Backpacking through Western Europe





A series of cultural experiences put the fascination of western Europe in me. Some really interesting movies such as In Bruges, Midnight in Paris, the Da Vinci series, Euro trip etc. It is also the seat of so much of modern culture. It was the home of the great painters, Da Vinci, Michael Angelo, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and also of musicians such as Beethoven and Mozart.  It also hosts the great automobile manufacturing houses of Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW and Mercedes. All of this built a true appreciation rather than just the picturesque Swiss landscapes and Eiffel tower, that most European tours offer.

I opened a map of Europe and marked the places that I wanted to see. I started with Bruges. 20 minutes in I was still at Bruges. I just wanted to see the old bell tower where Colin Farell and Brendon Gleeson had shot the film's closing scenes. So that was it. After that I used Google maps to see which places were the closest. Turns out Amsterdam was pretty close towards the North and then you had Paris towards the South. Well my plan was done, I booked my tickets and got my Schengen done. My good friend Chachu was joining from the UK. We both landed in Paris and we were ready for our great European conquest.

Well at-least that's what we thought! It was so cold in Paris and this was just October. Autumn had ended and because of that, Paris was a bit of a dud. The night life was there but it wrapped up pretty early. Paris is great for the monuments and locales, Notre Dame, Eiffel tower, Sacre Coeur, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysee, and Montmarte.

Bruges was the next step and it was cold and raining. This is how I wanted it to be, brooding, just like in the movie. We were holed up in St. Christopher's. You will love how the central part of the city is maintained in the old way to give you that Medieval charm. Most of the city can be seen in a day but stay more. Really spend sometime to talk to the locals and take in the old school European views of the city. Belgium is famous for beer, waffles, fries and chocolate (BWFC) so go on a journey and have a wild night. There is famous hidden brew place, De Garre, don't miss it.

From there we caught a train to Ghent, a university town, where we were able to see the Ghent altarpiece but from outside the main room, as it was past closing time. It was saved from the Nazis by the Monuments men. We tried searching for a place to stay but the town was completely full so we decided to catch a train and head off to Brussels. The best thing about Brussels is the place with Guinness record for most beers on tap, Delirium cafe.

Amsterdam was all about the fun, and art. If you haven't see a Van Gogh painting ever, then I seriously urge you to visit the Van Gogh museum or the Moma, NY, which has 'Starry Night', his most popular painting. It has Cafes such as Bull dog, Crazy Night clubs and a Red light district area which makes this city very popular. There are couple of nice towns we visited up north, Volendam and Zaanse Schaans. This gave us some nice quiet time before we wrapped up the tour and headed back to base. Until next time, au revoir.




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