4 Cities in 6 Days

We left here on 12/1 but due to the time difference in Paris (7hours) we made it there on 12/2 at 10am.

Was spent in Paris just learning. We learned the subway (Metro) system. The Maps app was used to guide us and it was really easy.

Paris accepts Euros.

We did the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysees, we ate breakfast Le Wilson on 12/3 across the street from the Eiffel Tower and we also went to the Crazy Horse which is a burlesque show. We did not do Moulin Rouge because we heard it wasn’t great.

* FYI my friend has Sprint and it did not Work well on some of the days were abroad. I didn’t have any issues with Verizon.

* Uber in Paris is just like Uber in the US so use it if you want.

We took the Eurostar (Train) to London. It was $100 rt. We tried to give ourselves at least 12 hours in each country.

London takes pounds so don’t try to use Euros there.

You do need your passport to get in and out of London so make sure you take it. Arrive early because you do go through a Security check like in the airports.

While in London we took a taxi to Buckingham Palace and then got on a tour bus (forgot which one) and went all around London to different stops. We bought tickets and rode the London Eye to the top and then got on a river cruise to Greenwich and back.

We ate fish and chips at a restaurant by the London Eye. We rode the bus all through London until it was time to go. The tour bus dropped us close to Train station so we did not have to Taxi back.

We took the Thayls (Train) to Brussels, Belgium. I think it was $65-$70 euros for this ride. The train ride was only 1 1/2 hour ride and no passport was needed but we still took it. Thalys just runs your belongings through X-ray so you don’t have to arrive extremely early but they don’t start boarding until 10-15 minutes before the train leaves. Brussels accepts Euros.

Once in Brussels we took a taxi to The Grand Place then explored for a few. We ate breakfast at Mokafe. It was great but don’t get shrimp on your omelette. They are not like our shrimp. You must try the hot chocolate, Belgium waffle, and omelette. The service their was amazing.

Once were done we wanted to do a bus tour as well so we walked to another train station and caught the tour bus. We rode it around and we got a chance to see a lot of stuff. You’ll have to refer to the stop list. They do have a place called Mini Europe where they have miniature sized landmarks. I would recommend. I also would recommend a chocolate demonstration or just go to the chocolate museum. We watched a demonstration on how to make “Pralines” which is just chocolate with an almonds filling. It is not like our pralines. The tour bus did end early so we didn’t get to do a lot so we just walked around, bought souvenirs, and went the Hard Rock Cafe Brussels. It was amazing. Yes the Hard Rock Cafe is in the US but the ingredients are different, the meat is different, so don’t miss out. We rode the Subway (Metro) back to the train station. Be advised that Brussels metro station is confusing as hell. We made it back to Brussels Midi-Zidi though in time.

We took the Thalys just like previous day.

Amsterdam accepts Euros.

Please be advised that this train makes like 3-4 different stops before you make it to Amsterdam so listen. Also you need 2 days in Amsterdam. It’s no way around it if you want to see and do everything. We were literally running back to the train station and we didn’t even see half of the stuff we wanted to or get as many souvenirs. I only got 3 from the train station. We also took a tour bus. We used City Sightseeing Amsterdam. We were able to get the bus & boat tour and the Heineken Experience for $38 euros I believe so that was pretty cheap. The Heineken Experience gave you a tour of the brewery, 3 free glasses of Heineken, a free bottle opener and a beautiful gift shop. You can get bottles printed with names on them and glasses engraved. We went the Gassan Diamond Museum and watched them make diamonds and tried on jewelry. We walked the Red Light District, found a Coffeeshop (where they sell weed), saw the prostitutes in the windows, tried pastries. They have live sex shows for 30-45 euros if you’re interested. You watch, you’re not participating. We missed out on the Prostitution museum, Eritic museum, Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum, and a lot of other stuff because we didn’t have time. The red Light District is by the train station so we ran back.

We ended up waking up late because we were tired. We ate breakfast at Made in America then went to Louvre Museum just to see Mona Lisa. If you’re interested please know that Mona Lisa is small. She is not some big extravagant painting. Her casing is 3 Times the size of her lol. We paid for the boat cruise just so we can see the rest of Paris. It was rained bad this day so we were grateful for the tour. We were able to see the Statue of Liberty and get better pictures of the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower sparkled at 5pm FYI if you want to see it in person. I’m not sure if it changes but it does get dark early in the winter. We went to Notre Dame Cathedral Before it closed for the day. We ate dinner at Mama Jackson’s Soul Food Restaurant. Their soul food is very different from our soul food of course but really good and then we Went back and packed up for our flight the next day.

* Convert your money before you leave. We both used the Texas Currency Exchange in Memorial City Mall because the rates and fees were great. Yelp has a coupon for half off fees.

* Don’t carry large amount of cash around. They do pickpocket. I only converted $300 to Euros and put the rest of my money on my credit card because it does not have international fees.

* Make sure you notify your card holder(s) and phone company that you will be out of the country and exactly where you will be going.

* Register with the Embassy. Just in case anything happens they will know where you are and they can assist with getting you out of Paris.

* Food wise. Don’t go there expecting food to taste like our food. It will not!

* Over a course of a week we ran across 4 rude people so get that out of your head.

* Yes, it was cold but it was not unbearable. I was actually colder once I got back to Houston… by Day 2 you will adjust.

* Paris does not have central air/heat. They have heaters in their homes and I’m pretty sure it is like this in hotels.

* If you go in the summer, there is no central air!

* Make sure you have good walking boots and shoes. I bought blister pads to be on the safe side.

* The original price for my flight was $434 roundtrip but I paid $336 because I had miles on my card. I didn’t pay for bags on American Airlines.

* Book Early. This was not a last minute trip!