Keukenhof

Keukenhof is the best place to see spring blossoms and is one of the most famous tourist spots in the Netherlands, one of the most photographed places in the world and the largest bulb flower park in the world.   It covers an area of 30 hectares, a huge sprawling complex with miles and miles of footpaths and billions and billions of flowers. Getting off at Leiden centraal station, you are offered a combi ticket, for transportation to and from the park and entrance to the park. Beautifully laid Tulip gardens stretched as far as the eye can see, small gardens with exotic, rare bulbs and huge greenhouses, each with a theme of its own.


For those of you who have seen colourful photographs of Tulips forming carpets so thick that they could have been painted on the ground, the picture was probably taken in the Netherlands. It is so famous for its Tulips, white, violet, red and black that Tulips naturally bring Holland to mind. In fact, the blockbuster Tamil movie, Anniyan, so familiar to us, had an entire song filmed in the Tulip gardens of the Netherlands.

Flowers being the base for everything here in Keukenhof, it sure hadn't limited the artists' creativity, with themes ranging from music, flowers hanging in graceful curves symbolic of the notes in music to the painstakingly carved bushes carefully decorated with Tulips, it was a place where art and nature intertwined. The sheer variety of flowers overwhelmed me, some like dangling bells, others like snakes bearing their fangs or a huge flower which on closer inspection turned out to be hundreds of smaller ones. Some flowers sprouted from creepers on the wall while others floated in small ponds and hung from trees. What really amazed me were the bouquets and baskets of Tulips on display, meticulously arranged.

We met our friends from Delhi as we'd promised them we would back at Alkmaar. We strolled around, chatting, admiring the flowers and through the never ending gardens. We then had a quiet picnic in the greens, among the Tulips and the bushes and had a perfect lazy time. Packing your lunch might be a  good idea if you want one that really compensates for your walking around the park. As we ended our tour around the park, we realised how tired we were, we'd walked about 15 kilometres that day!

It is really easy to reach Keukehof as it is immensely popular among tourists and locals alike. Numerous trains and buses make Keukenhof a well connected place. On the way to Keukenhof from Leiden, you get an insight into the country life in The Netherlands. I loved Keukenhof very much and is a haven for photography!

Alkmaar- Say Cheese!

Alkmaar is a town in the province of Noord Holland and is home to one of the few remaining traditional Dutch cheese markets. Open only on Fridays, it is one of the top tourist spots in the Netherlands and an important historical town.

As it was a Friday, our dad was unable to accompany us. Alkmaar is 170 kilometres from Eindhoven, but with direct trains every 1hour, it poses no problem with regards to getting there. In fact, travelling anywhere in Europe is easy as all the countries offer amazing connectivity with national as well as international destinations., be it bus, metro or train. So, we were off on our own to this faraway town with its cheeses. 

We met an couple from Delhi in the Alkmaar train station and we joined them as they too were headed for the cheese market. They were also on a tour of Europe, touring the Netherlands and other European countries from their hotel in Amsterdam. We were together for the better part of the next few hours.

The cheese market dates back to the 16th century A.D, once an important part of the city's income, it is today only for show, the upkeep of Dutch cheese tradition. The market is held in a square in front of the Alkmaar Kaas museum. Fat round blocks of sumptuous Gouda cheese are laid in neat rows in the square, a barrage of yellow to the eyes. The ringing of the bell signals the start of the market at 10 am. The samplers and traders then test the cheeses by using a special cheese scoop. They taste the cheese and they let us taste the cheese too, so good that everybody just want's to get some more. The buyer and the seller clap  their hands and shout out prices, the last clap clinches the deal. 

The cheese carriers set to work, carrying their  cheeses in a barrow hanging from their shoulders, totally weighing, we were told, 130 kilos to the weighing station and to load the truck. The stalls nearby sell all kinds of cheeses, mustard, an Indian masal variety, classic gouda and many more. We sampled few of the fresh cheeses and bought a few pillows of it. I was in seventh heaven, a cheese lover in a cheese paradise. We waved goodbye to our friends and promised to meet them at Keukenhof the next Sunday. 

The Netherlands is a country which has 25% off its land area below sea level and 50% land area only a metre above it. So the country regularly faced problems with flooding and large tracts of land submerged under lakes. The water from the lakes were drained by means of sluices and later windmills. Due to a lot of innovations such as the Archimedean screw and the perseverance of the Dutch water engineers, large areas known as polders were reclaimed from the sea. In fact, the Netherlands is made up of thousands of polders. The Netherlands has computerised pumping stations to drain lakes and maintain water levels, and the windmills are a thing of wonder and awe. 

Schermerhorn is a small village a few kilometres east of Alkmaar and is well connected by frequent buses. It is famous for its windmills, the three which had survived the long years of disuse, of the original seventeen in the area. It is one of the most photographed locations in the world and is surrounded by beautiful Tulip gardens. One windmill is now a museum, with the living quarters of the mill worker and the inner mechanisms of the windmill fully preserved and functional. The strong wind still drives the sails which in turn drives the water screw which still drives the water from the small canal under the mill, like a ghost of past days. The area was quiet, except for the creaking of the sails, and the whoosh of the wind, a calm and serene spot for a nice relaxing time. 

As for our trip to this village, we got a bus right in front of the Alkmaar train station and got off at a deserted stretch of the highway with only the windmills in sight and monster freight liners hurtling down the road. The return bus stand was just opposite, and we were assured of a 30 minute frequency bus service. We returned to Alkmaar after an hour with the windmills and got on a train to Eindhoven, bursting to tell my father about our first trip alone in Europe, a hundred kilometres away!

Tour de Paris- Part 2

L'open tour Paris

After breakfast at the hotel, we were headed to the Île de la Cité , the river island on the Seine where the Cathédrale Notre Dame and La Conciergerie are located. The Paris L'Open tour is a hop-on hop-off bus service with plenty of buses and the best of it's kind in Paris. With four routes running through Paris and with 50 stops at tourist spots, this is one of the most efficient and easy ways to discover Paris. We bought our tickets on board the open top bus, and headed to the upper deck with our earphones. The staff on the buses are extremely friendly and helpful. The bus has many earphone docks for all passengers, with commentary at every tourist spot and instructions and tips at every stop.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées

 The Paris grand tour

This tour is the best best to start with as it takes you along some of Paris' top tourist spots. The Place de la Concorde, the biggest public square in Paris, marks the beginning of the prestigious Avenue des Champs-Élysées. This avenue is home to Cinemas, cafés and luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss and Lancel. The Arc de Triomphe, one of the most famous monuments in Paris, marks the end of this avenue. A walk through this avenue gives you a taste of few of the world's most famous shops and the Arc de Triomphe. We came upon the Eiffel once more, but it looked antique now, under the afternoon sun. The bus gives you enough opportunities to photograph the Eiffel tower, taking  you all around the tower, slowly. The Opera Garnier was a beautiful piece of architecture, one of the world's most famous opera houses. This route also takes you through Cathédrale Notre-Dame, The Louvre and the Esplanade des Invalides. 

The Bastille-Bercy route

This circuit takes you through some important landmarks in the city. The Place de la Bastille is a square which is located where the famous Bastille once stood. It now presents no evidence that there once was a royal fortress here  The Opera Bastille was built on this square to commemorate the bicentennial anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. La Bibliothèque nationale de France, the national library of France is also along this route. The four wings of the building give it the shape of four open books, this is one of the largest and most modern libraries in the world. The Parc de Bercy is a huge hall for sporting and entertainment events, if you are lucky, you could catch a spot of skateboarding outside.

The Panthéon

The Montparnesse-Saint Germain circuit

Getting in on this route takes you along a stretch of Saint Germain where you can get off for a light snack in one of the famous patisseries. The Panthéon, Paris is an amazing structure in the Latin quarter of Paris. It closely resembles the Pantheon in Rome. The Palais du Luxembourg, the seat of the French Senate, is a 25 hectare parterre and quiet spot to relax. The Tour Montparnasse is a skyscraper which stands 59 floors tall and dominates the skyline. The top floor and the restaurant below are open to the public.

The Montmartre-Grands Boulevards route

The Grands Boulevards are essentially the best boulevards in Paris, with world renowned luxury retail stores. The Montmartre is a hill or butte, which is famous for its white domed Sacré-Cœur Basilica at the summit. The stop nearby provides you with the perfect opportunity for a leisurely stroll to the top of butte Montmartre. The Gare du Nord station is Europe's busiest railway station and handles trains to London and other European countries. Its Thalys and TGV platforms attracted me the most, being superfast trains. The Gare du Nord is not to be missed. We walked behind the station to join the Boulevard de la Chapelle.

Boulevard de La Chapelle

We entered the area popularly known as the Indian quarter, loosely marked by the Boulevard de la Chapelle, the Gare du Nord and the Gare de l'Est. This area was mostly populated by Tamilians, with shops selling Indian vegetables, spices, products and with name boards in both English and Tamil. "அண்ணாச்சி , வெங்காய மூட்ட வந்துருச்சா?!" someone shouted behind me, I chuckled, we Tamilians never change! Just like a scene at a Tamil Nadu maligai kadai. 


We had a late lunch at Hotel Saravana Bhavan, Paris, a satisfying south Indian course cooked so authentically that the server told us that the ingredients were imported from Chennai. We spent some more time exercising our Tamil and chatting away to our counterparts in this faraway city who were happy to hear news of their beloved Tamil Nadu and talk to Chennaivasis. We picked up tips for our Paris trip and for our upcoming Switzerland trip from a friendly baker cooking Samosas and ladoos. 

After a short stop at our hotel, we returned to the Champ de Mars, the park next to the Eiffel tower to enjoy the lighting of the tower and our samosas. The Eiffel tower once again exploded in a flurry of bright white lights, but tonight we were on the ground and the view didn't fail to disappoint and was well worth returning for. For any tourist with an evening to spare in Paris, the Champ de Mars is the best place to be in.

Shoarma

Later that night we were in a area right next to the Boulevard Saint Germain and the Boulevard Saint Michel. We were greeted by an impressive array of pubs and restaurants, of every cuisine of every country you can imagine, Indian, French, Turkish, Chinese, Indonesian and Japanese, in neat little shops. This was the best way to explore the culinary provisions of Paris, as this won't waste much of your time and could also satisfy your longing for your country's food. We entered a Turkish shop and ordered Shoarmas, an Arabic fast food staple that is spreading across the world as a fast food favourite. It was a really good dish, made of minced chicken, mayo and various other ingredients, and I had a new favourite.

The next day, after a good night's sleep, we were headed to Disneyland Paris, just outside the city. With frequent trains from the city, the park had it's own train station, the Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy RER station. In the tourist season, April- November, the number of tourists can be a bit formidable. So, it is best advised to start early and book your park tickets online. There are 2 parks in Disneyland, Paris, the Disneyland park and the Walt Disney studios park.

The Sleeping beauty castle in the Disneyland park was a beautiful Disney castle with its usual pointed turrets and a huge moat in front. It seemed like a fairy tale! Oh wait, it was!! The Big thunder mountain was the other eye catcher, it was a huge mountain, like the ones in Utah. Pointed, high and dry, except that this one had a really horrifying roller coaster! The rails tipped at awkward angles and rocks threatened to fall on us as we weaved in and out the mines in a runaway mine train. The scene was so real and scary but I enjoyed myself thoroughly! The Phantom manor had a top of the class set up, with realistic wax statues, moaning, eerie whoops and dim lighting. Not so scary perhaps, but interesting! We spent our time enjoying other rides, eating sticky apple candy and French fries from the Hakuna Matata, a Lion King themed restaurant.

The twilight zone, tower of terror

The Walt Disney studio park's dominating feature was the Twilight zone tower of terror, a looming, evil building dedicated to a ride. The building and the ride were based on the television series, The Twilight Zone, where the guests of the hotel see spooky incidents and find their elevator cut loose.  The elevator rose slowly to the top where a window opens and the letters:WALT DISNEY stared at us. We were at the very top! "What a beautiful vieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!, the elevator drops faster than gravity to the bottom! That left us completely disoriented and screaming till our throats hurt. It slowly rose up again........  This was by far the best attraction ever, leaving you dizzy but ready for more. Believe me scary as it was falling down is an amazing experience! 


The studio tram tour, a tour through movie settings is one of the top attractions here. The tram shows us movie props on display, masks, gargoyles, an F16 fighter plane(!) and other amazing props. I was a bit let down, I'd expected more. I was too foolish to think that, Disney never settles for anything lesser than the best!  An innocent scene with hills on both sides and an oil tanker turned into a raging inferno and our tram rocked from side to side! We felt the heat, but with each gust of the fire water was sprinkled on us, so we were safe. Rain!! It suddenly began to rain, and water began trickling down the slopes of the hills and in a few seconds, it suddenly gushed out uncontrollably and we were in a flood! It reached our tram but not a single drop of water fell on us! The next scene was a bombed and dead city. Wrecked cars littered the area and a fire raged in a building. It was so real and convincing! It was an amazing experience and one that I will never forget!


That day, I saw my first street dance performance. It was splendid and brilliant! I loved the  floor master the most! We took the metro back to the city and that was the end of an amazing day! We said Goodbye to Paris as we left for Eindhoven that night. I had a lot of nice memories to take home!