Killing time at a coffee fellows cafe in Munich, as nothing is really open. Our overnight train from Berlin arrived super early, and it's Sunfay which is apparenty always a slow day in Germany. Are likely going to do hop on hop off tour, since the weather is crapy.
The weather actually cleared up yesterday in Berlin so we had a really pleasant day visiting Parks at Wansee, and then spending mist if te day at Museum island, which I'll recap lyre tonight. Desperately need some more coffee.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day 10 - 15: Bit of Muenster and Berlin arrival
Currently lounging in our absolutely massive room in Berlin. I think most appartments my friends live in is smaller... And the place is purple, which is truly fabulous. The weather here is kind of rainy and miserable, but after wandering the Berlin wall (an art gallery really with beautiful paintings - I highly recommend bringing a permanent market, as some of them are interactive, and leaving your mark would be cool :) ) in the rain, we ended up buying one of those tourist passes, where you get 48 hours of transit, along with discounts on museums and attractions. It works out to be quite a good deal, though I recommend checking into what the discounts are for the specific sites you planned on visiting.
Anyways, to recap Muenster briefly. Firstly, our hotel was really fancy. And no part of the room more than the washroom, which besides being gigantic (and wheel chair accessible) had speakers from the tv, and heated floors. The heated floors came as a surprise - I had wondered what the dial did after my first shower, and pressed it, and then we realized it was heated floors in the morning. Which was a bit bad, as the lack of coutner space meant that our stuff, including pressurized bottles of mouse, were sitting on the floor....
Anyways, the hotel was also in a really nice area, within the aldstadt. On our way to the conference, held at the Schloss (part of the University, and apparently a Duke's palace previously), we pass all the main sites on a leisurely walk, including the principalmarkt, two of the many churches, and the Cathedral. interestingly enough, almost none of the buildings are original, and were all rebuilt following WW2. As much as possible using original materials, mainly for considerations of cost and availability during the reconstruction, and according to historic plans. Though the stained glass windows in the cathedral were very modern looking so perhaps they're a new design? My favourite walk was actually one morning when there was a farmers market in front of the cathedral where we stopped for breakfast one day. On the one hand, its an easy city to navigate, as long as you ignore maps, and to some extent road signs... so many of the little paths and alleys curve around in confusing ways, and some aren't even named in maps.
Muenster is a really nice city to hang out in, though there isnt that many sites to visit. Besides the afore mentioned churches and markets, we also visited the Picasso museum. As part of the conference social activities, we also went to a wesfalian beer hall, where we tried some regional foods, and also got a walking tour which gave some interesting context. It's a really good venue for a city
Anyways, have to start getting ready for the day here. May possibly add more notes on Muenster later, but it might have to wait until after Berlin. Everyone we've met has really talked about how fabulous it is here, so I'm kind of excited to get out there and explore the sites :)
Anyways, to recap Muenster briefly. Firstly, our hotel was really fancy. And no part of the room more than the washroom, which besides being gigantic (and wheel chair accessible) had speakers from the tv, and heated floors. The heated floors came as a surprise - I had wondered what the dial did after my first shower, and pressed it, and then we realized it was heated floors in the morning. Which was a bit bad, as the lack of coutner space meant that our stuff, including pressurized bottles of mouse, were sitting on the floor....
Anyways, the hotel was also in a really nice area, within the aldstadt. On our way to the conference, held at the Schloss (part of the University, and apparently a Duke's palace previously), we pass all the main sites on a leisurely walk, including the principalmarkt, two of the many churches, and the Cathedral. interestingly enough, almost none of the buildings are original, and were all rebuilt following WW2. As much as possible using original materials, mainly for considerations of cost and availability during the reconstruction, and according to historic plans. Though the stained glass windows in the cathedral were very modern looking so perhaps they're a new design? My favourite walk was actually one morning when there was a farmers market in front of the cathedral where we stopped for breakfast one day. On the one hand, its an easy city to navigate, as long as you ignore maps, and to some extent road signs... so many of the little paths and alleys curve around in confusing ways, and some aren't even named in maps.
Muenster is a really nice city to hang out in, though there isnt that many sites to visit. Besides the afore mentioned churches and markets, we also visited the Picasso museum. As part of the conference social activities, we also went to a wesfalian beer hall, where we tried some regional foods, and also got a walking tour which gave some interesting context. It's a really good venue for a city
Anyways, have to start getting ready for the day here. May possibly add more notes on Muenster later, but it might have to wait until after Berlin. Everyone we've met has really talked about how fabulous it is here, so I'm kind of excited to get out there and explore the sites :)
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Day 10: Muenster
Had a whole blog post written up on my ipod, but apparently get only wired internet in the hotel, so decided to start fresh rather than trying to transcribe it. I forgot how much easier it was to work on here. This reminds me that I've yet to post any trip photos. May possibly try to do that now, while I'm relatively stable during the conference.
Anyways, had a chll morning in Dusseldorf, mainly having breakfast, packing, and then trying to learn german off of youtube. Which went better than expected, so I atleast know enough to be polite, and also possibly ask for directions. Whether Ill be able to understand anything that people tell me is another question. Still, while not everyone speaks English, you can usually find someone to help you out when needed.
The trip down to Muenster was also pretty smooth, though the train was about 30minutes late. Still, train information people printed off the train schedule for me, so atleast I knew more or less where I was, and could estimate how far away Muenster was.
Currently in my room at the Treff Hotel Muenster. I really like it - it's all posh and modern, but still a part of the aldstadt. The room is massive. Also, don't know if this is true of all the rooms, but this one seems to be wheelchair accessible, one of the consequences of which are tonnes of floor space, and a washroom that's bigger than some hotel rooms I've stayed in. Our room has a view of a park aswell as a stabucks, which only makes me love this place more.
I wandered around the old town earlier, stopping by the cathedral and some of the other sights, and stopped at this cute bakery on the domplatz for a quiche - they serve them to go, on these little plates which was cute. Most things seem to be closed because its Sunday, so things were nice and quiet, though there were some tourists around the centre of the city. After some more wandering around, headed back towards the train station to grab some drinks, as only the shops around there seem to be open.
Will probably rest up for a bit, then head for an icecream or something, waiting for M to arrive from Frankfurt so we can have dinner.
Anyways, had a chll morning in Dusseldorf, mainly having breakfast, packing, and then trying to learn german off of youtube. Which went better than expected, so I atleast know enough to be polite, and also possibly ask for directions. Whether Ill be able to understand anything that people tell me is another question. Still, while not everyone speaks English, you can usually find someone to help you out when needed.
The trip down to Muenster was also pretty smooth, though the train was about 30minutes late. Still, train information people printed off the train schedule for me, so atleast I knew more or less where I was, and could estimate how far away Muenster was.
Currently in my room at the Treff Hotel Muenster. I really like it - it's all posh and modern, but still a part of the aldstadt. The room is massive. Also, don't know if this is true of all the rooms, but this one seems to be wheelchair accessible, one of the consequences of which are tonnes of floor space, and a washroom that's bigger than some hotel rooms I've stayed in. Our room has a view of a park aswell as a stabucks, which only makes me love this place more.
I wandered around the old town earlier, stopping by the cathedral and some of the other sights, and stopped at this cute bakery on the domplatz for a quiche - they serve them to go, on these little plates which was cute. Most things seem to be closed because its Sunday, so things were nice and quiet, though there were some tourists around the centre of the city. After some more wandering around, headed back towards the train station to grab some drinks, as only the shops around there seem to be open.
Will probably rest up for a bit, then head for an icecream or something, waiting for M to arrive from Frankfurt so we can have dinner.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Day 9: Dusseldorf
Currently having fries with something called joppiesaus, in the aldstadt here in Dusseldorf. Its delicious - oddly familiar tasting though I can't quite place it.
Am enjoying my time here - one of my friends from the conference mentioned that the main things to do here is shop and go out, and it's really true. The konigsalle is this big tree lined boulevard filled with shops, and with malls going off in all directions. I stipped by this department store and picked up some nail stuff, since I didnt come accross a place for the mani/pedi I had planned. Going down the centre is this park, complete with a long pond and fountain. The sidewalks are lined with cafes, and there are lots of people just walking along the street or just sitting and watching the world go by.
Where I am now the street is mainly bars with huge patios. There seems to be a soccer game going on, but also there seem to be a lot of stag parties going on - it's kind of intense to watch, what with the crazy costumes sone of the people are playing and all the games they seem to be playing. I'm heading to the old town and the Rhine to wander for a bit, before calling it a night.
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Back on the Konigsalle, having an iced tea at Starbucks - theres a cool second floor to the cafe looking down on the street, and I lucked into a comfy armchair right by the windows. Currently resting my feet. Also, it's raining at the moment, so I'm hoping if I sit here for awhile it'll die down.
Anyways, made it to old town, only to come accross a parade blocking the street. I still have no idea what was going on. There were bands, and horses, and people in military style costumes, who all eventually congregated in a big square in front of what I can only assume was city hall, at least historically speaking. There were speeches which probably explained what was going on, but it was obviously all in German, so I have no idea.
When I got down to the Rhine, I got another surprise, having managed to stumble across the French festival I read about in the inflight magazine. The promenade was lined with stands selling, wine, cheese, and all sorts of other french products. I indulged in a banana nutella crepe, which was delicious though admittedly hard to eat while balancing an umbrella. There were musical performances going on, aswell as a classic French car show which was kinda fun to wander through.
And that was most of my day - and really, most of what I'm planning on doing here in Dusseldorf - I think tomorrow, I just want to sleep in, find some breakfast, then catch my train. Tomorrow is technically a transit day, but if I don't rest up I won't make it through the conference, let alone our traveling after. I kind wanna keep sitting here as my feet are still sore, but I'm practically nodding off in my comfy chair so it's probably time to go. More from Muenster tomorrow.
Am enjoying my time here - one of my friends from the conference mentioned that the main things to do here is shop and go out, and it's really true. The konigsalle is this big tree lined boulevard filled with shops, and with malls going off in all directions. I stipped by this department store and picked up some nail stuff, since I didnt come accross a place for the mani/pedi I had planned. Going down the centre is this park, complete with a long pond and fountain. The sidewalks are lined with cafes, and there are lots of people just walking along the street or just sitting and watching the world go by.
Where I am now the street is mainly bars with huge patios. There seems to be a soccer game going on, but also there seem to be a lot of stag parties going on - it's kind of intense to watch, what with the crazy costumes sone of the people are playing and all the games they seem to be playing. I'm heading to the old town and the Rhine to wander for a bit, before calling it a night.
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Back on the Konigsalle, having an iced tea at Starbucks - theres a cool second floor to the cafe looking down on the street, and I lucked into a comfy armchair right by the windows. Currently resting my feet. Also, it's raining at the moment, so I'm hoping if I sit here for awhile it'll die down.
Anyways, made it to old town, only to come accross a parade blocking the street. I still have no idea what was going on. There were bands, and horses, and people in military style costumes, who all eventually congregated in a big square in front of what I can only assume was city hall, at least historically speaking. There were speeches which probably explained what was going on, but it was obviously all in German, so I have no idea.
When I got down to the Rhine, I got another surprise, having managed to stumble across the French festival I read about in the inflight magazine. The promenade was lined with stands selling, wine, cheese, and all sorts of other french products. I indulged in a banana nutella crepe, which was delicious though admittedly hard to eat while balancing an umbrella. There were musical performances going on, aswell as a classic French car show which was kinda fun to wander through.
And that was most of my day - and really, most of what I'm planning on doing here in Dusseldorf - I think tomorrow, I just want to sleep in, find some breakfast, then catch my train. Tomorrow is technically a transit day, but if I don't rest up I won't make it through the conference, let alone our traveling after. I kind wanna keep sitting here as my feet are still sore, but I'm practically nodding off in my comfy chair so it's probably time to go. More from Muenster tomorrow.
Day 5-9: Exeter recap.
Actually am currently in Bristol waiting for my connection. Luckily it's on the same platform as my train from Bath, just further down. One snafu is that I got on the wrong train coming here - obvious from the fact that my reserved seat didn't exist. Still, the train staff who checked my ticket seemed fine with it, though I think my ticket was so cheap because it was for a specific train. The other confusion was that it meant getting to Bristol early enough to have caught he previous train - though I'll hold to my reservation this time :) apparently this train is a local, rather than an express, but the route is apparently quite scenic.
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And after that fragment of a post from the first day, nothing till right now as I'm about to land in Muenster. Not even time for my usual recap I think, so just general impressions of the city and the conference. Overall I had a really great time here - the conference was interesting, and I made lots of awesome friends.
Exeter is quite a small city, though to be fair, I stuck mainly to the area near to the university. Though that smallness doesn't mean it's busy to get anywhere. The role area is really hilly, with the university on top. Within the university, the residence hall we were staying at was near to peak I think. It was quite a trodge going down to see the city on breaks, or for drinks and stuff, though in the end I did more of that than expected. Going uphill was absolutely brutal with a suitcase from the train station. Besides arriving exhausted, I also was in a state of fear that if I relaxed my grip the case would go rolling down the hill. Managed to check out the cathedral, do some shopping, and then also had an interesting boat cruise as one of the conference events.
For all that, I ended up with a room facing the hill, and not the spectacular view. There was a big terrace though, and the dinning room where we had breakfast and some of our dinners had floor to ceiling windows. The catering at this conference was actually really good. A highlight for me was after lunch once when dessert featured a giant tray of macarons.
I think the best part
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And after that fragment of a post from the first day, nothing till right now as I'm about to land in Muenster. Not even time for my usual recap I think, so just general impressions of the city and the conference. Overall I had a really great time here - the conference was interesting, and I made lots of awesome friends.
Exeter is quite a small city, though to be fair, I stuck mainly to the area near to the university. Though that smallness doesn't mean it's busy to get anywhere. The role area is really hilly, with the university on top. Within the university, the residence hall we were staying at was near to peak I think. It was quite a trodge going down to see the city on breaks, or for drinks and stuff, though in the end I did more of that than expected. Going uphill was absolutely brutal with a suitcase from the train station. Besides arriving exhausted, I also was in a state of fear that if I relaxed my grip the case would go rolling down the hill. Managed to check out the cathedral, do some shopping, and then also had an interesting boat cruise as one of the conference events.
For all that, I ended up with a room facing the hill, and not the spectacular view. There was a big terrace though, and the dinning room where we had breakfast and some of our dinners had floor to ceiling windows. The catering at this conference was actually really good. A highlight for me was after lunch once when dessert featured a giant tray of macarons.
I think the best part
Monday, July 11, 2011
Day 5: breakfast at the Kennard
I think I've yet to properly review the hotel I'm staying in. I suppose strictly speaking it's a B&B, and honestly I've been enjoying it so much that I might start choosing them more often. Though admittedly this one has 4 stars, and is the best reviewed place in Bath.
Anyways, currently enjoying pre breakfast tea in my room, which is small but very well appointed. The bed is so comfy I wish I had tome to sleep in. A little tea station with cookies and spring water, a little flatscreen tv, robes, slippers, really everything that I would expect in a posh hotel except the fancy water is free. There's a sink in the room, but the shower is outside, though as far as I can tell I have it to myself.
The building is one of a row of Georgian homes, just accross the Pultney so a really short walk to the Abbry and some key attractions, and a walkable distance from the train station. There are little lounges on the landings, a lovely garden out back, and an absolutely gorgeous gold and teal and aqua breakfast room, where I'll be heading shortly. The breakfast is fab. There's a continental buffet, but then they make traditional English breakfasts, omeletter and such fresh to order. Ooo, and bring you yummy loose lead tea, espresso or your own little French press of coffee. And fresh orange juice, and the fruit salad is so good.
The best part of the place though is the staff, which i think must be the deciding factor in B&B's. Promptly gave me an orientation of the city when I arrived, and were always ready to help when needed. Most impressively - the lady at the front desk carried my suitcase up the stairs to my room.
Anyways, time to eat - see you in Exeter.
Anyways, currently enjoying pre breakfast tea in my room, which is small but very well appointed. The bed is so comfy I wish I had tome to sleep in. A little tea station with cookies and spring water, a little flatscreen tv, robes, slippers, really everything that I would expect in a posh hotel except the fancy water is free. There's a sink in the room, but the shower is outside, though as far as I can tell I have it to myself.
The building is one of a row of Georgian homes, just accross the Pultney so a really short walk to the Abbry and some key attractions, and a walkable distance from the train station. There are little lounges on the landings, a lovely garden out back, and an absolutely gorgeous gold and teal and aqua breakfast room, where I'll be heading shortly. The breakfast is fab. There's a continental buffet, but then they make traditional English breakfasts, omeletter and such fresh to order. Ooo, and bring you yummy loose lead tea, espresso or your own little French press of coffee. And fresh orange juice, and the fruit salad is so good.
The best part of the place though is the staff, which i think must be the deciding factor in B&B's. Promptly gave me an orientation of the city when I arrived, and were always ready to help when needed. Most impressively - the lady at the front desk carried my suitcase up the stairs to my room.
Anyways, time to eat - see you in Exeter.
Day 4: Stonehenge and beyond.
Just sitting in our little tour van having seen Stone Henge. The area is jam-packed at the moment, filled with tours down from London. We managed to arrive here before most, which made for a more leisurely experience. Also, got lucky again with truly fabulous weather.
It's actually quite an impressive site, even without being able to approach the stones. Can get tickets to go right up and around the stones, but those have to be booked way in advance.
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Just waiting for the bus to pick us up from the market cross in castlecoombe. Apparently way back when, site of where deals were made. It's been a long but pleasant day. Think I'll just head to the hotel, or maybe find a place to have cream tea and blog a bit.
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Wandered a bit after the tour looking for a place to have tea, then wound up at a place along the bridge towards my hotel. The scones aren't as nice asthe ones at the Jane Austen tea house i went to yesterday, but the value and the view of the weir and river out the window.
Anyways, turns out Im not really in the mood to blog. Ive been going full tilt these past few days and think I've tired myself out I think - will start my recap now, and then possibly finish it later after I've had a bit if a rest.
After Stone Henge, we went to the Avebury stones. They're older and much bigger, and interestingly have a town sort of going through what remains of the circles. Tried dowsing but I'm apparently no good at it personally. You hold two metal rods loosely and they're meant to spin around in your hands as they approach the stones, but mine just stayed straight ahead. I walked around the henge a bit (which I think actually refers to the circular ditch and hill around the stones, rather than the stones themselves) and took a seat on the grass partway through to write a postcard. Managed to stick it in a mailbox before heading off for our next stop, Lacock. Worth mentioning though that in-between the major stops, we did get lots of interesting commentary on the English countryside, and also notably saw two hall horses, and even a bit of a crop circle.
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Am really glad I took that break. Eventually anyways. First stopped by a supermarket to pick up some food for dinner. Then headed to one side of the river to find someplace to lounge and picnic. Where I realized that the other side of the river looked much nicer, so went back over the bridge. To find out that the other side was a park with an entrance fee, which would have been fine but it was closing. After that, walked past my hotel thinking maybe the backgarden would do, decided against that as heading in so early felt pathetic, so wandered through the park behind the Holbourne, the Holbourne itself being closed, found nowhere I wanted to linger, so ended up back at my hotel. Which ended up being just what I needed. Got some ice from the lovely staff, then sat in my room for a but checking email and watching TV, notably watching a bit of a documentary on Bath, and a bit if a gameshow on the BBC, about antique experts having to identify stuff.
I'm actually even gladder that I decided to go back out. Right now, am sitting on the terrace of Garfunkels at the Empire, where I have a view of the cathedral, the river, and the far hills. The staff here is lovely - after asking about what exactly Pimm's was, they said it was really hard to describe , though they did mention Jaggermeister, so they made me little one to try. Apparently Pimm's is always served with Sprite, and proper ones, like what I ended up ordering have fruit in them - citrus traditionally, along with strawberries, mint and a bit of cucumber, all fresh to infuse the drink. It tastes a bit like gingerale, and I'm even having the fries I ordered with it with vinegar to up the traditional brittishiness of it all. Despite the fact that I forgot my sweater and it's getting a bit chilly, and I think I ended up spending so much on food that I might aswell have gone to the baths, I remain in a good mood.
So back to the recap, after Avebury, we saw two villages I'll remember mainly for the movies which were filmed there. The first was Lacock, where bits of Harry Potter was filmed. After having lunch first, we walked around the teeny town, seeing sights of historical interest, in addition to Godrics Hollow and Slughorn's house. Well, and Lacock abbey, both historically interesting and the site of lots of bits of the movie. The second was Castlecombe, where they shot Stardust, aswell as other things like a new Steven Spielberg movie. Notably both towns are also featured in a crap load of BBC productions.
They're both so popular with movies, because they look like they're stuck in a timewarp. Take out the cars, cover the pavement and you could be 200 years in the past. No telephone wires, street lamps, satellites, anything. And it all sort if happened by accident. Essentially, when the wool market in the area crashed, development in both places stopped, and the towns were all but abandoned. I might actually look into some of the economic stuff when I get home, given my research interest in the current economic recession.
And that's really most of my day. Overall really enjoyed Bath - the town really does die down in the evening, but also makes it really relaxing. Has finished my fries, and am almost done my drink, so shower, packing and bed before heading on to Exeter in the morning.
It's actually quite an impressive site, even without being able to approach the stones. Can get tickets to go right up and around the stones, but those have to be booked way in advance.
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Just waiting for the bus to pick us up from the market cross in castlecoombe. Apparently way back when, site of where deals were made. It's been a long but pleasant day. Think I'll just head to the hotel, or maybe find a place to have cream tea and blog a bit.
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Wandered a bit after the tour looking for a place to have tea, then wound up at a place along the bridge towards my hotel. The scones aren't as nice asthe ones at the Jane Austen tea house i went to yesterday, but the value and the view of the weir and river out the window.
Anyways, turns out Im not really in the mood to blog. Ive been going full tilt these past few days and think I've tired myself out I think - will start my recap now, and then possibly finish it later after I've had a bit if a rest.
After Stone Henge, we went to the Avebury stones. They're older and much bigger, and interestingly have a town sort of going through what remains of the circles. Tried dowsing but I'm apparently no good at it personally. You hold two metal rods loosely and they're meant to spin around in your hands as they approach the stones, but mine just stayed straight ahead. I walked around the henge a bit (which I think actually refers to the circular ditch and hill around the stones, rather than the stones themselves) and took a seat on the grass partway through to write a postcard. Managed to stick it in a mailbox before heading off for our next stop, Lacock. Worth mentioning though that in-between the major stops, we did get lots of interesting commentary on the English countryside, and also notably saw two hall horses, and even a bit of a crop circle.
---------
Am really glad I took that break. Eventually anyways. First stopped by a supermarket to pick up some food for dinner. Then headed to one side of the river to find someplace to lounge and picnic. Where I realized that the other side of the river looked much nicer, so went back over the bridge. To find out that the other side was a park with an entrance fee, which would have been fine but it was closing. After that, walked past my hotel thinking maybe the backgarden would do, decided against that as heading in so early felt pathetic, so wandered through the park behind the Holbourne, the Holbourne itself being closed, found nowhere I wanted to linger, so ended up back at my hotel. Which ended up being just what I needed. Got some ice from the lovely staff, then sat in my room for a but checking email and watching TV, notably watching a bit of a documentary on Bath, and a bit if a gameshow on the BBC, about antique experts having to identify stuff.
I'm actually even gladder that I decided to go back out. Right now, am sitting on the terrace of Garfunkels at the Empire, where I have a view of the cathedral, the river, and the far hills. The staff here is lovely - after asking about what exactly Pimm's was, they said it was really hard to describe , though they did mention Jaggermeister, so they made me little one to try. Apparently Pimm's is always served with Sprite, and proper ones, like what I ended up ordering have fruit in them - citrus traditionally, along with strawberries, mint and a bit of cucumber, all fresh to infuse the drink. It tastes a bit like gingerale, and I'm even having the fries I ordered with it with vinegar to up the traditional brittishiness of it all. Despite the fact that I forgot my sweater and it's getting a bit chilly, and I think I ended up spending so much on food that I might aswell have gone to the baths, I remain in a good mood.
So back to the recap, after Avebury, we saw two villages I'll remember mainly for the movies which were filmed there. The first was Lacock, where bits of Harry Potter was filmed. After having lunch first, we walked around the teeny town, seeing sights of historical interest, in addition to Godrics Hollow and Slughorn's house. Well, and Lacock abbey, both historically interesting and the site of lots of bits of the movie. The second was Castlecombe, where they shot Stardust, aswell as other things like a new Steven Spielberg movie. Notably both towns are also featured in a crap load of BBC productions.
They're both so popular with movies, because they look like they're stuck in a timewarp. Take out the cars, cover the pavement and you could be 200 years in the past. No telephone wires, street lamps, satellites, anything. And it all sort if happened by accident. Essentially, when the wool market in the area crashed, development in both places stopped, and the towns were all but abandoned. I might actually look into some of the economic stuff when I get home, given my research interest in the current economic recession.
And that's really most of my day. Overall really enjoyed Bath - the town really does die down in the evening, but also makes it really relaxing. Has finished my fries, and am almost done my drink, so shower, packing and bed before heading on to Exeter in the morning.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Day 3: Bath
Currently on the train to Bath. Atleast I'm almost sure it is - there's a loud group of teenagers ahead of me so I couldn't hear the announcement. It was one thing to come accross kids like this on the tube at night, but it's a bit much on the train at 9am. Admittedly, complaining about the music being too loud makes me feel a bit old and stodgy, but I think my concerns about their drinking (and there's atleast 2 parents with the group too) are well founded, and also supported by considerable amounts of media coverage :p Apparently they're all heading to some music festival somewhere. It must be the season for them - there was one in Pen, near Beaconsfield, where we had dinner last night. We dropped off my mom's friend's daughter - there was a whole camping village set up, which is really ill-advised what with the crap weather here.
Anyways, baring all that have been having a pretty good morning. They let me grab some fruit from the hotel kitchen, since I had to leave before breakfast started. Smooth trip on the tube, though there was initially a bit of confusion given the what train I was supposed to be on - I bonded with a lady also heading to Paddington enroute to heathrow. Only down part was that the Paddington bear store at Paddington station was closed... I would have been all over that :)
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Taking a break in the Regency Tea Room, part of the Jane Austen Centre here in Bath. Haven't actually been through the museum - it seems everything closes early on Sundays, so it was either the museum or tea and I was starving. The scones are yummy - especially paired with cherry jam with port - but the sandwiches all have butter, even the cucumber and cream cheese one tst had a visible layer, which I'm definitely not used to. They offer the jam I like for sale, but delicious as it is it would be crazy to carry jam around Europe. Also worth noting - proper Dorset clotted cream is nothing like what they serve back home. It's much lighter with a hint of sweetness. Yum :)
Overall had a really lovely day - I think it's been properly sunny for the first time since I arrived, which I actually didn't realize until the sun finally came out.
Got to the hotel with out problems. Pulling along my suitcase made it seem like a huge distance, but really the whole of Bath (atleast the central areas most tourists would be interested in) is quite small, but filled with intersting things to see and do.
I arrived at my hotel before my room was ready, so I headed off to the nearby Holburn museum after dropping off my bags. It's a small collection, but really wonderfully curated, including several opportunities to do things like trying to do your own silhouettes. Or in my case - having someone take a picture of the shadow of my head. I also stopped for a pot of tea in their gardens. Meant to have lunch but nothing appealed to me, so I meant to grab something after checking in, but ended up going off to join the free walking tour, and haven't really had a break since.
Anyways, have to finish off my scone and tea. Will properly recap the museum, the awesome free tour I did, along with whatever I end up doing for the evening tonight from the hotel.
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Things really do shut down after 5:30 around a lot of the town. I passed by the cathedral, where I sat in a bit if an informal service, and really the only other thing open (until 10) are the Roman Baths, where I am now. It's actually kind of nice, because maybe I'll finally be able to catch up on my sleep. I'll have to be down for breakfast tomorrow promptly at 8 to make it to my tour.
At the moment I'm just killing some time sitting by the edge of the main bath, waiting for darkness to fall. I highly recommend coming here towards the end of the day. Much emptier, since the people on bus tours are all back in London, but also, they have the main pool lit with torches. They're lit now, but it's too bright out to get the full effect.
An audoguide is part of the admission fee, which is really interesting. The sort of enforced pacing is probably the only reason I've managed to hang around here this long. There are several interesting reconstructions and models along side the artifacts which are really engaging. Another cool bit of the museum is that it includes a glass of water from the spring up in the pump room, which is supposed to be all sorts if good for you, but not particularly appetizing. Still, an excuse to go into the pump room would be nice - it's apparenty been the centre of social life here in bath since Victorian times. Or possibly Georgian times.... I don't remember offhand, though I do recall from my tour earlier that the buildings are all Georgian, in the Palladian style. The pump room apparently does quite a nice tea service, which I'm considering for tomorrow, but the dinner is a bit pricy.
I'm actually kind of hungry, so I don't think I'll wait till full night - which might not hit until the museum practically closes at the rate things are going. To recap my day quickly, the museum was good, apparently featured in the Kiera Knightley movie the Duchess, and I really like how almost every single piece had a detailed descriptive plaque, something that only happens for bigger pieces in more major museums. My favorite pieces was an installation of vases hanging down like a chandelier, and a portrait of Henrietta, who's last name I've forgotten. Apparently she was a fantastic businesswoman, and was the richest spinster in Europe.
The tour of the city was similarly good. Meets out behind the cathedral, which made it kind of hard to find the group initially, since the whole area was filled with various tour groups. It gives you a nice bit of history about the area, and also serves to sort of orient you around the city, so now able to just wander without worrying about getting lost. My fave bit was coming up on the Royal Crescent, a half circle of grand Georgian homes facing a massive park. As we were walking around, music from the bandstand just out of sight filled the entire area. It was so nice I went back there after the Jane Austen Centre. The band had gone, but I had my iPod and just lay on the grass and stretched out for a while which was lovely.
And really, I think that's most of my day here in Bath. Now a few more pics here at the baths, then dinner, then possibly chilling on the chaises in the lounge of the hotel.
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Indeed on the chaise in my hotel. Had two cups of water at the spa, and then managed to find a Thai place by the weir that was still open for dinner.
Also just realized that yesterdays post never went up, so these will both be going up simultaneously.
Anyways, baring all that have been having a pretty good morning. They let me grab some fruit from the hotel kitchen, since I had to leave before breakfast started. Smooth trip on the tube, though there was initially a bit of confusion given the what train I was supposed to be on - I bonded with a lady also heading to Paddington enroute to heathrow. Only down part was that the Paddington bear store at Paddington station was closed... I would have been all over that :)
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Taking a break in the Regency Tea Room, part of the Jane Austen Centre here in Bath. Haven't actually been through the museum - it seems everything closes early on Sundays, so it was either the museum or tea and I was starving. The scones are yummy - especially paired with cherry jam with port - but the sandwiches all have butter, even the cucumber and cream cheese one tst had a visible layer, which I'm definitely not used to. They offer the jam I like for sale, but delicious as it is it would be crazy to carry jam around Europe. Also worth noting - proper Dorset clotted cream is nothing like what they serve back home. It's much lighter with a hint of sweetness. Yum :)
Overall had a really lovely day - I think it's been properly sunny for the first time since I arrived, which I actually didn't realize until the sun finally came out.
Got to the hotel with out problems. Pulling along my suitcase made it seem like a huge distance, but really the whole of Bath (atleast the central areas most tourists would be interested in) is quite small, but filled with intersting things to see and do.
I arrived at my hotel before my room was ready, so I headed off to the nearby Holburn museum after dropping off my bags. It's a small collection, but really wonderfully curated, including several opportunities to do things like trying to do your own silhouettes. Or in my case - having someone take a picture of the shadow of my head. I also stopped for a pot of tea in their gardens. Meant to have lunch but nothing appealed to me, so I meant to grab something after checking in, but ended up going off to join the free walking tour, and haven't really had a break since.
Anyways, have to finish off my scone and tea. Will properly recap the museum, the awesome free tour I did, along with whatever I end up doing for the evening tonight from the hotel.
------
Things really do shut down after 5:30 around a lot of the town. I passed by the cathedral, where I sat in a bit if an informal service, and really the only other thing open (until 10) are the Roman Baths, where I am now. It's actually kind of nice, because maybe I'll finally be able to catch up on my sleep. I'll have to be down for breakfast tomorrow promptly at 8 to make it to my tour.
At the moment I'm just killing some time sitting by the edge of the main bath, waiting for darkness to fall. I highly recommend coming here towards the end of the day. Much emptier, since the people on bus tours are all back in London, but also, they have the main pool lit with torches. They're lit now, but it's too bright out to get the full effect.
An audoguide is part of the admission fee, which is really interesting. The sort of enforced pacing is probably the only reason I've managed to hang around here this long. There are several interesting reconstructions and models along side the artifacts which are really engaging. Another cool bit of the museum is that it includes a glass of water from the spring up in the pump room, which is supposed to be all sorts if good for you, but not particularly appetizing. Still, an excuse to go into the pump room would be nice - it's apparenty been the centre of social life here in bath since Victorian times. Or possibly Georgian times.... I don't remember offhand, though I do recall from my tour earlier that the buildings are all Georgian, in the Palladian style. The pump room apparently does quite a nice tea service, which I'm considering for tomorrow, but the dinner is a bit pricy.
I'm actually kind of hungry, so I don't think I'll wait till full night - which might not hit until the museum practically closes at the rate things are going. To recap my day quickly, the museum was good, apparently featured in the Kiera Knightley movie the Duchess, and I really like how almost every single piece had a detailed descriptive plaque, something that only happens for bigger pieces in more major museums. My favorite pieces was an installation of vases hanging down like a chandelier, and a portrait of Henrietta, who's last name I've forgotten. Apparently she was a fantastic businesswoman, and was the richest spinster in Europe.
The tour of the city was similarly good. Meets out behind the cathedral, which made it kind of hard to find the group initially, since the whole area was filled with various tour groups. It gives you a nice bit of history about the area, and also serves to sort of orient you around the city, so now able to just wander without worrying about getting lost. My fave bit was coming up on the Royal Crescent, a half circle of grand Georgian homes facing a massive park. As we were walking around, music from the bandstand just out of sight filled the entire area. It was so nice I went back there after the Jane Austen Centre. The band had gone, but I had my iPod and just lay on the grass and stretched out for a while which was lovely.
And really, I think that's most of my day here in Bath. Now a few more pics here at the baths, then dinner, then possibly chilling on the chaises in the lounge of the hotel.
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Indeed on the chaise in my hotel. Had two cups of water at the spa, and then managed to find a Thai place by the weir that was still open for dinner.
Also just realized that yesterdays post never went up, so these will both be going up simultaneously.
Day 2: London recap.
Currently on the train, heading to visit a friend of my mother's that lives just outside of London. Thought this would be a good time to blog for a bit, though I'm not sure when this post will actually go up.
London has been really great start to the trip. A bit colder than I expected, but the worst of the weather hit while I was on the train heading out of the
Airport so walking around has been nice.
As I mentioned in my last post, I spent most of my first day in London at the Victoria and Albert museum. The building itself is gorgeous, and makes a beautiful backdrop for all of the exhibits, especially some of their more modern installations like the massive glass sculpture/chandelier in the middle of the main atrium. I highly recommend the courtyard cafe, where I cooled my feet in the fountain after a long day of walking, and also the restaurant. There are these three absolutely gorgeous dining rooms that were apparently the first museum restaurant in the world, where you can enjoy a full meal or just tea and drinks. Sadly, they were out of scones when I got there, but I had a delicious piece of carrot cake with my Earl gray tea. I figure I'll go all out with the high tea thing in Bath.
After that, I walked back accross the park to Oxford street, to look at some of the shops and to pick up something for a friend at Selfridge's. I walked back to Victoria station and then to my hotel from there, which was scenic, at parts takin me along the mall and past Buckingham palace, but ultimately I'll advised, as it was dark, the shops were closed and it took almost an hour. Made it back safe though - the security presence in London is quite high, with lots of police officers on patrol.
More about my hotel - I'm staying at Vandon House, a little hotel near Victoria station. It serves as residence for students from the university of Iowa here in London on exchange, but also functions as a public hotel year round. For the location and price, Id definitely recommend it. The smallest single rooms, like mine, don't have their own bathroom but the shared facilities are good - essentially you get this gigantic bathroom with tub and shower to yourself, and I've never had to wait. Theres also a complimentary breakfast, which is basic, but a good start to the day. There is a bit of the noise issue though. I had a room in the front ofthe hotel, which has a nice view of the street, and at night you could hear people from a nearby bar late into the night, exacerbated no doubt by the fact that I left my window open for a breeze.
Today was quite full of sightseeing. Learned my lesson and bought a daypass for the tube - quite good value, since it was combined with my ticket out to Beaconsfield to visit my mom's friend. Started off with a visit to the Tate Modern, where among other things I saw one of Monet's waterlilies.
On my way out of the museum I walked along the Thames, stopping enroute at the Globe theater and at borough markets near London Bridge. The markets were something of a surprise - soo much good food on offer, especially on the end of the markets nearest to London Bridge station, that I wish I hadn't had lunch somewhere else previously.
After that, hopped back on the tube to go to King's Cross to see platform 9 and 3/4 - oddly no longer between platforms 9 and 10, and overall not that impressive. Just a picture of a brick wall in front of the station with half a baggage cart sticking out of it.
Last sightseeing stop of the day, and I suppose of London, was visiting the Sherlock Holmes museum on baker street - not at 221b, which I think was swallowed by an apartment complex, but still kinda cool. Essentially it's a building done up to look like Sherlock Holme's house, if he were real, with all sorts of neat details from the books. There were also opportunities to pose wearing deer stalker caps and holding a pipe, which was fun. Another cool bit is the letter they have that were written to Sherlock Holmes. Apparently lots of people do, kinda like for Santa. If anyone considers going, be sure to buy tickets in the shop next door before joining the line. I didn't and almost had problems, but luckily the group behind me didn't know either, so held my spot when some of us went to buy tickets.
And that's pretty much it for London. Just dinner in Beaconsfield tonight, then an early morning connection tomorrow from Victoria Station near my hotel to Paddington where I catch the train to Bath.
London has been really great start to the trip. A bit colder than I expected, but the worst of the weather hit while I was on the train heading out of the
Airport so walking around has been nice.
As I mentioned in my last post, I spent most of my first day in London at the Victoria and Albert museum. The building itself is gorgeous, and makes a beautiful backdrop for all of the exhibits, especially some of their more modern installations like the massive glass sculpture/chandelier in the middle of the main atrium. I highly recommend the courtyard cafe, where I cooled my feet in the fountain after a long day of walking, and also the restaurant. There are these three absolutely gorgeous dining rooms that were apparently the first museum restaurant in the world, where you can enjoy a full meal or just tea and drinks. Sadly, they were out of scones when I got there, but I had a delicious piece of carrot cake with my Earl gray tea. I figure I'll go all out with the high tea thing in Bath.
After that, I walked back accross the park to Oxford street, to look at some of the shops and to pick up something for a friend at Selfridge's. I walked back to Victoria station and then to my hotel from there, which was scenic, at parts takin me along the mall and past Buckingham palace, but ultimately I'll advised, as it was dark, the shops were closed and it took almost an hour. Made it back safe though - the security presence in London is quite high, with lots of police officers on patrol.
More about my hotel - I'm staying at Vandon House, a little hotel near Victoria station. It serves as residence for students from the university of Iowa here in London on exchange, but also functions as a public hotel year round. For the location and price, Id definitely recommend it. The smallest single rooms, like mine, don't have their own bathroom but the shared facilities are good - essentially you get this gigantic bathroom with tub and shower to yourself, and I've never had to wait. Theres also a complimentary breakfast, which is basic, but a good start to the day. There is a bit of the noise issue though. I had a room in the front ofthe hotel, which has a nice view of the street, and at night you could hear people from a nearby bar late into the night, exacerbated no doubt by the fact that I left my window open for a breeze.
Today was quite full of sightseeing. Learned my lesson and bought a daypass for the tube - quite good value, since it was combined with my ticket out to Beaconsfield to visit my mom's friend. Started off with a visit to the Tate Modern, where among other things I saw one of Monet's waterlilies.
On my way out of the museum I walked along the Thames, stopping enroute at the Globe theater and at borough markets near London Bridge. The markets were something of a surprise - soo much good food on offer, especially on the end of the markets nearest to London Bridge station, that I wish I hadn't had lunch somewhere else previously.
After that, hopped back on the tube to go to King's Cross to see platform 9 and 3/4 - oddly no longer between platforms 9 and 10, and overall not that impressive. Just a picture of a brick wall in front of the station with half a baggage cart sticking out of it.
Last sightseeing stop of the day, and I suppose of London, was visiting the Sherlock Holmes museum on baker street - not at 221b, which I think was swallowed by an apartment complex, but still kinda cool. Essentially it's a building done up to look like Sherlock Holme's house, if he were real, with all sorts of neat details from the books. There were also opportunities to pose wearing deer stalker caps and holding a pipe, which was fun. Another cool bit is the letter they have that were written to Sherlock Holmes. Apparently lots of people do, kinda like for Santa. If anyone considers going, be sure to buy tickets in the shop next door before joining the line. I didn't and almost had problems, but luckily the group behind me didn't know either, so held my spot when some of us went to buy tickets.
And that's pretty much it for London. Just dinner in Beaconsfield tonight, then an early morning connection tomorrow from Victoria Station near my hotel to Paddington where I catch the train to Bath.
Friday, July 8, 2011
England and Germany day 1: quick post from the V &A in London
Unexpectedly have free wifi, so thought I'd do a quick post to start off this trip. Its acutelly a pity i didnt find out sbout the free wifi here at the Victoria and Albert museum while i was relaxing and having some tea, where I would have had more time to write. Anyways, over the next three weeks or so, I'll be visiting bits of England and Germany, starting off with two days in London.
It's been pretty packed so far - figured out how to et to my hotel, got a cell phone, crossed two parks and visited two museums (entrance to a bunch of them here in London - including my newly beloved V & A, which I'll write more about later - is free, so there's tones to see even if you're on a budget). Also, I lucked out being here on a Friday, with the museum ring open till 9.
Right now just quickly resting my feet and plotting a route to take me accross to Oxford street to look at the shops and possibly have dinner, before heading back to the hotel at a reasonable hour. On the one hand it's Friday night, but on the other, I haven't slept in over 24 hours, and still have three weeks of jetting about ahead of me....
More later :)
It's been pretty packed so far - figured out how to et to my hotel, got a cell phone, crossed two parks and visited two museums (entrance to a bunch of them here in London - including my newly beloved V & A, which I'll write more about later - is free, so there's tones to see even if you're on a budget). Also, I lucked out being here on a Friday, with the museum ring open till 9.
Right now just quickly resting my feet and plotting a route to take me accross to Oxford street to look at the shops and possibly have dinner, before heading back to the hotel at a reasonable hour. On the one hand it's Friday night, but on the other, I haven't slept in over 24 hours, and still have three weeks of jetting about ahead of me....
More later :)
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Day 14: The lounges at HKIA
I know I've mentioned this before, but I really, really like travelling with lounge access. Having to wait outside while waiting for the lounges to open really highlighted the difference - sitting near the food court (which was atleast open), having to deal with annoying noises, and people constantly walking past so you can't even properly rest. I was sooo tempted to just order something to eat. Not really because of hunger (those sandwhiches were surprisingly yummy) but because of sheer boredom. Atleast I was cozy wearing my little wrap/cape.
I'm super glad I held out in terms of ordering something to eat, because the food here in the lounge is fantastic. I'm currently in the Cabin Lounge, which is sort of in the middle of the terminal. My flight doesn't have a gate yet, so I figured centrally located was the way to go. Anyways, foodwise, I started off with having a breakfast shake made of banana, chocolate, milk and espresso, and then ordered a freshly made panini with eggs, tomatoes, bacon and cheese. So far I've also had a yogurt, some fresh fruit, and fresh guava juice. I'm considering going up for more, but I think I'd better pace myself, since I have a few hours to go here before I start lounge hopping - I spent some time in the Pier lounge, but I haven't been to the Wing yet. I might even take a quick shower :) Though I am enjoying lounging in this ergonomically designed Solus chair, complete with a little table, and an outlet. It's pretty much a self-contained little pod :)
Anyways, I should get back to work - have some writing to get done now, before I let myself explore the rest of the lounge. Apparently there's a tech zone where I can borrow an ipad.
I'm super glad I held out in terms of ordering something to eat, because the food here in the lounge is fantastic. I'm currently in the Cabin Lounge, which is sort of in the middle of the terminal. My flight doesn't have a gate yet, so I figured centrally located was the way to go. Anyways, foodwise, I started off with having a breakfast shake made of banana, chocolate, milk and espresso, and then ordered a freshly made panini with eggs, tomatoes, bacon and cheese. So far I've also had a yogurt, some fresh fruit, and fresh guava juice. I'm considering going up for more, but I think I'd better pace myself, since I have a few hours to go here before I start lounge hopping - I spent some time in the Pier lounge, but I haven't been to the Wing yet. I might even take a quick shower :) Though I am enjoying lounging in this ergonomically designed Solus chair, complete with a little table, and an outlet. It's pretty much a self-contained little pod :)
Anyways, I should get back to work - have some writing to get done now, before I let myself explore the rest of the lounge. Apparently there's a tech zone where I can borrow an ipad.
Day 13: Singapore trip recap
Day 13: Singapore trip recap.
Currently on the plane to HK, where I stop for a few hours enroute to Toronto. I can't believe this trip went by so quickly. On the one hand, it feels like all I did was lounge about in B's hotel, wander malls, and eat out, but sitting down now to blog about everything I haven't written about yet, I realize how much I've gotten done on this trip.
Anyways, I think I left off blogging on Saturday 4 days ago, when Barbs friends were still with us. It wound up being a pretty chill day - we went to breakfast at Takashimaya, where among other things we enjoyed banana prata (a freshly made roti filled with bananas then fried) and kaya French toast (kaya being yummy coconut custard spread), which might be some of my favourite foods in Singapore, along with laksa. After a bit of wandering around we headed back to the hotel to rest up, we went to a fish spa at Kenko reflexology near the hotel. It was my second time, having gone the last time I was in Singapore, and it was kind of fun watching people try it for the first time. After getting your feet washed, you basically stick your legs into one of three pools, filled with different types of fish that way dead skin - one with really gentle little fish, one with these little aggressive ones (who provide the most exfoliation and are thus my fave), and then this pool with comparatively massive fish that creep me out. At the end of it, I think my feet felt softer, but I didn't check them before hand so it's hard to tell. They certainly look fabulous now, but that's more because they're freshly pedicured :)
Anyways, after that, B's friends headed out to the airport and B and I did tea at TWG at the ION Orchard. The coconut tea that I had was delicious, but the service was atrocious, to the point that I filed a complaint.
The next day B and I went to Sentosa to enjoy the beaches, since we weren't able to book a trip out of the country. We left the planning kind of late, which normally would have been ok, but everything was fully booked because since it was a holiday weekend (Vesak day). The beaches at Sentosa were pretty nice - super clean, accessible by MRT and then a shuttle, and pretty spacious. Some of them have weird views of the container ships going past into the harbour, but B and I went to this little cove where the beach faced the supposed southern most point of continental Asia.
Monday and Tuesday were pretty chill. Monday we met with B's realtor. Her name is Caron, and she's awesome - though the market here is messed up. It's insanely expensive, and also moves super quickly. We also visited Little India stopping by Mustafa's, this massive store complex. It sells pretty much everything and has awesome bargains, and is particularly well known for it's tech stuff. We had dinner with our cousin at a mall nearby where we ate at this Japanese/Italian place (as in a Japanese interpretation of Italian food) that I loved because it had refillable coke, in addition to an all you can drink coffee station.
Tuesday, B and I checked put the high tea at the Rose Veranda at the Shangrila, which was fantastic and more than made up for our crappy experience at TWG. They even served TWG teas - not the coconut one i liked, but there were 128 other teas yo choose from. There are two prices - for about 40 you just choose one tea to enjoy, and then for an extra 10 you can try as many of the teas as you want. They bring the tea to you perfectly brewed and strained, either hot in a pot, or iced in this massive glass.
It was one of those all you can eat tea buffets, and had sooo much good food. My faves were this shrimp and avocado salad served in cocktail glasses, the yummy roast beef, and the entirety of the dessert bar, especially the yummy scones and the chocolate fountain. Ooo, and the bread pudding.
B went back to work, then we met back up for a quick dinner at Orchard before checking out chinatown - which interestingly includes the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. I was hoping to catch some Vesak day celebrations, but apparently they all mainly happen in the morning.
Today we met with B's realtor again in the morning, and ended up closing on a place before lunch. Though finding a place to live while I was still around to help with the decision and also to figure out what would need to be shipped from Canada was always the plan, it seems incredible that we actually did it. Especially since all the action pretty much happened at the very last minute.
Anyways, those are pretty much the highlights of the past few days. All that's left of my trip now is a few hours in the Hong Kong airport, where I'll try to get the papers I've been meaning to do all week done, and then the final stretch home. Fingers crossed for another upgrade :)
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Posting from HKIA. All three lounges are closed till later in the morning, but I managed to catch one that still had staff in it, and they packed me a little snack bag to tide me over. And there's a new mcCafe that's opened since last summer that's still open.
Currently on the plane to HK, where I stop for a few hours enroute to Toronto. I can't believe this trip went by so quickly. On the one hand, it feels like all I did was lounge about in B's hotel, wander malls, and eat out, but sitting down now to blog about everything I haven't written about yet, I realize how much I've gotten done on this trip.
Anyways, I think I left off blogging on Saturday 4 days ago, when Barbs friends were still with us. It wound up being a pretty chill day - we went to breakfast at Takashimaya, where among other things we enjoyed banana prata (a freshly made roti filled with bananas then fried) and kaya French toast (kaya being yummy coconut custard spread), which might be some of my favourite foods in Singapore, along with laksa. After a bit of wandering around we headed back to the hotel to rest up, we went to a fish spa at Kenko reflexology near the hotel. It was my second time, having gone the last time I was in Singapore, and it was kind of fun watching people try it for the first time. After getting your feet washed, you basically stick your legs into one of three pools, filled with different types of fish that way dead skin - one with really gentle little fish, one with these little aggressive ones (who provide the most exfoliation and are thus my fave), and then this pool with comparatively massive fish that creep me out. At the end of it, I think my feet felt softer, but I didn't check them before hand so it's hard to tell. They certainly look fabulous now, but that's more because they're freshly pedicured :)
Anyways, after that, B's friends headed out to the airport and B and I did tea at TWG at the ION Orchard. The coconut tea that I had was delicious, but the service was atrocious, to the point that I filed a complaint.
The next day B and I went to Sentosa to enjoy the beaches, since we weren't able to book a trip out of the country. We left the planning kind of late, which normally would have been ok, but everything was fully booked because since it was a holiday weekend (Vesak day). The beaches at Sentosa were pretty nice - super clean, accessible by MRT and then a shuttle, and pretty spacious. Some of them have weird views of the container ships going past into the harbour, but B and I went to this little cove where the beach faced the supposed southern most point of continental Asia.
Monday and Tuesday were pretty chill. Monday we met with B's realtor. Her name is Caron, and she's awesome - though the market here is messed up. It's insanely expensive, and also moves super quickly. We also visited Little India stopping by Mustafa's, this massive store complex. It sells pretty much everything and has awesome bargains, and is particularly well known for it's tech stuff. We had dinner with our cousin at a mall nearby where we ate at this Japanese/Italian place (as in a Japanese interpretation of Italian food) that I loved because it had refillable coke, in addition to an all you can drink coffee station.
Tuesday, B and I checked put the high tea at the Rose Veranda at the Shangrila, which was fantastic and more than made up for our crappy experience at TWG. They even served TWG teas - not the coconut one i liked, but there were 128 other teas yo choose from. There are two prices - for about 40 you just choose one tea to enjoy, and then for an extra 10 you can try as many of the teas as you want. They bring the tea to you perfectly brewed and strained, either hot in a pot, or iced in this massive glass.
It was one of those all you can eat tea buffets, and had sooo much good food. My faves were this shrimp and avocado salad served in cocktail glasses, the yummy roast beef, and the entirety of the dessert bar, especially the yummy scones and the chocolate fountain. Ooo, and the bread pudding.
B went back to work, then we met back up for a quick dinner at Orchard before checking out chinatown - which interestingly includes the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore. I was hoping to catch some Vesak day celebrations, but apparently they all mainly happen in the morning.
Today we met with B's realtor again in the morning, and ended up closing on a place before lunch. Though finding a place to live while I was still around to help with the decision and also to figure out what would need to be shipped from Canada was always the plan, it seems incredible that we actually did it. Especially since all the action pretty much happened at the very last minute.
Anyways, those are pretty much the highlights of the past few days. All that's left of my trip now is a few hours in the Hong Kong airport, where I'll try to get the papers I've been meaning to do all week done, and then the final stretch home. Fingers crossed for another upgrade :)
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Posting from HKIA. All three lounges are closed till later in the morning, but I managed to catch one that still had staff in it, and they packed me a little snack bag to tide me over. And there's a new mcCafe that's opened since last summer that's still open.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Day 7 - 9: Take Jo to work day, fun times with friends, and early morning start.
Currently sitting in B's room. Luckily there's a tv in here. And my laptop. Because B's friends are still sleeping outside, so we're in here for a little while... which is a long story, so I'll start at the beginning.
Anyways, starting back two days ago on Thursday, I went with B to work at Millenia Towers. Or really outside her work. It's actually a super easy trip, especially in the morning, where there's a shuttle straight from the hotel. While B went to work, I spent the morning in the starbucks near her office finally getting some of my work finished. Starbucks here is really pricy, though they do have a yummy eggwhite breakfast wrap. Also, the service is really good - they even have this wall with pictures of regular customers which really makes me wish I was going to be here longer. Oh, though the one down side is that the menu is identical to the one at home, so no special regional flavours to enjoy.
B would come down for a coffee break, and then at lunch we transferred over to a Mc Donalds at Suntec. Which was cool for two reasons - firstly, again, really good service. And truly fantastic McCafe options, complete with table service. Secondly - I recognized the mall from my last trip - It's actually where I had my first meal when I was here in Singapore the first time around, and the first time I saw the crowds of expat banking types all over the place and thought that this would be a good place for B. The fact that it could actually have been Barbs current coworkers there is totally evidence of my psychic powers :)
The rest of the day was really chill. Another afternoon coffee break with B (again at McDonalds - though I didnt just sit there all afternoon, having wandered the malls for awhile :p ) and then a chill night at the appartment with some take out we picked up on our way home from the MRT. We had been thinking of gogin to the Mustafa centre which came highly recommended - but we were kinda tired, and apparently its mainly known for its electronics and there wasnt really anything we needed.
Yesterday, Friday, was a super long day, and the beginning of the story I brought up at the beginning. We start off the day with an early morning trip to the airport, to meet one of B's friends from the airport who was travelling South East Asia with some of her friends. They were here in Singapore on a long stopover enroute to Thailand. It was kinda fun, because Barbs had the day off, and we hadn't yet had time to do the tourist thing. We spent most of the day wandering downtown near the waterfront, checking out the merlion statue (currently surrounded by a hotel room for an art exhibit), the fullerton, Clarke Quay and some of the other sights. We also ate at both Subway and McDonalds, for a western break to their palate. Apparently Indian food, having just come from Kerala, though good, is heavily spiced and they needed a break for their palate.
Anyways, we split up in the afternoon with them heading off to the airport, and Barbs and I to get home and get ready to meet one of my friends for dinner. Which is where the story gets interesting - apparently 2 of Barbs friends (luckily the ones she's closest to) got their departure wrong, and are in fact leaving for Thailand today. What follows is a complicated series of events, including a suepr long taxi ride to the mrt, B and I splitting up, Barbs friends getting lost heading to the hotel, and me and my friend killing time before dinner at Raffles Place (yet another mall). Anyways, it ended with a chill dinner with my friend at a cantonese restaurant, who is Singaporean but who did her undergrad with me in Toronto, followed by super yummy desserts at a chocolate place, aswell as a late snack at a kaya toast place - something that I had been wanting to try as its a very singaporean dish, but haven't been sure how to order. Which is really one of the fun parts of having a Singaporean friend :)
So right now, still sitting in our hotel room, as B's friends are still sleeping outside. Luckily, B and I's travel plans fell through, as absolutely everywhere is fully booked - Apparently Tuesday coming up is Vesak day, a Buddhist holiday, so it's a super busy holiday weekend. The plan for the day is to chill out at Sentosa, where the money we would have spent leaving the country will go pretty far in getting me chill spa stuff. Next time I visit we'll plan a proper spree in the surrounding countries - Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia... :) It's going to be fun.
Anyways, getting hungry so am going to leave the room now... more later.
Anyways, starting back two days ago on Thursday, I went with B to work at Millenia Towers. Or really outside her work. It's actually a super easy trip, especially in the morning, where there's a shuttle straight from the hotel. While B went to work, I spent the morning in the starbucks near her office finally getting some of my work finished. Starbucks here is really pricy, though they do have a yummy eggwhite breakfast wrap. Also, the service is really good - they even have this wall with pictures of regular customers which really makes me wish I was going to be here longer. Oh, though the one down side is that the menu is identical to the one at home, so no special regional flavours to enjoy.
B would come down for a coffee break, and then at lunch we transferred over to a Mc Donalds at Suntec. Which was cool for two reasons - firstly, again, really good service. And truly fantastic McCafe options, complete with table service. Secondly - I recognized the mall from my last trip - It's actually where I had my first meal when I was here in Singapore the first time around, and the first time I saw the crowds of expat banking types all over the place and thought that this would be a good place for B. The fact that it could actually have been Barbs current coworkers there is totally evidence of my psychic powers :)
The rest of the day was really chill. Another afternoon coffee break with B (again at McDonalds - though I didnt just sit there all afternoon, having wandered the malls for awhile :p ) and then a chill night at the appartment with some take out we picked up on our way home from the MRT. We had been thinking of gogin to the Mustafa centre which came highly recommended - but we were kinda tired, and apparently its mainly known for its electronics and there wasnt really anything we needed.
Yesterday, Friday, was a super long day, and the beginning of the story I brought up at the beginning. We start off the day with an early morning trip to the airport, to meet one of B's friends from the airport who was travelling South East Asia with some of her friends. They were here in Singapore on a long stopover enroute to Thailand. It was kinda fun, because Barbs had the day off, and we hadn't yet had time to do the tourist thing. We spent most of the day wandering downtown near the waterfront, checking out the merlion statue (currently surrounded by a hotel room for an art exhibit), the fullerton, Clarke Quay and some of the other sights. We also ate at both Subway and McDonalds, for a western break to their palate. Apparently Indian food, having just come from Kerala, though good, is heavily spiced and they needed a break for their palate.
Anyways, we split up in the afternoon with them heading off to the airport, and Barbs and I to get home and get ready to meet one of my friends for dinner. Which is where the story gets interesting - apparently 2 of Barbs friends (luckily the ones she's closest to) got their departure wrong, and are in fact leaving for Thailand today. What follows is a complicated series of events, including a suepr long taxi ride to the mrt, B and I splitting up, Barbs friends getting lost heading to the hotel, and me and my friend killing time before dinner at Raffles Place (yet another mall). Anyways, it ended with a chill dinner with my friend at a cantonese restaurant, who is Singaporean but who did her undergrad with me in Toronto, followed by super yummy desserts at a chocolate place, aswell as a late snack at a kaya toast place - something that I had been wanting to try as its a very singaporean dish, but haven't been sure how to order. Which is really one of the fun parts of having a Singaporean friend :)
So right now, still sitting in our hotel room, as B's friends are still sleeping outside. Luckily, B and I's travel plans fell through, as absolutely everywhere is fully booked - Apparently Tuesday coming up is Vesak day, a Buddhist holiday, so it's a super busy holiday weekend. The plan for the day is to chill out at Sentosa, where the money we would have spent leaving the country will go pretty far in getting me chill spa stuff. Next time I visit we'll plan a proper spree in the surrounding countries - Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia... :) It's going to be fun.
Anyways, getting hungry so am going to leave the room now... more later.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Day 4: The trip so far - shopping and eating :)
Day 4: Shopping and eating in Singapore
Haven't really been in the mood to blog that much this trip. Not because I'm so busy doing things, but because my time so far has been rather uneventful. Partly, because I did all the main sights last time I was here in Singspore, and I'm really not used to spending so much time in one city. That's not to say of course that I haven't been having a fabulous time - most of what there is to do here is shopping and eating, which are two of my favourite things :)
My sister picked me up st the airport just past midnight saturday morning, and we taxid over to the Shangrila Appartments, where she's staying. Its really nice, the notable highlights being a pool I haven't tried out yet, and a fancy espresso machine in the business centre which I go down to use several times a day. Well, usually twice - once for breakfast, and once for after dinner.
After resting up for a few hours, I ended up spending my first two days catching up with some of our contacts here, in between resting and getting through the hunger games trilogy. Saturday, we met up with my cousins husband, having yummy prawns at a restaurant in Clarke Quay, and then picking up take out at hawker stalls to have for a chill dinner at my sisters place - the best part being the fruit salad. Basically you go to these fruit stands where you choose the fruits you want and they chop it up into a salad for you. It's delicious, and super cheap, partly because yummy tropical fruits are local and thus super cheap. You can also get various fresh squeezed juices. Oh, and I also picked up a new unlocked phone to use while traveling. The other unlocked phone I had been using was only dual band, which is fine while I'm going around most of asia, but would have problems when I take it to Europe this summer.
Sunday, Barbs and I meeting up with one if her work friends who had similarly transferred from Toronto to Singapore. We headed over to Toa Payoh, where she lives and wandered the markets and parks before having lunch at this Chinese restaurant in the middle of the gardens. It was an intersting look at a more typical Singaporean lifestyle, rather than the isolated bubble some expats live in.
Ny sister headed back to work today, so I've spent mist of the day relaxing on my own, though she did come back for lunch and to supervise the delivery of one of her shipments of furniturethPerhaps from back home.
Besides eating, and wandering the many malls on Orchard Road, one of the things I'm looking forward tinin this trip is going out for tea. Perhaps not surprising given the British and Chinese influence here, there's a rather strong tea culture, and high tea is really popular. It actually what I'm doing right now at a cafe near my sisters apartment called TCC - standing for either The Connoisseurs Concerto, or The Coffee Conoisseurs. There are signs saying both. It seems to be a rather popular chain here, best known for their coffee, which is what I'm actually enjoying with my high tea set. There's actually a rather long list of tea places I want to try while I'm here, which will give me something to do while my sister is at work. My set included 2 little sandwhiches, 2 scones with clotted cream snd starberry jam and two litle desserts. It's really good value for just over 10CAD.
Anyways, should probably focus on eating my food and coffee before it gets cold - will try to write more soon. Plans for the week include viewing some condos, and a possible weekend trip to either Malaysia or Indonesia which should be fun.
Haven't really been in the mood to blog that much this trip. Not because I'm so busy doing things, but because my time so far has been rather uneventful. Partly, because I did all the main sights last time I was here in Singspore, and I'm really not used to spending so much time in one city. That's not to say of course that I haven't been having a fabulous time - most of what there is to do here is shopping and eating, which are two of my favourite things :)
My sister picked me up st the airport just past midnight saturday morning, and we taxid over to the Shangrila Appartments, where she's staying. Its really nice, the notable highlights being a pool I haven't tried out yet, and a fancy espresso machine in the business centre which I go down to use several times a day. Well, usually twice - once for breakfast, and once for after dinner.
After resting up for a few hours, I ended up spending my first two days catching up with some of our contacts here, in between resting and getting through the hunger games trilogy. Saturday, we met up with my cousins husband, having yummy prawns at a restaurant in Clarke Quay, and then picking up take out at hawker stalls to have for a chill dinner at my sisters place - the best part being the fruit salad. Basically you go to these fruit stands where you choose the fruits you want and they chop it up into a salad for you. It's delicious, and super cheap, partly because yummy tropical fruits are local and thus super cheap. You can also get various fresh squeezed juices. Oh, and I also picked up a new unlocked phone to use while traveling. The other unlocked phone I had been using was only dual band, which is fine while I'm going around most of asia, but would have problems when I take it to Europe this summer.
Sunday, Barbs and I meeting up with one if her work friends who had similarly transferred from Toronto to Singapore. We headed over to Toa Payoh, where she lives and wandered the markets and parks before having lunch at this Chinese restaurant in the middle of the gardens. It was an intersting look at a more typical Singaporean lifestyle, rather than the isolated bubble some expats live in.
Ny sister headed back to work today, so I've spent mist of the day relaxing on my own, though she did come back for lunch and to supervise the delivery of one of her shipments of furniturethPerhaps from back home.
Besides eating, and wandering the many malls on Orchard Road, one of the things I'm looking forward tinin this trip is going out for tea. Perhaps not surprising given the British and Chinese influence here, there's a rather strong tea culture, and high tea is really popular. It actually what I'm doing right now at a cafe near my sisters apartment called TCC - standing for either The Connoisseurs Concerto, or The Coffee Conoisseurs. There are signs saying both. It seems to be a rather popular chain here, best known for their coffee, which is what I'm actually enjoying with my high tea set. There's actually a rather long list of tea places I want to try while I'm here, which will give me something to do while my sister is at work. My set included 2 little sandwhiches, 2 scones with clotted cream snd starberry jam and two litle desserts. It's really good value for just over 10CAD.
Anyways, should probably focus on eating my food and coffee before it gets cold - will try to write more soon. Plans for the week include viewing some condos, and a possible weekend trip to either Malaysia or Indonesia which should be fun.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Day 1: Singapore Bound!
Singapore Bound!!!
This trip is off to a really good start. First a relaxed morning, running some last minute errands and packing, which all went so smoothly I kept thinking I was forgetting something. And then got a ride to the airport with a friend, stopping for lunch together on the way.
As some of you know, one of the reasons I was looking forward to this trip was to use my frequent flyer silver status card before it expired, earned after flying so much last summer. The premium service started with the super speedy checkin process, but what I was really excited about was getting lounge access. I was all set to write about how lovely it is waiting for your flight in a lounge - and it is, what with drinks, and coffee and dimsum (afterall, I am on a flight to Asia). In fact I was so busy trying to take it all in that I didn't have time to blog about it. But really, it all pales in comparison to unexpectedly being upgraded to business class!
I've been upgraded before, but never on one of my long haul flights to Asia. I remember walking past these seats with envy last summer. They're like little private pods that turn into beds. It's kind of awesome. And yay for the service! Champagne and fresh squeezed orange juice while waiting. And I'll finally get to try that cool cocktail with rose petals in it that I kept seeing last summer.
On the down side - no less than three of the dishes on the fancy menu I just received have mango. Including the yummy sounding desserts. Grr to food allergies.
Anyways, should get started on getting to use all the cool features in my little pod. Starting eith checking out the contents of my Agnes B travel case.
-----------
Mini update from the plane. Still six hours to go before Hong Kong. I'm really enjoying the service. The food has been awesome - grilled beef tenderloin, followed by a cheesecake ( specially plated with no mango sauce), pasta with ratatouille. Currently enjoying Haagen Dazs and a cappucino, having just finished a mimosa made with fresh squeezed orange juice.
The pod has also been great - I laid down for awhile between meals just because I could. Though admittedly it was 8 hours into the flight before I discovered I had arm rests :) They've dimmed the lights again now that the second meal service is over, so I might try napping again in between movies. I've already seen most of the ones I'm interested in, but I'm enjoying the big screen and fancy head phones.
--------------
Quickie posting from HK lounge - one of three I have access to here, but sadly no time to explore. In fact, barely enough time to post and then finish my soup and drinks before I have to go line up to board. No worries though - I have hours here on my way home :)
This trip is off to a really good start. First a relaxed morning, running some last minute errands and packing, which all went so smoothly I kept thinking I was forgetting something. And then got a ride to the airport with a friend, stopping for lunch together on the way.
As some of you know, one of the reasons I was looking forward to this trip was to use my frequent flyer silver status card before it expired, earned after flying so much last summer. The premium service started with the super speedy checkin process, but what I was really excited about was getting lounge access. I was all set to write about how lovely it is waiting for your flight in a lounge - and it is, what with drinks, and coffee and dimsum (afterall, I am on a flight to Asia). In fact I was so busy trying to take it all in that I didn't have time to blog about it. But really, it all pales in comparison to unexpectedly being upgraded to business class!
I've been upgraded before, but never on one of my long haul flights to Asia. I remember walking past these seats with envy last summer. They're like little private pods that turn into beds. It's kind of awesome. And yay for the service! Champagne and fresh squeezed orange juice while waiting. And I'll finally get to try that cool cocktail with rose petals in it that I kept seeing last summer.
On the down side - no less than three of the dishes on the fancy menu I just received have mango. Including the yummy sounding desserts. Grr to food allergies.
Anyways, should get started on getting to use all the cool features in my little pod. Starting eith checking out the contents of my Agnes B travel case.
-----------
Mini update from the plane. Still six hours to go before Hong Kong. I'm really enjoying the service. The food has been awesome - grilled beef tenderloin, followed by a cheesecake ( specially plated with no mango sauce), pasta with ratatouille. Currently enjoying Haagen Dazs and a cappucino, having just finished a mimosa made with fresh squeezed orange juice.
The pod has also been great - I laid down for awhile between meals just because I could. Though admittedly it was 8 hours into the flight before I discovered I had arm rests :) They've dimmed the lights again now that the second meal service is over, so I might try napping again in between movies. I've already seen most of the ones I'm interested in, but I'm enjoying the big screen and fancy head phones.
--------------
Quickie posting from HK lounge - one of three I have access to here, but sadly no time to explore. In fact, barely enough time to post and then finish my soup and drinks before I have to go line up to board. No worries though - I have hours here on my way home :)
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