My unforgettable vacation! NYC, Niagara Falls, London & Paris (18 Dec 2009 to 3 Jan 2010)
Day 1 ~ On the plane to NYC (transfer to BA at London)
All aboard! Zoom to London for our flight transfer to BA and on to NYC.
First time on board this flight with a nice interior and cool mini-TV screen! It's different compared to the ones I took in the past. Maybe cos it’s gonna be a long flight so this aircraft was arranged to give us a more comfortable ride! The mini-TV screen was cool! There were other outlets beside the screen which allowed you to connect your gadgets via USB to view shows, listen to songs etc.
No doubt this aircraft is better and provides lotsa entertainment but the plane ride was still pretty long and tiring. I took breaks in between to walk around the flight to loosen up the stiff bones, haha.. And yes, we finally landed at London’s Heathrow airport after a good 13 hrs flight.
After checking out and checking into our BA flight to NYC, we stepped out of the airport to take photos and to experience the falling snow! Yes! Our first encounter with falling snow.. loved it!
Time to board our flight and this was the most unbearable part, the 2-3hrs delay on board the BA flight was terrible. I got bored waiting and dozed off. The next thing I know, we were reaching NYC soon.
Reached NYC after midnight and took a cab (yes, yellow cab!) to our hotel to quickly rest for the night. The room was ok but cold and not sound-proofed. Dar dar being a light sleeper was awakened by the turning on and off of the taps in the other rooms. Moi, Ms Piggy, slept thru the night though I faintly heard those sounds.
Day 2 ~ Rise and shine in NYC, Weather for the day: Expected snow storm in the late afternoon
Good morning, NYC! A place I longed to return but sadly, it’s not for good… oh well...
We walked around to look for a place for breakfast but after walking a few blocks, we gathered we might not find anything around this area so we re-tracked to the subway station near our hotel. We purchased subway tickets and travelled to central NYC for breakfast since our first two destinations were within walking distance from central NYC.
Our breakfast place was this nice café at our favorite subway station. Quoted “favorite” as it’s the station which we frequent as it links us from our hotel to central NYC. Dar and I had toast with egg and hot chocolates. The hot chocolate was nice and it warmed me up totally. My sis and BIL had a huge pancake with scrambled eggs which looks good too. They sang praises of the vanilla lattes that they bought to go with their breakfast.
Started walking around and we somehow walked into Madame Tussauds and chanced upon this hop-on hop-off double decker bus tours around NYC! The bus will bring us around NYC, uptown, central and downtown with an entertaining guide. Hence, after discussing, we decided why not?!
So our plan changed from visiting the first two important destinations to taking the tour around downtown NYC. On the ride, we were introduced to different buildings, some interesting structures, the streets and avenues which we knew, vaguely recall or didn’t know at all. Anyways, we made our first stop at St. Paul Chapel as we wanted to check out Ground Zero. We hung around the Chapel to get out of the wind for a while...
St. Paul Chapel is a chapel (uh-huh, duh!) where people came for their usual prayers and also one which the family came to pray for their family members who were crushed or covered under the debris of the fallen World Trade Centre. Amen or should I say Amitabha..
Left the chapel and as we walked out, we saw Ground Zero where the WTC used to stand tall but it’s now in a mess with cranes and all. Yes, it’s under construction! And just a few steps away from the construction site, was this 911 Memorial Preview Site. This place showed photos of the tragedy, the recovery actions that were taken and the mini-model of the Memorial Site. They were going to build two ponds to remember this 911 incident and they will be reconstructing the World Trade Center somewhere else (no mention when and where). Given the changing weather conditions, it will definitely take a while before Ground Zero will be completed.
Headed back to where we alighted to hop on the bus again for our next stop, the Statue of Liberty. One of the 7 wonders which I collected when I was young. Collecting it a second time now but this time didn’t get to go up to the crown as the tickets were reserved till end January 2010. Could you believe it, gosh! We couldn’t possibly come again in February 2010, can we?
And Yes! Yes! Yes! Our second encounter with falling snow as predicted by the weather channel this morning. It was cold as the snow falls and with the wind blowing, it was much colder than the expected temperature. This is the place where I captured beautiful videos of the FALLING snow! I can imagine my BIL singing, “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow”…His favorite phrase during our vacation, “Happy Holidays!” So apt. Haha..
Hopped on the bus again back to central NYC and had our dinner at an eatery below our favorite subway station. Dar dar and I had a pizza, salad and hot chocolate. Theirs were pasta and spaghetti with lattes.
After dinner, we took the subway back to our hotel and as we walked the distance from the subway to our hotel, it was still snowing and we took some more photos. We were playful enough to use the tip of our shoes to write the initials of our names on the ground filled with snow.
Day 3 ~ Yummy breakfast place, Snowplay at the Central Park, Museum, downtown ride, UNIS and Empire State Building & shopping
The morning we woke up, the snow had piled up everywhere! The window sills and railings were covered with snow too.
We found a nice breakfast place near our block. It was nice and cosy and the breakfast was really good. Bagels with ham and cheese, burgers with bacons and cheese with our usual hot beverages. Simply delicious! We decided we would be coming back to the place again for breakfast.
We crossed over to the Central Park to tread through the snow in order to get over to the other side of the park, to board the downtown NYC bus tour since we only covered part of the tour yesterday. Of course, as we tread through the park, we cannot resist the temptation to play with the soft white snow and take photos of the beautiful sight.
Before we board the ride, we went to this NYC museum and hung around for a while. Museums are seldom my cup of tea. It has gotta be interactive to keep me interested and the only time I recalled that I enjoyed museum visits was to the time I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in NYC. My teacher brought us there and we had assignments to complete which kept me interested during the entire visit and with that, I certainly learnt more about the Museum. We didn’t have the time to visit this grand museum, sigh. Maybe during my next visit to NYC.
Oh yes, we strolled along to look for car rental but decided not to rent after considering the weather conditions. The guys found it unsafe to drive. Hmm.. next time then..
After that, we headed to this Katsdelicatssen for lunch, Kats Deli in short. Omg, the huge chunks of meat killed my interest for food totally and the huge pickles too! The fries were huge and cool, do I look like potato head? But I seriously like to eat potatoes. That was perhaps the best part of the meal. Seriously Kats Deli is not my kind of a meal!
Next stop, UNIS (United Nations International School)! An important destination of our vacation. As it was the winter break, the school was closed. I would have more to say if I could just get into the school, time to sign up as alumni if there is...
Wanted to check out a flea market but it was not available. So we went to the Empire State Building instead and did some light shopping before heading home for our dinner at the cosy café near our home. I would give the dinner a miss at the café! They are better at preparing breakfast.
We searched online for our ride and hotel for our visit to the Niagara Falls as we won’t be driving up to Niagara Falls. And we had to reschedule some nights of our hotel stays in NYC as well. All done pretty swiftly and printed the necessary booking slips.
Day 4 ~ Uptown ride, Home-Sweet-Home, Circle cruise
Breakfast at the nice café one last time!
To maximise our hop on hop off bus tour tickets, we went for the uptown ride this morning. That was okay and we alighted near Times Square area and had our lunch at KFC & Pizza Hut. We ordered grilled chicken from KFC and mushroom pizza from Pizza Hut (that was Papa Chua’s favorite). The grilled chicken was special but okay. The pizza was good but the price of the mushroom pizza has since doubled. Yups, that’s the effect of inflation.
Walked towards Rockerfeller Center, took some photos and kept walking along the 42nd Street East towards the 1st Avenue to Papa Chua’s office and the United Nations. We entered UN and took some photos, the interior looks different and we didn’t see the wall filled with flags. Anyways, we hung around for a while, popped by the gift shop downstairs and grabbed some stuffs for our family.
We headed on to our apartment which was just a few streets away, Manhattan House. The water fountain was still there, intact but not operational, probably due to the winter season. Walked towards the lobby and entered the building. It would have been “Home Sweet-Home” if we were allowed to enter our apartment. Well, it felt good enough to be able to set my foot again in this apartment so shan’t ask for more. And yes, there is this other place we had to go as well! Any guesses before you read on, bros?
The playground which mum used to bring us for some fun time which sits diagonally opposite our apartment. The swings, the slides and the snow! Nostalgic! It was pretty much the same apart from the new coat of paint. We took some photos and left. Time constraint so we couldn’t hang around the park longer, otherwise I would have wanted some snow ball fun or fight!
We continued to walk to our other home which we stayed when we first arrived at NYC. The kitchen in the apartment allows our youngest bro to ride his bicycle in from one door and out through the other door! We checked out the supermarket opposite our first apartment which mum would go down to grab stuffs for cooking etc. It was still there but has changed its name. We did a quick stroll in and out of the supermarket and it was nostalgic, yet again! The milk, the cereals, the juices and the notebooks etc.
With no time wasted, we took a yellow cab to the ferry to board the Circle cruise! It was abit boring that I dozed off once, the speaker’s voice was like a lullaby to me. He was introducing NYC skyline to the passengers on board but I doubt many of us were really listening. Dar dar “pan” the views of the skyline which was cool. When it gets too warm for me inside the ferry, I get onto the deck for free air-condition! Loved the weather lots!
The last highlight for the day was the night tour! We took the ride around the “core” of the BIG APPLE which gave us a very good overview of where to locate certain shops in our shopping list and we realised that we were so near to these places all the while. We just had to cross this particular avenue or street or make a turn around the corner and we would be right there.. haha.. After this night tour, we probably planned in our heads what and how we would head to these places after we return to NYC after our Niagara trip. The other interesting and beautiful place we went was the Grand Central Station! The interior was nicely decorated and just before we left the station, a laser show on the beautiful blue ceiling commenced and I video-ed the entire show, or rather almost the entire show, before my neck breaks.
We seriously utilised our tour ride tickets and that was it! Had our dinner at our favourite subway station for the last time and went home to pack our bags and rest for the night.
Day 5 ~ Niagara Falls
We checked out early morning and took a cab to Chinatown to board the coach to Niagara Falls. We had our breakfast at a dim sum eatery nearby. The coach ride was pretty alright with stopovers for visits to the restrooms, movies to watch, short nap sessions and sight-seeing. Our first stop along the journey was this Corningware Museum. We weren’t interested so we sat by the cafeteria for drinks while waiting for the rest of the group to finish the tour of the museum. We also checked out the exquisite glassware etc in the gift shop while waiting. Alrighty, all aboard the coach and vrrrooommm! Had lunch at Wendy’s (sadly there is only one Wendy's in SG). It was yummy! Dinner was Chinois, Chinese Buffet, it is our very first during our stay in the States so far. All these places we mentioned were not included in our package, it is all at an additional cost.
Un regret! Should have driven as the roads were clear and not dangerous! We regretted even more when we saw factory outlets along the way! If we were driving, we would definitely have made a stop! I swear I’ll drive when I return to NYC again!
We arrived at Niagara Falls for night view of the Falls, couldn’t make much of it except the mist from the Falls! It was freaking cold by the Falls and it was true that 30 mins was good enough! We walked back to the coach bus but popped into this nearby Hard Rock Café to get out of the wind while waiting for the rest to return.
Our tour guide was a Chinese lady and her English was “interesting”! Direct translation from Chinese! Do not learn, kids! An example of a common Chinese phrase in English turned out to be this, “Fall into the love river”! Well, we tipped her still as she was pretty entertaining at times. Take note, it’s compulsory to tip as tipping is seriously a way of life in the States.
As it was still early after we settled down in the hotel rooms, we decided to go down for drinks at the pub downstairs. Drinks were cheap and the chips were free, to our surprise! We had a game of pool and roamed around the hotel lobby. We chanced upon a little chapel in the hotel for small wedding affairs. So sweet!
Day 6 ~ Niagara Falls...cont..
Rise and shine! Packed our bags and went for our breakfast. As we sat by the window enjoying our breakfast, it started to snow again. Having our breakfast as the snow falls, on my god! ;).. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..
After breakfast and all, all of us boarded the coach to the Niagara Falls for the day view of the Falls. It’s beautiful! Took lotsa photos.. snap.. snap.. snap..
The coach ride back to the Big Apple was fun, the tour guide “punished” a few peeps for being late at certain points of the journey and it was my first time hearing the National Anthem of France, sung by a cheeky young lad! We were gossiping which gal he was going after and we heard him teach the gal how to count from 1 to 10 in French. That was easy! Even my dar knows how..
Arrived at NYC in the evening and walked to the nearest subway to board the subway to our hotel @ Times Square. Along the way, I saw those “wet markets” and provision shops, they were still very much the same as I vaguely recall. Well, snap some photos back for memories.. snap.. snap..
This hotel is nice and cosy! As we were early, we decided to go out for dinner and shopping. Dinner was at Soprano’s, the MEATballs almost killed my appetite and you know why! Well, glad that after dinner it was shopping time! Walk off the MEAT..
Day 7 ~ Shopping
Had hotel breakfast ~ Shopping day ~ Went to all the places we planned to check out for ourselves, our family and friends ~ Macy’s, a stop that we must not miss out as it always gives me a magical feel especially during this time of the year, Christmas. There were interactive panels for kiddos to write a letter/message to Santa Claus! I wanted to write one too but the kids were crowding at the panels (hng!), oh well! Macy’s is seriously a place for all, there were 11 floors and we heard that there were 10 starbucks within this huge store! Well, we didn’t verify of course ~ Serendipity3 was crowded, we had wanted to go there for lunch and to try a special drink, frozen hot chocolate but the line was crazy! So we decided to have our lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant. It was also the place we encountered exact payment being rejected. The payment was returned to us and we were asked to tip. Ooops, we forgot about it, kinda embarrassing! ~ Continued shopping, went to the Apple Store and another huge toy store and found what we wanted!
So it’s Christmas Eve, what are we doing on Christmas eve? We knew everyone will be doing their last minute Christmas shopping today to prepare for their Christmas dinner with family and friends. Our family is not here with us but I would rather celebrate my Christmas in NYC! Happy Holidays New Yorkers!
Shopping day is over! We went back to hotel to rest our tired legs for the day.
Day 8 ~ Kate Spade, Chinatown, Musical @ Broadway
All shops were closed on this day! Perhaps the only day that the City sleeps, haha. We decided today will be a day to catch the Musical @ Broadway and so we planned to line up to buy tickets from TKTS this afternoon once it opens. If you buy tickets at TKTS on the actual day, you get a 30-50% discount off the original prices, worth it!
On the very morning, we window-shopped at Kate Spade and tried to find our way to where Friends stayed. Found it and took some photos and continued to Chinatown for a Chinese lunch! The food was yummy, particularly the fried rice and the wanton noodle. In NYC, the Chinese restaurants are usually opened by Chinese and I think these people are from Guangdong, China or Hongkong. They speak fluent Cantonese and are able to cook well!
Along the way towards the subway, we finally saw a pullcart which sells what we call, “xiao man tou”. Our parents will buy for us when we go down to Chinatown to either buy groceries or visit a buddhist temple. Nostalgic yet again. It tasted the same. We saw similar ones in Taipei some years back but the taste wasn’t right. Although we were very full from our lunch, we just had to have it!
Having nowhere else to go after purchasing the tickets for the musical, we bought Macdonald fries and hot Choc/Lattes and went back to hotel to relax. We freshen up and went for dinner at Fridays! Lined up and entered, the stage and backdrop was very real and the musical, In the Heights, was humorous and interesting. ;).. Think it won’t make it to Singapore!
Went back to pack our luggage as we will be heading to Woodbury Outlet Shopping tomorrow morning and need to board our flight to London in the evening! I don’t wanna leave, feeling sad as I pack.
Day 9 ~ Woodbury Outlet Shopping, depart from NYC to London (the saddest day!)
Woke up early to catch the first ride to Woodbury Outlet ~ Checked out and went for breakfast at MacDonald’s ~ Reached the bus terminal for our ride and on my god, the line was super duper long but luckily the frequency of the buses was increased hence, we weren’t that late for our shopping! Boxing day is a day with lotsa discounts for shopping.
We split up for our shopping and fixed a time to gather back. Sadly, the weather wasn’t good. We had to line up in the rain for some shops, the longest line I saw was at Coach! Golly! So after lining up for so long, we made the best once we entered the shops.
This is not a wonderful shopping experience at the outlet. We were pretty much drenched and some of the paper bags gave way. We carried the stuffs back to the very shop and asked for another paper bag. We were in a mess, totally.
We then went to catch the bus back to NYC for a quick freshen up before heading to the airport for our BA flight to London. YES, WITH BA, EXPECT DELAYS! We were delayed once again, this time it was partly due to the Detroit case. I think the flight delay was a message, to ask us to STAY?! Well, at least it allowed us to set our foot on the land of NYC tad-a-bit longer.
I am gonna miss this place again, if you noticed, I have subconsciously planned out part of my itinerary for my next visit.. haha.. My sis was really sad but I was really tired from the rainy weather to feel anything, stoned. I still hold hopes to go back NYC again.
On board the plane, BA to London. The ride was really comfortable as they upgraded our seats and it kinda made up for the flight delays during the trip.
Day 10 ~ London
…………“London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady!” The Fair Lady, yes, Moi, set foot on London for the 3rd time!
Bought tickets for the London tube ~ Cool and super convenient Hotel, Megaro ~ There was a huge TV monitor (comes with high radiation too..haha), wireless keyboard and wonderful shower jets ~ I like the room and facilities a lot, simple and stylo.
London was a brief stop for us, a short 1.5 days before we go to Paris. So time was precious! We went for a quick lunch at Burger King and planned our route for the afternoon ~ By the way, for the same BK meal that you get in Singapore, it now costs twice as much due to the currency ~ But If you stay in London and earn their money, it is really no difference ~ So dar dar and I head out right after our lunch before our dinner date with my sister, BIL and BIL’s cousins who were studying in London.
Cruised along the Thames River ~ The tour guide was kinda boring, perhaps we chose the wrong ferry to board ~ Anyway, we went to the Greenwich Mean Time Zone, took photos of the nice view and the lined and cruised back to where we started ~ Tubed to Piccadilly Circus to have a quick look cos my friend told me about this place ~ Nothing much except malls and nice building structures ~ Back to hotel to freshen up for the dinner!
Had dinner at a nice Italian restaurant recommended by BIL’s cousins, Shao and Shao’s sister ~ I’ve always liked Italian food ~ Went to Shao’s dorm to have look, the hall and the surrounding ~ Interesting guy but his sister was less chatty ~ Maybe it’s because not familiar ~ Went drinking thereafter and was introduced to Cider and Warm alcoholic drink, nice! It was fun hanging out with them.
Day 11 ~ London to Paris
Went to Trafalgar Square, the Big Ben (huge grandfather clock), the Piccadilly Circus again, it was a shopping district ~ Checked out the ANF, not to buy ANF but to see handsome men and beautiful women! ~ Back to hotel to check out and board the Eurostar train to Paris!
Eurostar was cool! First ride on board a train as far as I can remember! Anyways, in the middle of the carriage there was a snack bar area for peeps to grab some foods. You can eat right there or have it at your seat. We bought pasta and a burger! I liked the pasta a lot, yummy and easy to prepare with the help of Mr Microwave! Told myself must find and buy one box of Sodebo back but of course, I conveniently forgot about it.
Alrighty, reached Paris! Went to the toilet first and joined the line to buy metro tickets to our hotel. We had to pay one Euro each to enter, but if you gotta go, you gotta go, so pay if you must!).
The gantries were “amazing” and it was a challenge as we had a super huge luggage which won’t fit through the narrow gantries. My sister told me beforehand that the train and the gantries are pretty manual, you need to physically pull a lever to open the door to board/alight from the metro and at the gantry, you gotta first slot the card, turn the turnstile and push the gate open, 3 steps. With luggage, it’s all about timing, no delay!
Settled in to our petit hotel with a petit lift and narrow winding stairs ~ Decided to take a brief 15 mins rest before heading out again to buy metro tickets to last us during our stay here ~ Then strolled to the Eiffel tower, took some night shots, walked thru this nice Christmas bazaar opposite the Eiffel tower and back to a nice restaurant around the corner for dinner and some champagne.
Retired for the night… ZzzzZzzzZZz
Day 12 ~ Paris, a very eventful day!
Nous avons pris nos petit dejeuner ensemble (“Breakfast together”) ensuite dar dar et moi sont alles Le Tour Eiffel, Le Notre Dame de Paris, Le Pantheon et L’ Arc Du Triomphe. Pause, il faut que j’ecris en anglais, sinon je suis sure mon amies ne sont pas comprendre.
The Eiffel Tower, it was foggy with light drizzle in the morning when we headed up to the Eiffel Tower, the view was sort of blocked by the fog and we waited for Mr Wind to blow Ms Fog away and quickly snap photos of the view before the gap closes up on us! ~ Le Notre Dame de Paris, a grand cathedral, free entry, we went in to have a look, snapped some photos and left ~ Passed by a café on our way to the Pantheon and bought a crepe with ham, mushroom and cheese for lunch. The lady was so generous with the fillings that we were so very full! ~ Le Pantheon, a building containing the remains of distinguished French citizens, the interior was darn beautiful and there was a hanging pendulum in the centre of the building which tells us the time and it was accurate ~ Had tea/latte at a café near Pantheon before taking the Metro back o George V to meet my sis and BIL to go up Arc Du Triomphe but there was a long line so we gave it a miss, snapped photos for remembrance ~ Shopping at LV, and of course we didn’t leave the place empty handed ~ Dinner at Café Duplex, loved the French onion soup, swear to have it again before I leave and again, it didn’t happen ~ Back to hotel to drop our purchases, rested for a while, changed and went to catch the show Moulin Rouge ~ Moulin Rouge, it was a long day for us and we dozed off a few times during the show, gosh! I would give it 5 out of 10 stars, not sure about dar dar but he enjoyed the intermissions in between the performance more. To keep ourselves awake, we sipped our champagne ~ On our cab ride back to hotel, we had a chat with this nice cabby. He told us in all his 40 years, he has never caught the show, frankly speaking, this was a show for tourists only. I guess he’s right, more often than not, citizens seldom visit their own touristy spots. I wonder if I would visit RWS when it’s up etc.
Day 13 ~ Mont Saint-Michel
Woke up early for our day trip to Mont Saint-Michel, we didn’t have the time for breakfast at cafés today so we took away some croissants, pain au chocolat and hot beverages from a nearby café to enjoy on board the coach ~ 4-hrs coach ride with stop overs at petrol kiosks for peeps to grab snacks or toilet breaks ~ The day trip included lunch at a nice restaurant too, food wise 5 out of 10 stars ~ Mont Saint-Michel, a rocky tidal island and a commune in Normandy, France. From far, it looks like a very nice castle! For more info, check out Wiki! ~ With a nice tour guide, she shared with us all we need to know about this place, interesting ~ Free and easy time! We went to the restrooms, had our tea-break with crepes, waffles, lattes and hot chocs and went back to the coach for our ride back to Paris.
In my mind, France has a rich history! It is a very old country, hence so. I trust reading about its history can be interesting but I’m not so into reading history so hearing peeps telling me the stories and history about a places makes it easier for me to comprehend and appreciate, it would be even more interesting if it was interactive.
Back to Paris and we checked out this Chinese eatery near our hotel and to my surprise, it tastes pretty good. I’m usually skeptical when it comes to Chinese cuisine in other countries, with the exception of New York. We think we would come back again for dinner another day and what’s your guess? You think we did?
Day 14 ~ Sacre Coeur, Musee Du Louvre, Chateau De Vincennes, 2009-2010 countdown
Breakfast together at another café nearby and this one was more value for money.
Dar dar and I went to Sacre Coeur and as expected, along the stairs up to Sacre Coeur, there were some peeps pushing you to purchase these threads for some reason and at various costs depending on your nationality! They were really pushy but I made my way up without being “hijacked”! Dar was caught but he made his way up to meet me still.. haha..
This was the church that was featured in the TVB show, Gem of Life, in the scene where Moses Chan met Gigi Lai there.
Seriously, there were many churches in Paris, beautiful and not forgetting the many Saints named as well.
Next stop for us, Musee Du Louvre! Huge museum, we purchased the tickets and headed towards the one and only direction that most people head towards, the Italian collection where the Mona Lisa art piece was! It was so crowded that it was difficult for us to take a close up photo of it!
Well, we strolled along for a while more before leaving the place to meet my sis and BIL. Took some cute photos from an angle to make it seemed as if we were carrying the pyramid structure. The whole world was doing the same action! What a funny and interesting sight!
Had our lunch at a simple café, baguette etc.~ then on to Chateau de Vincennes (Dar dar’s castle and I should be the Queen, Queen Jessica, heehee..) ~ Followed by shopping along the street, Rue Saint Honore which housed many branded shops ~ Continued to walk towards Champ Elysees to check out Agnes B.
Ah-ha, the answer is yes! We had dinner at the Chinese restaurant one last time! We ordered lotsa food but we managed to finish it all! Popped by a nearby supermarket to buy Cider for our countdown at Eiffel Tower later that night!
I loved the countdown lots! The Eiffel Tower was so havoc, it was lighted up in different colours and the colours changed in line with the rhythm of the music! Really awesome! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, popped the bottle! Sante! Hope deux-mille-dix will be a better year for all of us!
Day 15 ~ Hop on Hop off famous spots & movie
Breakfast at hotel lobby after we circled the area for a proper café for breakfast but couldn’t find any as it was a public holiday.
Hop on Hop off le metro to some famous spots along ligne 1, took photos for remembrance and decided to catch a movie at Chatelet (an underground shopping mall) ~ We chose le film, Pas Si Simple (“It’s complicated”, an English film that our SOs can appreciate better) ~ Before the movie, we had a tea break at a nearby café to while away time, loved croquet madame et croquet monsieur! Swear to prepare this in Singapore!
After the movie, we had dinner & champagne at a nearby restaurant to end our wonderful vacation! The dinner was lousy! I had wanted to make it special by having the French onion soup again but it was disappointing! I will never have it there again! We should have gone back to the Duplex Café!
Anyways, we headed back to our hotel for our final packing of our vacation!
Day 16 ~ Depart for Singapore
Another saddening moment, we sat on the minivan to the airport and had a last look of the place.
One thing “worth mentioning”, inefficiency! We were delayed by the long line of passengers and inefficiency of the ground crew, they used “eye power” at times *rolled my eyes* ~ As such, the flight was delayed and it took off an hour later but we still made it back to Singapore 10 mins later than the estimated time of arrival.
All I can say is that, we are really pampered in Singapore and I couldn’t appreciate Singapore any better…haha...
Day 17 ~ Landed on Singapore soil…
“Zip!” There was nothing I wanna really say after landing..
My dear friends, my youngest bro, Kelvin and his gf, Ann came by to welcome us and gave us a ride home! So sweet of them! That’s the end of all that’s worth my effort to pen down.. hehe..
To end it off, I brought back many precious gifts for myself and gifts for my family and friends! It has never been better but it has burnt a big hole in my pocket…but that’s the purpose of working yeah… ;)
I am so missing the vacation! FLY ME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[P.S. Photos of my unforgettable vacation on your left! Check it out!]
Day 1 ~ On the plane to NYC (transfer to BA at London)
All aboard! Zoom to London for our flight transfer to BA and on to NYC.
First time on board this flight with a nice interior and cool mini-TV screen! It's different compared to the ones I took in the past. Maybe cos it’s gonna be a long flight so this aircraft was arranged to give us a more comfortable ride! The mini-TV screen was cool! There were other outlets beside the screen which allowed you to connect your gadgets via USB to view shows, listen to songs etc.
No doubt this aircraft is better and provides lotsa entertainment but the plane ride was still pretty long and tiring. I took breaks in between to walk around the flight to loosen up the stiff bones, haha.. And yes, we finally landed at London’s Heathrow airport after a good 13 hrs flight.
After checking out and checking into our BA flight to NYC, we stepped out of the airport to take photos and to experience the falling snow! Yes! Our first encounter with falling snow.. loved it!
Time to board our flight and this was the most unbearable part, the 2-3hrs delay on board the BA flight was terrible. I got bored waiting and dozed off. The next thing I know, we were reaching NYC soon.
Reached NYC after midnight and took a cab (yes, yellow cab!) to our hotel to quickly rest for the night. The room was ok but cold and not sound-proofed. Dar dar being a light sleeper was awakened by the turning on and off of the taps in the other rooms. Moi, Ms Piggy, slept thru the night though I faintly heard those sounds.
Day 2 ~ Rise and shine in NYC, Weather for the day: Expected snow storm in the late afternoon
Good morning, NYC! A place I longed to return but sadly, it’s not for good… oh well...
We walked around to look for a place for breakfast but after walking a few blocks, we gathered we might not find anything around this area so we re-tracked to the subway station near our hotel. We purchased subway tickets and travelled to central NYC for breakfast since our first two destinations were within walking distance from central NYC.
Our breakfast place was this nice café at our favorite subway station. Quoted “favorite” as it’s the station which we frequent as it links us from our hotel to central NYC. Dar and I had toast with egg and hot chocolates. The hot chocolate was nice and it warmed me up totally. My sis and BIL had a huge pancake with scrambled eggs which looks good too. They sang praises of the vanilla lattes that they bought to go with their breakfast.
Started walking around and we somehow walked into Madame Tussauds and chanced upon this hop-on hop-off double decker bus tours around NYC! The bus will bring us around NYC, uptown, central and downtown with an entertaining guide. Hence, after discussing, we decided why not?!
So our plan changed from visiting the first two important destinations to taking the tour around downtown NYC. On the ride, we were introduced to different buildings, some interesting structures, the streets and avenues which we knew, vaguely recall or didn’t know at all. Anyways, we made our first stop at St. Paul Chapel as we wanted to check out Ground Zero. We hung around the Chapel to get out of the wind for a while...
St. Paul Chapel is a chapel (uh-huh, duh!) where people came for their usual prayers and also one which the family came to pray for their family members who were crushed or covered under the debris of the fallen World Trade Centre. Amen or should I say Amitabha..
Left the chapel and as we walked out, we saw Ground Zero where the WTC used to stand tall but it’s now in a mess with cranes and all. Yes, it’s under construction! And just a few steps away from the construction site, was this 911 Memorial Preview Site. This place showed photos of the tragedy, the recovery actions that were taken and the mini-model of the Memorial Site. They were going to build two ponds to remember this 911 incident and they will be reconstructing the World Trade Center somewhere else (no mention when and where). Given the changing weather conditions, it will definitely take a while before Ground Zero will be completed.
Headed back to where we alighted to hop on the bus again for our next stop, the Statue of Liberty. One of the 7 wonders which I collected when I was young. Collecting it a second time now but this time didn’t get to go up to the crown as the tickets were reserved till end January 2010. Could you believe it, gosh! We couldn’t possibly come again in February 2010, can we?
And Yes! Yes! Yes! Our second encounter with falling snow as predicted by the weather channel this morning. It was cold as the snow falls and with the wind blowing, it was much colder than the expected temperature. This is the place where I captured beautiful videos of the FALLING snow! I can imagine my BIL singing, “Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow”…His favorite phrase during our vacation, “Happy Holidays!” So apt. Haha..
Hopped on the bus again back to central NYC and had our dinner at an eatery below our favorite subway station. Dar dar and I had a pizza, salad and hot chocolate. Theirs were pasta and spaghetti with lattes.
After dinner, we took the subway back to our hotel and as we walked the distance from the subway to our hotel, it was still snowing and we took some more photos. We were playful enough to use the tip of our shoes to write the initials of our names on the ground filled with snow.
Day 3 ~ Yummy breakfast place, Snowplay at the Central Park, Museum, downtown ride, UNIS and Empire State Building & shopping
The morning we woke up, the snow had piled up everywhere! The window sills and railings were covered with snow too.
We found a nice breakfast place near our block. It was nice and cosy and the breakfast was really good. Bagels with ham and cheese, burgers with bacons and cheese with our usual hot beverages. Simply delicious! We decided we would be coming back to the place again for breakfast.
We crossed over to the Central Park to tread through the snow in order to get over to the other side of the park, to board the downtown NYC bus tour since we only covered part of the tour yesterday. Of course, as we tread through the park, we cannot resist the temptation to play with the soft white snow and take photos of the beautiful sight.
Before we board the ride, we went to this NYC museum and hung around for a while. Museums are seldom my cup of tea. It has gotta be interactive to keep me interested and the only time I recalled that I enjoyed museum visits was to the time I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in NYC. My teacher brought us there and we had assignments to complete which kept me interested during the entire visit and with that, I certainly learnt more about the Museum. We didn’t have the time to visit this grand museum, sigh. Maybe during my next visit to NYC.
Oh yes, we strolled along to look for car rental but decided not to rent after considering the weather conditions. The guys found it unsafe to drive. Hmm.. next time then..
After that, we headed to this Katsdelicatssen for lunch, Kats Deli in short. Omg, the huge chunks of meat killed my interest for food totally and the huge pickles too! The fries were huge and cool, do I look like potato head? But I seriously like to eat potatoes. That was perhaps the best part of the meal. Seriously Kats Deli is not my kind of a meal!
Next stop, UNIS (United Nations International School)! An important destination of our vacation. As it was the winter break, the school was closed. I would have more to say if I could just get into the school, time to sign up as alumni if there is...
Wanted to check out a flea market but it was not available. So we went to the Empire State Building instead and did some light shopping before heading home for our dinner at the cosy café near our home. I would give the dinner a miss at the café! They are better at preparing breakfast.
We searched online for our ride and hotel for our visit to the Niagara Falls as we won’t be driving up to Niagara Falls. And we had to reschedule some nights of our hotel stays in NYC as well. All done pretty swiftly and printed the necessary booking slips.
Day 4 ~ Uptown ride, Home-Sweet-Home, Circle cruise
Breakfast at the nice café one last time!
To maximise our hop on hop off bus tour tickets, we went for the uptown ride this morning. That was okay and we alighted near Times Square area and had our lunch at KFC & Pizza Hut. We ordered grilled chicken from KFC and mushroom pizza from Pizza Hut (that was Papa Chua’s favorite). The grilled chicken was special but okay. The pizza was good but the price of the mushroom pizza has since doubled. Yups, that’s the effect of inflation.
Walked towards Rockerfeller Center, took some photos and kept walking along the 42nd Street East towards the 1st Avenue to Papa Chua’s office and the United Nations. We entered UN and took some photos, the interior looks different and we didn’t see the wall filled with flags. Anyways, we hung around for a while, popped by the gift shop downstairs and grabbed some stuffs for our family.
We headed on to our apartment which was just a few streets away, Manhattan House. The water fountain was still there, intact but not operational, probably due to the winter season. Walked towards the lobby and entered the building. It would have been “Home Sweet-Home” if we were allowed to enter our apartment. Well, it felt good enough to be able to set my foot again in this apartment so shan’t ask for more. And yes, there is this other place we had to go as well! Any guesses before you read on, bros?
The playground which mum used to bring us for some fun time which sits diagonally opposite our apartment. The swings, the slides and the snow! Nostalgic! It was pretty much the same apart from the new coat of paint. We took some photos and left. Time constraint so we couldn’t hang around the park longer, otherwise I would have wanted some snow ball fun or fight!
We continued to walk to our other home which we stayed when we first arrived at NYC. The kitchen in the apartment allows our youngest bro to ride his bicycle in from one door and out through the other door! We checked out the supermarket opposite our first apartment which mum would go down to grab stuffs for cooking etc. It was still there but has changed its name. We did a quick stroll in and out of the supermarket and it was nostalgic, yet again! The milk, the cereals, the juices and the notebooks etc.
With no time wasted, we took a yellow cab to the ferry to board the Circle cruise! It was abit boring that I dozed off once, the speaker’s voice was like a lullaby to me. He was introducing NYC skyline to the passengers on board but I doubt many of us were really listening. Dar dar “pan” the views of the skyline which was cool. When it gets too warm for me inside the ferry, I get onto the deck for free air-condition! Loved the weather lots!
The last highlight for the day was the night tour! We took the ride around the “core” of the BIG APPLE which gave us a very good overview of where to locate certain shops in our shopping list and we realised that we were so near to these places all the while. We just had to cross this particular avenue or street or make a turn around the corner and we would be right there.. haha.. After this night tour, we probably planned in our heads what and how we would head to these places after we return to NYC after our Niagara trip. The other interesting and beautiful place we went was the Grand Central Station! The interior was nicely decorated and just before we left the station, a laser show on the beautiful blue ceiling commenced and I video-ed the entire show, or rather almost the entire show, before my neck breaks.
We seriously utilised our tour ride tickets and that was it! Had our dinner at our favourite subway station for the last time and went home to pack our bags and rest for the night.
Day 5 ~ Niagara Falls
We checked out early morning and took a cab to Chinatown to board the coach to Niagara Falls. We had our breakfast at a dim sum eatery nearby. The coach ride was pretty alright with stopovers for visits to the restrooms, movies to watch, short nap sessions and sight-seeing. Our first stop along the journey was this Corningware Museum. We weren’t interested so we sat by the cafeteria for drinks while waiting for the rest of the group to finish the tour of the museum. We also checked out the exquisite glassware etc in the gift shop while waiting. Alrighty, all aboard the coach and vrrrooommm! Had lunch at Wendy’s (sadly there is only one Wendy's in SG). It was yummy! Dinner was Chinois, Chinese Buffet, it is our very first during our stay in the States so far. All these places we mentioned were not included in our package, it is all at an additional cost.
Un regret! Should have driven as the roads were clear and not dangerous! We regretted even more when we saw factory outlets along the way! If we were driving, we would definitely have made a stop! I swear I’ll drive when I return to NYC again!
We arrived at Niagara Falls for night view of the Falls, couldn’t make much of it except the mist from the Falls! It was freaking cold by the Falls and it was true that 30 mins was good enough! We walked back to the coach bus but popped into this nearby Hard Rock Café to get out of the wind while waiting for the rest to return.
Our tour guide was a Chinese lady and her English was “interesting”! Direct translation from Chinese! Do not learn, kids! An example of a common Chinese phrase in English turned out to be this, “Fall into the love river”! Well, we tipped her still as she was pretty entertaining at times. Take note, it’s compulsory to tip as tipping is seriously a way of life in the States.
As it was still early after we settled down in the hotel rooms, we decided to go down for drinks at the pub downstairs. Drinks were cheap and the chips were free, to our surprise! We had a game of pool and roamed around the hotel lobby. We chanced upon a little chapel in the hotel for small wedding affairs. So sweet!
Day 6 ~ Niagara Falls...cont..
Rise and shine! Packed our bags and went for our breakfast. As we sat by the window enjoying our breakfast, it started to snow again. Having our breakfast as the snow falls, on my god! ;).. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow..
After breakfast and all, all of us boarded the coach to the Niagara Falls for the day view of the Falls. It’s beautiful! Took lotsa photos.. snap.. snap.. snap..
The coach ride back to the Big Apple was fun, the tour guide “punished” a few peeps for being late at certain points of the journey and it was my first time hearing the National Anthem of France, sung by a cheeky young lad! We were gossiping which gal he was going after and we heard him teach the gal how to count from 1 to 10 in French. That was easy! Even my dar knows how..
Arrived at NYC in the evening and walked to the nearest subway to board the subway to our hotel @ Times Square. Along the way, I saw those “wet markets” and provision shops, they were still very much the same as I vaguely recall. Well, snap some photos back for memories.. snap.. snap..
This hotel is nice and cosy! As we were early, we decided to go out for dinner and shopping. Dinner was at Soprano’s, the MEATballs almost killed my appetite and you know why! Well, glad that after dinner it was shopping time! Walk off the MEAT..
Day 7 ~ Shopping
Had hotel breakfast ~ Shopping day ~ Went to all the places we planned to check out for ourselves, our family and friends ~ Macy’s, a stop that we must not miss out as it always gives me a magical feel especially during this time of the year, Christmas. There were interactive panels for kiddos to write a letter/message to Santa Claus! I wanted to write one too but the kids were crowding at the panels (hng!), oh well! Macy’s is seriously a place for all, there were 11 floors and we heard that there were 10 starbucks within this huge store! Well, we didn’t verify of course ~ Serendipity3 was crowded, we had wanted to go there for lunch and to try a special drink, frozen hot chocolate but the line was crazy! So we decided to have our lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant. It was also the place we encountered exact payment being rejected. The payment was returned to us and we were asked to tip. Ooops, we forgot about it, kinda embarrassing! ~ Continued shopping, went to the Apple Store and another huge toy store and found what we wanted!
So it’s Christmas Eve, what are we doing on Christmas eve? We knew everyone will be doing their last minute Christmas shopping today to prepare for their Christmas dinner with family and friends. Our family is not here with us but I would rather celebrate my Christmas in NYC! Happy Holidays New Yorkers!
Shopping day is over! We went back to hotel to rest our tired legs for the day.
Day 8 ~ Kate Spade, Chinatown, Musical @ Broadway
All shops were closed on this day! Perhaps the only day that the City sleeps, haha. We decided today will be a day to catch the Musical @ Broadway and so we planned to line up to buy tickets from TKTS this afternoon once it opens. If you buy tickets at TKTS on the actual day, you get a 30-50% discount off the original prices, worth it!
On the very morning, we window-shopped at Kate Spade and tried to find our way to where Friends stayed. Found it and took some photos and continued to Chinatown for a Chinese lunch! The food was yummy, particularly the fried rice and the wanton noodle. In NYC, the Chinese restaurants are usually opened by Chinese and I think these people are from Guangdong, China or Hongkong. They speak fluent Cantonese and are able to cook well!
Along the way towards the subway, we finally saw a pullcart which sells what we call, “xiao man tou”. Our parents will buy for us when we go down to Chinatown to either buy groceries or visit a buddhist temple. Nostalgic yet again. It tasted the same. We saw similar ones in Taipei some years back but the taste wasn’t right. Although we were very full from our lunch, we just had to have it!
Having nowhere else to go after purchasing the tickets for the musical, we bought Macdonald fries and hot Choc/Lattes and went back to hotel to relax. We freshen up and went for dinner at Fridays! Lined up and entered, the stage and backdrop was very real and the musical, In the Heights, was humorous and interesting. ;).. Think it won’t make it to Singapore!
Went back to pack our luggage as we will be heading to Woodbury Outlet Shopping tomorrow morning and need to board our flight to London in the evening! I don’t wanna leave, feeling sad as I pack.
Day 9 ~ Woodbury Outlet Shopping, depart from NYC to London (the saddest day!)
Woke up early to catch the first ride to Woodbury Outlet ~ Checked out and went for breakfast at MacDonald’s ~ Reached the bus terminal for our ride and on my god, the line was super duper long but luckily the frequency of the buses was increased hence, we weren’t that late for our shopping! Boxing day is a day with lotsa discounts for shopping.
We split up for our shopping and fixed a time to gather back. Sadly, the weather wasn’t good. We had to line up in the rain for some shops, the longest line I saw was at Coach! Golly! So after lining up for so long, we made the best once we entered the shops.
This is not a wonderful shopping experience at the outlet. We were pretty much drenched and some of the paper bags gave way. We carried the stuffs back to the very shop and asked for another paper bag. We were in a mess, totally.
We then went to catch the bus back to NYC for a quick freshen up before heading to the airport for our BA flight to London. YES, WITH BA, EXPECT DELAYS! We were delayed once again, this time it was partly due to the Detroit case. I think the flight delay was a message, to ask us to STAY?! Well, at least it allowed us to set our foot on the land of NYC tad-a-bit longer.
I am gonna miss this place again, if you noticed, I have subconsciously planned out part of my itinerary for my next visit.. haha.. My sis was really sad but I was really tired from the rainy weather to feel anything, stoned. I still hold hopes to go back NYC again.
On board the plane, BA to London. The ride was really comfortable as they upgraded our seats and it kinda made up for the flight delays during the trip.
Day 10 ~ London
…………“London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady!” The Fair Lady, yes, Moi, set foot on London for the 3rd time!
Bought tickets for the London tube ~ Cool and super convenient Hotel, Megaro ~ There was a huge TV monitor (comes with high radiation too..haha), wireless keyboard and wonderful shower jets ~ I like the room and facilities a lot, simple and stylo.
London was a brief stop for us, a short 1.5 days before we go to Paris. So time was precious! We went for a quick lunch at Burger King and planned our route for the afternoon ~ By the way, for the same BK meal that you get in Singapore, it now costs twice as much due to the currency ~ But If you stay in London and earn their money, it is really no difference ~ So dar dar and I head out right after our lunch before our dinner date with my sister, BIL and BIL’s cousins who were studying in London.
Cruised along the Thames River ~ The tour guide was kinda boring, perhaps we chose the wrong ferry to board ~ Anyway, we went to the Greenwich Mean Time Zone, took photos of the nice view and the lined and cruised back to where we started ~ Tubed to Piccadilly Circus to have a quick look cos my friend told me about this place ~ Nothing much except malls and nice building structures ~ Back to hotel to freshen up for the dinner!
Had dinner at a nice Italian restaurant recommended by BIL’s cousins, Shao and Shao’s sister ~ I’ve always liked Italian food ~ Went to Shao’s dorm to have look, the hall and the surrounding ~ Interesting guy but his sister was less chatty ~ Maybe it’s because not familiar ~ Went drinking thereafter and was introduced to Cider and Warm alcoholic drink, nice! It was fun hanging out with them.
Day 11 ~ London to Paris
Went to Trafalgar Square, the Big Ben (huge grandfather clock), the Piccadilly Circus again, it was a shopping district ~ Checked out the ANF, not to buy ANF but to see handsome men and beautiful women! ~ Back to hotel to check out and board the Eurostar train to Paris!
Eurostar was cool! First ride on board a train as far as I can remember! Anyways, in the middle of the carriage there was a snack bar area for peeps to grab some foods. You can eat right there or have it at your seat. We bought pasta and a burger! I liked the pasta a lot, yummy and easy to prepare with the help of Mr Microwave! Told myself must find and buy one box of Sodebo back but of course, I conveniently forgot about it.
Alrighty, reached Paris! Went to the toilet first and joined the line to buy metro tickets to our hotel. We had to pay one Euro each to enter, but if you gotta go, you gotta go, so pay if you must!).
The gantries were “amazing” and it was a challenge as we had a super huge luggage which won’t fit through the narrow gantries. My sister told me beforehand that the train and the gantries are pretty manual, you need to physically pull a lever to open the door to board/alight from the metro and at the gantry, you gotta first slot the card, turn the turnstile and push the gate open, 3 steps. With luggage, it’s all about timing, no delay!
Settled in to our petit hotel with a petit lift and narrow winding stairs ~ Decided to take a brief 15 mins rest before heading out again to buy metro tickets to last us during our stay here ~ Then strolled to the Eiffel tower, took some night shots, walked thru this nice Christmas bazaar opposite the Eiffel tower and back to a nice restaurant around the corner for dinner and some champagne.
Retired for the night… ZzzzZzzzZZz
Day 12 ~ Paris, a very eventful day!
Nous avons pris nos petit dejeuner ensemble (“Breakfast together”) ensuite dar dar et moi sont alles Le Tour Eiffel, Le Notre Dame de Paris, Le Pantheon et L’ Arc Du Triomphe. Pause, il faut que j’ecris en anglais, sinon je suis sure mon amies ne sont pas comprendre.
The Eiffel Tower, it was foggy with light drizzle in the morning when we headed up to the Eiffel Tower, the view was sort of blocked by the fog and we waited for Mr Wind to blow Ms Fog away and quickly snap photos of the view before the gap closes up on us! ~ Le Notre Dame de Paris, a grand cathedral, free entry, we went in to have a look, snapped some photos and left ~ Passed by a café on our way to the Pantheon and bought a crepe with ham, mushroom and cheese for lunch. The lady was so generous with the fillings that we were so very full! ~ Le Pantheon, a building containing the remains of distinguished French citizens, the interior was darn beautiful and there was a hanging pendulum in the centre of the building which tells us the time and it was accurate ~ Had tea/latte at a café near Pantheon before taking the Metro back o George V to meet my sis and BIL to go up Arc Du Triomphe but there was a long line so we gave it a miss, snapped photos for remembrance ~ Shopping at LV, and of course we didn’t leave the place empty handed ~ Dinner at Café Duplex, loved the French onion soup, swear to have it again before I leave and again, it didn’t happen ~ Back to hotel to drop our purchases, rested for a while, changed and went to catch the show Moulin Rouge ~ Moulin Rouge, it was a long day for us and we dozed off a few times during the show, gosh! I would give it 5 out of 10 stars, not sure about dar dar but he enjoyed the intermissions in between the performance more. To keep ourselves awake, we sipped our champagne ~ On our cab ride back to hotel, we had a chat with this nice cabby. He told us in all his 40 years, he has never caught the show, frankly speaking, this was a show for tourists only. I guess he’s right, more often than not, citizens seldom visit their own touristy spots. I wonder if I would visit RWS when it’s up etc.
Day 13 ~ Mont Saint-Michel
Woke up early for our day trip to Mont Saint-Michel, we didn’t have the time for breakfast at cafés today so we took away some croissants, pain au chocolat and hot beverages from a nearby café to enjoy on board the coach ~ 4-hrs coach ride with stop overs at petrol kiosks for peeps to grab snacks or toilet breaks ~ The day trip included lunch at a nice restaurant too, food wise 5 out of 10 stars ~ Mont Saint-Michel, a rocky tidal island and a commune in Normandy, France. From far, it looks like a very nice castle! For more info, check out Wiki! ~ With a nice tour guide, she shared with us all we need to know about this place, interesting ~ Free and easy time! We went to the restrooms, had our tea-break with crepes, waffles, lattes and hot chocs and went back to the coach for our ride back to Paris.
In my mind, France has a rich history! It is a very old country, hence so. I trust reading about its history can be interesting but I’m not so into reading history so hearing peeps telling me the stories and history about a places makes it easier for me to comprehend and appreciate, it would be even more interesting if it was interactive.
Back to Paris and we checked out this Chinese eatery near our hotel and to my surprise, it tastes pretty good. I’m usually skeptical when it comes to Chinese cuisine in other countries, with the exception of New York. We think we would come back again for dinner another day and what’s your guess? You think we did?
Day 14 ~ Sacre Coeur, Musee Du Louvre, Chateau De Vincennes, 2009-2010 countdown
Breakfast together at another café nearby and this one was more value for money.
Dar dar and I went to Sacre Coeur and as expected, along the stairs up to Sacre Coeur, there were some peeps pushing you to purchase these threads for some reason and at various costs depending on your nationality! They were really pushy but I made my way up without being “hijacked”! Dar was caught but he made his way up to meet me still.. haha..
This was the church that was featured in the TVB show, Gem of Life, in the scene where Moses Chan met Gigi Lai there.
Seriously, there were many churches in Paris, beautiful and not forgetting the many Saints named as well.
Next stop for us, Musee Du Louvre! Huge museum, we purchased the tickets and headed towards the one and only direction that most people head towards, the Italian collection where the Mona Lisa art piece was! It was so crowded that it was difficult for us to take a close up photo of it!
Well, we strolled along for a while more before leaving the place to meet my sis and BIL. Took some cute photos from an angle to make it seemed as if we were carrying the pyramid structure. The whole world was doing the same action! What a funny and interesting sight!
Had our lunch at a simple café, baguette etc.~ then on to Chateau de Vincennes (Dar dar’s castle and I should be the Queen, Queen Jessica, heehee..) ~ Followed by shopping along the street, Rue Saint Honore which housed many branded shops ~ Continued to walk towards Champ Elysees to check out Agnes B.
Ah-ha, the answer is yes! We had dinner at the Chinese restaurant one last time! We ordered lotsa food but we managed to finish it all! Popped by a nearby supermarket to buy Cider for our countdown at Eiffel Tower later that night!
I loved the countdown lots! The Eiffel Tower was so havoc, it was lighted up in different colours and the colours changed in line with the rhythm of the music! Really awesome! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, popped the bottle! Sante! Hope deux-mille-dix will be a better year for all of us!
Day 15 ~ Hop on Hop off famous spots & movie
Breakfast at hotel lobby after we circled the area for a proper café for breakfast but couldn’t find any as it was a public holiday.
Hop on Hop off le metro to some famous spots along ligne 1, took photos for remembrance and decided to catch a movie at Chatelet (an underground shopping mall) ~ We chose le film, Pas Si Simple (“It’s complicated”, an English film that our SOs can appreciate better) ~ Before the movie, we had a tea break at a nearby café to while away time, loved croquet madame et croquet monsieur! Swear to prepare this in Singapore!
After the movie, we had dinner & champagne at a nearby restaurant to end our wonderful vacation! The dinner was lousy! I had wanted to make it special by having the French onion soup again but it was disappointing! I will never have it there again! We should have gone back to the Duplex Café!
Anyways, we headed back to our hotel for our final packing of our vacation!
Day 16 ~ Depart for Singapore
Another saddening moment, we sat on the minivan to the airport and had a last look of the place.
One thing “worth mentioning”, inefficiency! We were delayed by the long line of passengers and inefficiency of the ground crew, they used “eye power” at times *rolled my eyes* ~ As such, the flight was delayed and it took off an hour later but we still made it back to Singapore 10 mins later than the estimated time of arrival.
All I can say is that, we are really pampered in Singapore and I couldn’t appreciate Singapore any better…haha...
Day 17 ~ Landed on Singapore soil…
“Zip!” There was nothing I wanna really say after landing..
My dear friends, my youngest bro, Kelvin and his gf, Ann came by to welcome us and gave us a ride home! So sweet of them! That’s the end of all that’s worth my effort to pen down.. hehe..
To end it off, I brought back many precious gifts for myself and gifts for my family and friends! It has never been better but it has burnt a big hole in my pocket…but that’s the purpose of working yeah… ;)
I am so missing the vacation! FLY ME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[P.S. Photos of my unforgettable vacation on your left! Check it out!]
