History Hound Travels

Yesterday, you may recall I posted about the Eiffel Tower and a little about Paris hotels. Today, I want to talk about the Axe Historique, which runs from the center of Paris, westward. This precisely laid out axis began with building of the Champs-Élysées, and today it extends from the Louvre to the La Grande Arche, and almost 400 years! That just amazes me, but it is true. Marie de Medici developed the idea for what became the Champs-Élysées in 1616, and the latest addition, La Grande Arche de la Fraternité was inaugurated in 1990. This monument was designed by a Dane, and was designed to celebrate humanity instead of military victories. It’s often called a modern Arc de Triomphe (which also sits on the axis).

One could easily spend a couple of weeks exploring the monuments, gardens, museums and shops on the Champs-Élysées and the Axe Historique. And of course, you’d rather spend money on admissions and souvenirs than hotels in Paris. In addition to the attractions already mentioned, the Place de l’Étoile, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, the Jardins des Tuileries and the Pyramide du Louvre all demand a visit.

Let’s talk a bit about this Parisian landmark. This instantly recognizable icon was constructed in 1887, and at that time, it was the tallest structure on earth. It held that title until 1930. It is so tall that it sways in the wind!! I don’t think I’d much care for that feeling!

There are a total of 710 stairs to reach the upper observation platform on the third level. And it takes at least 50 tons of paint, in three different colors, to paint it. The tower was designed to be easily demolished, because it was only supposed to stand for 20 years. The city kept it because it proved valuable for communications.

Now, if you go to see the tower, you will of course need to look at Hotels in Paris. There are Paris Hotels in a variety of price ranges to fit any travel budget, because who wants to spend all their francs on Hôtels en Paris when there is so much to see and do?

Photo Credit: Rüdiger Wölk, Münster, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License.

From poppies and prostitutes to heroines like Anne Frank, Amsterdam is a city with amazements around every corner. The canal system where lovers still whisper sweet nothings is surrounded by streets where artists painted everything. Amsterdam is an incredibly hot tourist spot for travelers of all ages, and with so much to see and do, that’s no surprise. The De Wallen is a can’t miss area of town, though I recommend that more staid travelers go there in the morning. And the Van Gogh Museum which houses the largest collection of Van Gogh’s paintings and drawings in the world must go on your list as well.

Photo by Diliff, used under Creative Commons Attribution License.

Eurobookings makes it very easy to find hotels in Amsterdam. The site is free to use, with no reservation fee, no cancellation fee, and no advance payments. You pay at the hotel wither when you get there or when you check out! You give your credit card only to guarantee your booking. They have listings ranging from hostels to 5 star hotels, so you are sure to find accommodations to suit you and your budget.

One thing I have enjoyed before is riding the train. When I was in Germany, I often took the train, and it was quick and efficient. I wish the the US had a train system half as good as the ones in Europe. You can totally go anywhere there by train, and it’s cheap. I’ve priced a couple of trips on AmTrak here, and it is crazy high!

I was looking at the Bernina Express today. Nothing to do with sewing machines, this is a train has been travelling between Switzerland and Italy since 1973. You can read about it here: http://www.travel-swiss.co.uk/swiss-trains/bernina-express.html. The train actually goes through the Alps, climbing without cogwheels, and you see both the highest peak of the eastern Alps, the Piz Bernina, and also the Monteratsch glacier. You ride this train by using the Swiss Pass which offers a wide variety of travel options.

The Swiss Pass offers a simple and favourable possibility of acquiring a ticket for (almost) the whole of Switzerland. With Swiss Pass you can choose to unrestrictedly travel on 4, 8, 15, 22 days or one month by all means of transportation of Swiss Travel Systems without having to buy another ticket.

Apart from long-distance traffic, Swiss Pass owners can also use local traffic buses in 38 towns. In addition, Swiss Pass owners receive a 50 % discount for travelling by most of the mountain railways and for visiting approx. 400 Swiss museums for free.

The journey takes just four breathtaking hours, but I imagine it’s a journey you’d remember for a lifetime.

For those of us in the U.S., few destinations are as historically significant as London. After all, until 500 years ago, the history of England was our history, too, and they continued to run parallel for quite a while after that. The area around Westminster where the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Center is located is rich in beauty and tradition. Here you’ll find Parliament, and the famous Abbey. Did you know that Henry VIII granted the Abbey cathedral status partially to spare it from the destruction many other churches suffered during his reign?

Now it goes without saying (but I’m gonna say it anyway, LOL) that you can’t see all there is to see in London in one day. You will need to find a hotel in London. If it were me, I’d try to find one that had been around for a while— like a couple hundred years, at least. After all, if you are going to England to see major historical sites, why would you want to stay in a new London hotel? The old ones have much better stories to tell.