Paris and Amsterdam much?

[audreyh1]

There is also a great cheesemonger there. Supposedly brings it in from the countryside direct and sells it. Brought home several amazing wheels of gouda that were bought dirt cheap.

Did you learn how to pronounce Gouda correctly?

Albert Cuyp Market - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Cuyp_Market

We visited a fun cheese shop in the Amsterdam Centrum called De Kaaskammer on Runstraat. You can bring cheese to the US if it has been aged 60 days, and most firm cheese has but ask because it’s not marked. It should also be commercially sealed (the wax rind on a complete wheel counts AFAIK). You must declare it at customs. I occasionally see a statement that the cheese must be pasteurized, but I don’t think that’s true.

 

[StephieJean]

Thank you all for all of these wonderful ideas. We will definitely be busy figuring out where, when and what to do, but enjoying every minute of it.

 

[Koogie]

Did you learn how to pronounce Gouda correctly?
Albert Cuyp Market - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Cuyp_Market

Yes. Our neighbour across the street is an 85 year old Dutchman. He made sure we got it right. We also drink Bols with him occasionally.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Haven't been to Paris, but our favorite stops in Amsterdam were:

• The rijsttafel at Tempoe Doeloe
• A cheese tasting "class" at Reypenaer
• The Metropolitan Deli had stroopwaffels and I thought their Belgian waffles were better than the ones I had in Belgium!
• Amazing meals at Het Stuivertje and Cafe de Reiger.

I loved the fresh herring, too, and also second the canal boat tour.

 

[braumeister]

I occasionally see a statement that the cheese must be pasteurized, but I don’t think that’s true.

No, the US import rule is simply that cheese must be aged over 60 days. It makes no sense and deprives us of some truly wonderful cheeses, especially from France.

Interesting trivia point: The 60 day rule is based on no scientific evidence whatever. It was simply pulled out of thin air by a bureaucrat who had a deadline, but has been enshrined in our laws for so long that it's now considered received wisdom.

I brought back some tulip bulbs on my last visit, and was able to find some that were packaged and labeled as approved for import to North America. The vast majority were not so labeled, but I was happy with the ones I found.

 

[rodi]

While you are near Notre Dame - go to Sainte Chapelle. It is a gorgeous church that has the most amazing stained glass windows. If the day is sunny it is extra spectacular. I think it was Gumby that recommended that to us and it was a great tip.

I like climbing up things... So for me, it was worth climbing Notre Dame (you get to see the gargoyles up close!), climbing the dome of Sacre Coeur, and climbing the Arc de Triomphe. But I chose the elevator on the Eiffel Tower.

For Amsterdam - definitely pre-book tickets to Anne Frank house. The regular line is very long. The Van Gogh museum was incredible. We rented bikes and really enjoyed that. It's worth a walk through the red light district... although my teenage boys were shocked. (Hey - it's a different culture and they need to see that other cultures have different norms.)

 

[gretah]

Another fan of Angelina's Salon de The in Paris. Great lunches. Fabulous hot chocolate - the African as another poster mentioned.

There are crepe stands all over Paris, mostly outside a store, using a window and countertop. You can get savory crepes - including brie with spinach and ham - and sweet - such as Nutella with fruit and whipped cream.

Visit delis to get wonderful meat sandwiches.

The museum cafes have great lunches as well.

If you like museums, get the museum pass at the Tourist Information office. It can save you money. And never go to a museum on a free day - they are packed.

The best books for both Paris and Amsterdam are by Eyewitness. FAR better than Frommers, Fodors, Rick Steve, and Lonely Planet. Much more cultural info.

 

[anethum]

We have already booked our tickets for the Louvre, catacombs, Versailles Palace, and the Anne Frank House, but I hear there is a lot of "free" things to do in those places.

Here are some ideas for some free things in Paris:

Place des Vosges - the prettiest square in Paris, in the 4th arrondissement near the St. Paul Metro station. Gorgeous brick arcades surround the square on all 4 sides. There is an exit/entrance near the SW corner which leads to another very pretty, small green space.

Promenade Plantée - This is like the High Line in NY, except that it precedes the High Line. Like the High Line, it was a disused elevated railway. It's more like a traditional park than the High Line and isn't nearly as crowded. It begins just east of the Place de la Bastille and goes eastward.
Cool Stuff in Paris | La Promenade Plantée, a beautiful elevated park built on old train tracks

The same website has a very good listing of off-the-beaten track sights in Paris, including many free sights:
Cool Stuff in Paris | Cool and Weird Stuff

Many years ago, Adam Gopnik, who was sent to Paris by The New Yorker for a couple of years, published a delightful book called Paris to the Moon, which is a collection of essays which had been separately published in The New Yorker. Several times he mentioned a fascinating shop called Deyrolle in the 7th. It's worth having a look in the store if you're in the neighborhood.
Cool Stuff in Paris | Deyrolle - legendary taxidermy shop in Paris, France

The same website lists a shop which has somehow missed my radar. Next time in Paris, I'll definitely have a look at the storefront of the pest control shop displaying dead rats. The photo in the next link is impressive:
Cool Stuff in Paris | Julien Aurouze and Co.

The coolest Metro station in Paris, Arts et Métiers (line 11):
Cool Stuff in Paris | Métro Arts et Métiers - steampunk subway station in Paris, France

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

What we love about Paris in addition to the common attractions is exploring the neighbourhoods. You can get metro pass and zip to different areas. We'll build the itineraries around the various weekly markets or a market street (like Rue Cler, Rue Montorgueil, etc). At the weekly markets there's typically some ready to eat food or you can pick up a demi baguette, some cheese, etc and create a bit of a picnic snack. Love the parks and gardens too like the previously mentioned like Luxembourg Gardens and Rodin Museum.
A couple of other nice walks/explorations were along Canal St-Martin, finding the filming locations of the movie Amelie, and exploring various courtyards in the Marais (IIRC) district.

 

[45th Birthday]

Forgot about another gem. Galerie Vivienne near the Palais Royal.

 

[YVRRocketSurgery]

Forgot to mention a couple of favourite blogs for some Paris info/research:
Clotilde Dusoulier's Chocolate & Zucchini blog and
David Lebovitz's blog

 

[Scrapr]

Amsterdam
By Foodhallen we stayed one night in a hostel. But these are "pods". I only booked 1 night because I was unsure if Mrs scrapr would like it. She did....a lot. And wants to stay there if we go back.

We did a walking tour with these folks. a bit sobering. He is a retired professor.

https://www.historywalks.eu/

We planned on an hour at the Resistance Museum. We did 3 hours. Very good

Paris
Ste Chapelle. I was stunned. My jaw dropped. They have a orchestra concert several times a week. I will do that next time we go to Paris

Eiffel Tower....we saw only from Champ du Mars side. I guess the money shot is the Trocadero side. Durn it. Champagne while watching the lights come on. Heaven on this earth

Napoleans Tomb. The war Museum right next to it

We liked the D'Orsay better than the Louvre.

Boat tour down the Seine at dusk

just too much to do there. Mrs scrapr is on to me as i plan our Euro trips with the first flight to Paris. As long as we are here....

 

[marko]

Paris
Ste Chapelle. I was stunned. My jaw dropped. They have a orchestra concert several times a week. I will do that next time we go to Paris

Eiffel Tower....we saw only from Champ du Mars side. I guess the money shot is the Trocadero side. Durn it. Champagne while watching the lights come on. Heaven on this earth

Napoleans Tomb. The war Museum right next to it

We liked the D'Orsay better than the Louvre.

Boat tour down the Seine at dusk

just too much to do there. Mrs scrapr is on to me as i plan our Euro trips with the first flight to Paris. As long as we are here....

We lived in the Latin Quarter for many years. You and Audrey hit the high points but I always recommend Ste Chappell as a must see. It's the one thing we tell people to see as it's not as well known. Glad you got there!

 

[StephieJean]

Haven't been to Paris, but our favorite stops in Amsterdam were:

• The rijsttafel at Tempoe Doeloe
• A cheese tasting "class" at Reypenaer
• The Metropolitan Deli had stroopwaffels and I thought their Belgian waffles were better than the ones I had in Belgium!
• Amazing meals at Het Stuivertje and Cafe de Reiger.

I loved the fresh herring, too, and also second the canal boat tour.

Does it matter what canal boat tour for Amsterdam? any company to stay away from, or can one just hop on hop off?

 

[Bamaman]

We used to stay at a nice B&B in Amsterdam out by the soccer stadium in Amsterdam Sud. We would take a tram and be anywhere in town in 20 minutes. But virtually all the B&B's in the area have been split up and sold as condos due to the ever increasing cost of real estate. Center city accommodations are now very expensive and rooms can be hard to find, especially on weekends.

We started staying out by the airport at Hotel Schiphol, a large business hotel. We can take a shuttle over to the airport and catch the 15 minute train ride into the center city. The rooms are perhaps the nicest and largest of any I have ever stayed in, and the price is right. I like not having to climb three stories of steep steps to our rooms in the attic.

We do enjoy the Indonesian Ristoffels in Amsterdam, but don't find the food overly spicy. The Argentine steakhouses are also great with superior beef. We like the street vendors selling cones of fried potatoes and the backstreet food storefronts selling soft serve ice cream that tastes like straight cream.

As far as Paris goes, we do visit from time to time. But we've been visiting Italy and Budapest in recent trips. But I do love to ride the Paris underground around to the Trocodero station and ride the escalator up to the street level. The Eiffel Tower is 150 yards across the river--an incredible sight at sunset with all the strobe lights going off.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Does it matter what canal boat tour for Amsterdam? any company to stay away from, or can one just hop on hop off?

It's been three years, so I don't remember if we researched the competition, but we took Lovers Canal Cruises, and we were happy with it.

 

[Koogie]

Does it matter what canal boat tour for Amsterdam? any company to stay away from, or can one just hop on hop off?

There are loads of them just out front of Amsterdam Centraal. We just picked the one that looked the most interesting with the most interesting itinerary board.

We do enjoy the Indonesian Ristoffels in Amsterdam, but don't find the food overly spicy.

Agreed. Not a patch on Thai or Indian spiciness.

The Argentine steakhouses are also great with superior beef.

Also agreed. The friend I was with loves steak and said the one we had one night was one of the best he had in a while. I always find it amusing when travelling what other people consider "exotic" I guess for the Dutch it is Argentina... lol

 

[audreyh1]

Agreed. Not a patch on Thai or Indian spiciness.

That’s funny. The two better known Indonesian places we ate at in Amsterdam blew away the spiciness of any Thai or Indian restaurant we’ve visited.

All adult life in TX, and growing up overseas with a large Indian population, I’ve eaten a lot of spicy food all my life.

So I thought a warning was warranted.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

That’s funny. The two better known Indonesian places we ate at in Amsterdam blew away the spiciness of any Thai or Indian restaurant we’ve visited.

All adult life in TX, and growing up overseas with a large Indian population, I’ve eaten a lot of spicy food all my life.

So I thought a warning was warranted.

Yes, Tempo Doeloe had a three-star heat scale, and the three star items were fairly spicy to me! (I am not a masochist, but I prefer what most people would consider moderate to somewhat extreme heat levels.)

 

[HFWR]

that’s funny. The two better known indonesian places we ate at in amsterdam blew away the spiciness of any thai or indian restaurant we’ve visited.

All adult life in tx, and growing up overseas with a large indian population, i’ve eaten a lot of spicy food all my life.

So i thought a warning was warranted.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, Tempo Doeloe had a three-star heat scale, and the three star items were fairly spicy to me! (I am not a masochist, but I prefer what most people would consider moderate to somewhat extreme heat levels.)

It’s really funny too because traditional Dutch food is bland. No heat at all. So they trade with and ultimately take over these “Spice Islands” hundreds of years ago, yet no influence of that incredible cuisine feeds back into Dutch dishes. Well at least they got the ethnic restaurants.

 

[gerntz]

Not sure why people stay in Paris & take day trips to places like Versailles/Giverny/ Normandy vs. renting car & staying near those places & not spend time back tracking & spending so much on accommodations. TETO.

 

[braumeister]

Not sure why people stay in Paris & take day trips to places like Versailles/Giverny/ Normandy vs. renting car & staying near those places & not spend time back tracking & spending so much on accommodations. TETO.

Good point, but some are afraid to drive in Europe, given the different conditions. I've never had a problem, but I don't really like it either. I have to pay close attention to my driving and miss a lot of the scenery going by.

Trains are my preferred way to travel in Europe, and it's nearly always possible to get a decent hotel near any town's main station.

 

[audreyh1]

Not sure why people stay in Paris & take day trips to places like Versailles/Giverny/ Normandy vs. renting car & staying near those places & not spend time back tracking & spending so much on accommodations. TETO.

Giverny combined with Auvers-sur-Oise was super easy as a minivan day-trip without dealing with renting a car, driving, alternate lodgings, moving, tickets, other logistics.

 

[Fedup]

I drove in France and U.K. My husband was the navigator, he did a better job than I would be a navigator. Plus I get carsick when he drives. But I would never try driving in Italy. France was much easier to me, UK was a bit harder. But the roundabouts were much easier to follow than driving in USA.