A Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That . .: 2021

Well, this post is coming really late since I forgot all about it, OOPS 😳.

Days before bike and barge:

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - Brussels

Here I am sitting in the living room of our Air B&B in Brussels and wondering how did I get sucked into this bike trip again. You give them a little finger and they take the whole hand. I guess I must like them since this is our fourth trip. We are starting the trip tomorrow but before that let me tell you about our last couple of days.

We flew from JFK to Brussels. Our flight was good even though we were late leaving. It worked out well since we couldn't get to the apartment until after 1 pm. Our place is a block from the Grand Place, a perfect location and the place is really beautiful.

Grand Place, Brussels

After settling down a bit we went for a little tour of the area. We did see the world famous Manneken Pis statue and so many chocolate shops. I think every block has at least 3 of them in the center of town, some blocks even have 7 of them. We had an early dinner of moules and frittes at Le Marin Restaurant. While we were eating a huge thunderstorm came though. We were really tired from the time change and not being able to sleep on the plane so we went to bed early and slept 12 hours straight.

Moules, frittes not in the picture.

Manneken Pis

Some of the wonderful chocolates

Thursday, August 31, 2017 - Brussels, Louven, Hasselt, Genk
The next day we met Jeff's Belgian co-worker Paul and he took us all over the place. He doesn't live in Brussels but had to drive about 45 minutes to pick us up. We drove by the Atomium which is one of World Fair 1956 buildings. We headed out to Louven. It is a lovely old university town. The university has been there since the 1400's. Their town hall was build around the same time and statues of important locals are carved all around it.

Atomium

Leuven Town Hall

From the Louven we drove to Hasselt where we had lunch and then walked around it a little bit. They have a nice Cathedral and Virga Jesse Basilica. They say that the Virgin Mary was seen in there.

Virga Jesse Basilica

St Quentin's Cathedral

Oldest building in Hasselt, from 1540's

After Hasselt we went to the Bokrijk Open-air Museum in Genk. Lots of beautiful old buildings that were moved to there from all over the country. I could have spent the whole day there.

Brugelhoeve Vorselaar

Chapel Metseren

House Herenthout

Presbytery Schriek

Turf Shed Kalmthout-Nieuwmoer

Paul lives nearby with his wife Lieve, their 3 dogs, 2 cats and one horse. Lieve had made a wonderful dinner for us, traditional Belgian beef stew, Belgian fries, salad and ice cream with chocolate sauce. Yum. They drove us back to Brussels even though we tried to suggest that we could take the train. Huge thank you to both Paul and Lieve. We owe you one.

Friday, September 1, 2017 - Brussels

Today we headed out towards the train station and beyond. We ended up at the Park Brussels. We noticed that there were all kinds of food trucks setting up, but it was too early to eat anything. We crossed the road and did a free tour of the Royal Palace. After the palace we went back to the food trucks. Not all of them were open yet, but the Belgian fries place was so we had some of them.

Food trucks in front of the Royal Palace

Royal Palace

Belgian fries

Royal Palace

I wanted to see some of the museums. Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium has 3 museums in one complex. We got a combination tickets and saw all of them. The main building has Belgian masters from the 1400's onwards, then there is Magritte Museum and Fin-de-Siecle Museum.

Royal Museums of Fine Art

I haven't seen seating in an elevator before,
Fin-de-Siecle Museum

One of the Magrittes

Even the mirrors are different at the
Magritte Museum

After walking back to the Grand Place we noticed that the Beer Festival was starting up. They were not letting the general public in yet and since it was starting to rain we thought that we'll wait. The rain didn't last too long so we went back to the Festival got tickets and had a few different Belgian beers. This festival was well organized. It was free to get in, but if you wanted beer you had to buy a 3 Euro chip for the class, you got that money back as long as you didn't break the glass. Then you bought different amount of bottle caps depending how much you were planning on drinking, all the beer were either 2, 3 or 4 caps. So once you decided which company's beer (there were about 34 different ones) you wanted and which ones of their beers, you gave them the chip and they filled the glass, once done you gave the glass back and you got your chip back and you could go to the next booth, etc etc. Then at the end of the day you gave the chip back to get your 3 Euros. Now it's time for earlier night and then we are heading to Brugge in the morning.

Grand Place

Bike and Barge Trip:

Saturday, September 2, 2017 - Brugge

We took the train to Brugge in the morning and by accident met Felix and his girlfriend Myrthe at the train station. Felix is our guide and he was our guide on our last trip too as was Myrthe. We walked together to the barge and sort of checked in. We were a bit too early but were able to leave our luggage there and headed out to town.

Brugge

Kasteel Minnewater

Mariastraat

Steenstraat

View from Bonifacius Bridge

Our barge is called Zwaantje and we have been on it once before. The captain Martijn and his wife Marjorie own the boat and do an amazing job running these trips. This time they had Michael the engineer and Frank the chef helping them.

Brugge-Ghent Canal seen from Zwaantje

Zwaantje

My wheels for the next 2 weeks

Sunday, September 3, 2017 - Brugge to Ghent

We started cycling after breakfast and headed towards Ghent. Our first stop was at a WWII bunker. As we were looking at it (couldn't go inside but we were able to go on top of it) several older military vehicles went by.

Oostkamp

From there we headed along the Brugge-Ghent Canal and ended up having a lunch break in Aalter at a small cafe. We have been there before when we cycled from Amsterdam to Brugge couple of years earlier.

Lunch stop, Aalter

Finally came to Ghent at mid afternoon and Felix took us on a short tour of the town. We had some free time to look and shop around before meeting everyone and cycling to where our barge was docked at Stroopkai.

Gravensteen Castle

Leie Canal

Noses candy vendor at Groentenmarkt

Old Meathouse

Saint Bavo's Cathedral

The Crypt at Saint Bavo's Cathedral

Monday, September 4, 2017 - Ghent to Oudenaarde

We headed out of Ghent after breakfast and cycled more or less along the Scheldt River. Our first break was in Gavere. It is a small town and they had a little open air market that day. We looked around and had a cup of coffee in one of their cafes. Having coffee in Europe is so much more sophisticated than here in US. There you get a cookie or pastry with it without even asking. And people take their time enjoying their drink.

Ready to leave Ghent

Gavere

Coffee break in Gavere

Our next stop was in Ename, which is a suburb of Oudenaarde. We had lunch by the ruins of an old Benedictine Abbey. It was in use from 1063 to 1795. Now there are only ruins left, but it must have been quite nice in it's hay day. Here's a link for more info: Ename Abbey Before reaching Ename our barge Zwaantje passed us on the river.

Zwaantje passing us

Ename Abbey

Since we arrived to the barge early some of us had a chance to do an extra ride. 3 of the guys and Felix the guide went and did the Koppenberg ride which is part of the Tour de Flanders professional cycling race. The road is made of cobblestones and it's steep. Google it if you are interested, there seems to be a lot of videos too.

We stayed overnight in Oudenaarde. Dinner as usual was on the barge. We also had time to look around town a little bit if we wanted to.

Courthouse at Oudenaarde

Pamelekerk, Oudenaarde

Tuesday, September 5, 2017 - Oudenaarde toTournai

Not too many interesting things to see today. The best part was actually in Oudenaarde. After breakfast we cycled to the Town Hall. There we met a local guide who gave us a tour of the Town Hall. It is a beautiful building that dates from the early part of 1500's. She told us lots of stories about the building. There is a small museum with a collection of silverware and other relics from the past. The Aldermen Hall has an amazing carved portal. Adjoining Cloth Hall from the 14th century has an exhibition of tapestries from the 15th to 18th centuries.

Town Hall, Oudenaarde

Portal at the Town Hall, Oudenaarde

Tapestries at the Town Hall, Oudenaarde

We have been following the Scheldt River but did a detour to inland to Celles for lunch. From there we headed to Pecq and stopped at one of the many Commonwealth War Cemeteries. Our barge was docked at the historic Pont des Trous. It was built between 1281 and 1304. The center arch was destroyed during WWII and rebuilt with a bigger opening to let bigger boats through. Some of us went for a quick bike ride around the old town center before dinner.

Near Pecq along the Scheldt River

Pont des Trous, Tournai

Grand Place, Tournai

Notre Dame Cathedral, Tournai

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 - Tournai to Arleux

We started the day by sailing out of Tournai. The barge left before we even had breakfast. Somewhere while sailing we crossed the border from Belgium to France. We ended up in Montagne-du-Nord and started cycling from there towards Saint-Amand -les-Eaux. We stopped there for a coffee break and looked around an old abbey gardens and downtown area.

Sailing from Tournai

Montagne-du-Nord

Saint-Amand -les-Eaux Abbey

We cycled via Arenberg to Denain. The day was a bit cold and drizzly so we had our lunch inside a restaurant in Denain. After taking a little break we headed out again towards Bouchain. There is an 13th century tower castle/museum called Musée d'Ostrevant and we went to see it. Lots of places in small towns are not open all day but there usually is a note at the door to call someone to come and open up the place. After a while someone did come and gave us a tour of the tower. It had been under siege several times over the centuries. They did have lots of exhibits and even carved graffiti on the walls from prisoners centuries ago. The tower did survive the WWII German attacks but the town itself was more or less destroyed.

Musée d'Ostrevant

Prisoner graffiti, Musée d'Ostrevant

Musée d'Ostrevant

We cycled to Paillencourt and waited for our barge to arrive. Once it got there we sailed to Arleux.

Zwaantje arriving to Paillencourt

Thursday, September 7, 2017 - Arleaux to Graincourt

Arleaux is very famous of smoked garlic and our hosts went and got some before we left the town. We left after breakfast and after making our usual bagged lunch and we quickly stopped at the Place du Monument in Arleaux. Then we cycled to a small town of Abancourt where we had a tour of a church. It was once again one of those places where we had to call someone to come and open the doors. Soon it was time for a coffee break and Felix was able to find a place in Sancourt just outside a small town of Blecourt. It was a very small cafe/bar that was run by an older lady.

Marjorie with smoked garlic

Place du Monument, Arleaux

Saint Martin Church, Abancourt

From there we headed out again through some corn and potato fields towards Tilloy-lez-Cambrai where there is a WWII Canadian Cemetery. We spent some time there looking at the graves.

Tilloy-lez-Cambrai

Then it was time for the town of Cambrai and our lunch break. We did eat our bagged lunch but also got some crapes.

City Hall, Cambrai

Tourism Office, Cambrai

Our Lady of Grace, Cambrai

The Jesuit Chapel, Cambrai

Place de Cambrai

Crepes in Cambrai

We have a long day ahead of us so it was time to go and climb some hills, that is after some more potato fields. We ended up at the Vaucelles Abbey. It is an old Cistercian abbey founded in the 1100's. It is still a working abbey and absolutely worth the visit. The old buildings are amazing and you can just imagine what it might have looked with the monks way back when. The gardens are also worth the visit.

Vaucelles Abbey

Model of Vaucelles Abbey

Vaucelles Abbey

After spending quite a bit of time at the abbey it was time to head out and meet our barge. At least it was downhill from there, more or less. We ended up in a small town of Ribecourt-la-Tour and found out that our barge would not be where we were supposed to meet it and that we had to go elsewhere. I do have to say that that day was a tough one for me. Lots of hills, a small fall (just a scraped knee) and long distances, some through rough fields. I'm not sure how far we rode but I'm sure that today was the longest I have ever ridden, and that was on a regular hybrid bike. I think we were all very happy to be back on the barge.

Friday, September 8, 2017 - Graincourt to Peronne

Our barge left Graincourt before breakfast because it had a date with a tunnel. Soon after breakfast we arrived at the Ruyaulcourt end of Canal du Nord tunnel, but before that we had to go through some other locks. Everything on the top part of the barge was down so we could fit through it. Even the captain had to steer the boat through a skylight. The tunnel is one way traffic only and the barges and boats take turn going to different directions and have certain times they can sail through. The construction of the tunnel was started in 1908 but because of the two World Wars it did not open until 1965. It is 4354 meters or 2.7 miles long.

One of the other locks on Canal du Nord

Everything is down on top, Canal du Nord

Canal du Nord

Our Captain Martijn (on the right), Canal du Nord

There is light at the end of a tunnel. Canal du Nord

Because it was such a rainy, foggy day only about half of us rode to Peronne after going through the tunnel. I decided to stay on the boat. We had a chance to do some laundry before dinner and do a short walk around town. Tomorrow is a rest day.

Ready to cycle, South end of the tunnel

And off the rest of us go.
Canal du Nord, South end of the tunnel

Saturday, September 9, 2017 - Peronne

Today is a rest day which means no cycling. For some it meant laundry day, rest, sightseeing, meals in restaurants etc. Since we got our laundry done yesterday we went sightseeing. Peronne is close to where the WWI Battles of Somme were fought. But those have not been the only battles that have happened here. Through the ages from 900's onward the town has been burned and pillaged many times, but it is still standing.

The partially ruined Chateau de Peronne now houses Museum of the Great War. If you are interested on WWI it is definitely worth the visit.

Museum of the Great War

Peronne also used to have an ancient fortress built in the 9th century. Only Porte de Bretagne is left. There is a nice little park behind it. We walked aimlessly around the older part of town and found some interesting buildings and streets and a market place.

Porte de Bretagne

Old gobbled streets, Peronne

Market Place, Peronne

Birds for sale at the market place

Peronne

Town Hall, Peronne

Since the staff on our barge had a day off today also we were on our own for dinner. We ate a late lunch at Le Bistrot d'Antoine. We had bought some exta goodies from a bakery and took them to the barge to eat later. In the early evening we even had a rainbow above the barge.

Goodies from a local bakery

One of our desserts

Le Bistrot d'Antoine

One of our dinners

One of our desserts

Neat way to chill wine

Evening in Peronne

Sunday, September 10, 2017 - Peronne to Noyon

I had tested the extra electric bike during our rest day and it was so nice, especially on the hills. I decided to use it today and for the rest of the our trip,, while hoping nobody would have problems with theirs since it was an extra "just in case" bike. I should have had it right from the beginning, but I was glad to have it now since the terrain was getting hillier.

We left Peronne after breakfast and our first stop was in a small town of Saint-Chirst-Briost. There seemded to be a sporting event going on with some food stalls. They had a tournament of Longue Paume going on. It is an old game and was played in the Paris Olympics in 1900. It is an ancestor of Lawn Tennis and it looked like tennis but played as a team with no net. Since we had just had breakfast we just enjoyed some cotton candy instead.

Game of Longue Paume

Some cotton candy for the road

From there we headed out again and came across a walk-a-thon with dozens and dozens of people walking the same path as we were going. We waited for them to go ahead of us and while doing that the organizes offered us some of the starting refreshments. Soon after we followed the walkers but they had already disappeared on some other path. We arrived to the town of Ham and had our lunchbreak on the steps of the town hall. Ham also has ruins of an old castle, Chateau de Ham. You can't go inside but can look around it. There seemed to be a bicycle race going on that same day and the ending point was at the castle.

Neat looking building, Ham

Chateau de Ham

An old long & narrow building, Ham

Town Hall, Ham

We stopped at a little town of Esmery-Hallon to look for a coffee shop but there didn't seem to be any open so we headed out again to Muirancourt and to the strangest place for drinks/bathroom break. In all honesty I think they were in the middle of renovating that place because it was pretty bad inside but at least we were able to sit down for a little bit.

Playing some pool, Muirancourt

No privacy in this WC, door is
to the main room, Muirancourt

Café in Muirancourt

Then it was towards Noyon. We went to see the Cathedral first and then had some time to look around the old town area. I have to say that the Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the most beautiful ones I've seen, as is the area around it. There are lots of interesting buildings that were or still are part of the cathedral. We also walked to the plaza where the town hall is.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Noyon

Cloisters, Notre Dame
Cathedral, Noyon

Joan of Arc Statue, Notre Dame Cathedral, Noyon

Bishop's Palace,
Notre Dame Cathedral, Noyon

Bishop's Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Noyon

Chapter's Library, Notre Dame Cathedral, Noyon

Notre Dame Cathedral, Noyon

Our barge was not docked at Noyon but just a little bit outside of the city in Pont-l'Eveque.

Town Hall, Noyon

Town Square, Noyon

Pont-l'Eveque

Monday, September 11, 2017 - Noyon to Compiegne

After leaving Noyon area we headed towards Chiry-Ourscamp. We had a snack stop at the Ourscamp Abbey. The Cistern Abbey was founded in 1129. The Church was destroyed during the French Revolution but you can tour the ruins and some of the gardens.

L'Abbaye d'Ourscamp

From there we went to Tracy-le-Val and Tracy-le-Mont. In Tracy-le-Val we had a tour of Saint-Eloi Church. It was pretty much completely destroyed during WWI but rebuilt exactly the same Romanesque style than the original including all the heads all over the outside of the church.

Saint-Eloi Church

We cycled through some wooded areas with beautiful buildings and mansions. Our lunch break was in a small town of Rethondes. We were able to get some snacks and drinks at the local small tobacco/grocery store. Rethondes is famous for hosting the WWI Armistice nearby. The local church was a place where the French Marshal Foch came to visit while waiting for an answer to his armistice offer. There is a stained glass in the church commemorating the occasion and a plaque outside the church.

That's one use for water
bottle holders, Rethondes

Rethondes

Top part of the center stained glass has WWI Armistice pictures, Rethondes

After touring the church we went to the Glade of the Armistice. This is the location where the WWI Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918. They have a reproduction of the train car where it was signed. The real thing was destroyed by Germans during WWII. Also the train tracks are still there were both Allied and German trains were parked. There are lots monuments, a museum and a memorial garden in the same area. Definitely worth the visit.

Armistice Monument

Replica of the train car where Armistice was signed

Marshal Foch sat on the right.

German side of the table.

The train tracks where both sides were parked.

WWII Memorial

Glade of the Armistice

We ended the day in Compiegne along the Oise River. We didn't see too much of that town other than the Town Hall area.

Town Hall Compiegne

Detail of the Town Hall, Compiegne

Tuesday, September 12, 2017 - Compiegne to Creil

We left again right after breakfast heading towards Creil. But first we had to bicycle through the Compiegne Forest. There are several big public forests in this area with wide paths for bicycling, walking, running or horseback riding etc. There are lots of neat looking trail markers but I think one can still easily get lost there.

Compiegne Forest

After arriving to Saint-Sauveur we stopped for a coffee break in a cute old bar and tobacco shop. From there we passed Rhuis and Ognon with some old buildings along our route.

Coffee break in Saint-Sauveur

Rhuis

Ognon

We arrived in Senlis. It is an old town that still has a Roman wall from the 3rd century somewhere. We first went to see the Senlis Notre Dame Cathedral. Every town seems to have their own Notre Dame. It was built in the 12th century and is another beautiful church. Nearby is the Chapelle Royale Saint Frambourg. It was founded in 987 but the current church was built also in the 12th century. It is now used as a concert hall. We had some time to walk around the town a little bit and ended up having lunch in one of the local bars.

Notre Dame, Senlis

Chapelle Royale, Senlis

We ended the day in Verneuil-en-Halette. There were storms coming and the barge picked us up nearby and we spent the night docked in Creil.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - Creil to Auvers

Today was a day nobody wanted to miss since we were heading to Chantilly. We left after breakfast and rode there pretty much directly. We stopped just outside the town where we had a good view of the castle. While there the Google car went by and we are seen in the street view, at least at the moment. Once we got to the town of Chantilly the first thing we did was to go and see the castle.

The castle has the Petit Chateau from the 1500's and the Grand Chateau which was destroyed during the French Revolution but rebuilt in the 1800's. There is also an art museum, Musee Gonde, that houses French paintings.

Chantilly Castle

Library, Chantilly Castle

Monkey Room, Chantilly Castle

Princes' Room, Chantilly Castle

The Gallery, Chantilly Castle

The Great Hall, Chantilly Castle

The Rotunda, Chantilly Castle

After touring the castle we had some more free time to look around. We went to see the Horse Museum and Racetrack and another smaller art gallery across the street. I could have stayed couple of days in Chantilly, there seems to be so much to see. But we had to leave.

The Equestrian Museum, Chantilly

The Big Staples, Chantilly

We rode through the Chantilly forest to Chateau de la Reine Blanche. It is a cute tiny castle that if I understood correctly started as a mill, then a lodge. It looks like a medieval castle on the small scale. Original building was started in the 13th century. From there we rode vie Coye-la-Foret to Boran-sur-Oise where the barge picked us up and took us to Auvers.

Coye-la-Foret

Chateau de la Reine Blanche,
Coye-la-Foret

Thursday, September 14, 2017 - Auvers to Bougival

Today is our last day of riding. We left Auvers-sur-Oise after breakfast and headed up the hill towards the cemetery where Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Theo are buried. There is also at least one other artist, Corneille, buried there. The cemetery is on top of a steep hill which was a bit hard to ride up and scary to come down. On the way to the cemetery is the Notre Dame church which Van Gogh painted the year he died. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to see other places where Van Gogh lived and painted.

Notre Dame, Auvers-sur-Oise

Copy of Van Gogh's painting

Notre Dame, Auvers-sur-Oise

Vincent & Theo Van Gogh's grave

Vincent Van Gogh's grave

Corneille's grave

From there we rode to Pontoise and had our coffee break. Since Van Gogh was big on drinking Absinthe we decided to get some since most of us didn't know what it tasted like. Luckily nowadays it is not poisonous as it was back then. We took it with us to drink it once we got back to barge. Soon after Pontoise the Zwaantje passed us on the Oise River.

We bought some absinthe

Near Pontoise

After the Oise River joined the Seine River we headed to the National Forest of Saint-Germain and to the Terrasse. From there we had beautiful views of Paris far in the distance. We had our lunch on the Terrasse which is part of town of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. We were able to go and see the Chapel and the Courtyard at the Chateau-de-Saint-Germain. The Chateau is now The National Archeological Museum. After that we all had time to look around the area. We ended up in another massive church just across the street from the Chateau.

Grand Terrace

View of Paris, Grand Terrace, Saint-Germain

Chateau de Saint-Germain

Chapel, Chateau de Saint-Germain

Church of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

From there we had to take a steep ride down the cliff with busy traffic to Le Pecq. Then along the Seine to Bougival where we had to wait for out barge to arrive for a little bit. After dinner we all had a chace to try the Absinthe we bought earlier. To serve is a bit different than anything else I've had before. You put a sugar cube in a special, slotted spoon and put that over the glass, then pour the alcohol on the sugar cube. Then you light the sugar on fire, once burned drop it in the drink and stir. You can add ice and/or water. We stayed overnight in Bougival. Tomorrow is our last day.

Bougival

Zwaantje at Bougival

Prepping absinthe

Friday, September 15, 2017 - Bougival to Paris

Today is our last day and there will be no riding since the traffic in Paris is a bit crazy. We started sailing before we even had breakfast. It took seveeral hours of sailing until we reached Quai de Bercy where we docked. We passed several interesting looking sites before we arrived to Paris proper. We also passed pretty much everything worth seeing, the Eiffel Tower, Musee d'Orsay, Louvre, Notre Dame, all the famous bridges etc.

La Seine Musicale

Pont Alexandre III

Pont Bir-Hakeim

Pont Neuf

Statue of Liberty, Pont de Grenelle, Paris

Homeless people along the Seine, Paris

Little bit richer homeless people along
the Seine, Paris

Rich homeless people along the Seine, Paris

City Hall, Paris

Conciergerie, Paris

Eiffel Tower

Louvre, Paris

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

City of Fashion and Design, Paris

After docking we had either free time or we could take a tour of Montmartre that our guide Felix had arranged. We decided to go to the Montmartre tour. We took the Metro to Blanche station near the Moulin Rouge. There we met with our guide. She was a young lady and very knowledgeable of the area and it's history, especially all the artists who had lived there and also the locations of the movie Amelie. The tour ended near Sacre-Coeur Basilica. From there we all went our own ways to meet at Zwaantje for our farewell dinner. After eating we took a group picture and then it was time to start packing.

Parc Bercy

Abesses Garden

Tour of Montmartre

Artists residence

Dalida's residence

Tour of Montmartre

Moulin Rouge

Tour of Montmartre

Wall of Love

Sacre Coeur

Store from Amelie movie

Utrillo's Pink house

Montmartre Vinyard

Wallace Fountain

Dessert on our last night on the Zwaantje
(or Little Swan)

Saturday, September 16, 2017 - Paris to home

After breakfast it was time to say goodbye to our fellow cyclists. Everyone was either flying out that day or staying in Paris for couple of days. We took an Uber to De Gaulle airport and a flight to JFK. Our plane was Airbus 380 and it is huge and we were on the second floor. It is the world's largest passenger aircraft. We had paid a little bit extra to have some more room but it was the most uncomfortable flight in a very long time. But we did make it home.