@r0ndzm

technically i just left europe now. 39,000 feet altitude. right above Ashgabat. not entirely sure where it is but its part if the middle east.

i reckon the whole of euro tour 2013 was a success. there are couple of unfortunate events but contingency fund is more than enough to cover risks. missed contiki meetup. mixedup fund envelope. vatican not being on contiki itinerary. and of course a lot of times i got lost and cabs became my saving grace. scary scammers in paris. cabless rome.

i have a lot of good ones like the friends and relatives who helped me during my stay in london. friends visited me halfway in belgium. celebrating vigil with the pope. seeing stonehenge upclose and john fetching me.

heaps of breath-taking sights like tour eiffel at night, vatican city and the sistine chapel, the roman fora, munich extravagant city centre, versailles garden and its opulence, firenze duoumo and the picturesque top-view of where rennaisance began. venezia at night including music playing in st mark's square. the beautiful canas of amsterdam. belgium's luscious grand place surrounded by chocolatiers. of course london's westminister and buckingham palace.

food was exquisite. ranging from the best french dinner to my birthday bash dinner in firenze and final dinner in sea food palace in amsterdam. french onion soup, escargot, baguette, burgundy wine and edam cheese. panini, pizza, pasta. gelato (amareti and baci special mention). scones and creme. belgian frites and waffles. german pork knuckles. beer stein. wurst. mousels and kwak. fish and chips and english cider.

and if course for me one of the highlights would have to be the shopping experience. i finally can say i bought LV (limited edition belt and new collection scarves from runway) in Champs Elysees and maxed out my shopping fund (plus plus) in Burberry when i was in London (scarves, trench coat). suited up in monaco wearing zegna shirt and tie. suit and shoes by Prada.

finally i want to thank my official sponsors for the trip. without you it wouldnt be amazingly spectacular!


Emirates, British Airways, Singapore Airlines for my flights. and of course qantas for the FF miles redemption. thanks for safe and covenient travels.

Thalys, Trenitalia and of course Eurostar which has the most amazing standard premier.

Louis Vuitton and Burberry for the official apparel for EU trip.

Zegna and Prada for the Monaco dressup night.

Corona and Peroni - official drink

Jetski Safari - official EU theme song

L'occitane, Kheils and Molton Brown for my Skin care. Chanel for fragrance.

Evian official still water to keep hydrated during the trip.

Berroca boosting energy and keeping me active all throughout the trip

samsung for photos. apple for web technology and music. finally casio for time (helped esp when moving and converting timezones).

travelex and uaex for fx changes.

most importantly i am thanking vodafone italia my official carrier. it wouldnt be possible to get connected on net on the go without data servies from VF. grazie!

I pretty much got lucky moving my notsopractical flight to a better one. I've been so keen in having one more night in London. I just wanted to fall in love with London but it wasn't really as charming as Paris, Venice or Munich.

Eventually when I arrived in London. It has shown its true colours. Cloudy, rainy, chaotic. For unknown reasons I find that its character and eccentricity to be appealing. It is a fusion of New York and Sydney imho. In short I likey.

Didn't matter whether British people arw arrogant but its a nice place to live in. And I think I made a good decision making it my official European HUB.

So many restaurants,  posh bar, pubs, and of course the shopping is just topnotch.

Thanks to the Mercado's and of course Julie for the warmth hospitality. Letting me be a part of your weekend life is just too fabulous. It makes me want to move in to London. I haven't even beeb to the CLUBS for crying out loud.

But yeah definitely I will consider coming back to London for another visit or who knows...

Bruxelles is well-known for few great indulgences.  Waffles, Frites and of course Belgian Chocolates.

I met with two of my friends qho now lives in Luxembourg. I have to give them credits for coming to Belgium to meet up with me. Only for two hours but still it was great to catchup with them. I must say nothing has changed and I feel like its still 2003 when we first met in SGV. Except that now they have a little boy.

Rain was pouring.  I think it started in Germany and has also chosen to take the same route. It was raining everywhere I go since then. Managed to find Leonidas and buy some chocies.

Amazing lunch I got a free one too. Mussels and Kwaks are also famous here. I enjoyed it too esp with good company from friends I havent seen for 6 years..

Lets start off by thanking Katie for amazing job she did for this tour. if it wasnt for her, i wouldnt have enjoyed EU highlights. Kudos to her and Jase. Awesome team we were in safe hands.

i shall call them Reese and Charles. other contiki gang are as follows: Sherminator, Garfield, John Arbacle, Orson, Vin Diesel, Rohan (BB), Snoopy, Dorothy Cos (college batchmate lookalike), Abraham Lincoln, Mr Big (SATC), Pugsley and Wednesday and Commander Bobot (prev boss). i can go on and name names on their faces.

South African gals and Japanese contikers are welcoming. the rest are just arrogant bitches. but still i somehow manage to gel a bit but as i said i feel unwelcomed most of the time!

drinking theory is right. thats what the gang does all the time. this trip is a short one so have to squeeze all sights and must dos in that limited time. i just hate going with people who just wanted to drink all the time.

or perhaps i just like travelling alone. oh well im introvert and its such a challenge to socialise in groups for me. i did adjust and overall its not that bad!

i probably should equate this trip to my vegas trip. but instead if getting drunk i got bit stoned. i say that space brownie should be consumed with a company. never do it alone. not catastrophic but u get paranoid when u started feeling weird. started with my hands then in my head. but the trick is mind over matter. i was able to go to sleep but it was a loooong sleep that i eventually missed the pedal biking and heiniken factory. i did go to museums though. finally we had our final dinner in a floating resto. not too bad! i loved it! i still am ranting with the crap gang. most of em are really not welcoming! in my honest opinion, i should have sticked to my group instead of going alone most of the time. but something in me says that i love adventure and doing everything by myself.

i have to say that this is pretty quiet compared to the other cities we have been to. we ended up playing card game pretty much like pusoy dos. diff is that there are no ranking of suits and fives are prohibited. game starts with S something like stupid but more of a slang word..

i bought myself a deutscheland shirt and that made me happy.

at night we tried the blackforest cake but i still go for red ribbons!

Probably this second spiritual place after Vatican of course. I totally advocate humanity and what happened 75 years ago is just appalling.

Why I find it spiritual is nothing to do with religion. Is just that I reckon the harsh condition the people had endured during that time was just unbearable.  Inhumane in all apsects. They use people for scientific experiments and also for randomly killing them in gas chambers. It was such heart-melting experience. Revolting is the word which I describe what happened. These horrific era seems to be so moving that we should be thankful for what we have and feel lucky. 

...because life is beautiful.

"Willkommen in Deutschland" as the rain greeted us with cold winds as its entourage. Here was a pit stop in Austria where I had a taste of schnitzel where it  originated.

Started off with Munich with an enjoyable bike ride followed by a well deserved Steins and Schweinshaxe. Had two giant steins which I think is pretty much my threshold cos I felt the tipsyness after.. drank the famous original Hofbräuhaus Stein and also a dark lagger after that.

And what is worse than tipsy feeling is the aroma of dog poo in the bus. Yeah some fool stepped on it without considering the mess he did. We have then to endure the longest 20 minute ride back to the hostel.

Venice greeted us with unwelcoming humidity. Luckily I sat at the front and the cool breeze took away the arrogant weather. First activity was the gondola ride. It is the best way to see explore Venice many islands. We barely hav full day to see Venice. Finally I've ridden the real thing. Vegas, Singapore wnd even Philippines has one..

Then we had a walking tour of Venice, which I should have opted out. It was the longest time and it is not practical for real reason that Venice is pretty much self explanatory.  I would have been better off queueing for San Marco Cathedral.

I did break again from the gang just because they dont have the same enhusiast I have when traveling. I was so enamored with masks here that I bought heaps. Then a quick espresso and toilet break. I did go to St Marks Campanile which where I fell in love with Venezia.  The clouds skewed into perfect purple and pink sky. The crescent moon displayed beautifully on th dome. I had a date with my favourite affogato over a lovely musician playing classic romantic songs. The shops are posh and the ambiance exuded elegance.

one of the objectives today is to look for i love rome shirt. and honestly i didnt care much on the first day cos my heart will always belong to paris. but when we decided to move forward the trip to rome. somehow the stars aligned and we were able to see the pope. as what my aunt has said, if makes u feel closer to heaven. angelic choir. perfect musical arrangement that puts u to a different spiritual state. and of course knowing that the holy father is there to celebrate the Syria Vigil is beyond what i expected for roma.

it was also the longest night ever. train broken. met the spanish girls. talked to bradley who was really helpful in getting us home safely.

why roma is unique? although technically vatican is another state, i shall include it in roma experience. gelato, pasta, pizza, risotto, caffe, tiramisu, antipesto. seriously i think this trip will make me fat and too dark. yes, the sunniest in your europe added multiple layers of humidity.
despite all that roma is still my favourite place that i dearly fell in love.

buon compleano to me. it gets better eventually after having a slight depression and hint of homesickness. the dinner was absolute epic night for me. started with antipesto. then pasta which is bolognese, pesto and ravioli. the chicken and tiramisu for dessert.

then they started singing happy bday and i made a quick salute with italian wine. that was the first suprise greeting. then came the champagne toast with Kathie and another guy celebrating his bday. as a finale they dimmed the lights and i was scared what was happening. out of no where there was something sparkling. little did i know that it was for me and it was a gelato cake that has chocolate sauce drawing into something i couldnt surmise first. i realised it is male genitalia. that was hilarious. i ended up sharing with everybody else.

we then went to regatta later i realise it as red grater where i got kool aide as drink that kicked my singing intensity. i hired my backup and we sang the ultimate song of the karaoke world- "i will survive". capped the evening with blue cheese and wine c.o mario and luigi. epic night indeed.

yes it is indeed the second smallest yet uber rich state in the world. no taxes and everyone is extremely wealthy. this country boasts the home of the f1 grand prix and of course the monte carlo casino.

i got a chance of seeing the breath taking view of monaco from the observation deck passing thru prince albert's. upn entering the casino. i was in awe just looking at how classy it was. perhaps a blessing that i lost 4 chips on roulette whoch pretty much dictated that i do not belong to the grand casino room. entrance was around 10 euros. i ended up winning on bit of pokies but eventually lost it anyway. i celebrated ny bday eve with a long island ice tea for myself.

later that night mario and luigi gave me a beer toast and a taste of blue cheese. kathie our tour guide gave me a bday hug. i am happy that at least theres someone to celebrate it with.

i basically skipped dinner just to wait for one hour delayed train to cannes. i find people on this area to be total snob! but what the hell at least i can flaunt my luxury and step on their foot given the chance.

the train arrived when the sun has set already so it wasnt the perfect view i was expecting. i was so disgusted with how palais du festivals look like. very ugly and not picturesque. it was even imitating walk of stars for crying out loud! theres a lot of good restaurant here and i thought that it wiuld have been good if my friends were here to do Satcy with me.

eventually i got a cheap crepe and i was happy about it. nit pricey but equally satisfying.

horrific story, train were delayed by 2 hours. i cannot fathom such thing happening on french riviera! i took a cabbie instead and was bitten by 45 euros. ouch! but the lady cabbie was really great driver. she was quick and precise. hopefully i win this money back at monacco.

for some reason i wanted to be alone today. i kept distance to everyone else from the trip. perhaps i really am introvert or perhaps my age, i dont know..

i did have a great time in avignon i saw the papal palace. i also tried a very interesting baguette with goat cheese which was superb touch for the baguette. i wanted to buy something from loccitane cos i know it originated in provence. they dont gave the face wash i wanted so i bought lavander savon at the petrol station.

i saw a chapel and offered candle wishing prayers for family and friends. also seeking guidance and safety for this euro tour.

this town might be small but i just love the way it looks. i saw couple of shops including hermes. weird enough it wsnt luxurious looking. maybe it is trying to fit into the avignon vibe.

post script, i did poo on poo! eww but i really had to do it cos i really have to do it (if u know what i mean)

in my intro i said how i love france and i still do. it has a lot to offer. from chic shops, french cuisine, art appreciation, fine wine and of course the french language and top sights to see. i particularly love the drive to burgundy where endless vineyard every where u look.

wine was a bit bland but i am sure the prestage is worth buying. they told me its full flavour and intensity are its award winning characteristic.

the chateau is really beautiful and has thr vibe that makes your soul rejuvenate. unfortunately there are wild uneducated blokes around. which is what i totally hate in contiki tours. luckily our group is much behaved. ironic how such beauty is filled with drunken monkeys. my two euro cents. you can still have fun in a civilised manner. its how you choose to act and disgrace yourself with your rubbish behaviour! far out!

this started in club in Champs Elysees and also on the second night in Paris with the great performance from cancan girls and the unforgettable drunken moments in Salut Bar.

Third night in France we stayed in a chateau in beaujolais. between dinner and 9:30pm was the most boring thing evr! i call it nothingness. was compensated with a great ambiance at cave and we did party hard . too bad i knocked marios drink. ice tropez is a must. its like lychee infused in vodka!

for some reason i had suddenly was given a youthful vibe and energy to endure the late night partey even with not enough sleep.

i managed to arrive safely at Gurd du Nord from London and I changed to Metro. my laziness to change Metro line made me walk for 25 mins under the blistering sun.

how i find this monteparte region is exact opposite of champs elyseeswhere i stayed on my first visit to Paris. i saw heaps of scary looking thugs and a passed by a flee market. over a block just under the bridge there was a totally different market. it was damn scary. i later realised that this might have been the stolent stuff market super sale. heaps of people were there and it scared the sh!t out if me.

then i saw the contiki bus and saw a familiar face-josh. kathie paired me with him since i already knew him from fb.

we went around paris to see familiar sights and i was in a pee predicament. then eventually i had to go to the coaches' lavatory that later i was told that u can only use in exceptional cases.

we head out to a brasserie and tried snails with petit champagne. i met some guys but never get their names cos im bad at remembering. i shall call them grant, takeshi, mikimoto, mike and prekash.

my contiki buddies i will introduce. josh obviously whom i met thru fb. kinda hih spirited from delaware in the US. jocelyn from LA. she is kinda my type of travel buddy and she knows how to read french and say basic phrases. when combined we become the greatest voyagers!

saw tour eiffel for second time and still captivates my heart! and louvre at night time is inexplicably amazing! then also we went o my fave place champs elysees to dance and drink. lots of DB lookalike so i declare this as DB kingdom.

next day we were dropped off at arc de triomphe. we saw it upclose but voted unanimously not to go on top cos of the time constraint. went to laduree and i had ice mint which taste like toothpaste but still i love it. went shopping for my toiletries at l'occitane. great i bought ine in France! then we went straight to Versailles which was a bit scary. getting the ticket i mean cos there are guys whi would be willing to give direction and end up quickly swiping their card after you swiped yours. then they demand payment for their card use even if it was obvious that you had successfully paid anyway.

ended up with such a scare but still we managed to drop the issue and enjoy our voyage to the elegance that is in Versailles. It is beyond words!

french cuisine at its finest. i had the well known escargot and duck confit which was topnotch! i reckon given another chance i want to explore more of france and i see myself living on this lovely country.

post script on versailles is that it is a poo disaster county so watch out with the loo. it looks utterly disgusting.

i was supposed to meet Contiki gang early morning at six but i just cant be bothered with the tumultous journey to achieve that! at this stage i dont want further stress. julie then suggested i take eurostar which was a great practical solution to one of my worries. also she offered that i stay with them on my last night in Europe. i would be forever thankful!

now im on my way to Paris instead of taking the long journey from london to paris by coach. i should arrive before the gang arrives. will have a bit of patesserie tasting while i wait for them. at least that is the plan..

i remember when i was nine, i get this unexplainable excitement whenever we go to amusement parks. the same excitement i once again felt when Julie and I went to Bicester Village. i know my cousin and her hubby strongly dont want me to go but i would be going against what my heart wanted.

shopping has always been a very important activity for me when i travel. it is a way to pay homage to the fashion and luxury. hence i had to go against all odds. had lunch at a sandwich place cos italiano restorante has queue and who would want to waste time eating. we came here to shop! i told Julie that only when its prada that queue is worth doing. had an amazing chicken soup and pizza slice. of course lemon cheesecake to seal the meal.

Bicester Village is like a one stop shop that has every luxury shop you wanted. and of course i am well prepared with my Europe Spending Fund. first stop is of course the host country has to offer - burberry! i TOTALLY love the shop. it has two levels and the men section is on the upper level. Trench coats were calling me to be tried on. i at least tried five to six coats before deciding to get three of them. then off i went to burberry body that i always wanted but sydney store doesnt have em. finally got a scarf that i wanted which is a modern check design that looks like the shirt i am currently wearing. overall burberry is the second best store and i am rating them 4.9 stars! ohh i ended up giving up the thick trendy coat cos i wont really need it til next year anyway.

the next stop is Prada. queue was sooo long but i managed to wait patiently and i guess it was rewarding. the best shop here of course because not only they have good selection. the staff assisted me personally like i have a personal shopping advisor and assistant. they were able to address my dress code predicament for monacco scheduled at the end of the week. the fabric was topnotch, fitting was almost perfect (minus the length of the cuffs). i immediately spotted shoes that would go with it in an instant like a zephyr of light! its safiano-nuff said. i gave this store 5 perfect stars which is because of the extremely organizsed and friendly shopping experience ever.

last note worthy shop is zegna. although i didnt get the trousers i wanted. i was able to get a clean crisp shirt to wear in Monte Carlo casino. they matched it with a smart looking tie all for less than 200 pounds! what a treat! giving them 4 stars.

the other shops were a bit of a snob! what the hell theyre cheaper brands but they have the attitude! if u make me mad there is a chance i might step on you "accidentally". just to give you a lesson that my goodness can overshadow your rudeness!

overall i love bicester shopping experience and would be one of the reasons i would come back to UK. of course the main reason is the warmth from my family and friends living here.

just a note that disneyland train ate all our time that we decided not to go for clubbing. still that doesnt mean we cant have any fun.. Julie knows exactly how to define it! Karaoke with beer and wine whilst munching south african chips and mini pasty&wedges in the side.