Europe

My Europe Tour 2025 – Blog #12 – Paris to Amiens 20/10/25 

To lessen my perceived stress levels, I thought it best to pay for a taxi direct to Garde de Nord Station instead of taking a domestic line & changing at another station where anything could happen. I pre-booked my 1hr train trip from Paris (Garde de Nord Station) to Amiens long ago in Australia but will be tested by the enormous Garde de Nord train station for the correct platform on which Hall (Zone), as per my previous blogs.

Looking out the front of my Mercure Hotel, it has just stopped raining at 7.45am so I headed off, hoping to see a taxi, but no, so kept walking towards the other Mercure Hotel where there was a taxi rank. I should have had my hotel call a taxi .. der!!! Next to this other Mercure Hotel was the Australian Embassy with our 3 flags for God’s sake!! Arghhh!  .. Go figure, I never saw it before walking past it. Should go in & complain about our treasonous Communist Albanese Government & Commie Governor General, the flogs!!

I see the line of taxis, so I do the right thing & go to the front taxi & stated “Garde de Nord”. The driver repeated in clear English & talked as we loaded my bags into the boot & away, we go. It normally takes around 20mins & €20 for the one-way. I noticed he went another way to my compass brain, so I tracked using Google Maps. The 1st bridge crossing came up & he did a quick turn left at the Eifel Tower, right behind a 6klms/hr street sweeper (I think he saw it, then turned hard). I said “really?”. He shrugged his shoulders. He was supposed to take the 2nd bridge & go to the Arc de Triomphe but no, he took another 2 diversions, then I showed him my Google Maps stating the bleeding obvious. No real English now but in French says he’s in the Bus Lane in peak traffic. Another 2 blocks & we are now at The Notre Dame .. shit!! … not even close to the train station & so far from the hotel, then after me stating a few words, he repeatedly states “Fuck you” x 4 times, to which I stated right back to him. The next turn, he then heads straight to the station in peak crawling traffic. The fare ended up at €28.50 & 33mins. He did know I was right & pissed! ☹ These drivers don’t display any badges, licenses, etc so I took a picture of his number plate to vent to the company later. Don’t ever rip me off or disrespect me!! Kharma comes in many forms, but I hope in this case it hurries up.

Now for the Garde de Nord station. Looking up at the first large board I can see my train # but had to wait to see Amiens (ha .. 2nd stop). The next winning bonus is Hall A (Ground Level) & this is where I entered the station. A win!!! Now to wait the hour or so till boarding. Being early, this Hall 1 is partly deserted, but it won’t be long till it’s crowded & insane.

Travelling to Amiens is for three reasons. The first is where the train runs through it, has more accommodation available & is a bigger city than the village of Villers-Bretonneux (closer to the war section I am preferring to see). For my accommodation I selected La Pléiade Dorée from my Booking.com provider at my Genius Level rate. Travelling to the war locations I wanted to see involves a bit of hardship + hiring a car is a bit risky for me & to firstly obtain one, so I booked the best war tour available through Tripadvisor for tomorrow. It wasn’t cheap but goes for 8hrs & includes a private vehicle with guide.

Arriving at Amiens too early to check in I found this great bakery & coffee shop .. but they need to improve on their coffee. Not good .. but bakery & seating are excellent. I did a bit more of my travel blog, but internet is not working that well, so more frustrations. Jose (off-site manager) contacted me through Booking.com stating in French that my apartment is ready. He continually sends everything in French & I must use Google Translate all the time. He now wants me to go to another address & find a lockbox with a code. Google Maps got me to the street corner but still had to find #6 & then the lockbox. 2 vehicles were up against the small steps, but in more detailed searching, something caught my eye; it was the small lockbox around a water tap & the code worked. Yay!! Now I had to go to another address (turns out around the corner). Opened the steel security gate & then said go to ground floor, room 103 or use the lift or the stairs. Well, I went into that building. No rm 103, lift access doesn’t operate for me. Security is tight at every door I see, so what do I do now?

Obviously, something is wrong, so I went back out to the security gate & reread the message. A young, very accommodating lady with French speaking only, helped me for quite some time & she was also confused on Jose’s messaging. With huge thankful smiles I let her go. Then my frustration boiled again. Nothing makes sense. Contemplating what strategies are open to me & after complete frustration I went back to see the people at the lockbox, but they shrugged their shoulders on having limited English. I typed a strong msg back to Jose & in doing so some photos turned up showing the lockbox near the concrete steps, the gate & then the back doors of building 1. I retraced my steps back through the gate (Building 1) & found more building units behind it. Entering each foyer, I was able to see the letterboxes & that told me which building had Rm103. Why he said to use the stairs or the lift got me. Well, I arrived & the apartment is very clean & well set out. Kitchen, dining & bedroom all 1 room. Quite small in area but it all fits. Separate bathroom & WC. Washing machine under kitchen bench (common in France & Germany) & that is a bonus for my laundry needs.

Unloading all my gear & wanting to venture out more & to find a grocery store for my stay I followed the security advice & escaped through the security gate to stroll down the main corridor street (no traffic allowed). This corridor was quite wide & fully paved & a little slippery when some drizzle rain started. The older buildings were quite impressive but some of the new buildings were ordinary. The first ugly one is Amiens Train Station as per my photo & the second one is right out front of the railway station & was an architect’s/ owner’s ego to build the highest building in the region but the Amiens citizens call it the “ugly pencil“. I note, down another street is the Cathedrale Notre-Dame d’Amiens with restoration works happening. It is obvious this cathedral has a very important history for more of my research.

Now closer to dinner time I’ll venture out before dark & then bed early for a HUGE day tomorrow, so I’ll end my Blog #12 here. Many thanks for reading my blogs. My next blogs will be living the WW1 experience & keeping a ‘promise’ I made some time ago to visit the Sir John Monash War Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux & other places he was well-versed on, etc for my youngest brother, Rod who suddenly passed away in 2017. Please stay safe, happy & healthy. Cheers.

My Europe Tour 2025 – Blog #11 – More of Paris 19/10/25

19/10/2025 Knowing what is ahead of me today I had set the alarm for 6.30am, so I have enough time to spruce up .. yeah .. sure … & to have a good protein brekky downstairs before heading out. With my walking Protein is critical with sufficient water intake. Going to the Mercure Hotel buffet (leaving my reading glasses on the table) I picked my usual items. Seeing the labelled egg basket, like yesterday I took 2 eggs. My first clue should have been the boiled eggs were quite cool, but I’ve had that experience in other hotels. Slicing off the top I found the egg to be raw & not boiled. Bit of a controlled mess followed, but discreetly. Argh!! Putting my glasses on I went back & the boiled eggs were in a tiny machine, so I took my 2 quite warm eggs back to my table. All is now good & made a smoothie out of the raw egg. Never waste what is good for you.

Racing up the 2 levels of stairs (their miniature lift is beyond slow) I quickly got my room sorted & headed out hoping the predicted 20% rain was a furphy. Bloody hell it was cold!!! It is now 8am & the only sign of life were the market people stocking their markets out front (once a week on Sundays). The market of fruit, vegetables, fish & bread, etc ran for about 200m in 2 rows, so it was a decent size. I headed north to The Pantheon (Paris version) but knowing I would be there before it would open at 10am. My ticket for the strict attendance at The Louvre is set for 11.15am to obtain my 11.30am entry. They will not accept you being late for the timing & one must not to fail this requirement. I correctly anticipated this Pantheon would not exceed Rome’s Pantheon’s internal wonders going by the literature I saw, so going inside was not critical, as the Louvre has priority.

From my hotel to The Pantheon is 1hr of walking (4.8klms away) so I had best be off, but not in a hurry. I walked the deserted suburban streets for ages .. seems like I’m one of the few in Paris today. Did I say it was chilly? Even walking was cold & I was glad I put my scarf on & now to keep my hands in my pockets. Brrr!! It certainly wasn’t pleasant to see people sleeping on the footpaths & in front of doorways overnight. Too many for my liking. Paris has a lot of beggars & pick pockets, so you must always be aware. I was walking accurately today so everything was going well (GPS working when needed). As time went on, the buildings became more historically elaborate & exclusive assuming this area is another prime neighbourhood. I found The Pantheon quite easily & what an impressive structure. It was also surrounded by other impressive buildings of a university & also a Government Services building along with other churches (Eglise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, bottom right photo) & basilicas. Two couples had arrived & noticed the sign saying 10am opening, so they headed off for coffee. About 5-7 people are present, so it’s still a deserted Paris.

After seeing the externals of The Pantheon & other buildings I set off for the Notre Dame near the River Seine where it entailed around 2.6klms of walking. It is now around 9.30am & I can finally see Paris kicking citizens & tourists out into the chilly world with gritted teeth & the line up for the coffee & bakery stores are quite long. It will be another hour before I see the volume of runners hitting the pavements trying to get a clear run through the volume of people. Some with shorts & singlets .. you’re kidding!!!!

As I get closer to The Notre Dame you can see the increase in people traffic, so you know you’re making progress getting closer. Turning the corner & WOW!! What a glorious sight! You cross a narrow street to the bridge of the River Seine & you can get your first photo from the church’s side. The first stone of the cathedral was laid in 1163 by Bishop Maurice de Sully who was the main promoter of the construction & was a builder of many religious buildings, even outside of France. His famous master building was the Notre Dame. This site in history was the start of the town of Paris before it became the city. This Medieval Catholic Church was completed in 1345AD, dedicated to the Virgin Mary (Our Lady) & built on an island in the River Seine but had many periods of vandalism & destruction over the centuries.

Driven by a revival of popularity thanks to Victor Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris, the State decided to carry out restoration work in the nineteenth century. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, the cathedral is a major place of Christian worship and the most visited monument in France in 2018. Following the fire of April 15, 2019, which destroyed the medieval framework and the spire of the cathedral, a major restoration project was being carried out to reopen it to worship and visitors on December 8, 2024. The entrance line of people for the internal viewing was insane. I couldn’t imagine the time to get to the front doors of the church. The bells are now tolling & what an incredible sound they make. I watched the line of people enter the church in a larger than normal door which is cut into the much larger front doors. The church is impressive in every form from whichever angle you see it. You must get close to really see the detail in the statues & plaques above the front doors. Truly amazing workmanship. There is an ongoing redevelopment for the church by upgrading the forecourt to start this year (currently, sand grit covering). The next stage will be utilising the large back court for an underground parking extension. The underground parking is currently under the current forecourt. The super impressive statute below is Charlemagne from France’s medieval past who was the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire & sits in the forecourt of Notre Dame.

Moving on from Notre Dame, I make my way up to the Louvre for my 11.00am appointment & 11.30am entry. It is approximately 2.2klms away along the other side of the River Seine. Leading up towards the Louvre you come across another obscene shopping area & the over-the-top Louis Vuitton shop. Insane building of wealth amongst other expensive shops. Upon reaching the outer building of The Louvre you take to the bridge over the River Siene first, towards the centre to get great photos of the river, glorious buildings & the background of Notre Dame to the South & The Eifel Tower in the North. Pity it is another full cloudy day & the sun is having another day off by just giving us enough daylight.

Walking off the bridge you cross at the pedestrian lights to enter the Louvre straight from its side with the open causeway. When I was waiting for the lights, I took notice of a policeman about 100m down along the gutter waving a mother & child on a bike to head back. She was the only one on the 2lane one-way road. I thought it was a bit weird & in hindsight did I see a worker’s truck parked at the gutter about 150m further down? That’s all the intake I took & proceeded to cross the road with other pedestrians.

Directly opposite the traffic crossing lights is a large square opening in the external building which leads you into a grand central courtyard, completely encased by 4 magnificent 3storey Louvre buildings (massive). Walking under the clockface building to the North through another causeway opening you enter the front forecourt, where you see the large iconic glass pyramid with smaller glass pyramids adjacent to it & the mass of people awaiting to buy tickets &/ or to gain entry. Buying online pre-day is certainly the best way to get in.

After a lot of photos & avoiding people doing the same, I walked to the side to get around the large glass pyramid & to seek out my ticket entrance section. In doing so, I noticed very large platform grills (3mx3m) on ground floor pavement level & with a man using a control device opens one of them showing large hydraulic stays & a row of stairs, like the action out of the film, Gladiator & a stream of people come up from that stairway. I kept walking around to my ticket section & confirming I’m 50mins away from my actual entrance, which is good timing really. After standing in front of the entry barricade for 10mins or so, taking everything in, a Frenchman with a Louvre uniform speaks loudly in French, then English to the crowd; stating there is a “technical issue” happening & we are closing The Louvre. WHAT!!!!

Everyone finally starts hearing him but too confused to move back as instructed. Within about 2mins a Special Police Squad of about 12 fully armed officers come up from that stairwell I described earlier & form a barrier line to set up more barricades than was previously. I had already got the message & moved back but some ‘idiots’ kept asking the police where to buy tickets. Really? .. yes, I heard them several times. Stupidity, really does my head in. The Frenchman, referred to earlier continues to yell out “Full Refunds apply .. The Louvre is now closed for the day. Go see Paris”. Bummer!!!!

Within another 2mins the reservist army personnel with their AK47s (possibly) parade the forecourt & then the volumes of police sirens are heard getting closer. I saw the emergency hierarchy arriving & running to the senior police officers, so I’m thinking it’s more than a technical issue .. whatever that means. They did a rapid job of clearing the thousand or so people out from all 4 directions with the front courtyard being the main one. Might have been the show of guns. Haha. It was unusual for me to see the rush of the emergency hierarchy (in suits) towards the police in charge & for the 4 persons involved they were all doing the French double kissing on the cheeks (all males) … but it’s France, hey. Then they start talking & pointing. Most people have now got the message & shouldn’t be in this area so all but a few headed off when it was again reconfirmed The Louvre is certainly closed for the day.

I contacted my tour provider, (Headout) by their contact email stating the immediate events & confirming I cannot reschedule, so a refund must be forthcoming, despite their claims of no refunds, as it is out of everyone’s control & The Louvre stating all will be refunded. I await their positive response but it’s France & I have little faith based on what I’m coming across in Paris. Another point, I think they forget countries like ours saved their arses twice in world wars. With not much else to do & feeling the tiredness of all my walking I headed back towards the Eifel Tower that I can still see & be nearer to my hotel, but first I seek a light ‘lunch’ & a bloody hot coffee to wrap my cold hands around the cup first. Across the road from where I was yesterday having lasagne, I noticed a crepe shop. Sadly, they were empty of customers, yet the menu & pricing looks OK. The owner sees me & I gladly accommodate by walking inside to instant warmth. I ordered a cappuccino & a crepe & all is now good. With me sitting there, suddenly people start looking in & by the time I left, the restaurant was full. I told the owner I had brought them in. He smiled & said “Thank you”. My Louvre ticket also included a River Seine cruise, but I was not prepared to do this as I’ve already walked the same river walkway plus did not want to jeopardise my refund application.

By the time I got back to my hotel, I checked my fb & found The French Media & TV had already posted the reason for the Louvre immediate closure today, in that it was a jewellery robbery that took place this morning around 9.30am I believe. Go Figure, on the most valuable of museums there is a flaw in security. The female Arts Minister responsible for all Arts, Culture, etc is getting a full bashing due to her previous crappy performances they are bringing out. Head of Security at The Louvre is a female plus the security supervisor is a female also. Seems like a typical DEI promotion. Apparently, workers used a small furniture delivery truck (like an escalator) that scales up to 3storeys, parked on the street & with iron bar cutting saw they made out they were working on a Sunday as per a normal job setup on the street wearing the Hi-Vis & workers gear. It is also alleged, the alarm system for those windows & room areas had been turned off some weeks ago by all accounts. Wreaks of an inside job surely. No alarms went off anywhere, so the security is a joke. You would think or even expect a perimeter security check would be done each morning & night as a priority & any such work scene would be properly scrutinised. Everyone was asleep at the wheel. I’m one of the people that won’t get to see The Louvre this trip, so to say I’m pissed is an understatement on my #1 tour pick! The Louvre should pay for my Paris trip return. Hold my Beer!! End of rant!!!  For now!!! I’d say, if I returned to Paris, it would solely be to see the Louvre & the inside of Notre Dame.

Not much is happening in this freezing afternoon, so I’ll end my #11 blog off here. Many thanks for reading my blogs. My next blogs will be leaving Paris for Amiens (tomorrow, 20/10/25),1hr by train to the North for the WW1 experience. Hopefully, I’ll have a better run at the dreaded Garde de Nord train station tomorrow. Please stay safe, happy & healthy. Cheers.

Post Blog: There were 4 robbers involved. 3 were caught within 2weeks. They left a jewelled crown (damaged) next to the truck in their getaway on small motorbikes. The internal robbery took 7mins apparently within the building. Confirmed 1 robber had worked in security at The Louvre. No sign of the jewels or crowns to date. With hindsight or whatever you wish to call it I remember seeing a policeman acting a little weird about 100m down the street from the bridge & also the furniture elevator truck but really didn’t register that strongly with me however I know which elevation they used to enter the window but 30mins earlier I would have seen everything unfold.

My Europe Tour 2025 – Blog #10 – Amsterdam to Paris 17 – 18/10/25

17/10/2025 I managed to pack most of my things, leaving my Aus banking till after brekky & then heading out to Amsterdam Centraal to catch the Eurostar train to Paris via Garde de Nord (train terminates there) at 11.10am. Can’t help but notice yesterday & today the sun is out .. typical when I’m leaving. Finally seeing the sky of blue instead of a constant off-white sheet. Things do change with the trains, so I kept an eye on the train schedule board for the correct platform. Trains are only shown about 30mins prior to arriving, so best be quick to the platform. Usually the train arrives on #15 & today that was correct. The platforms are so long they have 15A & 15B by cutting the platform length into halves. I’m on #15A.

The carriages were of a high standard & very clean. I found my seat & to my luck no-one was sitting next to me .. well .. until we stopped at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (next stop) where a man sat next to me & wouldn’t utter a word. Anyway, he got off the train north of Belgium after about an hour & then I had the whole seat to myself. Yay!! Coming into Belgium we had a police incident, so we are running 20mins late so far.

Do you ever get the feeling something is going a little too well? Arriving at Garde de Nord Train Station was something else. Not enough clear English signs of course .. to be expected. The international trains (like mine) arrive on Level 1 (Hall 1) with about 12 platforms. The domestic & regional trains are on a few floors directly below which is an engineering marvel in itself. On the below levels there are Zones (about 5 Halls I think) where you have to work out which line you need. My phone said 4 RER B Sud, so where in the hell is that & where do I get my ticket? Found out later Sud means South & Nord means North. This place is enormous & then throw in a few thousand passengers & here we are, a bull ant colony with no chance of any communication with the clear sign I was a traveller, totally confused & no help forthcoming from any of the scrambling ‘ants’. After backtracking several times, I started using my secret cus words (plenty of them), especially when you have people walk right through you. This place really tests you! I eventually find a service counter back on Level 1. The lady looked at my phone & gave me my required ticket €6.30) & told me to go right & then down. Excellent! NOT!!

Nothing is making real sense at the moment, standing around to get a sign or some bearings. After walking the entire level 2 (Hall 2) I can see a board showing Saint -Michel- Notre Dame Station train in small print for Platform 42. Yay!! Upon arrival at the entrance of 42, large glass doors were locked for some reason. Passengers standing by were getting real jitty & then the doors finally opened without warning to stairs going up. My duffle bag is 19.4kgs & my day backpack is around 7kgs & I managed to beat a lot of people up the 30+ stairs; a lot were struggling. Within 2mins our train comes in & we are off. 3 stops down I get off at Saint -Michel- Notre Dame station for another train (another platform up). 3 stops later I get off at Champ de Mars (closest station to the Eifel Tower) & to my Mercure Hotel. With a bit of walking around the Eifel Tower I can see my Mercure Hotel & when entering a full bus of people were checking in. After a while a passenger comes up & says “we are not in a line, so you can go to the counter”. Yay!! Just as I got to the counter a French lady rudely jumps in front of me with no apologies. The reception staff found this very uncomfortable. She took 10mins to leave & then I started the check-in only to be told I’m at the wrong Mercure Hotel. Argh!! There are 3 Mercure’s within this small neighbourhood, so I made sure the next one was mine.

After checking in & paying the far cheaper City Tax of €25.35, compared to the whopping €128.80 for Amsterdam, I sorted out my room (King bed now) & then strolled over to both sides of the Eifel Tower (across the river too) where there were a couple of thousand people walking around & queuing for the climb up. I do my climb access at 12noon tomorrow on a pre-booked tour. At first look of the Eifel, you say, is that it, thought it would be taller … but when you sit there for a while & take in the sections it is quite the marvel. Will be a good view tomorrow.

Saw a street food vendor & he made a bbq chicken with spice, tomatoes, lettuce & seasoning wrap & it was amazing; €8 thanks (Yikes .. $15AUD). I followed it up with a high protein drink (24g) seeing I had done 15,164 steps today = 11.92klms. I’ll try & get a night photo of the Eifel Tower tomorrow seeing I just saw the lights from a distance. They start at 7pm & the added light show stays on for 5mins & this is repeated every hour till 11pm I think. My hotel is about 600m from the tower, so the location is good. From my 2nd floor room, I can see the top 80m or so. I had a really good sleep, an almost hot shower & into the buffet breakfast by 7.40am. This Mercure Hotel is a step down from the fantastic Eden Hotel in Amsterdam, but it is what it is & still I’m comfortable.

18/10/25 With time on my side, I headed off to what I believed was the Eifel Tower going by what I saw yesterday afternoon so I can travel further east for the Arc de Triomphe first. My tour of the Eifel Tower starts at 12noon. I’m trying to save my data as it seems to be used quickly now so I’m limiting my Google Maps use. Well, after a while I checked G Maps & to cut this story down it was playing up quite a bit. Today, my brain compass is not working either & so is G Maps. Argh!!! Finally, I get to Eifel Tower with around 40minutes of valuable wasted time & walking prior. Heading East from the tower, you go over the Pont d’lena bridge over the River Seine towards the phallic symbol fountain lake, Fontaine de Varsovie & then Trocadero, historical area & gardens & keep walking somewhat East for a while then head Southeast to see the Arc de Triomphe. I walked the elaborate street, Av. Georges Mandel with super expensive houses but of course that is the very long way. Bloody G Maps!!! If I had turned right after the bridge & took Av. D’Lena I would have seen the equestrian statue of George Washington & straight on to the Arc de Triomphe in all its glory (more facts below).

With the time remaining to my Eifel Tower Tour, I couldn’t squeeze into the subway walks to the centre of the Arc de Triomphe like my friend Renske said to do (she walked through the traffic which is really a no-no)!!! Took whatever photos I could then headed down the Av. Des Champs – Elysees for a while then turned right at the extra lavish Louis Vuitton shop. Passing these exclusive shops, I could feel a nosebleed coming on with the thought of how much money needed to shop here. Certainly extravagant. G Maps still playing up but my brain compass is working, a little. I headed off towards the Eifel Tower for my tour.

I had to now walk past my hotel, via the Eifel Tower again to check in with Get Your Guide shop for my guide & ticket I ordered back in August & then at 12noon my group walked back to the Eifel Tower & skipped the very long lines (up to 1hr usually to get through on these) to go through 2 screening airport-type systems to ensure you are not taking in anything like at an airport or anything metal-like to prevent idiots from carving their names into the expensive paint on the structure. They even screen for padlocks to prevent people from activating them on the structure.

Natalii was our guide & she asked us all to say where we are from. She then said she has been labelled many countries of origin due to her looks & dialect. After many unsuccessful guesses, she said Ukraine to all our amazement. She left 3yrs ago (war) where she was an English teacher & this guide work these past 3yrs has been most welcomed & enjoyable. She is now learning her 4th language at an age around 35, I guess. In these 3yrs she has done over 3,000 visits to the tower, so she is well versed.

Some quick stats on the Eifel tower, naming rights of the architect & engineer, Gustave Eiffel built in 1889 for an ‘Expo’ & also to celebrate the 100yr anniversary of the French Revolution. Eiffel had a fast-growing international engineering company & he fought hard against the elites in constructing it. To enable to get his dream started he supplied 85% of the costs to design & build it & pay for the naming rights & then the French Government reluctantly paid the remaining15%. Today just 1% of the earnings goes to Eiffel’s company & the govt takes 99%, so it’s a cruel outcome .. but typical of poor govts. Today, the tower generates more than 7million visitors each year & produces revenue of €100mil each year in just ticket sales alone.

The original height was 1,024ft, current height is 1,083ft using the antennae. The 4 tower feet are spaced at 410ft on the ground & the 1st floor height is 187ft, providing 14,485sq’ & the 2nd floor 377ft height providing 4,692sq’ with the 3rd floor height of 906ft providing 820sq’ with an exclusive restaurant that is ridiculously expensive. Just below the 1st Floor there are 72name plaques placed around the outside frame. These are men who have led the design, scientists, physicists & the like to enable the structure to be built. The govt is planning to place female names below the 2nd platform of recognised scientists, etc, like Madame Curie but no-one knows when, as a means of female recognition that didn’t happen in the past.

The structure has 7,300tons of dead metal weight & with the add-ons gives a total weight of 10,100tons. There are 18,038 metal pieces & 2.5mil rivets used. The original construction took 2yrs, 2mths & 5days to build. It was to last only 20yrs but with radio transmission evolving it became critical to keeping it. It is repainted every 7yrs & now into its 20th repaint. 60 tons of paint & 25 hand brush specialist painters are used each time (2yrs to fully paint) & many colours have been done over its 136yrs. The new colour is the same for 1907 but this time they are removing multi layers of paint for better bonding & protection. When it was previously painted through the 1900s the painters would climb it free hand, no ropes or pulleys. I saw the video … Yikes!!

Getting to the 2nd floor was by a type of Funicular lift (5 lifts are within the structure) & it was a good ride despite being packed in like the Japan Train Push. Moving out on the 2nd floor & mezzanine floor was insanely windy & very cold to boot. I froze of course until I got to the other side for the sun & wind block. The Arc de Triomphe could be seen of course & it looked tiny, but when compared to the surrounding structures it was quite large. I believe the Eifel Tower is still the highest structure in Paris, but it must be close with the skyscrapers out into a new part of the city. The Arc de Triomphe is 162.5’ high, width 147’ & depth 72.9’. Construction started 1806 & inaugurated in 1836. It was built to honour those who died in the French Revolution & Napoleonic Wars. Beneath its vault lies The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from WW1. Like a huge bicycle wheel there are 12 (spokes) avenues coming of it on a roundabout configuration. Happy motoring!

After my adventures today I had this yearning for pasta, yes, I know I’m in Paris & found this great Italian restaurant, La Piccolino. It was a great little place & my lasagne with mushrooms & a special sauce was amazing. I’m hoping I’m not in Barcelona yearning for escargot. LOL!!! I walked away from the River Siene & took another view of the Eifel & saw another part of this historic area, including the stature of General Joseph Joffre (WW1) out the front of the impressive Ecole Militaire (Military Academy) opened in 1780.

I’m busy doing my blogs, so I’ll end this blog # 10 & trying to get my A game on tomorrow for a hectic big day. Today, I did 25,166 steps = 19.66klms of walking, not counting my night walk to the tower in the hope of getting a light photo. I managed to get out at night for the 8pm lighting of the tower. From 7pm – 10pm there is light show for 5mins every hour where the tower has sparkling light flashes, like a Christmas tree over the existing lights. In returning to my hotel, I managed the total of 28,625 steps = 22.4klms!!! Many thanks for reading my blogs. My next blogs will be more of Paris (Pantheon, Notre Dame & The Louvre + river cruise hopefully). Please stay safe, happy & healthy. Cheers.

My Europe Tour 2025 – Blog #8 – Amsterdam 13 & 14/10/25

If you read my last blog (#7), you would see the journey, I had in getting to my Eden Hotel in Amsterdam. With that said, I slept very well, my room was excellent for a king single bed unit with ensuite with the hottest water for a shower I’ve come across. 13/10/25 (Day 12) With my room cost the buffet breakfast was included & WOW! .. it is a full breakfast. For the insane City Tax incurred (€128) when checking in the hotel it should be a 5star to justify that expense.

Amsterdam is a city of about 1Mil people; it is full of bikes, trams & tram lines, cycleways, roads in every direction, canals you can’t get your head around for direction, etc. You quickly learn where & when to walk & use your 360° vision. For a bustling city you can get around quite easily & just about everything goes within reason. Not too much policing, but they are about everywhere. Certain road & tram etiquette is required but people walk like ants in a colony. Another thing that hit me was the frequent strong smell of weed. It is legal here on the streets & in pubs, etc.

My first task was to pack my day bag ready for a bicycle tour & to head to the required meeting place up near Amsterdam Centraal, about a 22min walk away. Today & by the looks of the week it is going to be a very cloudy day, with misty rain. I walked past Magna Plaza which is a high-end shopping centre under renovations so there’s very little inside. I eventually found the bike shop but of course I was 25mins early & they were shocked to see me well ahead of time. I explained my diligence in being early in everything I attend. I went up the street & found a great little café (Caffe Vergnano 1882) where I was able to unwind very quickly & even did a review on it while I was there.

Again, I was right on time for my bike, but we had some very late commers, so we had to start the introduction & safety criteria again. So frustrating & it’s starting to rain. Must remember to not follow parallel with the tram lines, for you will come undone very quickly & violently. Baylon was our guide, but he was over cautious & it was harder to ride much slower. He showed us several historical buildings and their facade effects of shutters, gantries, etc even after major restorations. A couple from Scotland were my adopted partners, for they seriously needed watching over. I opted to ride last so I could keep an eye on the couple plus allow Baylon to easily see my bright blue wind jacket. As time went on, the group surged ahead of us at one major road crossing on a bend leaving the wife & myself behind. I could read her mind where she was going to take a direct short cut to catch up to her husband & I sped up a bit to catch her right arm & yell stop!!! She didn’t hear the tram coming up from behind her & she was just about to ride in front of it. The tram missed her by 600mm max. Catching her emotions, she was extremely thankful I saved her from the thought of a tram run over. Now the group was just about out of sight with no visual of what had happened. With a bit of collective confidence, we crossed the tram lines & took up the street & made good time. She could not wait to tell her husband of that near-miss. Very lucky & still Baylon was none the wiser.

We stopped in the huge natural forest park Baylon calls Amsterdam’s NY Central Park (Vondelpark) due to the same landscape designer used here. The lady (wife) shouted me a coffee for sticking with her & before long we were back on our bikes. We did get to see Ann Frank’s house externally & to see inside it is booked out for months. Not far from Ann Frank’s house is Westerkerk, a protestant church (1620 – 1631) which is Rembrandt’s burial place. Amsterdam is basically built on an extensive pine tree forest of some 13million or so trees due to the area being swamp land. Amsterdam Centraal Station is built on about 9,000 trees & fill. A lot of older buildings are early 1904 – 1940s (war period) & some are leaning in on a corner, but no-one worries about this. There are lots of houses (3 storeys high) that have a gantry out from the attic with a pulley wheel for getting stock & furniture up from the street. Houses were even built intentionally leaning out from the 1st floor to help with the lifting process so they wouldn’t hit the frontage or glass windows. You can see this in my photos. Very unnerving for me.

Going to another nearby & smaller park we stopped to see the Turkey & US Embassies next door to each other & diagonally opposite is the Concert Hall in all its grandeur. After that we cycled back to the bike shop & within a few minutes everyone had gone, all without any commentary or safe travels, etc. Really weird. I did see the Scottish couple some 80m up the street & managed to get them to wave back. Oh well, Go Figure? Anyway, I hit the pavement again to see more of Amsterdam. The canal boats, Victoria Hotel & St Nicholas Basilica built in the same years as Amsterdam Centraal. I didn’t manage a visit inside .. seems to have the big doors closed all the time.

I had to do a Dutch pancake thing before I run out of days, so I found this great cozy pancake café (lots of them but not everyone is cute & welcoming) called Milky Pancakes & they were so accommodating & really enjoyed my time there. The banana & hazelnut topping on the pancake was yummo!!!! After that, I had to do some serious walking to wear down that pancake & walked into the large plaza with the Royal Palace & the central sculpture where they have a dedication ceremony on 4th May each year & then Liberty Day on the 5th, so it’s a huge giving thanks & then celebration time.

14/10/25 (Day 13) Along the canals there are many permanent canal homes (old boats & barges) that have strict city & maritime controls on them. They eventuated when housing was extremely rare straight after WW2 & most have remained in that way of living. After that canal I went down to another canal to see the now famous ‘Skinny Bridge’ which was used in a James Bond film a few years back. Walking over it you can see how it works to raise the wooden platform for the bigger boats. Very ingenious & many more types can be found.

In the photo of the little black house next to the canal was the home of Rembrandt when he was painting. It is now a little café & looks very good for its age even though it is tilting slightly. Moving on you can see the green ship like structure. That is the NEMO Science Museum. I walked up along its ramped roof to take better view pictures but a bit expensive to go into it. I did take a photo of the insane engineered water clock in the foyer that was designed & completed by a physicist. The architect of the ‘green ship’ never designed it as a ship structure but something about light & dark .. (too much weed, I think) but so many Amsterdam citizens call it the ‘Green Ship’. Looking back down the ramp, you can see the Naval Museum with an old bounty ship moored there. This building also stored all sorts of ammunition & arms there for the defending of Amsterdam & now is a museum.

I checked out a souvenir shop (so many to see) & in broad daylight at a small child’s eye level was the rude section & my photo only took the less dirty section, so it can be full on here. I don’t believe any prudes live in Amsterdam. Also, walking past certain shops, bars especially I often get a full lung of weed smoke. Cough. Also, people all around are smoking the stuff, so you can’t avoid it plus the smell. Explains why I was painless, sort of happier when I arrived back at the hotel each day. LOL!!!

My first full day here took in 10,915 steps = 8.52klms on 13/10 & 15,009 steps = 11.63klms on 14/10, so not bad. Tomorrow, 15/10/25 (Day 14) I take a short train trip to Naarden Burrum train station to meet up with a very close friend, Ayla who had to postpone from Tuesday (14/10) which was totally fine & understandable. So blessed she could still make it for this old man.

I’ll end my 8th Blog here & many thanks for reading them. My next blogs will be more of Amsterdam & catching up with 2 of my much-loved backpacker friends I met years ago at my new hometown of Yamba at my cousin’s then Yamba Backpackers as well. Please stay safe, happy & healthy.

My Europe Tour 2025 – Blog #3 – Rome – Vatican

3/10/25 Day 2 OK, with the Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill Areas 3hr full on tour & past lunchtime on a warm day it was now very pressing for me to get over to the other side of the River Tiber to the Vatican City for my tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica, etc. Today, Rome had a united train strike, so public transport was overwhelmed & traffic very heavy so as per my usual method I did my walking. From the Colosseum to the Vatican City is 4.1klms taking a calculated 55mins. I did it in 40mins & still took various photo landmarks along the way & in time to meet our guide. At the start there is no direct straight route until you come to the River Tiber, so it feels like I’m walking a circle. Lots to see along the way to the Vatican so the walk has benefits … if you’re fit too. LOL!! Beware .. lots of photos following.

From my photos you can see various history buildings, magnificent statues, fountains but extremely hard for me to know who & what they are until I see the photo details in my phone, for I make a point to have my location setting on which then aligns the photo to the name & address. It is obvious you can see the dome of the Vatican for miles so it’s easier knowing you’re going in the right direction. Firstly, you come across the original Stone wall with entrance doors which is not for us public people. The Vatican is its own country & government so a law unto themselves of course. While I think of it there are some restaurants/ cafés etc around the Vatican City that secretly invoke a table fee if you wish to sit down for a meal, coffee, etc. If you don’t ask about it when entering, you will find out big time when you get the bill. Some demand €20 which is a big OUCH!!! Can be a bloody expensive coffee. On that note, I didn’t spend a cent anywhere near the Vatican City.

The entrance brings you into a large courtyard with impressive building facades, a large pinecone & an incredible spiral ball sculpture that has several opinions of what it supposed to represent. Certainly, an eye grabber & such a detailed sculpture of modern art. The Pinecone sculpture, known as the Fontana della Pigna, is a monumental bronze statue located in a courtyard to the museum entrance, symbolizing immortality and rebirth. The Pinecone, or Pignone, is a bronze sculpture that stands approximately 4 metres (13 feet) tall & is hollow. It dates back to the 2nd century AD and was originally part of a fountain that adorned the Temple of Isis in ancient Rome. The courtyard itself is a blend of ancient and modern art, with the Sphere within a Sphere sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro also located here, symbolizing the relationship between the spiritual and physical worlds. With the sphere you can apply your muscles & get it to rotate & the inner sphere rotates with the out one & this action causes a mesmerizing stance if you’re not careful.

From the new side entrance, you are led into a chamber that overlooks a spiral ramp, much like the Guggenheim in NY. Our guide took us past this for some unknown reason into a large hall with over 1,000 small & large sculptures which is a bit much to take in however, the curved ceilings are really an eye opener too. I remain wondering where the spiral ramp would take you.

The Vatican City is completely full of all types of impressive sculptures, paintings & artifacts. I think our guide said 10,000 art pieces so there is no way in seeing them all. I can’t see how anyone can put a $value on these, get insurance cover & pay the premiums. LOL!! While you are walking with the crowd admiring the super detailed sculptures, etc you have to at the same time take in the high wall & ceiling paintings throughout the complex. It can be quite a feat! Our guide is super-fast in her speech too .. you can feel her religious passion & belief, so a lot of things are missed like each painting shows a story of course & once you get it, it all makes sense, but our transmitted earpieces cut in & out at times & there’s just too much to see & deal with.

While you’re looking at the ceiling, don’t forget to look at the various floors. Haha … another test! Some floors are all types of marble, granite & most impressive mosaic tiles, so fine you can hardly see the floors are tiled (like a painting). While I’m at it, one photo (hard to remember in my photos which one however it is about 4m x 3m in area) is of fine mosaic tiles so small that from my allowed 1.5m distance it is argued it’s a painting. How in the hell (bad word to use here .. haha .. but plenty of hell images in the paintings so I’m free I guess) does anyone have the skills to do this intense mural? Awaiting your answer … crickets?? The other impossible thing, when you’re allowed to take photos is to do it without the crowd always in front of you.

While I remember, there is one painting (artist name lost in my memory) painted this huge painting of God with Jesus holding one arm raised lifting the good people up to his heaven & the other hand pressing down the no-gooders into the hell version. At the time of the painting the artist was getting a lot of pressure & demands from a less liked pope at the time. Down the bottom of the rh corner is the portrait of that pope being in the no-good section. Classic revenge: while his self-portrait is closer to Jesus & in the centre of the painting holding a distorted dark face in a cloth which resembles his bad face doing this revenge side of him (sin). Apparently, the Pope never discovered this in the painting for he would have surely taken more than revenge upon the artist. There are lots of occasions where the artist or the architect has taken a revenge on the opposition in these paintings & structures. Very interesting.  

Curved walls & ceilings, domes, fountains, arches, gold, silver, bronze are beyond belief & I can’t type what I’m seeing, so enjoy each photo for is just too much to take in. Also note: NO photos to be taken within the Sistine Chapel so that’s another 50photos I could have on my phone to further show what is housed in that area. OMG!! Amazing & full of Michelangelo’s work throughout the ceiling (4yrs to paint it), The Last Judgement & The Creation of Adam. You could stand there for hours taking in the finest details of the immense artworks Michelangelo painted. A testimony to an extreme talent of a human.

We eventually see daylight into St Peter’s Square & after about 10mins we ventured into St Peter’s Basilica (up until 1989 it was the largest Christian church in the world) to more amazement & insane treasures of everything imaginable. There was a special service happening at the altar, so we couldn’t venture past the barricade, some 30m from the alter. The pipe organ was playing & a choir singing & it was an amazing experience to feel how this church really is. Reaching the end of the tour we are left to take our time in our departure while in St Peter’s, so after a while I ventured out to start my walk home being almost converted to priesthood. I was surprised to see a gorgeous blonde that was in our other group walking to the side 2m from me. We sat on different seat areas while waiting for our check-in prior. After my introduction I asked her what she thought of the last 3hrs. Her statement matched mine “OVERWHELMING”!!! Like me, couldn’t believe what we had seen. We walked for a bit together, but you could see she was concerned walking with a stranger & saw a shop she said to see, so I allowed her to ‘escape’ .. haha .. that’s how it goes .. allowing trust, privacy & safety to others as being paramount.

On my way back to my hotel I walked past the Colosseum & more impressive landmarks getting the evening light senses on my photos without the dreaded glaring sun I had to fight against at times. Just on the other side of the Colosseum I came across a set of stairs & too far to circle around them, so I toughened up & took the 101 steps to the top. Certain muscles let me know about it after the day of walking I had done. All in all, with my full day of walking which included the Colosseum area tour of the morning I had managed 24,350 steps or 18.94klms. Yikes!!!

Hope you enjoy the photos & truly, I cannot type or include all my photos on everything, so I’ll end my 3rd Blog here & many thanks for reading them. My next blogs will have more sights of Rome, Politano & Pompei. Please stay safe, happy & healthy

My Europe Tour 2025 – Blog #2 – Rome

Day 1 in Rome – 2/10/2025

OK!! I’m now in Rome city (Historic Quarter & my first EVER day in Europe) 9am after my expensive train from the airport (Blog 1) & my first project is to find a café, for coffee & to use their WiFi as my Saily Data package has not evolved as promoted to me. Using my data provider on my original Australian Network will incur an obscene charge per day so I’ll persist in seeking out a better solution. I am without the internet & everything else. A wonderful café opposite to the Rome Termini (Central Station) was Sfizio & they were superb. Everything appeared to kick in on my phone with Saily once the WiFi took hold. I could now confirm where my hotel is (not far) but upon leaving Sfizio & a block away, I again had no internet. I finally found my hotel Bettoja Hotel Massimo D’Azeglio without Google Maps & left my bags at reception (too early to check-in) & took a map they had at the counter, as I had a Patheon Tour (Italia Explorer) booked for 2pm @ $21.84AUD. With plenty of time I headed off, but the map reading was all over the place. The thousands of people & tourists made walking the streets bloody hard & I found myself doubling back several times & not quite int the direction needed. The street signage was in a level of crap of small writing & not making sense!!! Really out of my depth.

With frustration mounting (I had already done about 6klms of walking) & by the time I had found The Pantheon & my guide before the required deadline. He helped by putting me straight in (skip the line booking) which was a huge bonus instead of waiting for my designated time. The Pantheon was truly amazing & I can’t believe how this construction was carried out back then. The front 16 stone columns each weigh 60tons & were hand crafted in Egypt & shipped over. They used up to twelve elephants to erect each column. When inside, the wonder continues with great stone sculptures, arts & the world’s largest concrete dome of that type above us. The dome is 43.44m (142.5’) in diameter & is the largest unsupported concrete dome in the world & has had the record for over 2,000years (125AD). History does not record who built it, but it started in 27BC & was rebuilt to finish 125AD. The circular walls are 24’ thick & the entrance doors are bronze at 24’ high with an opening of about 14’ wide. The open eye “oculus” of the dome is a whopping 27’ in diameter & hardly any rain falls through it. The floor has a 1’ slope from the centre to accommodate any rain that rarely comes through it. For centuries experts could not prove the components of the true Roman Concrete of that age. The recipe had been lost long ago. With the latest technology used on original foundation footings still present today they found the vital ingredient which was the ash (white & grey pumice) from the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD over Pompei, etc making it the strongest concrete ever.

The Pantheon & Obelisk

After the Pantheon I found another café with WiFi & contacted the Bot in Saily Support where the AI really can be scary .. so human like in answering & it diagnosed my phone was cutting in & out with the Airplane mode. After a few interactions & waiting the required seconds on the mode setting Saily cut in fully & no more problems after that so it was easy to find my way back to my hotel. I am now aware the Airplane mode can be erratic. My Samsung Health App notified me I had walked 23,705 steps equaling 18.56klms if you don’t mind. Yikes!!!

Upon returning to my hotel, quite close to the Rome Termini Station (Central) I was quite shocked trying to convince the reception staff on my check-in stating they had my bags in storage that morning. Finally, the staff realised I was in the wrong Bettoja Hotel, which was directly across the road from my Bettoja Massimo D’Azeglio. I was informed the father Bettoja had 3 hotels & upon his passing, each of his 3 sons inherited a hotel each & they are near each other (Mediterraneo was opposite & Atlantico on same block but further down). They are stunning hotels & had better get my attendances right over the next few days. LOL!! Finally settled into the night & sorting out my 4day stay & to get ready for my early morning Colosseum tour (1.5klms, 18mins walk away from my hotel).

3/10/25 Day 2 The hotel delivered my brekky right on time so heading out in the late dawn went very well. After lunchtime I must walk from the Colosseum over the River Tiber to the Vatican (50min walk, 4.1klms) for that tour. A HUGE day of course. My Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill Areas Tour by Crown Tours through Viator, was for a 9.30am start where the meeting point was 20mins walk away & I detest being late for anything. It is critical to organising an early morning tour, as by lunchtime the volume of people at the Colosseum is beyond ridiculous & the temperature is more comforting. Our guide was Annalisa, a documented archaeologist who apologised frequently in confirming a lot what we have been shown & taught are so out of touch to the real history we may become upset or disillusioned. The Gladiator movie was an example where it was more of Hollywood illusion of course.

After the viewing in awe of the Colosseum structure as we walked closer for its massive size you notice a side section is missing of its upper decks. This was due to outside thieves or colonies stealing the blocks of limestone/ travertine blocks for their other infrastructure which was an ongoing crime as building resources & workers were hard to get. The other side of the Colosseum was inhabited by a large village; hence blocks couldn’t be stolen from there. Due to the ‘vandalism’ it weakened the structure & when a great earthquake happened in 1349 & some of the fallen debris eventually was used to build hospitals, palaces & other structures. In a lot of walls of blocks, you can see small holes chipped into the blocks where the rare steel metal joining spikes were removed for other structures in time. This also weakened the walls.

The Colosseum was built in just 8yrs (72AD-80AD) using over 100,000cubic metres of stone & Roman concrete. After the fall of the Roman Empire the Colosseum was abandoned & fell into disrepair. The arena was a timber floor supported by numerous brick walls as per my photo. Sections of the floor was raised vertically by means of the adjacent aqueduct system that hydraulically lifted the selected platform for better public viewing when required. The underfloor structure, known as the hypogeum, consisted of numerous alleys of brick walls & cages where animals were caged for hunting performances. The next fighting gladiators were housed there just before their fights were to take place. The remaining gladiators were kept longer outside the Colosseum for relief & training & entered the arena underground by a tunnel. Gladiators were well paid by their schooling master’s & not killed merely for sport as per the movie The Gladiator. Their surviving skills kept them in a good financial status, but no life was long in Rome those days but not every gladiator was eliminated, unless they were poor performers.

The arena floor was also treated with a small layer of sand for the shows to reduce the effect of blood volume & slipperiness, mainly from the animal kills & not so much from any gladiator kills. Animals were hunted & slaughtered far more than any gladiator. If you look closely at the interior photo you can manage to see there were 5 seat terraces (see the staircase remains) where they placed all the lower-class people up onto the highest level, for their role was to cheer the loudest & to confirm if the losing gladiator was to live or die. The decision was decided by the volume of the cheering, not the emperor’s, thumbs up or down.

Everything you view is of a grand scale & it is hard to understand just 8yrs to build. On the eastern side, when you walk around you can see the original Rome floor was some 7m below the current ground level. This area would flood so over time the romans would build over what the floods provided with more soil making it now 7m above.

On the same side you can see the remnants of the high-level aqueducts that fed the water into the sub floor of the arena area for the hydraulics to work. The sub-floor would be flooded for approx. 1m deep. This again is confirmed when you venture adjacent to the Colosseum on the western side called Palatine Hill which also shows more intricate structure history including aqueducts over this expansive area. In the lower area, there is a small, curved wall with a new protective roof over it & this is where Julius Ceasar was assassinated by a stabbing. There is far too much history to type, discuss & take photos, so you must come to Rome for yourself & it would be a bonus in scoring our guide, Annalisa who is a walking encyclopedia. Enjoy the photos & look closely at the detail.

I’ll end my 2nd Blog here & many thanks for reading them. My next blogs will have far more pictures & of major significance of the major sights of Rome starting with the Vatican. Please stay safe, happy & healthy.