Reminiscing Europe: Helpful Tips and Eats

It's been a year since we went to Europe and I must say memories still remained fresh like yesterday. I remember husband and I had our adventures and misadventures since it was both our first time to be on that part of the world. Nonetheless, there are new things that we've learned from this trip and I'd like to share them with you, especially for those couples who will be going there for their honeymoon.

If you will be staying in London for a couple of days... Consider having the London Pass.

Since our tour's starting point was in London (and London was not included in our itinerary), we decided to arrive 2 days before our scheduled tour so we could explore the city on our own. With the London Pass, you wouldn't need to pay in most tourist attractions - just make sure you have your card with you as they will be scanned by a machine upon your entrance in every tourist attraction that accepts London Pass. Just a reminder that you may only be allowed to go to some attractions once so even though you have a pass that is valid for 3 days, once you have rode (in our case) the ferry boat that crosses the river from Big Ben to London Eye, you will have to pay when you decide to ride the ferry again the second time (Coming back or going to other locations via ferry). You also get to skip queues as there are special lanes assigned for London Pass holders. Each purchase of London Pass includes a guidebook that you can use when exploring the streets in London. In addition, you may purchase transport tickets (a separate card will be issued for this) in advance to be able to enjoy unlimited transport within zones 1-6 in London. For more information and complete details, visit http://www.londonpass.com/

 

If you are in London and you love to watch musicals, make sure to check Apollo Victoria Theater to know the current musical that is being performed (in our case, it was Wicked). Just make sure to watch it when you have already adjusted to their time zone (day 2-3 maybe) because you might fall asleep during performance due to jet lag. In case of flight delays, do not schedule anything on the first day of your arrival to give enough space for unexpected delays.

If you plan to purchase branded luxury goods, you can do all of them in Paris. Not only is it cheaper there, but all stores are right next to each other/walking distance so it is easier to compare styles among brands in case you haven't decided which bag to get. Prices across Paris are the same so you don't need to compare among the stores of the same brand. You would actually notice that a lot of people are queuing in the stores in Paris compared to the other European countries. You can check shops at Galleries Lafayette, Avenue the Champs Elysee and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore.

When you are joining a tour and you have the budget, make sure you join their optional tours. This is the only way you would maximize your stay to a certain town/country especially when you are only staying for the night. Not only do you gain knowledge on the history where you are but, you'll also exposed to their culture as you get to see what the locals do and get to experience for a moment how they spend their typical evening. 

If you love Swarovski Crystals and you are in Austria particularly in Innsbruck, there they have one of their biggest Swarovski store. This is your chance to purchase one at a cheaper price! We didn't plan to purchase a big piece of figurine until my husband saw the sale section - not because items were broken but usually there is 1 piece left. we were glad to have bought this figurine because this sells more than double or triple the price here in Manila! Of course you need to carefully inspect the item to ensure that it is in good condition.

Read a little bit of history on the places that you will visit and do a little research on cities that you will travel on your own. This would make it easier for you to understand what you tour guide says about the history of such place and when exploring on your own, you would know how to get around that specific place.

Things to eat 

When you are in Belgium - Belgian fries, Belgian waffles and lager (beer)! Us not being beer drinkers, we just tried what the fuzz about this beer is all about. I can say that it is much sweeter than the usual beer we have tried locally in Manila. Also, don't forget to bring home some of their famous chocolate goodies like Godiva or Leonidas, it's cheaper there and it's really good! It costs around 1 euro for a regular bar of chocolate.

  

When you are in Italy - look for authentic Italian dishes - pasta/pizza/risotto/gelato as there is no other place in the world as authentic as Italy can be. You'll be amazed at the hundreds of flavors available and unique flavors that may seem weird at first. Try one so you'll have a goo story to tell.

 

When you are in Switzerland - Roesti would be perfect for those who loves potatoes and don't forget to try their Veal to match your roesti. For cheese lovers, try their swiss cheese fondue. If you are into candies, try their famous gummy candy Haribo (made in Germany), it's really good! And if you're looking for bread spreads that's unique, you might want to try Ovamaltine too!

When you are in Paris, France - if you are into macarons, try Laduree or Pierre Herme. No matter how expensive they are, I'm pretty sure it's much cheaper compared to the ones in Singapore or Hong Kong. Try it else you'll regret it. Even just a piece. 

Hope we are able to help! Below are other articles that we have on Europe:

Throwback Thursday: Europe Photos

Walking Around London

All About Belgium

Lucerne, Switzerland

Switzerland on the Second Day

Rome & Vatican: Where History Becomes Alive

Venice Sights and Scenes

Paris Shopping & Tax Refund System

Bologna Sandwich & Haribo Gummies

Paris: A Must Go Back City

Happy Europe Planning!

LaNnA
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Throwback Thursday: European Escapade (Photos)

Given the chance, I'd go back to 3 cities in Europe: London, Paris and Switzerland (Okay, make that four and add Venice) and maybe visit the countries I've never visited like Prague. Europe is such a nice place and spending one day on each place is definitely not enough. Even the Vatican which is the smallest city in Europe at 0.44 km2 can't be finished in a day.

Synonymous with Venice, one must at least try to ride a gondola when it is your first time in Venice. It is usually painted black because it is considered the colour of elegance by Venetians. Gondolas are made up of 280 parts.

Venice is connected by 25 miles of canals. The canals function as roads and every form of transportation in the City of Venice is on water or on foot. Venice is the only place in the 21st century without cars or trucks.

Assisi is a town and comune of Italy. It is the birthplace of St. Francis.

Intricate details inside St. Peter's Basilica in Rome

The colosseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre is an ampitheatre in the center of Rome. Built of concrete and stone, it is the largest ampitheathre of the Roman Empire. It can hold between 50,000~80,000 spectators. 

Toyota Prius taxi we rode in Paris. You can see the battery indicator in front.

Basilica of the Holy Cross in Florence, Italy. It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile and Rossini, thus it is known also as the Temple of the Italian Glories.

Saturday market in Beaune. This town is surrounded by some of the world's most famous wine villages, while the facilities and cellars of many producers, large and small, are situated in Beaune itself. With a rich historical and architectural heritage, Beaune is considered the "Capital of Burgundy wines".

The Musée du Louvre in Paris. This is one of the world's largest museums, and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, France, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (district).

The Versailles garden is situated to the west of the palace, the gardens cover some 800 hectacres of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French Garden style perfected here by Linnea.

Gustave Eiffel built the Eiffel Tower. He also designed San Sebastian Church in Manila.

Tower of London: Where the crown jewels are. The collective term Crown Jewels denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the United Kingdom during the coronation ceremony and at other state functions. The term refers to the following objects: the crowns, sceptres (with either the cross or the dove), orbs, swords, rings, spurs, colobium sindonis, dalmatic, armills, and the royal robe or pall, as well as several other objects connected with the ceremony itself.

The part where the Tower Bridge separates

Archaeologists believe that the Stonehenge was built anywhere from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. Radiocarbon dating in 2008 suggested that the first stones were raised between 2400 and 2200 BC, whilst another theory suggests that bluestones may have been raised at the site as early as 3000 BC.

The Grand Place or Grote Markt (Dutch) is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by guildhalls, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse. The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels. It measures 68 by 110 metres (223 by 360 ft), and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is one of the world's leading financial centres and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world depending on measurement. London has been described as a world cultural capital.

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, and often extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower. The tower is now officially called the Elizabeth Tower, after being renamed in 2012 (from "Clock Tower") to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower. The tower was completed in 1858 and had its 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009, during which celebratory events took place. The tower has become one of the most prominent symbols of both London and England and is often in the establishing shot of films set in the city.

Until next photo throw back Thursday! :)

Below are other articles that we have on Europe:

Throwback Thursday: Europe Photos

Walking Around London

All About Belgium

Lucerne, Switzerland

Switzerland on the Second Day

Rome & Vatican: Where History Becomes Alive

Venice Sights and Scenes

Paris Shopping & Tax Refund System

Bologna Sandwich & Haribo Gummies

Paris: A Must Go Back City In Europe

*Some of the information came from Wikipedia
Cheftonio
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Day 3- Belgian stuff: Chocolate, Lager and Fries!

We went around Brussels last night and while en route to the Central Market, we learned a thing or two from our tour guide. Here's some of them:
-There are 1,132 kinds of beers here in Belgium.
-They have a specialty here for the ladies called the Cherry beer. It's light and sweet.
-Fries were invented by the Belgians and as our tour guide said, the French has nothing to do with it.
-On the olden days, they use to fry fish. For the others who can't afford, they fry potatoes so that the neighbors wouldn't know they can't afford fish.
-National food is the Belgian waffle.

Actually, we got to try stuff Belgium is famous for. The Belgian fries was really good! A cone of that fries costed us 2.90 euros (165 pesos). We topped it off with mayonnaise. It would have been also good with ketchup but the tour guide said that they would know that we are not from there.

For the waffle, we got the strawberry-choolate waffle. It was sticky, soft and crunchy all at the same time. Hard to explain but it was good! You could smell them from a corner away! We got it for 5 euros (275 pesos).

Not a beer drinker, it was surprising that i loved their lager! I usually drink the light beers back at home (very very seldom) and this, I liked a lot!

It is day four now and we are on our way to Luxembourg. We will be traveling some 600km today, the longest coach ride in our entire tour.

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