Europe: Day 9 (Netherlands again)

Dear readers,

We had such a great time in Belgium yesterday. The Grand Place is indeed very grand. Best to go during spring or Christmas or you will find the square empty. Anyway, today is the last day on the ground. We had a cruise ride through Amsterdam canals, learning how diamonds were cut in Gassan, fighting the freezing cold sea breeze at Volendam and learning how to make cheese and clogs in the factory.

Like the scene in The Fault in Our Stars. Goal achieved!

Europe: Day 8 (Belgium)

Good day my dear...

We are at our final city, Brussels before heading back to Amsterdam. Yesterday was a hectic but awe-inspiring day in Paris. We would definitely visit Paris again for Disneyland and Château de Versailles. Belgium is one of the most ignored country when one travels in Europe. Before this I only know Belgium is famed for chocolates ad waffles. Let's see what it has to offer...

And yes you can climb up to each "ball" of the Atomium.

Europe: Day 7 (France)

Bonjour!

We are finally at the city of lights also known as city of love too. Unfortunately some of us call it scam city and we have a fair share of experience. Our time in Paris is short but we would certainly come again to visit more places. Today we will be visiting of course the magnificent Eiffel Tower, Place de la Concorde, The Louvre, exterior of Palais Garnier, Notre Dame and finally shopping at Galeries Lafayette. Lots of history for you in this article but if you wanna skip boring words there are always stunning photos. You might wanna check out what we did the day before but its not as exciting as Switzerland. Also click here to see how I spent a budget of RM8000 across 5 countries without staying at hostels.

Just to inform you, the night before this I checked my email and was shocked to find a huge CONGRATULATIONS! Then whatever feelings I had for Paris just faded away. Read all about my excitement here. Thank you MGTO and Nuffnang for sponsoring and I will blog on my next trip soon. Macau here I come!

Some say its the most romantic place on earth. You never know until you stand in front of Eiffel for the first time. Its like love at the first sight. You will be amazed how grand it hovers before you. Fields are empty during this winter time but Parisians will crowd for picnic here once its summer.

Europe: Day 6 (France)

Good morning or can I say bonjour!

Just for recap, we visited Mt. Titlis and Lucerne yesterday. Our 6th day will be a very long day but short entry as we travel from Zurich to Paris by bus. The agency should have booked a cheap flight like Ryanair just like when we traveled from Seoul to Jeju via Eastarjet. On the bright side we get to see the countryside and vineyards along the way.

Despite looking chill I was freezing as hell while faking a smile outside of a rest stop.

Europe: Day 5 (Switzerland)

Good morning peeps!

Another exciting day to look forward. Just for recap we went to Titisee and Rhinefall yesterday. Today we will be touring around Switzerland visiting Mt. Titlis and Lucerne. Honestly I love Switzerland the most among all of the European countries coz it's such a laid back and relaxing country. Everyday feels like Christmas here. One tip for u is to use Swiss Franc even though Euro is accepted here due to slightly lower rate for Swiss Franc. If you are interested in other posts like budget, planning, summary and more you can check out all posts labeled "Europe" here.

A very tall real Christmas tree at Lucerne. I always emphasize on "real" coz we only display fake trees during Christmas here in Malaysia.

Europe: Day 4 (Germany)

Guten morgen liebling!

I was so excited for today coz I heard the location is as enchanting as a fairytale.We all know Germany has magical woods, villages that come out from storybooks and Disney-like castles. Best of all we get to see this in real life how awesome was that! Check out the previous post on Cologne Cathedral, Karl Theodor bridge and the gorgeous medieval Heidelberg castle.

 Lol me being so ss! But you really have to visit this place. Titisee is a very peaceful village that one might consider to retire at. The lake will be frozen in mid-winter but the weather is just nice for now. Surprisingly its warmer up here than on lower ground.

Europe: Day 3 (Germany)

Good morning readers!

Rise and shine! We were so excited to start a new day in Europe. Today's itinerary will be Cologne Cathedral and Heidelberg. I know it's only two major attractions coz the journey was very long and the sky became dark after 5pm. Not much can be done when it's winter. You can read about the day before in Amsterdam here.

The magnificent Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) being the largest Gothic church in northern Europe and used to be tallest in the world was constructed in 1248.

Europe: Day 2 (Netherlands)

Dear loyal readers,

Let's continue from Day 1 shall we? Just for a recap, Day 1 is all about my journey with Etihad Airways and technically it's a 2 day journey coz it took like 24 hours including layovers. Now I'm gonna share with you the beginning of our trip from Schiphol Airport to Zaanse Schans to Dam Square and red light district.

All the windmills at Zaanse Schans are still working.

Europe: Day 1 (Fly with MAS and Etihad)

Hey wanderlusters!

Finally I'm gonna blog about our Europe 2nd honeymoon. Our 1st honeymoon was during springtime in Korea. This time we wanted to experience winter wonderland and Christmas season. You can read about our budget and planning and a short summary of what I think about each city. There's also a video at the bottom of this post to let you experience a bit of my trip.

Beautiful ceiling of Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Central Europe: Itinerary and Budget

Note: This was updated again on 2015 after I return. Due to exchange rate and inflation, the figure might be slightly different so just treat this as a guideline.

Dear fellow travelers,


Here's a simple draft of my Europe budget. This is not a budget backpacker's trip coz it is a birthday trip for hubby and also our second honeymoon after our first one in Korea. Moreover hubby wants good food, hassle free transport and no hostels. So we booked a tour however not everything is included like entrance fees and meals. Total damage was set to be within a budget of less than RM7000 per person. 

You might be asking why I did not enter famous attractions like The Louvre (we did hang around outside), Palace of Versailles, Sacre Coeur, Palais Garnier, Disneyland etc. That's coz time is a budget too and it's not up to you to decide where to go when taking a tour. How I wish I could visit more countries like UK and Italy but my wallet...no my whole bank is already burning!

Click "Travel" on top of this page for more details on each country.

Review: Clarins Shaping Facial Lift Total V Contouring Serum

Dear beautiful readers,

I can't wait to share with you about Clarins Total V Contouring Serum. I will update again in next Clarins post because the result is said to be visible in 4 weeks. However I think the sample amount given to me will only last for 2 weeks or less.

Thanks to the Clarins branch assistant for teaching me on how to apply.

Japan: Kyoto Day 2

Hey there!

We visited Kyoto again. If you wanna know where we went on the first day click here. We are truly in love with Kyoto that we think 2 days isn't enough. We have not visited Nara, Ginkaku-ji, Philosopher's Path, Ryoan-ji and many more. We hope to visit again when hubby is not on a working trip and we can spend more days in the city.

The red torii gates of Fushimi Inari is a prominent landmark in Kyoto. It is a must to visit such a beauty.

Japan: Kyoto Day 1

Hey Wanderlusters,

Finally here's my first day trip to my most favourite city in Japan, Kyoto. You can read another day trip to Kyoto here coz we went again. So much to see that one day wasn't enough.  So glad that we made a decision to visit this wonderful down to earth city. It's a huge city hat maintains its traditions. There are lots of places ending with "ji" meaning temple or shrine.

Here's a golden pavillion. It's one of a famous landmark in Kyoto.

Japan: What you can do in Osaka for a day

Hey fellow travelers,

As you know we spent 2 nights in Osaka at Hotel Taiyo at the end of my long long so called business trip. For more info on the places I went in this article and what passes I used, do refer to my Japan guide. You can also read about my whole day spent at Universal Studios on the day before this one.

Welcome to Osaka!

Japan: Evenings in Osaka

Dear loyal readers,

So let's continue from my previous post on Kobe. If you read my past entries on my Japan trip you would know I stayed at Itami temporarily and only went out when my husband comes back from work and during weekends. So in this post, I will share with you some evenings I spent at Osaka. It was a vibrant and lively city full of night activities. For full plan and details, read Where to go in Japan. I listed maps, budget, hotel etc.

Here's an evening scene at Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori as we hunt for dinner.

Japan: An evening in Kobe

Dear readers,

After for so long I realized I did not complete my Japan trip blog. So far I've only shared about My Life in Itami and other topics like where to go, how to ride a train, Universal Studios and food. You can find more topics under Japan tag that might be useful for your future trip.

Anyway, on the second week of my stay in Japan hubby accompanied me to Kobe after work. If you have read the earliest entry in my Japan series I explained why I stayed in Japan for a few weeks but barely have time to go out. Itami is where I stayed temporarily so I don't overnight at the cities I visit except Osaka but my husband and I just travel to and fro on day trips. So glad that Itami is strategically located in the middle of everywhere. I would suggest visitors to spend about 3 days 2 nights at Kobe. You'll love it. Here are some of the photos to guide you through coz I'm lazy to do the typing...

Japan: My life in Itami

Hey there!

Sorry for the very belated update coz i was busy organizing and packing for other trips. Anyway, here's how my life was at Itami during late summer 2013. I stayed in this outskirt area due to hubby's business trip. That's a great thing being a wanderlust wife haha...

Japan: Arrival at Kansai International Airport, Osaka

Ohaiyo!

This entry will be about my experience at Kansai International Airport from arrival to departure. As for flight experience you might wanna check out Japan: Fly with Cathay Pacific or simply click on the Japan label on the right side.

After about 10 hours of traveling including transit hours we finally arrived.

Japan: Fly with Cathay Pacific

Hey peeps!

I have always loved flying. I love the experience and hospitality provided by the airline and crew and the thrill during take off. So here's a little bit about my experience with Cathay Pacific as it was my first time flying with this airline. Our destination was Kansai Airport, Osaka, Japan and the purpose was for business trip. We transited at Hong Kong International Airport then a short layover at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan which was not expected. You can read about my Taiwan blog here. News has it that Cathay Pacific no longer operates flights to Penang from March 2014 onwards but will still maintain flights to and from Kuala Lumpur.

My simple ootd at Penang International Airport. Blazer was bought in Taipei, laced blouse from a local mall and skinny jeans from Bukit Kayu Hitam. Call me cheapo but I don't fancy designer stuffs.

Interview with BBM Live Travel Magazine

Hey there wanderlusters!

I'm so excited to share with you that I've been contacted by BBM Live, a travel guide magazine based in Australia. Big thanks to Hannah Shakir, BBM Live editor and Charlotte Mellor, BBM Live sub editor for getting in touch with me. It's my first time to be featured and I never felt so honored as a travel blogger.

The Diary of A Travel Blogger from Amsterdam to Macau...do check out here.