Europe (Amsterdam,Netherlands) May 2009 D6-D8

After London, I left for Amsterdam in the evening. Using the Eurolines 15 day pass (Euro$240), I took the first Eurolines bus (one way bus ticket was 38 pound but return ticket was 30% lower) from the Victoria Coach Station to Amsterdam (10 hours) . The bus left London at 20.00 and arrived Amsterdam at 05.30 in the following morning. From London to Amsterdam, the traditional way is to cross the English Channel by ferries. However, with the completion of a 32 mile rail tunnel (called Euro Tunnel) beneath the English Channel in 1994 and at a speed of 100 miles per hour, we were able to arrive at the French end (Sargatte) in 30 minutes. It costs Euro$21.0 billion to build this tunnel, 700 times more expensive than the cost to build the Golden Gate Bridge ! What a civilized wonder of the world ! When our bus parked stationery inside a large rail compartment, passengers were allowed to come down from the bus to stretch their legs. So indeed it was an unique experience taking this rail tunnel ride from Folkstone (British end) to France.

After exited the Tunnel, we arrived at an Immigration check point (French territory), our passports were processed and stamped and we continued our bus journey towards The Netherlands. At mid-night, our bus passed the port of Rotterdam to pick up a few passengers. I was very pleased to see this ultra modern Rotterdam port by night even though it was a short time.

On arrival at the Eurolines bus terminal in Amsterdam (at 05.30), I supposed to take a Metro from the Amstel station to Centraal station in the city center for my hostel check in. However, I met a backpacker from USA and together, we ended up walking from Amstel to the city center covering a distance of 3-4km. But it was a pleasant walk due to the cool weather and we passed a number of cobbled streets and canals along the way.

I stayed in Shelter City hostel (Euro$24) for 2 nights. This hostel is presently managed by a Christian association, located in the heart of the city center.

My two days in Amsterdam were mainly confined to visiting the major tourist sites in Amsterdam and nearby places.

1) Amstel Station, Amsterdam - A modern, artistic, cozy, bright and user friendly Metro station next to the Eurolines bus terminal.

2) Centraal Station, Amsterdam - The main railway station which serves the Metro lines & also the international rail services to other European countries.

3) Dutch Specialties in popular demand - Dutch Gouda cheese, cut Turnip flowers and the colorful Dutch wooden clogs. What else ? Windmills but not for sale.

4) The red light district of Amsterdam - A man's paradise by night ! You have to be very skillful in haggling the price before charging into the small cubicle to perform your naughty acts.

5) City of canals & bicycles - crisscrossing the Amsterdam city - a tourist delight. Excellent place for photography works and to unleash your artistic skills. Keep a watch out for cyclists if you are walking around Amsterdam.

6) The Dam Square - This is where the Amstel river was dammed in the 13th century to prevent flooding. Tourists flocked here to take pictures & entertained by street performers for a penny or two !

7) Bio-Market - Bus loads of tourists come here to shop for souvenirs. Turnip bulbs, cut flowers, wooden clogs, vegetable and flower seeds, horticultural produce, art paintings are on sale here .

8) Vondel Park - A large recreation park for locals to relax and picnic.

9) Rijks Museum - The famous art museum. Long queue for tickets so be patient. The Van Gough Museum is also located nearby.

10) China Town - How about a 9 course Dutch style Chinese cuisine to celebrate your arrival in Amsterdam ?

Something to ponder in Amsterdam: This eatery outlet served a special Dutch food for your mood . What was the secret recipe ? Moody people, please make sure you patronize this outlet when you are in Amsterdam !

" The Netherlands VS The Neverland - Michael Jackson's fantasy ranch in USA. Go Dutch, The Dutch courage, Dutch barn - so do have the courage to go Dutch when you are eating in a group. A great city and I enjoyed my stay very much.

The secrets of Life - Let the doctors handle your body; let god and nature handle your life. But be in charge of your mood ! "

Amsterdam, Netherland - walkabout in downtown Amsterdam

Europe (Brussels,Belgium) April 2009 D8-D10

After two enjoyable days in Amsterdam, it was time for me to move on. My next destination is Brussels. I woke up early in the morning and took a Metro from the Nieuwmarkt station to Amstel station to catch an Eurolines bus to Brussels. Due to the mal-functioning of the only Metro ticketing machine at the station, I boarded the Metro train without a ticket. The locals advised me not to worry as at 6.30am, there would be no attendants manning at the station so I should be able to exit from the station without any hassle ! So lucky me I had a free train ride this morning.

As I arrived earlier, I walked to the Eurolines office and requested to change my bus ticket ( Euro$17) from 10.00 to 09.00, an hour earlier. The bus journey from Amsterdam to Brussels took around 5 hours. I arrived in Brussels at around 13.00.

In Brussels, I stayed in a newly renovated 2G04 Quality hostel (Euro$20 dorm), about 15 minutes walk from the Eurolines bus terminal. The hostel room was spacious, clean and tidy and not fully booked when I checked in. The guest lounge and kitchen were cozy and user-friendly. For the next two days, I had my own prepared dinner meals at the hostel together with two Chinese student travelers.

Brussels is a small modern city and also the HQ for European Union (Eat U) and NATO (no action talk only). As most of the major tourist sites in Brussels are located within 1-2 km from the city center, so I had no problem visiting most of the tourist sites within the two days. The hostel provided me a free city map so this made my life much easier. However, if you are not prepared to walk , just join the hop on and hop off tourist bus and let them take care of your transport to the major tourist sites in the city for a price. But I prefer to walk anyway.

1) Place des Martyrs - A war hero's square in remembrance of the past.

2) Galleries Royales St Hubert - Europe's oldest glass covered shopping arcade and home to Nuehau, one of the oldest chocolate shop. The galleries are a favorite eating place for locals and tourists.

3) Grand Place / Grote Market - The ideal starting point for tourists in Brussels. Most of the buildings here were built in the 16th & 17th centuries. The Grote market has a number of casual dining cafes catering for food lovers and tourists. I enjoyed my time here and visited this place 3-4 times especially in the evening to enjoy the atmosphere there.

3a) Guild Houses , Grand Place - Most buildings were built in 1696-1700

3b) Church of Notre-Dame du Sablon

4) Royal Palace - Out of bounds to tourists but you could take pictures from the outside. Destroyed by fire in 1731, the present palace was rebuilt with a new design & architecture.

5) Manneken Pis - The famous peeing boy !

6) The old Stock Exchange - Built in 1868

7) The Mont des Arts - A historical site. Perched on a high ground, you could see the Tower of City Hall and Grote market from far.

8) Place Royales / Konnongsplein

9) Petit Sablon Square

10) Cathedral Saint-Michel - Completed in 1235. One of the oldest cathedral in Europe

11) Saint Gillis & 12) St Jean Church

13) Botanique

14) La Fontaine Anspach

15) War Memorial - Honoring the unknown soldiers who died during the First & Second World Wars.

16) Statutes - Bronze and stone figures , some looked creative, others relate to the religion and the glorious past.

Something to ponder in Brussels - mobile toilets in a row for gentlemen to perform their natural duty ! If Engelbart Humperdinck is to stand in front of this mobile toilet, he would probably sing his favorite song " please release me, let me go "

" The presence of EU & NATO, makes Brussels a Eurocrats city, others are of the opinion that Brussels is the capital of Europe ! A smallish city but with abundance of tourist attractions, no wonder Brussels has grown to become a tourist haven. 

The Secrets of Life - Every day, every hour and every minute is special, and you don't know if it will be your last "

Brussels, Belgium - walkabout in downtown Brussels