incredibly resourceful tourist information center that provides not just info and free walking tours, but also current local event listings, free wifi, power, tea, coffee, and a bathroom. It is located in the mall across the street from the Brussels Centrale station on the east side. We spent a couple hours there chatting with the guys and recharging our electronics.

Our final attraction in Brussels was the Atomium several kilometers north of the city, a site not to be missed. Like the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, or the Palace of Fine Arts is to San Francisco, the Atomium is to Brussels. Imagine an iron crystal lattice structure of an atom, only enlarged billions of times. This structure was originally constructed for the 1958 World Fair, but the Belgians loved it too much to take down. Parking was free the first 15 minutes, and 50¢ for the next 30 minutes—plenty of time for just circumnavigating the structure. Otherwise the entrance fee up the escalators into each “ball” was €11.

Had we visited Brussels on a Friday or Saturday there would have definitely been more events and activities. Bars and plenty of nightlife seem to flood Brussels, not to mention the famous outdoor music festivals that partake in the summers. We primarily had a relaxing time in Brussels on a quiet Monday, albeit a filling one (food-wise).

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Kinderdijk

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Jean Nguyen

Replicas of Dutch windmills are strewn about the U.S., painting a clear picture of what Dutch windmills should look like. Of course, while traveling throughout Europe, we knew that a trip in The Netherlands would be incomplete without a leisurely stroll through a windmill-filled Danish countryside. Fortunately for us tourists, The Netherlands packs quite a bit into its compact country, and the popular windmill park of Kinderdijk does not require a long journey from Rotterdam nor Amsterdam. As the town boasts the largest concentration of old windmills in The Netherlands (19 windmills to be exact), it is definitely worth seeing.

To my surprise, it cost us nothing to walk along the riverbanks of windmills. Sure, there was paid parking, but there was also plenty of free street parking. There was only a €5 fee for a hop-on/hop-off boat tour, or a €7.50 fee to preview the windmill museum. Strolling along the promenade of Danish windmills suited us just perfectly, especially since the sun occasionally peeked out of the clouds for wonderful photo opportunities.

If only a simple walk suits you, then you only need 1.5-2 hours to enjoy Kinderdijk. This place was a photographer’s haven. I hope you enjoy a sample of my favorite photos.

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Amsterdam

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Jean Nguyen

Amsterdam turned out to be everything and even more than I expected. When people speak of Amsterdam the only topics of conversation revolve around legal drugs, sex, the largest Red Light district in the world, and raging parties. Less is spoken about the famous museums, the neighborhood canals comparable to Venice, the cozy brown cafes, and the quaint architecture and cobblestone alleys. Together, the intoxicating combination of historic European with the wildest and most liberal beliefs makes Amsterdam perhaps one of the most unique and special cities in the world. Needless to say, we LOVED Amsterdam!!

Accommodation with the RV also worked out; there were two year-round campgrounds outside of Amsterdam. We settled with Amsterdam City Camp, a RV lot across the canal in the Noord district, for one golden reason: its vicinity to a free ferry. The price of €18/night included accommodation for 2, wifi, a dump, and water. There was a small additional fee for electricity. From the lot, it was a 10-minute walk to the free 12-minute-ride ferry that departed every half hour. Had we stayed at the other campsite, we would have spent €7.50 per person per day on transportation along with a 40-minute commute.

The ferry, which was the ultimate local experience:

Upon arrival to Central Station, I was immediately overwhelmed by the beauty of the city. The station alone begged to be photographed, along with the incredible site of thousands of bicycles.

Smart shops and coffee shops (not coffee houses or cafes!) littered the streets of Amsterdam, selling all types of legal drugs and psychedelics. Kokopelli, our favorite smart shop, was apparently the only smart shop in the city that had a lovely hang-out spot for their customers to hang out and trip.

Amusing and extremely creative sex shops could be found everywhere.

Or random toys in general.

Too many bars and nightclubs made it difficult to find a party. Fortunately I found a weekly Friday-night event called House Rules in Rembrandtplein, which turned out to be an epic party. A live vocalist and saxophonist infused with house music? It was heaven. With the €16 cover charge, it was inexpensive, but the ridiculous €0.50 per bathroom usage made up for it.

But perhaps my favorite activity in Amsterdam was simply wandering along the canal-lined streets, stopping at bars and cafes along the way. Our regularly frequented brown cafe of choice was Hoppe (which was 300+ years old), where I devoured the delicious Dutch snack of bitterballen every time. Another favorite was Puccini, a wonderful cafe and bakery near the street market of Nieumarkt, perfect for a sandwich and people-watching. Even the €19 hop-on/hop-off boat tour was enjoyable. Amsterdam is ridiculously beautiful, and we lucked out with an unusual sunny day.

Even the museums varied: the Torture Museum, the Sex Museum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Rijksmuseum, to name a few. We only visited one museum, the famous Anne Frank House, where the Frank family hid for 2 years from the Nazi regime. Long lines can be typically seen wrapped around the house, but if you purchase tickets online in advance (for €9.50 per person), you can skip the line. I recommend purchasing a week in advance.

We did not enter the Rijksmuseum, but we enjoyed strolling around its gorgeous facade. Obviously, we weren’t the only ones.

Unfortunately one of the major attractions of Amsterdam (and the Netherlands) had not yet bloomed during our visit in early March. We would have loved to witness the fields upon fields of brilliant tulips paint the typical picture of the Netherlands. The downside to traveling during the off season equates to closures of popular attractions, but the upside is peace, tranquility, and lower costs. Despite not being able to gush over Dutch tulips, we thoroughly enjoyed the local gouda cheeses, the canals, and the paraphernalia that makes Amsterdam Amsterdam. But before leaving the Netherlands we had one final task: to wander through a field of Dutch windmills!