Eurotrip : Day 12 - Last day in Paris

We had one last day to savour Paris as our flight was in the evening.

After packing our bags for the last time, we headed out to the cafe down to the street for a breakfast of croissants, ommelette and fresh morning coffee.

We decided to do the Rue Cler and Left Bank walk, both recommended by Rick Steve's. Both walks brought us pass busy street cafes, historic buildings and quaint little shops. We got small comic figurines of famous french characters like Tin Tin, Snowy, Asterix and Obelisk in one of the Toy Shops. We ended the walk by paying a visit to St.Sulpice (of Da Vinci's Code fame) and the sprawling Luxembourg Gardens.

The next part of the afternoon was spent revisiting the LV store to pick up a few bags for our friends. By the time we were done, we were running late, and quickly headed back to our hotel to have dinner and pick up our bags. After wolfing down our pizza dinner, we took the train to the airport.

It was time to bid farewell to Paris.

Eurotrip : Day 8 to 11 - 4 Days in the Valley

Yes, I am guilty of leaving half-written travel stories on my blog. To assuage the guilt, I will at least try to complete the one on my honeymoon. Note that this took place at the end of September last year.

Okay, where was I... yes we were just about to leave Rome for Switzerland. The overnight train from Rome arrived in Bern on time. We were impressed with the Swiss punctuality. We did not linger long in the capital city, instead we took the next train to Interlaken. We spent the morning exploring this small town and I took time off to nurse my camera which had tripped dirt and a loose mirror (a trip to Coop helped me find a temporary solution).

Morning greets Interlaken

Where we had our daily roast

After lunch, we headed for Lauterbrunnen, which was to be our base for the next few days. Lauterbrunnen is a charming little town located in a valley surrounded by mountains and icy peaks. After days of city life, this sure was a welcoming sight. We stayed at Hotel Oberland that reserved us a room facing the Staubbach falls. Even from our bed, we had a clear sight of the falls.

Lauterbrunnen. That's Staubach falls in the back.

Hotel Oberland... wonderful rooms (with excellent view) and service

The next two days was spent exploring the wonderful alpine sights, and the weather was great on both days too. On the first day, we headed up to Jungfraujoch, 3,454 metres is the highest railway station in Europe. Up in the icy peak, we got to walk on the snow while enjoying the proximity to the three peaks, Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

At the Jungfraujoch

From the viewing platform

The next day was spent hiking around the mountains. We took the easy trail from Allmendhubel to Murren to Grimmelwald. Before gong back to Lauterbrunnen, we stopped to visit the Trummelbach falls. No trip to Switzerland is complete wihtout trying the Cheese Fondue, so we tried that at the Hotel Oberland restaurant.

At Allmendhubel ... many trails to choose from

Walk down to Murren

Green peaks and white ones too

Hiking back to Lauterbrunnen

After enjoying fresh mountain air for the past days, it was time to depart. We had a train to Paris to catch at 5.23pm, so we spent out last day in Switzerland exploring the medievel city of Bern.

The famous Clock Tower of Bern but don't expect fireworks on the hour mark

The river Aar that surrounds the city

The famous bear pit with the only star.

Slumdog Valentine

How do married couples spent Valentine's Day? For us, it was pretty much like before we did the walk down the aisle. No flowers (I know I'm a miser), just some time together at the mall, doing the things we like.

We also took the chance to watch 'Slumdog Millionaire', the rags to riches fairytale of a former slum dweller, now chai wala, Jamal and how his difficult past and unyielding love for Latika, came about to win him the 20 Million Rupees prize money. And yes, there was an Indian dance scene if you must know.

Now I leave you with one of the themes from the movie, 'Dreams of fire'

Moving south

With my sister setting up house in Singapore, my parents were down over the weekend. It felt strangely like being at home with home cooked meals and afternoon tea.

Here is Josh showing off his new pad.

And here is a vantage point for shooting fireworks over Marina Bay.

Few good things

A few good things about the recent Lunar New Year break.

- Afternoon naps after a full meal and a good book at the end of the day
- Heavenly sinful food, from homecooked curry chicken and duck stew to delightful dishes at Uncle Charles' ...
- The warm feeling you get being around family and old friends (knowing in the back of your mind that you'll get this only once a year)
- Being away from work and finding very little e-mails while you are away
- Having eight glorious days of all these

The extra rubber tyre around my waist and lethargy at work after 6pm are small problems that should be ironed out in time ... hopefully.

I leave you with some photos from the New Year celebrations.