ONE MONTH!~

So it's August 11 2010. In exactly one month, I will embark on what will probably be my biggest trip ever. I just came back from Batam, Indonesia and I was disappointed that I could not find a vest there for the winter. Then, I decided that I will buy a vest when I go over to Europe. I've rerouted my itinerary once more and I'm sure it's going to be final. I'm bound to move around not following the plan but at least I'll have a guide. I know that somehow I left out Rome in between. I may need to cut down my stay somewhere else, probably.

So I will be spending three special occasions in Europe:
1. Christmas 2010
2. New Year 2011
3. my 20th birthday (2 January)

I'm kind of clueless about what I'm going to do on these dates but most likely I'll stay with my French friend Julie if she's going to be in town. She lives in Nice and I hosted her via couchsurfing at my place in May. Most likely, we're going to explore Paris together. I've set aside 7 days in Paris and I hope that will be enough!

The only thing I need left for my trip are spare batteries for my digital camera, and jeans. I have corduroy pants so maybe I don't need jeans. I could just buy them there anyway. I was thinking of bringing one main thick jacket, two inner not-so-thick jackets and one hoodie. And six tops, or as many as I can fit. I love to pack more than I can. I always have space. And I am most likely bring my dad's little notebook. I think they call that a notepad, right? Anyway I'll have that with me so I can write and upload my pictures into thumb drives. I'll also bring a journal.

...God, I am so excited. >.<

Soaking It In

Just this evening, I watched Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown: Berlin. How I wish I could be like, just like her. Not be her, but be able to do what she does. I've been watching her since I was probably a decade old (if she was around then) and I was so fascinated by her being able to travel and explore, and to tell people about the wonderful places she'd see. I've watched the Munich episode a few weeks before, maybe just last year, and I was amazed by the splendor of the Bavarian culture. I'm very much excited to visit Bavaria. Very much. The medieval style, the castle(s), the Black Forest. I want to see them all. In a way, I'm glad I'm going alone. There's no one else I have to consider when I see things, and there's no one to say that they've had too much of Germany, or France, or Romania, and they want to go on. I am going to sit around and just soak in the European-ess of it all.

There are definitely a number of places I want my stays extended, to "soak" in. I shall have to have at least 10 days in it. Two weeks, probably, and more if I want to explore many more cities. Pictures are officially from WikiTravel! These places include:

1. Germany: Nuremberg, Berlin, Dresden, Munich, Cologne

 

The Gothic Cathedral "Dom" in Cologne

2. France: Paris, Bordeaux, Nice, Lourdes, Lyon

The Roman theater in Fourvière, Lyon

3. Czech Republic: Prague, Český Krumlov, Kutná Hora, Telč

 

 Český Krumlov

4. Romania: Bucharest, Braşov, Sibiu, Sighisoara, Cluj-Napoca

Sighişoara Citadel

5. Ireland: Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kilkenny

Kilkenny Castle

These are places I want to extend my stays in. Hopefully I can! I know for one that Ireland is rather expensive. :( I will try and couchsurf to the best of my ability, and at the same time, be hosted and shown around by a local! The idea of making friends just excite me so.

It is now February. 6 months till I leave for London. ;)

Ooh la la!

I have just watched this French food show on Discovery Travel and Living and I'm inspired to write something about it. Each time some wonderful croissant was baked, a delicate fruit pastry was decorated, a rib-eye steak was seared and herbs were sprinkled all over the meat, I shivered and looked away. It was just way too beautiful for me to stare at. It almost felt illegal. Feeling the itch to research more on this, I have first sought to find interesting and pretty pictures and it seems I have indeed found some of Paris, the capital of France.

The Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tour may be the ones you'd undoubtedly recognize, and indeed, they are as amazing as they look. Maybe even ethereal in person. I would have to find that out by myself!

Pictures credited to Xiaozhuli at Flickr.

Did the pictures manage to whet your appetite? Aren't those just little masterpieces? You can never really taste real French food unless you head down to France yourself. In this case, for this journal, it's mostly about the pastries. I have always been a fan of Delifrance, a French-style cafe in Singapore. I'm not sure where else they have them but I remember my mother would buy fruit tarts home almost daily because her office was right across a Delifrance cafe. I loved the chocolate eclairs and I can taste them in my mouth! For the top ten patisseries in Paris, visit this page for more information. I for one cannot wait to personally write a review on them when I go there!