Journey Around The Globe
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Few hours in Montpellier, France
MONTPELLIER, FRANCE: Montpellier is a nice cosmopolitan city in the Languedoc-Roussilon region in southwest France. We spent about few hours in the city center before heading towards Andorra the next day. We rode their bright yellow and red trams twice on our way to city center and coming back from there. The fare is cheap and they run very frequently every hour.
- Surroundings of Promenade de Peyrou in Montpellier, France
TIME OF OUR TRAVEL: We were traveling in the 1st week of October, 2012. It was still pleasant there with some sun during the day time and little bit chilly after evening.
OUR HOTEL: We stayed in Quick Palace Montpellier here which was about 10 minutes’ drive from the airport (in St. Jean De Vedas) and surrounded by lots of other hotels and many restaurants. The tram station is within walking distance from here which takes you directly to the city center, Place de la Comedie.
- Bright colored tram of Montpellier, France
PLACES WE’VE VISITED: We barely spent few hours in Montpellier. We reached Montpellier airport around noon, then checked in at our hotel, ate something, and off to catch the tram to the city center. Visited all the places on foot from there but had to head back to hotel early since the girls were REALLYYY tired by the evening after a long day.
- Chateau d’Eau in Montpellier, France
1) La PLACE de la COMEDIE: This is the number one hot spot and a must-see in Montpellier. This oval-shaped square, dominated by the Comedie opera house (built in 1888), is one of the largest pedestrian areas in Europe. Saturday market here makes this place even crowded during weekends. This lively place is packed with many shops, cafes, old & beautiful buildings. The nearby small streets are great for shopping and taking strolls. Take a walk thru Rue de la Loge, which is probably the busiest street there with all sorts of designer and local shops. The tram station is also right there very close to the plaza.
- Place de la Comedie (Les 3 Graces can be seen on the right) in Montpellier, France
The center fountain of this plaza, called Les 3 Grâces, is one of the emblems of Montpellier. Created in 1773, the original marble statue is now located in the hall of the Comedie opera house.
2) ARC de TRIUMPH: This is only 10 minutes’ walk from Place de la Comedie on Rue Foch. At the end of the 17th century, this triumphal arch, a copy of the gates of Paris, was erected to honor King Louis XIV where one of the gates of the ancient rampart used to be. The Arc is adorned with medallions celebrating the highlights of the monarch’s reign. Ask at the Visitor’s Center for a tour of the Arc de Triumph.
- Statue of King Louis XIV and St-Clement Aqueduct can be seen thru the gate of Arc de Triumph on Promenade de Peyrou
3) PLACE ROYALE du PEYROU or PROMENADE de PEYROU: This is on the other side of Arc de Triumph behind a gate. This historical landmark sight of Montpellier provides the setting for the mounted statue of Louis XIV on his horse forming a remarkable group of monuments, with the Arc de Triumph, Water Tower, and Saint-Clement aqueduct. The magnificent panoramic view of the surrounding countryside has been exceptionally well-preserved since the late 17th century. The design of this esplanade was inspired by today’s Place de la Concorde in Paris. Two rows of trees were planted in the 19th century to form beautiful side paths.
- Arc de Triumph and statue of King Louis XIV on Promenade de Peyrou in Montpellier, France
After passing the statue of King Louis XIV in Place Royale du Peyrou, comes aqueduct Saint-Clement. Built in 1754, it supplied drinking water from the springs in the town of Saint-Clement. You can climb up the stairs to see Chateau d’Eau from the top. Created at the same time as the aqueduct in the 18th century, the water tower held the city’s water reserves.
- Saint-Clement Aqueduct in Promenade de Peyrou in Montpellier, France
4) FACULTE de MEDICINE or L’ECOLE de MEDECINE: Built in end of the 12th century, this is one of the OLDEST operating MEDICAL schools in the occidental world. Visitors can go inside the building for tour but have to book the ticket from tourist office ahead of time. It is located on one side of St. Pierre Cathedral.
- Faculte de Medecine, one of the oldest medical school in the world, in Montpellier, France
5) SAINT PIERRE CATHEDRAL: This is a historical cathedral of the city from the 14th century with beautiful bold façade. The two circular columns that support this massive and dominating structure give this the effect of a medieval fortress. The monumental porch, the bell towers, and the single nave are the Southern Gothic style. There was a huge renovation going on in front of the cathedral, so we really didn’t see the front view. From outside it looks like it was squeezed in between some buildings and narrow streets but inside is actually very big and nicely decorated with large paintings, old furniture, small pretty chapels, and a huge organ in the back. Finally, there is no fee to enter the cathedral.
6) TRIP TO ANDORRA: Andorra is one of the smallest countries in Europe and also one of the most unique countries I’ve ever seen so far. The whole country is situated on many giant mountains and its beyond just beautiful every direction you look at. 99.9% of the hotels you book here will have gorgeous mountain views. Andorra le Ville is the capital of this country and because it’s a tax-free country, Andorra is a shopping paradise for everyone.
- Andorra la Ville, Capital of Principality of Andorra
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One Lovely Blog Award
Wow, I was once again nominated for One Lovely Blog Award by one of my followers http://exxtracts.wordpress.com/ This is a great blog with so many beautiful travel pictures. Thanks Anil for this awesome gift.
Here are the rules that come with accepting this nomination:
(a) Thank the person who nominated you and link back to them in your post (and put in the logo)
(b) Share 7 things about yourself
(c) Nominate 15 or so bloggers you admire
(d) Contact your chosen bloggers to let them know
a) Once again a big thanks to Anil from http://exxtracts.wordpress.com/ for this beautiful recognition, it’s always nice when someone appreciate your work.
b) Here are 7 things about myself
1) I am a mother of 2 beautiful and intelligent daughters Tahira (6 1/2) and Umayra (2 1/2).
2) I believe in God and I also believe that every event of our lives has a specific purpose behind it, which we, humans, can’t sometimes grasp.
3) Italy is my most favorite country out of all the countries I’ve visited so far in Europe.
4) I miss my motherland, Bangladesh, very much but it scares me when I think about living there for the rest of my life.
5) I sometimes crave for good sushi and Mexican Pizza from Taco Bell (which we don’t get in Belgium).
6) My sisters are my best friends.
7) I wish we all could live happily ever after in one big house, so I wouldn’t have missed my loved ones who live far far away from me.
c) Here are 15 great blogs that I think should be nominated for this award:
1) http://vinakent.wordpress.com/about/
2) http://thelensmaster.wordpress.com/the-lens-the-stories-behind/
3) http://www.travelwriterepeat.com/?page_id=483
4) http://coffeeateight.com/about/
5) http://definitionofsanity.wordpress.com/about/
6) http://givetheglobe.wordpress.com/about
7) http://notyetgrounded.wordpress.com/about-me
8) http://rwhite687.wordpress.com/about/
9) http://cancerkillingrecipe.wordpress.com/about
10) http://convergentjourney.com/about
11) http://blackhelios.wordpress.com/about/
12) http://ooamerica.com/about/
14) http://sequinix.wordpress.com/about
15) http://arjungabriel.wordpress.com/about
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Revisiting Luxemburg
Last weekend my little sister, who lives in Virginia, was here in Belgium. We went to Luxemburg for the weekend and stayed there overnight. I didn’t forget the serene beauty of Luxemburg from our last visit 4 years ago, (I don’t think anyone can forget whoever visited this lovely country), but this visit was much needed to freshen up some of the magnificent places that the place has to offer to its visitors. Here is a picture of the old ruins of Luxemburg…enjoy
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A modern city of The Netherlands – Rotterdam
ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS: Rotterdam is a big and spread-out city, nothing like Amsterdam where most of the tourist spots are concentrated near Dam Square. You have to know where you are going here and what you want to do here, otherwise you will just keep wandering around the city not finding the real place to have fun. I am warning you, this is not a traditional Dutch village/city where you will see an old church, a decorative town hall, or big squares with statues of famous people. This is a spontaneous city with big and shiny architectures and busy life-style. It’s a highly diverse city unlike some of its neighboring small villages…people from everywhere are here.
- City center of Rotterdam, The Netherlands
After spending some time on where to park, we were a bit confused as in what to do and where to go exactly. Although we had our to-do list for Rotterdam and asked some locals, nothing really helped us to give us some directions. Then we saw the World-Trade Center and the underground mall near it. It was a relief to finally see some crowds and shops there…phew, I thought to myself, if we can’t find anything, the least we can do is spend some time on shopping 😉 So, that was our starting point to explore Rotterdam and as we kept walking following the long stretch of long pedestrian zone, we were exactly where we wanted to be in the beginning.
TIME OF TRAVELING: My parents visited Belgium in May 2012. The Netherlands was our first destination and Rotterdam was our second city there (after Gouda) to get some ultra-modern taste of Holland. The weather was fantastic and we were energetic to explore this not-so-typical Dutch city.
OUR HOTEL: We stayed in Holiday Inn in Leiden, a very nice, big, and spacious place to accommodate you with free parking and play areas for children. The location was great, because Leiden is about half an hour drive from other Dutch cities like Rotterdam, Gouda, the Hague, Utrecht, and Delft. All of these places are perfect to experience real Dutch culture and people.
WHAT TO EAT AND BUY IN ROTTERDAM: There are lots of open-air markets near the World-Trade Center of Rotterdam or the Cubic houses. This is a perfect place to do shopping and taste some traditional Dutch knickknacks, like raw herring sandwich or fried whole fish/fillet with white sauce. I saw lots of natural cosmetics and bath supplies stores in the underground mall, if you are into these stuffs.
- Fried fish in open market of Rotterdam on Hoogstraat, The Netherlands
PLACES WE’VE VISITED: We spent about a day, may be a little less, in Rotterdam. We lost some time in finding a proper parking garage and the hot spots where locals actually go.
1) UNDERGROUND MALL BEURSPLEIN or KOOPGOOT: Koopgoot means “Shopping Gutter” in Dutch and it is very close to Rotterdam City Hall and right beside World-Trade Center. The design of this marketplace is very unique and a must-see in Rotterdam. This is a pedestrian area and is very crowded in weekends. Go down the stairs to go to Beurspleain underground shops. The whole Buersplein is a combination of indoor and outdoor shopping center, probably one of the liveliest places of the city. If you keep walking straight, keeping the shopping center behind, you will see the pedestrian path stretches long way to some more open-air markets (I think it’s called Korte Hoogstraat). This whole area is a lovely place to do shopping, to take a stroll, or just to stop and do people watching.
- Beursplein underground market in the center of Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2) GROTE OF SINT LAURENSKERK (GREAT or SAINT LAWRENCE CHURCH): The church is standing here since 1449. The late-Gothic design of this building looked really nice from outside but unfortunately we couldn’t go inside since it is closed on Sundays, like any other Dutch churches. It is a historical landmark of Rotterdam city center, not too far from the Cubic houses or the World-Trade Center.
3) CUBIC HOUSES (KIJK-KUBUS): The yellow Cubic houses are something very unique and original of Rotterdam. Architecture Piet Blom designed these “playful” buildings in 1970s to give a different look to the city when Rotterdam was booming with many of these architectural evolutions. The apartment complex which features these cubical shaped houses is very close to the National Library and metro station Blaak.
- Cubic houses in Rotterdam, The Netherlands
There are tenants inside these apartments, but you can visit its museum by going to the courtyard and following the sign. The tight spaces inside these cubes are just fine for students, single tenant, or may be a couple. But you definitely should check-out the life-style and how it is decorated with contemporary furniture inside these apartments. It is 2.50 euros per person to go inside. The display apartment is open until 5 pm in weekdays and 6 pm in weekends.
- Inside a cube house in Rotterdam, The Netherlands
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A Flemish city in Belgium – Brugge
BRUGGE, BELGIUM: Brugge is the 2nd most visited city of Belgium after Brussels. We really didn’t see the charming side of Brugge in our first short visit of the city. But this time it was a great day-trip and saw a lot more than the last time. It is a Flemish city of Belgium and a nice one too. It is very similar to Gent (another Flemish city in Belgium and my most favorite one among all the Belgian cities I’ve been to so far) with old guild houses, small canals, old town etc.
- Old town of Brugge, Belgium
TIME OF TRAVELING: My uncle-in-law was in town in the 1st week of September, 2012. He has been in Europe many times for his work purposes. He lived in the Netherlands for 2 years and visited Brugge from there few times before. So, he wanted to visit the city again and walk down the memory lane while visiting us in Belgium. It was less than an hour drive from our place and made a great day-trip for us all. The sky was blue and clear and the weather was sunny and golden…just perfect to have some quality family time.
- Walking around Brugge, Belgium
WHAT TO BUY AND EAT IN BRUGGE: Belgian chocolates, tapestries, and laces are famous world-wide and Brugge has tons of stores selling these items. For a meal or drink cafes in Grote Markt is a nice place. We had lunch in one of the Italian restaurants there which also sells traditional Flemish dishes.
PLACES WE’VE VISITED: We spent about a whole day in Brugge. We really didn’t research on Brugge before going there. We just enjoyed and visited the place as they came along during our walk.
- Beautiful Brugge, Belgium
1) SINT SALVATORSKATHEDRAAL: We entered this church without knowing much about it and just by looking at its grand outlook. It is free to enter the cathedral. It’s a big church with nicely decorated high altar, many over-sized old paintings, colorful stained-glass windows, beautiful Belgian tapestries, and detailed wood and marble carvings. The cathedral houses mausoleums of several saints from the late 1600s. Many well-to-do class citizens, the nobles, and the clergymen who could afford it have their resting-place inside the church. There are different types of stones from different places, like East Flanders, Brabant, Germany, and France, which were used to build this cathedral. The oldest bricks, from the 14th century, were made in the brickyards which were situated around Brugge.
- High altar of Sint Salvatorskathedraal in Brugge, Belgium
2) GROTE MARKT: This is something similar to Brussels Grand Place/Grote Markt, may be a bit bigger square and has a statue in the middle of it. You will see all the cafes and restaurants lined up in one side of the market place with typical Flemish style guild houses. The old post office is also located here (orange and beige building) at one side of Belfry. This is also a good place to hire a horse-wagon ride to get a tour of the historic places of the city. It is a great place to just chill and enjoy the surrounding old architectures.
- Typical Flemish style buildings and cafes in Grote Markt, Brugge, Belgium
Belfry in Grote Markt is part of an impressive 13th century building. In the Middle Ages the hall was used for storing and displaying different goods. The top, octagonal lantern tower in Brabant limestone was built between 1482 and 1486. This is a UNESCO World Heritage site to mainly draw attention to the symbolic significance of the belfries as testimonials of the prosperous and autonomous late-medieval cities in the region. Visitors can go to inner courtyard that contains some temporary museums and occasional outdoor concerts. This 83-meter high tower can be accessed from 9:30 am to 4:15 pm everyday by paying 8 euros per adult and 4 euros for kids 6 – 15 years of age. There are 366 steps to climb to go on the top.
- Belfry of Grote Markt in Brugge, Belgium
3) DE BURG: De Burg is another little but beautiful square situated right beside Grote Markt or the Market Place. You can follow the narrow alley from Grote Markt on the left side when facing the Belfry. Brugge’s present City Hall and old city hall are both in this square. The architecture of old city hall and Basilica of the Holy Blood are simply beautiful. We didn’t go inside any of these buildings and not sure if the visitors are allowed to go in. There is a café here and some shops on the alley that connects De Burg and Grote Markt.
- Buildings in De Burg in Brugge, Belgium
4) BOAT RIDE: Boat ride in Brugge canals costs 7.60 euros per adult and 3.40 euros for kids for a 30-minutes ride. The captain gives English tour along with French and Dutch. The boat takes you thru the old multi-colored houses, cafes, and bridges. You also get to see the skinniest building of the city the ride and one of the most romantic hotels of Europe. The ride is very pleasant, educational, and entertaining for the kids too.
- Our boat ride in Brugge, Belgium
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Business Excellence Award 2020 from AI Global Media for The Most Entertaining Personal Travel Blog – Pacific Northwest USA
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Business Excellence Award 2020 from AI Global Media
Journey Around The Globe 