Paris/London(Luton) - There and Back Again

In Paris we arrived back at the same train station as the first time around feeling much more experienced than before. Little did we know, but the hotel we had booked turned out to be in the Little India of Paris. This was an entire area that resembled India, to those who have been. After putting our packs away we ventured out into the district and enjoyed some delicious South Indian food.

That night we chose to stay in and watch the France futbol game in our hotel room. Afterwards we reflected on our travels to date over a few bottles of wine. The next day we ate at Michelangelo’s…where we had eaten during our first stay in Paris and then caught our chunnel train to London.

While in London we once again crashed the apartments of our Luton medical school friends. Our time in London can for the most part be summarized by the word…debauchery. We partied for three straight nights each one ending with the sun rising! Night one we went out in downtown Luton. Night two we went to St. Albans where we partied at a mansion turned nightclub called Batchwood, where Kanye West had once performed. Last but most certainly not least, night three was spent at the White House…where it had all started. One of the days we managed to go back to Papa J’s to enjoy some more eclectic Indian cuisine.

It was finally time to go to Zimbabwe, Africa…3rd world here we come…

The Eurotravelers

Amsterdam a.k.a. "Sin City"

From Berlin our next stop took us to the Netherlands. Upon arriving at the train station in Amsterdam our first mission was to find the Marriot Courtyard Hotel that we would be staying at. In case you are wondering that is no typo...we in fact had no choice due to the high demand for living arrangements to book a Marriot Hotel. Sometimes you just have to take what you can get! After obtaining the directions to our hotel we decided to eat at a downtown pizza/pasta joint located right off of the main tourist drag not far from the main train station. After we ate we headed for the hotel by taking a train and then utilizing the hotel bus. We spent that night relaxing in our hotel, after sneaking five people in our room...when the maximum occupancy was suppose to be four!

The next day we packed up our belongings, ate lunch at the Amsterdam airport, and headed back into town where we would be spending the next two nights. As soon as we checked in and got situated at our new hostel we decided to take in the Heineken Experience! This was an old brewery turned into a tourist attraction to educate people on how beer is brewed. It also contained the first two pubs in the area. As part of the entrance fee we were given three tokens that we could trade in for beer at the pubs along the brewery tour. At the first pub we were immediately amazed by the taste of the beer. It was undoubtedly the best Heineken beer any of us had ever had! Unfortunately we could only use one token at the first pub, so we quickly headed for the second pub located at the end of the tour. Along the way we managed to send video/picture emails to our folks back home using kiosks connected to the Internet. We also spent some time at other various activities along the way.

When we reached the final bar, each of us had two tokens remaining. Before visiting the former brewery we were told that you could get more beer if you went at the end of the day. Fortunately for us it was the end of the day and the bartenders either didn't care or had too much to drink during the day. Our table was full of glasses...both empty and full. :)
In the evening we managed to take in a futbol game at a local pub located in the famous Red Light District. That night we toured the RLD where we were taken back by red glow that beamed through the doors and windows that lined the downtown streets.

On the third day of our visit we decided to take in one of the major attraction in Amsterdam...The Anne Frank Museum. While we were in line we met some businessmen from Texas! In our conversation we all reminisced about ice tea and Tex-Mex food! During the tour we expanded our knowledge of the heartbreaking story and about leading a lifestyle in hiding. The tour was simply perfectly set-up. The tour took us throughout the house pointing out various characteristics about the rooms and people at the same time. The Anne Frank story brilliantly highlights commitment and compassion with a sad ending.

After we arrived back at our hostel we left in search of another place to watch some more futbol. After the game we walked back to the main area near our hostel called "Leidsplatz" and ate at a Mexican restaurant! We all had NACHOS!! After dinner we continued to overstuff ourselves with some Belgium waffles drenched in the syrup of choice with a side of ice cream. It was shockingly sweet!

Our stay in Amsterdam had come to an end. The next day we headed back to Paris for one night to catch our chunnel train to London...

The Eurotravelers