Let's go for a walk

2007 Travel Writing Competition Award

2009-06-05T12:36:00.005+02:00

Moved to greener pastures ! Read more about my travel adventures at http://travelrevelry.livejournal.com

In 2007, I took my trusty Fuji Camera, a backpack, a mini Ashworth luggage and flew to Europe in deep winter hoping to find some of life's bite-sized epiphanies. I landed myself in Germany's police station, nearly got nabbed in Paris, witnessed a demonstration in Paris, had nothing to eat for Christmas in Germany, had very bad toe cramps in Prague; but I stumbled upon streaks of inspiration and splashes of love in Leipzig, in Amersterdam; from graffitiis on stone walls, from the sidewalks, from crawling into solitude, from watching snowflakes on New Year's Eve and counting every star.

MOVED to greener pastures !

2009-01-04T19:57:00.005+01:00

Hello all !

I have moved to greener pastures. More of my travel adventures on
http://travelrevelry.livejournal.com

See you !

:)

At a glance

2008-02-26T11:24:00.001+01:00

Nothing to boast about, nothing glamourous.
Just another travel writer globetrotting around Europe, looking for inspiration, searching for herself. It's Europe on a shoestring, with hardly anything but her backpack, a trusty camera and some courage.

Occupation: Undergraduate, Political Science major & freelance travel writer
-Travel writer of Wheels Asia
-Chief Editor of the NUS Sports Publications (2008)
-Chief Editor of Politeia (2005-2006)

A Jewelry Entrepreneur who translates remnants of her creative juices into something useful
www.heremerald.blogspot.com

Favourite Travel Quote:
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” St Augustine

Watch this space

2008-01-27T18:03:00.001+01:00

...for my New Zealand trip with 'adventure kiwi' ! I assure you there will be bungee jumping and more!

a big 'thank you' to the judges, sponsors-New Zealand Specialist, voters, friends and readers that made the grand prize winning possible :)

watch this space for my future(and past) travel musings, I will be consolidating my globetrotting experiences on this single blog.

P.S I will be away from MAY 12th -JUNE 16th to Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjin, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Chendu, Hong Kong, Macau. Keep on reading ! :)

Final swansong

2008-01-14T17:21:00.003+01:00

:: Mr Yeo, Nieuwendijk St, 15th December 2007 ::

:: Soren and I, Amsterdam, 18th December 2007 ::

:: At the pub with Elvis from Southern France ::

* Sings 'this is my country, this is my land, we are Singapore...' Patriotism ! whoot!

:: In the forest, Leipzig, Germany, 23rd December 2007 ::

:: Louvre, Paris, 7th January 2008 ::

-Some of my favourite shots on my list-

Pictures and stories...we wonder why sometimes we feel the need to go over them again. Just so for me, one winter later, perhaps more far away from peace; I can call upon yesterday's winter more than just in sensations and thoughts. Trust not those memories altered by time.
Just so that between waking up on misty mornings and the first note of the breaking dawn, I know for sure that this had not been just one faded vacation, dusted and shelved.

Thank you dear readers, whoever you are- an avid or a coincidental one. The point is, you stopped by to read this, whether or not it was for the pictures, for the content or for pure entertainment. This blog has come to an end. Thank you for travelling with me, it's been my pleasure.

Steering Paris

2008-01-09T07:28:00.000+01:00

Our flight was delayed for more than one and a half hours. The pilot muttered something about the heavy fog in Paris that hampered the flight.

:: Impatient and tired travellers ::

:: I witnessed a peaceful demonstration at Paris' airport. Led by those wearing the neon orange signs. Apparently, it's a workers' demonstration. How cool, you can never see something like that in Sunny Singapore. Not since the Hock Lee bus riots ::
Bonjour ! Paris is one the most amazing cities I've been to on this trip. It is mind-blowing and one of a kind.Paris left me the strongest impression, amongst the many cities I've visited. If there are two words to describe it, they would be 'amazing' and 'beautiful'. Simple words, but Paris is true to these meanings.

I talked to an Italian lady on my trip and it was her fourth trip to Paris. I asked her why did she returned so frequently and she said "for holiday, and it's beautiful". We went to a bar near where we stayed and Elvis who lived in Southern France has lived in Paris for SIX long years and he said this, " I have not seen everything in Paris".

What I offer to show you on this blog is of course, mere snippets from a five day stay here. What is so attractive about Paris is hard to pinpoint. Maybe it's the air of joie de vivre. Or the way I felt like was steering Paris in my own private car. Or maybe it's the unexplainable excitement that hung in the Parisian air. They say, when you visit a place and it leaves you hungry and yearning for more of it, that place has made successful travelling for you.

Myths and common misconceptions I would like to debunk about Paris:
1. People are snobbish
2. The French refuse to speak English to tourists
3. People are unfriendly (I've talked to so many strangers there and other like-minded tourists)

Truths:
1. Paris is expensive, especially around the main city center.
2. The French are fun and funny
3. The Metros are really dirty

We stayed in the outskirts of the city center, and I have been to the suburbs of Paris to visit their flea markets,etc. To begin with, I am never one who is graatified drawing up conclusions just by visiting the city center. They only show the best, the most modern attractions to you.
In the outskirts, I felt more like I was somewhere in Africa, maybe Madagascar or something. Even the names of the shops, like "Afrique Land" made you believed so. There are many Africans residing in Paris. Unsurprisingly, they reside more in the outskirts than in the main city center. The few I spotted in the main city center could be counted on one hand, and they were all immaculately dressed.

:: Situated near Montmarte in the red light district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy ::

:: All dressed up for the glitzy affair @ Moulin Rouge. The dress code was 'elegant'. I loved the black silken gloves I bought in Germany :) ::

We were not allowed to snap photos during the Cabaret muscial (well, it's Cabaret afterall ) so I only snapped photos after. A little history perhaps, it was a rest between two wars, a period of transition between two centuries, during which the social barriers collapsed, when the industrial revolution gave hope of a better life for all, in a rich cultural profusion and that promised much fun. And from that, bloomed Moulin Rouge, traditional cabaret performance. Tickets are priced at €89 (without dinner) but I reckon, terrific live performance that exceeded my expectations.

:: Eiffel tower in the day. So sturdy, you could lean on it ! :::: Eiffel tower by dusk. And yes, I could hold it in my hands, muahaha ::

:: Eiffel tower by night. At sporadic intervals, the tower turns sparkly like a thousand shiny stars competing for something ::

:: Eiffel tower up-close and personal. It's a giant I tell you. The Queue and waiting time is 45 min to an hour. We gave it a miss and walked for half an hour to take the giant ferris wheel instead. Afterall, they serve the same purpose :: You know when the Europeans say "it's just a 15 min walk " or "it's just round the corner", it;s NEVER just round the corner by Singaporean standards. By the time I walked from the Eiffel Tower to the ferris wheel, I was breathless. It was a half an hour hike and I had to cross 2 big bridges. Ok, so maybe I'm just weak.

::The 100-metre tall giant ferris wheel that cost 9 Euros per pax.
The ferris wheel is big but it is is only a quarter of the Eiffel Tower's height ::

:: I love heights and dangling in the air! The higher the better. This beats the para-sailing I did in Pattaya, Thailand::

:: At Montmarte, this shop called Pylon sells the most interesting and eye-catching kitchen/household wares.

What a great business idea ;)
At the same time, check out my non-shiny leather Morgan boots, purchased it at a discounted rate in Paris ! Boots in Amsterdam are more costly than those in Paris, argh.

:: Cute alligator-shaped pizza cutters ::
:: Pylon's cute umbrellas! I was so tempted to buy but they were 20 Euros each (SGD 40, ouch!) :::: Traditional French food- Crepes! Expensive, even at the roadside stalls! This costs me 5 Euros at a restaurant (SGD 10 and I think this is so easy to make) ::

:: At the suburb with my new-found Afrique friends, haha ::

Winter and willpower

2008-01-09T05:46:00.002+01:00

Sometimes winter can be so exhilarating. It makes me wanna dance, write a poetry or raise my hands like this,. I reached down to touch the snow and they felt like powdered dust.

:: Leipzig, East Germany, 23rd December 2007 ::

Or come up with ridiculous poses like this :

:: The Sphinx statue outside the Imperial Palace, Vienna ::

Other times, it can be quite torturous.
Like the awfully cold and wet Vienna weather and hailstorms. Add to that, the load of your backpack.

:: Vienna (Wien), 30th December 2007 ::

The cold is comforting, but it is also powerful and frightening.
Most of the times though, when it's awfully cold and snowy, it's beautiful.
Snow-scapes are amazing. Pristine whiteness. Now, this is what I call, "walking in the winter wonderland",

It snowed in Hamburg, Leipzig and Vienna when I was in these places. Beautiful, each one carried a different tune.

more walking in prague

2008-01-07T00:24:00.001+01:00

There are two very distinct characteristics of Prague. One, the Gothic architectures; two, the ubiquitous cobblestoned paths. I swear they are a killer to my precious toes! Not to mention I was walking in flat-soled boots meant for walking long distance. Still, it hurt a lot.
Torture chamber man.

:: Put your hands up for Prague. I'm on the top of the world, looking ::

After an arduous climb up cobblestoned steep paths (really felt like you're going up the Great Wall of China), we finally reached a high point where we could have a bird eyes' view of Prague. The view was splendid indeed and the streaks of pink and purple splashed against the blue sky like an artist's work on blank canvas.

There... the fruits of my long, hard hike.

:: At dusk, the spires on the mosque stand out amongst the rest of the houses and buildings ::

:: My back view and the accidental gorgeous comet-like Aeroplane trail above ::

:: The famous Prague castle ::

:: After walking up MORE cobblestoned paths- except this time they were even steeper- we arrived at the second tourist hotspot. The first (which was the bird eye's view thing I was talking about ) is only a prelude to a more spectacular, magnificent entity.
pro
The Prague castle is so gargantuan that even when I lay prostrate on the ground, I was unable to capture the entire castle. The photo does injustice to how it looks like in real life.
-------------------------------------------------------

:: Interior musical decor of winged cherubs strumming harps and violins inside Chapel of Mirrors::

Opera concerts are considerably cheap in Prague. I love! We went to watch a Christmas opera concert with songs from Mozart and Beethoven. Opera is a large part in European tradition, especially Vienna, Prague and Italy. My first and last Opera concert in this Europe trip, undisputedly a charming experience!

The Chapel of Mirrors (where the Opera was held) is also a significant place. Aa gentleman rang a bell and began explaining the significance of the place for 20 mins or so, in Czech, French and Italian. Unfortunately, no English so...
The only thing I gathered was...lots of Baroque art in the Chapel of Mirrors ! :)

:: Sat in the 3rd row from the FRONT ! I';ve got VIP seats ! Aha yippee yay !!!
-------------------------------------------------------------
:: Czech-style Absinth! ::

Also referred to as 'Bohemian style'. Originated from Switzerland, Absinth is well-known for its addictive and psychoactive deleterious effects. Artist Van Gogh cut off his ear due to excess Absinth. No messing around with Absinth!

:: Kitchen in the hostel. Not bad I say, feels like a mini apartment of sort ::

:: Shot of the bathroom ::

Hostel Albert has cosy rooms but I had to overcome the scariness of having NO receptionist and a pitch dark receptionist desk. The rule is if the guests need anything, we could sms them. So yeah, no room service, no reception, no physical "help line". Apart from that, we stayed on the first floor and a chill ran down my spine when I saw the stairway leading upstairs. It was, also pitch dark. So, I wondered, even as I am typing this now, whether we were the only occupants in the whole building. And mind you, it was not a rectangular, glass walled building as you might perceived, try a dark grey medieval castle. I take comfort in knowing that the tram stop (the tram runs 24 hours, phew) is located directly outside our temporary residence.

We were given the main door keys and when we first returned, the entire place was, pitch black as well. No thanks to their automatic light-saving bulbs.
Hostel Albert left me quite an impression. On the last day of Prague, the staff promptly smsed me this on my handphone "Hi. pls leave the keys in the apartment. thanks". So much for being there. Technically, they were, but only on the first day to collect payment.

Off the beaten path of Czech Republic

2008-01-04T02:26:00.000+01:00

Here is a visual slice of Europe. I uploaded a video of the beautiful Vltava River which gracefully snakes under de famosi Charles Bridge- one of Prague's most enthralling tourists' attractions. Watch the waters scintillating, literally like diamond-shaped stars on the water!

:: The maverick musician from 'The Bridge Band' (literal yes, but that's what they call themselves) who uses metal thimbles and egg beaters to make drum beats. Unprecedented, off-cap to him ;) ::

:: 'The Bridge Band' consisting of mainly older musicians ::

They are superb, we even bought their CDs for 15 Euros ! Astounding, tracks-halting voices and really cool old-school musical instruments they used, those that most of us would have deemed as obsolete. Apart from musicians, there is a plethora of Caricature artists and glass jewelry sellers trying to vie for tourists' attention and of course, their moolahs.

:: The entrance of the famous Charles Bridge::

This is not the best of shots but it is the best I could manage whilst squeezing amidst a massive crowd and watching out for any pickpockets ready to prey on the gullible Singaporean. Prague will not be Prague without Charles Bridge. This magical city of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes, has been mirrored in the surface of the Vltava River. We had a bit of a problem getting around Prague and communicating with the people because Czech language is incredibly difficult to pick up. German and Dutch were much easier. Oh, and of course I had the aid of my English-German guide book and German friends around.

:: Bohemian kings, some of whom ruled as emperors of the Holy Roman Empire including Charles IV who built the 'new town', Nové město, an important hub at that time ::

:: I managed to capture some intricate detailing of the entrance of Charles Bridge's friezes::

:: More Gothic statues along the Bridge heavy Catholic/religious innuendos, an influence originated from the Holy Roman Empire rulers ::

Even along the streets in the city center area, Prague is replete with medieval Gothic influence. A tad too much for my personal liking.

:: Vltava River . It was a glorious sunny winter day that makes almost any photo pretty ::

:: And nothing beats Czech beer. Smooth texture. perpetually cold and a delectable faint whiff of alcohol when gulped. Although I would add that nothing beats beer in Europe because they are so ridiculously cheap. You can purchase beer for 1.50 Euros (S$ 3). Not to mention, they really aid in keeping you warm in winter! ::

Prague is famous for hand-made glass ornaments. Anything glass. Czech beads, glass earrings, glass teardrop shaped stuff (see on top) ::

Notice

2008-01-03T02:12:00.001+01:00

I am aware that the travel blog competition has come to a close but nonethless, urged by some avid readers (thank you all ), I will still be blogging about my travels to Prague, Vienna and Paris. I am going to catch some forty winks now, have a plane to catch in three hours' time. Paris, here I comeeeeeee!

Stay tuned !

But before I move on to Prague...

2008-01-02T02:20:00.000+01:00

I figured I must share this with you people since my friends reckon this event to be the main highlight of our trip to Saxon Switzerland.
Correction, I consider this, rather unfortunately though, the only highlight of that particular trip.

Perhaps, it is good to know that Dresden is extremely close to Saxon of Switzerland, the latter an ideal place for hiking in the mountains with beautiful scenery, throw in the large boulders, bizarre stone formations (the mountain range was created after the sea retreated and left sandstone as the remains) , cliffs and the famous Bastei Bridge to boot. Dresden is also the capital of German Federal Free State of Saxony. For the longest time, royal Kings like King Augustus resided and ruled there. So you get a clearer picture. Dresden, Saxons.

So anyway, t'was my brilliant plan to take a day off in Dresden and plant ourselves into the wild Saxon Switzerland which is about 30 km upward the Elbe river from Dresden. In layman's terms, it is about half an hour by train from where I stayed in Dresden. This is a mountain area made of sandstone is and absolutely gorgeous even though it is possibly an adventurous, no i mean crazy idea, to head up there in winter, especially when we the sun begins to set by 3:30 pm. We took the interurban U-Bahn train to Pirna !

only to get stopped by 2 undercover policemen (we conveniently mistook them for thugs or underground drug dealers) at the tourist information centre! One of them approached me upfront (never confront a woman frontally, it's so intimidating I tell you) and demanded to see our passports and documents etc, which of course we hesitated a little because there really are so many scam police stories around, enough to make us apprehensive. Anyway, to cut a long story short, there was quite a big hoo-ha going on and to add fuel to fire, they were speaking in German whilst we were speaking in English. It's like as the Chinese idiom goes, playing piano melodies to a cow.

C'mon, just because we look like foreigners doesn't mean we are illegal immigrants- that seems to be their fear. ppfft. How insulting. So here is a picture of us in the police car. The bo liao things border policemen do.

I was so upset, not so much because I was in the police car (although the whole event seemed a tad 'kafkaesque') but more so because i DID NOT GET TO SEE SAXON SWITZERLAND!!
Not to mention it is one of the places I was in charge of researching for. :: Border policemen (not the undercover ones) ::

Anyway, all's well. The misunderstanding was cleared and the funny thing was that they actually apologised, shook our hands and said we could take a picture. Rather polite I must say. Interestingly enough, Saxon Switzerland has a castle built to jail high-ranking prisoners, this explains the paranoia of the border police. Haha!
So much for all the hype about sandstone, mountains and cliffs :(

Little things

2007-12-31T04:18:00.001+01:00

:: On the way to Prague: The breath-taking view of cottages planted alongside emerald green waters and lemon-green hills ::

The blogging affair is beginning to take a toll on me. Days are cut shorter, the weather got colder, train schedules, bus rides, hitch hiking, more planning, more photos, more memories to take stock of. All that traveling is beginning to weigh.

But then, I remembered how life springs little surprises on us when we least expected it to.
Like the picturesque view from the windows as the train rumbled and whistled from Dresden to Prague. Transient but absolutely gorgeous scenery makes train-taking such pleasant journeys. Beautiful things in life are ephemeral because they force us to sit up and pay attention. That is why everyone loves travelling, that is why everyone loves sunsets.

Medieval town Dresden

2007-12-31T02:25:00.001+01:00

Christmas Eve saw us moving on to the last state in Germany, Dresden. Bunked into A & O hostel and it is an excellent choice for backpackers. It costs about 10 Euros per night and i would gladly rate it a 4.5/5 in terms of service, cleanliness, efficiency and overall layout. I have high expectations usually for accomodation and I must say, I am impressed. Made some friends in the process, more backpackers from Canada, Japan, Brazil and Mexico. It felt like a mini backpackers community :)

We reached Dresden in the late afternoon on Christmas Eve and I was appalled at the sight that laid before my eyes. Dresden then, could only be described in absence. No shops as their windows were shuttered, no proper vegetation save for some dried weeds by the roads, no flowers, no people, no crowd, no restaurants. Zilch, nada, nien.

I was so amazed by the empty street, I felt like I owned it. Occasionally, one or two cars whizzed by, other than that, the roads were quiet. Wine bottles that rolled on the floor sounded almost eerie. To freak myself out further, I pretended to be a zombie from the movie '28 days later'.
;)
:: Christmas dinner ::

This year is interesting because it's the first year I've spent Christmas without (not only without turkey) dinner! How ludicrous aint it? Christmas without dinner? Boy, I was sufffering from hunger pangs. But misery loves company. All the other backpackers in my room arrived to find only closed restaurants on X'mas eve faced similar plight. We pulled our resources together and snacked on a meagre dinner comprised of some chips, an orange and 4 slices of wheat bread.

I tried not to think about home, hot cocoa and turkey. Or Christmas ice-cream cakes with peppermint mocha. This is how it goes, some days we had to rough it out, some days we allowed ourselves some epicurean indulgence. Afterall, a backpacker's got to have some good fuel too right? Try lugging all that luggage around in the harshness of winter whilst trying to find your hostel ! :(

:: As the name spells it, 'Theaterplatz' ::

:: A peek of King August the Great from the arches that darkened against the glinting sunlight at 'Theaterplatz'::

:: A bird's eye view of Zwinger Palace. Indeed Baroque style- vast space, fountains (though not spurting in winter) and gardens ::

The next day, we took a tram down to the famous 'Zwinger' and 'Theaterplatz'. Apart from being a ghost town, derelict as can be on Christmas Eve, there is actually a very distinct old world charm about Dresden. Magnificent castles, garbled fountains and horse carriages trotting on the streets, actually just walking around the medieval town felt like I was transported back in time. Afterall, time is only relative, as Einstein puts it.Once in a while, a gentleman opens the door for you, or takes off his hat and bow. Seriously, how often do you get that?

Dresden makes a good stopover if you're coming from Berlin or Leipzig. By car, it's only about 2 hours' drive or less. It is close to Prague as well. What I personally adore about Dresden is the architecture it boasts. And of course the Baroque style that speaks of the very essence of the architecture.
I love Baroque art. English gardens, sculptured fountains, vast space and the very fact that Baroque architecture is made with the intention to impress an audience.

:: An interesting fact. These buildings were once plated in shiny copper, before time and weather rusted them into a peculiar shade of green ::
:: The princess surveys her city beneath her ::
:: And she walks down to greet her people ::

Into the wild

2007-12-30T16:24:00.000+01:00

On Christmas eve, we drove to Pegau, a forty minutes drive from Leipzig to visit the old, small village-like town. Pegau is famous for traditional wine-making since the early 17th Century. This trip I have deliberately avoided travelling to the West, meaning Frankfurt, Munich, London. The east, sometimes more unexplored, speaks in a louder voice. In a large city, we struggle to make our voice heard over the din. Traversing from one cosmopolitan city to another would have rendered my trip meaningless.

:: Sunset at Pegau. A star-shaped sun encircled in gold pierced through the dark silhouettes of the trees in winter ::

:: The white froths waves, like fingers snatching and pulling at the dark blue stream ::

Geography can induce such joy at times. Half of the world is suffering from Man's mishandling of his own environment-global warming- all the more this compelling landscape inspires awe. Nature has a sublimating effect of making us feel so small, so tiny, so insignificant. At the same paradoxically, it magnifies our perspectives, enabling us to find (at least I hope to find), amidst such untrammeled beauty, more accurate views of human nature.

:: Giants in the making ::

The last of Leipzig

2007-12-30T15:53:00.000+01:00

By now, it is rather apparent that I adore Christmas Markets. They have a way of unleashing the inner child in me, rather unabashedly. Joined with other kids, I climbed onto the seat of the ferris wheel, a tad too enthusiastically, ensuing in a bevy of Europeans giving me the thumbs-up signs and hollering, "Konichiwa!". For some reason, I get the "Konichiwa" or "you speak Japanese?" too many times, from strangers to bus conductors. I don't blame them, it's hard to tell Chinese and Japanese apart, the way I can't differentiate between a Swedish and a French.
I tell you, when I go a-gallivanting on a carousel, it is so easy to forget I am an adult sometimes. I have a good mind to invite my grandmother to carousel with me in the near future ;) why not, my friend brought his grandma to Mambo. Beat that!

:: Dining in a famous steakhouse, El cuador's, in the Deutsche Bank building::

:: Oz's mom, a 'pi pa' musician, holding up our farewell gifts for the family ::

Oswald's parents were nice enough to give us a dinner treat on the last day at El cuador's, Argentinian Steakhouse in the Deutsche Bank building (the biggest bank in Germany). The Rib-eye steak was indeed an epicurean treat to hungry backpackers and the best part is the soft and buoyant layer of fat in the middle. I don't blame you if you're drooling by now, it really is one of the better steaks I've tasted thus far.

I was thankful for the dinner because the next day on Christmas, we had zilch for dinner.
You;ll see Dresden, the ghost town, soon.

A pause between moments

2007-12-28T16:15:00.001+01:00

Early at 8:30 am in the morning, I was up, packing my bags and ready to go. We hitchhiked a car from Hamburg to Leipzig from a German couple who were on their way to Leipzig as well.
A very lovable pair who tolerated my incessant whizzing and sniffing in the car, the lady even gave me her packets of tissues. Gee, how was I to know that Leipzig was even colder than Hamburg!
:: The city left me with one last surprise in the morning as small and soft snowflakes fell from the skies onto the car ::

:: There is not so much a place as silence between moments

My lovely host in Leipzig was Oswald, a German-Chinese gentleman whose family was also kind enough to host us for three wintry nights. He lived next to the forest and I was grateful for the short but much-needed getaway from the oppressive cities with their neon signs and carbon monoxide.
The intimacy with the snow-capped land makes me feel simultaneously vulnerable, exhilarated and peaceful. The beauty of such a thing is difficult to explain and perhaps only fully appreciated by the capacity of the viewer. But nonetheless, the enthusiasm to share the countryside (ok, not really a countryside per se), the forest in winter, is but a feeble attempt to recapture the beauty at that moment.

I was reborn.

Later that day, en route home, we visited the horse stable- Reintanlage Bohlitz Ehrenberg.
Children accompanied with parents stroke the manes of the horses while avid horse lovers galloped away gracefully around the snow-covered stable. The manes of the horses shone in the gleaming sunlight as they kicked their hooves in the snow.

Christmas Markets in Hamburg

2007-12-27T11:25:00.001+01:00

Hamburg for me, was the only region that we did not draw up any concrete plans for due to time constraints but yet, it dropped pleasant surprises in many ways. Sometimes it is best to let the land unfold itself and lead you than to restrict yourself with timetables. We walked along the main city area and chanced upon the Christmas market- Hamburger Weihnachmarkt- right outside the Parliament House. The latter caught my attention first because of its grandiosity in erection, coupled with the intricate sculptures on the pediments and friezes.

Germany is renowned for its Christmas markets; the miasma of the place and people in Hamburger Weihnachmarkt was as joyous as a blithe spirit in Neverland. It was my maiden attempt at drinking hot wine- Gluhwein in German and feeling properly festive for once. For once, nothing felt truly commercialized. Everyone broke in applause and hearty laughter when the flying Santa with his Reindeer flew overhead (on cable lines). It was a lovely sight indeed !

:: Our new-found happy but drunk Canadian friends :: It's amazing what several cups of Gluhwein can do in oiling the wheels of conversation.

At night, our brave souls led us onward to the cold harbour. It was impossible to give the harbor a miss for after all, Hamburg is a famous port in Europe. Ergo, the harbour is the heart of the city. At night, I came to realize that cold is powerful. Those gale-force winds whipped around and threatened to throw my petite physique off ground.

:: Hamburg harbour ::

Gone German

2007-12-26T22:49:00.001+01:00

All hail the fair lady who rushed the early dawn bus from amsterdam, boarded the train and withstood the butt cramps from a five-hour long train ride to Hamburg, Germany.
She has arrived !:) On the 20th to be exact.
P.S there is a bigger backpack too but it was too unglam to be included in the first shot. Do not, here I issue a caveat, for a moment think that you can ever backpack in winter with a tiny trolley Ashworth luggage.

The weather was also very hard to acclimatise, it was awfully cold. Amsterdam is one of the warmest places in Europe, but may I add, thanks to global warming, it snowed this year. Almost an unprecedented phenomenon I reckon.

The famous "Stationen Hamburger Architektur" (translate: architecture of the Station in Hamburg, something to this effect, you get the drift). It is a striking architecture and has been a 100 years in view. I love the extending curves, some railway stations in Europe are deliberately aesthetically appealing like the ones in Paris too.

Germany's transport system is deserving of respect and personally, I think Singapore can learn from Deutschland a good deal. The transport system reflects the way Germans in general operate, organised and efficient. There are basically two train lines in Germany,, the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn. The former is for internal travelling while the latter is for sub-regional travelling. So basically, we took the U-Bahn when we travel internally within Hamburg. And the U-Bahn is indicated by the neon blue U sign when there is a train station nearby. There is no way you can miss it.

The public transport system is so convenient, I think it's the most common option for the majority, considering the fact that it is incredulously hard to pass the driving license in Germany.

:: The S-Bahn in crimson red ::

:: Map reading is a must. Forget about backpacking if you can't read a map, much less decipher the German words (or in any other language but your own for the matter). I must add here that I am pretty good at them now! Necessity makes a man!

:: Street artists of Hamburg ::

Pardon me for the fuzzy photo abov. I meant to show you the street signs of Klosterwall. Honestly, there was hardly any lighting on this part of the road and photo-taking was the last thing on my mind because we nearly got ourselves lost in the maze-like city area of Hamburg. To add to our confusion of German (a language I could only understood little) road signs, it seemed only the elderly knew or heard of Klosterwall, every other young person we asked on the road merely smiled sheepishly and muttered " sorry, I don't know". Perhaps, in Hamburg at least, only the old appreciated Antiques.
The brutality of winter seemed to ensnare us especially more so when we almost lost our way.

But after what seemed like eternity, there which lay ahead of us is a banner of the brightest yellow that says Antik Center, our beacon of hope. Et viola! Ole Ole Ole!

We had to walk through numerous staircases and some underground passage way. Hamburg really is a city that is so full of surprises, just waiting to enfold themselves upon me. I felt more of a connection to Hamburg than to Amsterdam. A credo I held on personally when I travel is to wait and encounter the land deep, as if it were a person. I waited for the latter city to speak, I waited and I heard nothing.
In Hamburg, I saw more than I have imagined.

::Truckloads of vintage earrings and brooches from the 60's and 70's.
Makes a jewelry entrepreneur like me melt.

The Antik-Center at Klosterwall resembled, if your're an antique fan of course, Portobello Road in the Notting Hill District of London, the world's renowned second-hand and antique market. The only difference is that it is underground and indoor here, with less variety to boot.
My tangible takeaway that night was this exquisite, jeweled musical box with a little sparrow perched atop a gold-plated acorn. The moment my eyes caught sight of this gorgeous beauty, I was bewitched. And as the melody that was produced was that old familiar tune I used to play on the piano, Fur Elise, I knew I was going to buy it. The owner sold it to me for a reasonable price of €33. I mean, after all, it's antique right?

P.S* Notice writer's obvious need for validation in this purchase.

I also purchased one of those old-school pocket vision television. This one here narrates a pictorial story of the famous "Sleeping Beauty". Once in a while, these toys bring back some long-forgotten childhood memories otherwise lost.

:: The man behind the antique goods I purchased ::

"Kunst" in German means "art", "haus" just means "house". Something I learnt in my Art and History classes, once again it came in handy in Hamburg. It felt like Art & History lessons came alive! Neither history nor art fully makes sense in lecture slides, no matter how pretty they look on the powerpoint slides. It was only then that I came to fully appreciate St Augustine's quote: "the world is like a book, and those who do not travel read only a page".

:: posing only at the entrance for the Kunsthaus closes at night :(

The jovial man whose passion for antiques brought him scouring the world, in particular England and France for antique grandfather's clocks and Victorian paintings encassed in Brass frames.

**Location: Antik-Center, Klosterwall 19-21

What a wonderful world

2007-12-24T00:31:00.000+01:00

As we left Amsterdam for Hamburg on the train early at dawn dragging all that load of baggage with us in the form of backpacks and luggages, I was grouchy, cold, utterly sleep deprived and dizzy from the whirlwind of activities from farewell dinners to late night conversations.

But as I was on the train (boy it was a pretty long five hour ride), it was anything but arduous. My mind was filled with so many pretty images, it could hardly be contained. Cottages in the forests whizzed past, the farms, the vast patches of snow-frosted grassland, and among them all, I chose this particular shot because it made me felt like this trip is only going to get better, more beautiful, more picturesque. The train tickets were not exactly cheap (I think by air it might be cheaper) but boy, you'll miss out so much if you choose to travel in an aluminum sausage ;)

This was a 'kodak' moment and all this while that I stole the shot on the train, this song played itself over and again in my head; and it still lingers:

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
are also of the faces... of people going by
I can see friends shaking hands,
saying 'how do you do'
they are really saying, 'I love you'.
I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more, than I ever know
And I think to myself...what a wonderful world.

The world is wonderful, in unfathomable ways that often seemed so imperceptible in our hurrying ways, we overlooked beauty and warmth, in the same way that we forget from time to time, who we are and what we want in our lives.

The last of Amsterdam

2007-12-23T01:31:00.000+01:00

On my last day in Amsterdam, we cycled to Eastern Amsterdam, down Dapperstraat, to visit the local market- Dappermarkt. It is also commonly referred to the "Turkish market", the head-dresses of the women and a wide variety of Turkish food along the streets are good indication of the origins of the name. The sellers are by and large, immigrants from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Surinam and Turkey. The atmosphere in the market is friendly- and so are the prices. Needless to say, I was over the moon to discover that fact. I bought a Magenta coloured silk scarf with Turkish/Tunisia imprints on it for 3 Euros, it would have cost 9 Euros or more in town.

Cycling to the eastern side, en route to the market, is an eye-opener. At least in my opinion, it feeds my eye. We passed by the zoo, the University of Amsterdam, the hospital, the park which was beautifully framed by almost naked light green trees, more bridges and canals; the beauty of the short but fruitful sightseeing trip culminated when I caught sight of the gorgeous windmill, a trademark of Holland as we all know. To see it turning in slow wide spins right before your very eyes offers a whole different experience altogether.
---------------------------
:: Me (left) & Carrie, on our way bk fr Dappermarkt::
Later that day, a few friends and I headed out to the Flowermarket. It is pretty near the main city too. It came to me as a surprise that there were flowers even in winter and then I realised that most of them were flower bulbs for people to home-grow them. Kinda D.I.Y, in layman's terms.

:: Check out these black tulips, rather unique I reckon ::

It was freezing that day, the harsh weather was quite a torment to my toes and fingers.
It was in fact, painful. My brain remembered this sensation distinctly. Gee, and the weather ain't getting any warmer by the days. I kept shuffling into random shops, taking advantage of their heaters :) And it was there that I chanced upon a Mushroom gallery ! ( 'Magic mushrooms' of course, the ones that give people a hallucinogenic effect). The owner is of Dutch and Indonesian descent and he sells really cool stuff like Weed Lollipops and Weed tea.

I'm off to Hamburg, Germany. Catching the 6:30 am train. Peace out.

Crime and Passion

2007-12-19T23:30:00.000+01:00

:: what a provocative statue with a hundred dicks ::

:: Copulating figures on rings. These rings, in fact the idea of marriage rings, were originally gifts used in marriage transactions in the past.

:: Red Light District: The pretty fireworks that exploded in the sky in a ball of flames ::

:: The man from Morocco who gave me such a fright::
On our 6th day in Amsterdam, we traipsed down Central Station to the main Red Light District(RLD). After hearing all the hype about the RLD, how ccould we kiasu Singaporeans give it a miss?
I wouldn't suggest a girl go idle about that area because even when we headed down in a group of mixed gender, we still met with some unpleasant surprises. For instance, a looney African (probably high from crack), from Morocco to be exact, demanded that I take a photo of him because he says he is oh-so-famous in Amsterdam for reasons I did not seem to grasp on the spot. But for all I know, he really might be famous - shrugs- If anyone recognises him from some rock band or something, drop me an email would ya? I would love to be enlightened.

I digress. To a very large extent, Amsterdam offers an entirely different worldview. Coming from an island where laws, rules, structures are strictly institutionalized, the Red Light District in Amsterdam itself represents perhaps, a microcosm of a society where liberal values (many deemed as debauchery) and legitimate "pharmaceutical pursuits" become the very norms and mores by which the Dutch live by.
These in-you-face culture advertisements, each attempting to offer the best and sleaziest opportunities as I pass; from brothels to museums to sex shops, the Red Light District leaves nothing to the imagination. And you have no reason not to believe me on this.
Live sex shows, advertisements (includes visual and vocal) and what-have-yous. And yes, I saw the famous "aquariums".

So instead of criminalizing everything, this very upfront city wears its heart on its sleeve-what you see is generally what you get. Enjoy the honesty of it all, as you won’t find it anywhere else.

Other than prostitution, Amsterdam is also famous for its legalized soft drugs. Honestly, the Crack, the Pot, the Weed, the Marijuana... they're over-hyped. The sheer prevalence of the use of soft drugs are a commonplace, so much so that they lost the novelty of it all, to the point of being almost hackneyed.

: The Grasshopper ::

We found our way into a rather high-end "coffeeshop" that entails three stories- steakhouse, pub and coffeeshop, the latter in the basement of course.

:: The couple who demonstrated on how to roll a joint ::
:: Weed from the demonstration ::

Dutch Art

2007-12-18T17:47:00.000+01:00

:: Nine Streets at sunset::
Amsterdam is replete with dome-shaped architecture, borrowed from Islamic art. The presence of many Turkish migrants probably explains this influence. Studying Art & History last semester definitely comes into handy at an opportune time:)

The main Red Light Districts were not the only ones where we spotted the harlots. Down Nine Streets, literally nine streets replete with branded shops like Paul Frank, Zara and extremely interesting minimalist art galleries; those “shops” that hung red lamps were brothels. Lo and behold! Rows of skimpily clad women in their lacy neon lingerie stood at the entrance of the doors, their eyes preying on any hungry hormonal-raging man. It was forbidden to take a snapshot of the call girls, it was deemed rude, so I took a photo of the rows of red lamps in a little back alley.

My shopping experience at NineStreets hardly reaped any rewards because personally, there isn’t much to buy, nowhere near a shopping paradise (despite 9 streets yes). But, the beautiful canal scenery that merges with the evening skies and the occasional handful of eclectic, quirky shops compensated for it. For all you know you may find that gargantuan, Russian-decorated candle stick that you’ve always desired.

The highlight of my trip was actually at one particular minimalist art gallery-
Galerie Ferdinand van Dieten-d’ Eendt . I was extremely intrigued by this one because the interior was extremely bare, so naked. I stopped in my tracks, literally.

There were only five artworks in total in all three levels. Quite appalling me thinks ! I ended up talking to the owner of the art gallery for an entire hour and I left the gallery rather awed, inspired and intellectually challenged (no, not in a bad way in case you think otherwise). The artworks he showcased belonged to an African artist, Mounir Fatmi, who based his inspiration on the compelling desire to advocate modernity and his works represents obstacles needed to confront before reaching modernity.

The one artwork that caught my eye was the vivid visual representation of a tombstone made with old cassette tapes, the “overgrown weeds” were made with unreeled tapes. This was the only artwork showcased in the first level. And the accompanying text was bold, in your face, unabashed. It was painted in neat large black fonts on a bare white wall that says, “Leave, and wait for me, I will arrive.” Seemed like what could have been a possible content of a metaphysical conversation between backwardness and modernity. I think that is what a piece of good art ought to do, it provokes your senses, it teases, it should make you ask WHY, and it should makes you question norms and arbitrary demarcations.

In a way, I think the works of the artist Mounir Fatmi is a microcosm of the owner’s own desires to see a breakthrough in the minds of modern Dutch society, with regards to arts. He said, almost woefully, “you ask them why they like this piece of art, they say, oh because it’s nice!”. Indeed, art cannot be just...nice.

:: The man behind the Galerie::

Address: Spuistraact 270, 1012 VW Amsterdam
Tel: +31 (0)20-626 57 77
Website: Here

Gone Dutch

2007-12-11T17:39:00.000+01:00

:: Monkeying In the Cruise ::

:: The '7 Arches' Canal::

::Skinny Bridge::
you can hardly see it here but tt just goes to show how well it lives up to its name

Early evening, we took the Canal Cruise at Central Station. The Cruise was €9 per pax and it lasted for an hour. Evening is, in my personal opinion, the best time to take the cruise because you can watch the waters scintillate in the evening sun, or the soft waning of the crescent moon hung atop the bare, naked trees that stuck their arms out in an awkward but beautiful fashion.
Honestly, just makes one wistful.

There are a few interesting things I had gathered from the cruise. To name a few, the famous 'Skinny Bridge', the River Mansions along the shorelines and the 'Seven arches canal'. Amsterdam is a city of water and, it follows, of bridges. The city has more canals than Venice and more bridges than Paris. Of all the bridges, the Skinny Bridge is probably the best known. In the past, the Skinny Bridge could be opened manually but this aint feasible anymore.
To reside in the River Mansions is a mark of wealth and status in the Dutch society. The river mansions are beautiful for they still retain the decor of the 17th Century. The ornate friezes on the ceilings bears testimony to that. Much of the style were inspired by the formal French Baroque. Today, these exorbitant houses no longer belonged to merely individuals but are now business premises and venues for parties.
At night, the bridges of the canals illuminate, apt for picturesque photo-taking time!:)
-----------------------------------------------------
If you're more adventurous than I, which I think there is a possibility, at TAFT, you can find the funkiest array of boots. Although I think these flaming orange fire-patterned boots are befitting for only a full-bodied tattooed geezer on a Harley-Davidson.

TAFT is located on Nieuwendijk Street.

Try imagining Nieuwendijk; a labyrinth of shopping streets that somehow ends up in one singular concentric circle. The nearest station to Nieuwendijk is Central Station. In fact, it is just beside Central Station, the latter a highly recognisable landmark with buttresses, towers, friezes and colours that remind me of a medieval town.

In dire need of a pair of winter boots, I scoured the streets of the shopping district Nieuwendijk and boy, not only was I not disappointed, I was pleasantly surprised. There were countless number of shops selling a gamut of highly fashionable winter clothes, boots, shoes, souvenirs...the list goes on. If you;re on a shoestring like me, I would recommend two famous factory outlets here- C & A and H& M. In C & A, I caught sight of a pair of lovely velvet black boots that was too good a buy to miss. It costs €29 which is approximately S$61. Considering the fact that a pair of boots in Far East Shopping Centre back at home costs S$70-100 on average, my boots are a steal! :)

New Yorker is a good alternative to C&A and H&M. Its fashion is top-notch and its prices ranges from as low as €2.95 to as exorbitant as €100. It is amazing that a pair of hand-painted ballet inspired shoes only costs €2.95! It definitely made me go berserk !
New Yorker is located on Nieuwendijk Street as well.

We don't have to look too far in search of food fuel to satiate our hunger pangs from all the walking and shopping. At every half a kilometre, you will find fast food joints, cafes, brasseries and candy stores all evenly interspersed along the streets. I was more than thrilled to find Jamin, a candy store that sells jelly beans and psychedelic lollipops. Singapore has long stopped importing these. It was like a rekindling of childhood memories , when I used to pop jelly beans while sitting on the playground swing. It felt like I was one of Willy Wonka's selected children, privileged to relish in his creations; the burst of different flavours on my tastebuds was almost unforgettable. Bubble gum, watermelon and popcorn flavours were and still are, my favourite three.

For lunch, we stopped over at an incredibly cosy cafe 'Le Pot Au Feu'. In summer, you could see grey-haired folks, young couples and old friends sipping lattes, smoking their cigars or just watching people go by. Alfresco cafes in Europe with their pots of overhanging ferns and the slow swirl of the mahogony ceiling fans have that indescribable rustic charm of old world appeal, a characteristic I find a rarity in sunny Singapore.
In winter, the cold sends everyone scrambling into the cafes for piping hot onion soups. The interior decor is just as charming. Artistic nude paintings that lend their inspiration from the classical Greeks are a common sighting.

Le Pot Au Feu is a good option if you are not on a tight budget. I have never tried their breakfast menus before but English breakfast are priced at €5.95. Because winter always intensifies my craving for soup; I had a pot of french onion soup that had a layer of semi-hardened melter cheese on top. Soups are priced at €4.50. Oh dear,look how distracted I can be, I think I have to starve for the next two days.