Travel secrets

Europe

Things I didn’t know about Paris :-

• Subway trains are gawdy with peddlers, entertainers, etc. Experienced bomb scares during early 2003, train delays and rioting
• Not as romantic as depicted in movies
• Champs Elysees is too short ie. hyped up. I expected more from shopping or sightseeing
• There are 2 tour bus services. Take the Red tour bus…. more stops and wider coverage.
• The locals are not as snobbish or difficult as reported, as long as you are decisive and direct

• Milan is the dirtiest and the most gawdy. Careful of rude and provocative peddlers and roadside entertainers.
• Do not take or touch anything, nothing’s free. Lots of middle-eastern or similar looking of sorts people around…. especially in the square.
• Fashion city? Err…. Maybe hidden within studios and catwalk arenas… but walking along the branded goods area, nothing to shout about…. sure I did see models going in and out of auditions but they are whisked in and out of cars quickly, just follow the waiting photograpers … blink and you will miss them…. no big deal.
• Rome has the most sights and true to historical origins environment. Similar to Milan in terms of peddlers and unfriendly middle-eastern lookalike baskers.
• Venice is the most romantic and unique. Nothing like weaving in and out of small lanes and alleys, with nice surprises (cafes, restaurants, shops, etc.) popping up here and there. Something about the look, smell and lighting that makes it mystical…. walking thru bridges, looking at the canals, riding the taxi boats up and down the canals, serenading gondolas, water here and there, friendly people, etc….. maybe it’s just water. Being around water, always gives me a different ‘lift’.

• The feeling I get when in germany compared to other cities are ‘in a word’ bright. Not as grimy, not as modern, but just a brighter feeling overall.
• English is not a strong forte
• Food is a challenge… not much variety. Worth trying are the ‘pommes’ (Fries in mayo) and … (can’t think of anything else).
• Pork knuckles are abundant, crispy and delicious in Malaysia…. But not that one time I had it in supposedly famous restaurant in Trier… skin wasn’t crispy and was a challenge to cut (rubbery/sticky). Oh well, I guess some countries do improvise or localise … ending up with better versions.

• Red light area is like a maze and a major tourist attraction. Girls in window displays put ‘Next top models reality tv’ to shame, with their straight face antics despite being watched all the time. And all this just next to Chinatown.
• For a free-for-all-no-rules society, the people are tamer and less rowdy than China or Indonesia. Give man everything and they will get sick of it… but starve them, they hunger for more.
• Pretty much a water city too
• Bicycles are everywhere…. It’s China of the west.
  
  

posted by Bernzie @ 1:19 AM