Sunday, October 18, 2009
The A to Z of my Europe Trip
A is for Apartment. A very tiny one at that! 2 rooms with 3 sofa beds and one foldable bed. The bathroom measures 2.5m (L) X 1m (W) and has a toilet, shower and sink in it! Amazing! More amazingly, 6 people were sharing it! How's that? Thankfully we were all quite disciplined!
B is for Bread. Urgh... bread bread and more bread throughout the whole trip... no more bread for the next 3 weeks!B is also for Butter.. the butter in Germany is so creamy and light... Mmm... Oh yah, B is also for Broke.... Time to eat grass for the next few months.
C is for Cheese! My goodness, the variety of cheese available there is amazing... not to mention the pungent smell... You really have to be prepared when you walk into a cheese shop. My cousin Chris bought us a variety of cheese to try when we were in Munich. In fact, it tickled him to no end that we actually love cheese. Hmm... Chinese people no like cheese?? C is also for Coke. It tastes really different in Germany, Austria and France. The verdict so far is that German Coke is the best cos its really refreshing and not too cloyingly sweet. And no... I am not being biased. It's by vote!
D is for Disneyland! We went to Parc Disneyland Paris! It was a day of fun, with lots of rollercoaster rides... ok ok, who am I kidding. I didn't ride the rides.. I became the bag jaga...
E is for Electricity Failure... At Charles de Gaulle airport. How the bloody hell can an international airport have a power failure? Because of that freakin 2.5 hour blackout, we missed our flight (we were early too!!!) That led to the whole adventure of missing planes and landing up in Hong Kong to get a flight back.... I smell a rat. It could well be the cause of a terrorist threat that they had to lock down the airport. Hell, that or Charles de Gaulle really suffers from frequent blackouts cos the Announcement was automated!!! And you heard me right.. Announcement.. that means they can choose what they want to be powered on... Conspiracy Theory!
F is for Foie Gras! Mmmm.. tried this Foi Gras sandwich at the fair at Montmarte. For 7 Euros, its not bad. But I still prefer the pan fried one. Surprisingly in France, the Foie Gras are usually served cold... Black Adder was very sad to not have had Pan fried Foie Gras...
G is for Glockenspiel. Or the pling plong, as my cousin Chris calls it. The famous landmark in Munich where people look up at the hot afternoon sun and burn their eyes to see the mechanical figures dance for 10 mins at 11am to off tune music (which up till now, even my cousin Chris can't make out what song it is)
H is for Heringer Sirbu. A Vineyard in Vienna.We had to ride a PIM (tram), then take a bus to the top of the mountain. We had a spectacular view of the city of Vienna... then had to walk down a long long long unlit windy road to reach the wineyard. Getting there was tough, but the view was nice and we were rewarded with nice and affordable wine with food. We were also introduced to Stum. Stum is grape juice that is unfermented or partly fermented. It's what you get before wine becomes wine. Quite tasty actually. The bad part was going all the way back, when it was pitch dark... We had to shine torches to find our way. That was a reallly looooooong way back to our hotel.... Blaire Witch anyone?
I is for intercontinental breakfast. Ok, close enough. Breakfast at my aunt's place is really a spread. I'm sure she normally does not have all of the items on a usual day but she specifically went to get it for us. Waffles, bread, butter, home made jams (for someone who does not eat jams, they were really good!), sausages, cheese, syrup, orange juice, coffee, tea, ham... I always love having breakfast at my aunt's place!
J is for ji3. Ok, I mean the Chinese word meaning squeeze. And we had to pack a whole lot of foodstuff for the wedding. Among 6 of us, we had to squeeze the following into our luggage: 250 sticks of Satay, 7 packets of Satay sauce, 1 tube of ketupat, 50 pcs of Mackeral Otah, 10 Nyonya Chang, 2 kg of Bak Kwa, 1 kg of Lup Cheong, 2 bags of dried mushrooms, 1 packet of salted vege, 6 packets of tea leaves, various pastes like Laksa, mee siam and chicken rice, Mooncakes, Sweet Beancurd Skin... going there, our luggage was already over the weight limit! They wanted to charge S$62 per kg!!!! Thankfully the counter staff were nice enough to waive it. More thankfully that the foodstuff survived the trip!
K is for Konig. Which means king. And we went to Konig Ludwigs castle on Chiemsee. He actually modelled it after the Versailles Palace in France. Such was his fixation with the French that the replica rooms were not to be used. However, he couldn't finish it due to monetary problems. What's more, he didn't even stay in it much. He died in myterious circumstances too. Of course he had his private quarters. The most memorable to me was his bathtub. It can hold 60,000 litres of water and looked like a swimming pool... no kidding.... we had to walk over the whole thing. I reckon it measures at least 10m in diameter.
L is for Lourve. The famous Lourve museum that houses the Mona Lisa. It's so huge that we go tired walking through it. That's only finishing one level of one wing... Apparently, if you stand in front of each and every painting/sculpture for 30 secs, it will take you 3 years to finish everything in the Lourve!
M is for Macaroons! Pierre Herme ones! My gosh, it's damn good! Nice and taut on the outside but just melts in your mouth when you bite it. We bought 6 different flavours to try. Caramel was my Fav! Other flavours were Macha, Lemon Chocolate, Rose, Blueberry and Pistachio
N is for Nonya. Nonya Kebaya that is. Aunt had requested that we wear Kebayas. We obliged and we really did stand out. Now I think the Germans may have the wrong idea that the Kebaya is our national dress... oh well... The only freaking thing was walking in heels and mind you, the sarongs do not allow for easy walking. i have never been this dainty in my entire life.... Urgh....
O is for Oktober Fest! It's HUGE!!! It's at a park over at Munich near the main train station. And the tents are HUMONGOUS! It's like a huge mess hall for soldiers (well, it could well be, considering how noisy and rowdy it can get). Food was great with Hendl (roasted chicken, only available at Oktoberfest. Crispy on the outside, nice and juicy on the inside), dumplings (made of bread with sauce), stewed pork and 1 litre beer! Yes, everything about Oktober Fest is huge! Even the ceremonial horses delivering the beer to Oktober fest (those were taller than a van!)
P is for pickpockets. Yup, unfortunately our "class fund" got pickpocketed. That occurred immediately once we got on the train from the airport on our way to the apartment. Lost about 80 Euro and our return tickets for the train back to the airport. So beware when in Paris!
Q is for Queue... Literally... Queue to get to the Eiffel Tower, queue to go on rides at Disneyland, queue to walk through Notre Dame, queue to change tickets, get tax refund, to check in blah blah... I think I have never been this patient in my entire life....
R is for rude. The parisian people. While it is easier to talk now since they do communicate in English, especially the younger Parisians, most of the people I have met are not friendly and some downright rude. But there are exceptions. The couple who runs Chez Gabriel near our apartment were a gem. Not only was the food fantastic, their service was top notch. They fussed over us and made sure we were comfortable. It helps that we are were the only people in the restaurant though ;p
S is for Seine. The River Seine. Though it was a cold night, to see the sunset along the River Seine was beautiful. What's more, you get to see the Eiffel Tower shimmer every hour. Best to take the 9.30pm boat ride for camera buffs.
T is for Terrine de Lapin. Which is Rabbit spread. Lapin means rabbit in French. We were looking to try Rabbit meat but unfortunately couldn't find it. So had to settle for Rabbit spread. Oh well, bo he hei mah ho.
U is for Umbrella... which I forgot to bring. It rained quite a bit when we were in Paris. Especially on the first day when we arrived at about 8pm? Couldn't find the bloody apartment and had to walk in the rain lugging luggage. Thank goodness for the Goretex jacket I bought... The next day, when we explored the area, the train station was actually very near by!
V is for Vienna. We were there for only 2 days, whereby 1 day was a full day. It is a very nice city and wish I had more time there to explore. We went by many nice landmarks such as the Parliament, the Opera House, the Gardens etc. It's really a very culturally rich city.
W is for Wedding. Yup, my cousin Stefan's wedding with Steffi! A pretty nice one that involves breaking plates and breaking concrete. They break plates to bring good luck (must be china ok?) and have to sweep it up. They also wore funny hats - the bride wore a veil, the groom had to wear something that looks like a slipper. This has something to do with not being cockolded. And they broke concrete - friends of the bride and groom made them break a block of concrete to find treasure. Basically, unlike us, they don't give ang pow. They incorporate the money into the gift. Other interesting gifts included flowers with birds with folded money as wings; beer mugs, a pot of charcoal, a wok... And they also have a huge tradition with cutting the wedding cake. First of all, the cake must be made by the bride's family. Then, when cutting the cake, who's hand is above the other is the one who wears the pants.. Hahaha!
X is for Xiao Ah! (For those who geddit... hahahahahaha)
Y is for Yawn. We actually didn't get much sleep while in Paris. First night there was a scream. 2nd night people tried to open our door. 3rd night people frantically running up the stairs. The last day in the morning, someone actually opened the door. A Lady (I think it was the apartment owner's wife) who probably got the wrong apartment as she was trying to check in another family. She opened the door and looked at the Cat, who stared back and then she closed the door... But I still have to qualify that the apartment is safe, with Electronic lock with contact card access. Plus, it's reasonable and very very central. It' also a plus that we have a Big Cat as bodyguard.
Z is for Zzzzz..... reached back SG at 2350h. Went home, bathed and crashed in bed. Only woke up at 3pm heh heh
B is for Bread. Urgh... bread bread and more bread throughout the whole trip... no more bread for the next 3 weeks!B is also for Butter.. the butter in Germany is so creamy and light... Mmm... Oh yah, B is also for Broke.... Time to eat grass for the next few months.
C is for Cheese! My goodness, the variety of cheese available there is amazing... not to mention the pungent smell... You really have to be prepared when you walk into a cheese shop. My cousin Chris bought us a variety of cheese to try when we were in Munich. In fact, it tickled him to no end that we actually love cheese. Hmm... Chinese people no like cheese?? C is also for Coke. It tastes really different in Germany, Austria and France. The verdict so far is that German Coke is the best cos its really refreshing and not too cloyingly sweet. And no... I am not being biased. It's by vote!
D is for Disneyland! We went to Parc Disneyland Paris! It was a day of fun, with lots of rollercoaster rides... ok ok, who am I kidding. I didn't ride the rides.. I became the bag jaga...
E is for Electricity Failure... At Charles de Gaulle airport. How the bloody hell can an international airport have a power failure? Because of that freakin 2.5 hour blackout, we missed our flight (we were early too!!!) That led to the whole adventure of missing planes and landing up in Hong Kong to get a flight back.... I smell a rat. It could well be the cause of a terrorist threat that they had to lock down the airport. Hell, that or Charles de Gaulle really suffers from frequent blackouts cos the Announcement was automated!!! And you heard me right.. Announcement.. that means they can choose what they want to be powered on... Conspiracy Theory!
F is for Foie Gras! Mmmm.. tried this Foi Gras sandwich at the fair at Montmarte. For 7 Euros, its not bad. But I still prefer the pan fried one. Surprisingly in France, the Foie Gras are usually served cold... Black Adder was very sad to not have had Pan fried Foie Gras...
G is for Glockenspiel. Or the pling plong, as my cousin Chris calls it. The famous landmark in Munich where people look up at the hot afternoon sun and burn their eyes to see the mechanical figures dance for 10 mins at 11am to off tune music (which up till now, even my cousin Chris can't make out what song it is)
H is for Heringer Sirbu. A Vineyard in Vienna.We had to ride a PIM (tram), then take a bus to the top of the mountain. We had a spectacular view of the city of Vienna... then had to walk down a long long long unlit windy road to reach the wineyard. Getting there was tough, but the view was nice and we were rewarded with nice and affordable wine with food. We were also introduced to Stum. Stum is grape juice that is unfermented or partly fermented. It's what you get before wine becomes wine. Quite tasty actually. The bad part was going all the way back, when it was pitch dark... We had to shine torches to find our way. That was a reallly looooooong way back to our hotel.... Blaire Witch anyone?
I is for intercontinental breakfast. Ok, close enough. Breakfast at my aunt's place is really a spread. I'm sure she normally does not have all of the items on a usual day but she specifically went to get it for us. Waffles, bread, butter, home made jams (for someone who does not eat jams, they were really good!), sausages, cheese, syrup, orange juice, coffee, tea, ham... I always love having breakfast at my aunt's place!
J is for ji3. Ok, I mean the Chinese word meaning squeeze. And we had to pack a whole lot of foodstuff for the wedding. Among 6 of us, we had to squeeze the following into our luggage: 250 sticks of Satay, 7 packets of Satay sauce, 1 tube of ketupat, 50 pcs of Mackeral Otah, 10 Nyonya Chang, 2 kg of Bak Kwa, 1 kg of Lup Cheong, 2 bags of dried mushrooms, 1 packet of salted vege, 6 packets of tea leaves, various pastes like Laksa, mee siam and chicken rice, Mooncakes, Sweet Beancurd Skin... going there, our luggage was already over the weight limit! They wanted to charge S$62 per kg!!!! Thankfully the counter staff were nice enough to waive it. More thankfully that the foodstuff survived the trip!
K is for Konig. Which means king. And we went to Konig Ludwigs castle on Chiemsee. He actually modelled it after the Versailles Palace in France. Such was his fixation with the French that the replica rooms were not to be used. However, he couldn't finish it due to monetary problems. What's more, he didn't even stay in it much. He died in myterious circumstances too. Of course he had his private quarters. The most memorable to me was his bathtub. It can hold 60,000 litres of water and looked like a swimming pool... no kidding.... we had to walk over the whole thing. I reckon it measures at least 10m in diameter.
L is for Lourve. The famous Lourve museum that houses the Mona Lisa. It's so huge that we go tired walking through it. That's only finishing one level of one wing... Apparently, if you stand in front of each and every painting/sculpture for 30 secs, it will take you 3 years to finish everything in the Lourve!
M is for Macaroons! Pierre Herme ones! My gosh, it's damn good! Nice and taut on the outside but just melts in your mouth when you bite it. We bought 6 different flavours to try. Caramel was my Fav! Other flavours were Macha, Lemon Chocolate, Rose, Blueberry and Pistachio
N is for Nonya. Nonya Kebaya that is. Aunt had requested that we wear Kebayas. We obliged and we really did stand out. Now I think the Germans may have the wrong idea that the Kebaya is our national dress... oh well... The only freaking thing was walking in heels and mind you, the sarongs do not allow for easy walking. i have never been this dainty in my entire life.... Urgh....
O is for Oktober Fest! It's HUGE!!! It's at a park over at Munich near the main train station. And the tents are HUMONGOUS! It's like a huge mess hall for soldiers (well, it could well be, considering how noisy and rowdy it can get). Food was great with Hendl (roasted chicken, only available at Oktoberfest. Crispy on the outside, nice and juicy on the inside), dumplings (made of bread with sauce), stewed pork and 1 litre beer! Yes, everything about Oktober Fest is huge! Even the ceremonial horses delivering the beer to Oktober fest (those were taller than a van!)
P is for pickpockets. Yup, unfortunately our "class fund" got pickpocketed. That occurred immediately once we got on the train from the airport on our way to the apartment. Lost about 80 Euro and our return tickets for the train back to the airport. So beware when in Paris!
Q is for Queue... Literally... Queue to get to the Eiffel Tower, queue to go on rides at Disneyland, queue to walk through Notre Dame, queue to change tickets, get tax refund, to check in blah blah... I think I have never been this patient in my entire life....
R is for rude. The parisian people. While it is easier to talk now since they do communicate in English, especially the younger Parisians, most of the people I have met are not friendly and some downright rude. But there are exceptions. The couple who runs Chez Gabriel near our apartment were a gem. Not only was the food fantastic, their service was top notch. They fussed over us and made sure we were comfortable. It helps that we are were the only people in the restaurant though ;p
S is for Seine. The River Seine. Though it was a cold night, to see the sunset along the River Seine was beautiful. What's more, you get to see the Eiffel Tower shimmer every hour. Best to take the 9.30pm boat ride for camera buffs.
T is for Terrine de Lapin. Which is Rabbit spread. Lapin means rabbit in French. We were looking to try Rabbit meat but unfortunately couldn't find it. So had to settle for Rabbit spread. Oh well, bo he hei mah ho.
U is for Umbrella... which I forgot to bring. It rained quite a bit when we were in Paris. Especially on the first day when we arrived at about 8pm? Couldn't find the bloody apartment and had to walk in the rain lugging luggage. Thank goodness for the Goretex jacket I bought... The next day, when we explored the area, the train station was actually very near by!
V is for Vienna. We were there for only 2 days, whereby 1 day was a full day. It is a very nice city and wish I had more time there to explore. We went by many nice landmarks such as the Parliament, the Opera House, the Gardens etc. It's really a very culturally rich city.
W is for Wedding. Yup, my cousin Stefan's wedding with Steffi! A pretty nice one that involves breaking plates and breaking concrete. They break plates to bring good luck (must be china ok?) and have to sweep it up. They also wore funny hats - the bride wore a veil, the groom had to wear something that looks like a slipper. This has something to do with not being cockolded. And they broke concrete - friends of the bride and groom made them break a block of concrete to find treasure. Basically, unlike us, they don't give ang pow. They incorporate the money into the gift. Other interesting gifts included flowers with birds with folded money as wings; beer mugs, a pot of charcoal, a wok... And they also have a huge tradition with cutting the wedding cake. First of all, the cake must be made by the bride's family. Then, when cutting the cake, who's hand is above the other is the one who wears the pants.. Hahaha!
X is for Xiao Ah! (For those who geddit... hahahahahaha)
Y is for Yawn. We actually didn't get much sleep while in Paris. First night there was a scream. 2nd night people tried to open our door. 3rd night people frantically running up the stairs. The last day in the morning, someone actually opened the door. A Lady (I think it was the apartment owner's wife) who probably got the wrong apartment as she was trying to check in another family. She opened the door and looked at the Cat, who stared back and then she closed the door... But I still have to qualify that the apartment is safe, with Electronic lock with contact card access. Plus, it's reasonable and very very central. It' also a plus that we have a Big Cat as bodyguard.
Z is for Zzzzz..... reached back SG at 2350h. Went home, bathed and crashed in bed. Only woke up at 3pm heh heh
