11 APRIL 2014
From the start, this impromptu trip was shined upon by the heavens. Our original plan had been to take a 10 am train from Stuttgart, which would put us in Baden-Baden at around 11:20, then we would still have a 15-minute cab ride from the train station to the airport (Baden-Baden is a smaller airport than even Stuttgart...hence why RyanAir flies from there). Since our flight would depart at 12:40 pmm in this scenario, everything would be cut quite close. That would have made for a very high-strung Meg.
But, thankfully, fate intervened. The kids did not go to school that day (Tim was ill, and Caro took what we call a "mental health day" in the Gallimore household). This meant we could take a 9 am train out of Stuttgart, making for a much more relaxed timeline.
And it all went off without a hitch. George had the short end of the stick in that he had custody of our shared, giant suitcase, while I only had my backpack. What a gentleman.
We arrived at the airport just before 11 am, checked our bag, cleared security (George set off the alarm on account of his belt...), then had about an hour to kill before our flight started boarding. The Baden-Baden airport has a decent cafe and outdoor seating area, so we drank coffee and sat in the sun while we waited. There are much worse ways to spend a Friday morning.
George and I had another lucky happening; for no apparent reason, RyanAir had given us "Priority Boarding," so we were some of the first people on the plane. AND our seats were toward the front, which made getting on and off the plane a breeze.
I also just want to say, for the record, that my RyanAir experience was much more pleasant than I expected. You hear a lot of horror stories about flying with them, but, based off of this trip, that reputation may not be deserved. It's certainly not a luxury experience by any means, but when you look at their prices, how much can you really expect? The service was friendly, and we made it from Point A to Point B on time. That's all anyone really needs.
The one thing I will make note of is that if you are not a resident of the EU, regardless of if you are checking a bag or not, make sure you queue up at the desk and get your passport checked and boarding pass stamped. For whatever reason, RyanAir likes to check non-EU passports twice (like Santa...hehehe). They'll do it as you are boarding the plane as well, but you will be denied access if you don't also have a stamp from the check-in people too. Yet another reason I was happy we arrived early.
We landed in Thessaloniki at about 4:15 pm, picked up our bag, then went to the Sixt desk to pick up our car. That was an annoyingly long process, with us signing our lives away to the car and GPS (mostly the GPS). Also, George thought that the guy couldn't figure out how to say "Meghann" or "Gallimore" as he referred to me as "the lady" throughout the entire process. Apparently "George" is a bit more straight-forward.
We finally hit the road at about 6:15 in a light blue Chevy Spark that had clearly seen some better days. There was a dent or scratch on nearly every part of the body. Which of course, could only work in our favor; we didn't have to put on kid gloves to handle the car, or be QUITE as cautious about what roads we took.
It was just under a two-hour drive to Litochoro (according to the GPS...I think we made it in an hour fifteen...). And even a drive that brief (in Meghann & George terms...) was enough to show us the insanity that is driving in Greece. People cut each other off, speed, drift across lanes, ride in between lanes...it's absolute madness. We also were confused as to why the GPS kept beeping randomly. At first we thought it was a warning when another car was too close, as it was happening constantly. However, we later realized that it went off whenever we exceeded the rather arbitrary speed limits.
Once we arrived in Litochoro, we began the fun task of negotiating through the labyrinth of one-way and very narrow streets of the town to find our hotel. The GPS was already proving itsel fto be worthless and we ended up asking a very nice local woman for directions.
Despite the difficulties in finding the hotel, the Villa Pantheon ended up being worth the extra effort, and was one of our favorite hotels when we compared them all. We were upgraded from a double room to a master suite, complete with a fireplace, living room, and kitchenette. Not to mention, a MASSIVE balcony that had spectacular views of Mount Olympus and the sea. Greece was already off to an incredible start.
By this point, we were both starving (or, in George's words "a bit peckish"), so we walked five minutes into the town centre to find some food. There were a surprising amount of options for such a small place, but we had our minds made up for us when a lady from one of them came out and essentially shoved us inside. There we tried our first Greek beer, Mythos. It was nice; not quite German but still very drinkable (It reminded me of Corona, but George disagrees). We split a Greek salad, George had a meatball thing, and I had veal. Both were delicious. The chef, who had taken a liking to George on account of him being British (even changing the channel of the tv in the restaurant to the BBC news...) gave us a free feta cheese croissant thing, which was actually outstanding. My mouth is watering at the thought.
Our cue to leave came when the place was invaded by, I kid you not, about thirty members of a single family. All the tables started getting pushed together, and it was very loud, and we stood out as the non-Greeks. So, we waddled back to the hotel and went to bed. Already, it was an excellent adventure.
****I promise this will be the ONLY Greece post without photos. I didn't really think about my camera on this first day, but I went shutter crazy the rest of the time we were there. It won't always be just text.
Showing posts with label Trains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trains. Show all posts
Monday, May 12, 2014
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Midnight in Paris
I don't know how it happened that me, a girl who frequently had to be bodily removed from the house on a Saturday night (as all my Plum house roommates can attest to), managed to schedule two jam-packed weekends of traveling in a row, but I did. And am so happy I did. It woul have been such a sin to miss either Oktoberfest or Nuit Blanche. A year may sound like a long time initially, but with one month gone already, I know it will go much too fast!
Anyway, this time, I was not lucky enough to find a ride share for the way to Paris. I had to suck it up and pay the exorbitant cost for the train. However, that worked out for the best because Laura, another au pair working near Stuttgart, and I ended up chatting the entire time and I'm pretty sure we would have annoyed other people in a car with our incessant talk of boys (apparently, there is absolutely no difference in bonding with a fifteen or twenty-four-year-old girl...).
It was also good for me that I ended up traveling with her, as I STILL don't know my way around the Stuttgart train station. Laura has been in Stuttgart since last November, so she has a pretty good grasp of German and also how public transportation works in Europe. Our tickets for the train actually weren't next to each other (not even in the same car, or wagon as the Germans say), but I just illegally sat next to her and never was kicked out. I know, I'm a daredevil (there are some benefits to being an American...my out was just going to be that I read the ticket wrong if it came to that).
We arrived in Paris without incident, though we did have some issues finding the hostel as our cabbie had no idea where the place we were staying was, and just dropped us off in the middle of the street that it was on. So, from about 10:30-11pm, we wandered about the streets of Paris trying to find someone who spoke enough English (and was sober enough) to direct us toward while we were staying. It was actually kind of terrifying; Paris is a different city at night, and not necessarily in a good way. There was an unsettling contrast between the people enjoying a nice meal outside while 50 yards away there were a group of drunk men lying in puddles of their own urine and vomit. Welcome to Paris, the most refined of all cities and fashion capital of the world.
Anyway, we did eventually find the hostel and once there, had another unexpected surprise. Since we had booked so late, we had to get a private room (which actually was fine because then there's no worry about theft or who else is going to be in the room with you). We THOUGHT it would have two twin beds, but we walked in and just started laughing because it was actually just one queen. If the train ride didn't already make us pals, then two nights in the same bed would do it. Also worth noting: the shower was SOOOO tiny. Swear on my life, it was roughly coffin-sized. But, and least you wouldn't have to wear flip-flops in it, or wait in line behind five hundred other girls trying to make themselves beautiful in the morning.
Once settled in, we decided to just go to bed straight away and then get an early start in the morning. So, we were out the door at 8 am after taking advantage of the free breakfast in the hostel (the food was edible...the coffee was disgusting). And then, by 11 AM we had already seen half of the tourist attractions that you are supposed to see the first time you go to Paris. All thanks to Laura...she was the one figuring out the metro and reading the maps and taking charge. I was just along for the ride and waiting to have some real coffee.
Laura and I in front of Notre Dame
Saint Chappelle
Inside Notre Dame. There was mass going on and it felt kind of weird to take photos during it.
After seeing Notre Dame, Saint Chappelle, and the Louvre (just the outside), we did the only thing I really felt that I had to do in Paris, which was stopping by one of the five hundred million cafes that are every ten feet on the streets (you'd think we would have found one sooner, but when you have that many options to choose from it becomes difficult to just pick one). We ordered "Madame croque's," which are basically a kind of grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and a fried egg on top, and then I had my long-awaited double-shot of espresso and Laura had tea. I don't know how I keep hanging out with non-coffee drinkers; guess I should have appreciated having constant coffee buddies in Julia and Mike more. But it was so delicious, and I truly can call myself a coffee connoisseur now.
It was worth the wait.
Following our leisurely lunch, we set off to see a few more sights. Along the way, we went into this AMAZING french tea shop (called Kusmi, I believe) where I was suckered into buying a box of expensive, but absurdly delicious grapefruit-something-green tea (hey now...tea and coffee are more acceptable addictions than drugs and alcohol, at least, though not much cheaper with how particular I have become). We also made our way to the Eiffel tower. It cool to see (I know, such a boring way to describe it, "cool"), and the park around it was lovely, if quite crowded and featuring too many couples groping each other in a public space.
By this point in the afternoon, we were pretty wiped, so we decided to stop by the hostel and drop off our tea before heading out for round two in the evening. En route, we stopped and bought some macaroons. They were okay (nothing compared to German chocolate), I wished I had just gotten another coffee (so I did).
Almost as soon as we were back in our room, I received a text from Reillie, saying that her and her friend Matthieu were in the city as well, so we then headed back out and met up with them. And the Nuit Blanche part of the night was underway.
Nuit Blanche is essentially and all-night art exhibition held across the city. Museums are free all night, in addition to the street performers, galleries, and exhibits that are set up at various spots around Paris. It's quite a unique event, and Paris (which never seems to sleep) is the perfect host.
A book describing the exhibits that is of no use to me since I don't know French.
The first exhibit we went to was "fog art." Calling it art is a generous term, because all it seemed to be was fake fog all around a square in the downtown area. It was kind of a cool novelty at first, but we kept losing each other and it was uncomfortable to inhale so we did last there too long. So then we found the cheapest cafe we could (which was reflected in the quality of the food; though at least you can't really ruin an omelette), and then started walking around looking at other exhibits.
Laura and I in the fog "art"
Unfortunately, by this time, it was becoming quite apparent that Laura and I had not really ideally planned our day, at least for this particular weekend in Paris. While we saw SO much of the city during the day, our energy was waning and feet were killing us from spending 15+ hours walking all around the city. Reillie and Matthieu, on the other hand, were fresh and ready to go. So we ended up parting ways at around 11pm, and Laura and I headed back to the hostel. I fell asleep almost immediately.
A very freaky ghost exhibit. There was music accompanying it. It was unsettling.
I don't know what this exhibit was going for but I liked it.
The Louvre. At night. Kind of spectacular.
The next morning, we moved a bit slower (also decided that showering wasn't worth it), but were still out and about by around 9:30 am (if at a much slower pace). The only really big touristy attraction that we saw was the Arc de Triomphe (Laura is an architecture major so I think it was more fascinating to her than me, though still quite impressive). We then searched for a crepe place; a harder job than you would expect since it was Sunday and a lot of places were closed (although a lot more places are open in Paris on Sundays than in Germany). But we were eventually successful, found a place near Versailles where the coffee was even nicer than the day before. I had crepes; she had quiche, we basically were French for the hour we were there.
The Arc de Triomphe
Some delicious French food. Note all the bread everywhere. Can't escape it.
And then it was time to head back to Stuttgart. We were able to get a ride share on the way back with some dude named Fabian (he wasn't nearly as fun as Lourdes and Chris). We saved a lot of money, but it took us six hours compared to the four on the train. Still was worth it though, especially considering that I was hemorrhaging money the entire weekend.
So, that was Paris! I'm glad that I was able to go and see it, but it wouldn't break my heart if I was never able to go back again. It's beautiful, and there's a lot to see and do, but historical buildings are not as impressive to me as mountains. The Notre Dame and Saint Chappelle are gorgeous, but it wasn't the heart-stopping, jaw-dropping, take-your-breath-away awe and beauty that traveling around New Zealand left me with. Also, Paris really does smell. Especially at night. However, one myth I would dispel is that the people are unfriendly, and don't speak much English. In our experience, you were fine with just English, and while people won't usually go out of their way to be extremely helpful (we did have one waiter who took a fancy to us and was a bit TOO friendly), they weren't rude by any means either.
So, until next time, au revoir! I think I did a better job taking photos this time and will try to keep it that way.
Anyway, this time, I was not lucky enough to find a ride share for the way to Paris. I had to suck it up and pay the exorbitant cost for the train. However, that worked out for the best because Laura, another au pair working near Stuttgart, and I ended up chatting the entire time and I'm pretty sure we would have annoyed other people in a car with our incessant talk of boys (apparently, there is absolutely no difference in bonding with a fifteen or twenty-four-year-old girl...).
It was also good for me that I ended up traveling with her, as I STILL don't know my way around the Stuttgart train station. Laura has been in Stuttgart since last November, so she has a pretty good grasp of German and also how public transportation works in Europe. Our tickets for the train actually weren't next to each other (not even in the same car, or wagon as the Germans say), but I just illegally sat next to her and never was kicked out. I know, I'm a daredevil (there are some benefits to being an American...my out was just going to be that I read the ticket wrong if it came to that).
We arrived in Paris without incident, though we did have some issues finding the hostel as our cabbie had no idea where the place we were staying was, and just dropped us off in the middle of the street that it was on. So, from about 10:30-11pm, we wandered about the streets of Paris trying to find someone who spoke enough English (and was sober enough) to direct us toward while we were staying. It was actually kind of terrifying; Paris is a different city at night, and not necessarily in a good way. There was an unsettling contrast between the people enjoying a nice meal outside while 50 yards away there were a group of drunk men lying in puddles of their own urine and vomit. Welcome to Paris, the most refined of all cities and fashion capital of the world.
Anyway, we did eventually find the hostel and once there, had another unexpected surprise. Since we had booked so late, we had to get a private room (which actually was fine because then there's no worry about theft or who else is going to be in the room with you). We THOUGHT it would have two twin beds, but we walked in and just started laughing because it was actually just one queen. If the train ride didn't already make us pals, then two nights in the same bed would do it. Also worth noting: the shower was SOOOO tiny. Swear on my life, it was roughly coffin-sized. But, and least you wouldn't have to wear flip-flops in it, or wait in line behind five hundred other girls trying to make themselves beautiful in the morning.
Once settled in, we decided to just go to bed straight away and then get an early start in the morning. So, we were out the door at 8 am after taking advantage of the free breakfast in the hostel (the food was edible...the coffee was disgusting). And then, by 11 AM we had already seen half of the tourist attractions that you are supposed to see the first time you go to Paris. All thanks to Laura...she was the one figuring out the metro and reading the maps and taking charge. I was just along for the ride and waiting to have some real coffee.
After seeing Notre Dame, Saint Chappelle, and the Louvre (just the outside), we did the only thing I really felt that I had to do in Paris, which was stopping by one of the five hundred million cafes that are every ten feet on the streets (you'd think we would have found one sooner, but when you have that many options to choose from it becomes difficult to just pick one). We ordered "Madame croque's," which are basically a kind of grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and a fried egg on top, and then I had my long-awaited double-shot of espresso and Laura had tea. I don't know how I keep hanging out with non-coffee drinkers; guess I should have appreciated having constant coffee buddies in Julia and Mike more. But it was so delicious, and I truly can call myself a coffee connoisseur now.
Following our leisurely lunch, we set off to see a few more sights. Along the way, we went into this AMAZING french tea shop (called Kusmi, I believe) where I was suckered into buying a box of expensive, but absurdly delicious grapefruit-something-green tea (hey now...tea and coffee are more acceptable addictions than drugs and alcohol, at least, though not much cheaper with how particular I have become). We also made our way to the Eiffel tower. It cool to see (I know, such a boring way to describe it, "cool"), and the park around it was lovely, if quite crowded and featuring too many couples groping each other in a public space.
By this point in the afternoon, we were pretty wiped, so we decided to stop by the hostel and drop off our tea before heading out for round two in the evening. En route, we stopped and bought some macaroons. They were okay (nothing compared to German chocolate), I wished I had just gotten another coffee (so I did).
Almost as soon as we were back in our room, I received a text from Reillie, saying that her and her friend Matthieu were in the city as well, so we then headed back out and met up with them. And the Nuit Blanche part of the night was underway.
Nuit Blanche is essentially and all-night art exhibition held across the city. Museums are free all night, in addition to the street performers, galleries, and exhibits that are set up at various spots around Paris. It's quite a unique event, and Paris (which never seems to sleep) is the perfect host.
The first exhibit we went to was "fog art." Calling it art is a generous term, because all it seemed to be was fake fog all around a square in the downtown area. It was kind of a cool novelty at first, but we kept losing each other and it was uncomfortable to inhale so we did last there too long. So then we found the cheapest cafe we could (which was reflected in the quality of the food; though at least you can't really ruin an omelette), and then started walking around looking at other exhibits.
Unfortunately, by this time, it was becoming quite apparent that Laura and I had not really ideally planned our day, at least for this particular weekend in Paris. While we saw SO much of the city during the day, our energy was waning and feet were killing us from spending 15+ hours walking all around the city. Reillie and Matthieu, on the other hand, were fresh and ready to go. So we ended up parting ways at around 11pm, and Laura and I headed back to the hostel. I fell asleep almost immediately.
The next morning, we moved a bit slower (also decided that showering wasn't worth it), but were still out and about by around 9:30 am (if at a much slower pace). The only really big touristy attraction that we saw was the Arc de Triomphe (Laura is an architecture major so I think it was more fascinating to her than me, though still quite impressive). We then searched for a crepe place; a harder job than you would expect since it was Sunday and a lot of places were closed (although a lot more places are open in Paris on Sundays than in Germany). But we were eventually successful, found a place near Versailles where the coffee was even nicer than the day before. I had crepes; she had quiche, we basically were French for the hour we were there.
And then it was time to head back to Stuttgart. We were able to get a ride share on the way back with some dude named Fabian (he wasn't nearly as fun as Lourdes and Chris). We saved a lot of money, but it took us six hours compared to the four on the train. Still was worth it though, especially considering that I was hemorrhaging money the entire weekend.
So, that was Paris! I'm glad that I was able to go and see it, but it wouldn't break my heart if I was never able to go back again. It's beautiful, and there's a lot to see and do, but historical buildings are not as impressive to me as mountains. The Notre Dame and Saint Chappelle are gorgeous, but it wasn't the heart-stopping, jaw-dropping, take-your-breath-away awe and beauty that traveling around New Zealand left me with. Also, Paris really does smell. Especially at night. However, one myth I would dispel is that the people are unfriendly, and don't speak much English. In our experience, you were fine with just English, and while people won't usually go out of their way to be extremely helpful (we did have one waiter who took a fancy to us and was a bit TOO friendly), they weren't rude by any means either.
So, until next time, au revoir! I think I did a better job taking photos this time and will try to keep it that way.
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