I left you last time with the sweet image of me living it up on the French Rivera, cruel I know. We spent our first few days in sunny Nice where we also celebrated my 24th Birthday. We spent my birthday eve hitting the town which resulted in us spending a very relaxing birthday in bed, followed by a lovely French dinner. We tried to catch some rays, but unfortunately pebble beaches are as comfortable as they sound.
From Nice we headed north to one of France's biggest cities, Lyon. It was in Lyon that we tried our hand at Couch Surfing for the first time on the trip. Edwina had previously "surfed" last time she was in Europe, so we thought we would give it a shot. We stayed with a lovely young French couple with a super awesome cat who kept us company. Lyon was a lovely city with the highlight being the awesome park complete with free zoo! (including a bear - just for you Scrim)
From Lyon we continued our Tour de France and travelled to Bourne the capital of wine country! Those that know me realise my experience with wine is limited to a bladder and a clothes line. However, Edwina and I definitely got into the spirit and did a few tasting in and around the town. On our second day we hired bikes and rode out of town and visited a few surrounding villages and local wine makers. The scenery was amazing and the tastings made the ride home easier.
We continued our French culinary crusade from wine country to mustard country - Dijon. We again chose to couch surf and stayed with another lovely couple Toni and Lea, who was a chef! Toni was on holidays so he played the perfect tour guide. We even got to attend a wine/ food appreciation event at Lea's restaurant - oh so French. We hung out with their friends and were able to experience a local's view of the city. I know it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but our experiences with couch surfing so far have definitely inspired me to do more!
After farewelling our new friends it was time to hit up the big smoke, the city of love and lights - Paris! This was my first time visiting (Edwina's second), but unfortunately we got off to a bit of a rough start. On arriving at the accommodation we'd booked, and confirmed, we were told there wasn't any beds left! Gah! Of course finding alternative accommodation in Paris at 9pm on a Saturday night is very easy... not. We did manage to strike it lucky and Edwina convinced a hotel to give us their "Penthouse suite" for less than half price. Score!
After the rough start, Paris really had to earn our love back. The following days we got our super tourist on and smashed through all the sites including the Eiffel Tower, Louve, Notre Dame, Catecombes, Pompidou Centre, Champs Elysees (it is a busy street - thank you Art Vs Science) and Galleries Lafayette. With the long summer days we also had plenty of time to just wonder the streets and enjoy the Parisian way of life. Many of the nicest moments were spent enjoying a drink or French meal and watching the people walk by. These moments were definitely more enjoyable than the hours spent lining up for almost all the attractions, the price we pay for a European summer holiday.
Our next destination was Amsterdam and a rendezvous with some friends from home Sammy "Messy Vessy" and Rachel "Little G". It was really good to have some familiar faces around and to swap travel tales. Amsterdam is definitely all that you've imagined and probably a little bit more. My poor innocent eyes were constantly set to "WOW". Good times were had - AmsterDamage. Enough said. PG highlights included the Heineken brewery tour, Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank house.
So unfortunately that brings to end the first stage of our EuroTrip adventure. Before you ask about the name, we have not been able to catch any of the Tour de France live. I can't express the hurt this causes me but you simply can't do it all! At least this way it gives us another good reason to come back one day. Stay tuned for our next adventure in the wild East of Europe!
After farewelling our new friends it was time to hit up the big smoke, the city of love and lights - Paris! This was my first time visiting (Edwina's second), but unfortunately we got off to a bit of a rough start. On arriving at the accommodation we'd booked, and confirmed, we were told there wasn't any beds left! Gah! Of course finding alternative accommodation in Paris at 9pm on a Saturday night is very easy... not. We did manage to strike it lucky and Edwina convinced a hotel to give us their "Penthouse suite" for less than half price. Score!
After the rough start, Paris really had to earn our love back. The following days we got our super tourist on and smashed through all the sites including the Eiffel Tower, Louve, Notre Dame, Catecombes, Pompidou Centre, Champs Elysees (it is a busy street - thank you Art Vs Science) and Galleries Lafayette. With the long summer days we also had plenty of time to just wonder the streets and enjoy the Parisian way of life. Many of the nicest moments were spent enjoying a drink or French meal and watching the people walk by. These moments were definitely more enjoyable than the hours spent lining up for almost all the attractions, the price we pay for a European summer holiday.
Our next destination was Amsterdam and a rendezvous with some friends from home Sammy "Messy Vessy" and Rachel "Little G". It was really good to have some familiar faces around and to swap travel tales. Amsterdam is definitely all that you've imagined and probably a little bit more. My poor innocent eyes were constantly set to "WOW". Good times were had - AmsterDamage. Enough said. PG highlights included the Heineken brewery tour, Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank house.
So unfortunately that brings to end the first stage of our EuroTrip adventure. Before you ask about the name, we have not been able to catch any of the Tour de France live. I can't express the hurt this causes me but you simply can't do it all! At least this way it gives us another good reason to come back one day. Stay tuned for our next adventure in the wild East of Europe!
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