A log about those Silly Folks and their Escapades

Today we were off to explore the City of Arles. Arles goes back to 40 B.C., yes that’s correct, Before Christ! However it never really became much until the Romans made a real prescence sometime in the 1st Century; around 90 A.D. So, there is so much history, old buildings, historic sites and things to see. As we mentioned the old town of Arles; which is a walled city, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We started off by visiting the Musee Departemental Arles Antique….. in other words the New Museum dedicated to the history of Arles. Lots of Roman ruins, artifacts, displays, models of Roman construction, etc. In fact near the entrance to the museum there is still remnants (footings, bricks, etc.) of the Chariot arena where you can see the curvature of the arena construction. From here we headed off to the Amphitheatre which was built in 90 A.D.; the last post showed us having dinner at a cafe directly across the street from the Amphitheatre. Currently it is under ongoing restoration which you will see in some of the pictures. This is because today they occasionally use it for Bull Fights (not where the bull gets killed). After this we visited the Thermes of Constantin. These were Roman Baths built between the 1st and 4th Century A.D. They were communal baths with three separate rooms, the first were Hot Baths where they used scrapers on their skin, this was followed by a rinse off in the  Lukewarm Room and then the Cold Pool and massage. We finished off by visiting the Cryptoportiques D’Arles which date back to 46 B.C. These are double u-shaped underground galleries that are 89m by 59m. You enter at the Hotel De Ville (which isn’t really a hotel, but a large building) and head down a steep spiral staircase below ground approximately 40′. First thing you run into is water dripping/running from the roof; probably a water line above with a leak; thank heavens the Romans were great builders…..other than the odd missing stone/brick it looked pretty safe to me. Here there is a lot of evidence of Roman Construction and no restoration, the area has been left pretty much as it was found. Unfortunately no narration or description; other than a pamphlet in french, so you are left on your own to explore the crypts complete with side rooms and large sections of marble, granite and limestone columns left lying as they were. Brenda couldn’t get out of here fast enough. That’s it we’re exhasuted time for a Baquette, some french cheese and a very good bottle of Chateau Neuf de Pape.

Saturday we got up early had a quick breakfast, checked out of the Hotel Diana and headed off to Gare de Lyon and on to Arles. From yesterday’s scoping out of the transit route we knew that there was a change in the bus schedule….. however we weren’t quite sure why. Anyway we stepped out of our hotel and all of a sudden there was a parade of people going by, we understood it was a pilgrimage……. and guess what, they were blocking the main bus line to Gare de Lyon. Well we did notice a police officer stopping them and allowing some traffic through however no sight of Bus #63 or #87. Once at the bus stop we asked a very nice lady who spoke no English about the signs posted at the bus stop regarding what we thought were potential delays…… after a few “parlez vous plus lentements, sil vous plait” (speak more slowly please) we got it that the buses were running but they may be late. After a few minutes Bus #63 showed up and we were off to Gare de Lyon. Once at Gare de Lyon it was mayhem; the place we thought we were take the train had now been moved to a new location and platform but is was only about 300 yds away upstairs, across a walkway and into more confusion. Anyway, we finally figured it out and the platform for our train was finally posted and once again thanks to pointy Sill elbows we got aboard the correct train to Arles. Whew!!!!!! Not long after leaving Paris the countryside is quite pretty with a lot of small towns and remnants of past history in buildings and structures. The TGV train we were on gets up to speeds of 320 km/hr so the landscape goes by fairly fast; fortunately we booked seats in the top of the car so we had a good view from above. On it’s way the train stops in Lyon and Avignon before finally arriving in Arles. Along the way we saw our first fields of beautiful red poppies. The old town of Arles is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it’s where Vincent Van Gogh did a lot of paintings prior to his death, but more about Arles and it’s historical sites on the next post. Anyway after a bit of searching and asking confused French people in our perfect french language (Ha! Ha!) we found our Hotel and settled in. We are at Hotel Porte de la Camargue which is located immediately across the Rhone River from old town Arles. Having a great time..

Friday was our last full day in Paris and we decided to keep it a little simpler, not so busy and make sure we took the opportunity to take in the sights and sounds before heading off to the south of France. After a delicious leisurely breakfast we headed off to check out the bus route to Gare de Lyon and attempt to figure out the mayhem of this major Paris train station. Gare de Lyon is the main train station for connections to the south of France, so it’s hectic. Once back in the Latin Quarter we rewarded ourselves with a cafe au lait and sat and watched Paris go by. From there we did a little window shopping (lecher le vitrine) and picked up a few trinkets. In the afternoon we headed off by metro (underground train) to the Eiffel Tower stop so we could get on a Seine River Boat Cruise. It was a good way to get more information and a completely different view of Paris. It was a spectacular day so there were lots of people on the banks of the Seine enjoying the weather. Tomorrow we are off to Arles.

A big belated Happy Birthday to our oldest son Kevin and our good friend Gayle……. we missed putting up a post amid the hustle and bustle of travel. Hope you both enjoyed your day. This morning we are off to Arles by SNCF Train, more adventures of Paris to be posted……. so stay tuned.

After arriving we set off on foot to orient ourselves, get our bearings and to take a look at some of the sights of Paris. We are right in the middle of the Latin Quarter in the 5th arrondissment. We walked along down Rue St. Germain and over to the Seine and crossed over towards the Louvre. It is mind boggling!!!!! The buildings go on for ever and it is hard to believe we are here and surrounded by so much history. We walked all the way to the Louvre and crossed the courtyard where the Pyramid is located. From here we walked towards Notre Dame and then back up rue St. Jacques to our hotel. The next day we decided to stay close to Paris and take in a few more of the sights; little did we know we would cover so much in one day. We started walking towards the Seine, crossed at Pont Neuf and then finally headed down the Champs-Elysees. From there we continued on to The Arc de Triomphe where we climbed the 264 steps to the top. After the Arc de Triomphe we walked over to the Eiffel Tower. The line up was not that long because it was later in the day, so we decided to visit this amazing engineering feat. The first elevator takes you to the first or second level and from there you queue up again to get to the top. The view is fantastic and no visit to Paris is complete without this experience. From the Eiffel Tower we headed back to our hotel; don’t ask us how many kilometres we walked……. “but the dogs are a barkin”. Time for some French Red Wine!

Monday morning we had our usual great breakfast at the Posthoorn Guestroom and after saying good bye to Jasper we headed off to Amsterdam Central Station to catch the Thalys Train to Paris. The train station was packed as Schipool Airport had just been closed due to volcanic ash, so people were scrambling for other connections. We didn’t think the train was that busy at the start but by the time we were into Belgium it was jam packed and people were standing in the luggage compartment areas. We have never seen so many train tracks in one location as at Brussels Main Train Station (pictures are attached). Train ride was enjoyable however once we arrived at Gare Nord in Paris it was utter confusion for us. We had to get from Gare Nord over to Gare L’Est and the information kiosk was kind of helpful…… maybe….! Directions to Gare L’Est were sketchy at the best and after we stepped into the mayhem of the streets of Paris we knew we weren’t prepared for this ( ”this isn’t Kansas anymore Dorothy”). Anyway using a little sense of direction from the sun (thank goodness it was shining) and lots of luck we finally found Gare L’Est Bus Stop. Yikes that took a long time! As luck would have it, sitting there is Bus #47, the one we were to take to our hotel. We sort of figured out (thanks to Rick Steeves book) that you needed to validate your bus ticket and once the driver arrived we were off to Paris Latin Quarter. Now, we thought the Brussels Train Station was huge…… well Gare L’Est is bigger with more platforms and train tracks and Gare Nord is even larger and more confusing. After crossing the Seine we knew we were close to our destination and got off right after Notre Dame Basillica. We walked to the Hotel Diana and it was time for a drink!!!! Hard to tell we are from a small Canadian town!

We left the barge “Holland” on Saturday morning, after saying our farewells to all our new cycling companions and headed off to Posthoorn Guestroom to meet Jasper, drop off our luggage and spend the rest of the day in Amsterdam. First thing did was headed off to the Saturday Market nearby. This is not your average Saturday Market; in fact it’s about 5 blocks long and the vendors set up bakery ovens for fresh buns, breads, etc, refrigerated coolers for everything from meat, to fish, to produce and of course the usual tables and stalls with any assortment of goods to sell. We left Brenda and Barb to stroll the market and Fred and I found a small cafe where we could sit on the sidewalk, have a great cafe au lait and soak in the sights and sounds of Amsterdam. The sun was finally shining in Holland…. YAAAAA! Late in the afternoon we headed off to the Anne Frank House and left Fred and Barb at the Posthoorn Guestroom. The lineup was about 45 minutes to get in the door and after that we spent another hour touring the house and trying to imagine what the Frank family and their friends went through while trying to stay in hiding for 2+ years. As you wait in line and go on the tour it’s hard to imagine Nazi Storm Troopers marching up and down the street where we were standing rounding up prisoners headed for the concentration camps. This is a definite must see in Amsterdam. After that we met Fred & Barb for a pre-dinner appetizer of wine and cheese (Thanks Fred& Barb) in our room and then we headed off to a great little Italian Restaurant we found. Our Sunday morning walk was by the Old Church from 1250AD and New Church from 1410AD and guess what, right across from Old Church was a “Coffee Shop and Sex Shop”, only in Amsterdam. After that we walked with Fred and Barb to Central Station to see them off to Schipool airport as they were flying of to Scotland for the remainder of their holiday. This gave us the chance to check out where we would catch the train on Monday for Paris. We then headed off to Vondelpark for a walk and picnic lunch. Vondelpark is in the middle of the city and is quite large but it is certainly different than our parks; everything is left to grow naturally as it pleases so lots of wild grass and weeds. A few flower displays but not what you expect when you think of Holland and Tulips. From the park we headed to the Rijksmuseum which houses famous paintings from artists like Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Vermeer, Jan Steen, etc. Definitely worth a visit when in Amsterdam. No visit to Amsterdam would be complete without a visit in the evening to the “Red Light District”….. sorry no pictures as cameras are not allowed. One final stop at a “Coffee Shop” a few big inhales and we were off to bed! Ha! Ha! Tomorrow we are off to Paris.

Today was our last day of bicycling and we are going to finish strong at +50 km and finally a day with sun shine, warmth and a little breeze. We headed off from Purmerend towards Edam. Edam is named after Edam cheese and the town is very picturesque with small houses and canals. Edam is home of the cheese museum which has a tour including a floating basement….. very odd. The buildings really are leaning…. it’s not the camera operator. After Edam we cycled towards Volendam; and as our tour guide explained it, Volendam is a tourist trap, to us though Volendam looked like a beautiful seaside village complete with lots of shops, restaurants and lots of touristy stuff. The one interesting thing about Volendam is the old original hotel. On the walls are paintings from many famous and not so famous painters. In the past those staying at the hotel would pay their bill by doing a painting and it became property of the hotel……very unique and interesting. We then cycled to a cheese farm where we saw traditional dutch costumes and were explained the process of cheese making and got to taste some samples. Finally we rode into the chaos of Amsterdam at 5:00 pm; across a passenger ferry and bicycled through huge crowds and congestion to finally arrive at the dock where we originally boarded the barge “Holland”. So in the end the bike and barge was everything we thought it would be and more. What a way to see the country of Holland. It was truly a fabulous experience and we would do it again in an instant.