Luxurious Luxembourg
Before I start this blog post, I wanted to tell why I haven’t posted in a while. The first reason is that I went to Orlando, Florida, USA with my parents and family friends. A blog post about Orlando will come in a few weeks and I will give my reviews on Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Secondly, once I came back, I was buried under homework that I didn’t do (nor did I want to do it). Anyways, I am back and hopefully can keep posting on a more regular basis.
Okay, all aboard the EuroRail to the Luxembourg City! For those who do not know, Luxembourg is a landlocked country between Belgium, Germany, and France. To get from the north of the country to the south, it only takes about an hour to hour and a half by driving. It is not a big country, but my god, it is beautiful. It is probably one of my favourite places that I have ever visited!
The reason we went to Luxembourg was because it was my idea. I love European History and underrated countries; Luxembourg was a must-see for me. As said in the title, Luxembourg is luxurious. The country has rich and beautiful western architecture! It is probably some of the best I have ever seen! The sights are amazing and the people are very friendly too!
The landscape of Luxembourg is amazing. Luxembourg City is made up of many hills and two rivers. The rivers are known as the Alzette and Pétrusse. The walking can be strenuous at times, but it is definitely worth it. Luxembourg City has quite a bit of natural growth and greenery so nature walks around city are very possible. As for the tourists, there isn’t as much as expected because it isn’t a major tourist hub. Unlike places like Rome and Venice, you can walk around without being shoved. It is definitely feels like you are in a big city without the crowds.
We saw quite about two major attractions in Luxembourg. The Bock Casemates was the first one that we went too. The Bock Casemates are a series of tunnels that run underneath the ground. Above the tunnels used to be a castle which Count Siegfried built to defend his properties. Nowadays, there are only remnants of the castle and the casemates have been opened up for people to see. These tunnels range for multiple levels and you can explore about 17 kilometres of the remaining casemates. Smaller tunnels can be found within the bigger tunnels and can be crawled through. There is a lot of walking involved so bring your most comfortable shoes!
Next we went to the Luxembourg City Museum. This is a museum telling you about the history of Luxembourg City. The great thing about this museum is it is free for students (Yipee for me!). The thing I found most interesting of the museum is the telling of the myth of Melusina. She was said to be the wife of the founder of Luxembourg, Count Siegfried. Before they married, Melusina told him that she required one full day and night of the month to have to herself and he should not ask or try to find out what she is doing. For a couple years, he obeyed. One day, he decided to look through the peephole of the washroom to see what she was doing. When he looked in, he saw a serpent tail. She realized that he was watching and jumped out of the window into the river Alzette below. She was never seen again. Cool story eh?
As we did not have a lot of time in Luxembourg, we didn’t get to see everything I would have liked to see. But I will return one day and travel the whole country. Before I finish with this blog post, I will leave you with some tips about Luxembourg:
- Bring an umbrella, raincoat and warm clothes. Luxembourg is a very rainy country.
- Bring proper walking shoes. Luxembourg City is a lot of walking up and down hills. Regardless, your feet are going to hurt, but proper shoes should reduce the pain.
- Find a supermarket. There are barely any restaurants open on Sunday and Mondays.
- Bring some extra cash. Luxembourg is a bit more expensive than other European cities.
- Book your accommodations in advance. Rooms, especially at hostels, fill-up quickly for dates that are 6 months away.
Next blog post will be on Heidelberg, Germany. Keep an eye out for it and stay tuned!
Until Next Time,
Matt C
Destination #2: Beer, Waterloo, and Atomium
I am going to write some words and raise your hand if you like them. Chocolate. Beer. Waffles. History. You are probably wondering how all of those words relate, well they are what Belgium is known for. On my backpacking trip, my group and I stopped by Brussels, Belgium. For those who don’t know, Brussels is the capital of Belgium and is only a train ride of about 5 hours from Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Belgium is definitely a destination if you are a food junkie. They are known for their chocolate, beer and waffles. I don’t particularly enjoy chocolate and waffles; beer is what I was most looking forward too. I don’t have a big sweet tooth, but I decided to try a piece of chocolate. Not going to lie, it was probably some of the best chocolate I have ever had. As for the beer, it was absolutely amazing. I had a goal on this trip to try a different beer every night I was in Europe. Belgian beer is definitely at the top of my list. My recommendations are La Chouffe, Delirium Tremens and Hoegaarden.
One of the nights, Stef (one of my travel mates) and I decided to go out with a couple of other backpackers from the hostel. We went to this bar called Delirium Cafe. This bar has over 2000+ beers! It was fantastic! Being new to this bar and never having this many choices before, it was puzzling. You don’t know what to order and the bar is packed. Overall, the bar was pretty cool and the drinks were great. I would definitely stop by again if ever in Brussels.
To be honest, Brussels is a beautiful place. It has beautiful sights such as the Grand Palace, Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula, and Manneken Pis. But, I was more excited to see grounds of the Battle of Waterloo. The battlefield is about 20-30 minutes outside of Brussels by bus. From there, you have to walk 5 kilometers from the nearest bus station in Waterloo to the Battlefield. For those who don’t know, these grounds are the battlefield of Napoleon’s last battle and death.
When in Waterloo, we got to see a lot of history. We saw the Duke of Wellington’s headquarters, a Napoleon museum and the Lion’s Mound’s. My favourite part was the Lion’s Mound. It is a large man-made hill located directly on the battlefield with a statue of lion standing on a pedestal. This statue is placed at the top of the hill because it is suppose to commemorate where the Prince of Orange was injured before becoming the King of the Netherlands. The Lion’s Mound is a symbol of the kingdom’s courage and victories. After climbing up the steep stairs, you can see a beautiful view of the fields of Belgium.
Lastly, we saw the Atomium. The Atomium is a structure constructed for Expo 58 and was designed by engineer André Waterkeyn and architects André and Jean Polak. The shape of the Atomium forms a unit cell of iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. This structure stands 335 feet above the ground and the top sphere provides a panoramic view of the city of Brussels. It is a very unusual structure, but cool thing to see.
Overall, even though Brussels was not my favourite place, I am glad I went there. That is one more place off my travel bucket list. It was a great country to visit and has plenty of sights that can be seen. Next time I am in Belgium, I would love to see Bruges and Antwerp! Those will definitely be done in future travels!
Until Next Time,
Matt C
Amsterdam: The City of Bikes
Back in May 2014, I went backpacking across Europe with my brother and two childhood friends. It was one amazing experience and a time that I always want to go back too. The next couple of posts will be about the individual cities and countries on my backpacking journey. For our trip, the itinerary went as followed:
- Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Brussels, Belgium
- Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
- Heidelberg, Germany
- Munich, Germany
- Salzburg, Austria
- Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Piran, Slovenia
- Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Venice, Italy
- Rome, Italy
As you can see our first stop was Amsterdam, Netherlands. The city is beautiful and has an abundance of culture. Even though Amsterdam has a reputation of being a ‘party’ city, it is much more than that. The people are nice, the architecture is amazing, and it was an incredible feeling to be in a different country. One thing that I learned about Netherlands that was quite interesting is the country is not called Holland. It is called the Kingdom of Netherlands. Holland is the name of two of it’s province: North Holland and South Holland. With this being said, Amsterdam is located in North Holland, Kingdom of Netherlands. Just thought I would clarify that for those confused on what to call the country.
For our trip, we weren’t with a tour company or bus company. We decided to figure out the cities and see the sights without any help. To be in a different country and exploring the unknown is a feeling you that is hard explain. I feel that tour companies can be restricting and I wanted that sense of freedom. This trip allowed me to do that. To be in Amsterdam for the first part of our trip, I had a multitude of feelings. First off, I was terrified. You’re in a whole new place, no one to tell you what to do or watching out for you. You don’t know anyone in the city and you are pushing past the boundaries you never thought you could. Secondly, you are thrilled and excited. You are in a whole new destination outside of your comfort zone. You feel like you have all the freedom in the world and nothing can stop you. Lastly, you are confused and disorientated. You don’t know the streets; you’re in a city that is unfamiliar. You have to roll with the punches and make some spontaneous decisions. Also, it doesn’t help if you have jetlag. You could be down for the count for a good couple days after the flight. When we we’re in Amsterdam, we saw a great deal of attractions. We went to the Rijks Museum to see the Vermeer and Rembrandt collection. Anne Frank house was done on the second day in Amsterdam. Dare I say, we went to the Sex Museum. That was a very different experience that you definitely would not encounter in North America. One tip for anyone that goes, don’t go in with your sibling or any relatives… There were many other attractions we saw, but the most memorable in Amsterdam of the bike tour of the countryside. We decided to do this because Amsterdam is the City of Bikes. Everyone you see if on a bike. If you are in a car, that’s unusual. It just seemed fitting to go on a bike tour in Amsterdam.
The bike tour we went on was through Yellow Bike: The Amsterdam Ride. Our bike guide’s name was Tiss. He was very informative about the area and did a great job. This bike tour was 4 hours. The starting point was near Dam Square. He brought us through the city of Amsterdam than out on a ferry to the countryside. The pace of the tour was nice. It had a medium intensity to it. We had frequent stops on the way to see the little towns and take photos. One of my favourite stops was arriving across the river from one of the few remaining working windmills in the area. It was a terrific sight to see and Tiss gave a great insight on the culture in Netherlands.
After biking for an hour and a half, we stopped at a restaurant on the countryside. My memory is hazy so I don’t remember what the town or restaurant were called. I do remember that the view was amazing. You are sitting near a port facing the North Sea and just looking out in the horizon. The view is one I can’t forget. After forty minutes of eating, we started our journey back to Amsterdam. Country bike riding is much easier than city bike riding. In the countryside, there is no traffic. In the city, you are battling cars, stop lights, and other cyclists. After a few near collisions, we safely made it to the bike company. All in all, this was a fantastic experience. I would love to go back to Amsterdam, do another bike tour. The big thing I would change about being in Amsterdam is staying there more than three nights. Other than that, Amsterdam was beyond what I expected and a city that I will return to someday!
If you are interested in the Bike Tour, go to http://www.yellowbike.nl/product/en/countryside-bike-tour/. They are a great company with awesome staff!
Until Next Time,
Matt C
In Paris Without Cheese and Wine
When I say Paris, what do you automatically think of? France? Cheese? Wine? To be honest, I do too. Well, I went to Paris on Tuesday September 16th, 2014 with my Sheridan Tourism and Travel group. This Paris isn’t in France; it is the less known one in the province of Ontario, Canada. To be honest, I have never heard of Paris, Ontario until a couple weeks ago and I’m Canadian. Even though it was not France, it was still an unforgettable day! We started off our day learning about the Métis Aboriginal people and the town of Paris. Next we moved onto dining with delicious food, and lastly went Grand River Rafting!
The Métis Aboriginal people presented a Smudging Ceremony to us. The Smudging Ceremony consisted of different herbs used to create incense. Using these herbs are a ritual in the Aboriginal groups that help to purify and bless a person, place or thing. This ceremony helps those blessed stay positive and have good thoughts. During this ceremony, we were also taught how to make a tribal drum. They talked about the different hides, sizes of materials, and methods used to make the drums. All of these factors affect the sound that come out of the drum and how they are used. This was a very informative introduction for learning about the Métis people.
Next the group was taken on a tour of the town of Paris. The town of Paris is a beautiful, quaint town that is in Brant County. It is about an hour and a half outside of Toronto, Ontario. The town has a European picturesque feel, and has the Grand River rushing through. The tour guide gave lots of information about the town. One piece of information that I found particularly interesting was why the town was called Paris. The town was named due to its nearby deposits of Paris plaster, henceforth the town being called Paris.
After the tour, we were taken out to Arlington Hotel in the heart of Paris. This hotel has a restaurant onsite which the group dined at. The meal consisted of variety of different pizza and a choice of two salads. The food was unique and different from anything I have ever tried before. I’m not going to lie, I have pizza and salad quite a bit. The pizza and salad at this restaurant had toppings that I have never had before and it was very refreshing to have a different styles of food.
Lastly, the favourite part of the day happened. The Grand River Rafting. It was amazing! The Travel and Tourism group split up into 7 different groups and rafted 10 kilometers down the Grand River. Each group had a tour guide except for mine. It felt great to independently rowing down the river and not having someone to help you. Camp songs were sung, rowing was done, and our competitive natures were out. Being in the raft without a tour guide gives you a thrill. You have the freedom to do what you want and not feel pressured. We were rowing backwards, doing doughnuts, and having lots of laughs.
The highlight of the rafting was having the blindfolded race. One person was directing the team to row across the width of the river without the rest being able to see. Needless to say, my team was the bomb-diggity and won! They brought us to a mine that used for mining Paris Plaster. We crawled through it and got to see it!
This is definitely an adventure that I would do again. It was fun, it was liberating, and an adventure that everyone needs to try! I highly suggest that if you want a rush, you better try this! The staff and people met were nice, informative and amusing. This is definitely an unforgettable experience.
Until Next Time,
Matt C
10 Tips for Backpacking the World
My brother created this blog post about backpacking. I agree with these tips 100%! Hope it helps all you future backpackers!
Over my 40 day backpacking trip through South Africa and Europe, it’s safe to say I learned a lot. In fact, you can read about the major lessons I learned here. For this post though, I think I’ll touch on something more practical. This is for all the prospective backpackers or the ones who have just booked their adventure and are itching to go.
View of the Adriatic from Piran, Slovenia!
10. Book Early
I’m not a last minute person. If you are, that’s completely okay. However, if you already have a target destination, book as soon as you can. Waiting only drives up flight and accommodation prices. Example: I paid $1300 Canadian dollars for my round-trip flight to South Africa while booking 6 months in advance. If I had waited until the month before, I would have paid $2500.
9. Pack Duct Tape
Seriously. It fixes everything. And when…
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Hanging in the Trees
For those who don’t know me, I am an adrenaline junkie. I love heights, thrill, and new experiences. The idea of the unknown and trying new events gets my heart pumping. The exhilarating feeling you get when doing these adventures is what I live for.
A great activity that I tried is Tree Top Trekking. I did this October 2013 and had an absolute blast! This local attraction is in Heart Lake Conservation Area in North Brampton, Ontario, Canada. Tree Top Trekking has obstacle courses that are suspended in the air! For all of you worry warts out there, safety harnesses are given to you. This adventure includes 6 obstacles, 7 zip lines, and over 65 aerial games. The obstacle courses are ranked from beginner to expert. The beginner obstacle courses are closer to the ground and used for practice before you get to the expert ones. As your comfort level grows, you graduate and onto more challenging and exciting obstacles. 
Most of the zip lines can be done during the obstacle courses. At the very end of the day, you have the option of going on the Great Blue Heron Zip line that goes across the lake. The twin zip lines brings you across the lake and back so you can see the breath-taking scenery around you! These zip lines are suspended 1000ft above the ground so it is not for the faint-hearted! The feeling is amazing and invigorating!
This is definitely an amazing experience that everyone needs to try! Even if you do just do the beginner skills, I would recommend it to anyone! The staff is great, adventures are ongoing, and I can’t wait to go Tree Top Trekking again! Click on the link if this sparks your inner adrenaline junkie: http://treetoptrekking.com/en/brampton/.
Until Next Time,
Matt C
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