European Tour, Deel Twee
I really should have posted this sooner, but better late than never.
Last year we had the opportunity to travel to Europe again. We had been there a few years back and really enjoyed the atmosphere and sites. This time we toured a bit of the Netherlands and Italy. One of the great things about Europe is its age. There is a lot of history in the countries and so many places to visit (and sites to see) that there simply isn’t enough time to take everything in. In total we took nearly 1000 photos. Read more to see a photo gallery highlighting just a small selection of the great places we visited, along with some details about our trip.
Our stay in the Netherlands was short—more of a stopover on our way to Italy—but we thoroughly enjoyed it. In hindsight, we enjoyed staying in the Netherlands even more than Italy. The people there are incredibly friendly. I know the general consensus is that Canadians are friendly (and we are, eh?) but the Dutch have us beat!
We stayed in the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Just outside our hotel was a large courtyard. The city is very old and the architecture and roads were quite stunning. Some people might think the antiquity was marred by modernization (there was a McDonald’s just down the street from our hotel), but we found everything to be done in a way that really communicated the original styles. In the centre of the courtyard is the city’s original water well. Of course the city no longer uses the well, but they’ve preserved it and you can actually stand on top of the well and look down through the glass. During the day that we toured the area the courtyard was bustling with the local market activity. Also nearby were two of the best restaurants I have ever had the privilege of eating at. The food at these places was absolutely amazing (and do not even get me started on the desserts!). If you happen to find yourself in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, I strongly encourage you to visit In den zevenden hemel [photo] (our personal favourite) or Bistro Tante Pietje [photo], which is right across the street. There are a myriad of restaurants in the same vicinity and we didn’t have the time to visit all of them. Nevertheless, I think it’s a fairly safe bet to assume you will not go wrong regardless of the restaurant you pick. If you’re in the mood for a coffee, then just a short walk away is a small cafe named de Stip. The coffee servings are a tad on the small side (more like an espresso cup) but the taste more than compensates for it.
At the end of the week we flew to Italy. Visiting the Colosseum has always been on the top of my list; it’s history spans back to Biblical times and it truly is an engineering marvel. Naturally a trip to Italy wouldn’t be complete without a sampling of the local cuisine. In our last trip to Europe we found this great Italian restaurant (in Germany) that made the best pizza I have ever tasted; I wrote about it at the time. Sadly, our experience in Italy didn’t usurp that restaurant at all. Most of the food establishments we went to had poor tasting, sloppy and expensive food (or, more succinctly, ick, uck, and blah). There is not a doubt in my mind that our abysmal experience was only a result of being located in the heart of a tourist area. I have heard that as one travels away from such regions the food improves.
One of the biggest challenges we faced in Rome was from motorists. If Italy has rules governing how people are to drive, I’m not sure they enforce them. On several occasions we were legitimately afraid for our lives. Thankfully we never had to pilot a motor vehicle (although the rental scooters could have been fun) as most of our journeys were on foot or using public transit. The trains and subways are a very economical way to cover larger distances while traveling by foot allowed us to see most of the sites with only a few hours of walking each day. One thing to be aware of as a pedestrian is that while the motorists seem crazy, they actually will yield to pedestrians. Sometimes it felt like we were putting our lives on the line by stepping onto a busy street that had no crosswalk, but the drivers won’t stop until they see the foot traffic taking the initiative; when that happens you can rest assurred that they will come to a rapid halt and (cheerfully?) allow you to cross.
Our excursions led us to the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, the Spanish Steps, and many other great sites. Speaking of the Spanish Steps, the last photo in the gallery below is a shot from the top of the steps. Climbing the steps isn’t an overly arduous task, but, that street you’re looking down, we walked the whole thing to get there. That was a long day. For those interested in learning more, Wikipedia’s Rome page has some stock photos and descriptions for many of the places we visited.
One of the most remarkable observations during our tour was to be able to walk down a modernized city street and see excavation sites on either side. Many excavation areas were closed to prevent people from walking through them, but these were mostly only cordoned off by small fences or bars—making it easy to see inside and snap photos.
The week-long trip gave us an opportunity to see some history and experience a different culture. Of course it’s always nice to be “home,” but it was an exceptional experience to visit cities so rich with history. Check out the photo gallery for a snapshot of our trip.
