Mada mada dane...

Beginning with an incoherent collage... I bring you 3 gloomy days in London - the weather that is. hehs It rained so often it was sometimes a pain to be a tourist... cuz if you weren't, you'd definitely be curled up at home under a soft rug or holed up in some sheltered office cubicle all day...

I liked London though... despite our having to chase after the sun. But there aren't as many photos here... heh Cuz I think both dearest and I were getting tired of taking shots everywhere.

And so in a single collage, you see the London Eye along the raging River Thames beneath the cloudy skies, our 'free' walking tour guide =), St Paul's Cathedral (rebuilt along with some 51 churches by Christopher Wren - the man who will be remembered for as long as the churches stand), Templars fr Temple Church, us with Tower Bridge as background, a self service cashier area in Sainsbury (I think...), and our flight back to Warsaw. =) I don't really get the advertisement though... though Poland is definitely known for Vodka. =P


One of the hostels that's easier to locate. =) Also one of the noisiest - during the time we were there. Hehs but it IS a youth hostel after all...
Cancerian pic for my bro and dearest.


Yet another bridge. This time the Millenium Bridge aka Wobbly Bridge. =P Budgeted at 16million GBP, this expensive bridge cost 18.2m GBP in the end. Being part of the route for a charity walk, the bridge supported some 90000 users on the 1st day and started wobbling badly. Grin They came up with a system to limit the number of people crossing at any one time, but that resulted in horrendous queues. The bridge was closed for some 3 days before reopening with better support structures. Hehs But the reputation of this famous bridge had been sealed...


Tower of London.
Nope, didn't enter. Hehs a little out of budget.. But the tower intrigues, being a place with a history of crude cruelty - bloody executions, imprisonment, torture of incarcerated prisoners, mysterious deaths and executions of queens..

In one of the pictures, you'd see the Traitors' Gate. It is through this that state prisoners enter the Tower by barge. Often, severed heads of traitors would be hung there to intimidate the prisoners and the public.

An entire history book should be written around the happenings within the tower..


Since we're at this... Here's the juxtaposition of Old Bailey and Westminster Hall. The Central Criminal house and the parliament house. The visit to London certainly got me interested in V for Vendetta (which - again I didn't happen to catch when it was showing...). It's not the total truth of course. But the drama of the real Gunpowder plot is binding enough. Wiki it, do.

Anw, to dispel a common misunderstanding - big ben is not the entire bell tower... it's the name of the biggest bell of them all. =)


A view of London from the London Eye. =)


2 provocative buildings by Lord Foster - the one who restored Reichstag in Berlin, Germany, The Metropolitan Building in Warsaw, Poland, Wembley stadium in London, UK, and the celebrated (hee I forgot to mention his name earlier) Millenium Bridge in London, UK.

Here, I present you with London City Hall and the 30 St Mary Axe (Nicknamed Gherkin).

Beneath them, you see glimpses of the financial district - where the smartly dressed rules.


Shot with the famed.


Thai food in London! heh I kind of miss Asia you see... The picture of that little girl isn't from this eatery though. Heh it's taken at random elsewhere.. some buffet place with not so impressive looking food..


The highlight! At least for me... heh I so love theatre! hehe Caught Wicked! and Les Miserables. hm... Very different in nature - the two are. If I had more time and more cash... I'll seriously catch at least 2 plays a week. Grin thank goodness I'm not on exchange in London..

Oh yeah! I didnt feature the London Bridge cuz... turns out it's this extremely boring looking bridge. The history of the many versions of the bridge is kinda interesting though; worth a look-up. =)

No pictures of Oxford street though we spent quite a lot of time roaming the shopping district. Grin who takes pictures when shopping! =P Came across this super pretty black dress @ FCUK.. but it's really too costly for something I won't be wearing too often.. Hmm... likewise the Lancome Hypnose I saw today. hehe oh well

The other thing I didn't really talk about is the London tube. Hehs... with 12 lines, it should be remarkably efficient... if not for the numerous delays here and there... it was kinda a pain when you're in a hurry, but the Londoners seem rather used to such occurences. =)

mm I cant remember if I missed out anything else... But it was nice to come across familiar street names (thanks to Monopoly) and actually see Leicester Square (where all the ticket booths are), Picadilly, Trafalgar's Square with all its pigeons and the Art Gallery, etc etc.

Hehs I'll be back! I so want to visit Globe Theatre and watch a Shakespearean play. =) Next time!

Waiting

Back in Victoria Coach station, I await Dearest with a little anxiety and a great deal of impatience. So watching an entire screen of Delayed, no information isn't helpful... That's London traffic for you.

And then I looked through my London Pics and decided that I'm not motivated enough to blog today.

There's London, Manchester, Gdansk, Prague, Bratislava, Levoca, Spissky towns, Ojcow and Zakopane left... along with many outdated volumes of Warsaw pics. hehs Soon soon... Now let me go rejuvenate me...

Dearest arrived 1.5 hr later than scheduled. Oh well, I'm just glad he arrived. =)

Taking on the world on my own! - hehs (Generally speaking)

So on the 7th... I parted ways with dearest at the Eurolines bus station in Paris, setting off for UK for my own adventures for 2 days.

Hehs yeah. misleading picture. I didn't fly. Though that might have been wiser. hehs 15 min as opposed to... 7.5 - 8.5 - 9.5 hrs of busing around! It was 7.5... till I realize London's an hour behind... so it's 8.5... and then the bus got delayed... so it became 9.5. Sheesh. Nothing could have prepared me for the bus merrily driving onboard a HUGE P&O that'd chug across the ocean to the island I was headed for. That little 45-min ride left me nauseous and extremely pale at the end of it... It was with much relief that I saw my most reliable sis at Victoria Coach station... nestled comfortably in his seat, having waited for some hour or so... =P Thanks sis!


The Vernon-Hospitality.

Hee Knowing I havent had decent chinese food for ages, sis took me to Soho - the London Chinatown for roast duck rice! hee Though it's not the 4seasons duck, I'm happy enough with the familiar foods. hehz it's officially the most expensive duck rice I've eaten - at his expense. hahaha Plus he gave up his bed and lent me his laptop... gave me breakfast and most importantly, was there to meet me at my most nauseous, sad sad state. Sis rocks.

Hee not many pictures of the places we walked through - including the LSE library etc... cuz Sher was too tired of being a tourist and prefer just walking and looking just like she would in SG. hee


Next morning, bright and early, I barely caught the National Express to Cambridge. heh I seem to be getting into this wave goodbye from bus thing... Anyway, this time, sis waved me off. The next time we meet would be in SG with the rest! =)

Alighted at Parker's piece. The sky was looking ominous. haha But that was really the beginning of the spate of bad weather that trailed my tour of Western Europe. Along with a few clueless people, I navigated my way around to this place called... Lion Yard to meet my next great host - Haihan! =) It's a relief to be understood again... Goodness knows the number of months I spent gesturing and charading with people on the streets who speak a different tongue... But thanks to a very nice girl (1st year in Cambridge doing a rather obscure course that I found interesting), I got there all right. =)

Safely at Lion Yard, I bought myself this pure indulgence muffin... sat down and waited to be picked up. haha It's a fresh change from having to be pro-active and find directions, plan itinerary etc.


The Haihan-Hospitality.

Cambridge students are seriously a fortunate lot... cuz the neighbourhood's pretty... serene and tranquil... HH's room was spacious. There's no better word. hehe He's neat too la. =) Any space can be obliterated by messes. But messes do not exist in HH's space. hee And he too gave up his bed for me and retired into his friend's sleeping bag, fed me well all day and kept me entertained. Sigh... great friends I have. grin Galloway & Porter was a paradise he shared with me. I'm glad I didn't miss it. hee Left Cambridge armed with 2 books - The Pianist and Marie Antoinette. Cost: 5 pounds. =P Happy as a lark, I am.


Walks of Cambridge. It was decent of the swan to pose for me =P


Quaint streets and buildings. St Andrew's Street is the main street that runs North-South of Cambridge - hehe acc to HH if I remember rightly anyway. =)

And because I wasnt there to be a tourist, I'm not going to point out buildings etc... hehe I just enjoyed my leisurely walks around the place.

Last pic for my independent jouneys post. hehe Wireless on the bus! craziness. =P

Versailles

We decided to do a little trip to Versailles since it's easily accessible from Paris via e RER train. =)
hehs Hotel Akena was not the easiest place to locate. =P But thanks to Herm's "prob the pointy top over there" - or words to that effect, we found Akena. hehe Nice place. Quiet. But a lil out of the way.

Taking yet another train to Chateau de Versailles, we walked past yet another Hotel de Ville, Versailles version on our way to the palace - where King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were hunted down and dragged to Paris on their final journey.

It's unfortunate we didn't have time for the interiors... that leaves something to return for - all the grand splendour that we missed.


The gardens were splendid though! Almost crazy considering how fountain-filled it was when the situation of the location was rather poorly endowed in water resources. Oh well.. the rich and privileged have their means.

Designed by Andre Le Notre, the extensive grounds featured marvellous fountains and canels. The fountains were set to work their magic thrice a day. We were just in time for the last. hehe

See the difference. Feel the magic. =)




Shh... focus for the miraculous palm jet. Hee on the grassy lawn, a couple was catching a quick shut eye beneath the skies. Very nice. Except everybody else were looking on and giggling nervously at the sight. Hehs but it's nice.. to do what you like without a care in the world.. with total disregard for the views of others.


Killing time before the grand finale. hee Dearest obviously has more depth and breadth in his facial expressions. I concede defeat.


Voila!


The Notre Dame in Versailles. =)


Frightfully good stuff at reasonable prices. As if reacting to the unspoken law of - nothing comes so cheaply... we both suffered greatly for at least 3 days after. hehs Poor tummies.

I suspect we are not all that remorseful after consumption of all that rich food though. =P

Paris - Second Instalment

I always begin with hostels/hotels. Cuz a good night's rest determines to some extent how the day unfolds =) This is Hotel des Olympiades. hehe it's just weird to me to have a washroom with a sink and a butt washing equipment but not the toilet... and the shared toilet along the corridor doesnt have a sink... Bed creaks a triffle more than usual. Walls are thin so you hear your neighbours. Not the best I've seen, but reasonable for basic accomodations.


Random shots of interest to myself along the Parisian streets. =)

The metro system in Paris is particularly efficient with 12 lines linking you to practically everywhere... Being good tourists for a change, we dutifully bought metro tix for almost all our trips. And transport isn't all that cheap, mind you.

Cafes bustle with life during opening hours as we wondered aloud every so often, where do these idle, rich people come from... Tourists flock to these cafes for a taste of Parisian life - afternoon teas/coffees people-watching along the streets; and seriously.. I think it isn't too far-fetched to think that majority of the tea-sipping crowd consists of tourists alone. =P


They say children are most adorable when they are not yours. hehe I don't know that for sure. But they do catch my attention rather often in Europe. An entertaining hour passed seeing us parked across the fence from a playground, me getting insights into kids' minds, as perceived by my dearest.
Their chatter fills the air even before they make their appearances. Each hugging a round cushion, I stared - forgetting for a moment that staring is rude - and wondered why they were each holding such an odd object. The mystery dissolved as they happily dumped the cushions and sat around their teacher on the museum floor. Well... there's more than 1 who's posing in front of the little semi-circle of school children. =)

Round faced with soft curls, he toddles towards to a street busker, clapping his hands in gleeful delight.


"One day I'll fly away... Leave all these to yesterday.."
The all famous Moulin Rouge and the red-light district at Pigalle. Are you thinking about some over-sexed, sleezy area? Nahs... the queue for Moulin Rouge consisted mostly of well-dressed people, fit to be loosely categorized into 'upper class'.

Heh I felt rather ignored by the bouncers who urged dearest repeatedly to experience the wilder side of Paris. grin Until a female bouncer (ach... what's e right term? haha my vocabulary in this area is sorely lacking) came and said - 10 Euros to enter, your girlfriend gets to go in for free.

ha Sad to disappoint, but Sher didn't get to see what's behind those dark curtains and dimmed lights. hehe Maybe next time.. =)


Grande palais. I'm rather taken by the sculptures of the tussling kids. =P Classical style architecture. Not too elaborate, plenty of motifs.


And the Petite Palais across the road housing the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris.. =) Hehs 3 random pictures are in the collage. See if you can see which do not belong. =P

Loved the winged angel at the entrance, and the many painted ceilings scattered around the palais. If you squint hard enough, you'll see a little duckling by the pond. hee It has a little ramp which it teeters up and skim the circumference of the pond before plopping back in. So cute!


The world-acclaimed Lourve. I think it was free on Sundays? heh Can't remember.. but this museum seriously requires your entire day and all your energy. haha Absorbing the art and the description zaps life very quickly.. unless of course, you're an enthusiast who gets energized by exposure to art forms. haha that's be a different story. In any case... most of the visitors are simply clamouring to see the Mona Lisa - made extra famous by Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code.. there's even a 10 Euro Da Vinci tour in the museum. heh Meetin Alvi there is one of the little things I hadnt expect. grin I think this is totally off but I just felt like putting down sth from an anime I was watching "There are no coincidences, only inevitability".


Hotel de Ville - contrary to my beliefs, is not a hotel.. but the town hall. Like many other town halls, it's witnessed lots of destruction, including a fire and tearing down and rebuilding in its time. The square it stands on is the Place de Greve - where most executions in Paris took place until 1830.

Well.. We werent exactly looking for Hotel de Ville though when we stumbled upon it... We were tracking the elusive Pompidou Centre - described to have been built with its insides turned out. heh I think I threw in its photo somewhere in the 1st collage in the previous post. I'm sure you'll have no problems locating it. =)


We meant to relax of course. But cafes are pricey. We settled on next best - or better. hehe sitting on chairs left lying around huge grass patches in parks. This one was probably Jardin du Tuilleries. hehs I know you can see Eiffel Tower in picture 3 - I threw it in by mistake. haha and there it shall stay =P


Arc de Triomph. ahaa Silly us had problems crossing the busy road to the little 'human island' the arc was on.


Eiffel in all its glory.. from many weird angles. haha by the time we were done with the photos, we had some 20 or 30 shots of Eiffel.. we got quite sick of it soon. oh! You can actually climb all the way to level 2 - which would be cheaper than taking the lift. But any higher - you'd have to pay more for the lift. The queue was formidable..

Grin, we decided that seeing the legendary tower was sufficient. =) haha Like many famous things in life, some love it, others hate it. To me, it's just another landmark in Paris. =)


I confess... to forget what this place is. heh At least I do recognize that this series of pictures are of the same place.. and recall how the exorbitant entrance fees sent us reeling backwards in mock horror... where we sidled into a corner and started snapping pictures of what interior we could glimpse from our vantage point. Heh that includes the gruesome painting you see next to the ice-cream cone.

And then... another series of photo-whoring took place as Herm suddenly found the space between two columns very cosy. =)


hm.. I always end with food. Cuz no matter how many wrong turns had been made, food makes things right. Tending to the aching belly.. soothing ruffled feathers. =)

I don't think I'm keen on French Columbian food though. I like my soup warm. hehs

Paris - e Churches Chapter

Back from yet another trip. Drained. But the clothes are in the wash and I can't really sleep... so here's the next instalment of pictures. There are 773 photos in my Paris photo. Which translates to a lot of photos to browse through... Horrors! I guess these things don't occur to me when I'm happily snapping away.

Btw, if I sound sad, it's only because my ext hdd had been silenced and my comp couldn't detect it anymore after I dropped it from knee level... and my original photos (e ones that would actually look normal if developed) are all gone w it. If you have solutions... please let me know.. Thank you. Much obliged.


I thought a collage of the major landmarks would be a decent start. =) It's kinda not in any order... certainly not order of visit. =) And now, having created some kind of content page for my own reference, I shall launch into the places.

Our hostel/hotel being in Montmartre, it seemed almost natural we should start our tour from there. And the first major spot that seemed to be leaping out of e map at Herm (yeah cuz I was a lazy girl and decided to take a backseat for couple tours =P) was e Basilique Du Sacre Coeur de Montmartre (Basilica of the Sacred Heart)


The Basilique is - if you haven't already realized - atop the highest peak of the city... which means many flights of stairs. haha Somehow, Europe is like that; very hilly - up and down, up and down... But it also means you get fabulous views from up where we were. Mm... actually it's a view of the city... From an entirely egoistic point of view.. I guess it's quite a view of man-made achievements..


Posing on the flight of stairs leading up to the Sacre Coeur. Quoting Guibert, the successor of the Archbishop of Paris, "It is here, it is here where the matyrs are, it is here that the Sacred Heart must reign so that it can beckon all to come." So there we were..


Abstracts from biblical scenes. I've never been well-versed in the bible... so I shan't even attempt to describe the above... From wiki though, it's said that construction reflected heavy Romano-Byzantine influence or Roman/Greek of sorts. hehe I have seen too many churches and have them too mixed up in my head to comment. =P


A smaller, more nondescript church along the path down from Butte Montmarte - St Jean-de-Montmartre. All net searches yield results in French. Being a total idiot in e lang... we'll just quietly admire the colorful panes and architecture of the church.


The famous Notre Dame de Paris - a model of. hehe It's french-gothic style (which makes me wonder if there's german gothic, austrian gothic, etcetc.. or gasp! Chinese gothic! hee my crazy mind maps..) And nowadays, gothic just reminds me of Sam. Yeah so if you're looking... do keep popping by, cuz my latest trip to Bratislava and Prague saw me clicking away at all that gothic architecture that kept popping up everywhere... Maybe it could inspire more great works =P


The exterior of the Notre Dame. This church, like many others, has a rich history - particularly in construction. The initial building was deemed by Bishop Maurice de Sully to be unworthy of the role of "Parish Church of the Kings of Europe" - so he ordered the demolition and threw in huge sums to have it as it is today... It was dedicated first to the cult of reason (Culte de la Raison) - creed based on atheism - during the French Revolution, and then to the Cult of the Supreme Being after. And then you realise... it's really all about the period the building's set... what the building means changes with the people... and in the end.. perhaps it means nothing and everything - sitting quietly and bearing witness to the changes of time.

This church featured in Victor Hugo's Hunchback of Notre Dame. Partly due to the awareness raised from that, it was saved from a fate of demolition.


And now, we admire the beauties hidden within. These painted glass panels have never ceased to fascinate - no matter how many churches I've seen. =P

Taking you away from the churches of Paris... we end off this entry with a cemetry; Cimetiere du Pere LaChaise. This is the last resting ground of many personalities who made a mark in their present, and ours.


In honour of the country that hosted me for the past 5 months... This is of course the grave of Chopin. We found his grave easily enough - guided by the massive tributes of flowers and a crowd of Polish speaking tourists taking pictures at the site. Hats off to this composer who's famous for his nationalism. It's said he carries a bottle of Polish soil around as he travelled - the truth of which, I know not. But his piano music brings a peace to my soul - my only regret being that I've never played his pieces.

There are other personalities of course, like Bizet (composer of Carmen) and Jimmy Morrison.. But my foremost interest is my old idol - Oscar Wilde; the controversial homosexual who's always creating commotions with his serious trivialities. =P Most would be familiar with The Importance of being Earnest and Portrait of Dorian Gray. I read Salome as well... but that one was beyond me... haha Now... to showcase his celebrated grave.


His followers are numerous and have trailed his footsteps right to his grave, not forgetting to leave their mark on his death stone as he had doubtlessly left on their lives.

The tomb you see here was designed by sculptor Sir Jacob Epstein. The modernist angel depicted as a relief on the tomb was originally complete with male genitals (hha how appropriate for Wilde!). They were broken off as obscene (as with a million other things associated with Wilde) and kept as a paperweight by a succession of cemetery keepers. Their current whereabouts are unknown.

I leave you with a quote on his grave:

"And alien tears will fall for him
Pity's long broken urn
For his mourners will be outcast men
And outcasts always mourn."