LöS+: 2007

Monday, December 31, 2007

New Year in London

hellO all!

we are in lOndOn and will stay put till 5th january befOre making Our way back tO paris. the flight back tO singapOre is at 10.10pm (paris time) On 6th january.

Ok, let's get back tO the trip.

we flew tO paris On christmas eve fOr the train ride tO marseille. reached the hOstel clOse tO midnight, and unfOrtunately, there was nO christmas partying at all! OutrageOus! anyway, i call marseille the "dOg pOO tOwn". yOu are never a dOzen steps away frOm a fresh pile Of fOul-smelling dOg defecatiOn. i was sO disgusted by the cOnstant sight Of them... in all shades Of brOwn and in different cOnsistencies... yucks tO the max!

Other than the dOg pOO and spit, marseille is a quiet seaside tOwn. the remains Of the variOus fOrts and mOnuments are interesting. 'interesting' is a little vague, i knOw. i think we are getting increasingly unimpressed by the sights we see - the numerOus cathedrals, cOlumns and eurOpean/cOlOnial buildings. everything's still expensive, sO that's pretty much Old news.

left fOr paris On 27th december.

when we reached the hOtel, we were tOld:
1) there are nO mOre rOOms; and
2) the price quOted in Our confirmatiOn slip is "tOO lOw"!

nO dOubt i was pissed Off. the receptiOn guy Offered tO put us up at anOther hOtel nearby at nO extra charge. cOmmOn sense wOuld tell yOu that it's gOing tO be a sOmewhat dOdgy place. it was. thank gOOdness the bOOking was Only fOr that night!

we checked in tO anOther hOtel the next day befOre Our day trip tO brussels. we cOvered the city in a cOuple Of hOurs sO it was kind Of bOring, and disappOinting. manneken-pis is Oh sO tiny! and why is it sO symbOlic? we watched a videO in the brussels' city museum which mentiOned that it represents brussels as a free city with free peOple?! hmmm.

that was the 28th. On 29th, chris and i decided tO visit anOther small tOwn in france - lille. i began tO feel that all small tOwns lOOk alike... the attractiOns are nOt wOw, but i appreciated the peaceful strOll arOund the city centre. a nice Old lady came up tO us tO Offer help (i didn't think we lOOked lOst at all). she's really such a sweetie. thOugh we dOn't understand french, we appreciated the gesture anyhOw.

sO here we are, in lOndOn. reached arOund 3.30pm yesterday and it was already dark. nevertheless, we tOOk a strOll tO river thames which is in clOse prOximity tO kelv's place. i'm feeling greatly apOlOgetic that due tO unfOrseen circumstances, he had tO give up his rOOm tO his flatmate's guest and make arrangements fOr a shOrt stay in OxfOrd instead! sigh. am feeling sO awful.

the guys are Out grOcery shOpping this mOrning while i blOg away... we'll have breakfast befOre heading Out fOr anOther day Of sight-seeing. mOre updates next time!

Monday, December 24, 2007

Heading to Marseille

hey peeps, i dOubt i will have access tO the internet fOr the next few days *sigh* anyway, let me just blOg abOut the trip thus far.

as mentiOned previOusly, we arrived in paris On 14th december. after managing tO get sOmeOne tO bring us tO the budget airpOrt (@ EUR130!), we were stranded in the cOld fOr a freaking 5+ hOurs. we sOught shelter in the phOne bOOths. thank gOd fOr that, else we wOuldn´t have survived the night in sub zerO temperature - plus the strOng winds. pity my hands were tOO numb tO snap a shOt Of the bOOth. it wOuld have been sO symbOlic.

we arrived in rOme On 15th. the hOstel was great. free breakfast and free pasta dinner with a glass Of red wine. nO tv in the rOOm but the beds were cOmfy, and the bathrOOm was clean. rOme is a nice, cOntained city. we practically cOvered mOst Of the attractiOns in a day - On fOOt.

next was the train ride tO venice on the 17th. again, it´s a beautiful city. the grand canal and waterbOat rides and all... very cOld as well. hate the freeze-thaw feeling in my hands.

zurich was next On Our itinerary, On the 18th. it was a lOng 8-hOur train ride. all wOrth the butt ache! amazing city, great budget hOtel. friendly peOple, and chirpy waiter at breakfast. we gave him a EUR5 tip! nOt much, but we are On a tight budget. yOu´ll have tO wait fOr me tO get back tO singapOre tO uplOad the lOvely pictures! didn´t visit the swiss alps thOugh. i will dO sO One day.

Ok. after zurich was milan via train On the 20th. dOn´t adOre this city Of rude peOple. but i´ve gOt tO say that mOst italians are gOrgeOus lOOking. i can´t bOast of any great buys from this fashiOn capital Of italy. was glad that we were there fOr Only 2 days. it was such a bOring place...!

we flew Over tO barcelOna via budget airline On the 22nd. nOthing much as well, the lOcals here are kind Of racist. i dOn´t fancy cOming back here again except fOr gaudi´s art - interesting and inspiratiOnal. wOuld recOmmend a visit fOr the arty farty. then again, i might cOme back fOr a shOrt stay tO have a lOOk at the cOmpleted sagrada familia sOmetime after 2010 (sO they say).

we are leaving barcelOna tOday. have tO check Out within the next half an hOur, catch the train tO the bus terminal fOr the cOach ride tO the airport. we are expected tO reach paris arOund 4.30pm tOday, and we´ll have tO figure Out the cOmplex metrO system in paris and make it tO the right train station fOr the ride tO marseille at 8pm. we´re keeping Our fingers crOssed fOr nO delays Or unexpected transpOrt strike in paris!

until the next free internet cOnnectiOn... take care.

it dOes nOt feel like christmas eve at all!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Hola from Barcelona!

hellO all! barcelOna is nOt as cOld as cOmpared tO the Other cities. Our hOstel is packed with peOple frOm all Over the wOrld. because Of that, there wasn´t enOugh fOOd fOr us frOm the free dinner last night. Other than having nO hOt water tO bathe with (!!! it´s winter fOr gOd´s sake), and that the bathrOOm is shared, i guess everything´s pretty Ok sO far. we´ve just had breakfast and will be heading Out tO check Out gaudi´s famOus park guell and sOme Other stuff. we´ll be flying tO paris tOmOrrOw afternOOn tO catch a train tO marseille. amazing race mOment.

anyhOw, merry christmas in advance tO everyOne...!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Greetings from Rome!

just drOpping a nOte here since the terminal is available.

it's 7pm, 16th december, just after Our free pasta dinner prOvided by the hOstel. rOme is a great place, the weather - bearable. we will be heading tO venice fOr a day tOmOrrOw.

the 12 and a half hOurs flight On SQ frOm hOme tO paris was Ok since we had entertainment OnbOard. tOuched dOwn arOund 8.30pm at CDG, paris timing, On 14th december. the hOurs thereafter... yOu can't imagine hOw much tOrture we went thrOugh! we managed tO get sOmeOne tO bring us tO beauvais airpOrt frOm CDG, cOsting us a freaking €130... and we were stranded, in the cOld frOm 1am till 6am - which is the Opening time fOr the airpOrt. cOuld have died in the suburbs Of paris. anyhOw, will elabOrate next time. tO cut it shOrt, we spent the night in telephOne bOOths...!

take care my friends. pray that we will get hOme safely On 7th january.

in true italian style... ciaO! fOrza italia