A question-filled post!
{Source}
Alright, lovelies. Here it is – the final(ish) itinerary for our trip!
April 25 – Fly out of Calgary at 6:05 PM. PS: Calgary bloggers, we will be getting there the morning of April 24, so if you’d like to meet-up for coffee, lunch, dinner, a run or whatever, let me know! I already have plans to see the lovely H-Woman again!
April 26 – Arrive in Amsterdam at 11:00 Am
April 28 – Fly from Amsterdam to Paris, arrive in Paris early afternoon.
April 30 - Fly from Paris to Venice, arrive in Venice just after supper-time.
May 1 – May 11 – Take the train through Italy. Plans are to hit up Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, Rome and the Almalfi Coast!
May 11 – Fly from Rome to Athens, arrive in Athens early afternoon.
May 13 – Fly from Athens to Paris, arrive in Paris late afternoon.
May 13-May 16 - Three more nights in Paris, possibly take a train somewhere outside of the city for a day trip.
May 16 – Fly back home in the morning, arrive in Calgary at 3:30 PM local time!
Eeei, I’m so excited! I can’t believe we leave in only 25 sleeps!!!!!
So, right now, I am looking for advice on stuff to do. What is a must-see, what is “meh”, not-so-worth-it? To be honest, I’m not even sure what we should go see in Amsterdam? Which, by the way, we are apparently going to miss the biggest party of the year in Amsterdam by two days. Darn it! Haha.
Anyways, I’m very excited about the whole thing. Obviously! So fill me in with all your wisdom; what MUST we see (sticking to our basic itinerary – we can’t add anymore places on at this point except maybe in Italy and France – close to Paris)?
In other news, I haven’t really been working out or running since I was sick. I’m trying to use my gym pass to it’s full potential because as of April 14 I’m cancelling it. I won’t get the student discount anymore when I’m done school and even though it’s only an extra $10 a month, it’s just not worth it. Especially since I know I’ll spend most of my time outside running this summer. I might get a punch card to go to the occasional class, though.
I also want to start biking! Even though you can’t escape the hills no matter where you live in Kamloops, my new neighbourhood is a lot more runner and biker friendly then my old one that involved going straight uphill or straight downhill all. the. time! I’ve been scouring Craigslist and Kijiji for used bikes in my price range (under $500) but have had no luck.
Bikers; should I get a mountain bike or a road bike??
OK, I think that’s enough questions for you lovely readers to answer in one post! Answer away 
Road bike! I love mine
Keep looking on craiglist- there should be a good one eventually. Mine was about $800 but I bought it new.
I am going to look at my journal tonight so I’ll give you some ideas later
Okay I haven’t been to any of those awesome places but I’m SO excited (and jealous!) for you!!!
Hello from a fellow redhead and new blogger! I just found your blog super recently, and this entry made me excited and I just had to comment! I have been to all those places and loved them, here are some of my tips:
Amsterdam: you MUST rent bikes and just ride around! Amsterdam is actually a small, cute city and after a short bike ride you can be out in the dutch countryside, taking pictures of windmills and riding along rivers, it is quite beautiful. You also MUST try to find some live music while you are there, there is an amazing scene in Amsterdam. Walk through the Red Light District one night, just to see it, but it´s pretty tacky. Walk into a Dutch bakery or “coffee shop” just to see it… some of the bakeries (not the “special” ones!) are delicious. Get lost walking amongst the canals. You MUST visit the Van Gosh Museum and if you have any interest in beer at all, the Heineken Experience. I have been to dozens of museums in Europe and these were some of my favorites! The Anne Frank House is a good experience as well. It´s really fun to just roam the streets and canals as the sun sets and buy shawarma from street vendors and the like. The locals are REALLY nice–strike up a conversation and ask their recommendations for where to go for a local experience and they will hook you up.
Paris: EAT. Seriously, just sit at sidewalk cafés and eat. But really, there is a ton of other musts. Visit the Eiffel Tour–climb the stairs. Buy a cheap bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers and hang out on the Champ de Mars if the weather is okay and just experience Paris. Visit the Musee du Louvre and the Musee Dorsee if you like museums. Head out to Montematre and visit Sacre Coeur, watch the street performers on the street outside. BUY CREPES. Wander through the Latin Quarter and duck into a jazz club if you have the chance! Wander the Champs-Elysees and end by climbing up the Arc du Triomphe. Okay sorry, way too many for Paris, but it is an amazing city. Just spend your time wandering its streets and you will surely love it!
Italy: Cinque Terre is a MUST!!! For me and many others who have traveled a bunch in Italy, this is the best place. Spend a few days if you can, walk between the villages, stay in inns, eat the amazing pesto!
While you are in Tuscany, don´t overlook a day trip to Siena if you can fit it in–it is a wonderful city. Florence is cool and should be visited, but I almost think that these other smaller places are better! While you are there, though, go see the David statue: it´s simply breathtaking in person. Rome is a totally different kind of thing, go do all the historical stuff (Vatican, etc.) if you want and because you are in Rome so you sort of have to, but also explore the back alleyways, check out the famous fountains and the Spanish Steps, go shopping! Venice–gondola rides are great but you can also take much cheaper water taxis instead of the traditional gondoliers that charge you a ton of money, but I guess it depends on your price range. Wander the markets and buy some pretty (and cheap!) glass pieces to bring home. And of course, visit the famous square… preferrably at sunrise where it is calm and beautiful instead of completely overrun with tourists and people trying to sell you stuff.
Everywhere in Italy: EAT. I know I said the same with Paris, but seriously. Gelato every day. Maybe that´s a stretch… but it´s that good.
Athens: Visit the Acropolis, that is the best thing the city has going for it. Unfortunately in my opinion it doesn´t have a ton else going on, but try to get a feel for the local scene (be really careful though, in Athens) and eat Greek food. But not the stuff that is clearly and obviously marketed to tourists–find real, off-the-main-drag Greek food! Also, in the main square a lot of people sell bird food and people just hang out and feed the pigeons. It sounds weird, and kind of is, but one of my favorite things I did in Greece was hang out there for a while with some of the “bird people” and feed pigeons. Just a unique experience
Wow, okay so total creeper taking over your blog but I really hope you get a chance to do some of these things! Good luck and feel free to let me know if you have any questions or need any other tips or input
have an AMAZING trip!
I am SO excited for you!! This is going to be the trip of a lifetime! Take a million pictures, and PLEASE share them all
I will have lots of answers for you when you guys go to the UK!
And road bike! I’m hoping to start biking again once it clears up a bit
first things first — per bikes – I’m a fan of mountain bikes because you can ride those anywhere! But i will say that mountain bikes are significantly slower on the roads than road bikes, it’s the way the tires are designed. it totally depends on what kind of biking you plan on doing, we do a mix of mountain and some roads, but mostly mountain lately – it’s a TRIP!
As for your trip to europe:
Athens – the acropolis definitely
in italiy – and i saw pompeii which was kinda crazy — and we went up Mount Vesuvius by spur of the moment, and i didn’t have the right shoes, (flip flops) but the view was so so so so worth it. We also did the trip to isle of capri in italy. so amazing!
The key to finding the coolest stuff is just going through off the beaten path. and best advice is — get bikes! you get to see more stuff that way!
Can’t believe your trip is so soon! I hope you have lots of fun! I have no advice though as I’ve never been to any of those places.
Your trip is going to be amazing! I have no advice (because I’ve never been) but to do and see as much as you can, enjoy every waking moment, and just have fun. =)
Paris – for your day trip you HAVE to go to Versallies. It’s breathtaking.
Also, in the city; Montematre and visit Sacre Coeur, L’arc du Triomphe, Eiffel Tower (walk up, don’t wimp out!), get your breath taken away by Notre Dame, visit the Musee du Louvre either on Wednesday or Friday evening from 6:00-9:45 for cheaper admission prices.
Have fresh youghurt, cafe au lait and ripe, juicy fruit for breakfast. SO GOOD. Also, have steak & frites. Must must. And something you normally wouldn’t eat. Except pigeon, it’s gross. Rabbit is good.
I have a hybrid bike (Cannondale Quick 4 to be exact). Mountain bikes really are made for mountains and rough terrain. They are heavy and require a lot of effort to go the same distance on another bike. But on rough terrain, the thicker tires help keep you upright.
A road bike I didn’t like because I didn’t need go superfast and I wasn’t comfortable with the design of the bike. So we (Erik and I) both have hybrids, which are almost like road bikes in that they are pretty light and have thinner tires, but the tires aren’t *that* thin and they have flat handlebars like a mountain bike. Hybrids are also decent enough to go on a smooth trail provided that your tires aren’t too thin.
I bought my bike for about $600 US dollars, but there are a variety of hybrid types out there. Cannondale is one of the more expensive bike manufacturers. Erik has a Trek and his was cheaper than mine.
As for Paris (the only place on your list I’ve been), if you must leave, the only place you have time to go to is Versaille. Which is beautiful. Everything else is several hours away. Versaille is, I believe, about 45 minutes and there are tours that will take you there.
GAH!!! This looks like so much fun!!! I seriously just want to take your itinerary and just hop on a plane right this second!!!
I think I’ve recommended them before but really, you have to take a look at the Frommer’s day by day guide. They give you itineraries complete with where to stop for lunch and where to just take a break and have a coffee. It’s also divided by days: if you have only one day in this place, do this. If you have two, then on the next day do that, and so on. Which is perfect for when you don’t have much time in a place
Quickly, I have a few tips for Paris: do a bike tour using this company http://www.bikeabouttours.com/index.htm
I’d say do the big touristy stuff the first day, then the bike tour on the 2nd morning!
They are seriously the best, funnest guys! They’ll show you some of the big stuff, but also little secrets about Paris that you would never otherwise have known
Also, in Paris, can you please eat at my favorite restaurant on EARTh!! http://www.lespapillesparis.fr/
It’s a bit expensive, but so, so worth it!
Oh, and also stay up one night and see the Eiffel tower all lit up (I think at certain times they also have a light show!)
It’s all for now, because I have to go back to studying
It sounds like you and Eric are going to have a fabulous trip! I’ve never been to Europe, but am planning to for our honeymoon so I can’t wait to hear all about your trip!
If you have time while you are in Calgary, I would love to meet up! Just send me an email
Um, so I don’t even know how to RIDE a bike. That’s how unqualified I am to answer your question. But never one to shy away from speaking my mind, here’s what I’ve heard:
Road bikers are douches. Mountain biking is awesome.
There you have it. Personally, if I were to get on a bike, I’d like to be nowhere near a road OR a mountain.
I can’t wait to see you again!! So excited to see you and send you off on fabulous European travels.
I can’t offer much in way of European sight seeing tips, but here’s my two cents on bikes.
If you are ONLY going to ride on paved surfaces, get a road bike.
If there is ANY possibility that gravel or off-roading may take place, a road bike is NOT a good idea.
I have a hybrid: not a mountain bike (no shocks) but not a road bike (a little heavier and bigger) either. So far it’s served me well. I had slicks on it when I had a wind trainer for winter riding indoors (make your own stationary bike). Knobbies for off-roading (gentle stuff).
It’s served me well for city riding for more than 10 years, but I’m thinking of up-grading to a mountain bike. The ride we did last summer was brutal sans shocks and I want to do some more biking in the mountains. We’ll see what the budget says, however.
And there you have it. Talk to you soon!
H =)
agh, I have absolutely no useful advice to give you – as I’ve never been to europe and I don’t own a bike.
BUT! The bf is extremely bike-savvy and has advised me to go for a Road bike for my *first* purchase. so, there’s my two cents! ha
I’m so jealous of you and Eric! The only place out of all those that I’ve been is to Paris and I second the suggestion to EAT. Any pastries, really. They’re AMAZING.
Having only been to England, I won’t be much use of with the things to see/do, but I’d say go with the obvious for sure (Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame) and then I’d love to see a french bookstore, their cute coffee shops off the beaten path, wine country and of course anything beach side. And now I want to go to France, like now.
I can’t believe you are almost done with school! Can’t wait to see/hear about graudation
xoxo
You have a great trip ahead, Amber! Ahhhhh…I’m jealous. For your last three days in Paris, you might want to take one day to do the Versaille thing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Versailles It’s very cool inside and out, but busy. So try to leave early from Paris. Also, I recommend taking a bottle of vino, cheese and bread to have a picnic lunch outside the palace.
And for the bike thing, I say road, unless you’re planning to go on trails and such. Road will open your eyes to so much new scenery and you’ll get so much further than you would on a mt. bike. Either way, it will be a good workout, especially with hills! Good luck…craigslist is tough. And try to find someone you know who knows about bikes to come with you if you do look at one. YOu might also want to head to your local bike shop and ask for their advice. Tell them flat out how much your limit is. That way they’ll realize okay either she could get by with a brand new lower end bike OR they might have good advice for used bikes (or they just have friends or connections who might know of a good used women’s bike).
My suggestion for Paris is to do a bike tour of the city your first day or night there. I did the night tour by this company (http://fattirebiketours.com/paris) and loved it! It was a great way to get a feeling for the layout of the city and the evening was capped off with a cruise up & and down teh Seine! It was a blast. I recommended it to my friend who went there this fall & they loved it as much as I did.
Other than that, my favorite museum was d’Orsay. not as overwhelming as the Louvre, but still lots of great, great art.
I also did a walking tour of the Marais area, which was hands down my favorite part of Paris. I will def stay in that area when I return.
Oh, and if you can get to Versailles, you should! I wanted to but just didn’t have the time.
I am so excited for you & E! You guys are going to have a blast!
Hello hello : )
I’m so excited for you, your trip sounds like it’s going to be amazing! I haven’t been to many of the places you listed, but I did happen to study in Florence during the summer for three weeks so I have some insights I want to share. I’m not sure about you, but I’m ALL about the views and I think this is why I LOVED Florence. I would definitely recommend (1) climbing the Duomo [worth every step!] (2) going up to the Piazzale Michelangelo [BY FAR most memorable moment of my three weeks and BEAUTIFUL view of Florence! I recommend going once during the day and once at night haha but if you can only go once, the night time landscape with Duomo lit up and everything is amazing]. We also actually rented bikes and biked all around the city and UP the giant hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo (hardest thing I’ve ever done haha) but so worth it and the bikes were really fun! ..And you know there are all those museums and churches.. their all great, but only one I really liked was the Uffizi (I’m not the biggest museum person). Hmmm what else? I love Florence! If you have an extra day or something, a day trip into Tuscany was also a highlight of my trip, there are so many cute/medieval small towns and gorgeous views of the Tuscany landscape. If you have any questions at all about Florence definitely don’t hesitate to ask! The class I took was “Renaissance Art & Architecture in Florence” so basically our class consisted of us going to allll the museums and seeing everything
Amsterdam – It’s such an amazing city. Just wander around. The canals are beautiful and it’s so fun looking at all the houseboats and it’s a great city to get lost in. Wander around the Jordaan district. So pretty! Anne Frank house is a MUST. Very uplifting. Not as sad as you’d think. And if you’ve read her diary, you will really be amazed. Also another must… climb to the top of Westkerk. It’s one of the only views of Amsterdam (they don’t have a lot of tall buildings) and it’s really pretty from up there. Van Gogh museum is awesome if you like art at all. Definitely try Dutch pancakes. I had apples ones, banana ones and ham and cheese ones and they were all AMAZING!
Paris – climb to the top of Notre Dame. Best view in my opinion. Better than the Eiffel tower or Arc d’Triomph. Go to the St. Chappelle cathedral. You’ll never see stained glass like that in your life. The air is filled with color – it’s floor to ceiling stained glass. So amazing. If you have a taste for the macabre, go down into the Catacombs. You will never see so many bones in your life. Musee d’Orsay if you’re into impressionist paintings. The Louvre, too. At least hit the high points. Crepes on the street – so delish.
Have a great trip!
You are going to have such an amazing time! I know you’ve read some of my Europe posts from last summer so you know what I thought were the not to miss places
That looks like an amazing amazing trip!!
I say a road bike, unless you plan on doing a lot of mountain biking. I love my bike!
I’m no help on Europe as I’ve only been to the UK and France. But BIKING IS AWESOME!
I just bought a road bike for commuting to/from work every day. 22km RT! I love it.
But that being said, I’m not about to start racing (no drop handlebars) and there are no mountains in Melbourne! So the thinner wheels and light frame are much better for roads, gravel and the occasional dirt path on a daily basis than the thick tread and suspension of a mountain bike would be.
That being said, if you live in BC and aren’t deathly afraid of killing yourself like I am, a mountain bike would be a lot more useful for you than me!
Have such an amazing time!! I have no travel advice for Europe other than make sure to give yourself enough down time that’s not traveling. A good friend of mine went on a big tour a few years ago and ended up spending so much time going from one place to another at such a pace that she got really incredibly sick, and it changed the whole trip.
For bikes, I’ve always had a mountain bike until this year when I got a road bike. I didn’t notice a difference until I (not thinking) hopped onto a bike path (gravel & dirt) and promptly keeled over and almost skidded STRAIGHT INTO THE RIVER. There is a HUGE difference, and while being a city kid my 1970s schwinn is great, I might recommend a mountain bike just so you have some flexibility built in =)
The Cinque Terre is my absolute FAVORITE! Well maybe, Rome is. Anyhoo. Definitely do the hiking trail between the towns in the Cinque Terre and stop in each for lunch or a drink. You only have to hike one way because then you can take the train all the way back!
Have a blast!
Hi! Thanks for stopping by my blog.
I’m planning a trip to Amsterdam and Paris this September so I’m so excited to read these comments on suggestions and to hear what you end up doing. How fun!!
I vote for a mountain bike if you plan on riding it around town or ever on trails- it’s more versitile. A road bike is better if you plan on mainly riding on roads and if you’re ever considering entering a tri or bike race.
If I could go to Amsterdam my number one choice would be to go to Anne Frank’s House.
Paris I have been to, and when I was there we took a day trip out to Versailles. We brought a picnic lunch with us and wound up eating out in the gardens. It was a great day trip out of Paris, and who doesn’t want to go to Versailles?
That is going to be one AMAZING trip!!!!!! How exciting girl!!!!!!!
No wisdom from me … I haven’t been to any of those places!!
Your prize was put in the mail box today!!!! Should be there soon!!!
Out of where you’re going I’ve only done Paris. It’s SO touristy, but going up in the Eiffel Tower is totally worth it. Go just before sunset so that you can hang out a bit and see it at day, at sunset, and at night as the city lights come on. I was not impressed with the Louvre, and that’s even with kind of liking some art. It was just so crowded and so not any different than any other art museum I’ve been in. I thought checking out Notre Dame was cool. Do not go to the Palace of Versailles. TOTAL waste of time.
Get a road bike, then you can eventually do triathlons.
Oh Paris . . . my Paris . . . I miss it there. Bad.
I don’t know if I’ve told you but I’ve lived and studied in Paris twice. Those were the good old days!
Honestly though – simply magical! And frankly I rarely dream but when I do dream I’m always back in Paris.
So day trips from Paris, eh?! Are you looking to overnight it or are you looking to go a bit further a field. If you’re looking for a day trip I suggest either going to the Chateau de Chantilly (it houses the library of my geeky dreams) or Vaux-le-Vicomte. Vaux-le-Vicomte is also a chateau and is what Versailles was based on. In fact the original builder of the chateau threw a party to celebrate completion of the home and invited Louis XIV whom promptly became so jealous he threw the builder (an official in his government) on trumped up charges of theft from the government coffers. In truth it was pure jealousy.
A trial was held and initially the owner was to be exiled but Louis XIV intervened and had him jailed for life instead. This is significant because it marked the only time that a French King intervened to impose what was thought to be a more severe sentence. Legend has it that the owner (his name was actually Le Vau) is the man in the iron mask.
After Le Vau was thrown in jail, Louis XIV took the team that assembled Vaux-le-Vicomte and used them to construct Versailles. In fact he took some items (tapestries and the like) and used them in Versailles as well.
In more recent times the chateau has been home to the Leonardo DiCaprio re-make of “The Man in the Iron Mask” and Eva Longoria’s wedding. lol Although I haven’t been fortunate enough to attend at night I know they do candlelight visits. They flood the place with hundreds of candles to replicate the opening feast. There is classical music throughout and apparently it’s spectacular.
I could keep going on and on but I won’t. Unless you want me to! lol And in Paris proper – do go to the Place de la Madeleine for foodie delights. And if you get the chance explore the area around le Jardin du Luxembourg that borders the 5th and the 6th. Those are my old stomping grounds (I lived directly across from the garden) and they are nothing short of magical. As an aside the palace in the gardens is home to the French Senate but was originally built for one of the Medici Queens (that would be Queen mother). The horizontal lines you see in the Palais du Luxembourg are meant to recreate the ones in the Piti Palace in Florence. They were supposed to remind her of home.
Le Sigh . . . how I miss it so.
And in terms of Italy – Cinque Terre is amazing!!! You’ll love it there!!! The beaches aren’t the best but the towns are something out of a fairytale!
My husband and I bought our bikes here: http://bikesdirect.com/ — I know they ship free to the U.S., but I’m not sure if they ship to Canada or not. I have this ladies bike in white: http://bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/motobecane_elitefs_IX2.htm and it was about $350. I love it! I like that it’s a hybrid, so I can really ride it on the roads or hills/mountains. (I mostly ride on the road, though.) They also have another one like mine, but it’s less than $300 – http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/motobecane_elite.htm
Ooh, I just saw — they do ship to Canada.
Here’s there shipping info: http://www.bikesdirect.com/ship_info.html