Grenoble and Annecy

On Timeline: 09 - 10 Dec 07

After the crazy night at Lyon on the 8th, I was glad to a proper rest (finally!) at Grenoble, courtesy of my host, Xiaowen. Lynn was still in Lyon at that period of time, so I bunked in with XW, and to think that we arrived in Rabot (Grenoble) at 2am! Gosh. Din feel like hitting the shower, no matter how hot it was. The weather was...TOO COLD.

I can totally empathize with the Europeans now...

Anyway, the next day it was a lazy Sunday morning. After having a hearty morning breakfast (or was it lunch?!), Xiaowen brought me up to the Basilique, on top of Rabot. It was a relatively short climb up, and the view up there was definitely worth it! I was told that there was another route to a further mountain, but the weather was not that good and it threatened to rain. Nonetheless, the scenery was breath-taking enough. I just cant get enough of mountains!

The 'express' way up to the top!


Rabot


The long straight road there leads to Lyon!


My guide, Xiaowen!




Grenoble


Another part of Grenoble


Nature!


Up at Grenoble!


Dealing with puddles of water


Grenoble

Luckily for both of us, we managed to make it down to Rabot before the rain hit...and we decided to get ourselves something to eat! I tried to cook carbonara with the spaghetti and ham (as a substitute for bacon), and it turned out relatively alright! I'd think we cooked too much...cos I had to cook 3 rounds of the 'carbonara' because of the small pan XW has. haha. Quite a sight! Need to improve my cooking skills too...haha.


Pastries from Segovia (Had 2 left in my bag...just nice!)


Carbonara, with a twist!


Another view of the carbonara (yea 2 of us ate that whole plate!)

Lynn was back in the evening, and I took the chance to go disturbcatch up with her whilst she was having her dinner. It was a long time since I last met up with her! And it was great to catch up! Gosh!

I had intended to go over to Marseille/Nice the next day, but I was told that the train to Nice is long and might not be worth the trip there. I thought about it and after some serious decision and discussion, decided to forgo the trip down to the South coast, and stay around Grenoble (read: free lodging). Of course, that's besides the point. I was recommended to go Annecy by Lynn, and I decided to make the short trip to Annecy, which seemed like a rip-off of Venice from pictures she showed me.

Unfortunately, the day in Annecy was destroyed by the unforgiving weather. It rained the moment I stepped off the train at Annecy, and stopped only at 2.30pm, when I had almost walked for 3 hours in the rain, and about to go back to Grenoble! Nonetheless, I was glad that the rain had stopped, and made a couple more rounds around the old town of Annecy. Also, Xiaowen was kind enough to loan me the use of her camera, as my battery charger for my camera had died in London! Therefore, the pictures are made possible with her help. Thanks!

It was quite an amazing little town with much to offer. It's a neat little place with high living expenses - most of the food places there are restaurants, and as you know, they would cost at least 9 Euros and up for a simple main course. However, there were many other shops which sold Baguettes (which is so common), as well as pastry and chocolate shops! Bought macalons from this chocolate shop I passed, and brought one back to let Xiaowen and Lynn try, because I felt that it was simple irresistible! (Something like what Ben's cookies would do to me in London, this happened in Annecy)

The day ended with me meeting up with Lynn (albeit a little late due to an unreported delay in the train service) and touring the Christmas Marché in Grenoble. It was beautiful! A pity the rain spoilt the fun, but we had a great meal (Cayon and Potato Soup) in one of the Marché tents! Wonderful meal!

Somehow, the feel of Xmas is rubbing off me...I can't wait to go Sweden in 2 week's time!


This train refused to move off..


Tickets to Annecy!


Raining and the canal level is SOOO high!


Hotel de Sales (along Rue du Paquier)


Saint-John Well (remains of the Knights of Malta)


Notre Dame de Liesse


Obelisk supported by turtles


Trout from the arms of Annecy at the former Town Hall




Palais de l'lle


Eglise St Francois


The long steep way down...


Gushing flow of water at Le Thiou




Cathedral St Pierre




Pigeons taking shelter


Pitter-patter...


Flooding??


In Annecy!


Pastries!


Different flavours of Macalons


Chocolate Macalon


Saint Maurice


Xmas Marche in Annecy


Gypsy Tent?


Flight of the birds


有山有水


Attenn...tion!


Where is Annecy?




The clearing of the skies made the pictures of the mountains and that of the lake possible.


Pumpkin candle!


Edible?


Noel Marché in Grenoble


Tea! (Xiaowen's camera is good...)


Cayon and Potato Soup








Peanut Macalon

Oh and I bought some tea! They smell great! Hope it's good!

Current Mood: Happy

Current Music: Fan Wei Qi - Bu Mian

The best 404 page...EVER

For those bored people out there with a little time on your hands whilst I fix up some "404" issues with the blog posts...here's something for you guys!

*Please enable Javascript!*

http://twist.snowburst.org:4747/404

I personally thought it was cute. HAHA!

Time to get back to work! Arsenal and Man Utd both won 1-0, and I guess this is becoming a 2-horse title race...who will win??

Current Mood: Working

France - What's wrong with the French?

On Timeline: 07 - 08 Dec 07

Disclaimer: this is not really a thread to bash this wonderful country, but what I see and felt when I was in the situation. It's nothing personal about the country, and I'm not comparing this country to the other countries I've visited, like Spain, England and Switzerland. So, please read on if you feel you're cool-headed enough to stomach what I've blurt*d.

---
After my wonderful trip to London, it was back to reality in Eindhoven for 2 days, before I had to jet off down south, to arrive (eventually) at Lyon and meet up with Xiaowen and Lynn who were both studying at Grenoble. There was (apparently) a lights festival at Lyon, and it was so huge that I could not find hostels/hotels there! Gosh!

To get to Lyon on the 8th, I had to fly to Marseille airport on the 7th night, and the flight was scheduled to land in Marseille airport at an ungodly time of 2335hrs. It's simply a CRAZY time. There were no buses/trains serving the airport at that time, and I had no choice but to stay overnight, alone, at the airport!

Not that I was alone in the airport. There were 2 other people who were at the airport also, and over the course of the night I saw people who came into and out of the airport, for no apparent reasons. There was a group of 4 brown/blacks who came into the airport, walked around the airport, played with the check-in counter's weighing machine, conversed in French, and then walked out of the airport. I mean, who comes to the airport at 2am in the night?!?! It's crazy, and it's at least 30 minutes drive from the airport to the nearest city! Gosh.

I ended up having to force myself to stay awake in the airport, which seemingly did not have central heating, from midnight till 0615, where there was the first bus. There was a stack of readings which was supposed to keep me company, but readings have a snooze effect on travellers (it works if you are a student also!) and it didn't work for too long. I decided to catch some shut-eye here and there, by hugging my bag whilst I closed my eyes, and then placing my leg on top of a chair to make myself comfortable (sleeping whilst sitting down SUCKS. TRUST ME)

The night was also loooonnng. Time passed by so so so slowly. It was literally a drag. I guess that happens when you are WAITING for something to happen, and you are doing absolutely NOTHING. I read my notes, looked at the time, and only a pathetic 5 minutes have passed. Well, I definitely thought otherwise...

I could not allow myself to sleep, I thought. There was absolutely no security there, and it was really unsafe. Coupled with many reports about how 'unsafe' Marseille city is, I could understand why. Maybe the prior information had freaked me out? I'm not sure about that, but I'm pretty sure that I was on alert throughout the night.

Slowly and surely, the airport was roused from its sleep as more people arrived at about 3am, and I realised the reason for it was due to a flight due out of Marseille airport at 6.20am, to Fes, a place in North Africa. In fact, there were a lot of black people who arrived at the airport, luggage and children in tow, to check in. I decided it was time to move, and moved from the budget terminal side to the Halls 1-4 of the Marseille airport.

I was kicking myself for not going to these Halls, as there were better facilities to rest. I found a row of cushioned seats at Hall 4, near the ticketing counter for the bus to Aix-en-Provence, and promptly settled down there. Alas, there was no heating system in the Hall, and I was left cold, and a little hungry. Luckily for me, hunger was solved by the few pieces of bread I usually bring on my travel, and it was easily resolved.

I even managed to get 30 mins of shut-eye there! There were almost no people who walked in the hall, and it was quiet. The eerie silence of the large airport hall, but I was too tired to bother. I laid down my bag as a pillow, and laid down on the cushioned seats to have some 'sleep'.

This is how u sleep in airports.

At 0600, I woke up to get myself ready for the bus ride, and I was lucky to get a ticket out to Aix-en-Provence to catch the train to Lyon at 0615, the very first bus out of the Marseille airport. The bus ride was fast and silent, and I landed myself in the TGV station, because I thought it was there that I could take a ride to Lyon.

I was so wrong.

The Aix-en-Provence TGV station ONLY served TGV trains, and did not serve TER or regional trains! I was quite stunned and I asked for directions to the nearest regional station from the lady at the TGV counter, all replies were crisp and had a "please buy a TGV ticket" inherent in them. I felt pressured and having little sleep the night before, I was really tired of being told that there was NO OTHER WAY TO LYON EXCEPT VIA TGV (or a route which REQUIRED THE USE OF TGV). On top of that, I could not get the decourvte ticket, which was a discount for those between 13 and 25 years of age. In the end, I just gave in and bought a TGV-combined ticket to take myself to Avignon TGV, which was just a freakin' 20 mins away, for €23. And I had to take a bus to Avignon central station, and transit to the Avignon TER train, which cost another €23! It was definitely a total rip-off! Who pays €23 for a 20 minutes journey on the TGV, and the same price is a 3 hour ride on a slower train? It was insane. (As a comparison, the full fare ticket from Aix-en-Provence to Lyon is €55,but I've to wait 3.5 hours at the station, and reach at 1pm.)

Sighs. But I managed to get to Avignon, walked in the city for an hour or so, and hopped onto the TER bound for Lyon, and slept throughout the journey. Well, almost.


Outside Avignon TGV station


Avignon Tourism Office


Christmas Marche in Avignon!!



I met up with Xiaowen and her 3 other friends, Siew Sze, Conce, and Gong Meng at Lyon. The 4 of them brought me around Lyon, to the nearby parks and the Fourviere. It's really a blessing to have 4 ladies to bring you around Lyon...really! The lights festival is pretty huge, as compared to the 'Glow' festival in Eindhoven, I think this one in Lyon wins hands-down! The crowds can definitely attest to its lure. Also, I met up with the rest of the Singapore 'contingent' studying in Grenoble, and saw Cheuk Fung and Kevin, who are both in my course. Met up with Yun Zhi, who studies in Lyon. It was all fun, snapping around, doing stupid things (of which some pictures I shall not post here to protect the identities of everyone...)

Personally, other than the humongous crowd, I thought that Lyon was beautiful. All it needed, perhaps, was just more sunlight, lesser crowds, and it would be a beautiful city.


The four lady hosts in the park! (Ahem...no flowers at this time of the year, a pity!)


Church at top of Fourviere


The Pope speaks...


View of Lyon from top of Fourviere


I was pushed!


I'm glowing....


Lyon's Festival of Lights




Candles in Cathedral of St. Joan


Scandal!


Goldfish: Hello?? Hello?!?!?


Paparazzi shot.


Lyon


Sphere of light

And the crowds. OMG...every nook and cranny of Lyon was flooded with people. You just squeeze your way in to see a display, then squeeze your way out to get some air. Repeat the process as many times as you wish! The crowds were the worse at the Metro station, where everyone seemed to pour into the stations, trying to get onto the trains out of the place.


The crowded Metro

And if you thought that Singapore was safe, people were standing at the edges of the open train platforms without fear! Gosh. If someone were to push him/her...

I'm appalled at France. So far, my memories of France would probably rank the lowest, probably even worse than Malaysia. Totally disappointing. France, as a whole, is probably the worse country to travel in. My previous travel to Paris gave me that impression, this trip to Lyon just reinforces my perception of them. You can say that I'm stereotyping the French, but hey, I am not against them at all. I've met French who are really nice, but the ones I see this time round was totally atrocious. I'm really glad that all of us are back in 1 piece, safe and sound.

- The squeezing of people at the train station. The shouting, the cussing and the arguments which ensued as people pushed forward to get into the crowded stations. And squeezing people means that people could get their hands all over the ladies "in an accident". Not to forget, I saw a little boy, about 8 years old, who laid unconscious on the ground after the apparent pushing. Where's the civility?

- When it's crowded, does it make sense for security personnel to join the BIG SQUEEZE? Apparently, it's a great activity! Join the fun!

- The apparent discrimination of people. We were travelling in a group of 6, with 4 Asians and 2 Europeans. Yet, the police checked the travel documents of us 4, but not the other 2! And the rest of the train wasn't checked either! It was a blatant show of discrimination and I really hate such a view. Does it mean that those who look European could not gain illegal entry into France??

- Last-minute changes. The French love to go on strike. Now, they've learnt how to make last minute changes, and on top of that, they simply love to waste time. A train which was due out at 2240 finally departed the station at 2310. And all the time they were asking people without proper seats to get on a bus headed for Grenoble, but they sent no-one to ensure that the people did so. Brains??? Who would, in their right state of mind, move out of the train when it is apparently a faster option home? On a side note, the French TGV assigns seats to each and every passenger, and you cannot get on the TGV 'cos it's fully booked. They do not allow for people to get on the TGV without a seat. If that were to happen to the ICE in Germany, I'd bet a lot of Germans are unable to get home for the weekends. Can't they just be smarter and let people on the TGV? I'd bet people are willing to pay a ticket to just be on the train. Nothing else.

---

I've already stated my disclaimer, so please dun flood me with hate emails, or hate-tag me. Thanks!

Current Mood: Angry

Smelly Eindhoven

Returned home to a weird stench...smelling like a cow farm all around Eindhoven, from the airport to my apartment. Gosh, it stinks

Shall not blog tonight about Lyon and Grenoble, will do that tomorrow (I hope!) I've not even done my Spain trip yet. And my Switz trip is forever in the to-do list. Hehs.

It was a good trip down south, took in the good and the bad. Nonetheless, another memorable trip (yea I think Xiaowen and Lynn can attest to it).

Lotsa assignments to get done. Christmas...12 more days to go.

Current Mood: Sleepy

Panorama Picture for the week

Trafalgar Square (National Gallery behind), London.
Msg me if u want the original pic ;)

randomness

Woke up at 0830, even before the alarm rang. Slumbered over to the laptop and clicked here and there mindlessly. Not tired, and not fully awake.

The alarm rings, I switch it off. Goes to the toilet and washes up.

Strong winds outside, even the trees are swaying to the wind. And for a brief moment, the sky's clear. Now? The sky's back to the greyish hue I've grown accustomed to.

People cycling in the street below my house. The houses emit white puffs of smoke as people get up to go to work, to school.

Lumbering around, I fiddle with my gadgets. Damn, the camera battery charger is still spoilt. (I'm so screwed)

Time flies. Probably. Maybe after you get accustomed to the entire routine of life in Europe, it probably does. Go to school in the morning, return home at 6, do your dinner, watch crunchyroll/youtube/movies, listen to songs, attempt to do some work, and go to sleep.

And throw in some MSN convos and Facebook-ing in the fray as well.

December...the winter month. The month where you can literally smell and feel Christmas in the air. Somehow, I dun feel it that much in Eindhoven as compared to London. Gee.

Well, I try to get something out of everything I have done, and I probably did for this exchange, even though the school is kinda dull (do you call beer parties as eventful? I hope not) and life's a crawl at times. But, you do get by with all the traveling and meeting up with friends.

Haven't kept to all my promises...yet.

Am on track, for my general education. Yet, I find myself staring at a question: "What have I truly learnt in these 5 months here?" Have I spent money and...gained nothing in return?

I do not think so. My eyes have opened up to the world, to the many different cultures and places. Something indescribable, yet it's something which money cannot really buy. The different countries, the different cities, the diverse cultures...

Do I like to travel? Yes I do. I think traveling is a way to learn from others. It opens your eyes to the world, and at times, you learn things and try to think of whether it could be implemented in the very country you come from!

And I marveled at the paintings of Reuben and Van Gogh in Spain, the architecture in Barcelona, the great Roman Baths in UK, the obvious difference between East and West Berlin, the lovely fields and hills of Switzerland, the bustling city-life of Paris, and the quiet country-side of Denmark. All of these places...they each hold a different meaning to me.

And I love the outdoors. Would have preferred if I could camp outdoors once, but the weather's pretty cold for that now. Sighs.

August, the arrival of me. Wake me up when September ends. October-fest. November rain. December's the time for Christmas. January, the end of the dream.

Merry Christmas to one and all, it's 18 more days to Christmas now. Cherish the moment and may ya have a great holiday! :)

Current Mood: Awake

Current Music: 光良 - 风雨同路

Ronaldo vs Cameraman

I like the cameraman. His tricks are definitely fancy! Maybe Ronaldo's over-rated...haha!

London's done...time for Marseille and Lyon! A pity I dun have my camera battery charger yet. Haiz.

Current Mood: Awake

In London, and then...

On Timeline: 01 - 05 Dec 2007

...my camera battery died.

Of all places, and of all times. Sighs.

Now I'm relying on the remaining battery juice to last me till (gosh) next week! HOW!??!?!?! (Luckily, it died on Sunday night...)

Oh yea, and that means there will be lesser pictures from yours truly in London. Hell yea. Replacement chargers here cost a whooping £30, and that's SGD 90 for you if ya ain't sure of the exchange rate.

But moving on to nicer stuff, London's a great city to be in, especially the weekends. Well, the traffic ain't that great, so you're probably better off on foot most of the time since the main attractions are relatively close of each other (e.g. Horse Guards Arch and Buckingham Palace; Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Jewel Tower and 10 Downing Street; Tower of London, Tower Bridge and London Bridge etc.)

Staying at Siew Shin's place for this trip, and he's rather near of the Houses of Parliament and the River Thames, which helps. I was lucky to have him bring me for a short tour around the interesting places around London on Saturday, when he was free. An introduction to a new city is always great! :P

Other than the usual London attractions which would stick out of any guidebook that covers London, he brought me to Borough Market, which was essentially a food market, where all different types of food from all over Europe converge. Great food, GREAT PRICES.

Oh yea, one thing to point out is that, even though I would probably be hesitant to spend any money considering that £1 = SGD3, things here are essentially that expensive. Currency conversion does not help, and if you depend on it, probably you should just skip Britain all the same. I felt that £1 is equivalent to €1 in a way, in the stuff we buy, and there's little way I could try to covert it...in the end I looked for relatively cheaper stuff to buy and hopefully, spend good money on.

Had some great fun, went into Harrods (probably a store where u would come out NOT buying anything cos even a sushi costs like £2 at least??), went to Covent Garden to look at the buskers and the amazing Christmas displays, Hyde Park for the Christmas Wonderland, and I even met up with Daryl on Sunday for some great Four Seasons duck rice! DEFINITELY A MUST TRY IN LONDON!!

You will definitely feel satisfied after the duck rice meal. And it's £5 too! Quite worth it for a fantastic tasting duck rice. Feel like eating it all over again and take it back to SG. haha!

Tower Bridge


Yummy duck rice!

Hopefully the battery lasts *crosses fingers*

Current Mood: Sadded over the camera