Euro Trip
Hey everybody! Wish you all a very happy new year of 2013!
I am back in the SingaLand now... actually I came back on Jan 1st (How pathetic...but I had no choice, as I had to get back to work by 2nd Jan because I had to take turn with my colleagues...) Anyway, I shouldn't complain too too much about my work, especially considering the amount of bonus this year, which is quite significant I would say... haha...
Back to what my intention to blog... well, it is to document my Euro trip in Dec'12...
So, I will try to start chronologically, if I could still remember... :D
14 Dec (SG time) - Flew to Milan Malpensa (Damn you Emirate - I had to stop and wait in Colombo before reaching Dubai for another 3 hour long transit)
14 Dec (ECT time) -
Arrived in Milan safe and sound, bf picked me up and I was surprised to know how long more it would take to get to Parma... Apparently, from Malpensa, which was in the middle of nowhere, I still had to take a train or a bus to get to Milan Centrale and from there, we changed to a train to Parma. From Parma Centrale, we take a cab back to his place. It was like.. damn 4 hour long, because of the snow and all.. (Of course the trains must have had some delays and even stopped working). I was successfully unconscious at around 09:00PM CET time... because I was just damn tired to even open my eyes...
15 Dec -
We took our time and just spent time together to walk around Parma, having a nice Parma-specialty dinner like Parmesan cheese, Prosciutto de Parma and my fave is Torta Fritta of course! :)
16 Dec -
We wanted to go to the fashion outlet, but decided not too, because we figured many people would go there since Xmas is approaching...so we just walked around Parma and chilld out at home...
17 Dec -
Flew to Cologne, via Bologna... When we touched down in Cologne, the boyfriend mentioned that I seemed happier in Cologne than in Parma - hahaha.. of course, I dont speak Italian, I don't understand most words, and the place was just gloomy.. and unfamiliar. But Cologne is just like any German cities I have been; besides, I have been there before...so I feel more at ease. Plus, with my Dutch, I could understand some words and when I go to restaurants, shopping centers, supermarkets, I could easily find things I want.
When we arrived at his place in Cologne, since his kitchen there was amazing, well-equipped with digital electric stove, I decided to cook for him Hainan Chicken rice... Once I reached the supermarket, suddenly I was so happy, finding my old-day snacks... ohh how I love German supermarkets...
18 Dec -
We walked around Cologne and the best part of the day was eating in Weinachtmarkt or Christmas market, we ate like there is no tomorrow... both of us haven't been to Xmas market for a while, so we ate the good old champignon, flamlachts/ grilled salmon, curry wurst/ brad wurst, crepes, fried potato with onions and apple mouse, and of course gluehwein! Yea..we ate all these from like 4:PM or so till 8PM...
19 Dec -
Early morning, we caught a train to Amsterdam and oh gosh... when we arrived in central station, both of us were feeling so overwhelmed... it felt good and it felt like we were home... everything is just so..familiar...
My bf being a fanatic of Sie Joe, Indo rest in Amsterdam - he "forced" me to have lunch there and he order a damn lot...
On that day, we had unlimited sushi/sashimi dinner with old friends and we just couldnt stop laughing and laughing.. it was a good night.
20 Dec -
We decided to become tourists for a bit in Amsterdam; since we probably have never done it before. When we started our day, my boyfriend already planned to visit some museums - I told him that I wanted to visit Annefrankhuis museum and he wanted to go to Amsterdam Dungeon and Sex museum... half way, once we were done with Annefrank, he was like.. "Let's go to Pathe, babe! Just like the old time!" Pathe is a cinema we used to go a lot, because we had unlimited pathe cards; so after we visited ABN Amro to close my account, we went to Pathe and watched Taken 2.
That night, we went to have dinner with friends in New King, Chinese rest that we all used to go as well.. closed with coffee session in NH hotel.
21 Dec -
We had until 6:00PM today, before we had to leave Amsterdam for Cologne again.
So we just walked around and ate Indonesian lunch yet again (the bf's choice - since he barely eats Asian in Parma) so eating Indo is luxury to him...
We had lunch with my old friends and before he saw us off in the station, we went for some drinks in Three Sister bar... in a broad day light, but it's Amsterdam, who care?
22 Dec -
Yiayy back in Cologne again - and guess what? We went to Xmas market again to eat some more salmon, some more wurst, etc.
For dinner, I was meeting my bestie who happened to be in Cologne also in a Chinese imbiss she recommended... again, we were having so much fun.. :D
I miss her already!
23 Dec -
Travelled back to Parma...can't really remember what we did then... but I guess boyfriend was making pasta for dinner.. :D
24 Dec -
We went to the outlet near his town to check out some brands... the outlet is not bad at all, it has Furla, D&G, Armani, Red Valentino, Alexander Mc Queen, La Perla, Samsonite, Killah, and many more..and they are like in a proper store kind of format, so yea.. I went nuts, though I didn't go overboard for shopping! In fact, I didn't buy the Furla bag that I originally wanted (Furla is so damn cheap there..the bag I originally wanted was 100 plus EUR only!). BUT... hahaha my bf was generous enough to buy me another bag by Italian brand, BluMarine though it wasn't exactly cheap, but it was quite a good bargain; down from 400 Eur plus to 200 Eur... such a steal, isnt it?
In the evening, finally we decided to do an early Xmas Gift exchange!!!! Since from early Dec we both have started teasing each other and played a guessing game on what the gift we got for each other was..
This year, I got my long awaited Fuji instax (BF didn't go overboard like last year... dont know whether I should be happy or sad..hahaha) and I got my baby a new iPad mini :D I also got him the cover and a DSLR lens tumbler...
For dinner, I cooked for him char kwee tiauw using pasta instead of rice noodle and bee hoon... then we just enjoyed the eve with champagne and profiteroles... :D
We were full happy people that night! (Well..everyday, we are full happy people anyway!)
25 Dec -
I think we didn't do anything but chilax and did nothing! Just because we could! hahaha...
And of course we had to pack for Rome, since we had to catch a very very early morning train.
Since we are here on packing - well.. for girls, I think I am already such a light packer... Out of 30 kg that I could bring to Europe, I only brought 19 kilos in 1 luggage and I didn't bring any hand luggage except my hand bag(Remember I am travelling for 17 days! and it's winter time with less than 5 degree in average!) BUT my bf still complained about me being too much packer.
When I was travelling with him to Amsterdam, Cologne and Rome I literally lived in half of his cabin-size Samsonite luggage. I am so proud of myself! Muaahahaha...
26 Dec till 29 Dec -
Rome here we come! Yes, we were in Rome and well.. I didn't exactly like the city, if you are talking about living there... a bit dodgy (maybe because we stayed in the termini) and seemed many people were so dangerous and going to attack you somehow... unlike Parma. Suddenly, I missed Parma.
BUT, if you are talking about the scenery, attractions... WOW! It was beyond words... I have been to Rome twice, but it was never 'in-depth'; it was just as short as 1-2 day kind of visit.
So this time around it was quite long and extensive.
We went to Palatine, Colosseum, St. Peter Basilica in Vatican and Vatican Museum, Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, the famous shopping street, Via Condotti with brings to you all the branded stuff like Prada, Fendi, Celine, Gucci, LV, Salvatore Ferragamo, and many more..
BUT I didn't buy branded stuff for myself, because I just couldn't... somehow when I entered the store that full of Asian people who were buying like 4-5 bags in a go, somehow I just felt... so opportunistic and greedy if I would join the crowds... besides the more I look at the bag, the more I felt that all of them are about the same and if I am to buy one I would be one of these people who are queueing in front of me...
Don't get me wrong, I love branded bags too.. and I want to buy it because of its luxury. I want to buy it when I like it and when I want to buy it. Not because I am in Europe then I buy a branded bag. I mean, branded bags are supposed to be expensive, luxury things... so even if I have to pay tax and more expensive price in Singapore, or where I live... I would just pay for it. As long as I could still afford it.
When we passed by Ferragamo, boyfie was so kind for letting me in since he knew I would want to check out the Ferragamo block heels... but then he didn't approve the look and suggest me trying on the high heels instead. But in the end, I refused to get them..it's so damn expensive, the high heels are 500 EUR for a pair.. it's like damn 900 SGD... I just couldn't get myself to buy them yet.. Maybe I just need more time, baby! Hahaha... :P
I think we also visited more places, but I couldn't remember somehow! hahaha..
I am back in the SingaLand now... actually I came back on Jan 1st (How pathetic...but I had no choice, as I had to get back to work by 2nd Jan because I had to take turn with my colleagues...) Anyway, I shouldn't complain too too much about my work, especially considering the amount of bonus this year, which is quite significant I would say... haha...
Back to what my intention to blog... well, it is to document my Euro trip in Dec'12...
So, I will try to start chronologically, if I could still remember... :D
14 Dec (SG time) - Flew to Milan Malpensa (Damn you Emirate - I had to stop and wait in Colombo before reaching Dubai for another 3 hour long transit)
14 Dec (ECT time) -
Arrived in Milan safe and sound, bf picked me up and I was surprised to know how long more it would take to get to Parma... Apparently, from Malpensa, which was in the middle of nowhere, I still had to take a train or a bus to get to Milan Centrale and from there, we changed to a train to Parma. From Parma Centrale, we take a cab back to his place. It was like.. damn 4 hour long, because of the snow and all.. (Of course the trains must have had some delays and even stopped working). I was successfully unconscious at around 09:00PM CET time... because I was just damn tired to even open my eyes...
15 Dec -
We took our time and just spent time together to walk around Parma, having a nice Parma-specialty dinner like Parmesan cheese, Prosciutto de Parma and my fave is Torta Fritta of course! :)
16 Dec -
We wanted to go to the fashion outlet, but decided not too, because we figured many people would go there since Xmas is approaching...so we just walked around Parma and chilld out at home...
17 Dec -
Flew to Cologne, via Bologna... When we touched down in Cologne, the boyfriend mentioned that I seemed happier in Cologne than in Parma - hahaha.. of course, I dont speak Italian, I don't understand most words, and the place was just gloomy.. and unfamiliar. But Cologne is just like any German cities I have been; besides, I have been there before...so I feel more at ease. Plus, with my Dutch, I could understand some words and when I go to restaurants, shopping centers, supermarkets, I could easily find things I want.
When we arrived at his place in Cologne, since his kitchen there was amazing, well-equipped with digital electric stove, I decided to cook for him Hainan Chicken rice... Once I reached the supermarket, suddenly I was so happy, finding my old-day snacks... ohh how I love German supermarkets...
18 Dec -
We walked around Cologne and the best part of the day was eating in Weinachtmarkt or Christmas market, we ate like there is no tomorrow... both of us haven't been to Xmas market for a while, so we ate the good old champignon, flamlachts/ grilled salmon, curry wurst/ brad wurst, crepes, fried potato with onions and apple mouse, and of course gluehwein! Yea..we ate all these from like 4:PM or so till 8PM...
19 Dec -
Early morning, we caught a train to Amsterdam and oh gosh... when we arrived in central station, both of us were feeling so overwhelmed... it felt good and it felt like we were home... everything is just so..familiar...
My bf being a fanatic of Sie Joe, Indo rest in Amsterdam - he "forced" me to have lunch there and he order a damn lot...
On that day, we had unlimited sushi/sashimi dinner with old friends and we just couldnt stop laughing and laughing.. it was a good night.
20 Dec -
We decided to become tourists for a bit in Amsterdam; since we probably have never done it before. When we started our day, my boyfriend already planned to visit some museums - I told him that I wanted to visit Annefrankhuis museum and he wanted to go to Amsterdam Dungeon and Sex museum... half way, once we were done with Annefrank, he was like.. "Let's go to Pathe, babe! Just like the old time!" Pathe is a cinema we used to go a lot, because we had unlimited pathe cards; so after we visited ABN Amro to close my account, we went to Pathe and watched Taken 2.
That night, we went to have dinner with friends in New King, Chinese rest that we all used to go as well.. closed with coffee session in NH hotel.
21 Dec -
We had until 6:00PM today, before we had to leave Amsterdam for Cologne again.
So we just walked around and ate Indonesian lunch yet again (the bf's choice - since he barely eats Asian in Parma) so eating Indo is luxury to him...
We had lunch with my old friends and before he saw us off in the station, we went for some drinks in Three Sister bar... in a broad day light, but it's Amsterdam, who care?
22 Dec -
Yiayy back in Cologne again - and guess what? We went to Xmas market again to eat some more salmon, some more wurst, etc.
For dinner, I was meeting my bestie who happened to be in Cologne also in a Chinese imbiss she recommended... again, we were having so much fun.. :D
I miss her already!
23 Dec -
Travelled back to Parma...can't really remember what we did then... but I guess boyfriend was making pasta for dinner.. :D
24 Dec -
We went to the outlet near his town to check out some brands... the outlet is not bad at all, it has Furla, D&G, Armani, Red Valentino, Alexander Mc Queen, La Perla, Samsonite, Killah, and many more..and they are like in a proper store kind of format, so yea.. I went nuts, though I didn't go overboard for shopping! In fact, I didn't buy the Furla bag that I originally wanted (Furla is so damn cheap there..the bag I originally wanted was 100 plus EUR only!). BUT... hahaha my bf was generous enough to buy me another bag by Italian brand, BluMarine though it wasn't exactly cheap, but it was quite a good bargain; down from 400 Eur plus to 200 Eur... such a steal, isnt it?
In the evening, finally we decided to do an early Xmas Gift exchange!!!! Since from early Dec we both have started teasing each other and played a guessing game on what the gift we got for each other was..
This year, I got my long awaited Fuji instax (BF didn't go overboard like last year... dont know whether I should be happy or sad..hahaha) and I got my baby a new iPad mini :D I also got him the cover and a DSLR lens tumbler...
For dinner, I cooked for him char kwee tiauw using pasta instead of rice noodle and bee hoon... then we just enjoyed the eve with champagne and profiteroles... :D
We were full happy people that night! (Well..everyday, we are full happy people anyway!)
25 Dec -
I think we didn't do anything but chilax and did nothing! Just because we could! hahaha...
And of course we had to pack for Rome, since we had to catch a very very early morning train.
Since we are here on packing - well.. for girls, I think I am already such a light packer... Out of 30 kg that I could bring to Europe, I only brought 19 kilos in 1 luggage and I didn't bring any hand luggage except my hand bag(Remember I am travelling for 17 days! and it's winter time with less than 5 degree in average!) BUT my bf still complained about me being too much packer.
When I was travelling with him to Amsterdam, Cologne and Rome I literally lived in half of his cabin-size Samsonite luggage. I am so proud of myself! Muaahahaha...
26 Dec till 29 Dec -
Rome here we come! Yes, we were in Rome and well.. I didn't exactly like the city, if you are talking about living there... a bit dodgy (maybe because we stayed in the termini) and seemed many people were so dangerous and going to attack you somehow... unlike Parma. Suddenly, I missed Parma.
BUT, if you are talking about the scenery, attractions... WOW! It was beyond words... I have been to Rome twice, but it was never 'in-depth'; it was just as short as 1-2 day kind of visit.
So this time around it was quite long and extensive.
We went to Palatine, Colosseum, St. Peter Basilica in Vatican and Vatican Museum, Spanish steps, Trevi Fountain, the famous shopping street, Via Condotti with brings to you all the branded stuff like Prada, Fendi, Celine, Gucci, LV, Salvatore Ferragamo, and many more..
BUT I didn't buy branded stuff for myself, because I just couldn't... somehow when I entered the store that full of Asian people who were buying like 4-5 bags in a go, somehow I just felt... so opportunistic and greedy if I would join the crowds... besides the more I look at the bag, the more I felt that all of them are about the same and if I am to buy one I would be one of these people who are queueing in front of me...
Don't get me wrong, I love branded bags too.. and I want to buy it because of its luxury. I want to buy it when I like it and when I want to buy it. Not because I am in Europe then I buy a branded bag. I mean, branded bags are supposed to be expensive, luxury things... so even if I have to pay tax and more expensive price in Singapore, or where I live... I would just pay for it. As long as I could still afford it.
When we passed by Ferragamo, boyfie was so kind for letting me in since he knew I would want to check out the Ferragamo block heels... but then he didn't approve the look and suggest me trying on the high heels instead. But in the end, I refused to get them..it's so damn expensive, the high heels are 500 EUR for a pair.. it's like damn 900 SGD... I just couldn't get myself to buy them yet.. Maybe I just need more time, baby! Hahaha... :P
I think we also visited more places, but I couldn't remember somehow! hahaha..
Me in Palatine hill... while the rest of the country is bleek, gloomy and snowy even, somehow Rome was green and maintained its warmth... how wonderful God is!
Vatican from the very top of the dome in St. Peter Basilica
Trevy Fountain
Colosseum
30 Dec -
Back to Parma... finally... I just like Parma more than Rome.
We were just very tired, but then we managed to go to supermarket to buy things for Dinner. I cooked Chicken teriyaki and pan-fried potatoes with rosemary and also broccoli with garlic.
Yea.. I know teriyaki doesn't really go with potatoes, but the near supermarket doesn't sell rice at all, so I have to just improvise my cooking...
it reminds me... baby, I think we still have lef-over potatoes.. please don't forget to cook them if you read this!
31 Dec -
Time to go back to Singaland... so yea...
Kinda sad, but it's been such a good trip, was very relaxing, a lot of travelling but that's about my life in my 20's somehow!
And you only have 10 years to live your 20's... so when you still have the energy, you'd better travel!
Oh yea... to close the year, I bought myself a pandora bracelet in Milan airport. I bought 4 charms, the first two are just the stopper charms and then the third one is Colloseum as a symbol that I have visited Italy at the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 and the last one is a glass charm with green turquoise colour - my fave colour!
I promise myself that by end of 2013, I would make it complete and I would really buy the charm when I want to signify some occasions/ milestones that happened in my life.
So..we shall see what happens to me in 2013!
Ciao!
1 comment:
good to be back to amsterdam yah :) kalo aku especially bisa makan masakan indonesia dan stock bumbu2 indonesia yg sulit didapat disini :p
Dan sama dit, aku juga tutup abn amro :D , setelah 5 tahun :D
Post a Comment