Ratings on cities, letdowns, best train services and worst drivers

Top ten most efficient cities:
1. Barcelona
2. Llubljana
3. Wien (Vienna)
4. Madrid
5. Zermatt
6. Zagreb
7. Berlin/Munchen (Munich)
8. Geneve (Geneva)
9. Kobenhavn (Copenhagen)
10. Koln (Cologne)/Bonn

Letdowns:
1. Milano ( I gave Milano 3 chances and it failed to leave me with any good impressions nor any interesting facets..no such thing “Italian high fashion” ..the stores are better in Verona and Firenze..trust me!

2. Geneve (just remember to quickly booked yourself on at least one or all of the mountain train rides!). There is really nothing to see in Geneve other than Lac Leman and the Flower Clock. If you were to leave Switzerland without doing the train mountain rides, you should kicked yourselves! I surely think this is the best thing about Switzerland .. the wonderful mountain sceneries.

Best train services:
1. Spain (top notch hospitality, beautiful and clean, professional and great
experience)

2. Switzerland (very efficient and great sceneries)

3. Austria (good hospitality and efficient, the first class lounge is a great idea!)

4. Germany (DE) (efficient and reliable)

Award for worst drivers in the world:
1. Palermo, Sicily
2. Paris, France

Top Ten Countries and Nice Surprises

[ok..so I am biased, as an environmental scientist, I give more credits to beautiful nature and pristine undeveloped environment..]

1.Norway
(Norge - for its stark beautiful fjords and Flam). How I wished I could spend more time in Norway..I will come again soon.. in the Fall, as soon as Giulia found an unsuspecting Norge with a caravan :)

2.Slovenija
The whole country is compactly beautiful, quaint, as well as affordable. Surrounded by ski slopes mountains (Julian Alps)..that it does come to one’s mind that every Slovenian baby must be born with skis! And for beautiful Lake Bled, Most Na Soci and Lake Bohinj.. and vibrant happening town Llubljana. Llubljana is very beautiful, fun and efficient]. One can certainly forget time in Slovenija as what I did until I got the sms to go to Bonn!:)

3. Spain
For beautiful Al-Hambra (Granada) and Toledo. Spain shall always exceed your expectations. Great places to visit, helpful good looking folks with Antonio Banderas look alike ;), best train service and professional hospitality. I sorely missed the train captains who dotted on me from Gare Austerlitz, Paris to Madrid-Chamartin, and from Portugal to Milano - all Spanish trains.

4. Portugal
For Sintra and Cabo de Roca. I will definitely go to this area again. Don’t get deterred by the rather gloomy sceneries on the train to Sintra. The whole Portugal is depressed economically but Sintra with its fresh mountain air and the coastal area is heavenly..sigh.

5. Switzerland
For the Swiss Alps- Goldenpass Panoramic, Glacier Express and Bernina Express that took us through the Swiss-German, Swiss-French and Swiss-Italian all within 1 train ride)..ok so I love mountains!

6. Italy
For its ruins - Pallatine Hill, the Colleseo (both in Roma), and for Venezia, Tuscany and Umbria. Italians are rather scruffy and its major cities definitely will bore big holes in your pocket, but the ruins have no competition in Europe.

7. France
For Paris, the Lourve, Mont Marte and Notre Dame/ Latin Quarters/ Sorbonne). Great ambiance, antique architecture, elegant and sophisticated culture.

8.Croatia
For its beautiful Adriatic Coast and Spalator sunken Roman port and morning market with Lilies of the Valleys. Somehow I have a feeling that I was the only Asian to ever visit this town but folks are very friendly, albeit rather euro-hungry. As soon as you get off the ship, Croats landlords are all over you to offer rooms and accommodations.

9.Danmark
Vibrant Kobenhavn with its mixed population and an air of tolerance for all races, as well as handsome Vikings.. I am biased coz Viggo Mortensen is Danish ;)

10.Czech Republic
For beautiful and vibrant Praha, its friendly folks and serene country side.

Nice Surprises:
1. The whole Balkans (including Slovenija, Croatia, Bosna i Herzegovina – unfortunately I couldn’t enter Serbia due to needing a visa (too lazy to figure this out); I would be interested to see what FROM (Former Republic of Macedonia), Albania and Bulgaria are like.. these places definitely have characters.

2. Palermo, Sicily – I know a lot of ppl (including Italians and Sicilian transplanted in Rome) advised me against this place but I am glad I went..it is interesting.. eventhough I think the worst drivers in the world must be in Sicily! (as well as France!)

Countdown on the European Cities

Most Beautiful/Interesting Places:

Not really a countdown as I am listing the nicest first :)

1.The Norwegian Fjords: Bergen-Myrdal-Flam-Voss-Gudvangen, NORWAY


Pics by Teliung
Norwegian Fjords

Nature’s masterpiece.

2.Sinfully secluded Sintra, PORTUGAL


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8th century Moorish arch

A beautiful find - very quaint and romantic. The freshest mountain air and shy mountain flora abound, with a picture-perfect town halfway up the hill for your romantic walk, with warm cafes, rich desserts and delicious coffee and the sound of the fado in the air. Perfect for a honeymoon!

3.Heavenly Al-Hambra, GRANADA


Pics by Teliung
The Al-Hambra

Most intricate, elegant architecture and landscaping. You'll think that the angels themselves constructed it..especially those elegant honeycombs and carvings. One shall get lost in mind and path among its vast beautiful garden. My favorites shall always be the water fountains/gardens..ever since I first saw those pics in Aramco Magazine, National Geography Magazine and Architectural Digest. I finally got to be there in person inhaling its fragrant mountain air during my favorite season of Spring! Now I just wish those pesky tourists would disappear..or..I could imagine being one of the royal court during the ruling of Almoravides or the Almohades..let me continue to dream..

4.Lake Bled, Most na Soci and Bohinj Valley, Ljubljana, SLOVENIJA
Slovenija as a whole is better offer than both Switzerland and Austria combined :) I wish I get to spend more time there ): Must go again..must go again.. to Most na Soci..Most na Soci..Bohinj Valley..Bohinj Valley..

5.Toledo, ESPANA


Pics by Teliung
Breathtaking Toledo

Old old old antique town..the view from up the river and bridge will swept your breath away..with its beautiful cobalt blue and burnt sienna colors. You can't take your vehicle into this antique town, but you must walk up the steps and along its narrow and winding alleys..up the hills. It certainly worth the efforts! Where else can one get to peruse on El Greco originals and masterpieces at some back alleys?

6.Venezia, ITALIA


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Unique Venice, ITALIA

Everyone must experience Venice once in their life for its uniqueness and exotic architecture. It's a festive place, colorful, vibrant and fun! Just basking in the sun while eating one's lunch on Piazza San Marco or hopping on the vaporetto from one interesting islands to another. It's a breeze!

7.Al-Andalus, Sevilla, ESPANA
(interesting, unique moorish-arab and gypsies environment)

8. Cordoba, ESPANA


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Islamic Cordoba

Cordoba has beautiful alleys and inner courtyards with its strong Spanish muslims background. The El Mesquita is a must for Muslims to take ikthibar.

9. Firenze, ITALIA


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Florence - Tuscany beautiful landscape. I have been dreaming about the Tuscany landscape since I was in college and when I was there it was freezing (first time ever I had to wear all 3 pairs of socks and still shivering!) and raining every day..I had to see Florence from the blurry and freezing windows of the City Tour bus. Fortunately, the morning I left the sun showed up and I was abled to see Tuscany in all its glory. Thank God for the sunrays!

10.Paris, FRANCE


Pics by teliung

One must walk about Notre Dame-Latin Quarters-Sorbonne area. Champ Elysee for window shopping. Of course the Lourve and its other museums such as Musee d'Orsay are a must. Paris will overwhelm you with its sophistication and grandness. I will go there again!

11.Mostar, HERCEGOVINA
A true gem of the Balkans. Reminds me of a precious rare emerald.

12.Interlaken, SWISS ALPS
Such a beautiful lake area in the midst of the Swiss Alps. Great for honeymooners! :) My two thumbs up!

13.Sarajevo, BOSNIA
Bacharschajiye – a shining hope in a war-torn country and for its uniqueness of Islamic Europe. A city with character.

14.Spalator, CROATIA
Split - sunken Roman Fort and the beautiful Adriatic Coast. Beautiful town for a vacation and spring brings beautiful flowers at the market. The best Lily-of-the-Valley bunches I've seen!

15.Verona, ITALIA
Romantic little town with nice Italians, great gelatos - the best!, and quaint stores to look at. Verona is famous for supposedly the kampung of Shakespeare's Romeo and Giuletta. So the town main marketing gimmick is Romeo and Julite. They even have a galeto's flavor by the same name, which is absolutely GOOD btw :). They even created a balcony in the early century at Giuletta's "house" but I was told that wasn't Giuletta's house but in reality was a house of ill repute. Verona is a pretty, clean and quaint town with a nice mat salleh Pasar Malam as well :)

16.Cinque Terre, ITALIA
You will cross this area from Ancona to Roma.. such a beautiful coast sculpted by nature. I must do this area again.

17. Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS


Pics by Teliung
Canal of Amsterdam

Unique canal ambiance and antique bicycles. Wonderful new frens :)

18. Helfingors, FINLANDIA


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Taking the Viking cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki is a beautiful experience and sights along the fjords. One just need to avoid those drunk Finlanders on the ship who seem to drink like fish. They were all proper and shy until they got drunk and become boisterous. Helsinki is a bloody cold place but amazingly has the best retail offering this side of the Scandinavia, including huge bookstores :) and expensive chocholates/coffee places. I can't believe this is where Mika Hakkinen, Miki Raikonen, Nokia and Santa Claus were born!

19. Llubljana, SLOVENIJA
Such a vibrant, beautiful and most efficient city. It was such a pleasant surprise for me.

20. Salzburg, AUSTRIA
Mountains mountains..mountains.. and Sound of Music everywhere you go. Music actually is a tradition in this area, with music classes conducted at almost every corner! really :)

21. Roma/Vatican City, ITALIA


Pics by Teliung
Roman columns, Pallatine Hills

What is there about Roma.. So many things to see but I would vote for its ruins and helpful handsome bus drivers :), too many tourists..for my taste (I hate crowds). But the Colleseo and Pallatine Hills will beckon you to visit again and do it in more details :)

Vatican City is the building/area allocated to the Catholic church at the periphery of Rome. One can observed the mass performed. I was there during the late Pope death..so there were so many tourists swarming the compound..even after the wake.

22. Zermatt, SWISS ALPS
Ah.. I love Zermatt.. for its vibrant, happening, warm atmosphere. It's sure freezing cold with lots of white fluff but you feel the warmth in its vibrant town. Just love the fact that Gornergrad envelops you all around..everywhere you see..you are basically on top of Europe. Yes, it is dang expensive but worth it! I hope one day to go there again, perhaps for skiing :)

23.Praha, CHECH REPUBLIC
Praque – beautiful, happening and vibrant town. Humongous buildings and theatre town.

24.Kobenhavn, DENMARK


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Seems tolerant of racial groups, happening and vibrant.

25.Stockholm, SWEDEN
Cobbled Street of Gamla Stan, STOCKHOLM

Pics by Teliung

Gamla Stan – quaint cobbled town just as in the MAS (Malaysian Airline) advertisement. Actually, that's why I wanted to see Gamla Stan! :)

26.Madrid, ESPANA


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Beautiful town with side-walk secondhand bookstores and Prado Museo is worth a visit.

27. Sienna, ITALIA


Pics by Teliung
Burnt Sienna

Beautiful sienna-colored old city, with the best Italian coffee around! Beautiful old city with the burnt color of Sienna.. that's right that's where the name of this color originated from.

28. Wien, AUSTRIA
Vienna – best value for your money- among EU cities. I first see Nordsee - this seafood place here. What a welcome sight! The chocholate truffles also worth a buy. Of course the city itself is nice :) I love the first class lounge at the train station. A welcoming warm place for weary traveler..especially those waiting for their midnite trains.

29.Genoa (Genova), ITALIA


Pics by Teliung
Genoa - Homeland of Christopher Columbus

Land of Christopher Columbus, thus my point of crossing western Italy for a visit. Ancona has many old folks but I love taking pics of them. They are so cute and frenly! Genoa must be the friendliest Italian town of all. Beautiful port as well as one of the biggest aquarium in Europe.

30. Ancona, ITALIA
Italy side of the Adriatic Coast. My first view of the beautiful Adriatic. Heck..until I crossed over to Split..which I think is more beautiful side of the Adriatic.

31.Pisa, ITALIA


Pics by Teliung
Leaning tower of Pisa

Beautiful view from top of the leaning tower; but I seriously think Norwegian Fjords should bagged the title of seventh or eight wonder of the world :)

32. Barcelona, ESPANA


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Gaudi, Gaudi everywhere. Surely must be the most efficient city in Europe.

33.Cologne/Bonn, DE
The best part is being in the company of people I know. But the towns itselves are vibrant and friendly with mix ethnicities. Eventhough the suburbs are full of old rich retired civilian workers who are extremely allergic to noise :)but the houses
{well mostly mansions :) are really nice! reminds me of the expensive Embassy Row in Washington DC especially with its architecture and Austro-Hungarian colorings.

34.Palermo, ITALIA
Humble folks, interesting fresh markets and pasar ikan)

35.Zagreb, CROATIA
Pretty efficient city and has the cleanest and most advanced toilet I've ever seen anywhere!

36. Bern, Brig, Thun, Zurich, Basel, Luzern, SWITZERLAND
Sleepy towns worth a few hours visit surrounding the Swiss Alps. I wish I had more time to do these places..especially this German girl I met on the train said Bern is really nice.. its Deutsch for Bear.

37.Heidelberg, DE


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Medieval Heidelberg

Medieval castle amidst old university town charm right along the River Rhine.

38.Lisboa, PORTUGAL
It will remind you of Melaka.. no wonder the Portuguese (Farangs) wanted it so badly!

39.Berlin, DE


Pics by Teliung
Colorful Berlin

Kinda fun funky town full of youths, very noisy (must be the noisiest in the whole DE!) and vibrant, where fast food joints are like mushrooms, but public transport is dang dang expensive! Berlin is so euro hungry it sorts of turn one off most times.

40.Geneve, SWITZERLAND


Pics by teliung
Lac Leman

Err..nothing much after you see Lac Leman and flower clock! So immediately head to train station and booked yourself for all the mountain rides. The reason I was there for 4-5 nites was becoz I was sick from a fever contracted in Lisboa and I kept waking up late and missing the morning connections I needed to do the trains.

41.Munchen, DE
Munich - where strawberry and asparagus is cheapest. I first saw this huge albino asparagus there (I later learnt those were grown underneath the soil so they cannot produce chlorophyl). It was also fun to came across crazy Jinny, the Korean girl whom I shared a room with, who is hounding me still :) (She's stopping over Malaysia in August :)

42. Hamburg, DE


Pics by Teliung
Bah Hamburg

Big port, with these figures all over town.. I don't know what they are except they looked like water carrier or somethin'.

43.Milano, ITALIA
Milan, as a much touted city- is such a disappointment. Even the Duomo is under renovation. Everyone I met along the way who has not gone there seems to have this image of a sophisticated Milan. Well, I guess they will find out after going there. Maybe the Galleria is something to see and that will only take you half hour top and nice handsome well-dressed policemen, but the rest of Milanese are rather scruffy and stodgy and the city dusty and grey. But the Malaysian family I know are wonderful folks, as well as some Italian strangers who "walked" with me to and from subways :)

44.St. Moritz, SWITZERLAND
Boring cold place and extremely dang expensive! Except for the cute Swiss Italian hotel manager that offered to chauffeur me to and from Hotel (expensive hotel as well..it was freezing cold and I just grab the first hotel that answered ):, there’s nothing really to write home about unless you are going skiing and the only reason I was there coz I have to overnite for the Glacier Express.

Paris 202 - a pocket reference

This is for Nik, a long time friend since our student days in Washington DC and who is going to Paris for his honeymoon this August :)

Paris step-by-step:

1. Check in hotel (Your hotel at Place de la Concorde is at south end of Champ Elysee – Arc d’Triompe is at north end). Remember taxi cost double after 5PM.

2. I suggest the first thing you do is to relax at a Parisian café to sip a latte (and order some of those macaroons :) and sit back to watch people go by.

3. Buy carnet tickets (can be used on bus, metro, regional train) at metro station. Buy 10 tickets at 10.50 euro, buying individually will cost 1.40E each. Ask for a metro map – which will be extremely helpful to guide you around the different metro stations and tourist sites.

4. Take a romantic walk along Champ Elysee at nite. It is safe and relaxing. Avoid buying anything :) other than a movie and coffee or lunch/dinner.

5. Choose from any of the highlights below depending on your time there and your interest.

6. End your Parisian trip with the River Cruise along the Seine on your last nite (or accordingly). Make sure it’s the 9:20PM ride :) [ so get there earlier to get your tickets at River Bateaux - Pont de Alma].


Shopping
Champ Elysee – for designer goods: Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Prada, etc. all in one street and along the streets parallel to it. Louis Vuitton near to Place de La Concorde has better service. The main one on George V is too snooty coz they got too many customers, and you’ll get barraged by Chinese syndicate trying to give you cash to buy for them LV products. I know all the ladies want to head there.. so this tip is for your future wife :)

Monoprix – at Champ Elysee the one right on the main street (across Paris 2012) is cheaper..don’t know why but prices are not standard. For example, for a lotion I was buying, the price ranges from 9.60 -14.80 euro for the SAME thing and size at 8 different pharmacies throughout that area and Paris.

Food and Beverages
Coke or soft drinks there are expensive .. around Paris.. around 2.00 to 2.50 Euro per can. Coffee around 3 – 4 euro a cup.

Lunch at Restaurant/Café will cost around 20 euro or more per person, McD about 7-10 euro. Dinner a bit or a lot more based on your picks.

Movies
All the tickets are expensive about 10 Euro, but show before 11 AM or is it 10AM will be a bit cheaper.. 7 or 8 Euro. I saw Starwars 3- Revenge of the Sith and Kingdom of Heaven both costed me about 10 euro a ticket, that was at Champ Elysee. There are 4 or 5 cinemas on that street. I don’t know price at other places but if you have to spend for metro, might as well watch it at the same area you are in.

Buy souvenirs either at

Port Maclignancourt
Must take metro all the way to end of route then walk with the crowds who will be heading to the same place.There’s also a huge indoor and outdoor antique market there, or

Anvers – all sorts of things under the sun, including French lace and tapestries.

There’s also mobile vendors (they walk around) selling much cheaper souvenirs in front of the Notre Dame cathedral itself and Tour Eiffel as well..don’t buy from stall/street vendors which are a sure rip off. If you are lucky there's a Filipino acapella singing group singing in front of the cathedral.. they are good.

Highlights

Mont Marte – Sacre Couer – Anvers
(same metro/bus stop); also Moulin Rouge (red light district) is within walking distance (metro/bus stop before Anvers)

Sacre Couer is a very romantic place to visit, you can either walk the steep steps and try to avoid all the Africans trying to sell you the love knots or take the funicular train for 1 carnet each way. There’s a café and souvenir shop on top of the funicular.

Notre Dame – Latin Quarters – Sorbonne
Quaint and beautiful area; my very favourite area! Many interesting stores as well as bookstores around almost every corner (secondhand English bookstores as well!), varieties of food eateries (many halal places along the quaint alleys) –but be careful of Greek restaurants – one of the restaurant proprietor chose MY head to break his plate and then quickly kiss it to bless me to say I’ll be lucky! I better be lucky coz it was PAINFUL! The café next to the Cathedral provide a great Parisian café ambiance but a bit steep.. nonetheless worth it for its ambiance :)

Mosque de Paris (for your sembahyang Jumaat as well), Jardin du Luxembourg and Jardin des Plantes (botanical gardens) are worth a visit. Metro Monge.

Barberi Fresh Market
Get off at Anvers metro stop – every Wednesday and Saturday. All sorts of fruits, vegetables and fresh produce – halal meat and seafood. Malaysians are well respected there by the mostly northern African vendors.

Champ Elysee
Champ Elysee links Arc de Triomphe in the north to the Place de la Concorde in the south. It’s a good walk..just make sure you wear comfortable shoes coz the avenue is about 2km long.

Tour Eiffel
Metro Stop Bir Hakeim. It’s nice to stop and have coffee and chocolate crepe half-way on top of Eiffel. You need all the calories if you are climbing the stairs :)

River Cruise on the Seine
A must do. It’s a romantic way to do Paris without much effort. Make sure you go for the 9:20PM ..the cruise takes about 1 hour and halfway around 9:45, the Eiffel Tower will be lighted up for about half hour. This is the highlight of this cruise. Bring a digital camera with a movie option. It will be worth it! The cruise will take you from Pont de Alma to around Ile de la Cite and Ile St. Louis and back again – basically cover all the major sites of Paris. Metro stop Pont de Alma which is a walking distance from Place de la Concorde. The no dinner ticket by River Bateaux cost 7 euro, there are more expensive cruises as well.

Must see museums
The Lourve (permanent collection 8.50 Euro - you won't have time to cover even this, so just pay for the basic ticket), Musee d’Orsay (Impressionist works) and Musee de l’Orangerie [ has Monet's Nympheas (water lilies) collection].

La Opera, Lourve, Lafayette
Within walking distance of the Lourve; designer retail outlets within these periphery..mostly clothes and accessories. Printemps is a big shopping complex.

Duty free
Drop by at Benelux; the other one Mariamoud is more expensive. (Must bring passport for duty free shop)

Palace de Versailles
There’s a train that goes from Paris (Gare du Nord) – one can make this a day trip; or if go by car.. rental goes around 85 euro per day..not bad option if you want to go out in the country for the weekend (maybe do Giverny and Normandy as well).

French country side – Monet’s Giverny and Normandy on same route.

Tips: Brush up on some basic French if you have a chance, it’ll help tremendously and the French will be smiling for you. In general the French are very proper people, not necessarily snobbish. Hardly anyone will speak English except for the tourists and foreigners. Anyway the French language is beautiful to the ears..da cour :)

The Best of Times

The best of times were when I was among frens.

A wonderful surprise was Bonn, Amsterdam and off course Paris.

Paris is because I know these frens from my Washington DC days but we were separated for many years, so meeting Kak Fatimah and family again was great. Paris itself is such a beautiful (and as Kak Fatimah would put it "most romantic" :) city.. with Champ Elysee and Arc d’Triompe just around the corner and to jog every morning to Eiffel Tour was a bonus :) and having Jinny visited me in Paris (she will kill me if I forgot to put her name here :P)

Amsterdam for Nan, Ronald, Enno and its ambiance. I truly enjoyed meeting these folks, being included in what they do as locals and making them my new found friends. When I first read about Amsterdam in my guide book and the book that Arthur lend me to read.. I was a bit worried :) but being introduced to Amsterdam by Nan and frens was a totally wonderful surprise I must say! :)

Bonn ..becoz Sedad being such a caring person made sure I have a wonderful stay there. I didn’t anticipate Bonn and end up coming back for the second time, spending a total of 6 nites and 8 days there! (sacrifying Britain totally!). I had a wonderful time with Sedad and his DE frens.. Irmir, Nina and Amir, Ermina(whom I know Khal and Zaki will go crazy for! :), Belma the shy student from Banja Luka, and a few others). After being a vagabond for so long, Bonn was such a welcomed relief coz I get to do normal things :) (which Sedad, God bless him! made sure of :) .. like going on the town to watch a Turkish Dervish show (maybe not normal for some, but quite normal for me:), hanging out at Hardrock Café, taking our time eating a Sunday brunch and just watching people go by along the River Rhine. And such sweet relief to be abled to wear skirts and my hush puppies..instead of jeans and Reeboks all the time!

I absolutely enjoyed the many beautiful places I went to.. lazying at Lake Bled breathing in the mountain air and flowers, letting oneself be lullabied by the gurgling streams, with the backdrop of the fairytale castle and blue blue lake. The folks are nice and know about Malaysia (from F1!) and the best hostel I stayed in was in Slovenia.. felt I was in a fairytale cottage, within walking distance of the Castle and Lake Bled.

Sintra was a beautiful surprise.. such a heavenly place! You just got to be there to know what I mean.. The “Castle de Mouros” is just a wonderful place for a day hike, with the Palacio de Pena in its whimsical colors.. a breathtaking view once you reached the top and such fresh air that caress your skin just right..sigh. I also tried this very rich beverage ..(thick enuff to pass as a dessert!)..can’t remember what’s it called (but I think it has Moroccan heritage..). It’s simply sinful! The small town is quaint with the beautiful sound of the Fado. I had a wonderful day spending it with Phoebe and her mother, from London.

Norway is simply gorgeous! I am so glad I made the decision to go all the way to Myrdal, Flam, Voss, Varguden and Bergen. The Norwegian Fjords offered the most spectacular sights one must experience once in life. To top it all, I made two new wonderful friends. From Oslo to Flam, Samantha, an electronic engineer from Sri Lanka who works in Bangkok. And from Varguden to Bergen, Giulia – a Genoan currently studying in Firenze. We already planned to meet up again, to do Norway in a caravan to catch the Salmon run :)

Being with wonderful ppl no matter where we are, are the best of times for me. Being in a gorgeous place while we are with them are a bonus I feel.

The Worst of Times

My worst time was probably in Roma (Rome) upon returning to Roma Central Station from the many city sightseeings, when trying to take out more cash, I found out I couldn’t take out any cash at all! I tried this at several ATM machines, and upon realizing I might have problem with my cash flow I was panicking for my first time in this travel ):

It was the worst of feeling.

After making a thorough cash-checked, I found out I had only 170 Euro in hands, with yet so many countries to cover.. Realizing I was in big trouble with only 15 minutes to make major decision (before the last train out and the station closing for the nite) whether to stay in Rome, continue with my first plan of going to Napoli (Naples- to see Paesthum and Pompeii – needing to spend more money..) or take the overnite train to Palermo, Sicily. I finally decided to be an adult ): (darn! can’t get my way all the time!) and had to settle on going straight to Palermo, first becoz I utilized 1 full travel day of my Eurail ticket with only reservation fee to pay for, and secondly, coz I can save on accommodation as I can overnite on the train. This was the best decision for me and one that I finally took. Yeah, I still feel bad for not having made it to Pompeii, Pastheum, Salerno and Napoli but consoled myself with “I don’t really have time to do it all and that I should probably come back again to see those places I have missed”.

I was so very relieved when the morning of arrival, upon checking the cash machine in Palermo, found out I could take money from the cash machine.. which I proceeded to withdraw as much needed for my whole journey, with pickpockets and vultures vying me left and right at the cash machines (yes, the tugs sent little kids to harass you for money while you are at the cash machine). What the heck..sometimes one has to live dangerously. Later on I saw a bunch of elderly tourists being rounded up and harassed by little kids who were trained pickpockets..luckily for them there was a policeman nearby.

I made sure I came back to Roma a second time on my way to Ancona (for Spalator and Mostar) to erase this terrible feeling I had that day when I thought my whole journey was doomed coz of that stupid cash machines in Roma Centrale!

Another potential disaster if not saved by Eva was when I arrived in Stockholm close to midnite without any Swedish Kroner nor a place to stay for the nite. Luckily, Eva (who was reading a book), was so nice to assist me all the way out and later on when we tried several places without success, offered to bring me home to her place :). Eva really was my angel that nite.. perhaps there’s a reason for her to miss her train.. and had to wait for the last train out ... probably to be there to “saved” me heh! :)

SedaP-only-for-women ;)

Pics by Teliung
SedaP nur fur Frauen, with Nina and Amir in the background paying for Parking at Pizza Casa Kasse

I knew Sedad a few years ago through mutual friends, Khal and Feisal via the Lembing network. I think we met at several occasions when he was living in Malaysia - at birthday bashes including mine (which I was legendary late! it was the Japanese faults :) sumimasen. Once he and his friend Zuki followed us to a Candat Sotong (Squid Jigging) trip at Pulau Kapas, Terengganu. (Hmm.. come to think of it, the group cap was orange, Sedad did you have anything to do with that? :)

I heard a few years ago that he moved to Germany. When I was planning my Europe trip, we got acquainted again thru MSN, as I needed some advice on Germany. Sedad somehow managed to convince me to "drop by" Bosnia and Herzegovina, his kampung, which I am glad I did (at the expense of dropping Greece and Turkey from my list :)

I didn't really know the person Sedad is until we meet again in Bonn. Getting to know Sedad up close and personal was interesting indeed. I find him to be a challenging personality (READ: we can never agree on most things, maybe becoz we are both very opinionated individuals :)- except on the Syariah perhaps..[heck we are both conservative lot! LOL]. We can probably talk on any subjects (and will managed to differ -you can bet on this- on each one..heh!). Our hotspots are anything Asians vs. Europeans. I'd (innocently :) made some random comments on the Europeans ways of doing things and he will start defending the Europeans to no ends! [PS: Stubborn as a mule to put his own words.. here's pic of one zehr cute mule from inner Mongolia.. :P ]



(Now Sedad don't forget you have Mongol blood as well.. and last time I checked Genghiz Khan was Asian! :)~

He is very considerate, attentive to others and KIND :), yet, he'll probably threaten to "beat me with a stick" (his own words again) if he knows I am writing anything nice about him.. he has a problem digesting compliments (probably throwing up by now :P) He'd probably be more relieved if I were to say he is horrible.

BUT I know Sedad will be on cloud nine if I were to acknowledge he is smart :) So Sedad, here's to one(cough..cough..ok..ok..I'll say it!)SmArT :)~ wonderful guy!

PS/ Mongolia was never flat! :)~

This from our discussion on Yajuj and Majuj (Gog and Magog):
Ayah 96 "Until the Gog and Magog (people) are let through (their barrier), and they swiftly swarm from every hill." (Surah 21, The Prophets, Al Qur'an)

where my theory was the Mongols were one of the two tribes and he on automatic-default-mode-to-challenge said that Mongolia is a flat land.. hah where is that atlas..

See also this link on Atilla the Hun as descendant of Genghiz Khan
Atilla the Hun



Genghiz Khan

[..to quote Lonely Planet, "Mongolia is one of the highest countries in the world, with an average elevation of 1580m (5180ft). Its highest mountains are in the far west. The Mongol Altai Nuruu are permanently snowcapped, and their highest peak, Tavanbogd Uul (4370m/14,350ft), has a magnificent glacier that towers over Mongolia, Russia and China."]

Land of the Genghiz Khan

Mongolia

Altai Mountain, Mongolia
(pics from www.jagged-globe.co.uk)

pic by Alan Halewood


pic by Graham Taylor

hah! :P~