London Calling

Travelogue Index

Travelogue

Asia
Japan: DisneySea, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka,Tokyo,  Uji 
Korea: Seoul
Malaysia: Johor Bahru, 
Taiwan: Hualian, Jiufen, Taipei
Thailand: Bangkok


Europe
Austria: Salzburg, Vienna

Czech: Prague

France: Carcassonne, Dieppe, Lourdes, Nice, Paris, Rouen, Versailles

Germany: Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt, Munich 

Italy: Florence, Greaves, Rome, Venice
Morocco: Asilah, Casablanca, Chefchaouen, Fez, Marrakesh, Meknes, Sahara Desert, Tangier

Portugal: Lisbon, Porto

Spain: Barcelona, Madrid

Switzerland: Bern, Grindelward, Interlaken, Jungfrau, Kleine Scweiss, Luzern, Zurich, 

UK: London

Kindness

Revelations from a Tuesday morning's work:

1. Rubber suction cup. It is the pointy rubber thinggy under your laptop's keyboard's key.

2. It serves a grand purpose-enable you to make contact with the electric circuit board beneath your keypad without short circuiting it.

3. The smarter thing to do when your keyboard malfunction while it is still under warranty is not to try and repair by yourself. Being the smart alec, I had to pry out the faulty key AND pluck out the rubber suction cup to tap on the electric circuit board circuit. This works for my backspace button but not my escape key. Now, I am left with the rubber suction cups and keys and a void warranty (for the keyboard component).

4. Acer must earn an incredibly high profit margin from selling keyboards. It costs S$90 for that piece of  plastic.

In other news, shuttle bus drivers at the International Business Park are incredibly kind. One pointed out that I got on the wrong bus and the other was quite apologetic that I had to pay for the ride (he figured that I made a wasted trip to fix my keyboard here hahahah).

Chefchaouen & Asilah

When I first saw photos of Chefchaouen in travel guidebooks, I knew I had to come here. The entire town is painted in lovely hues of blue and reminded me much of Greece minus throngs of tourists. 

W and I took the ONCF train from Marrakesh to Tangier and then arranged for a local guide to pick us up from Tangier train station to Chefchaouen as we were on a tight schedule. 1.5 days should be sufficient to cover this charming town. 

The Red City That is Marrakesh

W and I spent 3 days in Marrakesh. 1.5 days should be more than sufficient if you have instinctive navigation skills. If i were to do a pie chart, 40% of our time will shown as "wandering around like a headless chicken". This is despite us asking for directions and with the help of google maps, amazing.

This really frustrated me but not W. I detest walking around aimlessly unless that is my original objective (i.e shopping). W tried to persuade me to deviate from the checklist and include "walk around and soak up the local atmosphere"-his synonym for being lost. Nice try. Might work if I wasn't one of those annoying bitches who plans every step of the itinerary right down to taking line X of the train service, alighting Y stops after and then heading off to the streets  via exit Z. I think we make a good pair-W with his OCD standards of hygiene and paranoid me with my Plan Bs.

Okay, back to Marrakesh. The thing I like most about this city is how it is so real and bursting with life-the noise, the sweat and the grime. Also, it is refreshing to witness how locals were so fervent about their religion. 5 times a day, prayer bells chime and streets become empty as locals rush to the mosque. 

a-MAZE-ing city

Todra Gorges and Gladiators

After a good breakfast, it was time to hit the roads again. We headed towards the Todra Gorges to see the towering rock walls and the glacier stream. 

We passed by a couple of towns looking like this. Loving the palm trees and earthy blocks.

Under the Sahara skies

“I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams...” 

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince

There are places and there are places.  It is easy to understand why prophets retreat to the Desert to search for God and spend time with Him. In the desert, how can man not be humbled, dwarfed by the blanketing golden sand during the baking heat of day, shrouded by the infinite stars in the cooling chill of night.  

I rode across the kingdom of sand, chasing after the footprints of sheikhs and veiled beauties, searching the skies for signs of flying carpets and poking around sand dunes for a rusty genie-inhabited lamp. Although I am now back home, a small piece of my heart will always be with the Sahara. I will be back!  

Meknes

Meknes is the nearest city to Volubilis and a hidden gem off the tourist track . 

She used to be the Capital of Morocco in the 1670s-1700s under the reign of Moulay Ismaïl . Now, Moulay Ismail was a pretty interesting King and better known as the "Warrior King". He fought the Ottoman Turks for Morocco independence, had 10,000 heads of slain enemy adorning his city walls, and fathered 867 children. He also made an offer of marriage to the French King Louis XIV's daughter Marie Anne but was refused. I wonder if all the children were his. 

As an imperial city, Meknes has her fair share of historical monuments and sites. It was also here where we had THE best Moroccan meal. Although the markets here sell a more limited range of goods, the prices are much cheaper in comparison to Fez and Marrakesh.

Our first stop was the royal stables, Moulay Ismail was a horse fanatic and owned 12,000 of them. That is probably the equivalent of keeping 50 Ferrari on the road in our time. Check out the lake where the horses get their water from.

Royal Stables

Volubilis Ruins

Hot, lush, unkempt. Hauntingly beautiful. 

There is a certain unique and strange quality standing in the middle of city ruins watching the opulence of yesterdays rotting into cobbled paths. 2000 years ago, a bustling city so full of dreams and aspirations. 2000 years later, just a cold trail. 

Fez

Our initial plan at Fez was to hit the streets and scout around the neighborhood but being a scaredy cat, I dragged W back to the riad before the sky turned dark. We chilled at the rooftop swing and caught the sunset there.

It was super fun bawling our lungs out and trying to out-swing each other.

As described on wikipedia, a riad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden or courtyard. Locals told me that years ago, the French brought up the riads and converted them into accommodations for tourists, one of the reasons for ballooning property prices. Stepping into a riad, I could understand why. Hey, W, if you are reading, I would love to have one of these too!

Accommodation

1. Riad Damia 10 Rue Sornas Ziat 30000 Fès, Medina. 65 euro/dbl room/night. Requested for complementary upgrade to suite cos it was off peak season. 

Review: Not bad but could be better. Free breakfast with nice freshly squeezed orange juice and a good spread of food. Nice terrace to watch sunset. Cleanliness 3.5/5.

View from rooftop

Mini-Scare en route Fez

Sunset view from the train 

We took Easyjet (S$60) from Madrid to arrive at Morocco Casa Mohammed V Terminal 2 at 1.40pm. Upon exiting the plane, I knew i was stepping into a patriarchal and conservative society. Women were modestly clothe from head to toe and the atmosphere was quiet and solemn.  The custom staff were pretty thorough and spent a long time questioning the African guy before us in the queue. He was carrying a picture wrapped in brown paper and parts of the frame were exposed. W answered the questions on my behalf. I just stood at his side and tried to give off a harmless vibe.

Nice- Just Nice

Nice was a fun one time experience.The sky was downcast for most of our trip which sucks for beach lovers but works out great for me (less sun exposure = less skin aging hooray).  Would i go back to Nice again? Probably not cos we have nicer (and cheaper) beaches in Asia like Boracay. The people watching weren't all that fantastic. Additionally, there was this bus driver who saw the five of us flagging for the bus at the bus stop (the bus is supposed to make a stop according to the signs) but didn't stop so that kinda ruined our experience a little. 

Place Massena

Loads of fountains/statues in Europe.

Reminded me of Venice.

Strolling down Promenade des Anglais.

Resorted to stealing the bf's toilet slippers as I didn't pack any and didn't feel like wearing covered shoes out. 

I have a soft spot for sausage dogs. Probably a residue from my childhood days when my Dad came back from a long outpost  in Australia and brought back a stuffed toy Dachshund. That and super hard nougats. 

Heart to Heart Talk. Shaggy dog (aww).

Blue Nautical Strips.

Vintage car exhibition. Jaguar.

Vieux Nice (Old Town)

Flower Market. Pretty small scale compared to our Far Est Floral.

Ending off with a lion ^Roar^.

Accommodation

1. Villa Saint Exupery Gardens 22 Avenue Gravier. 

Review: Pretty decent at around 18 euro/bed/night in 8 bed mixed dorm. Only con is this place is packed with partying folks so it can get loud at night.

Carcassonne - Tale as Old as Time

 When I first heard of Carcassonne as a beautiful medieval fortress, I was expecting to see a "small provincial town" right out of Disney (I know right!). Think cobbled stones, fountains, creeping ivy, singing birds and lovely flowers. 

With great expectations comes great disappointment. This place was full of shit (literally, birdshit) and was swarmed packed with tourists  . 

Nonetheless, Carcassonne retains her old charm. A visit once is sufficient.

Lourdes - Pilgrimage Town

First stop of the road trip (Lourdes-Carcassonne-Nice-Monaco) with 3 other friends. Don't expect any tourist attractions here as it is more of a pilgrimage town for Catholics. Will recommend a 3 hour stopover if your are curious about this place unless you are coming here for any specific purpose.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Bernadette Soubirous on 18 occasions at Lourdes (from wiki). As such, this place was swarmed with people who came from all over the world hoping for miraculous healing. 

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes

Loads of tour groups.

Bottling some spring water from the grotto (believed to bring healing properties). 

Didn't take any pictures at the Grotto but there were ongoing mass all day. Prayer chantings and a strong atmosphere of hope. 

We also visited the home of St. Bernadette (no pictures).

Accommodation

1. Hotel Dauphine Lourdes 13 boulevard de la Grotte - Lourdes. 

Review: Room was nice and clean. Nothing to shout about.

Food

1. Pizzeria Casa Italia, 13 Rue Bernadette Soubirous, 65100 Lourdes, France 

Review: Really good pizza. 

2. Indian Briyani place along street of souvenir store 

Review: Fulfilled Indian food craving but damn expensive.Ten Euros per plate of simple Briyani. Tasted pretty ordinary.  

Rouen - Food

Yvonne Bakery Eclaire 
(5mins across the street from Rouen station)

This is soooooo good. You definitely have to try this if you are in Rouen. The eclair skin is crunchy and chewey and they are very generous with the fillings! My favorites are speculoos/cinnamon and cappuccino.

Tirasmisu Ice Cream Cake

Available at Carrefour. Love the sporadic utburst of sugar rush when you bite into the crunchy biscuity parts. Pure bliss. 

Chocolates and Moscato
The moscato was damn cheap like 2 euros each. Not very nice though.

Rouen Business School Cafeteria

Avoid at all cost. About 3.5 euro per meal (varies from steak+ frites to couscous etc). You get what you pay.

Regular Stuff we cook
W usually buys the grocery (which is a big deal cos Carrefour is soo far away), cooks (cos he is a fussy eater) and takes the trash out braving the cold. I would do the preparation (wash the ingredients chop the onions etc) and wash up. 

Foie Gras

Available at Carrefour. W cooked it pan seared style. Sinfully good.

Clockwise: Aglio Olio - Omelette Cheese - Pre-marinaded Carrefour Chicken Wings

                                 
                                    Clockwise: Brinjal-Potatoes-Broccoli-Miso Soup

Clockwise: Venison Meat- Chicken Tagine - Steak-Spam fries  

Clockwise: Prawns - Mussels - Salmon

Clockwise: Chicken Rice - Almond Jelly - Chicken porridge with pork floss - Steamed Tofu - Fried Rice

Top-Down: Corn Soup - Lotus Soup - Bak Kuh Teh (epic fail so no photograph)