All right gang this will be an on going thread. We could not possibly recreate our entire trip in one long drawn out boring :roll: :funn: thread, so we will report daily on each day spent in Europe. I'll start and Cork can refute ...I mean collaborate.....my efforts!
Days prior to the adventure
Cork was sending me emails and websites fast and furious....ummmm excuse me Cork...I have been packed for days...all her "last minute" instructions were of not use to me....:funn:
Dec. 27th 2007
I get to the airport in Columbia SC 3 hours ahead of schedule...per Cork and US Air's advice....MAYBE if I was leaving from JFK, Laguardia or ATL I would have needed to be there that early...but in little ol' Columbia SC it was a waste of 2 1/2 hours....:roll: No matter...It was GREAT just to be on the first leg of my trip!!!! I called Cork's cell as I was waiting, just to say Hi and to let her know I was on my way! EXCEPT...no cork...
she had forwarded her phone to one of her associates...OH great I thought...what if something happens in Charlotte and I have no way to get in touch with her......
I worried for nothing...she was waiting at my gate as I stepped off the plane!
We had a long 9 hour flight (took off 7:30 pm our time) We did get food on the plane...:roll: We each got head sets and watched "The Devil Wears Prada"...I tried to get some sleep...but I didn't get much. Finally started moving around 8:30 European time (3:00 our time) We landed in Frankfurt around 10:00. How EXCITING!!! I could not believe that I was actually doing this! I put my faith in Cork...and she didn't let me down! I did not know prior to this trip (I found out in the airport) that the reason that she knows so much about European back packing is, she and her ex conducted travel tours (the inexpensive way) for many years! She really knows her way around the Eurail system...And would have been much better if only she had a COOK BOOK!!!!!!
We got on a train bound for Amsterdam...how funn!!! I learned to LOVE trains...gosh how I wish we had such a wonderful system here!
Our train was taking many commuters home and as we were nearing one of our stops, the train stopped moving. Finally they made several announcments "the train's computer system has crashed" We are dead on the tracks. Cork and I cracked up at this announcment..."Please do not smoke in the smoking car any more. The air system is not working and there is no oxygen in the smoking car" I had visions of the people in "Total Recall" gasping for breath as the oxygen is sucked out of the car by smoke.....
The final announcment was "Well I guess you know this train is DONE" we waited for a tow to come and take us to the station.....
We finally made it to Amsterdam. In the station we found the travel agency (I amsterdam) and found a hotel to stay in. We were first told we had to book 3 nights.... because of the New Year, but the young lady found us a one night hotel! We bought a 24 hour bus ticket and went to our hotel. Amsterdam is a wonderful old city..but very busy and modern as well. We got to the hotel (my backpack was KILLING my back....do you think maybe, just maybe, I had packed too much? ) We decided to forgo a shower and just hit the town...Mistake! We walked all around our hotel area (Princengrad? Cork will have to fill in all the names and places that I miss or miss spell 
) We walked through Rembrandt Square and through the tulip/flower market..(pictures to follow)
As it started getting later we hit a brown cafe, enjoyed the menu, and walked around the red light district...:shock: We sure weren't in Kansas any more... There is so much to see and absorb in Amsterdam! A truly amazing place!!!!!
We were trying to decide what to have for dinner...the only places in Amsterdam are Pizza joints or Argentinean resturants! I wanted authentic food...NO SUCH THING!! We had some frites with mayonaise (best thing we have ever tasted...esp. after the brown cafe.....:clap_1: ) We finally gave in and had pizza...it was good, but NOT amore's! We took our leftovers to the hotel and crashed. It was about 1:30 by this time so we had been awake for about 24 hours by this time. We did not leave a wake up call....BIG MISTAKE......about 11:30 the next morning the maids tried to get in, and then the desk clerk stuck his head in and told us they needed to clean the room for other guests! I have never scrambled so fast in my life! I had torn my backpack apart the night before to shed some of the clothes I had packed...so I had clothes all over the place! I shoved them into the backpack, rinsed off...alas...NO SHOWER FOR ME....
And we flew out of the room leaving our pizza leftovers for the cleaners....apologized (as cork says We are surely not the first people to do this....JET LAG!) We stowed our stuff at the hotel, got directions to a post office and took off. I got a box to send my stuff home in. Back to the hotel...then back to the post office and I lost 10 unneeded pounds for the mere price of 32 Euros...well worth the money! My back was HAPPY!!!!
We found a wonderful resturant that served pancakes (AKA crepes) and we feasted!
We found an internet cafe, where we posted our first SoWal posts and Cork took care of some business. By this time it was 4:00 and time to move on. We got our backpacks...AHHHHH mine was so light.... We stopped in at a "deli" style market and bought dinner...salads, cheeses, meats and fruit.
Took a bus back to the station...but wait! Did we get on the right bus....NOOOOOO...we went about 20 minutes out of our way..... OH well...that is all part of the experience! When we got to the station we picked up some bread and wine...
We hopped on a train headed for Belgium. Had a wonderful dinner in our first class seats!
Tomorrow you will hear about or stay in Brussles and our 4 1/2 hour whirlwind tour of Paris......
OK Corkie baby...you need to chime in here girl!!!!
Days prior to the adventure
Cork was sending me emails and websites fast and furious....ummmm excuse me Cork...I have been packed for days...all her "last minute" instructions were of not use to me....:funn:
Dec. 27th 2007
I get to the airport in Columbia SC 3 hours ahead of schedule...per Cork and US Air's advice....MAYBE if I was leaving from JFK, Laguardia or ATL I would have needed to be there that early...but in little ol' Columbia SC it was a waste of 2 1/2 hours....:roll: No matter...It was GREAT just to be on the first leg of my trip!!!! I called Cork's cell as I was waiting, just to say Hi and to let her know I was on my way! EXCEPT...no cork...
she had forwarded her phone to one of her associates...OH great I thought...what if something happens in Charlotte and I have no way to get in touch with her...... I worried for nothing...she was waiting at my gate as I stepped off the plane! We had a long 9 hour flight (took off 7:30 pm our time) We did get food on the plane...:roll: We each got head sets and watched "The Devil Wears Prada"...I tried to get some sleep...but I didn't get much. Finally started moving around 8:30 European time (3:00 our time) We landed in Frankfurt around 10:00. How EXCITING!!! I could not believe that I was actually doing this! I put my faith in Cork...and she didn't let me down! I did not know prior to this trip (I found out in the airport) that the reason that she knows so much about European back packing is, she and her ex conducted travel tours (the inexpensive way) for many years! She really knows her way around the Eurail system...And would have been much better if only she had a COOK BOOK!!!!!!
We got on a train bound for Amsterdam...how funn!!! I learned to LOVE trains...gosh how I wish we had such a wonderful system here!
Our train was taking many commuters home and as we were nearing one of our stops, the train stopped moving. Finally they made several announcments "the train's computer system has crashed" We are dead on the tracks. Cork and I cracked up at this announcment..."Please do not smoke in the smoking car any more. The air system is not working and there is no oxygen in the smoking car" I had visions of the people in "Total Recall" gasping for breath as the oxygen is sucked out of the car by smoke.....
The final announcment was "Well I guess you know this train is DONE" we waited for a tow to come and take us to the station.....
We finally made it to Amsterdam. In the station we found the travel agency (I amsterdam) and found a hotel to stay in. We were first told we had to book 3 nights....
because of the New Year, but the young lady found us a one night hotel! We bought a 24 hour bus ticket and went to our hotel. Amsterdam is a wonderful old city..but very busy and modern as well. We got to the hotel (my backpack was KILLING my back....do you think maybe, just maybe, I had packed too much? ) We decided to forgo a shower and just hit the town...Mistake! We walked all around our hotel area (Princengrad? Cork will have to fill in all the names and places that I miss or miss spell ) We walked through Rembrandt Square and through the tulip/flower market..(pictures to follow) As it started getting later we hit a brown cafe, enjoyed the menu, and walked around the red light district...:shock: We sure weren't in Kansas any more...
There is so much to see and absorb in Amsterdam! A truly amazing place!!!!!We were trying to decide what to have for dinner...the only places in Amsterdam are Pizza joints or Argentinean resturants! I wanted authentic food...NO SUCH THING!! We had some frites with mayonaise (best thing we have ever tasted...esp. after the brown cafe.....:clap_1: ) We finally gave in and had pizza...it was good, but NOT amore's! We took our leftovers to the hotel and crashed. It was about 1:30 by this time so we had been awake for about 24 hours by this time. We did not leave a wake up call....BIG MISTAKE......about 11:30 the next morning the maids tried to get in, and then the desk clerk stuck his head in and told us they needed to clean the room for other guests! I have never scrambled so fast in my life! I had torn my backpack apart the night before to shed some of the clothes I had packed...so I had clothes all over the place! I shoved them into the backpack, rinsed off...alas...NO SHOWER FOR ME....
And we flew out of the room leaving our pizza leftovers for the cleaners....apologized (as cork says We are surely not the first people to do this....JET LAG!) We stowed our stuff at the hotel, got directions to a post office and took off. I got a box to send my stuff home in. Back to the hotel...then back to the post office and I lost 10 unneeded pounds for the mere price of 32 Euros...well worth the money! My back was HAPPY!!!!We found a wonderful resturant that served pancakes (AKA crepes) and we feasted!
We found an internet cafe, where we posted our first SoWal posts and Cork took care of some business. By this time it was 4:00 and time to move on. We got our backpacks...AHHHHH mine was so light....
We stopped in at a "deli" style market and bought dinner...salads, cheeses, meats and fruit. Took a bus back to the station...but wait! Did we get on the right bus....NOOOOOO...we went about 20 minutes out of our way.....
OH well...that is all part of the experience! When we got to the station we picked up some bread and wine... We hopped on a train headed for Belgium. Had a wonderful dinner in our first class seats!
Tomorrow you will hear about or stay in Brussles and our 4 1/2 hour whirlwind tour of Paris......
OK Corkie baby...you need to chime in here girl!!!!
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a cute little shop that sold souviners
:funn: :rofl:
