Endlich...mein blog...with my Vacation updates...Part 2

Part 2....here it comes.

Köln (as the Germans prefer over Cologne)

Crazy Carnival! It was the celebration to the start of Carnival festival. 11.11.07 at 11.11am.... I remember that morning vividly, having to get up at 7am, after a night of partying, just to be there early enough to count down. As the group of us approach the Bonn train station, the station was already packed with many people dressed in all sorts of costumes, all en route from Bonn to Köln. Each group that we saw had at least 1 crate of beer with them =) Drinking seems to be part of every celebration.



My 10-day non-stop vacation to...

Zurich & St. Gallen

The train ride to Zurich was filled with excitement and joy as I left Bonn on that Friday morning (07.12.07). Part of this Swiss trip was to meet up with friends whom I have last seen a year ago in Singapore. Good 'ol friends, who can't be forgotten, who made my post-exchange term at SMU extremely memorable.

The evening that I arrived, I was picked up at the Zurich main station by my good friend Sven, who was accompanied by Zsofia. A sweet Hungarian-Swiss girl. They took me around the city in the evening, showing me the sights at night. I would say that Zurich is...apart from the numerous banks that I see on the streets, has an interesting old town, which appealed more to me that the new shopping district.

How can we miss Cheese Fondue while in Switzerland? We didn't. I had my first Cheese Fondue, all thanks to Sven! =) The smell of cheese just stayed me for the rest of the night and in my dreams too. I could smell nothing but cheese after :P

The next day, we left for St. Gallen, which was about an hour's train ride away from Zurich. A university town...with the infamous University of St. Gallen. The morning started out with us (Sven, Andrea and I) trying to stop the train from leaving, as we waited anxiously for Andru to arrive =) So finally, he did, just seconds before the train was scheduled to leave. Our ride to Mount Säntis was just great. Of course, knowing that I would be heading to the Mountains, was exciting, but seeing good friends again, was even better! The wonders of transportation has made the world smaller, and travelling ever so convenient!

At the foot of Mount Säntis....a spectacular view of the snow-capped mountains that surrounded us. Truly, it really felt like what being in Switzerland should be. Being amidst the splendor of nature of just unbelievable! Ascending to the top of the mountain was amazing! We went up on a gondola and finally reached the top. We spent time outside, playing with snow, and taking in the goodness of being at the top.

The day was just great; I can't even begin to describe! The evening ended with a drink at one of the coolest bars in St. Gallen...Seeger's Bar.

Paris

I can't even begin to describe my journey there. A cellphone with dead battery (don't ask why), credit card that didn't work all kind of summed up my pre-Paris journey. *fast forward all that mad rush home to finally setting foot in the city of romance*

Seeing a friend waiting for me patiently for an hour in the cold was the best sight ever, and I am ever to thankful (so thanks a mil' Songjie).

Paris..Paris....where should I start. Day 1 started with a walking tour with "New Paris Tours", and boy am I lucky, I think we got the best guide in town! We walked to many of the known sights in Paris (Lourve Museum, Eiffel Tower, etc), but we also got a low-down on the lesser known areas, coupled with some very informative history lesson.

Later that evening, I went to one of the most visited sights in the world - The Eiffel Tower. It was great that I went with Katy, an American girl that I met during the tour. We were so excited about wanting to experience the tower that we decided to climb the tower...or at least for half the way up. A tough climb up in the cold, but it was sure worth it. The view was just breath-taking. See the whole of Paris from the top was just amazing. Our visit to the tower was rather timely. We got there when it was still day light, and by the time we made our way down, it was dark, and we could see the night lights of Paris.

Day 2 was filled with more sightseeing. My first trip was to the infamous Notre-Dame Cathedral. I stood outside the cathedral, in awe of the architecture and grandeur of building. Stepping in to the cathedral just took my breath away.

Moving on to the Lourve Museum. A collection of very interesting art pieces...and of course the Mona Lisa painting, which was in a high-security area. I wasn't too marvelled by the painting in particular, but the others that depicted the lives of the people during that era, war, religion inspired paintings. The Museum was huge...with 4 main areas with multi storeys of art, sculpture, drawings, ancient discoveries...

The evening was something I have been looking forward to. It was another walking tour, but this time, it's to Montmartre. It is the area known to be the red light district of Paris, but more importantly, it's the home to Moulin Rouge & the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur, which is at the top of the hill. The walk up was interesting as we learnt about old houses which were home to artists (such as Vincent Van Gogh), the one and only surviving vineyard (called "Savage Garden"), where artists like Picasso used to wine and dine in the past, and the Basilica of the Sacré Cœur. The white exterior brought out the pureness of the Basilica. Made from travertine, which contains calcium, it gets whiter with weathering and pollution. At the time we entered the church, there was a mass going on, and there were nun singing angelically in french. It was a great end to the evening.

My last day in Paris could be one of the best days there. I met up with Barbara, who belongs to Paris Greeters Association. She took me around to some of the unseen parts of Paris, such as the passages that the Kings in the past would use to get around the cities without being seen; the wonderful interior of an historical building which now houses a BNP Paribas...

Off to THE street in Paris...CHAMPS ÉLYSÉES...the most prestigious street in Paris. Filled with the most beautiful things...which can be only admired from afar.... A true shopping district. A little shopping treat for myself =)

It was a great end to my days spent in Paris. It is of course by far my favourite city in Europe. There is just so much to do in Paris...and with only 3 days in Paris, I can't say that I have seen most of Paris, because I have not. I still have the other museums to explore, the Chateau to visit....This definitely calls for a second trip.

Berlin

This was a long awaited trip....both to visit the wonderful and most heard about city in Germany, as well as a visit to Prof MacRae.

Berlin greeted me with the sun shining, despite the colder weather, as compared to Paris & Bonn. The day started quick, with the New Berlin Tour, which took us to all the historical and famous sights in Berlin. The Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Wall, Holocaust memorial wall, Checkpoint Charlie...were among the places we saw. A lesson of history was included during the walk of course.

In the evening, I went over to Prof MacRae's apartment to have dinner with his family. It was great meeting them again...and it was an evening of catching up.

The next day, I spent the day at Museum Checkpoint Charlie. It depicted scenes, artifacts, stories about the horrible past that happened...not too long ago. Sometimes, one can wonder how can anyone allow for such a thing to happen.

As for the rest of the afternoon...it was spent roaming round the streets and walking through the Weihnachmarkt, before I catching my train home.

The best 10 days so far...exploring parts of Europe...and seeing sights that I have dreamt of. Although this time without my good friends with me...it sure was a fulfilling trip...