Because Blogspot has such poor site navigation and since this is an information blog, I have arranged all my past posts nicely here so that you can find what you want easily.
Blog Introduction
Link
Pre-departure
Exchange Worksheet
First email from Warsaw School of Economics
Winter wear
Modules at Warsaw School of Economics
My Packing List
Guides
Ryanair
Warsaw Modlin Airport
Paris Beauvais Airport
Europe Tour Expenses at a Glance
Cooking in Warsaw and other European countries
How to plan your Trips
Warsaw
First Day, where to go, etc.
Warsaw 101
Poland
Skydiving
Zakopane
Krakow
France
Paris
Normandy
Netherlands
Amsterdam
Hungary
Budapest
UK
London
Edinburgh
Isle of Skye
Italy
Bologna and Ferrara
Florence
Cinqueterre and Pisa
Capri and Naples
Rome
Pompeii and Amalfi Coast
Sicily
Venice and Milan
Ireland
Ireland
Switzerland
Switzerland
Germany (Hallstatt is in Austria)
Munich and Berlin and Hallstatt
Czech Republic
Prague
Austria
Vienna
Hallstatt
Slovenia
Slovenia
Croatia
Croatia
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Venice and Milan
A quaint city that is famous for its its canals and gondola, Venice is a place that will captivate you if you have any interest in the arts. Instead of having buses and subways for transport, what is common in Venice are its water taxis, since the roads here are made up of water. From museums to masquerades, you could imagine how this place used to be the port of the world.
Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj
When you go to Europe, you will always hear about friends raving about the Slovenia and Croatia road trip combo. They call it the Eastern Europe trip, but actually it is more of a Central Europe tour. And true enough, Slovenia turned out to my one of my favorite visits in Europe. Maybe because it was a trip with 10 other friends, and good company always makes a trip more enjoyable.
So we started from Ljubljana, rent two cars from ATET and then headed to Bled in the morning. From there, we visited Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj. We did some boat riding at Lake Bled, visited the Bled Castle in the middle of Lake Bled as well as hike a secret path to the vintage point where you can take a marvelous shot of Lake Bled.
So we started from Ljubljana, rent two cars from ATET and then headed to Bled in the morning. From there, we visited Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj. We did some boat riding at Lake Bled, visited the Bled Castle in the middle of Lake Bled as well as hike a secret path to the vintage point where you can take a marvelous shot of Lake Bled.
Vienna
Possibly the most boring city that I visited during my entire exchange. About the only reason why I came to this city was because I had to stopover somewhere as I travel south to Slovenia. Thank god that I only allocated half a day for here, cause that is enough for Vienna.
Firstly, there is no free walking tour in Vienna! Probably because there are not enough places for a tour to walk to. I only went to the Naschmarkt, St Stephan Basilica and Schonbrunn palace. Naschmarkt is pretty cool as you can see some food that seems to be unique to Austria. The basilica is like any other basilica in Europe, and the better ones can be found in Italy.
Schonbrunn palace is probably the only saving grace. While looking plain from the outside, the garden that is within the palace is quite amazing. Probably one of the nicest gardens that I have seen in Europe, but then again I did not go to many. I enjoyed it better than the Boboli gardens in Florence.
Naschmarkt
Prague
A lovely, medieval looking city with a Budapest feel, Prague is worth a visit. Maybe not for 3-4 days, but you will definitely have enough things to do for 1-2 days. I was only here for 1.5 days, but I felt that it was enough for this quaint, little capital.
The free walking tour is a must go, and it will touch on so many places like Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, Royal Palace, St George Basilica, Lobkowicz Palace, Charles Bridge and Old Town Square. Food is quite oily here, but very affordable (S$10ish) compared to the rest of Europe.
The free walking tour is a must go, and it will touch on so many places like Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, Royal Palace, St George Basilica, Lobkowicz Palace, Charles Bridge and Old Town Square. Food is quite oily here, but very affordable (S$10ish) compared to the rest of Europe.
Munich
This is about the most boring trips I have ever taken in Europe. Many of my friends like Germany for its history and stuff, but to be honest I was really bored. Oh, and also cause I'm not a big fan of beer, which Germany is really known for.
Munich
In Munich there are only a few attractions that got me interested. There is the English Gardens, one of the world's largest urban parks. It is not built by the Brits, but rather because its informal landscape design was popular in Britain when the gardens was built.
Munich
In Munich there are only a few attractions that got me interested. There is the English Gardens, one of the world's largest urban parks. It is not built by the Brits, but rather because its informal landscape design was popular in Britain when the gardens was built.
Reminds me of Botanical Gardens
Zurich to Grindelwald
A place known for hiking and its gorgeous Alps, Switzerland is a must go if you are one that enjoys scenery and marvel at how majestic nature can be. Be prepared to spend a lot more in this country compared to other places in Europe, but if you can afford it you should definitely go for it. Best to visit on a parents' budget! =)
Day 1
I took a plane from Paris to Zurich (62.60 euros) and then took a train from Zurich to Lucerne. From Lucerne, we rented a car from autoeurope.eu that cost 211 euros for 3 days. Note that my parents were insistent on an auto car, so if you had gone the manual route perhaps you can get the vehicle at a cheaper price. Driving in Switzerland is quite affordable if you compared it to the trains. Trains are ridiculously expensive. For example, it cost SGD$60 per person from Zurich to Grindelwald. So essentially the car is a better option after like 1-2 train trips. And you get to stop to take photos if you are driving. Below is a photo of the famous Interlaken, taken as we headed to Grindelwald.
Day 1
I took a plane from Paris to Zurich (62.60 euros) and then took a train from Zurich to Lucerne. From Lucerne, we rented a car from autoeurope.eu that cost 211 euros for 3 days. Note that my parents were insistent on an auto car, so if you had gone the manual route perhaps you can get the vehicle at a cheaper price. Driving in Switzerland is quite affordable if you compared it to the trains. Trains are ridiculously expensive. For example, it cost SGD$60 per person from Zurich to Grindelwald. So essentially the car is a better option after like 1-2 train trips. And you get to stop to take photos if you are driving. Below is a photo of the famous Interlaken, taken as we headed to Grindelwald.
Normandy and Mont Saint Michel
Normandy, if you have not heard of it, is an area just west of Paris. It includes cities like Rouen, and is most famous for the Normandy beach stretch that was the place of one of the fiercest battles of World War II. Perhaps you have heard of Omaha beach from games like Battlefield 1942 or movies like Saving Private Ryan
Notable places are the beach stretch mentioned earlier and the Cliffs of Etretat. You can also visit pretty coastal towns like Honfleur and Bayeux.
Notable places are the beach stretch mentioned earlier and the Cliffs of Etretat. You can also visit pretty coastal towns like Honfleur and Bayeux.
Belfast, Giants Causeway and Connemara
Compared to untouched Scotland, Ireland was kind of a let down.
Giants Causeway
Wednesday, July 09, 2014
Isle of Skye
The weather in Scotland is said to be so erratic that it's possible to encounter four seasons in a day since it is located so close to the Atlantic Ocean. More often than not the weather sucks for a vacation around Scotland, the Highlands and Isle of Skye, but when the sun is out, this has got to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. Talk about untouched beauty. Isle of Skye is also a hiker's paradise as there are so many trails, the longest one being 7 days!
Isle of Skye is a place northwest of Edinburgh and you can easily spend at least 2 days on this island. On the way to the island you can tour the Highlands, which is essentially north of Edinburgh. There is the Stirling castle, Glencoe region, Loch Ness, Urquhart castle, Plockton and Eilean Donah Castle, seen from the photos below respectively. If you are a Harry Potter fan, you can even check out the Hogwart's Express rail!
Isle of Skye is a place northwest of Edinburgh and you can easily spend at least 2 days on this island. On the way to the island you can tour the Highlands, which is essentially north of Edinburgh. There is the Stirling castle, Glencoe region, Loch Ness, Urquhart castle, Plockton and Eilean Donah Castle, seen from the photos below respectively. If you are a Harry Potter fan, you can even check out the Hogwart's Express rail!
Monday, July 07, 2014
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is a city to behold. Not only did J.K. Rowling wrote the first few books while she was staying there, there are also plenty of interesting ghost tours that you can take up. Furthermore, the city is situated just next to an extinct volcano! And bagpipers!
Arthur's Peak