LONDON, PARIS, BRUSSELS, AND AMSTERDAM
My second trip to Europe brought me once again to London for a longer period of time and the beautiful cities of Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. This was purely for adventure and to dive in to more European cultures. Grab a beverage, cause it's story time!
On Monday, April 18th 2016, I took a train from Main Street Station in Richmond, just a few blocks from my Shockoe Valley apartment. No car needed, I just walked. It was pretty cool seeing the renovation of Main Street Station while I waited on the station platform for my northbound train. I took the Amtrak to Alexandria Station (ALX) and then walked around the corner to the King Street Metro Station. Hopping on the Metro, I was venturing to our nation's capitol to visit with my cousin William, and to take in some sights. So on Tuesday, that's exactly what I did. I visited some memorials, the Capitol, both chambers of the House and Senate, and I even made time to visit my Representative's office.
The next day, I took the Metro and an Uber to Dulles Airport, where I took the long overnight flight to London, where I landed early on Thursday, April 21st. You see, that last trip to London, I only had like 18 hours, half of which I slept because of jet lag. But now, I had two whole days. So naturally, I explored. My first stop was to drop off my bag at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Chelsea. Then I went to the Tower of London to dive into some history.
It certainly was a site to see. Built in 1066 by William the Conqueror, the Tower of London marks the turn of Western Civilization. It's also where Anne Boleyn was beheaded, so there's that. Next, I checked out the London Bridge, then I had a proper pint at the oldest pub in London, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, which dates back to 1538. After that, I headed to the Palace of Westminster, which is home to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Yes, I sat in on some British debate chatting Brexit.
After listening scoping out Westminster, I decided to head over to Churchill's War Rooms, and as a WWII history buff, I was quite excited and it did not disappoint. Definitely put this on your list if you're a military history nerd like me and are taking a trip to London. And right across the park is Buckingham Palace, where I witnessed the changing of the guards, very cool. What I didn't get to do on the last trip, was to participate in the nightlife of London. That was definitely going to change this time. After a brief nap, I took the Underground to Piccadilly Circus, which is like London's Time Square.
Just behind Piccadilly Circus was the entertainment district of Soho, which was littered with bars and nightlife establishments. If you're looking for a place to go out in London, this is the place to go. I made some friends with some lads and joined them on their night's adventure. They gave me the local feel, showing me the next place when the previous one had closed down for the night, which was pretty cool. Eventually, it was like 4 a.m. and I needed to go home. I pulled out my phone to get an Uber and as I order the Uber, my phone dies. Great! Having briefly studied the map of London, I knew I just needed to follow the River Thames to Chelsea. So for the next two hours, I really got know the streets of London as I walked past Chelsea, then back tracked, and eventually found where I was staying, then hit the hay. I unfortunately slept in quite late, but ventured to find a nearby cafe for some breakfast. After that, I checked out Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, and the Royal Albert Hall, London's premiere music venue.
Then of course, I ventured to find another legendary pub, the Lamb and Flag, where I had a pint of London Pride. As time went on, I realized I needed to eat again, and met up with a friend from home for some Fish and Chips. Then we went out for a bit, but didn't party quite as hard as I did the night before, for I had an early train to catch. So the next morning, my Uncle dropped me off at Victoria Station where I took the the train through the Chunnel to France and disembarked in Paris. On my way there, it was very interesting to see the number of Wind and Solar Farms, something we in the States could really use. My first stop in Paris was to grab my rental car, because I really wanted to have the experience of driving in a foreign city, and I also wanted a quick way to get to Versailles, which was about a 30 min drive. Seeing the Palace of Versailles was like something out of a movie. I parked nearby, walked to the extravagant grounds, and did the tour. I'd really like to do a wedding in the Hall of Mirrors, just once.
After touring the most magnificent palace on earth, I headed back to my hotel to get ready for the evening. I drove around Tour d'Eiffel, the Arc de Triumphe (which is the world's largest traffic circle, and the busiest), drove down the Champs d'Elysees to Place de la Concorde, then through the Paris Fashion District to Place de la Bastille. Then I parked to find a cafe for some Bordeaux and Mediterranean olives. I drove back to the Hotel, then took the Metro back out to some friends at a bar, but made it an early night. The next day, I had a full day of adventures. First, I checked out Le Louvre to take in all the gorgeous art from around the world. After that, I walked down to the Champs d'Elysees to the Arc de Triumphe to check it out on foot. Then, I stopped in a Parisian Cafe for some quiche, salad, baguette, cappuccino, and a Pelforth. All of it was delicious. Finally, I went to Tour d'Eiffel and took in the view from the top of the City of Lights (Ville des Lumieres). Again, I made some friends at the top and we went a nearby pub for a beverage (shout out to Clara Bichon). Bon temps.
The next day, I had some crepes before I boarded the Thalys high-speed train to Brussels. It was rather exciting going 170 mph on a train. Upon arriving, I dropped my bags off at the adorable La Maison Haute (which I highly recommend), then explored the streets of Brussels. I checked out the Les Palais de Bruxelles then headed over to the European Parliament, home of the E.U. After that, I ventured through the streets of Brussels and finally found Grand Place, which was built roughly during the 14th and 15th centuries. Today, it is a standard for market squares around the globe.
After walking around quite a bit, I settled into a cafe on Grand Place for some more quiche, salad, and a Hoegaarden. Just down the street, I found a Belgian pub, where I did a flight of Belgian beers. Leffe and Tripel Karmeliet were my favs. Then I freshed up back at the hotel, then went back to Grand Place to check it out at night, and it was breath-taking.
The next day, I again boared the Thalys for the last stop on my adventure, Amsterdam. As soon as I got off the train, I immediately realized that Amsterdam was quite bike-friendly. There rows and rows of bike racks and every street had a bike lane. It was nuts. But also awesome. I found my hostel, dropped off my bag, and again explored. The canals of Amsterdam did not disappoint. I also went to the Heineken Experience which was pretty cool. If you like beer and want to know more about its history and process, definitely check this out. I soon met up with some friends from Virginia, who were on a backpacking trip through Europe. We explored some bars and some "coffee shops". They walked my back to my hostel (which would later prove important). That night, I ventured through the Red Light District and well, it was quite the sight. I'll just leave it at that. Later that night, my phone was unfortunately stolen from my back pocket while I was talking with two guys. I totally got got. But it's all good, my friends knew where my hostel was. The next day was King's Day (which is like their 4th of July) and it was a PARTY! I went to see if I could get another phone at the T-Mobile store, but it was closed for the holiday. Luckily, I had my friends to enjoy with whom I could enjoy King's Day, which was kind of a blur. You could walk around drinking and smoking like it was completely normal. We went to bar after bar in the Red Light District, there were boats floating down the canals blasting music, and one boat was definitely playing Nelly at one point. It was probably one of my favorite travel experiences, needless to say, I'm leaving some details out. Since I didn't have a phone, one of my friends sent me this pic from the Kings Day festivities.
The next day, I flew back to London, without a phone, and then back to D.C. without a phone. I was supposed to stay a friends house that night, but since I couldn't get in touch with them, I just slept at the Alexandria train station. When the metro finally started back up, I just rode that for a while until it was time to get on my train. It was quite a humbling experience. Wouldn't change a thing. Finally, I got back home, got another phone, and life was back to normal.
For more information or pictures, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @thebowtieddj or shoot me an email at hello@bowtiedexperiences.com. As always, follow #BowTiedTravels for all the fun. Thank you for reading!