Exciting Eastern Europe Part 2

5. Budapest - Hungary

Our schedule on the fifth day was Budapest. Often described as the "Little Paris of Central Europe", Budapest is famous not only for the relics of others who settled here. Remains from both Roman occupation and much later ruled by the Turks can still be seen in the city.

Some of the famous sightseeing spots here are : Fisherman's Bastion, Mathias Church, Citadel Hill, Parliament House and Hero Square.

Parliament House

 

 

                                     https://www.blueseaholidays.co.uk/hungary/budapest

6. Birkenau Concentration Camp - Auschwitz

After our trip to Budapest, we went to Auschwitz at the Birkenau concentration camp. It was a German Nazi concentration and extermination camp built and operated by the Nazis during World War II

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp

Visiting this place is a different experience. It brings a lot of unpleasant thoughts. It reminds me of the Diary of Anne Frank. The Room of Hair, The Room of Abandoned Luggage, The Room of Children's Shoes, The Gas Chamber, flashed a very dark period in the country's history under the the regime of the German Nazis. The concentration camp in Auschwitz is a picture of death for millions of Jews. Being in that place can cause a feeling of nausea by merely looking at a room full of hair. The Jews were shaved of their hair before they were forcibly brought to the gas chamber to die. And here I am at the very place where all the horros took place.

7. Wieliczka Salt Mine - Krakow, Poland

On our seventh day, Poland was our destination. We had a chance to visit Wieliczka Salt Mine which is famous for its deep salt mine. Everything within its depths are carved by hand from salt blocks. The mine has a labyrinth of tunnels. The mine entered the UNESCO's 1st World List of Cultural and Natural Heritage. Twas a fascinating trip!

https://www.iol.co.za/travel/world/europe/explore-the-great-wieliczka-salt-mine-in-poland-17749501

8. Prague - Czech Republic

Prague was on our travel itinerary on the eighth day. It is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. It is the 15th largest city in the Europian Union. It is also the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague is equal to Paris in terms of brauty. Its history goes back a millenium

While you are in Prague, make sure to visit St. Vitus Cathedral, The Astronomical Clock on Old Town Square. The Prague astronomical clock is a medieval astronomical clock. It was first installed in 1410, making it the 3rd oldest astronomical clock in the world and the oldest one still operating.

http://www.documentarytube.com/articles/prague-s-astrological-clock-quick-facts-to-get-your-interest

9. Romerplatz - Frankfurt

Our last stop was Romerplatz in Frankfurt, Germany. Most of Frankfurt's historical places were destroyed by air raids in 1945. Although the city rebuilt mostly modern, some historical buildings were restored.

The old town is quite small and flat making historic Frankfurt a pleasant city to explore on foot

https://www.flickriver.com/photos/mbell1975/2286240493/

The large, irregularly shaped and slightly sloping Romerplatz square has been the center of all festivities in Frankfurt for centuries. The Romer is the historical town hall with a neo-Gothic facade. The half-timbered buildings lining the square are true copies of the originals. Behind them is the ultra modern Schirn Kunsthalle (Art Space). The Schirn houses excellent exhibitions of mostly modern art. German emperors were traditionally elected and crowned in the Gothic Kaiserdom (Imperial Cathedral). Since we travelled in July, the weather was of course very hot. If you are planning to visit in summertime, do bring an umbrella and some sunblock.

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Those are the places I think that are worth visiting if ypu have an oppurtunity and enough time to travel to East Europe. Be prepared to see the fascinating Eqstern Europe, the other  beautiful side of Europe. It will surely fascinate you!

Exciting Eastern Europe Part 1

For many years, Europe has been a vert popular destination for travellers around the world. People have been trying to avoid from travelling to the east of Europe because they thought it wasn't safe to travel there, so most of the time they always travelled to the west.

Last 2-3 years ago, I had a chance to visit East Europe at summer, and what the stereotypes about the east were definitely wrong. East Europe was amazingly unforgettable and some places are very historical and some places are very historical. For ten days, we visited Munich, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Bratislava, Budapest, Auschwitz, Krakow, Wieliczka, Prague and Frankfurt.

I'll try to put in as much photos as possible

Here are some beautiful places you should visit if you have a chance to travel to Eastern Europe:

1. Neuschwanstein Castle

https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/neuschwanstein-castle-germany

On the first day, we went to Neuschwanstein Castle which is a popular attraction site in Germany, a few hours from Munich. King Ludwig II designed and built this castle in the 18th century. This is the castle that inspired the one from Disney's Sleeping Beauty.

To visit this castle, I suggest you plan ahead and book the tours online since the place is always full and you'll be disappointed if you came there and the tickets are fully booked.

2.Golden Roof - Innsbruck

On the next day we visited The Golden Roof in Innsbruck which is a symbol of the old centre of Europe and a reflection of inconcistencies in times of great change. Decorated with 2657 fire-gilded copper tiles, all still original, they form the roof of an above balcony that the great Emperor Maximillian had added. In this place, you can always feel a touch of the late Middle Ages and experience the fascinating past in the present day.

https://www.art.com/products/p45201038097-sa-i10376325/frank-lukasseck-austria-tyrol-innsbruck-old-town-goldenes-dachl-golden-roof.htm

3. Salzburg "Birthplace of Mozart" - Austria

We also went to the birthplace of the famous composer Mozart - Salzburg. Salzburg's "Old Town" (Altstadt) is internationally renowned for its baroque  architecture and is one of the best preserved city centers north of the Alps. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The city has three universities and a large population of students.

In the mid 20th century, the city was the setting for the musical play and film The Sound of Music. I was so delighted when I set foot there because I'm quite a fan of the play/film.

https://www.salzburg.info/en/salzburg/the-sound-of-music/shooting-locations

4. Schonbrunn Palace - Vienna, Austria

https://www.schoenbrunn.at/en/our-tickets-and-prices/all-tickets-prices/

On our fourth day, we headed to Schonbrunn Palace which is a former imperial summer residence located in Vienna, Austria. The 1441-room Baroque palace is one of the most important architectural, cultural and historical monuments in the country. Since the mid-1950's it has been a major tourist attraction.
The history of the palace and its vast gardens spans over 300 years, reflecting the changing tastes, interests, and aspirations of the successive Habsburg monarchs. The palace is simply breathtaking.

Stunning Singapore

Day 01/22 Feb :

So basically I had a "School Field Trip" to Singapore... Although I think I'm going there this June again, it was a compulsory to join and after all who would rather go to school than go to a foreign country? 😏

View from the plane

I went to the airport at 9.30 in the morning and I can't wait to experience the upcoming events as I haven't been to another country with my classmates.

At around 1 o'clock we boarded the plane. IT WAS TERRIFYING. The plane shifted and fell a few metres when landing. At least it wasn't as bad as the time when I went to Sydney

Finally, we reached Changi Airport. It reminded me of my childhood as I used to go to Singapore for the holidays. We then went to the school dormitary there at Anglo-Chinese School. I must say my room of 6 people were below expectations - they look like rooms for housemaids. I was disappointed as the girls' were staying in a better dormitory than ours.

Day 02/23 Feb : 

Today we went to Universal Studios. I must say that I'm actually not that interested and the food cost there is quite expensive compared to the food stalls outside the theme park. Although, there is one attraction that caught my eye - "The Mummy" - this ride is some sort of a roller coaster it gave me thrills and adrenaline which made it fun!  

Others are "one might say" less interesting. I had an overpriced lunch there which was totally not worth it as it was twice the price of regular sweet potato fries...

Day 03/24 Feb :

As it was Sunday, we needed to go to church. Our school decided to go to the well known City Harvest Church. I must say the experience was spectacular as there were enjoyable music and wondrous lights. This service took us about 2 hours from 10.00 untill 10.30, which includes praise, worship and sermon.

After the "concert" ended, we had some time to spare at Suntec City. The schedule said that we were going to be there for 4 hours - which was a drag, so we decuded to complain and end up in the streets of Orchard...

One of the best lunches in Singapore that I ever had - Okonomiyaki. Although it was quite the price, it was totally 100% worth it.

Day 04/25 Feb : 

The next day was possibly the worst day in the week. We had to go to school. Surprise! It was actually a study tour rather than just a normal trip.

What could be more awkward than standing in front of the whole class and getting introduce to your new "friends". Apparently that happened when I was there. More and more awkward things piled up, such as having a student bodyguard but they're called as "buddies", how uncontrollable and uncivilised were the students, and how it was terribly more easy, despite having one of the high educational systems in the world. 

Although first impressions matter the most, it came about pretty good throughout the day. And I almost have every reason about the unusual norms they had.

Finishing school, we went to Bugis Junction to do some shopping and also to eat dinner. I obviously had to eat my favourite type of cuisine - Japanese. So I had a bowl of delicious steaming hot ramen with my friend Dustin.

Although it may not look good, it was very delicious

Day 05/26 Feb : 

Tuesday! We had the same routine as what we had on yesterday - wake up  get ready, eat breakfast, go to school. Of course I was getting bored of this trip as it was compulsory to go to school, but I actually skipped some of the classes and played my phone in the dorm.

I was actually kind of excited today as we were going to Orchard the 2nd time in this trip. Good news was that tomorrow was Wednesday amd that means we could sleep later as school starts at 09:00 unlike other normal school days.

Obviously, I bought many things as Orchard was the heart of Singapore City. From clothes to stationery, you cane name them all and everyrhing would show up in the shops of Orchard St.

Day 06/27 Feb : 

As the school trip had already made me feel monotonous, I'll just tell you what happened after school. We went to the Science Center, nothing much.

The only exceptional things were the electric chair - which I unexpectedly tried as I was curious if it actually works! 

After we finished our time in the Science Center, we soon headed to JCube Mall which was accross the street, for dinner. I actually ended up eating nothing as I already ate some chicken nuggets and fries at McDonalds which was beside the Science Center. 

We only had around half an hour in the mall. So before coming there, I researched information about the mall - and surprisingly there was my favourite store - "Daiso". 

I had a shopping haul there and was satisfied of what I bought - household goods and stationery.

Day 07/28 Feb : 

Finally! The "going to school" thing has ended. Although I have been saying lots of negative comments about this school. I have enjoyed it at some point. The facilities were great and there were mamy kinds of food stalls in their large cafeteria arranging from Japanese to Indian food. The library was on point as there were too much books.

We then went to Marina Bay Sands to visit the Marina Barrage and Gardens by the Bay. Unfortunately, it was a pointless decision going there as we didn't even went iniside the gardens. We waited for the light show to happen, but then realising that we were at the wrong venue. All of my friends were disappointed of this day. At least we went to The Shoppes for a little bit of shopping.

Day 08/01 Mar :

Then it was time to go home, with a few hours to sleep as we went home late yesterday night, we were very tired as we needed to wake up early in the morning and needed to get ready for the flight. We headed to Changi and departed back home.

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Overall, it was a new experience for me, there are pros and cons about this journey like how ugly looking was the bedroom and how delicious were the culinare. 

It was also my first time going overseas with the school so I learned on how to be responsible and independent.