Trip to Amsterdam, Paris, and Helsinki

On the Thaly's train from Amsterdam to Paris... The trip was 4 hours 10 minutes. It passes through The Hague, Rotterdam, Anthwerp, and Brussels. The terminal station in Paris is the Gare du Nord station. Ticket's half price if you are below 26. The guy sitting next to me from Paris back to Amsterdam was from Paraguay. He told me that he dealt cards in the casinos in Paraguay. As soon as I learnt that, I was very careful in not probing too much 'coz I was afraid that he was connected to the mafia and would have to kill me if he told me too much. :-) I later learnt (from others) that casinos were owned by the state in Paraguay. Because gambling is illegal in Brazil, the brazilian cross the border to gamble in Paraguay. One funny thing I notice about the South American (Brazilian, Paraguayan, Argentinian specifically) is that they are very very proud of their beef!

The metro system in Paris was very intimidating at first. I was really lost. But once I know the basic rule, it works great! The only problem is that everything is in french. And you could end up asking help from someone who replies with "I don't speak English."

Almost everybody I met in Paris was really helpful and friendly. This came as a surprise because many people have told me parisians are arrogant and unbearable. I was probably extremely lucky. Part of the reason may be because I spent a lot of time in the latin quarter, where the universities are -- neighborhood effect! The place I stayed at is owned and managed by a family. It has a lot of characters. The old man (whom I suspect is the owner) is cool and nice. But I couldn't say the same of his wife (?). She is quite unbearable and unfriendly. None of them speak any english. So most of the times we were trying to guess what the other meant. When I checked into the hotel, I was really afraid they have not made a reservation for me. Because when I called, they didn't want to take my credit card number for reservation because they prefer cash. Also, every other place that I called before I left Singapore was fully booked. So when the old man behind the check in counter found my name in his record book, I was quite happy. When I called to reserve, the woman answering the phone quoted me a price of 52 euros and the price was written next to my name. He found my name and said something in french. I don't understand a word. I thought he was telling me there was no room left for me. So I kept pointing at the 52 euros and saying that is mine. But in the end it was all good. Apparently, he was saying that since it was a small room with no attached bathroom and I am the only occupant, 52 euros were too much. And he gave me a lower price (I think it was 38 euros a night)!!!! I was really surprised! I certainly didn't expect this, especially since I appeared to be just a dumb tourist in Paris who couldn't speak or understand french and the chance of repeated transaction is pretty low (thus ruling out strategic reputation building as a motivation behind his nice gesture).

I really like rue Mouffetard in the Latin Quarter. It is filled with little places to eat. There is one dessert shop that I liked a lot. Every time I bought a piece of cake, the woman behind the counter always wrapped it carefully in a very nice wrapping paper. I thought the "bonjour" when I entered the shop and the "au revoir" when I left are charming. Merci.

I would have liked to go see Montmartre -- the neighborhood where Amelie supposedly dwells -- up a hill and count the number of "O"s. Haha... But I didn't have the time. There are many attractions that I didn't manage to get to in Paris. Next time...

This needs no explanation. The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World Fair. It is apparently 320m high. I climbed to the second level because there is a long line for the elevators. There are three different levels (57m, 115m, and 276m above the ground) you can go up to. However, to go to the top level, one has to use the elevator as there is no stairway to the highest level.

More view from the top. You can see the Pantheon on the right and Notredame near the middle of the picture.

Musee du Louvre. It's huge! There is the old fortress underground within the Louvre. It is open to visits. I really like that. The garden in front, Jardin des Tuileries, is really great too!

Pantheon. 5 minutes walk from where I stayed on rue Gay Lussac. It was initially built as a church dedicated to St Genevieve. But shortly after it was completed, it was converted into a secular mausoleum for the great men of the era of French liberty. Underground you can find the crypt with famous residents such as Voltaire, Rousseua, Victor Hugo, and Marie Curie.

Palais du Luxembourg, situated in Jardin du Luxembourg. It has housed the Senate since 1958.

Versailles, the grandest and most famous chateau in France. Truly magnificent. I was really proud of myself 'coz I took the train there (actually it's not very difficult at all).

Another picture of the garden 'coz I was so impressed with it. It's the first time I see a chateau like this.

This is taken at the other end of the garden in Versailles. The people sitting on the grass field were smarter. They biked there.

The trees have a lot of characters... Very majestic. I like them a lot.

Parisians chilling under the sun in Jardindes Tuileries. This is how I would like to remember Paris...

View from the top.

Still more view from the top. If you look carefully, you can see a small replica of the statue of liberty in the middle of the second bridge.

Last picture from the Eiffel tower. You can see the top of the Arc of Triomphe near the left side of the picture.

Notredame. It is possible to climb to the top (387 spiralling steps, didn't they show it in the Amazing Race III?). I was there too early and so didn't make it to the top. There was apparently a bronze star, set in the pavement across the street from the cathedral's main entrance that marks the exact location of point zero of French roads, where distances from Paris to every part of metropolitan France are measured from. I asked a policewoman at the entrance to the police headquarter (?) from across the street. The area with the bronze star was apparently closed for renovation and so I never saw it.

Jardin du Luxembourg. I absoluely love this park. I saw this movie "confession of a pick up artist." I think one of the opening scenes was shot here in the benches near the entrance. You can see the Pantheon in the background. The parks in Paris arereally great, esp on a sunny afternoon. People read, sunbathe, or simply hang out alone or with friends. The trees have a lot of characters. Sunbathing in the park in a sunny afternoon, this is how I would like to remember Paris.

Arc de Triomphe, completed at 1836, is apparently the world's largest traffic roundabout. The body of an unknown soldier from WWI lays beneath the arch. Every evening at around 6:30pm, there is a ceremony where they rekindled a memorial flame underneath the arch. They stop the traffic for a brief while for the small progression and close access to the arch for about an hour. The day I got there, I waited for more than an hour because of the ceremony. Later, I was told that it was not possible to climb to the viewing platform on top of the Arc (284 steps) that day because there was a strike. However, later that night, I saw people going up. So it was really bad timing for me. What's possible or not was apparently quite flexible afterall.

The garden in Versailles. I walked from one end of the garden to the other end. It took me more than two hours but I didnt' walk nonstop. You can some row boats in the grand canal. This garden is the best part of my trip to Paris.

Next to the grand canal. Perfect place to lie around and do nothing with the special someone. Life could be simple.

Another picture at the entrance to Versailles.

Champs Elysees.