Water Water All Around

and not a drop to drink! My journey to Venezia was an amusing one. I had no idea the trains would be so full that I can't get tickets for the time that I needed... So how did I get there and what did I see?

Staying in A/C is Not Ideal for Travelling

Shanghai was hot, scorching hot. What is someone who melts in any sort of heat to do? Shopping, I guess.

Winter Wonderland: Whistler

Whistler does seem to have a longer "winter" than does home. If we got a foot of snow dumped on the ground the day before, we'd be stuck at home for a week. Luckily, that's not the case in Whistler.

Roma, Roma-ma

My flight to Rome from Eindhoven was cancelled courtesy of horrible weather, so I embarked on a 20 hour train ride instead. I don't regret being stubborn and spending a fortune on those train tickets, though. The Roman experience was more than worth it.

Bits of Germany 2

Germany is a large country, but Bavaria is supposed to have the most beautiful scenery of all. Schloss Neuschwanstein and Garmisch-P has more than convinced me. See for yourself!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Sidestepping in Germany (Again): Köln

Yet another trip into Germany, and yet another rainy day. I don't know why I attract rain so. I went to Köln, Germany (Cologne in English) on November 6 (yes, I'm slightly behind). We had intended to visit the Dom and climb over 400 steps to get to the top of the tower... but there was smoke emerging from the tower and we were (for obvious reasons) not given entry. It smelt foul anyway, and we saw some firefighters pull in.


The Dom, under renovations...

I'm always amazed at the craftsmanship from earlier eras.

I really love prayer candles and the way they flicker...

So we had lunch at a local brewery and headed to the Gestapo prison / museum. Unfortunately, we were still making our way through the audio tour in the museum when the place closed, meaning no prisons for us...


The timeline on the floor corresponded with the displays

Ended off the day with a walk along the river and the Lindt chocolate factory (only to get chocolate though).

Just look at the packaging *whacks the marketing student in me*

Winter festivities?

Finally, I'll end with photos of really cool posters and one fail attempt at a panoramic shot at the Dom.




Next up, my amazing weekend in England. I can't believe I could bear to leave...

By fishii with 2 comments

Monday, November 15, 2010

Church Retreat

Little German towns are the cutest places.

Over the weekend of October 29 - 31, I went to an area near Monschau, Germany for retreat with Damascus Road International Church. It was great company and a lot of fun in cute little German neighbourhoods... if you could call it that.


With a lack of an oven here in the dorms, I've had this really bad craving to bake... lots. I've taken pretty much every chance I had to bake. Staying in wonderfully equipped and cozy self service apartments gave me the perfect chance to try my hand at baking cinnamon rolls. They... didn't turn out perfectly, but it was fun to make!

But I don't have a photo of that. I tried again last Saturday at friend's house... I forgot to add butter =.=;; but it turned out better anyway.

That aside, I've been blabbering. I figure I'll just make the rest of the post photos.





Oh yea, is there anyone left here? Just give me a shout so I know to keep updating my blog~ =D

By fishii with 2 comments

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Luxembourg

This was the first time I've embarked on a journey to a foreign land all on my own. I've spent time in foreign places myself, but someone was always there to accompany me on the outbound journey. This time, I was accompanied by coffee from my favourite café from Maastricht, a coffeelovers frappé.



After 3.5 hours and a few train transfers, I arrived in Luxembourg.

The sign boards at Luxembourg Station.

The city feels like a place that you just have to experience for yourself. For me it was ultimately relaxing with too many options to explore for just a weekend. For others, it was a bore. Luxembourg city was filled with enchanting landscapes with many valleys and plateaus, and many layers at almost any given point of my path. It was somewhat like a maze to me, I never really knew which level to take.

On the plateau at Rue de Prague

Somehow, I just feel that photos fail to capture the magnificence of the landscape. I was once again wandering around the city with few destinations in mind, just soaking up the quiet atmosphere of Luxembourg and relaxing before exams started.

One of the destinations was a town about 30 - 45 minutes away from Luxembourg called Vianden. The tourist attraction of Vianden is a castle at the top of a hill. The scenery from the top of the chair lift was very attractive, though I wouldn't agree with wikiTravel about the impossibly picturesque part.



When I got off the bus at Vianden, a group of 4 older working adults approached me and asked whether if I would like to join their group for the day. They said they noticed that I was on my own and that they didn't like travelling without companions. I thought it would be fun to hang out with someone from a totally different background for the day and agreed to join. Even more lucky was the fact that they had an admission pass to everything for 5 people, so I got into everything free that day!

Back in Luxembourg at Casemates Bock

This is the fortification of the Luxembourg city to defend themselves against the numerous takeovers and rebellions that happened during the course of history. From the Germans to the French, then the Germans again... I can't even remember how many times these wars happened. It sort of looks like a cave inside the wall, and some areas of the wall extend very far down.


I feel like I haven't done a very good job in depicting what I experienced in Luxembourg. It was difficult to select photos that could tell the story, so perhaps if I get a chance, I'll tell you about it in person. I still wish I had time to visit Remich and Schengen, it would've been fun. Finally, I'll leave you with a photo of the Luxembourg downtown area at night and a wonderful lunch I had on my last day in Luxembourg.

Street lights reflecting off the pavement after a brief shower.

Salmon and swordfish, with super tasty potatoes and salad.

Next are the tiny towns of Germany, Monschau and Gemund!

By fishii with 1 comment