jeanette's photoblog :D

Days 3 and 4 in Paris

2006-07-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

And so, Paris marks the end of my life as an exchange student, cos after Paris I leave for Copenhagen then Singapore immediately. Much as I miss home, the familiarity of Singapore, part of me wants to stay in Copenhagen... the place I have called home for 6 months... I miss the weather, the friends, my hall and even Netto or Fotex. :

Photo taken on board the TG flight from Copenhagen to Singapore. Sigh.

Disneyland has 2 major parks one is the Disney Park itself with all the rides and all, and the other is the Walt Disney Studios which gives you an insight of how films are produced and stuff... One day for both parks is simply insufficient time!!

2006-07-04T07:03:00.000-07:00

Paris Disneyland was like a fantasy come alive. With games, rides, stuffed characters of lifesize... It is every kid's dream come true to enter Disneyland I;m sure.

2006-07-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

the famous Basilica of Sacre Coeur meaning Basillica of the Sacred Heart... A Roman Catholic church built in 1870 after the Franco Prussia War, and is still in use till today...

2006-07-04T06:53:00.000-07:00

view from the sacre coeur. breathtaking!

2006-07-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

our last dinner in paris. ate at a cafe in the montmatre region (a.k.a village paris) where the sacre coeur was located. just some shots of the entree. mum had salad with eggs. aunt had cold cut meat and i had smoked herring.

2006-07-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

The pigalle metro station, which is the one nearest to our hotel.

2006-07-04T06:26:00.000-07:00

Outside the Musee d Orsay where we had to change form the metro line to the RER C line. What happened as a French guy volunteering to help us take a photo became a 'group' picture for the film they were making starring Brad Pitt (or so they say)

2006-07-04T06:20:00.000-07:00

the little door through which Queen Marie Antoinette escaped the bloodthirsty mob during the french revolution...

2006-07-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

beautifully landscaped!!!!!

2006-07-04T06:18:00.001-07:00

the beautiful versailles garden.

2006-07-04T06:18:00.000-07:00

some random shots of versailles. the queue to get into versailles was ridiculously long/ construction works at the big square just outside the palace/ somemoreshots of the right wing of the palace/ the chapel in versailles palace.

Day 2 in Paris :)

2006-06-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

Began our day 2 in Paris after a hearty breakfast by taking the M2 line from Pigalle to Charles de Gaulle Etoille. Started at the Arc de Triomphe, walked the Champs Elysee, took a quick tour round the Petit Palais, Place de la Concorde, walked through the Tuileries Garden to access the Lourve before heading to the Eiffel Tower. Phew! What an exhausting day of sightseeing.

The famous Arc de Triomphe which stands at over 51 metres. Was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte after his victory at Austerlitz.

2006-06-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

Architecture on the inside of the Arc.

2006-06-27T20:16:00.001-07:00

Close up of one of the sides of the Arc.

2006-06-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

Walked along the Champs Elysee stretch, which starts at the Arc de Triomphe and ends at the square, Place de la Concorde. Noted for being an exclusive shopping stretch with brands like Mercedes, Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Prada, blah blah blah...

2006-06-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Visited the Petit Palais which is near the Champs Elysee stretch. It is a museum which houses collections of medieval and Renaissance paintings, with a lovely facade that echoes the architecture of the Grand Palais opposite. The grand palais was under renovation works at the time we were there :(

2006-06-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

Place de la Concorde. Pity the picture was tarnished by ongoing renovation works. This place was famous as the site where King Louis XIV, his wife Queen Marie Antoinette and some 1300 others were put to the guilottine during the French Revolution. Now it is a major square with busy ongoing traffic and is located at the end of Champs Elysee.

2006-06-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

The famous Lourve Museum which houses world renowned pieces of art including the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci and the Venus de Milo statue.

2006-06-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm actually seeing the Eiffel Tower in person. :D

2006-06-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

On our way to the Eiffel Tower from the the bus stop after taking bus number 69 from the Lourve Museum.

2006-06-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Another magnificent building I spotted from on top the Eiffel Tower.

2006-06-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

View from atop the Eiffel Tower. Can you see the contrast between the darkness and brightness on the land?

Day 1 in Paris

2006-06-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

After bringing my mum and aunt around in Copenhagen, left for Paris on the 20th of June via Air France - expected the service to be better, but I guess a safe flight was most important!! Reached the Terminal 2D in Charles de Gaulle Airport, and took the RER B Train to Gare Du Nord Station before transfering to the Metro 2 to Pigalle Station, metro station nearest our hotel.

Our hotel in Paris - The Grand Turin Hotel. Interestingly, our hotel was located near the red light district of Pigalle... : But, besides the initial shock of the location of our hotel,great breakfast, nice little quaint buildings, and clean sheets...

2006-06-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

The famous South Rose Window of the Notre Dame.

2006-06-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

One of Paris famous landmark the Notre Dame. Beautiful gothic chapel with intricate stained glass and architectural designs. Althought a major tourist attraction, it is still used as a Roman Catholic church...

2006-06-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Palais de la Justice which is the Paris Hall of Justice, located in between the La Conciergerie and Sainte Chapelle.

2006-06-26T19:43:00.001-07:00

La Conciegerie - A palace then a prison during the french revolution.

2006-06-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

Lunch - Crepes with beef and cheese.

2006-06-26T19:41:00.001-07:00

Our ferry for the Seine River Cruise!!

2006-06-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Our guide for the Seine River Cruise, she's only a student in tourism but seems like she's already an expert. :)

2006-06-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

Exact replica of the flame of The statue of Liberty. A gift from America as a symbol of friendship.

2006-06-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

How the Eiffel Tower looks like from the Seine River. *More pictures on the eiffel tower to come... :)

2006-06-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

view on board the seine river cruise... one of the 36 bridges in Paris, special because of the 'N' which symbolizes 'Napoleon'

Take a look at the march by the Tivoli Guards and the roller coaster ride

2006-06-16T14:53:00.000-07:00

2006-06-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

The Royal Copenhagen and Georg Jensen Factory Outlet...

2006-06-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

top left: Be a part of the characters in Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, by going through this 8 minute ride!
top right: tram ride around Tivoli Gardens
bottom left: at the Tivoli Entrance
bottom right: smile!

2006-06-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

Left: caramel and coconut coated apple. what a cute snack! right: chocolate chip and chocolate powder coated ice cream..

2006-06-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

left: Friday Rock Concert at Tivoli! Every Friday there will be a concert at Tivoli, you just have to pay for the entrance fee ~ 75 DKK. This week, Beth Hart is performing. Right: 2 girls eating their ice cream in a real adorable manner, and also gamely agreed for a photo!!

2006-06-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

Mum and aunt in Copenhagen!!!! Here until the 20th of June before we leave for Paris and meet Catherine there... Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee, Lourve here we come! :D

2006-06-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

Lunch at the famous Cafe Norden! Great food, large portions and even better ambience...

2006-06-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

great weather! top left, right and bottom left: At Nyhavn, where all the DFDS canal tours start... the streets were packed with europeans having al-fresco dining, even more of them suntanning half naked and 'chilling' out... bottom right: this walking pavement turns into an outdoor skating ring during winter times! (refer to jan/feb posts on ice-skating)

2006-06-13T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hall kitchen and our lockers to keep our food. I can't believe I am saying this, but I will actually miss the messy kitchen AND cooking... haha

2006-06-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

Oh!! I am sure to miss my hall, my hallmates, even the corridors (even the times of cleaning the whole hall with cleaning group mates), my super-ly comfortable bed...cheers to staying in copenhagen for 6 months and cheers to staying in valbygardsvej!!!! :D

Shanghai Restaurant

2006-06-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

Gathering with Andes, Bo Lei and Shi Suo at the Shanghai Restaurant before we leave in a few days! See you all in Shanghai, and JB!

Dinner at Sheila's!

2006-06-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

Sheila and Martin kindly extended an invitation for dinner and movie at their place on the 3rd of June! So, it was a time to eat authentic Singaporean food and catch up on latest movies once again! Thanks Sheila and Martin for letting us experience Danish hospitality and the meaning of 'hygge'!!! :D

Main course... A spread of authentic Singaporean food, cooked by chef-in-making Sheila. From left: sweet and sour pork, 'xiao bai cai', chicken in soy sauce :D yummy!

2006-06-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

Makan times are happy times.. haha. Well, after a scrumptious dinner we had pancakes courtesy of Martin. Apparently the recipe was from all a Donald Duck cookbook which he has kept since young :) Well, needless to say, it was great, eating the pancakes with vanilla ice-cream, chocolate, strawberry and caramel sauce... Ah, bliss! At Martin's recommendation, we tried 'Dooley's' a kind of chocolate caramel with vodka... It tasted a little like Bailey's irish cream, although the alcohol taste was slightly stronger.. Definitely an acquired taste for non-drinkers like me!

2006-06-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

Movie time!! Watching a the movie 'The Banditas' starring Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz... Really quite a captivating show, with beautiful leads, and a refreshing storyline... :) By the way, we were watching the movie at around 10 and yet the sky is still bright!!!!! Such are the wonders of summertime in Denmark (or in temperatre countries for that matter) :)

Berlin day 4, and back to CPH...

2006-06-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Taken at the only permanently opened WWII air raid shelter. Now it is used as a 'chamber of horrors'...

2006-06-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

What a unique way to sell Bratwurst!! A truly mobile sausage stall, and only at 1 Euro for a bratwurst, no wonder it is so popular with the Berliners.

2006-06-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

Posing with unique statues at Potsdamer Platz, the place in Berlin with the busiest traffic...

2006-06-02T13:47:00.000-07:00

On the trip back from Berlin to Copenhagen... Beautiful sunset...

2006-06-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

What better a way to remember your trip to Germany than to bring back a pair of Birkenstocks? :D

Berlin Day 3 :)

2006-06-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

Joined a free walking tour with a Texan tour guide in the morning, who was pretty informative, bringing us to the Holocaust Memorial, where the Berlin wall formerly stood, Reichstag, Hitler's bunker - which is now sealed and located just beside a carpark, the SS headquaters..

Top left, right and bottom left: The memorial actually consists of 2711 concrete blocks in different heights...The interpretation is supposed to be left to the individual...

The victory column (known as Siegessaule) on the bottom right corner was to commemorate the victory of Prussia in the Danish-Prussia War in the 18th Century...

The Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church which was built in the 19th century, only to be severely destroyed in the WWII...

2006-06-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Taken at Charlottenburg Palace (a.k.a Schloss Charlottenburg in German), which was built for Prussian Empress Sophie-Charlotte. The palace was reminiscent of 18th century Baroque style... And, interestingly, I learnt that the nobility in the 18th century had a keen interest in all things of the Orient, explaining why certain rooms were styled in entirely 'chinese-like' fittings.

2006-06-02T13:16:00.000-07:00

Headed next to Checkpoint Charlie, the former dividing point between East and West Berlin, and also the dividing point between poverty and prosperity.

2006-06-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

All the souvenir shops in Berlin sell a postcard together with 'a piece of the Berlin wall' Hmm, seems like there was quite alot of rubble when the wall came down eh? :|

2006-06-02T13:01:00.001-07:00

My dinner of authentic German 'Schweineschnitzel' which is actually breaded and fried pork fillet. Cat, Veronica and I had dinner at this German Restaurant named Schulter Junge, recommended to us by the recptionist at the hostel. It was a great! Although the service was abit slow, they had an English menu (a great plus), and the prices were reasonable too :) Guess what? We also met the other tourists we were on the walking tour in the restaurant too... Popular place for 'backpackers' to eat... haha

Also tried the Berliner Weisse, which was highly recommended in all the tour guidebooks we read. It is essentially a mix of wheat beer with a shot of fruit syrup. It comes in red (raspberry) and green (woodruff - herbal flavour). I decided to stick to the safe option of raspberry!!
Cat's dinner of pork knuckles!She said while the meat was tender, it was extremely with fatty, with a thick layer of fat on the top... :

2006-06-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

A piece of the Berlin wall

2006-06-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

cat, me and veronica at the lounge of our hostel... cheers to clean hostels and gerat ambience!

Berlin Day 2 :)

2006-06-02T10:02:00.000-07:00

Began day 2 of Berlin in eager anticipation to discover what the beautiful city had to offer, only to have our spirits dampened by the intermittent drizzles and gusts of wind. And it also didn't help that we had to queue for about 45 minutes in the cold before entering the Reichstag Dome. :( But I must say, the view was quite well worth the wait though. :D

Inside the Reichstag Dome, built by British architect Norman Foster. Really is a fascinating structure as one can look into where the German Ministers hold their parliamentary debates...

The entirety of the Reichstag Dome

nside the Dome, and also with the German flag in the background.

Next stop, the New Synagagoue Berlin located on Oranienburger Strasse. It was one of Berlin's most famous buildings but destroyed during the World War II. Reconstruction was completed in 1995.

S Bahn Station!

Curry wurst at a sausage stand opposite the 'Museum Island'. Basically it was just sausage with lots of ketchup, and a few sprinkles of curry powder...

Dinner with Veronica(from Hong Kong) and Cat at a German Restaurant with really friendly service. We only got to know Veronica from the hostel in Berlin, but all of us could realte to each other so well, despite us being from different countries and knowing each other for less than a day...

My dinner... Spatzle... which was basically 'cocoon shaped' pasta baked with cheese and salad... Our friendly German waitress informed me, that it was what the South Germans ate!

Our really friendly German waitress, who despite not being able to speak English that fluently, tried her very best to explain to us what authentic German food was, and what the restaurant served. Two thumbs up to great service!

2006-06-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Closer shot of the themepark which is still undergoing construction

2006-06-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

In preparation of the impending World Cup, Germany is building a football theme park... And its located just outside the Reichstag.

2006-06-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

The seat of the German parliament, Reichstag Parliament Building. 'Dem Deutschen Volke' which essentially means 'to the German people'.

Deutschland/Berlin Day 1 !

2006-06-02T04:08:00.000-07:00

Left on the 29th of May for 4 days to Berlin... First took a bus to Gedser before transeferring to a vehicle and passenger ferry to Rostock, and then continued the journey by bus to Berlin. The weather was great when we were in the ferry and bus, but not the case during our 4 day stay in Berlin :( But, more about the weather later... :)

Aboard the Prins Joaquim which would ferry us from Gedser (Denmark) to Rostock(Germany). Journey was approx. 1h 45 min and had a restaurant, travel shop, perfume shop and cafeteria (although most of the food and souvenirs were severely overpriced)

Part of the cafeteria

Finally in Berlin! Taken just outside our 'retro-styled' hostel called the EastSeven Hostel, which was clean, with helpful and friendly staff!!

2006-06-02T04:03:00.000-07:00

The 368 metre TV Tower at Alexander Platz

2006-06-02T04:02:00.000-07:00

Brandenburg Gate which is at Pariser Platz. This is the city's most famous landmark, serving as a symbol of Berlin's unification. Top of the gate is the Quadriga Statue.

2006-06-02T03:57:00.000-07:00

The world cup fever in Germany is definitely getting hotter! And what better way to drive that in by erecting a giant soccer ball right infront of Brandenburg Gate!!

2006-06-02T03:56:00.000-07:00

The famous Einstein equation...

2006-06-02T03:55:00.000-07:00

The museum island, where 5 of Berlin's most famous museums are located. But only 3 are open, as the other 2 are undergoing upgrading works!

2006-06-02T03:54:00.000-07:00

In front of the Berliner Dom, also known as Berlin's cathedral. Extremely grand architecture, something that photos don't capture :(

2006-06-02T03:50:00.000-07:00

In front of the Nikolaiviertel, which is gives you a glimpse of how Berlin is supposed to look like in the Middle Ages.

2006-06-02T03:48:00.000-07:00

in front of the Berlin City Hall. Quite a pity that the top of the building is undergoing renovation, and we cannot capture the beauty of the whole building...

IPC

2006-05-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Realized that all this while I have not posted anything on the church I have been attending her in Copenhagen. But, well, it never is too late is it? :) For the past 5 months I have been attending the International Pentecostal Church (IPC) located near the Norrebro Station...

It is a truly international church with congregation members from round the world! It has made me more aware of the fact that in God's family, it doesn't matter if you are white, black, yellow ... We are all one body in Christ, and worshipping the same Father in Heaven! :D

Friends from church! They are all from the Master's Commission, a Bible School arm of the IPC :)

top left: Santa(from Latvia), Jessie and Ruth (from the US of A!)

Frederiksberg Park

2006-05-26T14:07:00.001-07:00

After consecutive days of lousy weather - drizzles and dark grey clouds; the weather turned for the better today! :D Finally, there was sunshine and the sky was blue, and the winds were just a gentle breeze... So, Cat and I decided to take a walk in the Frederiksberg Park which is just a stone's throw away from our school...

Oh the magnificence of God's creation!

2006-05-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

woo

2006-05-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

2006-05-26T14:04:00.001-07:00

Maze like garden

2006-05-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

You could enjoy a boat ride for 30 DKK :) We were just content taking pictures on the banks

2006-05-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

The symmetry of the trees :)

2006-05-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

Such well pruned shrubs!! Don't they look like army hats?

Hillerod, Helsingor and Roskilde!!

2006-05-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

What initially began as an outing with my hallmates, soon became an extended excursion to 3 places within Denmark... Left for Valby Station at 9 am to buy a 24 hr clip card (meaning you can travel anywhere within Copenhagen for 24 hrs) for 105 DKK. And, since Cat and I wanted to fully utilize the expenses incurred, decided to go for an impromptu tour round Helsingor and Roskilde...

the 105 DKK card.

Hillerod
Visited the Frederiksborg Slot (Palace in Danish) with some of my hall mates. The palace was located in Hillerod, about a 45 min ride from Copenhagen Central Station... And, the weather was nice and sunny for some parts of the day before drizzling :(

bottom row: Cat, Alaina (from Canada, and reallllllyyyy nice!), Anne (from Holland)

top row: Ethan (from Canada), me, Corneel (from Holland), Jamie (from Canada)

In front of the Frederiksborg Slot (castle in Danish)!

Other shots of the Frederiksborg Slot. The castle is no longer used as a royal residence any longer, instead it is now a museum, so much of the sights we saw inside were artefacts, paintings etc..

top left: Inside the castle, in The Knights Room a.k.a The Rose

top right: inside The Great Hall

bottom left: The majestic chapel within the castle... The photo does not capture the intricacies of the carvings and frescoes!

bottom right: A fireplace inside the castle

The view of the castle garden was aboslutely breathtaking, and would totally lift ones spirits...

top right: Aren't the trees unique? The trunks are covered with 'knobbly' branches...

bottom left: bushes grown in a maze like formation

Helsingor

Continued our 'tour' to Helsingor where the famous Kronborg Slot is located. In case you didn't know, the Kronborg Castle was the one mentioned in Shakespeare's Hamlet...

Just like the Frederiksborg Slot, the Kronborg Slot is no longer used as a residence for the Royal family, because the castle was considered 'old-fashioned'!

top left: the Kronborg Slot behind

top right: the entrance to Kronborg

bottom left: If you take a 20 min ferry ride, you would cross the sea in the background and reach Helsinborg, Sweden!!

bottom right: outside the Kronborg Castle museum shop.

sidenote: I think the peak season for touring has started, cat and i saw tons on Japanese and Chinese tourists swarming the museum shop. And, they provided brisk business... No wonder, tourism is a lucrative industry...

Roskilde

Next Destination, Roskilde! Roskilde is pretty near ( apprx 20 min) to Copenhagen Central, which is great news, since I was pretty much bushed by this time...

Amidst the slight drizzle and the extremely windy weather, the flowers were in full bloom. The wonder of God's creations. :)

picture with the 3 vases , supposed to be a famous landmark in Roskilde.

Tulips abound not only in Holland, but also in....... Roskilde! :D

Braving all drizzles and windy weather conditions for a picture with the Roskilde map.. haha

ole ole ole :)

2006-05-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

As our stay in Denmark is going to draw to a close, a couple of us decided to meet up for lunch and coffee before we go our respective ways, back home to our own countries. :(

Well, we had Mexican buffet for lunch at only 50 DKK (14 SGD which is cheap by Sgp standards and even cheaper for Copenhagen standards), hence the spanish title 'ole' :D Ok, so maybe the variety of food wasn't that great, but the taste wasn't too bad, and it also helped that most of us were famished by then...

happily chomping away...

after lunch at the mexican restaurant, made our way to Cafe Retro which is unique for its cozy atmosphere and an almost homey feel...

Hmm, what tickled all of us??

From left: Carola, Alberto (spain), me, sin yee, and poor chiara blocked by sin yee, michael (elisa's friend from west london), elisa and cat.

left: picture of the espresso cup and saucer from Bodum (a Danish crockery company known for its stylish crockery designs).

right: elisa posing with the 'sheesha' (i read online that smoking one of these, is equivalent to smoking 18 cigarettes!) Potent stuff!

left: at the entrance of cafe retro where clothes and accessories are displayed for sale.

right: 1st level of the cafe...

mission impossible III

2006-05-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Finally caught the much hyped about Mission Impossible III at the Cineplex at the Fisketorvet Shopping Centre. The movie was full of suspense and definitely quite a watch!!!!Managed to catch the 3:30 pm show which costs 65 DKK but since we are students we only paid 55DKK (15 SGD)...

Did I mention that the cinema was sooo empty, that the entire cinema we were in only had about 6 people :) And, the seats were plush and comfy... so, i suppose the price of the ticket was well worth it...
empty to the extent that cat and i could take a picture at the stage of the cinema...

strolling along stroget (again)

2006-05-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

A busker in the middle of stroget (the shopping district)... He was pretty funny, cracking jokes in both English and Danish (which i obviously didn't understand), and also did a couple of stunts like juggling with empty water barrels... And at the end, he passed a hat around asking for money of at least 20 dkk... top left and bottom right: Was Mother's Day on Sunday, and the church (International Pentecostal Church) gave roses to all mums, and since supply exceeded demand, the other ladies in church all had a stalk each as well!! :)

top right and bottom left: While strolling along stroget, cat and i succumbed to the temptation of eating ice-cream! Flavours of the day: Nougat and Raspberry sorbet... nice but the latter flavour, a tad too sour for my liking :(

Valbygardsvej to Valby Langgade!

2006-05-13T07:11:00.000-07:00

Weather was great again, so walked from our residence (Valbygardsvej) to Valby Langgade (where all the shops are) ...

A sure sign that summer is here....

2nd hand flea market... Nothing caught my eye, as most items on sale are porcelain ware, stuffed toys, books written in Danish (!), clothes, and lots of miscellaneous items... Nonetheless, it was a great sight to see everyone (danes and exchange students included) out in full force to enjoy the warm sunshine!

summer!

2006-05-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

Summer is finally here in Copenhagen! And what better way to enjoy the sunshine and cool breeze by strolling around the neigbourhood...

guess what we saw on the way back to our hall! a ladybird! aww! in all my 20 years, i haven't seen a real life ladybug before! pardon the ignorance... :)

doesn't it look just like sakura flowers blooming?

Picture taken at a petrol kiosk near the neighbourhood.

Daffodils, the lush green fields and the truly blue skies simply lifts your spirits! :D

Summer is beautiful!!!!!!!

reflections

2006-05-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

Humble King by Brenton Brown (Vineyard Music)

Oh kneel me down again
Here at Your feet
Show me how much You love humility
Oh Spirit be the star that leads me to
The humble heart of love I see You

You are God of the broken
The friend of the weak
You wash the feet of the weary
Embrace the ones in need
I want to be like You, Jesus
To have this heart in me
You are the God of the humble
You are the humble King.

in aarhus...

2006-05-05T03:20:00.000-07:00

Went to Aarhus ( read "or whose") on 1st of May... Bo Lei who has studied there before kindly offered to bring us around this unique town, north west of Copenhagen..

at the Den Gamle By - Old Town in Aarhus... It follows the Open air museum concept, similar to the Skansen Museum in Stockholm. Only difference is that here, that most of the 'exhibits' are cordoned off with glass panels...

Had lunch at a Chinese Restaurant called 'China Wok', buffet at 59 DKK, price wasn't too bad although the selection wasn't too wide, and the food was a tad salty for my liking...But! It has been a long time since I had Chinese food that it was delicious nonetheless... :)

Went to the seaside after that, and discovered that cos it was 1st of May there was some event going on... Apprarently there were free beers and a concert going on.

Spotted a really amusing structure... refer to the picture at the bottom right corner... open air urinals! gosh! Definitely not a common sight in Singapore ...

Taken at the seaside ... Pardon the untidy hair, the wind was blowing my hair in all directions :)

Oslo in a day

2006-04-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

Covered Oslo in a day... In my opinion, Oslo is very much the same as Copenhagen, but if there is any difference, it would lie in that perhaps Oslo is a much bigger city and more expensive than Copenhagen...

Changing of the guards! After seeing changing of guards in Copenhagen, London, Stockholm and now Oslo, I am inclined to feel each is truly unique! For example, in Oslo, the changing of guards is a rather low-scale affair, with no music, or even guards to shoo the public off certain areas top left: the Oslo City Hall...Nothing too spectacular on the outside but the walls of the City Hall are adorned with paintings done Al Fresco (according to the city hall guide is an extremely difficult technique)

bottom left: cat and i with one of the walls painted in al fresco paint. if u look closely, that is the patron saint of Oslo, St. Halvard, recognizable by his milestone and the 3 arrows he was shot by.

Next, visited the famed Vigiland's Park, appropriately named as there are 200 sculptures done by Gustav Vigeland, a Norwegian sculptor.

top left: with the fountain

top right: with one of the more famous sculptures in the park, 'The angry little boy'

bottom left and right: yet again a famous sculpture in the park, 'The Monolith' - entire sculpture carved out of a single granite stone. Within the sculpture there are 121 figures with the figures reaching toward heaven...

random shots...

bottom right: something which caught our attention! vandals with an eye for 'creativity' haha... Victoria Pond conveniently became Victoria Porn... :

Bergen day 3

2006-04-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

Remember I mentioned that Bergen rains alot? Yup, it rained on the last day we were in Bergen, when we had to check out with our luggages and all...:( But the sky soon cleared and the sun along with blue skies greeted us once again.

top left: Cat and I with our guide for the tour around the Haakon Hall and the Rosenkrantz Tower. Happens that we were the only 2 he had to bring around, but he was detailed in explaining to us the history of the hall and the tower. Very interesting history lesson.

I never knew that Bergen used to be the old capital of Norway, before the Oslo became the capital. And that the walls of the Tower were so thick that it withstood 120 tonnes of explosives!!

top right: Inside one of the many rooms of the Tower.
bottom left: At the Hanseatic Museum. Posing with 'stockfish', essentially fish that has been dried and salted. This is apparently traditional norwegian food of yesteryear.
bottom right: inside the hall

Bergen day 2

2006-04-25T10:29:00.000-07:00

Nice blue skies greeted us once again. Extremely thankful for the wonderful weather :)

top left: at the famous Fish Market, located next to the quay. My first impression was that it was quite a touristy...

top right: Next stop after the fish market in the morning, was the visit to famed composer's home and museum, Edvard Grieg. It is located at 'TroldHaugen' which loosely translates to Home of the Trolls.

bottom left: Edvard Grieg

bottom right: The house that Edvard and his wife, Nina lived in...

top left and right: The king's summer residence, called the GamleHaugen... Pretty shocked when I first saw the residence; didn't expect it to be unguarded, and relatively nondescript...

bottom left and right: Taken at Bryggen, a portion of Old Bergen which has been named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site... That stretch of wooden shophouses are occupied by mainly cafes, souvenir shops, museums and some offices...

Bergen day 1

2006-04-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

From Stockholm, took a 9 hr overnight train to Oslo before taking another 7 hr train from Oslo to Bergen : Being exhausted after the train rides is an understatement. But then again the scenery along the way more than makes up for the long train rides.

First checked in at our hostel - Montana Youth Hostel at the foot of Mount Ulriken, the highest of the 7 mountains. Then decided not to waste the nice sunny weather and took the Floibanen (read 'floy bahn'). Guide books we read and friends we have asked said that Bergen is the rainiest city in Norway and that it rains almost everyday, so we just had to take advantage of the great weather!

top left: the Floibanen - a small MRT like thing that went up Mount Floyen within 7 minutes.

top right: Outside the train station a single trip costs 35 NOK... As advised by some, get a single trip ticket and then walk down, u get to see more scenery that way :)

bottom left: A cramed and crowded Floibanen. Turns out there is a classy restaurant at the peak of Mount Floyen, explaining the number of well-dressed individuals squeezing with the us on the Floibanen...

bottom right: Aerial View on the Mount Floyen

top left: during the sunset

top right: one of the rare photos of the 2 of us together. Discovered that Bergeners are a real friendly lot... Case in point, this guy who was walking his dog offered to take a photo for us, and also helped us find the route down the Mount Floyen. :D

top left: during the walk down from the peak

top right: finally!! the city centre!! The whole street was hustling and bustling with activity, mostly Bergeners and tourists taking advantage of the fantastic weather...

bottom left: night view of the Haakon Hall and the Rosenkrantz Tower.

bottom right: one of the many aerial views i took from mount floyen

Stockholm day 3

2006-04-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

last day in Stockholm... Alas, the weather wasnt all that great. It had even started snowing in the morning. Can you imagine? Snow in April?

left: taken just outside the Globens Vandrarhem Hostel at Gullmarsvagen.

right: the view just outside our room, after the early morning snow.

top left: a shot of the Kaknas TV Tower, where you can get an aerial view of Stockholm. Pity though that the weather was no co-operative, and the sky was all foggy. Ain't exactly the best weather for picture taking.

top right: Cat and i at the cafe on top of the Kaknas Tower

bottom left: foggy aerial view

bottom right: random shot of me outside the coin museum located in Gamla Stan

After visiting the Kaknas Tower, rushed down to the Stockholm City Hall where there was a guided tour at 12:00 pm. Just made it in a nick of time. The tour was comprehensive and informative...

top left: me in the Golden Room. Reason why this particular room in the City Hall is known as the Golden room? The pictures on the walls are actually pieces of mosiac, and majority of which are of pure gold, 23 karat each tile!!

top right: Golden room... in case you were wondering, the woman depicted there is supposed to be 'Stockholm'.

bottom left: the ceiling of one of the rooms. it is supposed to imitate the viking houses of old, since vikings are an integral part of the Swedish history.

bottom right: The parliamentary room, where the city council meets...

After the guided tour, headed down to the Skansen Museum, which is the world's oldest open air museum. The concept is actually quite unique - reliving the way people used to live in the past. Certain speciality shops would be open and you could see and feel for yourself what it would be like to be a shoemaker, baker, shopowner, farmer etc. in the Stockholm in the 1800s. :)

top left: Inside the glassblower's factory. Really skilled artisans they are!

top right: One of the really short houses they had! What torture it would be for me if I lived in such houses!

bottom left: Pretending to be the supervisor of the engineering company...Beside me was one of the staff of the museum, playing his role as a technician :)

bottom right: In an old shop...

Stockholm day 2

2006-04-25T03:55:00.000-07:00

great weather once again! really very fortunate, as having great weather makes sightseeing so much more fun and enjoyable...

top left: the requisite photo with the royal guards... guess what? most of the royal guards in Stockholm are female!! And, they have a female majority in parliament as well... says alot about gender equality!

top right: royal musicians entering triumphantly on horses. The whole changing of guards ceremony was extremely grand, and at certain points seemed to be like a mini-concert to me.

bottom left: Picture with some of the ornamental canons...

bottom right: in with the new, out with the old...

Cat and I bought the 3 day Stockholm pass, which gave as complimentary rides on board the ferry which could bring us from the mainland to another island which had all the famous 'Vasa Museum' and 'Tivoli Grond Lund'... All shots were taken aboard the ferry..

top left: Tivoli Grond Lund, something like the Tivoli we have in Singapore.. Sadly it doesn't open until 29th April, so didn't have a chance to enter and try their rides.

top right: scenery shot

bottom left: Vasa Museum from afar. The shape of the museum is supposed to look like a war ship.

bottom right: Aboard the ferry. Great combination of the wind in your hair and the sun in your eyes.

top left: taken on the streets on Gamla Stan, the old town of Stockholm. Quaint little shop houses, mainly cafes and souvenir shops.

top right: the interior of the Riddarholmen church

bottom left: Inside the Vasa Museum.The Vasa Museum is also one of the must-sees in Stockholm. Detailed explanations as to why The Vasa (a warship in the 1600s) sank and physical relics to guide the tourist's understanding...

bottom right: Outside the Nordisk Museum, which we didn't have time to visit. Sadly...

stockholm day 1

2006-04-25T01:49:00.000-07:00

On the 17th pf april began our trip to Norway and Sweden... First stop, Stockholm! Already heard from some of my hallmates and friends that Stockholm is a real beautiful place. True enough, the capital is a unique blend of rich heritage and cosmopolitan individuals.

top left: one of the supposed must-see attractions in Stockholm, the Kulturehuset, which is partially made of glass.

top right: top floor had a childrens play room, with miniature city for the kids to play in. Myself posing with one of the miniature buildings.

bottom left: us outside the Stockholm Central Station, known there as T-Centralen.

bottom right：trying to relive childhood at this children's exhibition in the 'Kulturehuset'

The weather in Stockholm was fantastic! Blue skies, sunny weather, and not to mention the sea breeze when you walk along the coast. :)

top right: the Stockholm City Hall

bottom left: the Royal Palace

bottom right: along the coast, a picture of me and one of the many vessels there.

Project mates :D

2006-04-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

While the rest of Denmark is having a public holiday on Easter Monday, we had project discussion! Not complaining at all, simply because it is probably our last project meeting, and it was great experience to interact with the Danes.
From left: Signe (read Seen ne), Brian, cat, sin yee, me - taken at Solbjerg Plads campus..

great food and the Queen's birthday

2006-04-17T03:40:00.000-07:00

6 of us had dinner had Bo Leis place where we tried our hand at cooking Hainanese chicken rice from scratch. Ok, so maybe it wasn't all that authentic, but it was the closest thing we had to Singaporean food :)

6 of us eagerly waiting to tuck into our dinner...

Closeup shot of the food we had! The food in the pan is actually potato strips fried with vinegar, soya sauce and salt... if it sounds a little strange, it is because it is a creation of Bo Lei's and Shi Suo's... well, it does have a unique taste.. :)

Dessert! Baked by yours truly, and cat! Hmm, maybe the cake looks a bit amateur-ish, but hey give us credit for attempting to bake 'Norwegian carrot cake with Philadephia Cheese icing' for the first time! :D

Before church and dinner, we headed down to Amalienborg palace as it was the Queen's birthday and we heard that she would wave to the public from her window if she was in residence. As it turned out, she was not in residence so... it was pretty much a wasted trip except for a couple of 'Royal Guards' shots :)
Left-Right-Left!!

Outside the Amalienborg Palace.
Side note: the Danish royal guards can be quite aggressive... heard from Jowin that there is a rule that u cannot stand too close to the guard (not less than 1 m) or else he would just shove u..
So, if u were wondering why we were kinda far away from the guard, its because we did not want to be reprimanded! :(

nazaza coffee

2006-04-11T09:30:00.000-07:00

Met up with Ane's friend, Christine, visiting from Norway at the coffee outlet, Nazaza Coffee (think starbucks or coffee bean in Sgp)
from left: elisa, ane, christine (she's half thai!), me, cat.
like everything else in Denmark, coffee and muffins are expensive.. a small cafe latte and chocolate&orange muffin is 50 DKK = 15 sgd :(

the hunt for the mysterious goodie bag

2006-04-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

April 1st was spent hunting for the mysterious goodie bag to be given out at Fisketorvet (means fish market' cos apparently it was constructed on what used to be a fish market) Shopping Centre. Sheila saw the 'goodie bag advertisement' on a Danish magazine and kindly invited cat, sin yee and me for the famous Singaporean leisure pursuit... shopping.
top left: everyone signing up for a chance to win a luxury cruise to Norway!!

top right: walking out of the GeoMax store... GeoMax is a toy consisting of magnetic sticks and balls... (think Lego but magnetic)

bottom left: us inside Swedish make-up chain 'The Make-up Store', fascinated by the myraid of colours, and the array of make-up products

bottom right: excitedly looking for our goodie bags!!!

After shopping and goodie bag hunting, we adjourned to Sheila and Martin's home for dinner, movie watching, games, and just a whole lot of fun :)

top left: In the midst of a dice-game called 'Crunch'... Totally new to the game, and lets not talk about scores shall we? :)

top right: halfway through scrumptious dinner.. yummy!

bottom left: Our dinner of chicken curry, Singaporean style! Thanks to Sheila for teaching us the recipe step-by-step!

bottom right: Happy and contented faces after a filling dinner :D

In other news, when you are worrying about the 4 hr long marketing exam, notes like this (posted by our hallmate from canada) really makes your day doesn't it?

Chinese steamboat dinner!

2006-03-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

On Sunday night, I had a chinese steamboat dinner at Finsensvej, courtesy of Andes, Bo Lei and Shi Suo (whom I got to know in my Principles of Marketing course) !

The spread of food... Chicken, Pork, Fish balls, Meat balls, Salmon, Crabsticks, Vegetables, sauces... you name it they've got it! :)

Group shot of everyone at the dinner.

From left: me, Theresa , CC (from Hong Kong), Wan Yu (from Taiwan), Kevin (from HK), Cat, Andes (from Malaysia but doing a bachelor program at CBS), Sin Yee, Shi Suo, and Bo Lei (from China)

Smile for the camera everyone!

Oh, and did i mention that halfway through the steamboat, we tripped the electricity and the kitchen was in darkness... hmm, but lucky for us Andes had candles in his room so we had a candlelit steamboat dinner instead...