Euro Travel & More

Found some old pictures of the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany and thought I would share it with you. No one goes to Germany without stopping at the cathedral in Cologne, that was what my co-worker had said to me.. and when i complained that I had seen enough of Cathedral around Europe.. he was quite adamant that i go to this one.  So i said.. alright.. and went..  and boy..!! was it magnificient..!  Look at how intricate the architectural details..  and taking a closer look, you can actually feel gothic.. like the Adams family kinda gothic.  It also made me wonder in awe about how much talent these people had.  It’s a different kind of feeling from the cathedrals that i saw in Spain.

My co-worker told me that this was the pride of Cologne and this cathedral is a World Heritage Site.  This is the most famous landmark in Cologne and one of the world’s largest church. It is opened daily to anyone and they even have a tour of the church for just 4 pounds.. but we were there when they were having some sort of special service, so we couldn’t go in.. and i was kinda disappointed.  I had meant to come again another day.. but i didn’t make it back.

I honestly wished i had gone back.. and now looking back and hearing some of the magnificent statues and painting others see inside the cathedral.. i could really smack myself.. for being so lazy.. and complacent at that time.  I don’t know when I will be able to go back to Germany.. but if i do .. you know where to find me.

I’ve been asked many times by new parents if they should bring their own baby bedding with them when they are traveling for just a few days.  And my answer is a definite YES, especially if you are driving on your own and plenty of trunk space.  A baby is accustomed to the smell of their own bedding and if you are traveling to a place that she had never been to, it is a great way to make your baby feel comfy by bringing things that she is familiar with.  Some new parents are not aware of this.. but the first few months of your babies’ lives, they cannot see too, too clearly .. but they can smell very well.  Therefore, the smell on the mummies are the strongest.. so whenever a baby is uncomfy .. and starts crying.. and they keep quiet immediately after the mummy carries them.. that is the reason.   So yes..! i strongly encourage that you bring stuff that the baby is used to along when you are traveling.

As someone who traveled business class, first class and economy class as well .. as the different names of seating for any airlines.. it’s funny how when you are in the economy class that you are most stressed out.  It’s not because of the small and cramped seats.. but more so, the people on this class seems to have no consideration for others.  Since economy class does not give one home theater seating like when you are on first class, one needs to practice common etiquette when you fly economy.  And the first common and most important has gotta be .. not to kick the seat of the one in front of you .. CONSTANTLY.  I really don’t mind flying economy on short flights.. but it’s the constant kicking of the chair from the one behind you .. now that really, really upsets me.  So if you ever fly economy.. and you start kicking my chair.. and some crazy chinese woman stand up .. and shout at you .. it has gotta be me.

If you haven’t been on the new UA’s international business class or ever got upgraded to one, you’ll have to try it.  This is way better than the old business class that United had offered before.  This new business class comes with a lie fat seat with controls for your VOD screen and these screen were large by any airplane standard that I had been on.  At first glance i thought they weren’t as good as SIA but it turned out to be better than i would have expected.

Compared to the old United’s first class and business class and those of Air Canada .. i’ll have to say that this is what i would go for .. always from now on.  If you are on a long-haul like i was used to, this is definitely my choice.  I guess United has come a long way.. or are they just now seeing that their flyers are a bit on the big side..??  Well.. whatever the reason may be.. i’ll have to say that this is a good thing for any traveler but i wished they could improve on their food.. and stop offering me cup noodles in a bowl .. just because i was in an International business class .. and because i am a CHINESE..!!  ello..!!  i eat western stuff too yer know.

Photo credit :  WeNeedAVacation.com

Who doesn’t.. right..??  Owning a business like we do and working 364 days a year for the last 9 yrs we could definitely use a real vacation.  But like anyone out there, a vacation means planning and depending on who you are planning to bring along, it’s important to plan it right.  WeNeedaVacation.com is the place to start if you are planning for a vacation with friends, partners and even the extended family.

For those who know me, you will know that I’m pretty heavy into plans and planning ahead and what better way than to use the tools provided by these folks.  It’s a pretty easy tool and you can even check out places like Martha’s Vineyard vacation rentals, which has this new video feature to let you view the place you will be staying in for the next few days or week.  As members you get to play a very important role that will benefit other vacationers like yourself and share your findings on your favorite properties.

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Lille, France is an old mini-city by itself.. and only an hour away from Paris, the city of love by the train.  We arrived on a not so sunny weekend.. and it was a super relaxing weekend for us.. as we walk the lil’ city .. and explore the many places and sat at cafes and watch the crowds go by.  There wasn’t must Wi-fi to leech on .. when i was there.. some 10 yrs ago.. it might have changed now.  But you could still sit down with you Vaio like i did.. and replied to some emails.. and try to look stylish.. muahaha!!

The above picture is of a boutique hotel called Couvent des Minimes. Opened in 1990, this hotel is not really centrally located .. and i heard it was a restorative historical building.   Unfortunately, we didn’t go in .. so i couldn’t tell you how the rooms looked like.  But since Lille is a small city, you can walk from the hotel to the train station (metro) within minutes.  Like all accommodation in France, I hear this was quite expensive too, but if you check them out during the off season period.. you can get a better deal.

Shopping is a huge thing in Lille, unfortunately, we were not there during Sundays where they have a huge flea market.  And my co-worker had said the Christmas Market itself was the like our fun-fair back home.  If you are ever in Lille, France, you can try and timed it so that you can get your shopping done in these flea markets.  They are an awesome experience .. as you get to see and buy work from talented artiste.

Honestly, for the life of me.. i can’t remember what building this is.. so if anyone can tell me.. please leave a comment. Although Lille is not anything like Paris .. i did like this place .. and if i had more time, i would definitely want to stay a day or two longer… to check out the Opera house at least.

Mauritius Island is really a paradise .. we went there especially for deep sea fishing. The water is so clear at Mauritius Island.. you can blame us for loving it this much eh. You can hire your fishing boats from the hotel that you are staying at. Prices are almost the same.

Endless of water sport in Mauritius Island.. and if you know where to go , there won’t be much tourist around to make the beach feel crowded. But of course .. one do not need to spend your whole time at the beach. Shopping at the duty free shops can be really fun too. But don’t forget to bring your passport and air tickets to prove that you are a tourist. Clothing are at great prices.. so some t-shirts for souvenirs are great to get.

We stayed at the Le Meridian.. but there are plenty of resort in the island for you to choose from. I will review the hotel in another post. Weather is pretty good all year round.. i find.. it doesn’t really go below 19 degree Celsius. And you will find it truly amazing that a Chinese face speaks.. in French. The Mauritius island’s population consist of a lot of Chinese.. and they are bilingual.. in English and french.

It is actually pretty safe to be in Mauritius Island.. and we had a most enjoyable time .. when we were there. You should if you haven’t been to Mauritius Island.. I heard that there is also a Club Med in Mauritius Island.

Someone had asked me if it was true that in San Francisco, they have a crooked street that was so famous.. that it gets into most movies. And I’ve been looking for pictures that I had when I was in San Francisco a long time ago. So here it is.. and yes.. there is a crooked but famous street in San Francisco called the Lombard Street.

It does take a little skill, if i must say to drive thru’ this eh.

A long walk from Coit Tower but never mind, we wanted to see the street.  Lombard Street actually begins from presidio Boulevard and runs thru’ the Cow Hollow neigbourhood.  There are quite a number of very nice looking houses and assuming they must be quite expensive.  I wouldn’t really wanna own a house here because I wouldn’t want tons of tourist eyeing my house, there wouldn’t be a lot of privacy eh.

Some flowers along the road.

Pretty houses eh.  They are equivalent to our town houses here.

One of Seoul’s must go to .. is the Gyeongbok Palace because this is the most famous attractions when you go to Korean. I haven’t met anyone who wouldn’t go to the Gyeongbok Palace. Plus who can resist a royal palace right..? Rich history of the Gyeongbok Palace can be found when you google it. Please note that there are some places in the palace that are not opened to the public.

This is the main entrance to the palace or to the outer part of the courtyard. There is a ticketing booth to the right of the entrance. The entrance fee to the palace is $1000 Won .. about $1 Canadian dollars – cheap cheap..! i think children goes in for free.. but don’t quote me please.

Inner court of the palace

The inside of the Main Hall

The statue of the king .. i think. But I am not too, too sure.

A sundial..!! woohoo..!!

Lots of people has their own name for Las Vegas but for me and my girlfriends, we called it the City of Fun.  Not only are the hotels in las vegas affordable.. but they are very nice and luxurious.  City of Fun is a great place to have your bridal shower because it is an endless night of fun.  My bestie had her bridal shower there.. and I’ll have to say, it was one of the best.. i’ve ever been to.