Scotland, Part 5

We stumbled upon this really nice lake called Loch Turret by accident, we turned off the main road and went 6 miles into the country side on a really dirt road. And at the end of the road, we found this lake.

It started snowing while we were at the lake, it does look like it, but its really really cold out there.

And this is the car I drove in the UK! I love this car, it handles very well and its very spacious! The only part I did not like about this car is the handbrake system, which is operated by a button on the dashboard instead of the usual handbrake lever or foot pedal.

Scotland, Part 4

On our second day in Scotland, we decided to go on a car ride to the highlands. Yup, I got to drive in the UK! =) Its left hand drive, just like in Singapore. So I had no problems on the road. This is a view from the car, magnificent!

First stop we made, was the Famous Grouse Whisky Distillery.

I got the try 5 different grades of whisky, I never knew there was so much difference between the different whiskys! I now have a new found respect for people who drink whisky.

While at the distillery, I went to take a walk around the area. And found a really huge patch of rolling grass fields. This picture was taken at the top of one of these grassy hills, its really tiring getting up there. Scotland has so many hills and peaks, this is just one of the few small hills and already I find it tiring climbing up. No wonder the Highlanders made such fit soldiers last time!

Scotland, Part 3

This was the first meal we had in Edinburgh, we were really hungry and did not know where to get food. So we asked people on the street for recommendations, and they recommended this place to us.

The food at this restaurant is fusion style, quite interesting! This fish dish was excellent, there were these little capers around that made the dish really nice. I shall try using capers in my cooking more next time.

This is really typical of Europe and the UK. Bread with Olive oil. If you look closely, the olive oil is just behind the pieces of bread. The bread at this shop was really good, nice and crusty but with a chewy texture. Just the way I like it!

Scotland, Part 2

This is a series of photos I took of Edinburgh Castle. Its one of the most well fortified castle I've seen in Europe. Apparently it was never ever taken by the enemy. They have like 3 areas with a ton of cannons pointing in all directions. No wonder no one managed to attack the fort successfully.

This is the entrance to the castle. The statues behind me are of 2 men who are really dear to the Scots. On the left is William Wallace, and on the right is Robert the Bruce.

This is the largest cannon they have in the castle. Just look at it! I could fit in it!

This is a view of the old side of Edinburgh. And the sea is just on the horizon.

Scotland, Part 1

My first stop in Scotland was Glasgow, didn't spend much time there though. I managed to visit the Borders there, and got myself 4 books to read. English books are quite hard to find in Holland, so I grabbed the chance to get myself some english books to read while I am in Maastricht.

This is the Glasgow train station.

Streets of Glasgow. This is my first glimpse of the streets of the UK.

Waverley Train Station, Edinburgh

These are the streets of Edinburgh. I believe this is just off High Street. The street is literally higher than the other streets, its kind of elevated, which explains the name. 

England, Part 2

This is Windsor Castle.

I'm not sure what these guys are called, I think its Beefeaters? But anyway, they stand absolutely still during their shift. Must be quite tiring, that helmet looks really heavy...

These are my friends who were in London with me. On the left is Lynette, she's one of the girls on exchange with me and Derek. Next to her is Jacky, he's one of Lynette's friends who studies in London, he was nice enough to take us around on a free tour of London. Thanks dude! And of course, next to me is Derek my cousin.

England!

Its been a long long time since I last updated this blog. 

So anyway, here are some of the photos from my trip to the UK.

This is me standing outside the Big Ben in London. Its actually part of the parliament building, cool huh!

And this is Westminster Abbey. A lot of famous people are buried here, including the Royal Family, and also William Wilberforce!

This is the Tower Bridge, it stands right if front of the Tower of London which once was the royal palace during the dark ages. King Henry the 8th lived in this palace. He's the king that decided that England should break off from the Vatican and form their own church - the church of England. He did this so that he could divorce is original wife to marry Anne Boleyn...its a long story really. But in a sense, you could say he was the person who caused the Christians and the Catholics to split.

This is me and my cousin, Derek, standing in front of Trafalgar Square. 

And this is Picadilly Circle! I recognized this names from Monopoly, and now I've finally managed to see these places in person! =)

My walk to school, part 2

These are more photos of my walk to school. I've found a new route to school, and it takes me past a park with lots of ducks and swans in it. They're really cute, check it out!

Brugges!

My exams ended awhile back, and its been a long time since I last posted, sorry if any of you have been waiting long for more photos. Anyway, here are some of the photos I took when I was in Brugges!

Brugge is a really nice city, its known as the Venice of Belgium. Lots of canals and rivers here. The town is also very very old, and scenic. I also got to see the "Madonna and Child" sculpture which is one of Michaelangelo's sculptures in the main cathedral in Brugge. 

This guy is amazing, he literally painted that picture on the spot. Just look at how realistic it is! Best of all, he was only using a small palette of paint to do it.

This photo was taken in one of the shops in Brugges. The first thing I thought of when I saw all the wood figures was Pinocchio!

Paris, Part 6

Take a look at the ceiling, its all covered in murals! The entire upper section of the Louvre has rooms that are covered in murals such as this.

Italian Paintings Section.

Can you guess who is in the background? Hehe...

We had a nice dinner before we left Paris. The food was good, but the service was horrendous! The waiter we had was just so rude! I have been told before that the Paris experience is never complete until you get served by a rude french waiter. Haha, I guess my Paris experience is complete then.

Paris, Part 5

Cupid and Psyche.

This is the famous sculpture of Cupid saving Psyche's life after she opened a jar that she was forbidden to open. Sounds like a little like Pandora's Box ya?

French Sculptures Section.

This is my favourite room in the whole museum. =) Its sooo big, and all the sculptures here are made of marble, pure white marble! I spent the most time in this room.

Napolean Apartments Section.

This section shows us the kind of life that Napolean had when he was living in his palaces. Everything is so opulent here!

Paris, Part 4

Louvre Museum.

The Louvre is massive! Its like the largest building I have been in! I walked for the entire day, and still I was not able to cover the entire museum! Imagine a museum that is the size of Takashimaya, and you have a rough idea just how big the Louvre is.

And in fact, thats just the building in Louvre! The whole Louvre is actually the much larger than that. It also includes the gardens and walkway in front of the Louvre building, and the walkway alone takes around 15 to 20 minutes just to walk across!

This is the Egyptian section of the museum...

The Italian Scultures section...