Koreans GALORE!

I'm too lazy to blog about Greece (just came back) and any other country. Maybe I'll post pictures... haha.

Oh but, today I visited a Korean church in Vienna, and it was such a wonderful place. REALLY.

Actually it was more so a cultural experience for me rather than a religious one, but oh well... I loved it!

The Korean church community there was really big - there were probably at least 150 people there. I wouldn't expect that in Vienna. And the Korean language is really nice. Especially when they sing songs - their voices and intonations are so refined, gentle that it was really, really beautiful. Plus the very talented musicians brought waves of soothing feelings and peace in the sanctuary, it was terrific.

Ok, so I gave only 1 Euro for offering. Who cares, I don't belong to this place, only a visitor.
But afterwards I ate so much Korean food that I really felt bad. haha.

After service, everybody gathers in the lunch area - long wooden tables with a big bowl of sticky Korean rice in the middle, not forgetting of course, kimchi - and queues up for their soup bowls (with Korean seaweed and meat). People are laughing, talking loudly; the whole scene is chaotic, but loving and happy. It was such a communal and familial atmosphere, I was so touched. I could literally feel the love from a family radiating outwards just from the kitchen/lunch area. And not because I get to eat free food. heh.

Oh yes, the authentic Korean kimchi there was extra red, extra spicy, extra salty and tasted like it had a bit of wasabi flavour (although clearly wasabi is not an ingredient). I wonder how Koreans eat this everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I'm going back to this lovely place again, and bringing some European friends too!!

Some pictures of this place:-

Although the Korean guy next to me looks like a retard (I'm sorry for being mean. Just truthful), he is really really nice. And gentle.

Inside their sanctuary.

Outside their sanctuary.

Closer-up of Koreans.

Their noticeboard.

The long tables of feasting! I'm certainly coming back here again! Muahaha.

Oh, did I forget to mention that some Korean girls are really pretty too? *Wink*

Amsterdam: Vibrance, Vice, Venice(+Florence), and God's wonderful blessings

Oof. I realized that if I were to blog about every city I visited, it would take me 9^9999999 hours to get it written down, so I will just jot down those which left the biggest impresion on me. i.e. my favourites... haha.

Amsterdam is totally, totally different from Switzerland. And I mean totally. First, it's THE most vibrant and happening city I've ever seen in Europe. Most European cities have their shops closed on Sundays, and areas generally become dead after 7pm because everything shuts down. But in Amsterdam, there are tons of cyclists biking around even at midnight. Yes, midnight. Check out the number of bicycles parked along the side of the street to get an idea of how much people cycle in this city:-


Next, Amsterdam is literally a melting pot of activities. What do you usually do in a big European city? Museums? Take touristy pictures of the streets? Visit some lame tourist attractions, or take a walk in a park? Go shopping or a pub crawl at night?

Here're but some of the plethora of activities available in Amsterdam - countryside cycling in Weesp where you can visit castles, rivers etc, visiting Zaanke Schans, a picturesque windmill village, cheese farm, Dutch pancakes, Red Light District/sex shows, eating 'space' muffins, beautiful Tulip Park called Keukenhof, Anne Frank Museum (yes the Jewish girl disenfranchised by the Nazis), lots of shopping, Argentinian food, and ... paying 50 cents Euro for each toilet entry. haha.

I probably spent at least 1.50 Euro on toilet entries in Amsterdam: the amount you can buy decent hawker food for back home. Stupid Amsterdam!

In this city, besides always keeping a lookout on streets to avoid being crashed onto by swerving bicycles, you'll be pleasantly surprised to see many happy people around. Businessmen (in suits) usually look stressed and depressed in other major cities, but over here they can be caught laughing together while standing in a circle in the middle of the street. Amsterdam is also, I would say, a nice mix between Venice and Florence: the scenic canals, waterways and boats of Venice, and the vibrance and charm of Florence. Check out how the city looks:


The charming waterways...


Interesting stuff in an open square just like this...


Yes, the 2 goons above the letter 'm' was my Korean friend and I. This was at midnight, and we were wandering through the streets, lost. haha.

Beautiful tulips that make you feel alive (I'm no flower lover by the way, but they really do make you feel this way!)

Hmm. I left out the Red Light District for obvious reasons. No, actually you're not allowed to take photos there. haha. The unique thing about them was that they wore luminous lingerie which glittered under UV light. heh.

Some more pictures...


At the countryside near the ulu hotel that is in the story below. Note the vast expanse of green, flat land with nothing on it for miles and miles...

A very cosy country bar/bistro, with great comfy lighting, a fruit machine, a dart board, guitars you can bring down to play, a pool table, and yes again, a very country atmosphere. Finally our respite after that crazy adventure (described in the story below)...

******************

There is something in my heart that if I don't share with everyone, I won't be able to sleep in peace.

This happened, and when it did, I was left without a single ounce of doubt that God answered my prayers. Directly. You know how when something just strikes you straight from Him, and you can't help but gasp in awe and amazement?

My friends and I wanted to avoid paying an atrocious 40 Euro per night on Easter Sunday in Amsterdam (when everyone in Europe travels), so we got this cheap hotel somewhere in the countryside. It was really way off in the countryside.

Anyway, firstly, the bus ride from the city took like 1.25 hours. Almost always at full highway throttle. Give you an idea of how ulu the place was. To makes things happier, the bus driver dropped us at the wrong stop (2 stops ahead), and it was pitch dark at night. Where there were no street lamps in the grass beyond the highway, you couldn't see ANYTHING. By the way, the transfer bus that was supposed to take us to the hotel wasn't in service at that time anymore. 10pm.

Secondly, there was no sign of civilization along this main road except for the occasional car that came whizzing past, or a small lighted house like 2 km ahead. Beside the road was like I said, total, black grassland.

And lightning came streaking across the sky every half a minute.

Each time the lightning flashed, I looked desperately around me to see if anywhere near us got hit. We were walking in the open, and there were trees around. Add to that our 20kg bagpacks bursting at the brim and saddling us down like ship anchors, and you have a wonderful night where you just feel so exuberantly happy. Not.

I was really worried. We had 2 girls under our care, and we were hopelessly lost. I was prepared to sleep at the bus stop or get fried by lightning or something. And I really mean that. After allowing a gazillion disastrous thoughts to dance around in my head, I decided to pray.

It was a simple prayer - just for the lightning to stop, for us to be safe. Not even to reach our hotel (I was that devoid of hope).

Well, the lightning didn't stop. I was very xian. And each time I tried to hitchhike, the cars ignored me. Why wouldn't God grant me this simple request? After trudging for another 20 min, I saw a gas station and my spirits lifted. For like 15 secs. Because the gas station was a drive-through and there were no signs of humanity around.

Then a small red car driven by a young lady (it was too dark and I was too tired to observe if she was hot or not. haha) pulled over to pump gas. I scuttled up to the driver and asked for directions. Maybe she was an angel sent by God, or maybe we looked so hopeless like little starving mice or something. She didn't just give directions, she gave us a lift all the way to the hotel!!

The car ride took 15minutes long. That long. If we were to walk that distance, it would have taken us another 1.5 hours.

It was then, that it hit me, so very hard - like a slegdgehammer banging onto my chest - that God had so graciously, miraculously NOT answered my prayer request, but gave me so much more than what I ever dream of or could ask for then. You have to realize, I was so despondent that I would never even think of a car giving us a lift. Especially after 10 failed attempts at hitchhiking. It was such a direct, striking realization - so personal and impactful - that deep inside me, I felt like trembling. Almost as if I saw the Red Sea parting, or something. Okay that's an exaggeration but, you get the idea.

But my friend didn't feel this at all, until I explained everything to her.

I realized this principle: God protects, is beside you, answers prayers & speaks to you very often. But you can know it only if you open your ears and eyes to Him, and are receptive to His loving nudges and care. I was fortunate enough to have asked Him for these very things not too long ago.

I hope this sharing blesses all those who read this, and gives you more zest to ask God to speak to you daily. It is really, really wonderful when He does so, and you realize it.

With Love
Andre

Back from Easter

Hello! I've not been blogging for so long, sorry! Have been busy... and oh well you guessed it, lazy. heh.

Anyway because I'm really lazy, I'm just going to post more and more photos. Of course of Switzerland and Amsterdam (still very much my favourites)

Here was the 'genealogy' of Easter:-
1) Switzerland - Zurich, Lucern, Interlaken, Bern
2) Netherlands - Amsterdam
3) Belgium - Brussels, Brugge
4) Ireland - Dublin
5) UK - London
6) Scotland - Edinburgh, Glasgow
7) Spain - Barcelona, Seville, Valencia, Madrid

It was a trip of really mixed emotions - tiring, adventurous, fun, stressful, pis*ed off. And way too much money spent. I need to start living like a pauper now. haha.

Oh yes, and I realized how important it really is to choose your travel partners carefully. Like, really carefully. It was so easy, comfortable and enjoyable with a certain group of 4, but just when 1 person was replaced with another, it became so stressful - just trying to adjust to that person's temperament and change in group dynamics. Let's call her x. I am not bitching, just expressing how difficult it was.

x, before I got to know her on this trip, seemed like a really cheerful, easy-going and sociable person - just the type of travel partner I'll love. But within a few days I realized how dead wrong I was. She was very helpful and looked out a lot for us, but at the same time bossy, patronizing, and had these weird extreme bipolar disorder where she'll bounce from a mature 40-year-old mother who tells you do-this-don't-do-that to a 6-year old girl, squealing, jumping and whining.

Awfully painful and hard to adjust. I probably aged about 5 years in a one-and-a-half weeks living with her.

But she was overall, a very nice friend - and I appreciate her friendship. Just that I would not travel with her again. Oh well.

Oh, but there's worse. Another friend joined the travel (with her own friend) - let's call her y. y was gentle and softspoken, but blunt. Horrendously blunt. She would retort her thoughts directly and sharply - like a knife cutting the air.
And maybe because I like to act like a joker, but her words were especially cutting towards me. For example, a conversation goes like this:-

Me: Hey y, you look happy! (Smiles)
y: Just because I smile doesn't mean I'm happy. You know, I feel really self-conscious when you comment on how I look, like when you say I'm tired or something and I don't know how to answer...

That shuts me up completely. I'm like what in the world just happened... ...

So with y, traveling with x actually seemed like heaven. What a paradox. When was around, I didn't know whether to be pissed off with her and ignore her, or to act like nothing's happening and pretend to be friendly, or to start second-guessing when I'm annoying her. IT WAS TEN TIMES AS STRESSFUL AS WITH x.
It didn't help that when x, y & y's friend were together, a bimbo-like atmosphere was generated & the group separated into 2 quite often.

Grew to accept y as just a sharp tongue who can do better at thinking before she speaks. But oh, words - simple intangible utterances that don't even make an ounce of impact on air molecules - can be so hurting.

On the bright side, am really thankful for a fellow Singaporean girl and a Korean guy who made things liveable. Thank you both so much, for bringing sanity to Easter.

Okay, now for the pictures!!

Switzerland
Zurich - An indescribable sense of peace, tranquility and quiet beauty pervades the city. You can understand - almost instantly - why it consistently tops the 'Highest quality of life in the world' list. Screw Vienna - it may be very nice to live in, but Zurich beats it hands down.








Swiss Francs - Beauty does not escape even the currency bills. See for yourself how pretty they are!!










Lucern - Same attractive air of serenity, enhanced by a nice mist. Add to that paddling in a boat in a reasonably large lake and you have it - a perfect afternoon in Switzerland!



Interlaken - A picturesque scene by the lake. Just gazing, without uttering a word, at the mountains fading into the horizon, against the backdrop of the gentle yet mesmerizing orange-golden sun rays is enough to take your breath away...








Just another scene in Interlaken to make you jealous. haha.

So simple - just a road by some mountains - but yet so ubiquitous throughout the land and, beautiful nevertheless. Switzerland is amazing.










Balmer's Lodge. The hostel in Interlaken. My personal favourite. Doesn't it radiate feelings of cosiness, warmth, the outdoors and life?!?






A Burnese Mountain Dog. My apologies for being so random. I saw 4 - yes, 4 - of these dogs bundled together in a lift in the Swiss Alps and I couldn't resist. They're really properly in Central Europe.





Marvel at the beauty of the Swiss Alps. It cost about 65 Euro just to take the cable car up. Now you can see how all my money disappeared. But oh well, it's once in a very, very long time.









Some more beauty to take your breath away. Somehow photographs can never capture the full essence of the sights that loom in front of you like depth etc... or maybe I just suck. But you get the idea...











Pretty Swiss Cottages fortuitously positioned in the Swiss Alps. Wouldn't it be cool to live there? These are residences. Yes, they are.

Bern - A typical day at a park. It's so wonderful in Bern - you feel as if everyday is such a perfect time for a nice, enjoyable time picnic-ing at a park, and having a slow chat over lunch with a friend cross-legged over a ledge overviewing the city.

Playing chess in a park, still in Bern. More of the same feelings described above.

Part of the city in Bern. Sorry for the bad lighting - you can't always get good lighting outside, you know.

***********

Food for thought: Do you know what's the capital of Switzerland?

1st Guess: Zurich.

Wrong.

2nd Guess: Geneva.

Wrong.

It's Bern. Yes, you didn't hear that wrongly... Bern. Which means, BEAR.

Haha. Gute Nacht alle!! (Good night everyone)

************

And oh, I can't resist: I LOVE SWITZERLAND!!!!!!!

This is THE place for your honeymoon :)

Easter Travels :)

Hello folks,

I'm sorry for being not updating my blog. have been in a mad rush preparing for Easter travelling (26 day trip) - gosh I'm such a last minute person - that I've haven't had time. Am actually blogging from a hostel in Amsterdam now (7th day already) so sorry no pictures!

Will post Italy and Krakow and all of Easter sometime soon.

Don't have much, just that Switzerland & Amsterdam are ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS places - you should never miss them if you travel in Europe!!!

Switzerland is beautiful, lots of rich green pastures, lakes and mountains (the Swiss Alps are really pretty) where white river rafting, canyoning, hiking and para-gliding is easily available. And Swiss cottages are just so amazingly great to ogle at, I need to post the pictures to convince you of this place! Coming soon after 28 April. Heh.

Oh yes, Amsterdam, never thought I'll like it so much. Luckily I didn't scrape a trip here... it's really wonderful! A melting pot of different cultures and things to see, it's like a nice blend of Venice - think rivers and canals - and Florence - countryside and an assortment of sightseeing and many other activities... cheese markets/farms, dungeons castles, jazz bars, windmills, flower/tulip gardens ... the list is endless. And the building architecture is very unique, full of bricks and white frames - plus shops close at like 9pm, with many people cycling at night even till midnight on a weekday. IT's SO VIBRANT here.
Gosh I should join the Amsterdam Tourism Promotion Bureau or something.

Okay it's super late now, going off! Remember not to miss these 2 countries if you ever come to Europe - after a while churches, big cities and nice streets are just so commonplace all over the region. Gotta spend time somewhere special, don't you think? =)

Bedbugs galore - ARGH

Aha. I'm not sorry for this disgusting photo - though the marks didn't come out as clearly as I hoped. These are bedbug bites. And they're on my arm. Yes, MY ARM.

This is testament to the pain and suffering I've been enduring over the past 2 days, since either the bug-infested bed in a Venice hotel or a OBB train seat (I don't know which one). It's horribly itchy and ugly, and I feel like a disease-stricken person whenever I'm out.

Plus a long-lasting cough the previous week, I'm surely excused now for not blogging for quite a while. haha. Yikes, I HATE bedbugsssss

Okay will take you on a tour of other travels soon - Krakow and Italy! Till then!

Budapest & Prague =p

Oops, realized I haven't been blogging for a while. Have been ill after Prague, and the cold weather (plus being surrounded by kebabs, pizzas, kebabs, pizzas, kebabs .. you get the idea) doesn't exactly help.

Did you know Budapest comprises a fusion of 2 cities - Buda & Pest? It's lame, yeah. They're separated by the Danube River. Oh yes, and Budapest is called Bu2 Da3 Pei4 Si1 in Mandarin. Yepz. Prague is named Bu1 La1 Ge2 (sounds like Iraq in Chinese) - Chinese just improved by 1% eh!

Anyway here're the pictures!

BUDAPEST

A famous bridge. Whose name I forgot... hurhur. Notice the lion sculpture doesn't have a tongue. It's rumoured that the sculptor killed himself cause of that mistake. *Shakes head*

A fancy restaurant with a violinist! Probably have to pay like $100 per pax in Singapore for this man.

Am particularly proud of this photo. Can you see the colour manipulation done here? I didn't know PowerShot was quite so powerful! :)

PRAGUE

I loved Prague. Actually people were always saying You have to go Prague... Prague is a must. They were being over-enthusiastic fairy-tale mongers I figured, but (only) after visiting the Old Town Square then I could see where they were coming from. It's not that fantastic, but certainly one of the better places I've seen!

Nice. Pretty.

The prettiest.
A wedding under the famous gastronomical clock church.

Okay, till we meet again!! Chaoz :)

I Should Have Told The Truth From The Start

I'm sorry.

Sometimes a simple white lie - especially when you think things are pretty simple, minor and straightforward - can lead to an entirely different, unexpected outcome.

I'm sorry to have broken whatever trust there was, and I really regret it. Even while holidaying at Budapest over the last few days, this was nagging at the back of my mind - the dissolution of trust from an earnest person.

I shall think carefully in whatever that I do or say from now on. I really, really wish I had told the truth right from the very beginning.

Sorry.

A nice, cosy family church

Pictures of the nice church I mentioned a week back were missing, so here they are. Gosh I'm a really lazy blogger. haha. Probably going to run out of space soon.





The inconspicuous sign at the entrance. It's like a small hole. Oh but enter, and find yourself in a totally different realm of reality from the cold white surroundings outside.








These coat-hangers give you a warm greeting as you enter. The lighting and colours of the church are really cosy!








Turn to the right, and you'll see this. Everybody seems to siam whenever I take photos inside...







Go further in, and look to the right. Nice place right?!







The mini-sanctuary where they have really worshipful praise & worship. Complete with kids' songs :)

It's been a wonderful Sunday, not least because of the kindness and hospitality of the Singaporean couple (and their toddler), who pulled me to join their Sunday 'rest & chill' itinery. From talking in the left-hand drive and left-side roads - yes, that's right, opposite to Singapore's right-side roads - to a lunch treat in a Chinese restaurant with their local friends (Authentic Asian food is great. Especially after 2 weeks of fake Asian meals I've tried to whip up), not forgetting their looking out for me in simple ways, it was really... I'm at a loss for words.

Really thank God for blessing me with such awesome company. I just asked Him for a couple of Christian friends to encourage each other throughout these months, but look what I've found in just 2 weeks?! The wonders of simple, small prayers.

My Singaporean friends' 'rest & chill' routine, and generally Austria's tendency to relax (banks close at 3pm, on Sundays people disappear from streets and visit friends & family, people can take leave up to 30days in one go & go backpacking) makes me wonder why we're so different back home. Sunday involved a nice, lazy afternoon with a long lunch, kids from friends' families playing with each other, and after-lunch coffee. If only at home we can do less, know when to break and spend time with loved ones. I wish home was more like this...

Anyway I hope my Mandarin will improve in the following months. I need it at church a lot. haha. And I learnt some new terms in German today, from songs.

Kraft - The company famous for cheese? It means strength.
Ich liebe dich - I love you.

Oh yes, how could I forget. The Singaporean couple and me.

Thank you for keeping in touch. Till we meet again, tschews! Means goodbye.

Vienna and ... Singapore

I've been getting bit lazy to blog, but shall try to make double entries every week. Heh.

Anyway, a German class project made us take a couple of photos to compare the difference between certain scenes in Singapore and Vienna, so I thought I'll share some of them here. Hope it's interesting!

Transport

Guess where this is? Inside a tram. And what's that bunch of black, messy hair? A DOG. Dogs are really a big thing in Vienna - they require the equivalent of a child's ticket on public transport! There're dogs playing on the snow, dogs in restaurants, dogs everywhere. I can't imagine seeing dogs in shopping malls back home. (OH they're really well-behaved here. And muzzled.)

Caught ya red-handed! No lah, everyone can eat and drink openly in buses, trams and trains. I'm going to slurp on soup in a tram one day and make everyone hungry. haha.

Can you find such a scene ever back home? Notice the empty seats. I still recall - certainly not with fondness - the madly jam packed trains on our sunny island. Yikes.

They have these in place of trishaws here in Vienna. 50 Euros for an hour! Youch.

Okay, enough of transport. There are more interesting things in life. Like SNOW!!!
Gosh I sound like a deprived Singaporean. Which I am. haha.

SNOW

Check out that huge iceberg!!!

This is how deep the snow is...

Shoveling snow - even with a snow plough - is tough work!
Viennese out of the city are really warm and friendly, compared to their city counterparts. The guy behind me looked thrilled at letting me play with his machine, seeing the 6-year-old excitement of a deprived Singaporean. hah

Lounging in the snow.







Oh, we visited this really warm and cosy house in the midst of the snow. Really feels like a movie - with pretty houses clad in snow outside, and the warm orange glow of respite inside.

A really nice country-side style place we found for dinner. Never expected this in Vienna, thought only Australia! haha.

Lastly, a sneak shot of these adorable little ones just for everyone =)

Have a fantastic week ahead!!