sobriquetz's travels

[main]

2010-04-10T00:58:00.004+08:00

i now blog at:

http://flyingoverpinkclouds.blogspot.com

~~Welcome to my travel blog!~~

~~this is a travel blog that I've started to mainly record all my travels during my NUS~~
~~student exchange programme while in~~ ~~Lund University~~

~~I mainly went on a few travels:~~

~~1) Copenhagen~~
~~2) Malmo~~
~~3) Berlin~~
~~4) Kiruna~~
~~5) Budapest - Vienna - Brussels - Amsterdam~~
~~6) Goteborg~~
~~7) Warsaw~~
~~8) Final trip: lots of places!~~

~~To navigate, just click on the drop down menu just above and select the country!~~

[Paris]

2009-09-20T23:52:00.002+08:00

Paris (8 to 9th June)

so after london, we caught an early Eurostar out to Paris

insanely early timing
all because the tickets were cheaper
and we needed more time in paris!

after checking in at our hostel, we headed out again
so as to catch the PARIS FREE TOUR!

while waiting, we decided to grab some crepes for lunch

it was nice and humongous! I LIKE I LIKE!
it cost like 4eur though :( haiz

so we started off with the free tour at 11am

paris is a tad TOO BIG for free walking tours
we dropped out of it subsequently...
it was really too tiring!

some sights around the tour
didn't really take much

so after we dropped out of the tour, we headed for THE LOUVRE!

9 eur just to see mona lisa
what a hefty price to pay
because i don't get the other art anyway
they basically look the same
or are too abstract to understand

and the mona lisa was THIS small

totally not artistic people, not knowing what to do in the Louvre
end up taking photos of ourselves in the mirror

walked all the way to the arch de triumph (i think i spelt wrongly)
which was SUPER DUPER far away!
it seemed like it was near, because it was huge
but when you really see it, it is MEGA HUGE!

and then we went to the eiffel tower
which looks simply HORRIBLE at night!

dinner was at this cheap chinese food place near our hostel
it was really nice! the fish especially!
it was so value for money that we went there to eat 3 times!

after all the boring daylight pictures of the louvre and the eiffel tower,
here are the NIGHT SCENE pictures, which looks SO MUCH BETTER!

yayyy! it looks so much better!

it was quite late at that time already
so we rushed all the way to the eiffel tower, because we can't miss the last train back to our hostel!

i liked it when the shimmering white lights were on at midnight!
so stay till MIDNIGHT at the eiffel tower to see it!

will continue blogging about paris disneyland. soon!

[gothenburg]

2009-07-20T12:22:00.001+08:00

Gothenburg [7th to 8th May]

just came back from gothenburg yesterday!
so happy to be back in klostergarden
not that gothenburg was a bad place
it's just that klostergarden is kinda like home, for 5 months

on the way to gothenburg
super tired la, cos we woke up at 5am
and walked to the train station to catch the train at 06:29

we took the sj x2000, which is supposedly very fast
but it sucks man! it went too fast such that the train keep vibrating!
how can i sleep when i have a vibrating chair?!?
but in the end, i still fell asleep after like 1hr

we reached there at 9+, so nothing was open
and it was a gloomy and rainy day :(
so we kinda stoned at nordstan awhile
before heading to the tourist office to purchase our gothenburg pass!
245sek, quite ex, but overall, it was worth it

we went to check in at the hostel first, dalagarde varnhem
it is pretty far away, about 20+mins from the city area
but it's quite a nice place overall

it looks pretty much like a hotel actually
they mainly have private double rooms, and only 1 dorm room
but it's okay cos we got the whole dorm room to ourselves!
and there is also tv! there's quite alot of english shows actually
like antm (but it's cycle 6), sex and the city, the illusionist, etc.

then we headed for our first stop: universeum!

it's a nice place! much better than the singapore science centre!
lots of things to play with, but we just din have so much time there
and there were many little kids to 'fight' with also la...

then we rushed for the paddan boat cruise! :D

and good thing it stopped raining!
but the seats were kinda wet la, had to use their blanket to wipe it
and we got abit wet when we were heading back too, cos there were strong winds
also good thing for the blanket which kept most of me dry

there was this part where the bridge was super low
so we had to squat down la, can't sit on the chair
gh was super funny, he was like ducking from a grenade or smthg
first time see him move so fast eh
i haven even get off from the seat, he already hiding le
must be the army training eh...

and after the paddan tour, we went to one of the southern archipelago called donso!

it was dead boring there
din find the scenic path to walk cos we din see the map initially
so well, we kinda just walked around, and took the next ferry back to mainland

then it was macs for dinner and back to the dorm
where we watched some shows, before going to sleep

and the next day, it RAINED AGAIN!
actually i wanted to go to the Garden Society of Gothenburg cos apparently there were many nice flowers there, like nice rose garden!
but since it was raining, end up never go
so we slack around in the hostel for abit, before heading for Maritimam

it is actually like 12 vessels, which used to be warships or smthg, and submarines, where we can go in and look around
i'm definitely not cut out for army... it's so difficult to climb up and down on those narrow steps! ugh!
and i was quite afraid to climb down into the submarine initially cos dunno where to hold leh! haha, gh say i was in such an awkward position

but at least i made it!
and i was v scared to fall into the sea also

then we went to the lipstick
to check out the view from 86metres above sea level
which only equals to 22 stories?! no big deal man...
and it was raining also la, so we cant see very much
but anyway, it's included in the gothenburg pass, so okay la!

then we had lunch at pizza hut, pizza hut buffet
which was super not worth it, should have ordered ala carte instead
and soon, we left gothenburg!
we took the sj intercity train this time and got to sit FIRST CLASS!
dunno why also la, we bought a 2nd class ticket leh!
there was plenty of leg room and it was pretty smooth ride though it took slightly longer
i slept all the way though

and it was back to klostergarden already! :D

[kiruna]

2009-07-20T12:21:00.002+08:00

Kiruna [5th to 7th April]

i'm back from kiruna!!
and loaded with like 345pics and 7 videos
hahaha! amazing right!

the journey started by meeting at the train station
where we took a cab to malmo airport
the cabs have fixed prices to malmo airport, so we went to survey many cabs before this
to find out which one was the cheapest
the price REALLY VARIES!
the cheapest we found is Taxi M Lund (12 12 12) which cost 319sek to malmo airport, and 349 sek from malmo airport back to lund

malmo airport is by far the smallest and most empty airport i've ever seen
perhaps it's a domestic airport that is why
but there was hardly anyone, and we had to do automatic check in
which was surprisingly super easy to do!
just one flaw with it: it does not allow u to check and confirm
like when u choose the seats, after u click 4 seats, it immediately go to the next page! so even if u choose wrongly... too bad man!

we were there pretty early, kiasu singaporeans u know
must check in 2hrs before time de
so we kinda stone around, checked out the ONE dutyfree shop
and did sudoku from the swedish newspapers
yeah, but we got stuck at one point and decided that we sian already

and soon, the plane arrive!
taking SAS to kiruna, but it transits in stockholm
cost 2061sek for youth
which i feel is super worth it as compared to a train
cos the train takes 23hrs from lund to kiruna?!
that is like CRAZY! i can fly back to singapore and fly to china and fly back to singapore again and it'll amount to the same time!

transiting at stockholm arlanda airport
which is a big international airport
though of course not as nice as changi airport
but it is still much better than malmo
malmo to stockholm took 1hr only
ate macs because it is like one of the cheapest things there
then talk for abit in macs, the difference between france and singapore
abu thought that singapore is a big place cos many people know about it
but i told him that u can barely see it on the world map
and he is also stunned that gh went thru army and hold a live grenade before

after a 2hr wait, we finally head towards kiruna!

it was a 1.5hr flight, fast right!
even though we had to walk from the plane to the tiny airport,
but it was not that bad actually, not that cold
maybe cos i wore sufficient clothing
then we went to pick up our car at hertz
gh v sad that we never get a volvo, haha
cos on the website, it says volvo s40 or similar
yeah well, end up get a ford mondeo
and i like the colour! :P

headed for our youth hostel at Yellowhouse
which was seriously bloody difficult to find
all the general highway signs are fine and easy to see
but the street signs are like sucky?! they just put it on the house!
so difficult to see at night la! :(
and Yellowhouse should be painted a more significant yellow colour okay
maybe like the pooh bear colour will be perfect :D
cos there's like so many yellow houses around...

then after having bread for dinner, we headed to the nearby mountain luossavaara to hopefully see the northern lights
but it was like too bright despite the night sky being pretty clear with little clouds
but the moon looked super nice too, v round and like got a rainbow around it
but yeah, no northern lights so i was quite sad :(

then the next day, we headed for our combi tour of snowmobile and dog sled!
from sleddog.se! which i think it was like the cheapest?! found it by chance
a combi tour of snowmobile and dog sled cost 800sek! well, it is actually like 895, but students have 10% discount. not that they checked our id whether we were students... but i dunno, haha, maybe we seem student-ish

i initially thought camp alta was the cheapest, with 750sek snowmobile tour to see northern lights. but well, that is ONLY snowmobile!

so we got suited up and i looked like a puffed up shorty!!!
cannot find the right size leh, so anything will do la
even my shoes were too big and it was SUPER heavy!
gh kept playing with the dogs lor
he say wanna make his sister jealous
i got 2 words for him man: WU LIAO :P

so me and gh went on the dogsled first while abu and reda took the snowmobile
the guide told us how to ride on the dogsled

it was a relaxing ride seriously
no need to do anything, just look the the trails of white
actually, it's abit boring if it was too long (which it wasn't)
because there's no scenery?! it's just white mountains, that's it
however, when going through bumps, wah lau, it is super bumpy and painful on the ass!
haha, until today, gh's back still pain from it la!
and dogs keep shitting and peeing while running
their multi-tasking skills are quite fantastic
and because of this, i kept making gh sit in front :P
shield me from the shit

we finally arrive at the campsite where we had coffee and cake
dunno what cake la, it's like some sweet orhne orhne u know
it was nice and warm inside with the fire and the reindeer skins

then we headed off for the snowmobile ride!
haha, there was a speedometer and gh say he wanna hit 120km/h
i was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

the guide taught us how to drive a snowmobile before that
and he kept using the word "throttle" -___-"
*rolls eyes*
cannot just say ACCELERATE, GO, MOVE, FORWARD, FASTER, ETC.?!?
must use THROTTLE
still use FULL THROTTLE wth lor
totally sounds like topgear
had to ask gh to translate to layman terms... which = accelerate

so he drove for half the way and i drove for the other half
wah, my arms were super aching la! how do motorcyclist take it man!
have to keep spreading ur arms so wide!
my hand kept sliding off the THROTTLE because my arm was super tired :P
yeah, apparently gh say i went v fast la...amazingly :P
hahah! it was quite scary to go up the patch of ice lor
i thought i'll fall or smthg!

so after the tour we headed back to the hostel for lunch
bought pizza to microwave and supplement it with maggi porridge that gh brought
and it was SUPER DUPER nice la!!!! it's like maggie mee, porridge style

after abit of resting, we headed off for the ice hotel!

it actually cost 175sek for students
but dunno how come it became 85sek for students now
perhaps cos the ice hotel is melting soon...

anyway, i was kind of disappointed with the ice hotel
i expected an ice PALACE

like a castle u know! like those fairytale thingie?!
end up it looks like a tiny igloo... haiz!
i think i had too high expectations of it already :(

we did not go for the icehotel tour, cos, no need la, we just walk ourselves, and take many many many photos lor
it was quite slippery! i was like sliding around :S
and my toes were super frozen because my boots were not waterproof

first stop: icebar

we bought non-alcoholic drinks for 50sek
i shared with gh, so it's like 5sgd each
freaking ex for that small tiny thing
it's just the opportunity to drink from an ice cup lor!
but okay la, considering our ticket price so cheap :P

took an amazing number of photos there
and the french pple started dancing too! hahaha!

then after spending dunno how long in the icebar,
we headed towards the suites and exhibits

most were very pretty, but it was difficult to take photo leh :(
i need some damn good camera la... :(
but overall, not bad la... only some exhibits though
subsequently, it keeps repeating itself

so after the icehotel tour, we headed back to Yellowhouse again
and kind of rest and bathe and had dinner
maggie mee for dinner, my favourite freaking cheap food :D

then we drove to abisko, which was a super long journey (1hr drive)
well, i just slept la, i like to sleep in cars
had to make up for the lack of sleep the previous nights
i was bombarded by too much snoring that i could not sleep! :(:(

anyway, it was another major disappointment :(
no northern lights! haiz, sad sad sad
and we din really know where to go also
haiz, sad la, huge disappointment

and so the next day, we headed back already

overall, it was an okay trip, i wanted to do more things actually
to go to the city and walk about and see the kiruna church
to see the moose farm and etc.
haiz.

and of course the northern lights were a major pity. :(

Conclusion:
i hope to go back there again soon
like before i'm 26yrsold. cos 20 to 25yrsold got youth tickets on SAS
hahaha! then can like take sq from singapore to stockholm
go visit stockholm, then take SAS to kiruna
sounds like a perfect plan eh!

i just need to go and earn money first :S

[Helsingborg]

2009-07-20T12:21:00.001+08:00

Helsingborg [24th Jan]
we went to helsingborg on satuday!

the train was pretty comfortable! :D
but we had some problem with buying the tix
good thing got pple help us la :D

it was raining, and sometimes we were abit lost! :S
they have many like costume shops there :s
like many many!
but alot of them were not open yet :S

visited the popular st mary's church
but erm, i obviously dunno anything about it
just go in and take photos

helsingborg is like near the sea
which makes it even colder i guess
in the summer, it has beaches though
it was supposed to be 4 degrees (that's hotter than lund)
but due to the rain, it was DAMN COLD!

i think it was not a right time to visit helsingborg
should be visited in the summer, or when it's hotter in spring!
cos there's supposedly some beach there too!
the whole place was just too gloomy in the cold and rain...

then we went to this museum and we watched a disturbing video
it's like a video log of life as a trans
how this man evolve into a woman
damn disgusting actually
i can't appreciate such art

and then, we decided to bear with our hunger
and went back to lund to eat!
because there cheaper!

and we ate at our fave pizza ciao ciao!
fungi rocks!

Conclusion:
i'll never visit helsingborg again, unless i happen to be in sweden
well, but i can't imagine why i'll HAPPEN to be here after my exchange programme anyway

[Malmo]

2009-07-20T12:20:00.000+08:00

Malmo [9th Feb, 16th April]

went to Malmo on 9th feb for a shopping trip! :D

only went with gh, no one else was free
all had lessons!

anyway, the main point of going to malmo was to check out the ZARA SALE
wah, totally crazy, so cheap la! :D
i bought like 2 jeans for myself and some tops, and then the rest is all souvenirs for others
and only buy for gals, cos the guys totally have NO SALE!

and it's quite troublesome to try clothes when u're wearing winter wear
have to take out winter coat, long sleeves, etc
troublesome!!

after that, we walked around somemore
and went to the Asian Supermarket
and the things there are super expensive!
it's like do-do fishballs are sgd7 for like one tiny packet

on 16th april, we headed to malmo again to ikea!
and we decided to be adventurous!

we cycled from lund to malmo ikea
which according to google maps is about 16.7km
but i think we cycled way more than that, cos of the bloody wind

who ask us nothing better to do, end up go rent a bike and cycle

we left house at about 10+
feeling pretty excited about cycling
walked to the bicycle rental shop at the train station
and got the bikes for 20kr per person for a day

and omg, i found it so hard to cycle!
i'm like so use to kicking off on the right pedal, but i can't kick up the right pedal for the bike leh! omg!
even the bikes are "left hand drive"
ugh, i took awhile to kinda get used to it
basically, i wheeled the bike until the right pedal is upwards then i cycle off
so tedious right, haiz, sux man :(

the open areas are like insanely windy
omg, i dunno how other pple do it man!

i spent like half my time cycling and half my time wheeling the bike
because sometimes wind was really TOO STRONG!

and finally after 2+hrs, we reached our destination!!! :D

and we finally bought our weighing scale there!
that was the main aim of going all the way there, and it was super not worth it
even though it costs 39kr
cos the one at Tiger cost 100kr, but it's electronic la

then subsequently, we decided to cycle back to malmo central
though we kinda pushed our bikes nearing the central
which was a GOOD THING!
because there was a junction where there were MANY MANY MANY pple getting booked by police for cycling on the pavement!
stupid locals!

yeah, and we finally made it to the train station, can came back to lund
and returned the stupid bicycle

Conclusion:
take a TRAIN to malmo, or a bus, dun bother cycling, it is too tedious
good place for shopping, pretty big city, worth a walk around
but of course, i'll never go back there again

[Lund]

2009-07-20T12:18:00.000+08:00

Lund [13th Jan to 4th June]
-to be updated-

[spain]

2009-04-10T00:55:00.002+08:00

[updated: 10 April 2009]

Coming Soon.

[ireland]

2009-04-10T00:54:00.010+08:00

[updated: 10 April 2009]

Coming Soon.

[scotland]

2009-04-10T00:54:00.009+08:00

[updated: 10 April 2009]

Coming Soon.

[england]

2009-04-10T00:54:00.008+08:00

[updated: 10 April 2009]

Coming Soon.

[france]

2009-04-10T00:54:00.007+08:00

[updated: 10 April 2009]

Coming Soon.

[netherlands]

2009-04-10T00:53:00.022+08:00

[updated: 21 May 2009]

10 day trip:
Budapest - Vienna - Brussels - Amsterdam

Amsterdam [29th April to 1st May]

the next day (wednesday!) we woke up super early to catch the train from brussels to amsterdam

of course this resulted in me sleeping in the train
and we had to rush to change train to head towards the hostel
cos i din wanna miss the new amsterdam tour at 1pm!

lucky lake hostel
initially, i hated it
because the shuttle which ferried us from the metro to the hostel costs 1eur each time we take it, and this was not mentioned on the website at all
i felt so cheated! cos that's like expensive u know, plus a single trip metro ticket cost 2.60eur! add up, transportation cost is ALOT, and it might be more worth it to stay in a more ex hostel in the city instead! haiz!

but subsequently, i kinda liked it, because it's away from the city, away from the chaos, and in a more peaceful land!
and the toilets and bathrooms are clean
but need to bathe at night
cos most of the angmohs bathe in the morning, so the bathroom is wet and a bit dirty in the morning

it is also quite a cool caravan concept, and much open area
the kitchen is also in the open area
and many wild animals like chickens and ducks around, ready to be eaten

the lake is not EXACTLY next to the hostel, need to walk for about 3 min
but there were alot of flies there
which resulted in us running back instead

sights from the new amsterdam tour
free tour again! of course we gave tips la
our tourguide john was super enthusiastic!
unlike us, who were super lethargic
it's quite interesting lor, but i was quite sad that the locals kept calling him "LIAR" throughout the tour! why can't they just let us be!

which is why the New Madrid Tour is closed now due to strong protest from some agency or smthg, they will hurl insults at the tour guides

haiz, seriously, where's freedom of speech
and u can't limit people for what they say, how about other overseas tour groups?
u may not know what the tour guides say also what!

anyway, the red light district is going to be closed in 2011!
so, well, weed/marijuana/spacecakes fanatics, go visit it while it exists
and also the girls in the window!

which i though were disappointing, only saw a not bad blondie
some were fat, or old!
the tour guide told us that the oldest one is actually 75! omg!
we actually wanted to go for the RedLightDistrict Tour but it was not available due to queens day celebrations :(

throughout the tour, there were many mentions of the public urinals that guys have

the top pictures are of course of the public urinals, and the bottom are anti urinal designs
well, i think peeing in the public is stupid. fullstop.

but that doesn't stop the angmohs from still doing it:

unglam/uncultured idiots.

maybe it's cos u've to PAY to use toilets in amsterdam
why can't it be free?!
i had to pay 0.50eur to use a toilet can! wth!

maybe public peeing can be solved by having more FREE toilets in cafes and shops

the next day was queen's day!
we woke up super late cos, well, not v interested in it also
i wanted to go to museumplein to see some structure (which i din get to see)

everyone dressed in orange!
many crazy people around
and strong smell of weed and smoke everywhere!

my life seriously cut short by 10 years just by going to amsterdam

retarded people smoking away
why can't they be locked in a smoke chamber, and smoke till they happy/die, and not pass second hand smoke to me and not cause me to get lung cancer?!?

i think if i go for a full medical checkup when i get back from europe, my lungs will probably be blacker than before

so it was pretty boring on queens day cos the streets were filled with people
and there wasn't much to do cos everything was closed

the next day, and the LAST DAY, we headed for the amsterdam sex museum with our very heavy bagpacks
gh almost died helping me to carry mine, because i stuffed alot of chocolates inside it, those that we bought from brussels, cos my bagpack bigger mah!

the amsterdam sex museum was nothing very exciting
i bet it's all stuff that u can find on the internet
however, i think the animal sex section is totally DISGUSTING!!!!!!!
why do people wanna have sex with animals?!?!?
u mean they feel aroused by animals?!?!?
then start praying u get reincarnated into an animal or smthg!!

the most gross picture (in which many people took picture of) was this woman having sex with a SNAKE! and the snake was at her vagina, and it was FREAKING DISGUSTING!
wah, i felt super grossed out by it!

i hope the snake bit her, and poisoned that lunatic.

we had lunch at macs, where i was pissed off with the service
and we even had to pay for the MAYO for the fish burger?!
i totally din understand the cashier, i thought we have to pay for like ketchup packets so i said i din want it!
what kind of macs is this man! SUCKS TO THE MAX!

and since i'm complaining,
i need to show the picture of the sgd 5.20 SINGLE TRIP trains in which i took

damn disgusting can!
i'll even complain if i've to pay sgd 0.50 lor!

it's times like this when i appreciate how clean and nice sweden is
and how much better singapore is

then we headed for the schiphol airport

which is a big international airport so it was not bad
it was the first airport in europe that i've seen with a water cooler
which is perfect as well
the control tower looks SUPER SIMILAR to changi airport ar!
i wonder who built it first
lazy to wikipedia it la

we reached back in copenhagen at 11pm, and there were no direct trains to lund c
due to it being a may day holiday, and there were no buses back to klostergarden too
end up we had to take a train to malmo c, bus to varnhem, bus to lund sodertull
we met 2 lost holland boys and kind of showed them how to get to lund
but when they reach lund, they still took a cab i think
cos it was so late already

Conclusion:
NO! i will definitely not go back to Amsterdam!
unless it is to visit the outskirts, see some nice tulips and windmills
but definitely not to the city area, where i'll just die breathing in all the smoke!

[belgium]

2009-04-10T00:53:00.019+08:00

[updated: 21 May 2009]

10 day trip:
Budapest - Vienna - Brussels - Amsterdam

Brussels [26th to 28th April]

in the afternoon, we headed for the flughafen wien
to catch our flight to Brussels on SkyEurope
the flight was delayed for 1hr! sian!
but overall, it was a nice flight experience cos the engines were quiet,
and they assign our seats during check in
so we dun have to like chiong up the plane
and it's at no additional cost

but the skyeurope ticket itself was freaking expensive... 84eur!
my most expensive ticket ever!

so it was pitch dark when we reached our brussels hello hostel
and we couldn't find it initially!
it was too dark!

the rooms were pretty okay, the bed and the blanket were comfy
but the room lacked coat hooks! like where can we hang our coats and clothes!

other than that, the toilets and bathrooms were pretty dirty
look at the cracked sink! damn pathetic can!
the free breakfast was kinda like maxim doubles, just some bread and jam and coffee/tea which we can take

but what to do, the other hostels were super expensive
only this one was more affordable, and we were staying 3 nights there
and most of the hostels were also fully booked, dunno why
and another plus point of the hostel is that it is just a 1min walk to the metro simonis!
which is PERFECT! :D

the next day, we headed for the atomium!

din pay money to go in
i don't really need to climb it or see some exhibition about it
it's quite a big structure, looks not bad i guess
but no ideal place for phototaking!

next stop: mini europe!

it was a pretty wet and cold day
so we were kinda shivering as we visited the various exhibits in mini europe
i think it's not very nice? the shenzhen one i visited is nicer
of course in shenzhen it is not mini europe la
it's some mini world thingie, can't really remember the name

i felt that only the Big Ben looked nice and worth the pictures

we had lunch at Quick, which is something like macs
but it is pretty cheap because there was student meal!
haha, ISIC card rocks man! :D

we headed for the city area and visited the grand palace, which is not very grand
normally on 15th august, there will be a carpet of flowers in front
but it's only there every two years
that will be a very nice sight to see though!

next, we went to find the mannekin piss
and it was so tiny, and many people were crowding around it
but the best find of the day was the godiva beside mannekin piss, which sold the godiva chocolate drink
omg, it was HEAVENLY! :D:D:D
we shared the dark chocolate with raspberry, and the next day, we came back for the dark chocolate drink! it was REALLY REALLY REALLY NICE!
4eur a cup, but not that bad cos we shared
i think it's quite reasonably priced?! just a bit more ex than starbucks
but it taste a MILLION TIMES BETTER!

we also went to try the belgium waffle, but nothing nice leh
maybe we went to the wrong stall?
i still prefer A&W's waffle!

the next day (tuesday already!) we bought the 24hr brussels card and headed to various attractions!

first stop was to autoworld!

well, actually we visited the free military muesum before autoworld
because the military museum was open earlier, but there's nothing much la, it's like a collection of soldier-ly stuff, b o r i n g....

but autoworld was equally boring i guess, just all the old cars...
though some are still present on our roads today, but it is like SUPER old!
and the place was kind of uncomplete, there were some sections that were not open!

next stop: museum of natural sciences
there were so many kids running around! it's like we were at the wrong place!
but it was okay, not bad, many dinosaur fossils, some stuff that we can play with also

we went to eat lunch at subway, cheap and healthy!
cos we shared a 1 foot crab subway :D

and we began to search for the Scientastic museum
we walked round and round, end up, it was underground in the metro -__-"

the reason why there is only one picture of the signboard was because,
it was super boring
cannot compare with singapore science centre
it just looks like a tiny playground for kids with some experiments which they are supposed to explore
but it doesn't amaze me at all

after that, we were heading to other museums where we witness a demonstration taking place

in fact, for the two days that we were in brussels, there was a demonstration EVERYDAY!!
omg la! but there were many police around
who seemed to be ASSISTING the demonstration because they cleared the roads for it?!
there were SUPER alot of people taking part in the demonstration
and seriously cost major road blocks!

i think they have nothing better to do -___-"
protest what protest!

after watching the protest (which we have never seen before in singapore!),
we headed for the toy museum

it was pretty run down
but the old grandpa in charge of it was really nice
gh describe him as "the type of old grandpa who will still let kids in to see his toys even if they have no money to pay the entrance fee"
yeah, the place wasn't fantastic, but the old man was nice la

last stop: comic strip museum!

apparently a very popular tourist attraction
okay, i think it's not bad, many sections
including a japanese manga exhibition
which i amazing recognise a few titles!
there was also like a tintin section, erotic comic section, gay comic section, etc.

then we headed back to the hostel
as we had to rest early cos our train to amsterdam the next morning is VERY EARLY!

Conclusion:
well, i will not mind visiting belgium again, but perhaps other parts and not brussels again
will probably visit brugges or antwerp just to check it out!

To continue reading about my trip to Amsterdam, click here!

[poland]

2009-04-10T00:53:00.018+08:00

[updated: 21 May 2009]

Warsaw, Poland [13th to 15th May]

it's really a very modern place with like skyscrapers, high rised buildings,
shopping centres like those in singapore except bigger, etc.
even the pavements are big and flat, unlike other european countries
and the pavements are pretty CLEAN

i dun have to like hop around avoiding uncultured people's spit
or pigeons droppings, which are like damn disgusting!

we took wizzair there again, and it was an okay flight except for the screaming little girl
i wanted to pull her hair and ask her to shut up can!!!
ugh... not that i dun like little kids or what
but she really scream for damn long la!

took the bus 175 from the airport direct to our hostel at new world street
we stayed at new world street hostel, which is a pretty good location!
note that since bus 175 is directly from the airport, it means that it is like a potential target for pickpockets, cos it's mainly filled with travellers!
so take care of your belongings!

but throughout the journey, i did not see any suspicious looking people around at all
so well, i guess just need to be aware of your belongings

it is like in the middle of orchard road!
and the streets are all lined with pots of flowers, which are really nice!

the hostel is pretty nice too
except for the fact that we've to climb 88 steps up to the hostel
good thing we dun have big luggages, just our bagpacks!
the room was equipped with a tv (with cable!) and a sink
but it does not have those channels like HBO, AXN, Disney, etc.
haiz, only have like weird foreign language channels from the middle east, or like bbc, and lots of porn channels -___-"

it will be nice if the hostel had it's own private bathroom instead though
i read many reviews on hostelworld that there is some problem with the hot water
did not try it out though, we did not want to bathe halfway and have no hot water at all!

oh, and the hostel has wii!!
first time i play la! played tennis/bowling/golf/boxing with gh
omg, it's damn fun!

i want a wii :(

had our first dinner at SPHINX
the atmosphere was nice, good ambience and decoration
but the food was just okay?
my grilled chicken tasted like chicken with charcoal bits on it...
abit tasteless, good thing they provided 3 types of sauce for free

(usually, need to pay for sauce)

yeah, but it's pretty cheap for a restaurant, about 13sgd
if it was in singapore, perhaps it'll be double that price

then we continue walking down the new world street which leads to the royal way
touristy spots, with many churches and monuments, and of course, the royal palace
there were glass cubes outside each monument explaining to us what it was
and also some photo exhibition on coexistance
some of the concepts were pretty nice actually, but i din take photos of it

my camera doesn't work well in the dark :(

and the royal palace doesn't seem very royal actually
but i already expected it, since we saw it at mini europe (in Brussels: click here to read!)

another must-see in warsaw will be the lazienki park
but we went at night and it was closed!
i din expect the park to be fenced up! :(

however i did catch a glimpse of the chopin monument through the fences
there is supposed to be a palace on the water too, the lazienki palace i think
ah well, what a pity!

there were also quite a number of shopping places in warsaw!

went to 2 factory outlets
Factory.pl, and fashion house
i forgot to write down the address of Factory.pl, i just wrote what public transport to take, hence we were lost for quite awhile, but eventually still found it!

To get to Factory.pl, just take the train from Warsaw Srodmiescie station, platform 3 if i'm not wrong, and alight at Warsaw Ursus station. then take bus 177 from the nearest bus stop, alight at the second last stop or the last stop. you can easily see the factory outlet from the bus.

To get to Fashion House, take the metro to wilansko and take bus 709 or 727, alight when you see the sign (it's very tall). can't remember the stop name, only remember that it starts with Energyta or something likethat.

i bought a pink nine west bag, a skirt from House which i've no idea what brand is that, and leggings from somewhere la
i like the pink bag! cost 30sgd! of course the sides of the strap is not exactly perfect, has some flaws in it, but oh well, heck!

another attraction in warsaw is the palace of science and culture

it's stalin's gift to warsaw, a gift from the soviet union after the war
yeah, but there is this ugly modern looking signboard on it (which i din take pic of)
which totally ruined the feel of the building!
dunno why it must be there!

and after 2 nights there, we were back in klostergarden again
a very fast trip, haiz
but i think warsaw is a nice place :)

Will I visit this place again?:
Hmm, perhaps? but it'll probably be a side trip and not a "Holiday at Warsaw ONLY" trip. Don't really think it is worth the long flight from Singapore to Warsaw just to see some monuments. Great for a Europe stopover though :D

[switzerland]

2009-04-10T00:53:00.017+08:00

[updated: 10 April 2009]

Coming Soon.

[italy]

2009-04-10T00:53:00.016+08:00

[updated: 10 April 2009]

Coming Soon.

[denmark]

2009-04-10T00:52:00.018+08:00

[updated: 21 May 2009]

Copenhagen [30 to 31st Jan]
on 30th january, we headed for copenhagen in the afternoon!
we arrive at the train station early and stone about for abit
we met mh, and then xh came
and we were like waiting and waiting for geez!
good thing he finally came and we manage to catch the earlier train instead! :D

after reaching cph in 40mins, geez and xh went to change money at the bank
while we went to enquire about the cph card and to find out where was our hostel

we decided to stay at the CPH airport hostel because it was 20bucks cheaper than DanHostel which actually i kinda prefer, cos it's like looks like a HOTEL! omg
5 star hostel!
but never mind, cos one night only, save some money!

yeah well, dun be decieved by the name lor
the AIRPORT hostel is actually not linked to the airport at all
it is SUPER DUPER FAR AWAY and it looks like a...

HAUNTED HOUSE!

the lady in charge dun even know how to calculate our hostel fees minus 10% can
i totally wanna roll eyes and grab the calculator from her
she only have primary sch education or what
even normal canteen aunties are smarter than her!

but at least the beds were quite clean

and they have a common room to watch tv, use internet etc
but it was super small
it's like a terrace house converted into a hostel

next day we woke up at 7, and headed off for the CPH ZOO!

it was like super cold
i think it was minus degrees
i thought it should be 4degrees lor, when i checked the temp a few days ago
but the weather forecast was WRONG!

after that we went back to Storget to look for FOOD!
it was LUNCH TIME!

had this china buffet lunch thingie for 59dkk

anyway, the food sucks man, there's a taste about it that i dun like
but geez and xh say nice
the rest of us say not nice, haha

and they made us pay 15dkk for PLAIN WATER
and it was a MUST to order a drink! ughhh and that was the cheapest!
that is like 4+sgd?! omg!!!

after that, we headed for the Round Tower

and we had to climb all the way up la! so tiring!

after that, we went to the post and tele museum
not that we WANTED to go there
it's just that we passed by it la
it turned out not bad actually
lots of photo opportunities :P

it was actually quite nice there
quite alot of things to be seen!
there are some tiny slides to play with too

then we visited Ripley's Believe it or not museum!
even though we have to pay, but the CPH card gave us some discounts
not bad, i think, i quite enjoy it there

then we went to the HC Anderson museum which was just beside
it was nothing much la
just go in and see the fairytales that he wrote
like Little Match Girl, Thumbelina, Tin Soldier, Little Mermaid, etc

and after that, it was back to lund!

good thing for this card!
else our transport amount will be SUPER DUPER ALOT!

Conclusion:
nah, i don't think i'll ever go back to copenhagen again
a one day trip is enough, it is really too expensive there!
not very fascinated by the sights too...

[germany]

2009-04-10T00:52:00.017+08:00

[updated: 21 May 2009]

Berlin [17th to 21st Feb]

I ♥ BERLIN!!

finally back from berlin! after 4 nights and 4 days!
it's like suddenly u realise how expensive sweden is to live in
but also, how friendly the swedes are

so on 17th afternoon, we got ready for our journey to berlin
first, need to suit up
because i checked the temperatures, and the highest is 0degrees
means most of the days, it's gonna be sub zero!!

so we walked to the lund train station and waited for the train to CPH
we were in CPH too early though, and there was NOTHING to shop/look around at the airport, so sian la! it is times like this when u start appreciating how great Changi Airport is!

finally after like 2hrs, we got to check in!

taking easyjet to berlin, about 1hr flight!
Easyjet is the world's BEST low cost carrier (see article here)
so i expected it to be not bad la
and of course, i felt safer also
i can imagine myself like praying thruout the whole of my RyanAir journey if i ever take it la...scared u know!

but the aeroplane delayed! :(

and we just sit and stone and stone!
moral of the story: always bring a pack of cards with you

inside the check in area was more interesting with more shops la
but also walk finish le leh! and no scenic place to take photos somemore
so we just sat at the bar and stare at the screen
in fact, it was so late that all the shops were closing!!

finally after a 2 hrs delay, we managed to board the plane!
and then they told us that it was delayed due to a mechanical problem in germany and also bad weather in germany

wah lau, scared can, mechanical problem!!

moreover it was so dark! yeah, so i was damn scared on the plane...
even though it was only a short 50mins flight
but still, scary leh! i wanna make it back ALIVE can!

(well, obviously i'm alive...)

i even tried to sit still so that i dun move about on the tiny aeroplane
cos i scared later the aeroplane not balanced or what
then something happen....

okay, dun roll eyes :P

we managed to catch the LAST s-bahn towards our hostel
good thing man! else a taxi would cost 35EUROS! like omgggggg!
the train cost 2.80euros, because the airport is in zone C, and u've to buy the ABC ticket

the single trip ticket is valid for 2hrs
the daily ticket for zone AB cost 6.10euros. it is valid until 3am lor, can take as many rides as you want
hmm, but it's best to count whether it is worth it anot
since the single trip one is valid for 2hrs

then after a long walk from the train station, about 1km la
we finally reached our hostel!
pegasus hostel! looks not bad la
and it has 24hr reception, so it din matter that we reached v late
so we checked in, and headed for our dormitory
which cost about sgd 20 per night per person

and when we use the keycard to open the 10-room dormitory door...

OMG, DAMN STINK!

there were like 6 males in the dorm, 2 females
all sleeping in the dark le la
and i think it was all the shoes that made the whole room smell SUPER stale!

and they din even give us a set of bunk beds
i had to sleep somewhere else, gh sleep somewhere else
i sleep on top somemore!

then there is this old man below me
wah lau, SNORE LIKE A THUNDERSTORM AR!
and whenever he turn, the whole bunk bed also shake!!!

well, to take revenge, everytime he snore, i'll like keep turning
so that it will be super noisy for him also :P

i think i barely slept 3hrs
horrible snoring...
but it din smell that stinky up there

the next day, i was so relieved to get up and get OUTTA the room!

we went to check out the 5.90euro breakfast buffet which the hostel provided
but not nice leh! selection looks beyond pathetic can...
delifrance breakfast buffet better lor, 9.90sgd somemore nia :(

so we went outside of the hostel to grab a pizza

the next night, we contemplated whether to upgrade to a private double room
because it cost double the amount...
dormitory cost like 20sgd per person per night
private room is about 45sgd per person per night

and after calculation and consideration...
WE UPGRADED!! to a double room private ensuite with own bathroom!
wah, it was seriously the BEST DECISION made in berlin!!

and omgggg, TVTVTVTVTVTV!!!! I HAVEN SEEN THIS FOR MORE THAN A MONTH!!!

even though most of the channels were german, only got 1 english channel = news
but not bad!
i watched german desperate housewives, abit of german's next top model, german version of herbie fully loaded, german car shows (cos gh watch) and random shows

we went for the New Berlin Tour too, with a pickup from the hostel

New Europe Tour is this free tour conducted by students, it is available in some of the european countries like berlin, paris, amsterdam, london, etc.
just google it and you will be able to find it
they operate by a tips only basis, so u can just give them a small fee at the end of the walking tour (about 3.5hrs)
aside from free tours which is conducted daily in all weather conditions, they also conduct other paid tours la
all info on their website, can go check it out :)

the meeting place was at Brandenburg gate
the gate is DAMN NICE! :D

the brandenburg gate is like v WOW and nice la!
the esplanade definitely cannot beat this man...
it is like super magnificent u know!

and there were SOOOOOOOO many people who came for the free tour!
a few hundred! i dun think it hit a thousand...
they have tours in various languages also, so u just take a queue number for which language u want
the english group had about 90 pple?!
and they split it into 3 groups

we visited quite a number of memorials, buildings, churches, hitler's bunker, etc. thruout the 3.5hrs walk
it was quite difficult to walk because there was ice on the ground!
melted due to the very sunny day

this was the place where we almost slipped and fell
very very very slippery!

the most pathetic structure was this:

the berlin wall
i was super disappointed with it, i expected it to be grand!
not like a normal wall!
haiz, what's the big hype about it man...

and it's full of graffiti
in fact, the whole of berlin is full of graffiti!

dome on museum island
it is not actually an island, it is just a place
around here, there are alot of beggars
in which the first thing they ask is "do you speak english"

so take care of ur belongings!
and just pretend u dunno english and walk away la
initially we din know, we still "yes?"
hahaha, stupid :P
then they will show u a piece of paper which tells u that they have a big family, etc

in fact, there are quite a number of beggars in berlin
and some looks pretty ridiculous, cos they look like ABLE looking YOUNGSTERS
with DECENT clothing who just stand on the streets with a coin can

like... HUH?!?!?

so anyway, the tour ended at museum island!

then day 3 we went designer factory outlet hunting!
gh found it on the internet, so we went to explore!

B5 Designer Outlet in berlin!

Directions to the B5 Designer outlet:

from Alexandraplatz, take RE2 from Platform 2 towards Rathenow and alight at Elstal
it is in zone C, so need to buy the ABC ticket
the train leaves alexandraplatz every hour at 51mins...so like 10.51, 11.51, etc.
then follow the map above from Elstal station
basically, from the train station, follow the sign towards elstal (towards the left)
then turn right at the map there, and turn left when u see Breite Str
then turn right at Puschkin Str (u have to turn right anyway, dead end u know)
left at Garten Str, then right at Alter Spandauer Weg (by then can see like the red warehouse like buildings le)

the mango is DAMN CHEAP! OMGGGG!
i bought 2 tops there! like 5.99euros eh! cheap anot! say YES! :D
wah, if i had unlimited luggage space, i'll buy super alot la!
to think i'm not a mango fan...
but cheap and nice! :D

there was also tommy hilfiger there!
which i think is confirm cheaper than singapore?
i saw clothes for like 7.99 or 9.99 euros!
i din go in to check it out though

also went to the nike factory outlet store
also got puma and adidas there, but ex!
to think adidas is from germany... -___-"
y no discount!

oh yes, and all these outlets are TAX FREE! so u can go and do ur tax refund at the airport
we can't get our tax refund cos we not flying back to singapore yet
and it is only valid for within 3 months
sad :( but the tax refund wasn't alot too

to conclude our shopping trip:
tracy: 2 mango tops, 1 boots (9.95 euros!), and souvenirs
gh: souvenirs

hahaha, he got nothing to buy, damn sad case
male stuff like nothing cheap one eh!

after that, we went back to alexandraplatz, wanting to eat dinner
but there was this MASSIVE PUNK GATHERING there la! like there were MANY MANY punkers and policemen!!! omgggg! so scary la!
so we escaped and went to the Fried place

and ate at:

we walked past this place at least 5 times in the past few days
and everyday ADMIRE it, but never go in to eat...
quite nice atmosphere despite being located in the train station
it is like a mini fish&co!
dinner! 6.95euros! it was REALLY NICE!
quite worth it lor! can just treat it as eating in a restaurant in singapore mah
then u'll feel that it is pretty cheap :p

and so the next morning, we had to check out of the hotel-like hostel
and come back to lund university, where there are projects and stuff to be done :(
so sad right...must remind myself that i'm on SEP, and not HOLIAY :P

Conclusion:
yes! i'll definitely go back to berlin again!
apparently they are going to congregate more factory outlets there too
plus it is not a very expensive place
quite a nice place to travel to :D
if i get to go there again, i'll of course want to explore other parts of germany too!

[austria]

2009-04-10T00:52:00.016+08:00

[updated: 21 May 2009]

10 day trip:
Budapest - Vienna - Brussels - Amsterdam

Vienna [24th to 26th April]

on the train to Vienna, we met this china woman who was heading to vienna too,
but she actually want to go to graz.
there was an austrian guy in the same segment as us too,
and we helped the china woman to translate to the austrian guy,
and the austrian guy translated to the train inspector in german.
finally it was all sorted out.

a good deed done :)

we reached vienna at night and stayed in hostel hutteldorf
quite a nice place even though it is abit secluded
there's a Hutteldorf U-bahn nearby, and the hostel is about 1km away
but you have to walk through this park (very dark at night) and this VERY STEEP uphill!

we were thinking of upgrading to private rooms, but there were no rooms available
and the dorms were actually pretty comfy!
and the toilets and bathrooms were clean too! even though they were common ones
so not bad! the free breakfast was also not too bad, pretty basic
if u want a better breakfast, u've to pay, which we obviously did not

the next day, we headed for Schonbrunn palace
it was super easy to get there because there's a metro station directly there
just had to walk abit to get to the palace but there were road maps around which were really helpful!
and it was also very helpful that there were MANY MANY MANY people/tourists heading to the palace as well!

we bought a classic pass, costing 16eur, which we were entitled a grand tour of the palace, and entrance to various exhibits like the pivoli gardens, maze, etc.
actually i felt that only the grand tour was worth it? could have just gotten the pass for the grand tour, it cost 12 eur only. but well, it's okay, 4 eur more to see other things, not so bad actually... we got to watch a apple strudel show too
and had a small slice of apple strudel

the attraction which was the most not worth the price was the pivoli gardens
cos it looks exactly the same as the picture outside
no difference, nothing extra to be seen

it was quite a nice hot day, even though the winds were very strong
well, it was a nice day till i ap-ed la, then it was not very nice le
which resulted in less pictures towards the end

haiz. it's always best when i dun ap though.
the days just seem much better if i dun think too much.

after many hours there, we headed back to the centre of the city at stephansonplatz
gh decided to eat macs (again) and i was sitting and waiting for him lor
then this group of vienna boys came and sat near me
okay, that's fine, there were other tables around
then one of them occupied MY tiny table
then i just POLITELY told him that someone is sitting there
and i had to repeat twice cos he couldn't get me
then one of the boys said sorry

another one called me "asshole"

wah lau, DAMN PISSED OFF CAN!
uncultured bastards!

so what did i do?

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

i glared at him -____-"

hahaha, so loser right, should have scolded him back
i wanted to whack him though, stupid boy
how dare he lor! i never do anything wrong can
uncultured bastard
who say that vienna is a very cultural place?!
just look at the offsprings!

i hope he fails his school exam, drop outta school, can't find a job,
get dumped by every girl he meets, ends up as a dirty beggar by the roadside,

and i'll go back to vienna and throw him a 1 CENT EURO coin
and laugh at him

that's for calling me an asshole.

well, unhappy things aside,
it was Vienna City Festival, stadtfest during the weekend that we were there

so there were lots of street performances actually
and there was an amazing number of people there!
many tourists and asians too!

around stephansonplatz is also like their orchard road district
many expensive branded stores around

the roadside icecream is pretty cheap and nice too
gelatos! 1.60eur for 2 scoops! i think not bad la
i had apple and chocolate, not bad!

next we headed for the vienna prater

i read on the website that it is a big park with more than 250 attractions
well, i din expect it to be an amusement park!
it was super big! but with many repeated stores
i think there were like 5 bumper car stations?!?
and it was super ex too! each ride cost like 2eur or 3 eur?! or more?!
omg, freaking expensive!

so i just look around
not that i really wanted to go for any ride also
i prefer water ones
i dun like those dangling in the air ones
i scared :(

after walking around the big prater, we started to hunt for dinner

ended up eating at a chinese restaurant near the praterson station!
Restaurant City! chinese buffet with teppenyaki!
i finally got to eat BIG tiger prawns! yummy!!
but the food was kinda salty
and there's no free drinks/water
so can't eat too much too
it cost 10.90eur for dinner
for lunch it is cheaper, 5.90 or 7.90eur
but can eat for a very long time for dinner, but we did not loiter
cos i wanted to buy chocolates from some stall

the next day was sunday, and it was an ultimately boring day
and we again had to carry our bags to walk around
and was super duper sian! ALL shops were closed and there was nothing to do!
ended up going to a free roman museum (only free on sundays) which we stoned around
ended up stoning at macs again after that

Conclusion:
i'll definitely visit Vienna again, if i've the money, and i'll bring my mum along!
i think it'll be a place that she likes :)

To continue reading about my journey to Brussels, click here!

[hungary]

2009-04-10T00:52:00.015+08:00

[updated: 21 May 2009]

10 day trip:
Budapest - Vienna - Brussels - Amsterdam

Budapest [22nd to 24th April]

so the trip started on wednesday, where we headed towards malmo airport via the airport coach. we were gonna take WizzAir from there, because it was cheap, and there was no transaction charge through ibanking (at that point in time)

the airport coach costs 79sek for students
quite expensive i feel, and it only leaves at certain timings
if only there was a direct train to malmo airport!!!
we had to take an early bus and ended up stoning at malmo airport
had egg sandwich for lunch, and played dai dee for super long

the wizzair flight was not delayed, however the seats were not very clean
and the engine was SUPER NOISY! even noiser than the easyjet flight!
anyway, soon enough, we reached BUDAPEST

took a bus from the airport (cost 290huf) and then a metro to Kalvin Ter
from there, we kind of got lost, walked quite awhile before we found our hostel

the hostel is actually a person's home, converted into a hostel
well, not exactly v happy with that, prefer a normal hostel u know
but at least we had a room to ourselves, with common bathroom and toilet
which were separated, so sometimes it's quite troublesome
and the bathroom is actually a bathtub, and the temperature of the water was SUPER DIFFICULT to control! din really like the bathroom at all...

it was around evening and the sun was still up, so we decided to head out to walk around and also to find dinner
we walked super far, crossed some bridge (forgot the name), took photos there
and walked from the PEST side to the BUDA side
and had to walk even further before we found any food!
it was so difficult to find anything to eat! and all stalls had food signs in hungarian, and without pictures! so it was really difficult for us!

and due to lack of money, we ended up at...

macdonalds

it's like my staple overseas food already
dunno what to eat, just go macs
however, the fries here is disgusting... dun have the macs taste!
i was like super duper disappointed!
and u have to be a customer to use the toilet
cos u have to key in this code before u can enter it!

imagine if u're rushing for the toilet and still have to key in some stupid pin!!

after resting our feets at macs, we headed for the Chain Bridge
which is supposedly an iconic landmark in Budapest, a MUST-SEE on many travel webbies

night scene of the chain bridge
most pictures were taken using gh's camera, cos mine is just too shaky for night mode and the colour is also not very nice :(

i want a new camera!

we actually visited the bridge on the death anniversary of the soldiers
there was some write up on the bridge, and amazingly, i actually read it and saw the date...
well, the chain bridge was not very impressive to me
but it's pretty nice at night
because it was the only bridge lighted up, all the other bridges were like dark

the next day, we headed for Heroes' Square
another landmark in budapest
i insisted on walking, because according to a travel article on The Straits Times in conjunction with the NATAS fair, we need to "walk to really feel the city"

retarded article.
my mummy mailed it to me.

it is definitely not a walking city pls... it's much better to take the bus
it's like super tiring can! and the sights are basically about the same?!
better to just take public transport!
but public transport is super crowded, esp during peak hours, everyone is packed like sardines!

heroes' square! well, it's just a touristy landmark
though i still think the brandenburg gate (berlin) is more impressive looking

the whole place is kind of like a park, so we walked around it
cos i was in search of the Statue of Annonymous, which i read on wikitravel that it is a tourist landmark and stuff

some museum and the Statue of Annonymous
okay la, it's just a statue, not say alot of tourist there to take pics of it also
but it looks pretty scary actually :S

after the loooong walk, we headed for Trofea Grill Restaurant, again recommended by wikitravel...wikitravel is really my best friend when researching for travel, super informative!

it's buffet lunch or dinner, lunch is at 2799huf, but need to give tips u know
about 10 to 20% of tips
so end up we paid 3100huf each

apparently there are 100 dishes, but i dun see it there!
it looked super nice on their website though...
http://www.trofeagrill.com/trofea-zuglo-english/trofea-zuglo-buffet-meal.php

there are quite a few grilled items, but it's kinda salty
they also have some birthday special i think
and ALOT of people celebrated their birthday there!
the birthday song will be played and the waiters will come out with flaming cakes!
quite a nice place to surprise people for their birthdays i guess

address:
Trofea Grill Restaurant
Erzsebet Kiralyne utja 5 1145 Budapest

easier to go their website to see though :)

as we were dying from walking, we decided to take a train down to the buda castle
and got pretty lost again as we were trying to find the labyrinth
end up, we took pictures with the parliament house first, another landmark

part of it was under construction
couldn't find a very good view to take photo too
there is actually this tower u can go to take photo, but have to pay

after walking for N hours, we FINALLY found the budapest labyrinth

it cost 1100huf if u are students, this is where the ISIC card comes in handy!
exchange rate is approx 1 sgd = 130 huf
sucky exchange rate through FOREX though

the labyrinth was okay la, something different lor
but not say very fantastic also
i think they never make it touristy enough
else there will be alot of people there le
and i din head into the labyrinth of courage because i humji la

on friday, we checked out from Maxim Doubles
and carried our heavy bagpacks and headed for a factory outlet, GL outlet
well, IT SUCKS LA!
90% of the stores were CLOSED
there were no megasales

i wanna go back to berlin! b5 designer outlet! argghhh!

i ended up changing too much huf, cos i thought i can go there and buy alot of things
which includes a watch cos my watch has stopped! :(
haiz, sad.

and that was not the end of the bad luck
when we headed back from the outlet, we got FINED!
cos we din validate our tickets, and gh tried to smoke through with a used single trip ticket
the idiot single trip ticket is really only for 1 trip with no change at all
well, i practically strangled him cos i was thinking he should have acted as if he was going to validate it instead of smoking thru with a used ticket!

that fine cost as 6000huf EACH! arghhh 46sgd can!
actually, the idiot guy wanted to fine as 12000 huf, which is seriously cheating our money! cos i got see the fine list before, there is no such fine that is 5 digit! and not more than 6000huf actually. and actually, there's no stated fine for unvalidated tickets too! then he still say until like give us half price
then the receipt that he gave gh was only for 6000huf, instead of the combined 12000huf

which means he probably ate our money.

and he initially wanted to eat more somemore.

bastard.

i took a DAMNNNNNNNNNNN long while to get over it can!
46sgd leh! that's freaking alot can! i scrimp and save money, end up kanna fined!
stupid idiot!

in the end, we thought of it as a "generous donation to a poor city"

we had our lunch at budapest before heading to vienna via train
and we took the earlier train, because i was damn pissed off with budapest
and just wanted to get out of it

i even stepped on pigeon shit in the budapest train station can
disgusting! i hate pigeons! they should be shot dead!

Conclusion:
this is definitely a city that i will NEVER visit again
even if i was not fined, it'll be a place that i will not even consider stopovering at
never mind that they supposedly have fantastic baths there
i rather enjoy a nice spa treatment in singapore despite it being expensive

To continue on reading about my trip to Vienna, click here!

[sweden]

2009-04-10T00:51:00.006+08:00

[updated: 21 May 2009]

Visited quite a few places in Sweden:
1) Lund (as an exchange student in Lund University)
2) Malmo
3) Helsingborg
4) Kiruna
5) Goteborg

*yeah, i did not visit stockholm despite it being the capital
it was pretty expensive to get there by train, and i figured that it'll look exactly the same anyway, with just a few distinct sights probably