... Dec '07 trip ...

After a journey back where the tube ride took longer than the flight, and some re-arranging of furniture in my 'new' room...


I'm back!


Although it was only 10 days, it seemed longer - possibly because those were countries where English isn't a main language. I was even briefly surprised when it suddenly strike me that everything was in English at the tube stations -_-;; I had been so used to figuring some sense out of Flemish/French/Dutch/German words. But before long, I soon got back into the old habits *I tend to aclimatise fast :p*, using the exit nearest to my place without thinking once I got out of Holborn station.

The trip also seemed longer as I now have to settle into a different and smaller room to the one I left.


Being too lazy to unpack anything other than taking a shower and getting the single bed ready, the only thing I could force myself to do is to start this blog entry.
*before I forget everything >.<*



So,

here's my documentary on the Dec '07 trip, as how I remembered it...
*considering that these pics are taken by the VGA camera on my w300i during winter with the sun setting early... I'll say not bad, huh? not print quality, of course :(*

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Hm, the trip was like any other ones we've had so far - as usual, we spent longer on souvenir shopping and taking pictures than in the actual buildings/attractions itself :) There was something different this time round - I have some purchasing power compared to none before :p now that I'm working.


As is the case with family vacations overseas, we had our usual squabling over travel decisions, people losing /leaving behind items *my dad lost a glove, I lost a small decorative part of my w300i*, handles breaking off suitcases *2 different ones this time*, cameras malfunctioning, at least one person falling sick *my mum*, someone getting lost *my sis when we were making a quick train connection*, the minor scrapes and injuries *I scraped my knee on the first day, my mum scraped her face on the second last day*, ... Yup, definitely a typical family trip.


Perhaps the other difference was that I travelled alone to meet them, while they started their journey from KL much earlier and were in transit for 8 hours in Sri Lanka.


If one was expecting a proper family reunion, that'll never happen. Seriously, there were no elated feelings of joy or whatsoever from both sides, and we didn't experience any emotions out of the ordinary. When I came down the stairs to meet them, as my sis aptly puts it, it was as if I had just came down the stairs back home on an ordinary day. It didn't feel any different. And it didn't feel strange, 'cos that's me family for you. The same as always, as is the case when I left KL 9 months ago. *we showed more emotion on the occasion where Tiny came back to us after being lost for some time - maybe I contribute less than our dog :p*


They were, however, a bit surprised that I haven't changed since - still talking the same Manglish *rolls eyes*, as fat as ever *if not fatter*. I also couldn't escape the inevitable interrogation about my work here in UK *I try not to talk about work unless absolutely forced to :(*.



Cuisine


Ah... Nearly everyone I know who went to Europe returned all sick of bread or Western food (or in the case of Italy, sick of pasta and pizza :p). We weren't.


Firstly, we like to eat a lot of Western and non-Chinese food back in KL, and don't get sick of eating the local food wherever we go.

Secondly, we like bread *though I can't have too much plain bread at one time :p*.

Thirdly, we usually don't get to eat out much on such trips as we try to rent places with at least a half-kitchen and cook whenever we can. Cheaper that way, and also much more comfy :)


Oh, and we cooked a lot of brusselsprouts which my mum insisted on buying each time we go for groceries -_-;

...raspberry beer 'n' amsterdam maximator...



...our cooked breakfasts...


...example of our cooked dinners...



...grill 'n' dutch pancakes in Amsterdam...



...fish soup 'n' ham and cheese pasta bake in Knokke...


..."pisang orange" on the menu...
*no idea what that is - didn't want to try*



...hotdogs 'n' crepes in Paris...



...fresh oysters 'n' grilled chicken...


...haddock 'n' salmon...


...my duck-cooked-with-vinegar dish...
*french: magret de canard roti au vinaigre de melfort*

Accomodation


The first resort was in Knokke, located near the Belgium coastline within walking distance of the beach. The place was like a service apartment, with basic but sparse modern furnishings and un-carpeted floors. It had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a full kitchen *even a blender*. We cooked most of our dinners here, buying groceries and trying Jupiler beer from nearby supermarkets.

However, the resort didn't have it's own cafe/restaurant, and the only amenities were a small swimming pool and an even smaller gym. We stayed the first 2 nights here, the next 3 nights in the second resort, and back again for 2 more nights before going to Paris (where we spend the last 2 nights of our trip in a 2-star hotel).

...residentie van gogh...

The second place was in Vaals, located in the Limburg region in southern Netherlands (famed for its nature parks). Now this one was more like what I would call a resort, with more than 300 units ranging from a chalet to your very own private bungalow. We stayed in a chalet-like unit which was joined to a couple of other units and had a good backyard view of the peaceful surroundings. It was positively quaint and inviting in the old-fashioned-brick-house sort of way, and even had a log-burning fire-stove! It also had 3 bedrooms (one too many for us) but only 1 bathroom. The bedroom I was in had a skylight too ^_^ and we tried some of the local Limburg beer from the resort's supermarket.

The entire resort resembles a small community *with its own supermarket, launderette, a few restaurants, not to mention several designated areas for separating trash* and had a wide variety of activities available for guests *indoor tennis and squash courts, indoor and outdoor pools, indoor arcade and mini-theme-park, fishing ponds, bicycles and scooter-bikes for rent, bowling, beauty spa and saloon, daycare centre, nature walks and hiking trails, a mini-farm with chickens and rabbits, golfing range and 'midget golf', ...*. They even sell local Dutch and German bus tickets at the reception!

It was actually a very popular 'nature park' resort *though 'tis isn't the best season* and its strategic location allows easy access to the neighbouring countries of Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg. I would love to spend another day just to explore the place since we had an extra day for rest in our planned itinerary, but the others preferred to rest at the Knokke apartment instead :( *what a waste*

...landal hoog vaals...

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Day 1: 21 Dec 2007


This was perhaps the most eventful day of the trip *as the first day often is* and could have warranted a blog entry in itself. It was also the last weekday before Christmas, and *as expected on the one day in the year where Europe efficiency goes out the window* there were delays in literally all modes of transport we took.

First, the tube I was in stopped in Baron's Court and everyone had to get off. There was apparently a mistake in the train signals, telling the driver to halt and turn back. We had to get the next train down to Heathrow, which was the 3rd train after. Lucky for me that I decided to start off early and still arrived at the airport in good time.

Terminal 4 was as busy *and disorganised* as usual. Having never travelled within EU before, I didn't know that check-in for such flights on British Airways had to be done through the self-service kiosks. So after being directed, re-directed, and queuing in all the wrong lines, my attempt at self-check-in failed because the agent I booked with did not provide the right booking reference. A staff finally had to check me in, but at least without me having to queue all over again :)

Once through, I was immediately tempted to shop -_- How can I resist when the only fragrance I like so far is not only available duty-free but is on sale at 40% off too? After much self-contemplation *and self-negotiation*, I convinced myself not to lug it across 4-5 countries and resolved to get it if it's still there upon returning to UK. But I still bought a pair of gloves *although I already have 2 pairs with me then -_-* and a chain from the tax-free Accessorize shop, both of which I've been eyeing for some time. Well, at least they were cheaper than highstreet, and the gloves did come in useful :p

Having mostly been taking long-haul flights in recent years, the brief flight from London to Brussels *only 45 minutes on the plane* took me by surprise. As soon as the plane took off, cabin crew got busy distributing snacks *half-the-usual sandwich wrap :(* and pushing drink trolleys through the one-cabin Airbus. Then they came round again to collect the rubbish, and after that, the captain announced that we'll be landing in 10 minutes time o.O *didn't even have time to consider using the lavatory* I supposed it was understandable as the flight was delayed for about 20-30 minutes and the crew was making up for lost time.

Was supposed to meet up with family in Brussels-Midi train station. But the coach they were taking from Paris was delayed by a few hours, and we were afraid we couldn't make it in time for late check-in at our resort in Knokke. So after waiting a bit *they were giving out Ferero Roches at one time ^_^* and going online to print out the reservation confirmation *european keyboards -_- I still can't figure out how to type the "@"*, I headed to Knokke alone on a train which was late 30 minutes and managed to check in just 15 minutes before the deadline. Actually, we need not have rushed since the guy was still at the reception when my family finally reached the resort an hour after closing time -_-

And by then, the day was over.




Day 2: 22 Dec 2007


Gent

Our first stop was Gent, quite a small yet beautiful city whose station (Gent-Sint-Pieters) was further down south along our train line. Since we only had the morning planned, we took a short tram ride to the city centre where most of the tourist attractions were located. These include St Nicholas' Church, the Belfry, and St Bavo's Cathedral - all of which had wonderful architecture *gothic, I believe :p* and were located very near each other around a square-like-place that had a small Christmas-market-like fair going on. Since my sis and I were interested in all things medieval *think castles, swords and knights* for different reasons, we also visited the Gravenstein (Castle of the Counts) which turned out to be quite disappointing compared to the pictures we researched online *looked as though only the ruins were left*.

Apparently, Belgium is also known for its lace (other than chocolates and waffles :p) so I bought myself a small laced potpourri satchet as a souvenir.

...the belfry...

Brugge

The next stop on our first day out was Brugge (also on the train line close to Knokke), touted as the Venice of the North and was one of the most beautiful places to visit in Belgium (and in Europe). In fact, the entire city centre of Brugge was included in the World Heritage list. According to online research and the travel centre in the train station, it doesn't take long to see Brugge on foot and so we did just that. However, we didn't make it to the city centre due to time contraints after veering off course while stopping to watch a Christmas parade *a more traditional type, with cute ponies and even a cart where someone was playing Christmas songs on small church bells*. Ended up making a big detour back towards our starting point (the train station) before we realised it.

Somehow, I found Gent a nicer place to see than Brugge despite the latter being much more famous. Possibly because we didn't make it to the city centre. Probably because I was more inclined towards the architecture of the cathedrals in Gent.
*gothic is my favourite by far ;) *

Oh, and they were giving out chocolate bars just outside the train station ^_^

...christmas parade at brugge...

Day 3: 23 Dec 2007


We travelled by train to our second resort *heaven knows why my mum insisted on booking 2 resorts in different countries for the exact same week -_-;* located in Vaals (Limburg, Netherlands) and visited Antwerp (Belgium) on the way. After that, we continued our journey by train to Liege (on the border of Belgium), then to Maastricht (Netherlands), before taking a long bus ride and quite some time finding our resort on foot in the dark from there on *the place spans quite a wide area of land and as a consequence, was not easily accessible by public transport*.

...liege train station - most modern one on trip...

Antwerp

The second largest city in Belgium, after Brussels (the capital). Since it was only a stop-over, we didn't have much time to explore the place but managed to fit in pretty much everything that we wanted to see.

Walked from the train station to the old city parts of Antwerp, going through it's major shopping district known as The Meir and passing by statues of famous artists Rubens, Van Dyck, and a huge stone hand in the middle of the pedestrian area. The 'old city' was nestled in the middle of all those city buildings and urban developments, and was very charming indeed with its quaint buildings and its narrow cobbled streets. Tourist attractions we saw included the Our Lady's Cathedral, the Town Hall, Grote Market, Het Stein (the Steen castle), ...

The castle was by the river (Antwerp being a big world port), and looked more impressive than the more famous one in Gent *despite the Antwerp one having only the front parts and a few turrets left, and had been converted into a museum*.

The only souvenirs I got were some old slides with pictures of famous places in Antwerp and Gent, and forgot to get a postcard featuring Antwerp :'(
*the only city visited on this trip which I didn't manage to get a postcard of*

...the steen castle...

Day 4: 24 Dec 2007


Aachen

Christmas eve was the only day we visited Germany. Aachen was nearest to the border (and our resort), so we got all day German bus tickets *special offer for 5 people :p* to the city centre and explored the rest of the way on foot.

First place we visited was the Elisenbrunnen (Elisa Fountain) where our bus route terminates, a symbol of the spa town that was Aachen back in its Roman days. The tourist information office was located just outside it, and I must say, the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Next up was the Aachen Dom (Cathedral of Aachen), which was a rather impressive building - both interior and exterior, not to mention historically speaking. Just loved the architecture! *occidental, apparently* The cathedral was built by the great Charlemagne of the middle ages (also his burial place) and more than 30 Frankish kings were crowned there. It is also the first German building to be designated a World Heritage site.
Never knew its history until I was actually there :p definitely one of the highlights of this trip!

...cathedral of aachen 'n' a mini model outside it...

Other attractions we saw were the Rathaus (Town Hall), the Treasury, and the Theater. We also came by the Christmas market but the stalls were all closed :( too bad we came at the wrong time.

Overall, Aachen's a small but historical city and quite an interesting place to visit indeed :)



Koln

The other place we visited in Germany was the city of Cologne. It wasn't originally in the initial itinerary, but I've been itching to go there since I found out more about it and included it as a must-see in this trip *not to mention that it isn't far from Aachen and our resort*. The tickets there were the cheapest of our entire trip, inclusive of the train ride and all public transport whilst in Koln for 5 people *still value for money, though there were only 4 of us ^_^*.

Koln is famed for many things - the oldest city in Germany, Eau de Cologne, Kolsch, ... Of course, no trip is complete to Koln without visiting the Koln Dom (Cathedral of Cologne). If you're looking for the wow-factor, trust me, this is it. All you have to do is walk out of the train station, look to the left, and be hit immediately by the most awesome gothic edifice that is the cathedral itself.

...cathedral of cologne...

We literally stopped in our tracks, breathing out "wah..."
*my favourite moment of the trip :p*

One can only imagine what a fun job it must be to work as a guard right outside the cathedral and observing with much pride the faces of tourists coming out from the train station, catching their first glimpse of one of the country's most impressive national treasures. Of course, inside the cathedral was no less breathtaking ^_^ and it did feel sort of amazing to be there on Christmas eve *to me, at least*. This was the one place I just had to visit on this trip *even more than the Louvre*, and it was well worth it indeed.

...inside the cathedral...

Apart from the cathedral, we ventured deeper into the city and through its major shopping district until we came to the square where the famous Christmas markets of Cologne were held. Like Aachen, everything was closed since it's Christmas eve :'( But we managed buy to some roasted chestnuts on the way back and got some souvenir cuckoo clock magnets from some shops near the cathedral. We also tried some German sausages, sauerkraut, and Kolsch beer while waiting for our train back to Aachen - which was quite a feat really, since everything was closing down early on that day.

...cuckoo clock magnets...

Oh, and when we got back to Aachen, we waited over an hour for the buses back to our resort. There were also some locals waiting at the same bus stop, and nobody realised that there were no buses working that night until a kind taxi driver *also looking for business, I think* stopped by to tell everyone that. We ended up taking his taxi back to the resort :)




Day 5: 25 Dec 2007


Amsterdam

It being Christmas, we decided to make a day trip to Amsterdam - the one city on our itinerary where I can safely say that everything wouldn't be closed for Christmas :p
*the tourist office was closed though, but everything else was pretty much well and alive*

However, we didn't really have much time to spare for exploring this small but infamous city in Holland - what with buses between resort and Heerlen train station taking 1 and a half hours, the train ride itself taking more than 5 hours to and fro, and the sun setting early in winter :( But we made the most we can, fitting in a visit to the Dam Square, a hearty lunch at a grill house, and loads of souvenir shopping *bought mostly clogs-related items, postcards, and a mini plaster model of a windmill*.

We first walked along one of the bigger streets from the train station, popping into any souvenir shops we came across and getting loads of nick nacks *most of the souvenirs we bought on the trip were from here ;) *. We didn't make it very far *less than a block from the train station -_-* before we had to stopped for a late lunch at the James' Brasserie & Grill, where we managed to try some Dutch pancakes too. It was already past 3pm then.

Refreshed with food and laden with souvenirs, we treaded on until we accidentally stumbled onto the Dam Square :p We weren't aiming for any tourist spots in particular, and it was quite a photo opportunity when we came across this square that is the heart and centre of Amsterdam *at the very least, it'll prove we were there and not just all souvenir shopping -_-;* where Koninklijk Paleis (Royal Palace) is located, originally used as a town hall. We also somehow went through some brightly lit streets which looked like the Chinatown of the city, and came across a canal which had a few sloping town houses at the side. It was very dark by then, and when we reached an area of town which looked pretty seedy, we finally took a tram back to the train station and head back to our resort down south.

...buildings by the canal...

Come to think of it, we travelled right across the Netherlands that day.
*the most expensive day of our trip*

...christmas day train tickets 'n' complimentary fortune cookies...



...my mini windmill model...


...souvenirs from amsterdam...

Day 6: 26 Dec 2007


On this day which I would have otherwise spend in London battling the frenzy that is Boxing Day sales, we left the second resort and headed back to the first in Knokke. On the way, we stopped briefly at Maastricht (Netherlands) and longer at Brussels (Belgium). Since we didn't need to rush for check-in and were taking the whole day off to rest the day after, we had more time to spare. As a result, the supermarkets were closed by the time we got to Knokke and had dinner at one of the local restaurants instead.



Maastricht

Said to be the most beautiful city in all of Benelux (Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg) and the oldest city in Netherlands, we hardly saw much since we were there mostly to make the train and bus connections when travelling from our resort in nearby Vaals. So that day was our last chance to see Maastricht, and I managed to convince my parents to spend a short time wandering the city before boarding the train to Brussels. It also helped that we already bought all day Dutch bus tickets.

So we took the bus down to the Vrijthof Square where there was a Christmas market going on (Maastricht Winterland), our first proper Christmas market during this trip. Then we took pictures of the Basiliek van Sint Servaas (Basilica of St Servatius) which was just next to the square and didn't have time to see more as we rushed to the nearest bus stop back to the station to catch our train. But the buses were late and we missed our train :(

...figurines at maastricht winterland...


...st servaas...

Instead, we stopped off at Markt Square where the Stadhuis (Town Hall) is located before catching the next bus to the train station. Back at the station, we had about half an hour to spare since we already missed the first train. So I took a short walk alone to the River Maas and back, and had just enough time to send off a postcard before leaving :)

...town hall 'n' maas riverside...


...maastricht bus terminal 'n' train station...

Too bad we couldn't stay longer and really see Maastricht - I really wanted to, but the others didn't feel like it.



Brussels

We had to change trains at Brussels anyway before going on to Knokke, and why miss the chance to visit the capital of Belgium (also the administrative centre of EU) while we're there? It is the best place to visit in Belgium, naturally.

If one's in Brussels, one has got to see the Grand Place (Market Place). It's basically a large square flanked on all sides by the Stadhuis (Town Hall), the Het Broodhuis (King's House), the unique Guild Houses (each with its own name such as the Peacock, the Fame, the Deer, the Hill, the Windmill, ... *you get the picture :p*). All were beautiful and the whole place emanates a very European feel to it. The Town Hall even had a tall spire and the building was lit up with musical lights that changed according to the music played in the square - you could hear a very audible and appreciative gasp from the crowd when the lights first came on for the night ^_^

...the guild houses...


...the king's house...

...the town hall...

And since we have yet to have some Belgian waffles, we sat down for tea at the Aroma Cafe located on Grand Place itself. It had a cosy interior and we chose a table upstairs overlooking the square. Between the 4 of us, we had 3 coffees, 2 waffles, and 1 slice of cheesecake. After that, we followed the flow of the crowd through a Christmas market surrounding a big building that looked like a theater or some other sort which I didn't know the name of.
*the only day we saw Christmas markets during our entire Christmas trip*

Brussels is also where the well-known Manneken Pis (the statue of a little boy pee-ing) is located. I had never heard of it before despite vaguely recalling seeing pictures of it somewhere, but my mum insisted on bringing us (after some searching) to where it stands on a corner of the street somewhere near the Grand Place. It was smaller than the impression I had from seeing all the souvenirs related to it in shops around Belgium. There it stands at the top of a fountain, with ornate fencing protecting it. A sign nearby states that the statue was dressed up in Santa Claus apparel until Christmas, so we just missed that particular sight by a day. Apparently *this from online research after the trip since I don't see what all the hype was about*, the statue's origin is unknown, has been stolen several times over the years, and was covered up for protection during the war. It also has more than 600 costumes to its name, and pours out beer rather than water (through a barrel attached) in gratitude whenever it receives new costumes/gear.

...manneken pis 'n' statue(?) of van gogh...

All along the way, there were plenty of souvenir shops and we got some Belgian chocolates *of course ;)*, a couple of lace butterflies, and a small paperweight model of the Manneken Pis *yes, just 1 will do - and I'm not keeping it*. Only realised when we got back that there were 2 boxes of Jamaican rumballs cleverly mixed into the packages of chocolates -_-;; the other 13 boxes state "Made in Belgium" clearly, though can't guarantee its authenticity.

...belgian chocolates 'n' lace butterflies...

By the time we finally reached Knokke, the supermarkets were closed by then and so we had dinner at a local restaurant. The menu was in at least 3 different languages *as far as I can tell* but English was not one of them. Luckily for us that the waiter could speak some English, and we managed not to order anything with beef in it. We also had Maes beer and tried some Kriek (flavoured/made with cherries, can't tell which).

Day 7: 27 Dec 2007


Knokke-Heist

Today, we spend most of it indoors relaxing in our apartment and I got to watch some TV ^_^ *something I've been sorely deprived of since coming to the UK*. Apart from the brief trip to the supermarkets for groceries *where I got the last bottle available of Hoegaarden beer (raspberry flavoured*, we also took a short walk around the most nothern-east seaside town of Knokke on the Belgium coast. Like I said, the beach was only a couple of blocks away from our apartment.

It being winter, the place was pretty much off-season but there was still quite a bit of people taking walks and riding rented scooter-bikes along the beach. We walked along the windy seaside, having some Haegan-Daz while trying to spot cute dogs out on walks with their owners. Throughout our trip, we've seen dogs a plenty *particularly in Belgium for some reason, even more than Paris* and have been trying to spot a dog which resembles Yoyo most *for yet some other reason, the locals seem to prefer JR-terrier-like dogs a lot*.

Just a bit further down the beach was the Knokke Casino, one of 10 casinos in Belgium. The casino was about the only place to visit that is not the beach. Despite its rather grand exterior compared to the surrounding buildings (which isn't saying much as it was just a modern seaside place), the inside and the service was quite a letdown. It looked practically deserted from the outside, and the staff didn't even bother looking up when us foreign tourists walked in. People only go to Knokke for its beach indeed.

...the casino...

There was quite a wide selection of restaurants by the seaside, and one can imagine Knokke being the bustling holiday place it is for locals (especially during the summer). However, if you're a tourist from another country, Knokke is not for you.




Day 8: 28 Dec 2007


We left the Benelux region and headed for France. Took a train down to Brussels-Midi and switched to the coach which will take us to Paris. We hadn't originally intended to stay in Paris. But since my family's flight back to KL is from Paris and we wanted to stay one night to ensure we make the flight in time, we added one day to our itinerary for exploring this city of light.

Although truth be told, I think I'll need more than a week just to truly see Paris and will be definitely going there again sometime.


We had a whole night to spare after checking into our hotel. Since we couldn't cook and the rooms were too small for comfort, we decided to go ahead as planned and strike the Tour Eiffel off our list of things to see in Paris. Besides, the landmark tower is said to be better seen at night in all its lit glory.

My first impression of the Eiffel Tower is that it's actually much smaller in real life than it looks on pictures *and I also had a sudden desire to see the Tokyo Tower in Japan o.O*. For the very gothicly inclined me when it comes to architecture, it's quite a pretty monument considering that its structure is rather simple. The tower is definitely the most photographed item of our trip, as we tried to take better pictures from different angles throughout our short stay in Paris.

...eiffel tower...

There were many souvenir-peddlers selling the same few wares on the roadside - tiny models of the tower on small squares of cloth (which I assumed is for ease of pack-up on the run). I hadn't intended on buying so soon, but the first guy we saw dropped the price of all items he was selling by 1 Euro even without us trying to bargain. One can see those are really cheap items to begin with. Anyway, bought a small glass thing that's supposed to resemble the Eiffel Tower and which comes with a stand that lights the model up in alternating colours. And so my minimum souvenir quota for Paris is fulfilled, apart from getting a postcard.

...my mini lit model...

...merry-go-round near eiffel tower...

We then crossed the bridge and walked along the River Seine, where I saw someone else bargaining the same model I bought down by another 1 Euro *I had tried the same feat earlier, but failed :(*. The tower being pretty far from the city centre, there wasn't really anything else to see there at night and so we got on the nearest metro back to the hotel.


Oh, and although it wasn't really that late into the night, we saw a bunch of guys attacking one of the peddlers by the street just for fun in plain view of the public. The locals didn't seem to lift a hand (maybe they were tourists like us, can't really tell at that distance) until a fellow peddler caught sight of it from where we stood and rushed to the victim's aid.
*kinda makes me glad that I'm not living there*




Day 9: 29 Dec 2007


A whole day in Paris.

One is definitely not enough, so we considered it lucky if we managed to finish the ones of priority. Unfortunately, the day was cloudy, with only short bursts of sunshine in the late afternoon.

First up was the Notre Dame cathedral. We were kind of surprised to find it smaller than expected - somehow the Disney movie seemed to project a larger version of it. The architecture was still impressive, particularly the back part of it. Although it was a rainy morning, there were already people there queuing with umbrellas.

...notre dame...

There were many inviting Parisian cafes selling crepes and souvenir shops nearby, and we spent most of the time half taking shelter and half checking out the souvenirs. Bought 3 mini prints of Paris sights to add to my London collection *but no good ones of the Eiffel Tower though*. We also saw the Hotel de Ville (City Hall) which was near the cathedral.

...arc de triomphe...

Next we headed to the Arc de Triomphe and walked down the broadest avenue in Paris, Avenue des Champs-Élysées. We were supposed to go all the way to the end in the direction of the Musée du Louvre, but got tired about midway and decided to take a bus instead. The right bus didn't show up, and we got on another bus that took us off course. In the end, we just took the metro back to the Louvre.

...louvre...

After taking photos and everything, nobody felt like going in the museum *would definitely visit it on another occasion when there's more time*. Instead, we tried to locate the inversed pyramid and the medallions on the ground marking the Rose Line (Paris Meridian), but both missions failed miserably :( This took us through the Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Garden), and we had some crepes at a fair just next to the Place de la Concorde.

...seagulls at tuileries garden 'n' ferris wheel at concorde place...

Much earlier than expected, we had completed our Paris plan (mainly the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre Dame) in good time ^_^ That was when we started looking at the map for more places to visit.

...some building we saw on the way which looks important but no idea what's it called...

So we went to the French Statue of Liberty next, which was situated further out of the city centre than the Eiffel Tower. A much smaller version of the one given to USA, this one appeared slightly fatter to me :p It had its own mini island, with willow-like trees around it. It was still in the afternoon and the sun had yet to set, but that was our last sight-seeing of the trip.

...statue of liberty 'n' river seine...

Mostly because my mum tripped on a curb and literally pokai, scraping her face in the process. There was much bleeding but the injuries were minor - luckily she was so wrapped up in clothing that only her face and lip got hurt. But my dad somehow gave her the impression that it was a lot worse and before we knew it, there were 2 policemen on bikes stopping beside us and asking if we needed help. We tried asking them where's the nearest clinic but they ended up calling a doctor to come instead, partly due to the language barriers. Anyway, we got the gist that we were to wait on the spot, and we moved my mum to a nearby bench.

And upon looking back, we were shocked to see 4 police hanging around o.O Two stayed behind to wait, and the others got on their way. A kind motorist even stopped and offered some words in Mandarin, telling us to wait *at least, that's what I gathered* and then saying goodbye *this was accurately pronounced, I must say*.

And the 'doctor' arrived - it was an ambulance.
*thank god the sirens weren't on*

My sis and I looked at each other and almost burst out laughing. No disrespect or anything but those were only minor injuries which needed cleaning and some antiseptic. An ambulance, 2 paramedics, and 2 french-speaking policemen were a tad too much. I must say, the Paris police is quite efficient in that respect. One of the paramedics could speak some English, and we managed to communicate to them that my mum was not hurt elsewhere other than her face. We had already cleaned most of the blood with tissues earlier and the other paramedic applied some antiseptic *I think* to the wounds.

That was it - no medication necessary, no bandages. Once they were satisfied that she could walk on her own without help and wasn't feeling pain elsewhere, we were free to go after they had noted her name and checked her passport. They even asked us where was our hotel and whether we needed a ride, which we quickly refused *though I admit that the thought of riding a french ambulance was a bit tempting in retrospect*. The whole thing did raise the ratings of Paris a little in our eyes, especially since witnessing last night's incident.


And so we headed back to the hotel on the metro, stopping by a pharmacy to get some bandages, antiseptic, medicine to treat swellings, and some flu medication. After some rest, we then went out to the Republique in search of a proper restaurant for our designated French meal of the night. It was to be my treat since starting work in UK, a proper French meal for the family.


The first place which looked as though it served authentic French cuisine was Chez Jenny, but we later discovered that it was a German restaurant upon seeing the Alsation specialties featured on the menu. Well, at least they have English menus, but it required quite some effort on both sides to get our orders across correctly. The poor waiter even had to quack at one point *yet somehow still appearing snooty* where he wanted to say duck and I mistakenly heard it as haddock *which was also on the menu :p* and was visibly relief when that part was all over.

Since we can't take beef and my mum can't have seafood, we ordered 4 dishes of chicken, duck, and 2 fish (haddock and salmon). They also had set menus which came with starters and desserts, and we opted for an onion soup and some fresh oysters for the starters. We wanted to try some French dessert *creme brulee...* but my sis and I were too full, and my parents didn't want more of anything on that menu. And we didn't have any wine either, settling for beer and fruit juices instead. So on the whole, it wasn't exactly the meal in Paris that I had envisaged, but still satisfying.

...chez jenny...

We also tried some Amsterdam beer (11.6% alcohol! :p) that we bought after seeing the advertisements on the metro. *funnily, the waiter in Amsterdam said the best beer there is Heineken and didn't mention any "Amsterdam" beer at all :s*

...souvenirs from paris...

Day 10: 30 Dec 2007


Nothing much today, except that we began our separate journeys departing from the Paris airport. Although my flight to London was several hours later than my family's, I accompanied them to the airport and waited for my flight since I couldn't really drag all my luggage around Paris.

...caramels in oh-so-cute mini milk tins...
*saw this at Paris airport, but it's too expensive :( and I don't even like caramels*

Was told upon early check-in that I was only allowed to check 1 bag into cargo. But luckily, they said I could bring on board the other bag in addition to my hand-carry backpack. If not, I wouldn't know what to do with all that dis-allowed luggage.


Oh, and I did get a bottle of that fragrance I wanted at the little 'Arrivals' duty-free shop in T4 ^_^

...Dec '07 trip - souvenir haul...

And so, after leaving London with 2 bags and returning with 3, the Dec '07 trip was over.



There goes my holidays :( and back to work in a couple of days.





... til the next trip.