Two days of Italian History - Pompeii & Mount Vesuvius

A trip to Italy would not be complete without visiting the famous sites of Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, situated close to Naples. I originally intended to see both in a day but slightly underestimated the ease of traveling around via Italian public transport.

Pompeii was first on the agenda for us. Many tourists coming from Rome are likely to find the sights of Pompeii familiar if they have recently visited the Rome Forum, the Colosseum or Palantine Hill in the Italian capital, as it's a similar hodge podge of ruins, old buildings, statues, housing structures and temples. Pompeii is perhaps most famous as the ancient city destroyed by a volcanic eruption of the neighbouring Mount Vesuvius, so it was a chance to get up close and personal with some history.

The Pompeii ruins

The remains of an old temple in Pompeii

An ancient stadium in Pompeii

After taking in the sights of Pompeii, it was time to complete our historical fill by visiting the infamous Mount Vesuvius. It took approximately 2-3 hours each way to reach Vesuvius from Rome, but well worth it for the gorgeous views, the smoky scenes at the crater top, an always-welcome scenic bus ride, and some much needed exercise.

The steep walk uphill the crater

The view of Naples from the crater

Some smoky scenes getting closer to the crater!

The city of Naples seen through smoke (quite hazy on the crater)

In contrast, it's quite clear looking towards the sky...

A view inside one of the craters of Vesuvius

A smoky descent downhill...

For many people (including myself), this was the first time they had encountered a dormant volcano. My friend was slightly surprised not to see anything resembling lava or ash, but when you factor in the fact that Vesuvius has been dormant for quite some time, it's not that surprising. It really just looks like a rocky mountain from afar, but I'm sure the legions of tourists flocking to it each year won't complain if it stays that way!

Some tips for your trip to Pompeii & Vesuvius:

- Go early, plan in advance: Pompeii and Vesuvius can be done in one day, but only if you know your schedule. Depending on if you want to do them as a day trip from Rome or prefer a more relaxed itinerary, you may wish to spend a night or two in Naples instead. I followed this schedule from a post I found on TripAdvisor.

- Decide which site you will visit first: We visited Pompeii first and then Vesuvius the next day. I would actually recommend doing them the other way around as Vesuvius is a bus ride away from a train station further down the line than the one close to Pompeii. In essence, if you're intent on staying in Rome, you'd be visiting Vesuvius during the morning, have a quick lunch, do Pompeii in the afternoon and then be back to Rome at night. 

- Choose the Pompeii/Vesuvius experience you want (or that you're willing to pay for): Your trip to Pompeii can be enhanced by purchasing an audio guide at the ticket desk, or by getting a tour from an authorised tour guide. Be sure to choose only a badged official that states which company they are from and be wary of scammers. When it comes to Vesuvius, you need to decide whether you want a brief 1.5 hour venture on the crater (the bus companies shuttle people on and off the crater as fast as possible for obvious reasons) or the full day hiking experience climbing all over the crater top. Again, that is a personal decision, so consider your finances, schedule and physical fitness to choose what's right for you. You might also want to look at Rick Steves' popular audio walking tours for detailed mp3 podcasts covering many European destinations. Best of all, they're completely free!

For the history buffs, there are also the nearby Herculaneum Ruins that can be seen. I didn't have enough time to see it on my trip, but some say they're even better than Pompeii.

Pompeii: Slightly disappointing given how famous it is. Perhaps a guided tour would have made things better. 3/5
Vesuvius: Stunning views and a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a real-life volcano make this a must-see. 4/5

What was your experience like in Pompeii/Vesuvius? 

Restaurant review: Zwickl, Munich, Germany (*****)

One of the many benefits of travel is trying (and hopefully enjoying) new kinds of cuisine that your palette may not have encountered before. Zwickl's signature meatballs, found near the busy Viktualienmarkets (fresh food markets running daily just south of the city square), were one such culinary experience I was glad to enjoy while in Munich.

Meatballs aren't a common occurrence at home for me in Australia, with only the now bustling Meatball and Wine Bar flying the meatball flag for its hungry guests in Melbourne. Having tried and tested its tasty but slightly expensive produce, I was eager to see if the German touch resulted in a superior taste.

Only opened in July of this year, Zwickl is still not widely known. It was quite bereft of visitors while we were there, so we were fast to get seated and served. I opted for the Bavarian white sausage (Weiswurst) meatballs with curry honey mustard and hearty vegetable soup, while my friend chose the meatball of baked chicken with potato cucumber salad.


Bavarian white sausage meatballs with curry honey mustard and vegetable soup (left)


Meatball of baked chicken and potato cucumber salad


Once more with yumminess: close-up of those bavarian white sausage meatballs!


That delicious (but slightly strong) honey curry mustard

My meatballs were crunchy, succulent and mouth-watering to the taste. Who knew that three small balls of protein could pack so much flavour? The honey curry mustard added an extra zing to the dish, but large amounts made the mouth quite dry. Luckily, a small bowl of hearty vegetable soup was provided, which nicely counterbalanced the bitterness of the mustard.

My friend's baked chicken meatballs weren't quite as good as my white sausage ones, but were nicely formed and delicious. The supporting potato cucumber salad was aces though.

Andy's traveler rating - Zwickl

Address: Zwickl – Gastlichkeit am Viktualienmarkt, Dreifaltigkeitsplatz 2, Munich

Price 5/5:  Very good for the budget, our meals were no more than 8-12 euros.

Service 5/5: Fast and responsive waitress quickly took our order, while the food arrived very speedily.

Decor 5/5: Bright windows and indoor and outdoor seating options provide an ideal location for people-watching while you dine.  

Food 4.5/5: Tasty and wholesome, Zwickl's food is fresh and different from the other offerings in the city.

Rating: 4.75/5 - Zwickl is a must do if you are in the city and needing a tasty feed.

Note: The rating for Zwickl has been rounded up for simplicity's sake.

Restaurant review: Trastevere La Scala, Trastevere, Italy (****1/2)

As I’ve said many times before, when in doubt about where to eat, go where the locals go. A quick bout of research online confirmed the Trastevere region in Rome as the place to go for authentic, tasty and cheap Italian food. A particular restaurant, Ristorante La Scala, was singled out as a favourite of many so dinner had been decided!

A twenty to thirty minute walk from the nearest metro station, Trastevere lies past a bridge atop a beautiful river that is positively magical by night. Watching the billows of water pass under the bridge was the stuff postcards are made of.

Reaching our destination with some help from Google Maps, we settled into the attractive seating of the restaurant, with a great view of the adjacent piazza square with traffic, cyclists and people in constant motion.

By this point, we’d become sick of eating pizza and pasta all the time, so we both elected to deviate from the norm.

I ordered a orange, fennel and shrimp risotto and my mouth began to water from the very first bite. The rice was moist and toasty, delicate with the grains nicely separated and full and flavour. The shrimp added a nice touch to the dish, with the meat inside the head succulent and juicy. After tossing up between this dish and a pasta dish, any regrets I had simply melted away.


Shrimp, fennel and orange risotto

My friend chose a traditional lasagne served in a terracotta tin, some fresh salad and Coke. I was intrigued to know that lasagna comes in two main varieties, ‘soft’ and ‘hard’, with the terracotta-set lasagna being a guarantee of a soft variety. I tried it and indeed, it was the soft variety my friend had tried and failed to find yesterday at another restaurant in the city. While I don’t think it quite matched my amazing risotto, the lasagna was indeed delicious. The portion was a little on the small side so I’m glad he ordered the salad as an accompaniment.


Lasagna served in terracotta tin

The food was so good I was sufficiently tempted to opt for the dessert. After observing what everyone else was ordering, I ventured out of my comfort zone and ordered something I’d never heard of before – mille fleuile with chantilly cream and wild berries. My friend ordered berries with chantilly cream and another type of cream. It turns out the mille fleuille is a type of wafer, which proved to be quite nice when coupled with the cream and wild berries. It wasn’t as awe-inducing as the risotto but it was a nice finish to the night. My friend’s tried and tested berries and cream combination was another winner, leaving us very satisfied and very full!


Mille-feuille with berries and cream


Berries with Chantilly cream

Andy’s traveler rating – Ristorante La Scala

Address: Piazza Della Scala, 58, 00153 Rome, Italy (Trastevere)
Directions: We walked from the nearest metro stop in Rome, which is quite a walk away. Here is the location on Google Maps.

Price 5/5: Very affordable, mains can be bought for 8 – 15 euros.
Service 4/5: Meals took a little long to come out, but the ambience and people-watching made up for this.
Decor 4.5/5: Nice location on a quiet piazza highlighted the moody lighting and cosy atmosphere of the heated venue.
Food 4.5/5:  Food was tasty, flavourful and authentic to the palette. A definite treat.
Rating: 4.25/5 – If you’re looking for impressive Italian food that doesn’t break the bank, you could do worse than try this little Trastevere gem. It was so good we wanted to go back but we unfortunately ran out of time!

Airline review: Lufthansa Airlines (*****)

In my third airline review, I put the spotlight on Lufthansa Airlines, the full-service, national carrier for Germany. I used to travel return from Munich to Rome. Continuing my favourable experience with European full-service carriers, Lufthansa proved to be another stellar example of excellent customer service and generous value adds to maintain a competitive edge.

Date flown: October 4 (Munich to Rome, 8am departure for 9:30am arrival), October 9 (Rome to Munich, 3:20pm departure for 4:50pm arrival)

Airport: Munich Flughafen Airport (October 4), Rome Fiumucino Airport (October 9)

Class: Economy

The good

• Instant mobile alerts for change of gate: As often happens with airlines, there was a last minute change to our gate number. Thankfully, we were notified by text of this which enabled us to be on our way.

• Friendly, bilingual flight attendants: Lufthansa staff were attentive, friendly and excellent in both German and English. This made dealing with them a breeze.

• Delicious in-flight food and generous drink options: Our flight was only one hour and thirty minutes long so I wasn’t expecting anything, so imagine my surprise when I was offered a generous snack (natural yoghurt and muesli for a morning flight; Johannesbierre cake for an afternoon flight and numerous drinks (a choice from water, apple and orange juice, water, soft drinks, beer, wine, etc). After selecting one drink, you’re even asked if you want any other drinks and provided them with a smile! This beats the no-frills service provided by budget airlines such as Norwegian Air.

Johannesbiere cake - delicious!


The generous drinks provided on the Lufthansa flight - water, juice and beer!

• On-time and pleasant flight: The flight had no noticeable bumps or disturbances and departed on time

The not so good

• Shuttle bus service required from terminal to plane: I wasn’t sure if this was a Lufthansa or Rome airport issue, but it was slightly annoying having to stand on a rather slow and packed shuttle bus to reach our plane. How hard is it to connect planes to the terminal?

Other than that, I really have no complaints about Lufthansa, the service and experience was excellent. Something to note is that Lufthansa does however, use the traditional in-person safety demonstration as opposed to the digital one adopted by many airlines these days – not a criticism, just an observation.


#wingshot

How to improve:

• Provide a direct connection from the terminal to the plane: Passengers would rather not take a shuttle bus if they can help it, airports are large enough. Hopefully shuttle buses will be a thing of the past soon.

Andy’s traveler rating:

Service: 4/5
Food and drink: 5/5
Comfort: 5/5
Safety: 5/5

Overall: 19/20 – An excellent in-flight food and drink offering and stellar customer service sets Lufthansa apart from other full-service and budget airlines. A direct connecting link to the plane would be my only suggestion.

Have you ever flown Lufthansa Airlines, and if so, what was your experience? What is your favourite European airline, and why do you like them?

Beer, beer, beer at Oktoberfest!

After yesterday’s enthralling yet exhausting trip to Europa Park, any hopes I had of a relaxing day were dashed as Oktoberfest was on the menu. The world-famous Bavarian tradition was in town, and was not to be missed.

Set in Theresienwiese in the center of Munich, Oktoberfest is a homage to the Bavarian tradition of beer and celebration, with hearty German meals on offer that are traditionally washed down with Oktoberfest beer supplied in always-packed beer tents. Both men and women dress up in traditional Bavarian dress, with the men donning lederhosen and the women sporting dirndi.


Not exactly lederhosen (Bavarian traditional attire for men) but an example of the garb seen adorning the fellas at Oktoberfest


Traditional Bavarian hat (Tirolerhüte) with tufts of chamois hair (gamsbart)

But Oktoberfest isn’t just about alcohol – it’s also host to a large variety of rides, games and Bavarian food (nuts, sausages, sweets, drinks and lollies) that make it otherwise a family-friendly event. It was a unique experience simply wandering the packed grounds (I went on October 2nd, which was a public holiday in Munich) and seeing everything in action. The ride I went on had five upside down loops, yet another scary and exciting memory for the archives!




Sweeeeeeets

We all scream for ice cream!


Traditional German gingerbread is on offer at Oktoberfest - it's a couple gift for a guy to buy and give to his special lady. Apparently it's not meant to be eaten but hung up in the house.


No day is complete without a sky high drop!

After seeing the sights on the ground, it was time to move into one of the tents to try out the local brew. That’s where part of the challenge lies in Oktoberfest – tents are in high demand, with a limited number of seats available for the food and drink on offer. Companies (who frequently use Oktoberfest as a team building/celebration activity) and large groups have been known to reserve tables at Oktoberfest more than 6 months in advance to secure a spot. Luckily, with our group of two, we found a seat in one of the tents within 15 minutes.

Joining two groups of locals at our table, we promptly ordered a 1L each of the beer. I looked on in avid interest at the groups of German folk indulging in German food and drink as German music and drinking songs pulsated around us. I even spotted a man dance for five minutes on top of a table!

Being not much of a drinker, it took me a good while to finish off the 1L beer. Beer still isn’t really my thing but it was worth it for the Oktoberfest experience, even though I didn’t understand much of what was said or the music playing from the stage.


The infamous Oktoberfest 1L beer

Attraction details - Oktoberfest

Directions: Oktoberfest be easily reached by U-Bahn, S-Bahn and bus as it takes place within the centre of Munich. For detailed transport information, consult the Deutsche Bahn website.

Admission: Admission is free, so you only pay for the rides, food and beer you consume. Note that the infamous Oktoberfest beer is only available in 1L quantities and is charged at 10 euros each. A bit steep for a beer, but you’re paying for the brand and the atmosphere as well as the beer.

Rating: 4/5 – a great experience for any first-time traveler to Munich. I only downgraded it slightly as I don’t really buy into the heavy drinking culture promoted by Oktoberfest.

Traveler tips:

• Oktoberfest beer is stronger than normal beer, so keep this in mind to pace yourself as you drink. Plenty of inebriated people can be spotted leaving Oktoberfest, having misjudged their capacity for grog.


• Eat your food and take the rides you want to before you consume any beer to avoid unexpected surprises later


• If you want to get a table without a reservation, be prepared to wait. The smaller your group, the greater your chance of getting a table. In any case, arrive early to secure a spot.


• If you aren’t a fan the full strength beer, you can order a radler which is beer mixed with lemonade and is slightly cheaper too.

Have you been to Oktoberfest? What was your experience like?

Europe sized fun at Europa Park

For my first day in Munich, a friend suggested we take advantage of the extensive regional train network and journey to Europa Park, a massive theme park that, like its name suggests, is designed according to the different countries of the European Union.

Having arrived at Munich Hauptbahnhof (HBF – Munich Central Station) from Paris two hours later than I intended (after sitting in the wrong position on the 9:30pm train arriving into Munich, which landed me in Strasbourg), I was told that in order to reach Europa Park by its 9am opening time we had to get to the train station at around 3am! As I had only arrived at my friend’s place at around 12:30am and needed time to unpack and have something to eat, I was understandably exhausted and not looking forward to the prospect of even more travel. To throw a spanner into the works, we had missed our bus to the Munich HBF from where our train would depart, forcing us to take a cab instead. Despite the crazy ride, my friend assured me it was worth it, so off we went with no sleep to one of the largest amusement parks in Europe...



The journey there was very disjointed, involving five changes of trains and seven trains in total (Munich to Stuttgart HBF, Stuttgart HBF to Karlsruhe HBF, Karlsruhe HBF to Ringsheim on the way there; Ringsheim to Offenburg, Offenburg to Karlsruhe HBF, Karlsruhe HBF to Sturttgart HBF and Stuttgart HBF to Munchen HBF on the return leg). Added to that, there was another bus we needed to take from Ringsheim to the Europa Park itself. The hop on-hop off journey gave me little opportunity to sleep continuously, leaving me feeling ready to collapse. So much drama before I’d even set foot inside the Park! The kick in the face came when I found out Europa Park is actually 30km away from Strasbourg…meaning I’d basically traveled from Strasbourg to Munich three times in one day, and could have traveled directly to the Park without going all the way to Munich and back.

Forgive the pun, but I was in for one hell of a ride at Europa Park! Traveling through the different countries of the theme park, I was treated to over eight hours of fun through jaw-drop inducing rollercoasters, water rides, shoot-em-ups, cart rides, train rides and any other ride you can think of! The multicultural design of the park lends itself to a multitude of European food options, with Greek, Italian, French, German, Finnish and various others available. The park was also decorated in a fun, bright and engaging manner, with Halloween being the theme during our visit in the first week of October.


The 'France' region of Europa Park


The Halloween theme in action at Europa Park


Clogs of Europe!

My favourite rides were 'Blue Fire' and 'Silver Star', both of which were thrilling, unbelievably high and fast rollercoasters that made me laugh, scream and smile seemingly all at once. I even went on the Silver Star twice at my friend’s bequest!

Attraction details - Europa Park

Directions: Europa Park can be reached by regional train. Consult the Deutsche Bahn website for detailed train and transport information.

Admission: All inclusive admission (entry and access to rides) for adults during the summer season is normally 42.50 euros, but as my friend is a journalist, he was able to obtain a complementary press pass for two. This made it exceptional value for me combined with my rail pass, which provided all day transport to Europa Park and back. Compared to other theme parks such as Tivoli which charge both an exorbitant entry fee and a fee per ride, Europa Park hits the sweet spot of being both affordable and interesting to a broad range of audience groups, with its Europe theme and plentiful options for food and rides.

Rating: 5/5. My friend was right – Europa Park is seriously the real deal. A must-do if you are in the vicinity.

Traveler’s tips:

• Pack some food and drink to avoid the overpriced food options at the Park.


• Get there at opening time to maximise your experience. Also try and go on a weekday to avoid the rush on weekends or public holidays.


• If you’re not the biggest fan of rides, consider taking an extreme ride followed by a gentle ride and then repeating this until you have done all the rides you are interested in


• Upon entering the Park, proceed to the middle or back of the Park to avoid the often congested lines at the front areas. There are signs clearly indicating the expected wait time for each ride.


• As you get more tired throughout the day, consider taking the provided intra-Park train service. The train departs from a central location and stops at several key 'countries' in the Park.

What has your experience been at Europa Park? What are your favourite theme parks inside and outside Europe?

Traveler tips and truths: Paris

Continuing on from my prior traveler tips and truths post on Helsinki, this is a mixture of insights and advice that came to me after staying for 6 days in Paris. There are quite a few things here (I'm a bit of a pedantic for detail), of which some I hope are useful. Enjoy!


Traveler truths:

• Paris is for people watching: As discussed in the list of ‘must-dos’, Paris may very well give you a great new hobby.

An interesting tourist 'attraction' at the Ile-St-Louis

• People are very stylish: Paris is well-known for its cutting edge fashion so the bar is set high on the street. The standard of dress is higher and more adventurous compared to the dominant laidback Australian attire, with a preference towards more formal or elegant types of clothing. This isn’t just limited to the young people – I saw some seriously cool-looking grandpas and dads walking around which made me feel inadequate and scruffy by comparison! I dress mainly for comfort while traveling so I don’t tend to bring any great threads (not that I have many at all), which did make me feel slightly out of place amongst such well-groomed and well-dressed folk.


• Parisians generally don’t wear shorts, even in warm weather: I was a little shocked to see, despite it being 20-25C for the majority of my stay in Paris, that people generally didn’t wear anything other than jeans, chinos or dress/suit pants. Upon asking a Parisian about it, I was told that shorts are generally regarded as an impolite form of dress that is not suitable for work or a meeting, and is generally only worn on vacation or by tourists. I was even told that it is almost taboo to show your legs, which I definitely found strange. It did make me self-conscious enough to wear jeans on a few occasions where I would have opted normally for shorts, but I quickly switched back after sweating it out unnecessarily. Fashion over comfort for the Parisians it seems!


• Parisians can be as rude as you’ve heard: On many occasions, I was surprised by how rude people, even those paid to provide customer service, were to me. The metro and tourist attractions proved to be a hotspot for the short-fused, annoyed and exasperated worker, which encourage me to limit my interaction with them to a bare minimum as a defence mechanism. There were many kind people in the museums and other places I visited though so it's a bit of a mixed bag, but be prepared for some snark with your service.


• Baguettes are the coffees of Paris: Seriously, people eat baguettes for breakfast, lunch and as a snack too. They are obsessed with bread, putting things in bread, eating things with bread – you get the picture. Bakeries are on every corner, fueling this never-ending lifestyle.


• The French are a romantic people – I have never ever seen so much public affection before. People of both genders kissing each other on the cheek in greeting, couples canoodling and kissing in parks and on the street – Parisians are openly emotional and outspoken with their feelings. It can be off putting at first, but you learn to just embrace it and look away in time.


• Parisians like their wide open spaces – It is a favourite past time of the French to lay in parks for hours over a picnic lunch. More food, more people-watching. You get the picture.
  
  
  Parisians enjoying the Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Gardens)


• Paris is undeniably rich with culture and history – Another no brainer. The sheer volume of churches, monuments, museums and sculptures on display is a testament to the rich history of Paris. You even feel it walking down the street – the cobblestones and the street signs lend the city an old-fashioned, nostalgic and very romantic feeling.
  
  
  Arc de Triumph at the top of the Champs De'Lysees


• Aside from people-watching, smoking is another favoured hobby: This is quite a sad inclusion on the list but it is so evident it is impossible to disregard it. Smoke is everywhere in Paris because so many people smoke. It is so easy to passive smoke in Paris every time you walk down the street, pass a bistro or walk through a park with what felt like 1 in 3 people – of all ages – smoking. It seems to be a cool thing to do in Parisian society, and what’s sadder, is that I even saw cyclists and people who were ostensibly healthy, lighting up with gusto. Smoking always makes me feel sick, and after visiting Paris, that feeling hasn’t changed.


• Paris is expensive – You can’t be surprised by this. For me, coming from Australia, mostly everything is more expensive in Paris. Only a few things, like food from vending machines and baguettes (probably due to oversupply) are roughly in proportion with their Australian counterparts. There are cheaper places you can find to eat, but you get what you pay for. I did resort to doing some grocery shopping on my first day to soften the blow, which turned out to be a great way to save money as I managed to avoid paying for food except for 1 day of deliberate French sampling.

Traveler tips

• Buy metro pass in advance – The metro is so good in Paris it’s ridiculous not to use it. With the Paris Visite metro pass, you can get 1,3 or 5 day unlimited travel on the Paris metro, bus and RER in selected zones (chosen at purchase) so you can have peace of mind. This is literally the first thing you should get in Paris if you are going to be going around the city a lot and it is great value if you take into account the price of individual tickets. There is the weekly pass (valid from Monday to Sunday, sold on the Thursday for the following week) and the Paris Navigo pass (needs a photo taken and is generally for Paris residents) available but they both have their drawbacks and aren’t always suitable for tourists.


• Try to use service stations instead of ticket machines if you’re unsure – The ticket machines are actually very good and do have English options but if you are uncertain of anything or want to avoid being harassed by the occasional scam artist or shady character, ask for your tickets directly at the train station. Just be prepared for some staff to either not know English, be rude to you, or both.


• Avoid beggars, gypsies, scammers, and con artists: Like any big city, Paris has its share of less-than-desirable characters. There are beggars (often Romanian) in the street next to ATMs, in train stations, performance artists on the trains playing for money (and some are actually not bad and deserve the coin they get), gypsies around the Eiffel Tower asking you if you speak English who try to get you to do a survey; people selling rip-off goods at big tourist locations; and others trying to sell souvenirs and water to tourists.


• Take care of your belongings to protect against pickpockets – The metro, with its mass of people and limited space to move, is an ideal place for you to be robbed of your valuables at an unsuspecting moment. Take care of your belongings and make sure you don’t leave yourself vulnerable to being pick pocketed. I used a money bag around my waist under my clothes to be extra careful of my things, keeping my passport, wallet and room key inside. What do you know? I didn’t lose a thing. To put this into context, on the day I arrived, a friend’s friend had their passport stolen along with their money bag at a major train station. The passport was thrown into the trash, and the money bag emptied of all cash. I was also hassled at the train station by some shady characters right after I’d touched down in Paris.


• Try to take the metro in off-peak times: 9-10am and 5-7pm are typically the busiest hours for the metro so if you can, try to avoid taking it at these times to save yourself unwanted touching, sweat and jostling. It gets quite warm in the metro with everyone sucking up the oxygen so try to stay cool and calm and you should be fine.


• Get lost sometimes – Sometimes getting lost is the only way you can learn how to get around. There is a perverse satisfaction from getting lost and then having that ‘Eureka!’ moment when everything all clicks into place. The metro is well connected so you can always take the metro from wherever you do end up if you find yourself really lost.


• Take your time with the metro – if you miss your train, there is another one usually within 2-5 minutes so unless you’re in an absolute hurry, there’s no need to dash unless you like running! I admit I did run around a little but only because I was trying to fit everything in and wasted time getting lost more than a few times.


• Learn some basic French – French people, while sophisticated, do not always speak the best English and some, even at service outlets, speak no English at all! So do yourself a favour and bust out your phrasebooks to develop some basic competency. You will find your experience everywhere – in restaurants, in the metro, in shops – easier and all the more pleasant for it.


• 18e/month unlimited movie subscription – Parisians love their cinema, and really respect the work of the director. After all, they did first conceive of the auteur, and play host to the world’s most prestigious film festival in Cannes every year. Small rather than large multiplexes are dotted around the city, playing independent, foreign language and auteur cinema to the masses. I nearly fell in love with Paris right then and there. It is a great place to catch up on the latest gem by your favourite unknown director. I found out too late that there is an 18 euro per month subscription that gives you the privilege of unlimited movies! Considering a single movie costs around 7 or 8 euros, this is great value.


• Check out some free music concerts – Paris is a great place to get in touch with your musical self and with the many churches, cultural venues and parks on offer, there is almost a chance to hear some great music everywhere you go. The metro is also occasionally accompanied by budding artists trying to eke out a living impressing the daily commuters. Check out this website for a listing.


• Ask for help if you need it, even if you feel uncomfortable (Or Learn How to Read Your Train Tickets) – Being in Paris made me uncomfortable asking for help as I didn’t know much French. Having never taken a high speed train before, I was a little unsure if I was in the right seat however upon finding my seat number on the wall, I was sure I had done the right thing. My complacency ended up costing me as I mistakenly got into the wrong part of the train (correct seat number, but wrong coach number) to Munich, finding myself temporarily stranded in Strasbourg and costing myself two hours. Luckily I was still able to make it to my destination with a simple transfer at no additional fare, but I had to find a Wi-Fi source to alert a friend who would have been waiting at the station for an extra two hours on top of getting the new train. All stress one does not need while traveling. I later found out the coach numbers are indicated on the outside of the train, but it just goes to show you, that it never pays to ask for help if you’re unsure.


• Choose the ‘formule’ fixed menus for breakfast or lunch to save – In Paris, you can often find a ‘formule’ menu on offer which is a fixed price menu (either entrée + main + dessert, entrée + main or main + dessert) of set items that is often cheaper than ordering a la carte. I ordered one which would normally have costed 20 euros but was only charged 16 euros for it. So do your wallet a favour and go for the set menu, that is, if you don’t mind sacrificing some choice in the process.

Lunch formule (set meal of the day): Beef gazpachio with pomme frites (french fries), salad and dressing

Andy’s traveler rating - Paris

People: 3.5/5
Liveability: 4/5
Attractions & Culture: 5/5
Nature: 4.5/5
Cost of living: 3/5
Weather: 5/5
Public transport: 5/5

Overall: 30/35

Must dos in Paris

Note: This is a subjective perspective on my time in Paris, and the below list will obviously differ from person to person. I also only went to Versailles outside the Paris city areas, so take this into account as well. Links go to Trip Advisor pages.

Must dos in Paris

• Eiffel Tower (both during the day and night): The Eiffel Tower is famous for a reason, and after visiting, I know why. It is not only a feat of impressive architecture with its unique double-arched, steel-grey structure, it offers amazing brilliant views of nearly all areas of Paris. It is a great place to simply stand and enjoy the view of Paris and be in awe of what you are witnessing. There is access via an elevator and a cheaper fee for access via a set of stairs. I recommend the stairs to save money and also for the exercise! The elevator access goes to a third, higher floor than stair access (which only goes to the 1^st and 2^nd floors), however the views are the best from the second floor so you are not really missing out on anything by taking the stairs. The Eiffel Tower and Paris is like The Great Wall in China – you can’t not go if you visit. I’ve heard the views at night are amazing (unfortunately I missed out this time around) and it is something you won’t easily forget.
  
  
  The Eiffel Tower


• The Louvre – Another world-famous Paris attraction, The Louvre simply has to be seen. It is an unbelievably large and expansive museum containing multiple levels of sculptures, paintings, relics, artifacts and of course the famous Mona Lisa. Even if you don’t like museums as I do, you’ll find something to enjoy at The Louvre. And if you really don’t want to pay, entry is free after 6pm on Friday until its closure at 9:45pm.


• Versailles: For reasons talked about at length previously, Versailles is a triple threat of history, nature and architecture. Can’t get better than that. Make a day of it and just soak in everything.


• Luxembourg Gardens: This stunning garden in the 3^rd arrondisement is Paris’s most famous park, and it’s easy to see why. It contains beautiful fountains, pretty flora and great photo opportunities for nature lovers everywhere. There’s also often free music playing in the park as I found on the occasion I went.
  
  
  The magnificent Luxmbourg Gardens

• People-watching at a café: Parisians love to sit back over some food and just watch the world go by. I mean it – people-watching is a It is initially strange to comprehend from an outsider’s perspective but after trying it, it is strangely peaceful and enjoyable. Paris is bustling enough that it never gets boring, and you will enjoy seeing a variety of characters move about their daily lives for your amusement. Be sure to choose a place on a corner for an unrestricted view of the street.


• Eat cake and sweets! Paris also excels in this department and is a veritable sweettooth’s paradise. There is simply too much to eat even if you ate sweets for every meal so pick and choose to your heart’s content. Try the bakeries (“boulangeries”), specialty chocolatiers and macaron shops, and you can’t go wrong. When in Paris, eat cake, ice cream…and tarts…and macarons…and chocolate…and…palmiers…
  
  
  Delicious ice cream from the Ile-St-Louis (1st arrondisement)


• Have a picnic in a park: Paris has so many parks and wide open spaces, they are something of a favourite haunt to while away the afternoon. Parisians are frequently seen sporting bread, cheese, meats and wine (which can be bought at your local grocer in Paris!) in parks and picknicking with gusto. You should too. Aside from Luxembourg Gardens, the Place des Vogues near Victor Hugo’s house is another popular spot, Pont Neuf near the Notre Dame is nice and intimate and somewhere along the Seine can never go astray.


• Boulevard St Germain and The Latin Quarter – The former, a lovely winding boulevard, is full of nice shops and restaurants, and is home to its very own Melbourne-style laneway, the Andre St Commerce. The second, is the beating student centre of Paris, home to many of its universities and full of restaurants that won’t break the bank.


• The Marais – This quirky area, spanning both the 3^rd and 4^th arrondisements, is another one for those looking for something off the beaten track. It is at once the Jewish epicentre of Paris with many great felafel shops, and the gay-friendly neighbourhood of the city. Restaurants prices are generally affordable here too.


• Take a walk around the city at night – The city is a beautiful gem at night and people stay out much later than they do in Australia. So there is a very lively atmosphere to Paris, almost as if the city doesn’t sleep. Certain areas of the city come alive at night so it’s worth taking the time to discover them.

The Montmarte area near the Sacre Coeur church at night

What do you think the must dos in Paris are? Let me know in the comments below!

Pretty as a postcard in Versailles

Undoubtedly, there is plenty to do in Paris, the infamous City of Love. However, one of the best attractions to do in France isn’t in the ‘city’ of Paris at all but in fact in the regional area of Versailles. It was here that was to be my first experience in the land of the red, blue and white.

The Palace of Versailles

I joined the queue to get in (having thankfully pre-purchased my ticket online and thus avoiding the additionally long queues to buy tickets) and was inside within 10-15 minutes. There are separate entrance points to the Palace, and the Gardens (from which point Marie-Antoinette’s Chateau and the Grand Trianon can be accessed; the Chateau is a thirty minute walk from the Palace and the Grand Trianon a further walk from the Chateau). I decided on entering the Palace first, which seemed to be the prime attraction from the main entrance.

After passing through security and baggage checks, I finally entered the Palace. The Palace is a series of rooms (the Grand Apartments) set up in the style of the olden days of France. It is filled with beautiful furniture, paintings, art, chandeliers and architecture from days gone by. The style is very decadent and it is obvious the occupants of the Palace lived in luxury. The Hall of Mirrors is a highlight of the Palace, with magnificent chandeliers and wallpaper highlighting the Palace's immense beauty. T he only downsides are that the supporting information in the rooms is in French and the available space is generally dominated by tourists, which makes it sometimes cramped and pushy when moving around.








The Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles

After touring Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen, I thought I had seen it all when it came to gardens and natural scenery. However, the Garden of Versailles has an uncanny ability of dwarfing the gardens in all of these places easily. Seemingly never-ending, the garden stretches for miles and miles and features a brilliant array of flowers, trees and many postcard-perfect photo opportunities.


The garden of Versailles

It takes a good few hours to explore the Gardens, Marie-Antoinette’s House, the Grand Trianon, their interiors (featuring further artwork and paintings) and surrounding buildings. It’s not really a naturally preserved feature of wonder like those in Scandinavia (it has been obviously tended to and shaped into a more commercial tourist attraction) but it is hugely impressive nonetheless. In addition, near the end of the gardens on your way out, there is a huge lake that you can use to rent a boat to row across (a favourite for the many couples in the area) or you can simply relax on the many surrounding grassy patches.




The lake at Versailles - a favourite spot for couples to row across[/caption]


The Palace of Versailles

Attraction details

Name: Palace of Versailles

Directions: Versailles can be reached by using the regional train network RER. You need to take the RERB to reach Versailles. I got onto the RERB at the Invalides station, and the journey to Versailles took approximately 40 minutes each way. The station you need to get off at is Versailles Rive-Gauche (not Versailles ……) so pay attention to the stations out the window. In any case, Versailles Rive-Gauche is the last stop so you can’t really miss out. From the station, Versailles is a short 10 minute walk from the station in a north-westerly direction. We simply followed the literal hoard of tourists and sure enough, we ended up at Versailles. So you can go with your nose or follow the crowd – up to you.

Admission fee: There are different ticket types available. I purchased the Versailles Passport, which offers entry to the Palace, the Gardens, the Grand Trianon and Marie-Antoinette’s Estate for 18 euros. Entry to only the Palace is 13 euros, however the stunning gardens are free (except on Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from April to October; free admission from November to March) if you don't want to see anything else. Tickets are more expensive on these days (around 25 euros) on Tuesdays and Sundays due to a music concert that is included in the ticket price on these days so go on another day if you want to avoid getting stung. A full listing of the fare types is found here.

Rating: 5/5. Home to the beautiful Palace of Versailles, a tremendous garden, Marie-Antoinette’s Chateau and the Grand Trianon (a building of paintings, sculptures, art and more), Versailles is an essential stop for anyone visiting Paris.

Traveller’s tips:

• Arrive early to beat the crowds to get in – the Palace and Gardens open at different times, with the former opening at 9am and the latter at 8am. So if you arrive early, you can get a head start on the garden and enter the palace when everyone else is arriving, which is generally lunchtime.

• Prepurchase your ticket to avoid the line to buy the ticket – This is pretty self-explanatory. The ticket is the same price if you buy online or in person at the ticket office so there's no excuse not to buy in advance.

• Buy your food outside Versailles: There is of course a café/restaurant in Versailles but it is overpriced and caters to unsuspecting tourists. I went instead to a cheap bakery nearby which sold an Italian style baguette for around 5 euros.


• Bring some sunscreen for a sunny day: When I went, it was a warm, sunny day of around 23-25C. I forgot my sunscreen so I walked around feeling slightly burnt all day.


• Allow the most part of a day to do Versailles – We arrived around 12pm due to getting up late and got through everything in around five and a half hours, however if we arrived earlier we probably would have had more time to savour the sights and enjoy the experience more. Inclusive of transport on the RERB each way, you should allow at least 8 hours for the whole trip. Don’t plan to do anything major afterwards as you will be tired and your legs will be sore!

Have you been to Versailles and if so, what was your experience like? Do you have other favourite palaces or gardens in Europe or elsewhere to recommend?