Walking Loka

Quebec, Canada (3): Summer 2010 -- In Montreal

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Sun, 15 May 2011 19:35:00 +0000

Rosemont, corner 16th Avenue

The park just right in front of our house in the summer.

In the autumn.

Winter.

Montreal Chinatown, this is where you can eat the cheapest Chinese food, get the cheapest Chinese/ Vietnamese/ Thai grocery with the biggest variety of selection!

In this country where the weather is range from cold to super cold for at least 8 months, there are plenty of activities during summer. i think people get crazy a bit during the short, warm or the most, one week of super hot summer.
During summer, there are some streets will be closed during weekend and became padestrian street with bazaar or street performance.
Mont-royal Street is one of the favourite for all.

Park Jean Drapeau

Biosphere, this is built for the Montreal Expo in 1960-an and now is the Environmental Museum. It used to have roof or plastic covers between the metal rack or structure, but they got distroied by a fire and the rebuilding cost was so big that the authority had decided to just left it this way.

I am not sure of the name of this animal but it came out from the hole in the ground and it was massive!
Besides from it, we also saw a fox and of course, the squirrels here.

The fountain in the park is a good place to play water for children.

Mont-royal Park

When the weather is good, the tam-tam players gather at Mont-royal Park to play. They attracted both local and tourists. The whole park turned into a massive play ground for all. There are people dancing, play games, picnic with the family, bazaar ... In all this, my least favorite are the extensive smell of marijuana and bear drinking, which are both highly tolerated during this time.

One of the activities in the park. It looked kind of easy, but it is really difficult to stand and walk on a rope. This guy is really good!

Quebec, Canada (2): Summer 2010 - Around Montreal

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:26:00 +0000

The greatest summer activities for us are always to go to swim in the lake or go camping. Since Victoire is too young to do camping at that time, we went for swim. Lac (lac means lake in french) Bromont is the place where she took her first swim in the lake.

Not too far from Montreal

Bromont Lake

Bromont is more well known with its ski resort than the lake, obviously there must be a reason! The lake was affected by blue algaes at a time and there are quite a bit of the plants growing on the small beach. It is really not the best place to swim. However, as small as the beach, there are still 3 life guards on duty at the time that we were there.

Venice-en-Quebec

The name of the place sounds good, but the beach is really so so. First of all, ALL the beaches are private or owned by some companies. So there is a whole day parking or access fees of $12, even though you plan to stay just 2 hours. The lake is big, but you will be swimming with the birds feathers and some water plants.

Further from Montreal

Breeches Lake

It takes more than 3 hours to get here. The land surrounding the lake is privately owned. Including the membership fees to the club and taxes to the council, expected to pay more than one thousand per year for just having a chalet by this lake. A big parts of the land around this lake have the status as 'reserve'. The water is very clear and warm enough to swim during summer.

The same place, but in autumn, there is a different look. Nothing much to do at this time of the year.

Just for comparison. During winter, the snow is so thick that the foot path to the chalet was totally disappeared. It is so icy cold that the water tap got frozen, so no water supply. Luckily there is a spring water near by. The lake is also totally frozen and covered by the snow.

Quebec, Canada (1): Summer 2010

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:36:00 +0000

Dorwin Falls, Rawdon, Lanaudière

The magnificient 60 feet Dorwin falls are on the Ouareau river.
The falls are within the walking distance from the Rawdon town centre.

Swimming is not allowed in the river as there are sly and fast currents. But we climbed down the small slope to soak our feet in the clear and cold water.

There are picnic facilities under the pine trees. Camping is not allowed though. This place is definitely baby friendly!

Mont Tremblant Ski Resort

Mont Tremblant is a well known ski place in Quebec. During summer, they have a series of activities such as the International Blues Festival, to keep the place busy.

Activities for children, like the 'spider web', incorporates all favorite kids activities such as climbing, crawling, dangling and bouncing.
Visitors can also take paranomic gondola to the highest peak in the Laurentians and enjoy Mont-Tremblant's spectacular views.

We saw children keep playing this: Taking the ski cable up to the mountain and then coming down with this go-kart thing.

This town at the base of Mont Tremblant is merely for the tourists. There are only hotels, resorts, restaurants, shops ... Nobody really live here. The 'real' town is at the other side. The 'old Tremblant' areas are the replica of the old town.

There is a free public parting below of Old Tremblant. From there, visitors can take the free cable to go to the base of the mountain. Otherwise, it is an easy and pleasant walking up for 15-20 minutes. There are shops and restaurants all the way up.

The beach of Tremblant Lake is only opened to the tourists who staying in the resorts or the local residents. Other visitors have to go to the public beach which is around 1-2km from the 'old Tremblant'. Even summer, the water is still quite cold when the weather is not hot hot hot.

Singapore (4 of 4): Sept 2009 - May 2010

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:21:00 +0000

The Integrated Resorts

The integrated resorts are the efforts of the Singapore government to diversify the country's economy by getting a share in the ever growing gambling business around the world (as least this is how i feel). The two large-scale resorts were conceived to meet Singapore's economic and tourism objectives for the next decade and they will have 30-year casino licenses, exclusive for the first ten years. We were there to catch the partially opening of the both resorts.

Resort World Sentosa

What are the major differences between Disneyland and Universal Studio? The cartoon characters? i think both are rather similar in the nature, to cater the need of small children and adults, with either the cartoons or the thrill games.

The foreigner got free entry, while the Singaporean and permanent residents have admission fees of SGD 100.

My sister said this part of the escalator with the wall murals of fishes and forest, the background music of birds and water, gave her a feeling of being in the tropical forest.

In general, i think resort world sentosa live up its name to cater the needs of the family. There are well equipped nursing room around and the areas are wheel chair or baby pram friendly. I later found out that, these facilities are not come in handy at the other integrated resort.

Marina Bay Sands

The Helix Bridge is a pedestrian bridge linking Marina Centre with Marina South. The bridge also functions as a gallery where children's paintings and drawings are exhibited for public viewing. When we were there, it was only half opened due to ongoing construction at the Marina Bay Sands.

The SkyPark is supposed to be home to the world's longest elevated swimming pool and also boasts rooftop restaurants, nightclubs, gardens hundreds of trees and plants and a public observatory with 360-degree views of the Singapore skyline.
It wasn't completed by the time we were there.

The casino is expecting to generate at least $1 billion in annual profit. People said, the interior of this casino looked more 'class' than the one in Sentosa.

At The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands or The Sands Expo and Convention Center, there is a good view from the deck to the opposite Esplanade.
The whole shopping mall has only one nursing room and poorly equipped, by the time of our visit. They probably do not plan to accepat any expo or convention relavant to baby or parenting.

Singapore (3): Sept 2009 - May 2010

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:17:00 +0000

Places to Visit

If you ask me where do i missing the most in Singapore, i would say, my previous work place. I quite like the working environment, my bosses, my colleagues but i did complain about my job getting routine and lack of challenges. After i haven't been really working much for more than 2 years, i miss the CMM, the caliper, doing FAI, doing MSA, doing audit reports... Not to mention that, i knew by the end of the month, there will be increment in my bank account summary. :) When i read the forwarded email saying: 'If you are complaining about your job, then that is a good sign! Because you have a job and income!' I feel this to be very true and there is a feeling of gratitute that i never had towards my old employer. I wish the company doing well, so that it can continue to provide for all my former colleagues.

People taking train passing between Yio Chu Kang and Khatib always see this park, The Bottle Tree. It is a private park opens to the public for fishing and event. There are 2 restaurant and a bar within the compound.

In 1921, the building of Phor Kark See Monastery started as the first traditional Chinese forest monastery in Singapore, by Venerable Zhuan Dao.
Since Phor Kark See Monastery is situated at Kong Meng San ("Bright Hill"), it came to be known as Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery.
Venerable Hong Choon with great perseverance, he progressively developed and expanded the monastery with his followers into the largest and most majestic place of practice in Singapore.
I was the volunteer temple guide in one of the year of wesak day celebration.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum in Chinatown. They used to provide free meals, but eventually stopped due to the widespread economic recession.

Singapore Zoo. This is a polar bear living in the tropical country. The pool and place to confine it is without air-con. Poor him.
Singapore Zoo followed the modern trend of displaying animals in naturalistic, 'open' exhibits, i.e. with hidden barriers, behind moats and shrubbery etc.

Nick named, the 'durian', by the local, Esplnade - The Theatre on the Bay, is Singapore major performing arts centre.
Also in picture, The Singapore Flyer ,is currently the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. It offers broad views of the city centre and beyond to about 45 km, including the Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan, as well as Johor, Malaysia.

The Merlion is an imaginary creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish, used as a mascot of Singapore.
The completion of the Esplanade Bridge, in 1997, blocked the views of the Merlion from the Marina Bay waterfront. By then, the original Merlion location was also no longer the entrance of Singapore River. So, in 2002, the statue and its cub were relocated 120 metres to the current Merlion Park that fronts Marina Bay where it stands on a newly-reclaimed promontory in front of The Fullerton Hotel.

Raffles Place was located on the south bank of the Singapore River. Near by is the pubs, bars and restaurants infected Boat Quay and Clarke Quay.
This is the central business district dominated by the skyscrapers with the flagship banks.

Singapore (2): Sept 2009 - May 2010

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:45:00 +0000

The Greens in the City

I was a nature guide at Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin. At that time, the nature walk at Chek Jawa was still not really under the coordination of National Park. Volunteers like me were trained by the nature lover, Ria Tan. The amount of time that she put into propagating and helping to conserve the limited wild areas (mostly shores) in Singapore, had made her a personal legend to me. She was the one who coordinated with the visitors, guides, van drivers and managed all the other logistic, such as check the tide table. I always enjoy dinner of the guides at the coffe shop in Changi Village after the guiding. The guides would gossiping about the behaviour/attitudes of the visitors, about the discovery of the day and others. Eventually, N Park took over the 'job' at Chek Jawa. Chek Jawa is in the development blue print of Singapore. It is to be reclaimed and developed in the later time. I did not manage to visit to Chek Jawa for this time. I hope next time, i could do so.

I did not know there is this Sembawang Beach, not too far from where we stayed. The beach was a bit dirty when we were there, quite many rubbish and the water won't made you feel like to swim. May be because it was near to the shipyard. There were people harvesting mussels, family camping and picnic too. Johor Bahru is just right in front.

After my 1 month confinement, we went for a walk with our new born at Sungai Buluh Wetland.

There were quite a few monitor lizards sun bathing. I remember when i was young, there was a guy nick named 'eleven fingers', who was always catching monitor lizard to sell the meat.

MacRitchie Reservoir is Singapore's oldest reservoir. There are boardwalks skirting the edge of the scenic MacRitchie Reservoir and walking trails through the forest. The board walk is pram friendly until certain area. There is a TreeTop Walk offers visitors a panoramic view of the surrounding lush rainforest.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens is the only botanic garden in the world that opens from 5 a.m. to 12 midnight every single day of the year, and does not charge an admission fee, except for the National Orchid Garden. The Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage on Symphony Lake occasionally has free concerts on weekends. This is definitely a family friendly place. In the evening or morning, you can see people jogging, playing Qi Gong or walk their pets.

Singapore (1): Sept 2009 - May 2010

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Sun, 09 May 2010 15:46:00 +0000

I called this place 'home' too

Singapore is my second home or my home after i finished my university in Penang. I am the permanent resident and i enjoy some of the privileges from this status. But yet, when somebody asked me, am i a 'local'? I never ever said i am. I always said, nope, I am a Malaysian. However, i knew this city better than Johor Bahru or Kuala Lumpur. This is the city or place except for the hometown where i grown up that i stayed for more than 5 years. I would like to call this place home and said i am a 'local', but i think i am still having the 'Singaporean' and 'Malaysian' identity issue. i think, a 'local' is someone who grown up there and holding the citizenship. But, how come i feel more 'home' and 'local' in Singapore than in any other part of Malaysia, other than my hometown?

FESTIVAL TIME

It was Deepavali in October 2010. Streets at Little India were decorated.
The meaning of Deepavali is ‘Rows of Light’.
Little India is my favorite tourist area in Singapore.
May be because it is a bit like Georgetown in Penang.

Decoration at Orchard Road during Xmas.
When i was a child, i think the decorations are more grand.

Decoration inside the shopping centre, Ang Mo Kio Hub.
I think these looked better than those i saw at Orchard Road.

Decoration of Chinese New Year at streets in Chinatown.
My favorite part of Chinatown is around Ann Xiang Hill.
It has some cozy cafes and the whole atmosphere is more tranquil and less touristic.

August-September 2009: Southampton and Around

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:11:00 +0000

"Soton" - Home of the Titanic

We came to Southampton twice to visit friends and finally, at the third time, we moved here. This is our last destination in UK/Europe, time to end the journey and to go back home.
Stay in the studio apartment above of my friends' restaurant, we are well taken care of with constant free and discounted meals. :P With their care and helps, we will leave this country with warmth hearts.

Titanic left from Southampton to New York. There were many people from Southampton were working on the ship at the time it sank. So there is a Southampton Maritime Museum that people generally called Titanic Museum.

Southampton is a port without beach. The nearest and better beach to swim is Bournemouth, which is at least one hour from here. So Bournemouth is always crowded when the sky 'unusually' blue or when the weather is a bit warmer.

We found this small beach at Hill Head. It is nearer to Southampton (20-30 min), but the beach is pebble beach, a bit muddy and smell seaweed strongly.
The water wasn't as clear as in Bournemouth and the strong wind here attracted many people for wind ski.
Not as good to swim.

The beach at Lee-on-the-Solent is our nearest favourite beach. It is just next to Hill Head, but the water is clearer and deeper for swim.
It is equally windy, but during sunny day (eventhough is sacred), it is still nice to be here and swim.

Stonehenge stands unperturbed by 80km/hr whipping winds and legions of people who have visited for over 5000 year.
For centuries, religious devotees have come to Stonehenge for its mystical karmic energies.
The most famous Stonehenge legend holds that the circle was built of Irish stones magically transported by Merlin.

The monument was once a complete circle of 7m high stones weighting up to 45 tons - dates from about 1500 BC.
The labourers' technological capabilities were more advanced than we can imagine.

16-19 July 2009: Luxembourg and Post-trip

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Luxembourg - Mir well bleiwe wat mir sinn
(National motto: We want to remain what we are)

The tiny Luxembourg is too often overlooked by travelers. The only reason we were there were because of we did not think we are likely to come to this country purposely next time. Since Luxembourg is on the way to go back to England, so why not?
Luxembourg is a notable European Union member and a prominent international financial centre. The Luxembourgian people have been significantly influenced by both German and French culture.

Luxembourg is a camping paradise.
Two people with a tent and a car cost us less than 15 Euro, including hot shower.

Although as an international banking capital it is home to thousands of frenzied foreign business executives, Luxembourg City is surprisingly relaxed and idyllic.

With medieval fortress perched on a cliff that overlooks lush green river valleys, and high bridges stretching all over the downtown area, Luxembourg city is one of the most attractive and dramatic capitals in Europe.

The 10th century Bock Casemates fortress, part of Luxembourg's original castles, looms over the valley and offers a good view.

Calais, France

Calais is the liveliest of the Channel ports to Britain.
i normally think a port town or city is rather drab, but obviously Calais do have gorgeous beaches and beautiful historical structures.

Greenwich, East London, England

Greenwich's position as the "home of time" is connected to its maritime heritage - the Royal Observatory, site of the Prime Meridian, was founded to produce star charts once essential to navigation.
Many people queued up to take picture at the Prime Meridian, which marks 0 degree longitude.

15 July 2009: Zurich, Switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:23:00 +0000

Metropolis of Experiences?

This was almost the end of our adventure. We somehow did a detour just to stop over here before we went back to England via Luxembourg later. Unlike Geneva, Zurich is German speaking. But Zurich contains a disproportionate number of Switzerland's many banks too. The city is built beside of the crystal blue lake as well. Our short encounter did not leave us any deep impression of this city... We left here thinking this, this is just a banking and international fashion labels city.

We did not know the capital of Switzerland is Bern. We passed by Bern on the way from Geneva to Zurich. Unlike both city, Bern is named a world treasure by UNESCO, has a relaxed atmosphere.

The train station Hauptbahnhof, at the end of the rabid capitalism of the famous Bahnhofstrabe shopping district.

The landscape surrounding Lake Zurich is one of the world’s most prestigious areas to dwell.

Zurich's Altstadt and student quarter spawn an energetic youth culture.

14 July 2009: Geneva, Switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:19:00 +0000

The State Religion - Banking

3/5 of Switzerland is dominated by mountains, featured in many James Bond chase scene. Except for its Alpine playground, Switzerland also reminded me of the bank, watch, swiss knife and chocolate. A true multicultural nation, Switzerland is French in the West, German in the central and north and Italian in its southeast. The Swiss maintaining one of the world's most stringent ecological policies to protect its fragile Alpine environment.

Our drive from Italy to Switzerland via France was very long and scenic but also awfully expensive (both Italy and France charged for highway usage).
Along the way, we passed by many small towns by the highway, in the valley surrounded by the mountains. Some had castles built on the hill top as well.

We crossed many tunnels and the longest one was Mont Blanc in France, which was around 13km, with the tolls of around 35 Euro itself for the tunnel. But once we came out from the tunnel, we were greeted by the snow capped mountains that inevitably "wowed" us.

The crystal blue, Lac Leman in Geneva.
Our campsite was just beside of the lake, so we could jump in the cold water early in the morning or late at night, and swam together with the ducks!
(We had been warned of the duck fleas though. :)

Multinational organizations including Red Cross and United Nations continue to lend Geneva an international feel.
It's true that one can find any kind of food in Geneva, but may need a banker's salary to foot the bill.

The Jet d'Eau, the world's highest fountain, spews a spectacular 7-ton plume of water 140m into the air.

The floral clock which pays homage to Geneva's watch industry.
It was said to be the most hazardous attraction here: The clock had to be cut back almost 1m because tourists, intent on taking the perfect photo, continually backed into oncoming traffic. ;)

Geneva began as a fortified city on a hill and the labyrinthine cobbled streets of historic vielle ville and the quiet squares around Cathedrale de St-Pierre are still the heart of the urban landscape.

During lunch time, the office staff, some looked like bankers, played the giant chess in Parc des Bastions.

12-13 July 2009: Venice, Italy

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:12:00 +0000

Romanticism Dies Hard

A friend once told me that, when she got married, she would like to go honeymoon at Venice. Due to circumstances, she did not make it there with her husband. Due to circumstances as well, my husband and me had managed to arrive at this sinking city. The lavish palaces, the labyrinthine streets, the winding canals and the memory of the glorious past, any visit to Venice is a reminder of another.

Venice spans 118 bodies of land in a lagoon and is connected to the mainland by a thin causeway.
Venice is a veritable labyrinth. Ungluing the eyes from the map and going with the flow is surprisingly fun and make Venice spectacular.

The Canal Grande loops through Venice and the splendid facades of the palazzi that crowns its banks testify to the city's history of immense wealth.

I imagined Venice like Prague on an island. However, despite the crowds near Piazza San Marco, Venice is surprisingly pleasant and "real" to me.
While we weave our way through the city, from time to time, we saw signs of people living here: Socks, clothes, shoes ... hanging outside of the houses by the canals.
Well... but the 1.50 Euro per entry to the public toilet is definitely more 'real' than 'pleasant'.

Basilica Di San Marco, one of the main sights in Venice.
The nearer the shops or cafe to Piazza San Marco, the more inflated the price of the things.
eg. Standing/take away coffee is 1-3 Euro, but sitting in the restaurant, the price will become 4-8 Euro. Yes, a cup of coffee.

The gondola is at the rate of 20 minutes (or 40 minutes? don't remember) for two persons at 60-80 Euro. The price increases after sunset.
This is not a good price for us, not to mention after paying the most expensive accommodation for our Europe tour.
So we just sat by the canal, soaked our foot in the cooling water and watched the passing by gondola for hours.
This was effective to ease the sore foot and to cool down after walking around in the hot summer sun.
The legend said, a couple who kisses below the Bridge of Sighs would have a ever lasting love.
If the bridge was not under renovation, then i might have insist to take the gondola though! :P

The masks are the popular souvenirs and the prices are very similar for all stalls and shops.
Check out a few shops/stalls, sometimes some places do have some kind of better deals.

The Ponte Ricalto arches over the Canal Grande and symbolizes Venice's commercial past.

11 July 2009: Vienna, Austria

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:21:00 +0000

The Sound of Music

We did not come to Austria for its brilliant artists, writers or musicians. Definitely not to ski during summer as well. It was just a pass by for us to get to Italy. But the atmosphere of the Vienna coffeehouse made us lingered a bit longer than just to have pastries and coffee.

With the overpowering Alpine landscape, hiking and camping are obviously rather common in Austria. So having a camp site near city centre Vienna is in fact not unusual. But not to expect to get into the nature, it is more about having a cheap place to stay.

Like any other European cities, the horse carriage services are always there to remind you of the rich, grandiose history of the city.

Albertina Museum is the home of one of the biggest graphic collections of the world.

Some of the small souvenirs from the tourist shops.
The price is not 'small' though.

Vienna's most treasured symbol, St Stephen's Cathedral or Stephansdom, under renovation.
The North Tower was originally intended to match the South Tower, but construction ceased after a spooky tragedy...
In the 16th century, during the construction of the North Tower of the Stephansdom, a young builder named Hans Puchbaum wished to marry his mater's daughter. The master promised his consent if Hans finished the entire North Tower, alone, within a year. Faced with this impossible task, Hans despaired until a stranger offered to help him - on condition that Hans not speak the name of God or any other holy name. The tower grew by leaps and bounds until the young mason spotted his love one day and called out her name, "Maria"! Unfortunately, Maria was also the name of the Blessed Virgin. The scaffolding collapsed and Hans plummeted to his death. Rumours of a satanic pact spread, and work on the tower ceased, leaving it in its present condition.

Unlike most of the European cities, smoking indoor is allowed and accepted in Austria. They have non-smoking areas as well, but obviously nobody can control the direction of the smoke.
This ice-cream or dessert cafe had at least 100 people sitting there while we joined the crowd for an ice cream and cake.

The drive from Vienna to Italy was very scenic. We passed by the snow-capped Alpine peaks, lush meadows of wildflowers, thick and dark forests and castles - The Sound of Music in a nutshell. :)

9-10 July 2009: Prague, Czech Republic

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:04:00 +0000

My Dreamed City in Europe

When i was a teenager, i read the travel column in the newspaper which talked about Prague. i saw the beautiful pictures and from that time, i told myself that, one day, i am going to this place. I am grateful that, we made it here, eventhough i don't feel as impressed as i wanted to. May be, if Prague is the first European country that i went after UK, then i would response in the "wow" way that i thought i would. Never the less, Prague is still one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, like Edinburgh.

In compare with Western Europe, Czech Republic is relatively cheaper.
We stopped at this small border town with Germany and row of shops like this reminded me of those back home in Malaysia.
We bought the 7 days highway vignette (the least day that we would buy) and changed a bit of Czech money (kc).
The most expensive fuel we got was in The Netherlands, eventhough Shell is from there! It was around 1.4 Euro per little, while in Germany, it was around 1.2 to 1.3 per little.
Over here, the fuel is around 1 euro or less per little, so we saw quite a few of the German car bought the fuel in big tanks.

The entrance to Prague Castle near to the old steps. Prague Castle is the biggest castle complex in the world and it feels more like a small town than a castle.

St Vitus Cathedral is a glorious French Gothic structure. Visit to the nave with beautiful stained-glass windows is free of charge.

One of the popular souvenir here is obviously the puppet which move by the strings. Some like this old woman puppet, is not something that you want to hang in your house.

The cheapest thing to eat is probably the street food. We found this hot dog interesting as the hot dog was 'embedded' in the bread. They did not have vege dog though.

This side of the River Vltava is overlooking the old town and seems like a popular place for pictures taking.

Charles Bridge crowded by small merchants, beggars, tourists and street performers.

The old town square and Jan Hus Manument, erected on the 500th anniversary of the religious reformer's execution at the stake.

Berlin, Germany: 8 July 2009

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:15:00 +0000

Reunited Metropolis

My impression to Germany are, it is an advanced engineering country and one of the leaders in sustainable living. In the other way, nobody can forget about the legacy of xenophobia and genocide left by Hitler and the Nazi Third Reich. We came to Berlin just for the former Berlin Wall, two decades after the fall of it.
By the way, the no speed limit highway is true. But there are no free toilets any where in the city or highway. Even at the restaurant where you eat, sometimes they will still charge you 50 cents euro.

For decades a barricaded gateway to noway, the Brandenburgh Gate is the powerful emblem of reunited Germany and Berlin. Standing right in the center of the city, today it opens east and west.
There is a quite room nearby, where one can go inside the room and enjoy the peace with quietness.
This is obviously a place for both tourists and street artists.

Student band by the Brandenburgh Gate, at Pariser Platz.

A private tributes to the Holocaust victims at Tiergarten.

The Reichstag is the German parliament building, one of the most famous Berlin attractions. It is the seat of German Bundestag, place where laws are made. “Dem Deutschen Volke” (To the German People) mounted above the western portico of the Reichstag Building.
Tourists queued up to enter the dome in the building.

The memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe.
There are 2711 stelae from flat to the height of more than 4 meter.
There is an information centre underground. A series of texts and pictures shows the development that led to the Holocaust and the process of the extermination of the European Jewry, as well as the persecution and murder of other victims groups.

Checkpoint Charlie was once the gateway for Non-Germans during the Cold War.

The remaining of the Berlin Wall.

We went into the city, Dresden, on our way to Czech Republic. The Allied bombing in 1945 killed 50 thousands people and destroyed 75% of the city centre.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: 7 July 2009

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Freedom... Sex... Drugs... Canals

i always wanted to go to Amsterdam. So that i can buy hash or marijuana legally at the coffeeshops? No, no... That is not my cup of tea. i don't very much fancy the art scene, windmill, tulips or wooden shoes as well. What i wanted to see is just the red lights district. From my typical Asian upbringing, the sex scenes are very intriguing. i wanted to see and feel the kind of openess that people have over the sex and drugs, which are both taboos from where i come from...
We surprisingly found out also, The Netherlands is quite an environmentally conscious country. There are certain town which plastic begs are not allowed. So you have to either bring your own shopping begs or sometimes, you can pick up the packaging boxes of the supermarket to put your groceries. We think this is really a good idea, rather than dismantle the boxes and pill them up behind of the shops.
All Dutch who we talked to, such as asking for direction, speak very fluent English.

Amesterdam is a canal-lined city, which i did not know before.
The country is masterful feat of engineering, since most of it is below sea level, vigorous pumping and many dikes were used to create dry land.
If God created the rest of the world, the Dutch created The Netherlands.

War meomorial near to Damrak and red lights district.
We paid the most expensive hourly parking fees for our Europe trip here, 2 hours for 8 euros.
After this, we never really drove right into the city centre of any country again. The endless one way streets and hefty parking fees are just too much.

Damrak, the street when one comes out from the central station and where tourists buy inexpensive survenirs.

i personally feel that, the red light district is surprisingly liveable (especially if you compare with red lights Geylang in Singapore) and in many ways the area is less outrageous and seedy than i have expected.
Like Clichy and Pigale in Paris, the streets are full with pushers, porn shops and live sex theaters.
There are many kebab shops and Asian restaurant or take away, not to forget, fine cuisine restaurants and bars/ pubs.

i heard that before: The prostitutes displays themselves in the window. They pay tax like any tax payers as well.
Many tourists were attracted by the prostitutes dancing in the window. Some knocked at the door/ window and asked for the price, but we did not see anyone got inside and engaged the service of the prostitutes.

Besides from the aroma of marijuana and the city's infamous sex scene, it is romantic to stroll along endless cobblestoned streets and canals sparkling with lights.

Brugge, Belgium: 5 July 2009

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:03:00 +0000

Prologue

When i was in Asia, going to Europe sounds romantic and extremely expensive. But since we are staying just in UK, going to Europe is just like going from Singapore to Malaysia. Nothing 'grand'. However, due to the weak pound stirling, traveling in Europe is indeed more expensive than UK.
This is supposed to be our honeymoon. In consideration with the overall cost and others, we decided to drive from Scotland to as far as Czech Republic and camping all the way. It proved to be quite a good decision. The car did not break down :), we got lost sometimes, but always managed to find our way later. We really had fun, eventhough our 2 weeks journey was not a luxury Europe trip that people would expected for honeymoon.
Well... the 'homework' and preparation for such a DIY trip is very essential. We found all the campsites that we wanted to go and then printed out Google maps for the direction to go from one city/campsite to another. We also had to find out about the driving requirements of different country, such as are our driving licenses accepted and what are the traffic rules. Eg: In Czech Republic, one has to drive with the headlights always on, eventhough it is day time.
We search for visa requirements as well, eventhough we knew that, likely both of us do not need any. This proved to be an extra works, since border crossing by land in Europe does not have border control anymore! We were assuming that, there would be some kind of border control for non-EU citizen, as like in airport, but the fact is, everyone just drive through the border, overpassing the now empty border control offices. The only border control we got is from UK to France and France to UK.

Note: After more than one year of traveling around, we are gradually not very keen in pictures taking. We didn't even use up our 2GB memory card for camera in 2 weeks. I think, after a while, all places look alike, especially in Europe and we enjoy more to soak in the atmosphere rather than snapping around. :)

Our trip started from Scotland. From the last experience, it took us 12 hours to drive from Wales to Central Scotland. So this time, we decided to break our journey to London at The Lake Side District, Morecambe.
Our car is so old that, we do not really mind about it. So we chopped our vegetable on top of the car booth and sometimes even cook on it.

Chocolate, Channel, Romance ...

The only thing that came across my mind with Belgium is: chocolate. That is all i knew about this country. i don't even know that, people here speak Flemish and/or French as their first language. When i left the country, i knew, besides from chocolate, this country has delicious Belgian waffles (gaufres) as well. :)

Chocolate in different shapes, designs, tastes ...

Brugge is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and the largest tourist attraction in the country. Canals carve their way through rows of stone houses.

The dizzying 88m Belfort towers high at the center of town, presiding over the handsome square of the Markt.

The Burg Square is dominated by he flamboyant Gothic facade of the medieval city hall. Around, there are many restaurant and bar for dinning.

Small enough to be thoroughly explored by short walks and lined with the gorgeous canals, Brugge is best seen on foot. The best nightime entertainment is wandering through the city's romantic streets and over its cobblestoned bridges.

Isle of Skye & Inverness, Scotland: 26-27 June 2009

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:52:00 +0000

The Inner Hebrides

Skye or the Isle of Skye, is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is often described as the shining jewel in the Hebridean crown. Skye is one of the top three tourist destinations in Scotland besides from Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The drive from where we stayed to Isle of Skye was around 6 hours. It was a long ride but yet scenic and pleasant. Along the highway, there are many viewing points where people can stop the car and enjoy the scenery.

The island's capital, Portree, in the northern side. It has busy shops and attractive harbor.
We did camping at a campsite a few mile from the town.
In Summer, the day was so long here that, we woke up at 3.30am, been waken by the sun and thought it was already 9am.
We had to leave the camp at around 8am, as the tent was scorching hot under the sun.

The beautiful harbor is still in used with fishing boats and fishermen busy with their own business, while the eager tourists taking pictures.

In the island, traffic is not that heavy and there are many sheep walking around, sharing the road with the traffic users.

Loch Fada, Trotternish, looking towards The Storr.

We made a loop around the Northern part of the island and passing by Uig, a town in the sheltered bay and also the terminal for ferries to Lochmaddy and Tarbert.

No visit to the Highlands is complete without the sighting of the highland hairy cows.

Inverness, the Highlands Capital

The name Inverness is Gaelic and translates as 'mouth of the river Ness'. This is the city where you will pass by or visit, in hunt of the Loch Ness monster.

Inverness Castle.

The River Ness flowing through the city.

We drove around the other side of Loch Ness in search of Loch Ness Monster or Nessie and to avoid the crowd at the other side.
Loch Ness is large, deep .... and very cold.
It was a bravery to try to swim in it, but unfortunately, without the sun, it was just too cold to even try to deep one's feet, not to mention to swim.

Central Scotland, UK: Summer 2009

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:05:00 +0000

This is an area of enormous beauty and variation. It is accessible too, with most major centres within easy reach and yet it feels miles away from the rat race, offering quick and convenient option for washing away urban grit.

Bridge of Allan, Stirling Region

This was almost the first warm sunny day since we arrived at Scotland. We went picnic at this laid-back former spa town.

The river was very clean, but most parts were a bit too shallow to swim. There were midges all around as well.

Stirling

When i told my brother-in-law that we moved to Scotland, he said, oh, "Braveheart". The movie by Mel Gibson, about the scottish patriot, William Wallace.
This impressive Victorian monument is dedicated to William Wallace, who was hung, drawn and quartered by the English.

St Andrews, Fife

This golf town (it's the location of the world's most famous golf course, the Old Course) has a surprisingly intact medieval layout and dramatic ruins.

The ruins of St Andrews Castle with dramatic coastline views.

St Andrews is nestled into the wide and sweeping bay. St Andrews University was the first university founded in Scotland.

Besides from the beautiful coastline views, i like the most this striking ruins of St Andrews Cathedral.

Falkirk Region

Falkirk Wheel, the world's first rotating boat lift: Raising vessels plus ~300 tonnes of water, 35m in one steel caisson, while descending boats are carried down in the second caisson on the opposite side of the wheel.

Northeast Scotland and West Highlands, UK: Summer 2009

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:48:00 +0000

Northeast Scotland

Except 2 of Scotland's 4 largest cities - Dundee and Aberdeen, the countryside of this areas is also a place to meditate the mystery and to relish the royal heritage.

Glamis Castle, the birthplace of the late Princess Margaret (the Queen's sister) and was the legendary setting for Shakespeare's Macbeth.

The mysterious pictish (a warrior tribes who inhabited here 2000 years ago)symbol stones is thought to be set up to record Pictish lineages and alliances, but no-one is sure exactly how the system worked.
We 'hunted' these stone (they were scattered around) at Aberlemno in the rainy day.
An American woman who was on the mission as us told us that, the Z rod and double discs symbolised sun, the double omega shaped symbol at the top left side symbolised soul and the mirror liked symbol at the bottom right side symbolised wisdom.

The Brechin Cathedral round tower is one of the only three that survive in Scotland. It is of a type often seen in Ireland.

West Highlands

This part of the country is an adventure playground for outdoor sport enthusiasts. The mountains draw hordes of hill walkers and rock climbers in summer, and skiers, snowboarders and ice climbers in winter.

We passed by this loch on the way to Glen Coe. There were many people picnic and camping, but none really swam. We decided to join the crowd. When we got into the water, we knew why nobody was swimming. Eventhough the weather was warm, but at the deeper part of the loch, the water was still icy cold. Real real cold...

My friends said, this scene with a bridge like this, looked like one of the scenes in Harry Potter, which the train took the students to the school.

Glen Coe is Scotland's most famous glen and also one of the grandest. It is also one of Scotland's five ski resorts.
We suspected the whitish 'chunk' that we saw on the top of the glen was snow, which haven't melt down since winter.

The West Highlands areas meet exactly my expectations towards Scotland. Mountains, lakes and greens.

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK: 24 May 2009

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:39:00 +0000

Gorgeous Edinburgh

i totally agree that, Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and the most beautiful one i have ever visited in UK. The city is big, but not as massive as in London. Every where within the city centre is just within the walking distance. i would say that, i feel lucky to had my wedding pictures taken here. :)

Edinburgh Old Town Street stretches along a ridge to the east of the castle. It is a jagged and jumbled maze of masonry riddled with alleys and narrow lane, stairs and vaults. The renovated Old Town today is crammed with cafes, restaurants, bars, backpakers and souvenir shops.

There are quite a number of "Ghost Tour" to explore the tunnels or churches in the Old Town.

The street performers at the Royal Mile. The mile-long street earned its regal nickname in the 16th century when it was used by the king to travel beteen the castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

St Giles Cathedral was named after the patron saint of cripples and beggars. The interior lacks grandeuar but is rich in history: It was at the heart of Scottish reformation.

Edinburgh Castle from Elephant House cafe. The cafe where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter before she became famous.

The panorama view of Edinburgh from Calton Hill.

Glasgow, Scotland, UK: 16 May 2009

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:10:00 +0000

Party Glasgow

i like the people in Glasgow, i think even in a big city like this, people are still the friendly Scottish. However i do not really enjoy the famous pub scenes here, likely to because of we are non-drinker. There are just one pub every ten steps in the city centre and people started to drink and get drunk since mid-day.

The pedestrians walking street is one of the heavens for shopaholic in Glasgow. Glasgow is said to be the UK's largest retail contingency outside London.

Gallery of Modern Art have its focal point in the social issues. It can be interesting to see some thought-provoking artistic interpretations of the more marginalised people in today's society.

George Square and the beautiful historical city council.

We get the impression that, after Merchant City, the East end of the city is kind of more run-down.

The Barras, Glasgow's flea market. It closes around mid-day. We were there a bit too late. What we saw was just the empty street full with rubbish, some drunk men and a few patrol policemen. We don't feel particular safe here.

Glasgow Green, near to the rejuvenated River Clyde.

Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, Scotland: Summer 2009

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:20:00 +0000

Water, Forest, Cold ...

Tillicoultry

It rained continuously for 6 days on/off when we just moved to Scotland. It was cold and wet all the time. Somehow, we were lucky to find a flat by ourselves for short term, near to Stirling, below the Orchil Hills, in a small peaceful village called Tillicoultry.

This is our neighbourhood. We could just hike up to the hills as we want. The foot path to go up is 5 minutes from our house.

There are hills and of course there is a river!
The river is just right beside of the road after the first left/right turns to our house.

The small park just below of the hills.
This place is so quiet that, there is even no wireless internet around the areas.
If i switch on my macbook in Cardiff or Brighton, it can detect at least 10 wireless networks.
Overhere, we are the only house where there is internet connection.

Callander, Scotland: 10 May 2008

When KY and KL came to visit us, they told us that, their tour guide said, Callander is a place for old people. May be that is true. The town is of medium size, with mountains for easy hike and water falls / rivers to chill out.

From the small village that we stay, we drove by Bridge of Allan and Doune to go to Callander. It took around 1 hour. On the way, there is a wind field. It seems like there are quite a few wind fields around Scotland. We normally see it along the highway.

Unlike the other part of UK, there is forest in Scotland. It was so pleasant to just walk in the fresh cold air in the forest. The walk was straight forward and easy.

We arrived at Bracklinn falls with our swimming wears in the beg, wanted to brave the cold water at this time. However, there were no way to go down to the falls. The hike stopped above at the falls where we could only look and not able to touch the water at all.

A pool which could be just nice to swim, but couldn't go down there! We ended up just picnic.

Snowdonia, Wales, UK: 11-12 April 2009

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Fri, 22 May 2009 17:04:00 +0000

Eryri (Snowdonia in Welsh) - Eryr (Eagle) or Highlands

The English name for Snowdonia derives from Snowdon, which is the highest mountain in Wales and England at 1,085 metres (3,560 ft). Many of the hikers in the area concentrate on Snowdon itself. It is regarded as a fine mountain, but can become quite crowded, particularly with the Snowdon Mountain Railway running to the summit. There are many path from easy to difficult, which takes from 5-8 hours return for the hikers to walk up to the summit. Unfortunately, i wasn't well on that day and the railway had too many people, so we did not go to the summit.

We did camping at one of the camp sites at Llanberis. At this time of the year, it is still quite cold and the camp sites had suprisingly many campers. At night, it was very very very cold. We had to bury ourselves in the blanket totally. The camp ground we got was not flat and sleeping on a slope wasn't that comfortable as well. But the views were good.

Snowdon Mountain Railway on the way to the summit. But in fact, at this time of the year, the steam train did not go to the summit, it stopped a few miles below. Some hikers think the rail track and train spoiled the natural views, but i think this is actually a good way for some people who aren't fit to walk up all the way, to enjoy the view and the feelings of "top of the world".

A small walk to some of the smaller hills could provide quite a good views of the surrounding as well.

Snowdonia used to be a mining place for slate. The slate mining closed down due to the running cost. It is said, the slate from this region can last as long as 200 years. The slate museum provides interesting displays of the tools and technologies people used years ago in the mining. The museum staff, an ex-miner, showed the visitor how the miner separates or cut the slate.

People holding advanced diving license can don into the lake to explore the old mining facilities now hidden under the water.

Snowdonia was our last tourist stop before we moved away from Wales. I was a bit disappointed with the views. In my mind, i always imagining trees on the mountain, but for almost all mountains or hills that we had been in England or Wales, there are basically no trees, just grassland for sheep or cows grazing. Even at the cold North East of Canada, there are still many trees on the mountains. So i suspected that, weather is not an issue. All the trees here probably had been chopped down long time ago to support the energy needs of the mining industries.

Bath, England, UK: 15March2009

noreply@blogger.com (shenjiaqing) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:16:00 +0000

Glorious Spa Town

The Roman name for Bath, Aqua Salis, means "the waters of Sul", the Celtic goddess of springs. Jane Austen lived here from 1800 to 1805. The UN declared Bath a World Heritage city - the only one in Britain - for the quality of its Roman remains and Georgian splendours.
Today, Bath is a compact but i would say, tranquil in her way.

The three-arched Pulteney Bridge spanning the River Avon.
This is one of the only three shop-lined bridges in the world.
The U-shaped weir below was added later to safe guard the city from frequent floods.
This is my favorite sight in the town.

When we walked on the bridge, we didn't feel that we are walking on a bridge. The bridge is spacious and the shops are just one by another. It was amazing to go inside the shop, look through the window and realised suddenly that, we were on the bridge, right above of the river!
A mask like this reminded me of the masquerade at The Phantom of the Opera. :)

My picture here doesn't show the magnificent of the Royal Crescent.
i do not have the right software to do the stitches to join the series of pictures i took.
Basically, this historical landmark is 184metres in a single, curved facade and lined with more than 100 Ionic columns.

A big tree in Royal Victoria Park.

Around the famous Roman Bath spa complex, dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva by the Roman.
The greenish water in the complex has not been used for bathing since the late 1970s and the square nearby the complex is popular with street performers and sellers.

Bath Abbey (actually a parish church) is dubbed the 'lantern of the west' due to its huge and plentiful stained glass windows.