Suivez-moi, Cheapos!

Jardin des Tuileries

Métro: Tuileries, Concorde, Palais Royal/Musée du Louvre, Pyramides
(Tip: I recommend Concorde because it’s located near two English bookshops!)

Size: Sixtysomething acres on the Right Bank

One of many statues in the park

Peeks and Valleys: Created by Catherine de Médici during the 17th Century (with a slight Italian flair), the gardens were given a redo by landscape architect André Le Nôtre during the Sun King’s reign. After the Big Wigs’ move to Versailles, it became one of the first public parks. Sadly, this was also where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were held prisoners during the French Revolution. At that time, due to years of neglect, the park was rampant with duckweed, prostitution, and angry mobs.

What’s in a name? The Jardin des Tuileries (literally, “the tileworks”) was built atop the clay pits of the former city tile factory. Back then, most of the buildings were roofed with tiles.

Multi-taskers: It’s a tile’s throw from the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume (former Royal tennis court), Musée Les Arts Décoratifs, the Musée de la Mode et Textile, the Musée du Louvre, and the Musée de l’Orangerie!

Lust for Life: Swanky cafés, chairs, and over one hundred statues (including many by Maillol) seductively tempt. Writer Henry Miller made no secret of his profound love of the voluptuous bronzes. “Dashing here or there like a bedbug, gathering [cigarette] butts now and then, sometimes furtively, sometimes brazenly; sitting down on a bench and squeezing my guts to stop the gnawing or walking through the Jardin des Tuileries getting [suggestive term deleted] looking at the dumb statues.” It’s Miller, after all. Ooh, la la.

Snack time at the Tuileries

Where to buy reading material: Pick up a magazine or book at W.H. Smith at 248 Rue de Rivoli, or at Galignani at 224 rue de Rivoli. (Both have plenty of books in English.) Also near Place de la Concorde, you’ll find the Jardin des Tuileries Bookshop, specializing in garden books. Browse deeply. Your plants back home will thank you.

Study the masters: Prepare for your visit by getting an eyeful of Manet’s “Music in the Tuileries.” At the Lourve, you’ll find Eugéne Lami’s “Entrée de la duchesse d’Orléans dans le jardin des Tuileries.” The Jardin des Tuileries has also played muse to photographers Atget, Brassaï, and Doisneau.

Jardin du Luxembourg

Métro: Notre-Dame des Champs, Odéon, Port-Royal, Rennes, or Vavin
(Tip: I recommend the Notre-Dame des Champs Métro station because, Cheapos, as you meander your way to the park, you’ll pass a grocery store and a string of funky boutiques.)

A regal view

Size: Sixty-something acres on the Left Bank

The hoedown: Created by Marie de Médici and garden theorist Boyeau de La Bareaudière with a Florentine twist during the 17th Century, it opened to the public in 1778. Rumor has it that Hemingway hunted for pigeons here during his lean salad days. He wrote:

“When you were skipping meals at a time when you had given up journalism and were writing nothing that anyone in America would buy, the best place to do it was the Luxembourg gardens where you saw and smelled nothing to eat all the way from the Place de L’Observatoire to the rue de Vaugirard.”

At the Jardin du Luxembourg

Multi-taskers: It’s conveniently near the Musée de Cluny (Museum of the Middle Ages) and the Musée du Luxembourg (currently closed).

Garden of delights: The Jardin du Luxembourg boasts a hefty collection of over 100 statues (showcasing former French queens and female saints), the Medici Fountain, the octagonal Grand Bassin surrounded by raised terraces, Bartholdi’s original State of Liberty prototype, a school for training bee keepers, and a théâtre des marionnettes! There are also pear and apple orchards, flowerbeds with gillyflowers and dahlias, orange, date, and pomegranate trees. Games include tennis, running, chess, toy boat racing, boules (lawn bowling), donkey rides, and a carrousel where kids can try to spear golden rings with little lances!

Where to buy reading material: San Francisco Books at 17 Rue Monsieur le Prince (Metro Odéon) specializes in used books in English.

Strike a pose: Luxembourg flirted with photographers Atget, Brassaï, and Doisneau. Painter Watteau paid calls too. It also had a reoccurring role in Victor Hugo’s novel “Les Misérables.”

And so Cheapos, in the words of Henry Valentine Miller, “The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware: joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware!” So keep your eyes peeled!

[Editor’s Note: Happy birthday, Theadora! We hope you celebrate like a queen!]

The post Paris: Outdoor delights at the Jardin des Tuileries and the Jardin du Luxembourg appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here are a few of my favorite FREE things to do in Amsterdam.

1) A walk, skate,  or museum visit, in the park…

Just south of the Leidseplein, you’ll find Vondelpark, a beautiful park nestled among the gray, towering blocks in Amsterdam’s city center.  Named for a famous poet, the space benefits from a location close to all the major museums and is a great place to stop after a busy day spent exploring the city.

Hundreds of acres of land are sprinkled with thriving greenery, colorful blooms, and the occasional wildlife (read: ducks, swans). Best of all? This urban oasis is FREE and open to the public every day of the year.

What to see and do: The National Film Museum, a treasure trove of more than 30,000 films, will wow eager art fans who will be tempted to stop and catch a screening. Playgrounds abound in Vondelpark, making it a delight for traveling family groups. You can rent a pair of skates from Snoephuisje (Vondelpark, 7) if you are up for some fun and games or just bring along a blanket and goodies for an idyllic picnic in the sun. And of course, summertime brings in numerous free concerts in the park’s quaint Open Air Theater.

Opening Hours: Daily (9 AM to 5 PM)

2) Narrowest house in the world?

Rather than visiting the high-profile tourist spots, wouldn’t it be more exciting to check out one of those little known record-breaking monuments? How about something quirky or innovative, something that made a mark above all its more glamorous peers? Well, this is one of those fascinating sites, and it’s FREE to enter and explore.

At Singel #7 (just off of the Singel Canal), barely reaching one meter in breadth, this house is definitely one of the narrowest in the world. Admittedly, it’s the entrance that boasts the most tiny proportions; the rest of the house is pretty run-of-the-mill. Nonetheless, it’s worth checking out.  And, hey, you could always stay at the Liberty Hotel (next door at #5) and snap some photos from your room.

Cheapo tip: If this topic continues to fascinate you, head over to Oude Hoogstraat, 22 which is also queuing up for the narrowest house title.

3) Statue-yes-que!

Amsterdam’s rich historical background is evident in a variety of city landmarks; no need to dish out oodles of cash for a bit of Dutch culture. Most landmarks signify amazing turning points in human history too, so catching a glimpse of them is certainly worth a jaunt. Here are three must-sees:

The Spinoza statue, located outside Amsterdam’s City Hall, is a requisite for history buffs. Dedicated to the renowned philosopher by the same name, the statue is a tribute to a great thinker of our time. Do snap a shot of the phrase near the statue: ‘The purpose of the State is freedom.’

Situated in the midst of Dam Square, the Dutch National Monument is a towering symbol dedicated to loved ones lost during World War II. A worthy testament.

Finally, in 2007, a bronze statue depicting a female prostitute was placed in Oudekerksplein, in front of the Oude Kerk.  As is the custom in Amsterdam, the sculpture aims to show respect for all those who choose prostitution as their line of work.

The post Amsterdam Tip: Free things to do appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.