Gettin Lost with lostgirl..trip report..
 

It's 5pm Wed..2/13..The horn blows...Yabadabadooo!!!!
I say my goodbyes and I'll miss yous to the people at work and get the F*&! out of there! Exactly 24 hours from now, I will be on my way to EUROPE! AMSTERDAM.PARIS.ROME (against the suggestion of the wonderful fodorites..sorry guys..but after much debate just couldn't let it go)

Me: 26, lives with boyfriend in Los Angeles, technically a young professional but far from actually feeling professional..haha..
My first ever vacation alone to a foreign country. The first and only time I've traveled to Europe was 10 years ago with my high school.

Him: 26, same as above, crossed the pond once when he was 8.

So, I get home and realize there's a lot that needs to be done!!!
Laundry, Packing, Clean the apt, go to Target to buy TSA locks and other toiletries, Finish loading up ipod, charge my Nintendo DS's and camera.

By the time all of these tasks get done, It's 4am, Our flight leaves the next day 2/14 5:30pm LAX to AMS via KLM.

Of course, excitement prevents me from getting any sort of sleep.
Eventually I knock out at 6am and wake up the following day at 2pm! We need to get to the airport at least by 3!! After a quick shower we hop in the car and start driving. Realizing I left my backpack with my ipod, itinerary, passport at home, we turn back and zoom back to the apartment.
After that fiasco, we get to the 405 fwy..and of course..bumper to bumper traffic. Ahh you gotta love it..
The time ticks and ticks it's now 4:00pm..
4:30pm-We finally get to the airport and run to the ticket desk.
The plane has boarded and they were scheduled to leave early!!
After receiving our boarding passes we arrive to the security checkpoint which is moving extremely slow..and then we here a page over the loud speaker..something about KLM..something about boarding..something about if we dont get on within the next 5 minutes we they are leaving with or without us..
Luckily we find an airport worker who is scanning the security line for KLM passengers...
She leads us straight to the machines and metal detectors..
After the check, we start running for our lives, holding my shoes in one hand, and my belt in the other, backpack sliding down one arm, sweating and out of breath..WE FINALLY BOARD!
Our prearranged agreement...BF takes the window seat and I agree to take the middle as long as I get the aisle on the way back to LA..
I was in for a long long long long long flight..
Don't you hate it when everyone around is sleeping..and you're stuck in the middle.. wide awake.

And then..you land...
and it' all good...

AMSTERDAM 3/15 12:30pm..

I finally made it..

Official Day One on my next post...
hazy days..missed trains..a new shiny blister..

Wow, you made the flight!? I hope your luck continues. :)

lostgirl,

I can already tell this is going to be a very entertaining trip report. Nothing like getting off to a great start. Sure you don't want to audition for The Amazing Race? I think you'd do well!

The mental picture of you running to the plane with your belt in one hand and your shoes in the other is priceless!

Looking forward to more . . .

ttt

I'll be visiting all three cities in roughly 6 weeks.

Please, continue!

Looking forward to hearing of your adventures. But you have already stressed me out. You sound like my daughter...always late, but always gets there in the nick of time. I am shaking my motherly finger at you at this moment. Don't scare me like that! ;)

Great start to your report! Looking forward to the rest.

yikes that OP gives me an anxiety attack just reading it. lostgirl, you sound like you'd be a lot of fun to travel with! please come back and tell us more when you have a chance!!!

Ah, it's going to be a good one. More, please!

Cant wait to hear the rest...

Great start! Keep it coming, lostgirl.

Ok, I'm hooked too.

Ditto.

Day 1:

We arrive with a gleam in our eyes and a bounce to our step! Alas, I'm here!
Our first mission is to find our friend who was waiting for us at the gate. A little about our friend...also from LA, a seasoned Euro traveller, Amsterdam expert (esp. in Coffeeshops), on a vacation of his own, flew in from Prague to Amsterdam about 2 hours before we did..

We find our friend waiting for us with a big backpack on and smile! It's so great to meet a familiar face in an unfamiliar place!
We hop the train to Amsterdam Central and 15 minutes later we walk out to the most beautiful weather one could ask for.
Crisp, sobering, fresh AIR, bright sunshine and puffy white clouds!! Coming from a smog riddled city, it's quite a refreshing experience.

Mission 2 is to find our hotel.
Ibis Stopera.
Having no map and only our friend's outdated one we look for the street its on. We find the street and of course I suggest we walk it. Hey why not! It's a beautiful day and I was stuck on a plane for 10 hours! Plus I figured, couldn't be more than a 20 minute walk.
So, we start the trek. Following our guide, looking around, dodging oncoming bikes, going through different streets, and possibly in CIRCLES!! 45 minutes pass and I'm getting tired! Our leader suggests we sit down at a coffee shop to rest our feet.
Sure! why not!
First stop the Greenhouse! I order a cup of hot coco, a dub sack, and some hash. Surreal.
My first coffeeshop experience. All I could think about is 1. how freakin awesome this is and
2. my friends need to be here too.

After about an hour of laughter and dilly dallying bf suggests we should find our hotel before it gets dark.
What a great idea!
We leave and start walking again for another 45 minutes. It's getting much colder now.. About to give up and call a taxi, we find a local to lead us in the right direction. He says we're just 100 meters away! WE MADE IT!

Check in is fast and we finally get to the room! It's 5:00pm and laying down never felt better!
I was really planning on not napping but rather going through the day and sleeping early.
Nope. Not gonna happen. Lights out.

7:00pm we wake up and see a note on our table.
"Be back at 8:00"
Hm..1 hour to wander around until our friend comes back sounds good! Feeling very refreshed,
we leave the hotel, wander down the street.
Low and behold, our friend is walking down the very same street! We flag him down and decide to eat dinner at a small restaurant. After a wonderful meal of something greek, I realize I need to use the phone!
You see...Another friend of mine, K, just moved to Amsterdam and she wanted me to give her a call once I touched down.
Who would've thought finding a pay phone would be so hard to do! You really can't find any!
We took a stroll through the redlight district, which wasn't as raunchy as I thought it would be!
Actually, it was really entertaining and fun to smile and wave at the girls. We then realize...
The walk from where our hotel was to the center of the action was a good 20 minutes instead of the 2.5 hours it took from the beginning of the day. HAHA
Finally, a pay phone!!!
After trying to figure out how to use the phone I finally get in touch with my friend and decide to meet her at Barney's Coffeeshop- AWARD WINNING COFFEESHOP hehehe.
We smoked some more, chatted for a while, decided on an itinerary for the following day, and agreed it would be wise to head back to the room and call it a night.

Day 2
I automatically wake up at 7am. I don't know know why. Honestly, just wanted to do some sleeping in! I'm on vacation damn it! I wake up early everyday to go to work!!
Oh well, you really can't complain and what's the point of going back to sleep when there's a city to explore!
And the weather?! Forget about it..! It's the best weather anybody could ever ask for!
I wake up the BF, get dressed, and decide to search for breakfast.
The streets aren't as alive as the night before. Shops still closed, no cars on the road, no crowds of people.
Something amazing about a city that's slowly waking up. The rattles of a bike whizzing by, the sounds of heels on cobblestone, the wind slightly blowing through the trees. I wish I could have a CD with just these sounds!
We pass a bakery but decide to keep walking and come back for it later.
We buy a pass for the metro and ride it to Central Station. Re-tracing our steps, we walk through
Dam square again but this time, its more mellow.
It's just too amazing. We keep walking and walking while stores are opening up one by one. We've been away from the hotel for 3 hours by now doing nothing but wandering with our mouths open.
We circle around back to the bakery, buy some pastries, and go back to the hotel to wake our friend up. We planned on meeting K at the Van Gogh Museum by 1pm.
By the time everyone is ready to go, it's 1 and we hurry down to the tram stop. We're already late! Figuring out how to use the tram with a map our hotel gave us was not too difficult. We did, however, get onto a tram that was going the opposite direction twice, forgot that you needed to press a button to open then door, and I almost fell on a grandmother due to the abrupt movements of a moving tram..all in all..we figured it out..
and all in all was an hour late.
Since our friend was here before on prior trips he decides to hang out out in a coffee shop while we venture off to find K. K is nowhere to be found and it's pretty cold outside.
We figure she probably left or she was inside, so the bf and I go in and start soaking it all in.
Honestly, I wasn't too affected by the paintings. Maybe it's because the museum was a little crowded and it was really stuffy in there. But..
Hey! Who's that in the distance?! It's K! We Found HER! :)
What a relief! Turns out she's been in there for the past hour! We finish up the museum and meet our other friend outside. We decide to eat again and find this great little Italian place that serves pasta dishes for 5 euros! What a deal!
After that lunch, we walk over to Vondelpark. OMG its like stepping into the park where Mary Poppins took those kids! Enchanted, we stop by a lake to just hang out and smoke. "... It's really refreshing to know that there is a place like this...a place that's understands me...little by little bit..i'm falling in love.."

The sun is setting again and we start heading back.
Agreeing to meet back up at a club later, we part ways with K and make our way towards the Bluebird Coffeeshop. A quick Pow wow later, we head back to the room to chill out before partying Saturday away.

Maybe it was from all that walking and wandering I was doing..
but my feet is killing me by the time I get back. Even with good walking shoes!!
You know the the webby part between your big toe and the 2nd toe..?
Imagine a blister right there..
Yeah..I was pretty pissed...but thank god my mom packed my band aids...She's really good at that stuff.


A short nap later...

We decide the best route to Powerzone, club choice for the night, would be to take the metro and get off on Amstel. Walking to the metro is super hard due to my new found foot friend.. Oh little do I know, the last train doors close right when we get sight of the platform.
No amount of chasing, yelling, or flailing arms to stop the train. No no No...the trains have no mercy.
They stop for no one..

Whatever, I'll take a cab.

15 Euros later..

We walk into this big club with beautiful people everywhere..the music's okay, progressive clubby house music..
Finally found K, she was having problems getting in but somehow she tricked the bouncer and snuck in. CRAZY GIRL!
Danced for a while..got a little tipsy..overall had a decent time...couldn't feel blister anymore..
4:30am..

Hail a cab...

20 Euros later...

BEDTIME...

Day 3..
"Now that I got all that partying out of my system...on to some culture"

Where is everyone? All of you who commented on lostgirl's trip so far. Those wanting to travel with her or who admire her or love her writings. Is it because she's a party girl who smokes pot?
Good for you, lostgirl. Have fun while you're young and don't worry about what others will think. Vaporize a bud for me. I'll be there in four weeks to continue where you left off! Agile

Yahoo! You go, Girl! You get old too fast, party it up! We are older, will be there in a couple weeks, and will check out the coffeeshops at least once. When in Rome....We are excited to visit the mueseums, see the flower fields and Anne Frank House. We are tacking on Amsterdam after 9 days in London. We have signed up for the Friday night RLD tour, and hope it's hopping that night.

Thanks for the trip report, I will be waiting to hear more!

lostgirl

Sounds like a great Amsterdam visit so far. I'm quite a bit older than you and couldn't do a club that late, but I appreciate the coffee shops!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip.

lostgirl,
this is a blast...i''m really enjoying it...and recall the bluebird very well (tho we bought cupcakes and took them back to the room 'cause i was afraid we'd never find the hotel again if we ate them there) :D (and we're not so young...just young at heart :D)

I just found this and I'm enjoying the ride -- looking foward to more!

Despite being a child of the 60's, I have never "vaporized a bud". 8-| However, I am enjoying your trip report and looking forward to more.

I am really enjoying your report as well! Please keep it up.

Naxos

*phew* glad someone's reading this!

Reading everyone's trip reports and posts prior to my trip really really helped me out with planning and what to look forward to.
I really wanted to write an honest report of everything I did because I felt like its the only way I can give back to other travellers and fellow fodorites.
Even though some people on this board may not be on the same page as I am. I know that there are a few who understand my heart..

More more more please. Loving it.

<Is it because she's a party girl who smokes pot?>

heck no, that's why I WANT to go with her... I'd just lost track of this thread.

lostgirl...
Very entertaining! Keep the post coming. I love reading about your trip!

I fly through LAX a lot and I'm still SHOCKED that you made it through LAX the way you did. AMAZING!

I've been traveling for the past week. Happy to find new postings of your trip upon my return. Keep them coming!

Definitely enjoying this! Can't wait to hear more...

Day 3 ..Feb 17, 2008

It's noon and the sun is brightly shining into our room.
Damn. It's so freakin beautiful here.
Everyone gets washed up and we hit a small restaurant around the corner to eat an english breakfast.
Sausage. Toast. Egg sunny side up. Cold beans.
Beans? Okay. Not what I'm used to. But..Sure. :)

After breakfast we make our way to Central Station. Today we decided to break away from The Dam for the day and make our way to a small town called Leiden. Pronounced "LEEE-DEN" not "LIE-DEN"
Thanks to a very friendly local we meet on the train he promptly corrects me on the right way to say the name.

We finally arrive and its very different than where we were. It's like time was standing still. The hectic buzz of the Dam disappears and I am surrounded by quiet canals and the ever so often rattle of a bike. *I grew a fetish for the sounds of those bikes*

We visit a neighborhood coffeeshop and we just start wandering again. Walking through the Leiden University I try to peak through drawn windows and absorb this fabulous Sunday afternoon.

Honestly, we did absolutely nothing here but walk around and soak in the scene.
While the sun sets we stumble upon a Dutch Pancake Restaurant.

I order the apple cinnamon, Bf orders the Banana pancake, and our friend orders the apple cinnamon with ice cream and whip cream. OH MY GOD.
I've never had this kind of pancake before.
Dusted with powdered sugar and sprinkled with cinnamon. It's absolute heaven.
After an hour of oOOohs..and Mmmmms..and Ahhhhs..
Our friend needs to catch his train. He's on his way to Belgium to continue on his own adventure and the bf and I are headed back to Amsterdam.
This is the end of the road for us. We say our good byes and get to our different platforms.

Of course, I am again, 1 minute late for the train thats going back to Central. These trains really mean business! 15 minutes later we hop the next and get on our way.

We get to Central Station and stop by the ticket office to buy a 10:15pm Thalys ticket to Paris for the next day.
We stop by a tourist trap pizza spot to grub and take another 20 minute stroll back to the hotel.

By this time, I am super tired and decide to turn in for the night.

Waiting for Paris.... :)

OH MY GOSH! It's been so long since I've posted~!

Day 4 Feb 18th

Today we go to Paris! :D
But of course we wake up late!
Our train leaves in 1 hour!@*&%!

No time for a shower, no time for breakfast - we'll just pick something up at the Albert Heinz.

We finish packing up everything and take a cab to Centraal.
Time is ticking..
the train leaves in 10 minutes and once again we're running...btw..my blister from day 2 is getting quite large..and is very painful..*ouch*
so running isn't helping.

For some reason we think we have enough time to pop into the AH and pick up some sandwiches. BF runs in and starts picking out some food.
Time is ticking and the line is moving slowly.hurry hurry..
One thing I did notice is that after you pay for your food, they don't give you a plastic bag to put it in!
So you have to carry all of your food with your hands!
tick tock tick tock..

2 minutes left! &*$%!!
We stuff the sandwiches in my backpack and haul ass up the steps..
just in time to see..the train go by..choo choo..

&*$%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My heart sinks.

This is the 3rd or 4th time I missed a train~!!! :(
I really feel so defeated..
and BF has no words to say.
The thing that really gets me is that I had a whole day planned for Paris..and now its been cut short.
We make the walk back down the stairs..and the next step is to find a ticket agent to see if we can exchange our tickets for the next train.

The whole ticket office is packed and buzzing with travelers.
I take a seat and wait for my number to be called..very reminiscent of the DMV back her in the states.

After a sandwich, fanta, and chips my number gets called. Luckily we are able to get on the next train which leaves for Paris at 4:16pm.

That's about 4.5 hours from now.
Okay fine.
This time we'll be at the station an hour in advance.
This is definite downer but a lesson in traveling for us. Be EARLY and when things don't go as planned go with Plan B..even if you don't have a Plan B..improvise!

We take our luggage and store them in the locker. Our feelings of sadness are now gone because it is what it is. So let's just enjoy the rest of the day. We decide to go surprise our friend who's working that day.

She works in a cute boutique that specializes in graffiti and urban art by the Van Gogh Museum. After hanging out with her we hop on the tram and get to Dam Square. Its about 2:45 and we decide to get our last smoke before getting back to the train station.

Around 3:30 we leave the coffeeshop and stop by that one famous french fry stand. I'm totally blanking on the name at the moment but they have a picture of a little boy peeing. We order some frittes and we keep walking.

Pick up our luggage and get to the platform. We have about 30 minutes until the train leaves...
We finally board and we're on our way.

ChuGGachuGgAcHUggAcHUggAchUGgA..

Train ride was uneventful.
4 hours of darkness outside and me dozing in and out of sleep.

We get to Paris and its close to 9pm. Thanks to the lovely advice from fodorites, We decide to buy 1 carnet of tickets to share.

Time to find our hotel.
Honestly, this process of figuring out what to take..RER or METRO..
took about a 45 minutes. Running from one platform to another..
We finally find the right train to take!
This place is totally different than Amsterdam!!

We finally arrive at our 2nd hotel..
HOTEL IBIS CAMBRONNE
I really wanted to get the room with an Eiffel Tower view but of course we get there too late so we take a standard double

This hotel is really clean and such a great value. Located directly in front of a metro stop and a 15 minute walk to the Eiffel Tower, they even have snacks and meals available 24 hours a day. *this comes in handy later on*
Plus I booked this hotel 30 days in advance and got a great rate for 49Euros a night!!

We settle in and decide to go for a stroll. We get to the Eiffel Tower and I'm am smiling from ear to ear..
I was really looking forward to Paris and all of bullcrap that I went through earlier that day melted away.

Around 12:30 we head back in search of food. Everything is closed! We stop by a corner store and pick up some beer and water.
But thank god for IBIS!
We order the lasagna and chicken with rice and take it up to our room.

We map out what we're going to do and decide on checking out Versailles in the morning.

Oh my god what a day.
I'm so pooped but so excited to face the day tomorrow.

Lights out.

I'm loving this report! Keep it coming!

day 5..
FEB 19

*hak hak hak*
It's 9am and I wake up with this crazy cough and sore throat..I really was hoping I wouldn't get sick on this trip..but maybe that was wishful thinking..

We get dressed and make our way towards the train that will take up to Versailles. While strolling along we stop by a bakery to pick up a quick munch. We're really not breakfast eaters but i am today. I get a ham and swiss quiche and bf gets the ham and swiss panini (1 of many paninis to be consumed during this trip)
and eat while walking. I'm not sure if this is frowned upon but I can't help it..I just love the feeling of walking down a city street, feeling the cool breeze, eating, while life is just wizzing by!

We find the train and it takes about 40 minutes, from what I recall, to get to Versailles.
Just a short walk before the entrance gates, there's a tourist office that we pop into and of course we end up buying our 2 day museum pass there. How handy these turn out to be!!
The general admission line is so long it snakes around the front and looks absolutely dreadful!!
Luckily for our passes, we just walk right in..NO WAIT!

We explore the palace and make our way outside to the garden. I'm taken aback by how grand the whole place really is. I start to daydream as if this place is really my home and I take the bf on a tour of MY BACKYARD. haha..
We make it down to the bottom of the garden where all the cafes are and sit down by the lake for some more paninis.
There are ducks to feed, people to watch, sun to absorb, its a Parisian dream come true minus the sore throat.

After our lunch, we decide to rent a couple bikes for to really explore the grounds. Breaking away from the public..we start pedaling around the lake..exploring Marie Antoinette's house..and it dawns on me..this place is REALLY BIG!! 5 hours in and I've barely just scratched the surface of this place!

around 4:30pm we decide to leave Versailles and make our way back to the center of the city. We decide to get to Sacre Coeur and catch the sunset.

At the bottom of the steps, I decide I want to walk up the stairs to really get the whole experience. But before that I stop by the self cleaning restroom which in my opinion, doesn't seem so clean. While waiting for the bf to get out I observe some poor tourists falling for the friendship bracelet trick. Thanks to fodors, I wasn't one of them!

We start our trek up the steps and maybe I was way in over my head but holy crap that was really really hard to do. Out of breath and my legs hurting from all the walking and biking I am knocked off my seat when I finally see the view that I've only read about and seen on TV. It's just magical. We sit on the steps, overlooking the city, as the sun sets. I get goosebumps.

Finally we start walking up and down the cobblestone streets, wandering aimlessly while the night "lights" up. It's getting really chilly out and its making my throat worse. I didn't bring any cough drops with me on this trip so we decide to find a pharmacy. I heard the medicine's different here..
but I figure they should have some cough drops right?

So, my pharmacy experience was pretty eventful I must say. Back at home the only cough drops I've ever had were mentholated ones and rarely ever did the trick. The drops that the pharmacist hands to me has this strange but soothing warming sensation instead of the cold eventually making my throat go numb.

We make our way to where all the artists and shops are and start admiring some great portraits and other beautiful pieces of art.

*Ahh.
take the last look at this view..

traveling has really changed my life.
i'm hooked.

After leaving Sacre Coeur we take the scenic route and walk to Moulin Rouge. Then we hop on the metro to visit The Latin Square, we end up eating at a great little restaurant here.
This part of Paris makes me feel as if I'm in Amsterdam again. :)

By now my sprit wants to go on but my body is telling me to rest. My throat is acting up pretty bad and I start feeling really ill. Plus not to mention, this is the most walking I've done in my life since high school and my blister is growing day by day.

When we get back to the hotel I pop some Sudafed Cold that I brought from home and knock out.

Please please let this cold be just a one day thing..

Your report is filled with suspense. Will she make the train? Does she know how to get where she's going? But also filled with the joy and discovery of travel. It's a good thing you're young.

And this paragraph really applies to all of us who post here: "Even though some people on this board may not be on the same page as I am. I know that there are a few who understand my heart.."

lostgirl -- what a lovely day! I love that you imagined it as your own backyard ~ why not? Never hurts to dream :)

I usually get sick when I travel. That feeling of doom at the first painful swallow...

This is a great adventure! I am hanging on every word . . . please continue . . . and I hope this is a long trip!

Thanks for posting,
Sandy (in Denton)

great report! Johanna

Lucky you at Versailles, even with our pass we had a LONG line to stand in!

Love the trip report.

I am enjoying your report! I was just wondering if my husband and I could do Versailles and Montmartre in one day. You answered my question. Thanks!

p.s. I'm just slightly older than you (29), but I think I took care of all my coffee shop days when I went to Amsterdam when I was 20. Lots of fun!

Such a great report lostgirl....You are a hoot and I am enjoying all your experiences. Keep it coming!