30 In Amsterdam & Paris
The next day Andrea kept his promise to carry Ludwina around the Rembrandtplein. It was some sort of plaza opposite the king's palace. It was quite large and filled with many tourists.
They came in the summer, and there were lots of visitors flocking Amsterdam. The weather was quite friendly too, perfect for a stroll and sightsee.
Ludwina told Andrea that if they came in spring, the chill of the wind would be quite annoying, although the scenery would be breathtaking with flowers.
Many other tourists noticed the two when Andrea gave Ludwina a piggyback ride, but the girl just ignored it. She remembered that during the first month she met Andrea, almost every week, the young man carried her to the hospital for 'physiotherapy'.
"Ah... good times,' she thought.
"You don't feel embarrassed being carried like this?" asked Andrea, looking back.
Ludwina just laughed, "Why? Are you embarrassed? So, next time, don't lose the bet. Listen to what Ludwina said. She is Miss Right."
Andrea smiled slightly. He realized that many people were watching them, but the look in those people's eyes was not insulting. In fact, some were looking at them in awe.
Andrea was not ashamed. He would happily lose the bet with Ludwina again if the punishment was to carry the girl.
***
"Okay, then, let me change our accommodation booking..." said Andrea while sitting in the cafe enjoying ice cream.
He quickly went to booking.com and modified their hotel reservation. "But in Italy, I booked an apartment. It already has two rooms. I don't need to change it. I'll just change the one in Paris."
"Okay." Ludwina played with her cell phone while looking at Andrea. She did not get tired of seeing the man around her. It was like a dream, having Andrea with her in Amsterdam.
CLICK!
Ludwina couldn't help but take photos of the handsome man, who was looking serious in changing their hotel booking.
The young man looked up and smiled.
"Don't you want a photo together?" he asked.
"Yes, I want... want, want!" Ludwina was thrilled. She immediately gave a sign, asking the waiter to take their photo. It took a while before someone came and took their picture.
Ludwina frowned because the photos he took were not very good, and the waiter didn't look excited about taking their photo either.
"Ugh, this is Dutch for you. The hospitality is terrible in this country. Restaurant waiters in the big cities of the Netherlands generally don't care about their guests," the girl started to explain.
"It's different from waiters in Spain and Italy. They are so kind and warm, and will be happy to chat with us, " Ludwina continued.
She then looked for fellow tourists sitting in the same cafe and approached them. After chatting for a while, the girl took a photo of the tourists.
This time, one of the tourists came and exchanged the favor by taking pictures of Ludwina and Andrea.
"Thank you so much!" Ludwina smiled broadly.
Indeed, in the Netherlands, it was better to ask for fellow tourists' help to take pictures of you. The result would be better and looked sincere.
Ludwina looked at some of the photos the tourist had taken and chuckled happily.
"This is a good photo because the one who took it is sincere," she said happily.
Andrea shook his head at the sight of the girl.
"Why don't you just use a tripod? We won't bother people that way," he said.
"I forgot to bring a tripod," Ludwina complained.
The second day in Holland, they went to Madurodam to see miniature buildings, then Giethoorn and took a boat in the village known as Dutch Venice.
On the third day, they visited The Hague and Utrecht and then continued on the Thalys train to Paris.
Ludwina may have been to the city known for its Eiffel Tower 20 times, but this was the first time she felt that Paris was calling her lovingly. She couldn't wait to get there.
So far, her journey with Andrea had been smooth.
Too smooth, according to Ludwina.
The man was very easy going and non-fussy. He always gave in when Ludwina chose the nicer part of the room, for example, facing the window. He also did not complain that Ludwina took forever with her bath and got ready in the morning. He was not picky about food and wanted to try anything.
They took turns choosing a place to eat and took turns paying. So far, Ludwina felt that no one was fussy about money and expenses.
Ludwina, who usually liked traveling alone, was finally able to find a conversation partner along the way. Since she's been to many places, she always had unique stories to tell from the places they visited, and Andrea always listened with great interest.
Ludwina had friends in Paris, and she planned to meet them to introduce Andrea. Laura was her friend from college at Columbia who fell in love with a young Frenchman and moved to Paris to be with him.
They had been together for three years, and as far as Ludwina knew, they were a modern couple who didn't want to have children. Ludwina hoped that, by meeting them, Andrea could see that not all couples have to bear children.
***
They finally arrived at Gare du Nord Station after riding the Thalys for three hours. Ludwina was very happy when she set foot in Paris. For the first time in her life, she saw Paris differently.
The surroundings looked beautiful, and Ludwina could swear that she even seemed to hear music playing in the distance. In the past, she only saw Paris as a collection of old and historic buildings and the River Seine.
With Andrea in front of her, the city of Paris seemed to be the backdrop for the perfect painting.
"Where are we staying?" Ludwina asked, stopping a taxi.
"Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel," Andrea replied.
Ludwina gasped. She knew the hotel was very expensive.
"Why the Pullman Hotel?" She furrowed her brows.
"So we can see the Eiffel Tower from the room. When can we go to Paris together like now? It's one in a lifetime chance, " Andrea replied casually as if what he was doing was normal.
"We're already saving on accommodation costs by booking only one room, after all," he added.
"Oh ..." Ludwina understood the man"s intention.
Andrea booked them a special hotel in Paris because, for the man, the city also held a special value compared to Amsterdam and Rome.
The girl smiled broadly and quietly praised Andrea's choice.
"Tonight we will go to the Eiffel Tower and see its lighted tower. Tomorrow, we take a walk to the Sacre Coeur and the Moulin Rouge."
"And?" Andrea lightly asked.
"In the afternoon, we will go to the Arch de Triomphe and continue with a picnic on the grass field in front of the Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, while drinking wine."
"Hm, I'd like that." Andrea nodded.
"Also, I want to take you to meet my friends who live in Paris. They will meet us at the picnic. On our last day, we will take a boat down the Seine and to the Louvre Museum. What do you think?"
Andrea nodded. Their taxi had passed the towering Eiffel Tower, and he was enjoying the beauty of the city. Andrea was grateful that the first time he set foot in Europe, he came with a special girl. He could not imagine coming to this beautiful city alone.
Paris was wonderful. It was even more beautiful than Amsterdam, which had beautiful old buildings hundreds of years old, various canals and flowers that adorn every side of the road.
The mighty Seine with boats passing by, the ubiquitous palace-like structures and statues in gold motifs made Paris feel like it was in royal times.
But the cars and visitors dressed in modern clothing made Andrea realize that this scene was real in their era.
