Winter Holidays in Amsterdam, Paris and London Dec-Jan 2014/15

My first kiss under the Eiffel Tower 

Our main objective in moving overseas was to be able to travel and see as much of Europe as possible.  So when planning our winter holidays we knew we wanted to go to multiple countries and get the most out of the experience we could.  We had ten days to adventure so we figured 3 days each in 3 countries would work very well.  It took about two solid weeks of planning and searching for the best deals on flights and hotels (ended up being just under $1200 for 3 flights 3 trains, and 9 nights in hotels, with London being the Bulk of our hotel costs) to book what I think turned out to be an amazing holiday.

Although we do live in a city with an airport it is probably the most useless airport I have ever heard of there are only flights to and from Barcelona and possibly one into France at some point but not even a regular one.  So anyhow in order to actually fly anywhere we have to first travel to Madrid on the high speed train. Its not a big deal to do this but it does add an extra 50 euros a person to the price of the flight with the cost of the trains there and back.  So when planning any trip in which we need air travel we always have to account for that. 

We do our best here to take the cheap airlines so we try to never check any bags as that always add a fairly sizable extra cost to the flight.  So we packed two carry on bags for our adventure.  It was tough planning ten days worth of outfits in a carry on but Ross just insisted to me that it was an adventure and not a fashion show.  In warmer months its not a big deal to travel light but in freezing cold its nice to carry some extra sweaters!  Anyway it worked out just fine.  However when flying with Easyjet they gave us a pretty big hassle about the size of one of our carry on bags (which was totally within the limits) and the fact that I also had a purse and Ross had a camera bag.  I do not recommend Easyjet.  They were cheap but unpleasant to deal with and both our flights with them were delayed and scattered and I did not feel comfortable at all.  Also there were no free drinks or snacks.

On to the actual trip! Our first stop was Amsterdam!  I have wanted to visit this city since I was a teenager (I don’t even want to think about how long ago that was) so I was thrilled that it was finally happening.  We flew out of Madrid at 3 pm on December 24^th (Christmas eve) and landed in Amsterdam around 530 pm.  Quick smooth flight although I should point out that AirEuropa also does not provide free drinks or snacks so when you ask for orange juice be prepared to pay 3 euros for it.  We got a train from the airport to downtown then a cab zipped us over to our hotel.  We were slightly out of the main center but it turned out not to be a big deal.  I mean we walk everywhere anyway and there were also trams right outside our hotel which came in handy for getting to the train with our luggage when leaving.

Iamsterdam 

After we got settled we headed out into the cool night air to enjoy our first evening.  We found a really cool area full of bars, restaurants and a great Christmas fair.  There were tons of people meandering about and music in the air.  One thing we have learned about Europe is they love ice skating.  There seems to be an ice rink in each big town we visit.  Although unlike Canada nobody has their own skates they are all rentals.  It surprises me how much they enjoy ice skating and yet, in Spain anyway, know nothing about hockey. 

Gorgeous canals and more people ridding bikes than I have ever seen.

We were starved and had a hard time deciding what to eat for dinner because, unlike Spain where we cant eat anything, here we had so many options it was overwhelming.  We eventually settled on Mexican food which was definitely the right decision.  After dinner there was a mandatory trip to a coffee shop and then much wandering and delicious deep fried goods from the Christmas market booths.  Our days in the city would continue to be filled with perfect old buildings, Christmas rainbows, canals and of course wonderful foods (Dutch apple pie, Mulled wine, Fries, Chinese take away and copious amounts of coffee and tea)

 Canal streets

The city is full of gorgeous canals.  Seriously I felt like every street we walked down had a gorgeous canal with following it or crossing its path. So there are obviously a million tiny bridges which provide excellent photo opportunities.   No matter if you see the city in the day or evening it is beautiful and the canals are a large part of that.  I always though Venice was the only city full of waterways but apparently Amsterdam has been nicknamed “Little Venice”.  There were many cruises you could take through the canals but it never even occurred to us that they would sell out so be sure to book these things in advance. 

Canals at night

One of the most impactful things we experienced while in Amsterdam was The Anne Frank museum.  I knew I wanted to go and I knew it would be emotional but it was so much more than I imagined.  Hearing about these things is one thing but seeing it with your own eyes and being inside the tiny space brings it so much closer to a reality for those of us lucky enough to never have experienced these horrors in our lives.  I think it is something that anyone who visits Amsterdam should make time to explore.  Not only are you invited into the tiny ‘apartment’ but you get told the story from the quotes on the walls and videos of the people who knew the family and helped them to hide and of course from Annes father who after surviving the concentration camps returned home to learn his entire family had died.  I learned a great deal and left filled with sadness but also a great appreciation for my own life and the lives of my family and friends. 

Family photo with my man and my photo of Nana and Papa I carry everywhere.

This city was everything I could have hoped for.  There is however only so much you can experience in a few short days so we would absolutely go back.  There are tons of museums and exhibits to see and of course just wandering the streets is never dull.  The only thing that I was a little disappointed with was the Red Light District.  I was expecting to see a lot more debauchery then I was actually presented with.  It being such an iconic area I fully expected to see lit up windows full of women but saw only the lit up windows mostly empty.  Perhaps as it was the holidays many of the ladies were at home.  It was still a very interesting area however.  Although not being at home for the holidays was sad I think Amsterdam was a pretty good alternative!  Honestly I have always said New York was the best place I have ever been in the world and I take that back.  Nothing compares to the beauty of Amsterdam.

Best Park in Amsterdam

On the morning of the 27^th we caught a train to Paris!  Flying Amsterdam to Paris is ridiculously expensive and train travel is much more romantic.  It was a 4 hour trip through the countryside and although it was snow covered I imagine it was beautiful.  From the train station (Nord) we caught the subway to out hotel area.  We were again a little outside the main city center but unlike Amsterdam this left us pretty far from everything.  Paris is a huge city and we definitely had to use public transit more than we are used to as we normally walk everywhere.  Mind you we still walked so much our legs felt like they might fall off.  We always joke that our vacations are not relaxing affairs but more we pick a city and walk it.

The Eiffel Tower! There were tears in my eyes the first moment I saw this.

Paris, although not without its charms and brilliant sights, was not what I was expecting.  Now do not get me wrong I had a wonderful time and saw things I have only ever dreamed of seeing, but as with my entire European experience I had romanticized Paris to unattainable standards.  I was expecting it to be a romantic charming place but in reality it is a huge somewhat dirty city that smelled like pee in a lot of places.  Now I am certain if we had more time to explore areas other then the most touristy places and it was warmer I would have fallen more in love with it but unfortunately it was freezing and grey and rainy. 

The Louvre

We did see some great stuff though!  We climbed the Eiffel Tower, went into the Catacombs, saw the Arc de Triomphe, Skipped through The Louvre (ha ha see what we did there) Found the Love Lock bridge, explored the Latin district and attended Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral.  Not to mention we ate more Mexican food, Chinese, Italian and of course had crepes at a huge Christmas fair.  I think for only having two full days to explore the city we saw a great deal and did the best we could in the sub arctic temperatures. 

 More kisses at the Eiffel Tower

At The Louvre

The Arc de Triomphe

Seriously though it was so friggin cold it was awful.  The worst was the day we went to the Catacombs.  So it was below zero that day and for whatever reason the line up to get in was actually the longest it ever really gets.  We waited for 3 hours before we made it inside.  The lady at the ticket booth said the line is normally 1.5 to 2 hours long and was shocked to hear we had been outside for 3 hours.  However it was absolutely worth the wait in my opinion. I have had an insanely strong desire to see this place since I was a little kid.  I find it so fascinating and done in extremely artistic way.  For those of you who do not know there are an estimated 6 million bodies in the tunnel system under the city.  There are hundreds of km of systems you are not allowed to enter for safety purposes but it would be so exciting to see!  The Catacombs themselves are about 2 km long and they estimate it taking around 45 minutes to walk though (we spent a good two hours down there).  Exiting the tunnels was the weirdest part.  You climb the sickly twisty staircase back into civilization and end up in a different part of the city and on some random street completely disoriented.  Then when the door closes you realize it is just some door that is completely unmarked.  If you didn't know what it was it just looks like a door in a wall not a door to an underground tomb.  Also there was nobody at the end to check our bags which I found curious as we were warned not to try and steal the bones because you will be in a lot of trouble but I totally could have had a skull in my bag and nobody would have been the wiser.  Then again how do you explain that when you get on a plane?

 Dem Bones

The Catacombs

I would visit Paris again but I would like to do it in the summer.  I want to see the huge cemeteries and see the different quarters not just he touristy stuff.  It was too big to experience all of it in a short time. 

We caught a flight from Paris to London on the 30^th.  It was so short I hardly noticed it, only an hour and we were in London.  Well we were in Luton which is in the country and had to grab a bus into the city.  The buses are pretty cheap though and take you right downtown to Victoria station.  When we bought our bus ticket we also got a return ticket as it saved us 10 pounds that way.  I of course threw our return tickets in the trash without thinking and on the day we checked out of the hotel we had to run back and ask to go through the trash to retrieve it.  Not the best way to begin a day of travelling!

Very helpful signage although I still always felt nervous I was looking the wrong way.

I cannot say enough good things about London!  Such an incredible place full of gorgeous buildings, tons of historical sights, beautiful gardens, palaces and every store you could imagine wanting and of course food options!  This is of course the best part for me as you might have guessed.  Living in Spain has really been a drag in the food department (if you have read my post about being vegetarian here you will understand) so when we leave Spain my first thought is that I can eat again!  Oh and there was a Whole Foods right around the corner from our hotel which brought me so much joy.  Oh how I have missed Whole Foods.  Yes I am a true West Coast Canadian.

The London Eye

The worst part about visiting London would be the prices.  Eating in restaurants is totally reasonable but shopping, hotels and anything touristy is crazy expensive.  We actually almost didn’t add London to our trip because of hotel prices.  In Amsterdam and Paris we were able to stay for about 40-50 euros a night (70 Canadian) but in London the absolute cheapest place we found was 106 euros a night and it was the most basic no frills place ever!  We had a room so small we could touch all the walls from the bed (seriously) we had only enough floor space to place our bags and have one of us uncomfortably stand at a time while the other had to be on the bed.  The bathroom was like something out of an RV, you were basically showering over the toilet.  Did I mention that we didn't have a window and to get the TV or internet to work it was an extra 10 euros each a night.  But we got to stay in a cool area of the city so we sucked it up and made the most of it.  I do not recommend the hotel for a lengthy stay but a few days is fine.  But shower only if necessary!

 Big Ben.  Pretty big I guess.

Tower Bridge

So as the touristy stuff was super expensive we didn't really go in any of the sights but did manage to see a lot.  We visited Kensington Palace and the gardens surrounding it which were gorgeous, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Tower of London, The London Eye, St Pauls Cathedral, the winter carnival and Westminster Abby.  London was exactly as I pictured it and I was thrilled.  We went to some pubs with actual vegetarian breakfast sausages for a traditional English breakfast and were able to find some of the best Indian food ever. 

 No Big Deal just chillin at Buckingham Palace

Kensington Palace and gardens

We were lucky enough to be there (ok we planned it) during New Years Eve and had some friends we have met here in Valladolid (Kevin and Laura) visiting the city as well.  We met up and spent the evening together which was awesome.  We had wanted to go downtown to see the fireworks because London is famous for their celebrations but discovered when we arrived in town that this would be the first year the fireworks were a ticketed event and of course they were sold out.  So were google searched another area we could watch from for free.  We discovered Primrose Hill (The highest point in London) and trekked over there with a few thousand other people.  The fireworks were totally visible but too far away to really be appreciated.  It was such a fun night though with all those people just laughing and drinking and having fun.

 Super tourist

Us and Tower Bridge

I would absolutely visit London again.  Ok lets be real I would live in London given the opportunity! 

The entire trip was such a great experience.  I am so grateful and feel incredibly lucky to have done so many wonderful things.  It was a whirlwind adventure with the love of my life.  I am a lucky girl.

I love this man