Category: Tips

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The Eiffel Tower Experience

The Eiffel Tower is open every single day of the year

  • from 9 a.m. to midnight from 17 June to 28 August,
  • from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the rest of the year,
  • At Easter weekend and during the Spring holidays : extended opening hours to midnight.

Obviously when one goes to Paris for the first time, a visit to the Eiffel Tower is a must-do activity.  You can’t not go and see it.  It’d be like going to New York City for the first time and not going to the Empire State Building.  Of course because it was holiday week when we were there, pretty much everyone in the world was thinking the same thing.  The base of the Eiffel Tower was packed with hundreds of people and the lines were long, like Disney World’s Space Mountain long.

Here’s a tip for any monument or museum visits in Paris (including the Eiffel Tower): Get tickets in advance online.  You’ll save yourself a ton of time and from a ton of hassle.   The first thing we had to figure out was which of the winding lines to stand in (and also try to find the end of each one).  It was like navigating through serpents of people.  Once we got into a line, we asked the people around us if we were in the right line.  If they spoke English – which was like a one in three chance – most of the time they shrugged and were clearly just as lost as we were.  At the same time other people were asking us the same question in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese – you name it.  And each time, we gave the same answer we were given – we just shrugged and said we didn’t know for sure.  It was kind of a hilarious scene – all these different races coming together in confusion despite the language barrier, and all sort of politely making the best of the scenario standing in mysterious lines that led to who knows where.

My sister was our recon soldier and when she came back to the line she let us know we had waited half an hour in the wrong one (figures right?).  Turns out there were four total lines – two go to the elevator that takes you to the 2nd floor (not the top) and two that let you walk to the 2nd floor.  So once we made our way over to the new line, we waited about an hour and a half.  If you’re going to visit the Eiffel Tower during the cold season – dress warmly.  It was very cold, and very windy.  Also, make sure to bring some reading material, Ipod, and a snack (croissant was my snack of choice) because you’ll probably want to do something to make the time standing out there go by a little faster.  

Once we got to the front, there was a sign that said, “Due to congestion we will not sell lift tickets to the top, only to the second floor.”  A few curses were tossed around by everyone in line, but at that point because we made it to the front we figured we may as well go up to at least the midsection of the Eiffel Tower.  The price for the lift ride to the 2nd floor is 8 Euros, the price for the ride to the top is 13 Euros (the price to walk to the 2nd floor is 4 Euros – you can’t walk all the way to the top).

The midsection of the Eiffel Tower is actually quite large and includes a cafe, bathrooms, gift shop, and the lift to the very shi-shi Le Jules Verne restaurant (we tried to get reservations, but the place gets booked months in advance).  We learned that we would be able to buy tickets to the top from the 2nd floor (for the additional 5 Euros) once the top cleared out a bit.  So we waited on the 2nd floor for another hour or so with some hot chocolate and snacks we bought at the cafe.  We waited in another line for about half an hour to get the tickets to the top and then an additional half hour for the elevator to the top.

Now if you’re queasy about heights, I should warn you.  The ride in the glass elevator to the top is a little unsettling.  I’m not that bothered by heights (see previous post about Skydiving), but even this ride is unnerving.  You can view some videos of the ride up and down on the Here and There Facebook page.  Once you get through the ride and to the top, the view is magnificent.   The 2nd floor view is good, but the extra height at the top really makes the birds-eye view of Paris spectacular.  There’s an outside patio that you can walk around on and a champagne bar for the romantic couples (or just tourists who are celebrating actually finally making it to the top).  But it is quite windy, and you should be prepared for the fact that if you’re unlucky, the visibility can be bad depending on weather conditions (we met some poor guy who had been up there the previous day and said he couldn’t see a thing).

Finally, if you’re able to get to the Eiffel Tower at night make sure to check it out at the top of the hour.  For six minutes the tower shimmers in magnificent fashion.  We didn’t know this until we took a night time bus tour that happened to go by the tower during this time (hence the not so great pictures of it from the bus below), so don’t miss a chance to see it.

So in summary, make sure to allot plenty of time in your day when you see the Eiffel Tower, especially if you don’t get tickets in advance (there really was like no line for people who had bought tickets in advance.  It’s amazing how many people around the world didn’t think to do that beforehand).  But it is worth the wait to say that you’ve been to the top of one of the most recognizable monuments in the world.

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Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow Airport

On a recent trip to London/Paris, I was as excited not just to the see the sights, but to give Virgin Atlantic a try for the flight over.  I had heard a ton of great things about their airline and I was curious to see for myself.

I’ll say this right up front – I was underwhelmed.  I totally dug the throwback, 60’s Pam Am look.  Instead of the bright blue uniforms of that airline and era, replace them with the bright red ones of Virgin.  The service was very good; the flight attendants on the flight over and back were very friendly and accommodating.

Everything else about the flight was “eh” though.  On the flight to London, the most glaring issue was the size of the seat I was in.  The planes are split up into three sections – Upper class, Premium Economy, and Economy.  We were in Economy and what I didn’t realize that is even in Economy, if you don’t pay the extra $50 for a “purple seat”, you pretty much have no leg room.  I’m 5’9″, 155 lbs and literally, with the arms of the seat were practically pressed up against my thighs, my legs could spread apart at most 8 inches.  It was the most cramped I’ve ever felt on any airline.

The movie selection was actually very good on the flight over (on the flight back however…I’ll get to that later on), and it’s a good thing because you will NOT get a wink of sleep.  The mood lighting they advertise?  Only in first class.  And like any long flight, the babies were over the place.  Don’t get me wrong, I get that you can’t just leave your child behind while you travel and this is no fault of the airline, but there were toddlers all over the aisles and climbing on chairs.  It was ridiculous – the plane isn’t a playpen.

And one final thing to know – you can’t drink unlimited amounts on Virgin Atlantic.  They announce at the beginning of the flight that they will end drink service at the amount of consumption, not behavior.  As the flight attendant amusingly said “No point closing the barn door after the cows are out running lose”.  Now this isn’t a huge deal for me, I don’t need to get wasted on my flight over.  But it was just an observation I felt should be shared since I know several people who like the option of tossing back a few drinks on a long flight.

Now all of that was on the flight to Europe.  On the flight back, we luckily were upgraded to Premium Economy for free because the previous day’s flight was cancelled and they were trying to bump those folks onto our flight.  I was almost embarrassed sitting in Premium Economy looking up at the poor folks looking down on me as they walked back to Economy during boarding, but it was admittedly a nice feeling to see all the crying babies going past.  I told the woman next to me that we had been upgraded for free and she said, “Oh man, you’re lucky not to be back there.  This airline shoves people all together like cattle.  This is the only airline that I pay extra to make sure I’m not back there.”

Obviously, the comfort level increased exponentially with wide leather seats, a ton of leg room, champagne when you board, hot towels, and after dinner cognacs or Bailey’s as well as a mid-flight Haagen Dazs ice cream break.  And this was just Premium Economy.  I couldn’t even see what the Upper Class folks probably received. The shocking part of the flight back though was how bad the entertainment system was, possibly because we were on an older plane.  Unlike the flight over, this flight didn’t have an On-Demand style entertainment system.  Each movie was run at random times on different channels from a VHS, so you had to know exactly when the movie started, which there was no way of knowing.  On top of that, the colors were way off (everyone on my screen looked yellow) and the audio kept cutting off.  So I ended up watching and hearing only parts of Warrior and MoneyBall.

So all in all, the airline wasn’t horrible – it just didn’t live up to the hype.  They say on their website that they’ve won the Reader’s Choice award for Best International Airline four years in a row, but I can only imagine those casting the vote didn’t fly in Economy or fly on one of Virgin’s older planes.  I’d give my vote to Air France over Virgin any day.

And one quick tip when your flight lands at Heathrow Airport in London.  Chances are your flight will get in early in the morning.  Keep this in mind – if you have a layover in that airport, allow PLENTY of time.  Expect delays because pretty much ALL transatlantic flights coming from the east and west land at that time.  We had to wait on the runway for a gate to open up after landing, customs took a good 45 minutes to get through, and then the terminals are FAR apart.  You’re walking down hallway after hallway, through what is a essentially a huge shopping mall, and getting on the London Underground subway to get to adjacent terminals.  So the time from landing to getting to a new gate in a different terminal could take as long as an hour and a half to two hours.

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Quick Tip: Airport dining

If you’re going to spend some time in the airport, chances are you’re going to one of three things.  Read, walk around, or eat. If you’re going to eat, be sure to try and find the airport magazine.  Airports such as the ones in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. have an in-terminal magazine, and in them have coupons for the restaurants in the airport.  You’re already spending a bunch on your travel, why not save a few bucks on a meal.

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Graffiato

707 6th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
202-289-3600

Hours
LUNCH
MON-FRI, 11:30am-5pm
SAT, 12pm-5pm

SUN-TUE 
5pm–12am
*kitchen closes at 10pm

WED–THU 
5pm-1am
*kitchen closes at 11pm

FRI–SAT 
5pm–2am
*kitchen closes at midnight

*The bar & pizza oven are open late night after the kitchen closes

Washington, D.C. is not only home to political celebrities, but in recent years has become one of the centers of the celebrity chef universe.  Mike Isabella, former contestant on Top Chef and former executive chef of Jose Andres’ Zaytinya, has stepped up his game with the opening of his new restaurant Graffiato.

Conveniently located near the Gallery Place/Chinatown metro stop, Graffiato offers italian food served in the form of small plates.  Don’t be misled into thinking that “small plates” means “tapas”.  They’re a little bigger than that, but still small enough that you’ll probably want to order two or three to satisfy your hunger.  Graffiato also offers a pretty standout wine list with several local wines and beers as well.

I’ll say this right off the bat – the food was very good.  It was little pricey for what we got, but the quality of the fare was excellent.  Going with a group of friends is definitely a must so that you can try several dishes.   The standout for me was the chicken with cabbage in pepperoni sauce.  The sauce was meaty and spicy, and the chicken was cooked to a moist perfection with a delicious, crispy skin similar to the way peking duck skin is cooked.  Also worth trying is the polenta, which is a grilled goat with pear, the pumpkin risotto and the chocolate tart with a fantastic sea salt ice cream.   Don’t bother with the cauliflower soup and risotto balls.  Keep in mind, the menu does change, so there’s a chance that there will be different offerings when you go.

As good as the food was, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the atmosphere.  The venue was small with a few seats downstairs near the bar and a bigger, brighter dining area upstairs.  Both floors had open kitchens (which was cool seeing Mike Isabella working hard in), but the place was way to loud.  Specifically, the choice of music was a strange mix of Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine and other hard rock that didn’t really match the food we were eating.  It’s not music I necessarily hate, I just don’t want it blasting into my ear while I’m trying to enjoy my meal.

Even with the bar-like atmosphere of Graffiato, the food definitely makes it worth a visit. Grade: B+

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Instant Jumpstart

I think most of us take for granted how valuable our cars are on either a day to day basis or even more so when you decide to take a long road trip.  You put in the key in the ignition, start the car, and you get to where you need to go with no complications 99% of the time.

It’s those instances when your car doesn’t start that you realize how disastrous it can be to always rely on your car working and not have a backup.  My mantra (thanks to Mom) when traveling is always have a back up for everything – print two tickets, keep your credit card numbers in your suitcase, copy your passport.  This mantra applies to backing up your car as well.

Due to some recent issues with my Subaru, the battery in my car would fail to start every few months or so (long story, not even worth talking about here).  But my lifesaver each time was my Durabuilt Instant Jumpstart System.  Portable and convenient, this device simply plugs into any wall socket in your house and gets charged after a few hours.  Keep it in the back of your car and you’ll never get stranded in the middle of nowhere.  The prices for these things range from $60-$200; I bought mine at Target for about $80 and its worked about a dozen times already.

So if you’re planning on doing a lot of traveling on the road, do yourself a favor and get one – it’s worth the investment.

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Quick Tip: Check the Wipers

This may seem like a pretty obvious tip, but believe me it’s not as obvious as you might think after a long flight, and trying to figure out where you’re going.  If you rent a car, before you leave the garage – check the wipers.  Give the windshield a little spray to see if the wipers work.  Just this week – and for the second time this year – I was driving my rental car when it started raining.  I flip on the wipers, and they barely work.  I had to put them on super fast mode just to kinda get the water off and they were annoyingly squeaking like crazy the entire time.

So don’t find out if your wipers work or not after it’s too late – check the wipers in the garage.

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Lagos, Portugal – Costa D’Oiro Ambiance Village

After Porto, we proceeded down to the southern coast to the Algarve region of Portugal.  The Algarve is made up of several cities along the Mediterranean, and the town we chose to spend our last few days was called Lagos (considered by many to be the most beautiful of them all).

To get to Lagos we had to take a 5 hour train ride down to Tunes, and then transfer to a local train (which runs hourly) to get to the beach town.  The local train that takes you there actually is on the line that runs through all the towns in the Algarve region and takes about another hour to get from Tunes to Lagos.  There are more direct trains to Lagos from Lisbon, but not from Porto Porto.  When we got to Lagos, we realized quickly that there were not a slew of taxis waiting for passengers at the train station, so note: Have the hotel’s number that you’re staying at ready to go.  Give them a call and have them get a taxi over to the train station to pick you up.

Lagos is definitely a beach town and during the peak season (which is when we were there) the town is packed with European tourists.  Although all the guide books warned us of this, and although it was busy, at no time did the crowds ever feel claustrophobic or oppressive.  While the main part of the town was packed with bars, the outer part consisted of several beautiful beaches, all with their own unique properties.  I’ll go over the beaches in the next post, but for now I have to talk about the place we stayed at.

Costa D’Oiro Ambiance Village is a great little resort with a good location.  It’s walking distance from both the beaches and the bar scene, but it’s far enough from the main center that you’ll be able to get a good night sleep and not have to listen to the partying crowds.  If you’re looking for that scene, don’t stay at Costa D’Oiro.  Find a hostel near the main square.  Costa D’Oiro is much more relaxed and more suited to the families rather than the backpacking college kid.

What made this hotel stand out from the rest of the places we stayed in Portugal was the size of our hotel room.  I wouldn’t even call it a room, it was more of a suite with a full kitchen, fully stocked with all the cooking supplies we could have needed, living room with satellite TV, spacious two bedroom with another satellite TV, porch and outside area with a table.   They also offered a full complimentary breakfast in the morning (with all you can drink mimosas), but don’t bother with their restaurant – the food there is so so.

The price was reasonable: 198 Euros ($277) a night for that huge room.

Recap

Where I stayed:

Costa D’Oiro Ambiance Village
Rua Costa D’Oiro, Lote 38
8600 – 544 Lagos
+351 282 770 079

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Lisbon, Portugal Part I

Before I got on the plane with my two friends to Portugal a few weeks ago, I had really no real idea what to expect; because of work I didn’t really get to do much research beforehand.  I guess my impression of Portugal was that it was like the forgotten middle child of the European countries, with no defining landmark like the Colosseum, Eiffel Tower or Buckingham Palace, or signature food such as Pizza or Paella, or even a reputation for vices like what you would find in Amsterdam.  But even so, I jumped at the opportunity to visit the country that I knew probably had a lot more to offer than what I imagined.

Our trip took us to three parts of Portugal – Lisbon, the capital of the country on the southwestern coast, Porto, up in the northwest, and Lagos in the beach area of Algarve along the southern coast.  We flew a red-eye flight on TAP, the Portuguese national airline, which was to be honest not the most comfortable ride in the world.  Expecting the plane to have the amenities of most European airlines (with cushioned seats, and video on demand screens on the seats in front of you), instead we had an older airbus with extremely worn seats and no movie/music options.  Needless to say, I was underwhelmed and feared at the end of the trip having to fly home on the same old creaky plane (Luckily for us, we had a much more normal/modern plane on the way back with all the comfortable amenities).  So just be warned if you fly TAP, you might land on an older plane.

Once we landed in Lisbon, we headed to the apartment we booked through Airbnb.  (Watch out for the cabs from the airport – they will cheat you.  The cab from the airport to our apartment cost us 28 Euros.  The cab back going the same distance at the end of the trip – 7 Euros)  The apartment we got was fantastic.  It was clean, in a great area right in the historical region of Alfama, and our host Ema was super helpful in getting us settled with tips about taxis, telling us where the closest supermarket was, and giving us advice on good places to visit.  If you’re planning on visiting, please get in touch with me and I’d be happy to give you her info.  The rate for her two bedroom apartment, one bathroom, living room with kitchen/laundry was 60 Euros a night ($85 a night).

Here’s an outline of some of the things we did the first day:

-After walking around the city we quickly figured this out so be warned – the city is extremely hilly.  Make sure you know that before you come to visit if you’re with the elderly or injured.

-Several of the sights in Lisbon are free to all and/or free on some days (usually Sundays) making the trip very affordable if you plan ahead accordingly.

–Igreja de Santa Maria Maior Se or Se de Lisboa (Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Mary Major): One of the first of many churches we visited on the trip, the fortress looking building was free to enter.  Several of the parts of the church you should check out are the room with the high adorned papal robes and hats and the gargoyles patrolling the church.  Other parts of the church such as the cloister and treasury cost a few Euros to enter and I hear are worth seeing if you’re a history buff (we unfortunately didn’t make it in, opting to save the Euros for other parts of the trip).

– Fado – One of the quintessential Portuguese arts is Fado, a traditional singing performance consisting of a singer and a guitarist or two.  You can’t visit Lisbon without going to a restaurant at least once with a Fado performance.  Although you probably won’t understand a word their saying – much like opera – the delivery of the singing is what makes the music so moving.  Times vary and there are definitely tourist traps that lure visitors in with their Fado.  But we did find one small place with several locals called A Tasca do Chico in the Alfama.  The food wasn’t great to be honest, but the atmosphere more than made up for it.  There were rotating male singers (all of whom looked like regular schmoes off the street) along with two very talented guitarists.  They sang three songs each with a half hour break in between, the time we spent talking to the others we shared a table with.  It’s definitely a relaxing time and a good way to unwind after a long day of sightseeing and meet some locals.  Grade: B-

– Pois Cafe: For a laid back, coffee house experience with a staff all fluent in English check out Pois Cafe.  Just down the street from Se de Lisboa (see above), this bohemian style coffee shop offers a venue where one can lounge around in their cushy sofas and grab any of the books or periodicals along the walls – think of it like an Urban Outfitters with food.   With a menu of sandwiches and salads, the place hits the spot if you’re looking for a quick respite.  Try the Mozart Sandwich (Cheese, Prosciutto, Salad, and Balsamic Vinegar) and their flaky apple strudel.  Grade: B

Recap

Where I stayed:

Emanuela Pendjer Mendes’s apartment through Airbnb.com
Beco da Lapa
Lisbon, Lisbon 1100
Portugal

What I saw:

Igreja de Santa Maria Maior Se or Se de Lisboa (Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Mary Major)
Largo da Sé
1100 Lisboa, Portugal

Where I ate:

Pois Cafe
R. de São João da Praça 93
1100 Lisboa, Portugal

A Tasca Do Chico
Rua do Diário de Notícias, 39

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Travel Tip

This is a quick one.  When going to Europe it’ll probably make your life easier if you bring a change purse.  Most of us Americans, especially the men, don’t carry one.  But over there, the one Euro is a coin and have coins for the one, two, five, ten, twenty, and fifty.  It adds up and you’ll probably have an easier time dealing with it if its all in one pouch instead of jiggling around in your pockets.

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Quick Tip

There are a few weekends that are pretty much guaranteed to be busy travel weekends – Easter, Thanksgiving, etc.  And for these weekend trips, almost everyone has a suitcase carry-on for the (limited) overhead space.  Personally, I hate checking my baggage as well.  There’s always the chance something gets broken, you have to wait at baggage claim vs. being able to walk out of the airport immediately – all sorts of stuff like that.

So it’s best to keep your luggage with you if you can, but when everyone has a bag to put in the overhead, you run the risk of being one of the few who have to check your luggage.

So here’s the quick tip: Check in early online 24 hours prior (that one is obvious).  But more than that – if you know that the flight will probably be full and you have a carry-on that you want to bring with you, choose a seat in somewhere the middle of the plane.  That way you’re guaranteed to have some overhead room, even if it’s a few rows in front of your actual seat.  I normally like seats up front so that you can get off the plane quicker, but in the case of busy weekends, I’ll wait a little longer to get off the plane with my bag over waiting a lot longer at the baggage claim.