Holland and Germany Trip Good Friday and Easter Monday gave us 4 daylong weekend. Such a long weekend should be wasted isn’t it? So, planned to visit Holland Germany during this period. I wanted to share my tour experience with you all. We booked for a 4-day tour to Holland and Germany with a local Travel agency called Taj Tours. Here’s the route map for our tour. It covered about 2000 Kilometres.
Day 1: The journey begun from Reading (UK), early in the morning at 3:30 AM. Must be wondering how the hell did we wake up so early in the morning isn't it (Simple, we did not sleep that night.... ha ha) The coach picked us up in Reading and many others on its way to Dover Port. Dover Port is famous for its chalk cliffs. Also, it is Dover's importance that only two English towns/cities have names in the French Language distinct from usual English Names: these are Dover (Douvres) and London (Londres). We boarded a Ferry (a ship which carries passengers and their vehicles as well) to Calais Port in France. The Ferry was so huge that it accommodated 30 to 40 buses and hundreds of cars in it. It has got 7 floors at a whole. Shops, restaurants, mini casino's, cafes were part of the Ferry.
A 90-minute sail on the English Channel left us in the territory of France at Calais. Surprisingly no one asked for our Passports (funny isn't it, it was only when we were returning back UK we were asked to show passports. Seems like the European union is not vigilant on their security front). By afternoon we reached to Brussels (Bilingual Capital city of Belgium i.e. both French and Dutch are the official languages of the city) .We had a quick visit to the market place (main tourist attraction) in Brussels and here are few pictures of the same.
My favourite pick among these is Mennekenn Pis (This statue of a little boy in a somewhat compromising position has since several centuries been a major tourist attraction in the city.) The first reaction is one of amazement "How small he is! Why does everybody want to see him?" The people of Brussels, however accept him the way he is. After all, it doesn't always have to be big to be beautiful. The amazing fact is, no one knows real reason for his presence in this place. There are 20 different stories being told for one statue. The famous of all is that, this little boy foiled the plan of the attackers by pissing on the explosives, which were set to blast Brussels. You can get souvenirs of this little boy (small statue) in many shops across the streets of Brussels. This little buddy being my favourite, I have grabbed one to be placed on office desk (he he ... peeing boy on my desk).
Belgium Chocolate and Waffles being world famous, you should have a bite here. Here I am, having a bite of Waffles..........hmm...crispy and yummi...well that’s all for lunch today.
From the market place our coach made its way to the Atomium (A monument built for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by André Waterkeyn, it is 102-metre (335-feet) tall, with nine steel spheres connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times .Oh! My God that’s hell of a magnification). These spheres have got exhibition spaces, seminar halls, meeting rooms, restaurant and dormitory for school children. Guess what, all the spheres are connected and we can traverse through them using escalators.
Well its time to for us leave Belgium and move to Holland (or you can call it Netherlands as well). We reached the outskirts of Amsterdam (Capital of Holland and famous for various things which I am going to tell you on the Day2 of the tour). Finally we reached ‘NH-Hotel’ and checked in to our rooms. The hotel was so big that, our tour manager handed us map of the hotel to reach our rooms (hmm…sounds like treasure hunt doesn’t it). The day came to an end after having some good food from Indian kitchen specially arranged for us.
That’s a piece of chicken curry going into Sagar’s mouth
Day 2: We are all set for an exciting second day of the tour after having an English breakfast Courtesy – NH hotels. Amsterdam……….derives it name from the dam constructed on Amstel River. The city is known for its historic port, the Rijksmuseum, its red-light district, its liberal coffee shops, and its many canals, which have led to Amsterdam being called the "Venice of the North". The first stop for the day was at Keukenhof Gardens (the largest spring garden in the world). This place would look similar to Telugu moviegoers. You can find quite a lot movies shot in this garden (to name a few like Kumariiiiii song in aparichitudu, Priminchukundamu ra.. etc.,).If you ever plan to visit this beautiful Tulip garden th th make sure that you visit this place only after March 20 before May 18 of every year, as it is closed for rest of the period of a year. The garden is home for hundreds of varieties of Tulip flowers. Believe me folks, if you have good camera in hand, you can shot hundreds of wallpapers for your desktop. The beauty of the park cannot be captured in couple of photos, well that’s why I am not including all those as you can see them on web, which I will be placing shortly (if at all you wish to). Here’s a sneak peak
Hey, Check out my new Girl friend. Hmm…beautiful and traditional isn’t it??
Well, seems like this is where our Telugu Heroine practice for marathons!!!
Traditional Windmill of Holland.
After 2-hour photo shoot at Keukenhof it was time for lunch before we move on to the next destination. The food was cooked in a caravan of our Travel agency (Taj Tours) and served to us on side of a road, everything was well until then and all of a sudden it started to snow heavily (weird isn’t it). Having food when it’s snowing heavily on me is one experience, which I would never like to face in future. Holland-The Cheese country If there is one real cheese country in the world, it's the Netherlands. In fact, the Dutch are known as `cheese-head', who'd rather sell their cheese than eat it themselves. As the world's largest exporter of cheese, the abusive name of `cheesehead' could be considered as an honorary nickname. After saying all that I should certainly know how cheese is made in this country. Well it’s time to visit a cheese factory. A sweet old lady demonstrated us , how the cheese is prepared in Holland. Hmm..... now I can have my own cheese factory. Here is a snap shot of the factory.
Wooden shoes of Holland Holland is also famous for its extensive use of Wooden shoes .It has been an age old tradition in Holland to use Wooden shoes as they serve wide benefits to the farming community of Holland. So we were at a shoe-making workshop. I have got a small one carved for myself with my name inscribed on it.
The shoemaker at work
Pick your size:
Opps! Seems like I picked a wrong one. That one must be for Bheema.
Gassan Diamond Factory – Amsterdam Amsterdam is also famous for Diamond Polishing. Diamonds are polished in many other places, but what makes this place so unique. It’s the carving of 57 facets on a diamond which brings pride to Amsterdam. We have visited a diamond factory where a lady demonstrated us on how a diamond is polished. Cruise of Amsterdam Canals At last we have reached the much-anticipated Amsterdam for a cruise along Amsterdam's fascinating waterways while you relax in glass enclosed comfortable boat. It’s a wonderful experience to cruise across a city’s streets. For a moment I felt as if I was in Venice Ride waiting for us:
This is how it looks from inside:
After a hectic schedule on Day2, it’s time for us to get back to hotel. But when you are in Amsterdam (which is famous for many more things apart from Tulip gardens, Cheese, Wooden shoes) there was much more to be seen in Amsterdam though they are not included in the travel package. The below section which is Blue in colour is exclusive for Boys; so Girls don’t you dare to read any of the content marked in Blue.
BoyZone.....NightLife@Amsterdam There aren’t too many locations that can truly boast being “a place where all your fantasies come true.” Disney World? Maybe if your six years old. But I’m talking about adult fantasies. If I were writing about all the great things to do in Amsterdam during the DAY, we’d sure have a different outlook regarding our free time. But Amsterdam at NIGHT? You’re about to enter the big leagues, pal. Minors need not apply. Amsterdam nightlife is a mix of coffee bars, clubs, pubs, drugs and women. The priority of which is entirely up to you. I am talking, of course, about the Amsterdam Red Light District. The major cities of Europe - Prague, Paris, Budapest, Rome and Berlin - all offer tourists an eclectic mix of entertainment, but the nightlife in Amsterdam's Red Light District manages to put a spin on everything those other cities have to offer. I personally tend to think of Amsterdam nightlife as “shaken, not stirred.” Let’s be honest, the majority of tourists aren’t necessarily flocking to Amsterdam to walk along the canals and go to museums. Oh sure, that element is there for those who seek it. But the real “fun” kicks in after the sun goes down. Repeat this mantra a few times: “Amsterdam nightlife…Amsterdam nightlife….” Want a cup of coffee and Ganja Want to cruise the Red Light District and say hello to the “window girls”? Want to smoke a joint and THEN go visit the window girls? You came to the right place. I really AM here just to look. I mean, “look” in the big sense of looking I was roaming across the streets of Dam Square (a place in Amsterdam) and was browsing the coffee shops and window girls. The coffee shops in Amsterdam offer much more than coffee, yes you are right you can find drugs being sold along with your coffee. Choice is entirely yours, you can have them mixed in your cup of coffee or get them rolled as cigars. As drugs and prostitution being legal in Amsterdam, there is no stopping for these stores. Have you ever wondered where does the word ‘Red Light Area’ comes from? Well, this would explain all. You can find lot of glass doors with a red light at the top in these streets. Behind these doors you can find beautiful women (prostitutes) dressed sensibly to rope in their customers .If you are interested then a gentle knock at the door would make them to open the door for you slightly. You can negotiate the price and get in to the room. Once you enter the curtain will be dropped and I need not say what’s going to happen inside. I guess it is from these red lights come the name ‘Red light Area’. In addition these, you can find lot of LIVE shows in these streets. Ranging from strip tease , lap dancing etc., and many more. All the XXX content you have ever seen on any CD can be viewed LIVE here. Guys, trust me If you ever get to visit Amsterdam make sure you hang around the city centre during the night it’s worth experiencing.
Day-3:
Checking out of hotel.
It was time to bid adieu to Holland and make our way to Germany. We checked out our hotel rooms and were soon in our coaches, which was on its way to Cologne. Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany, having been founded by the Romans in the year 38 BC. Cologne was granted the status of Roman "city" in the year 50 AD. Cologne lies on the River Rhine.
A quick nap on our way to Cologne.
We have reached Cologne by 12 in the noon and it was perfect time for us to have our lunch. Packed lunch boxes were handed over to us and we ate them on the steps of the city's famous Cologne Cathedral, which is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. The Cathedral huge enough to amaze you about its scale. It was one of the most beautiful churches I have seen in my life.
After a brief lunch break at Cologne, we moved for a cruise on river Rhine but before that the driver stopped by Coblenz, it is a city situated on both banks of the Rhine at its confluence with the River Moselle. There were few monuments worth watching over here. We also got to see pieces of Berlin Wall erected here. Berlin wall used to separate East and West Germany, which has been demolished after the East and West Germany united.
Emperor William I on horseback
Continuing our drive into the Rhine valley we boarded a cruise ship for an unforgettable trip along the River Rhine. Admiring the majestic views, mountain top fairy tale castles and fortresses from a bygone era.
And this brings end to Day3 and we check into a hotel in a nearby city called Hockenheim.
Day4 We are on our way back to UK via Luxemburg. It was snowing heavily during our drive back to home. We parked on side of the motorway to enjoy the snowfall and played childishly in snow. We stopped by in Luxemburg to have our lunch and then we were back on the coach.
We reached Calais in the evening and boarded a ferry, which carried us back to Dover, and then we drove home to Reading. Completely, exhausted with tour we crushed ourselves in to the beds once we reached home. At a whole it was a wonderful experience and I would cherish for a lifetime.
That’s all Folks…