Europe Trip Country 3: Luxembourg

14 September 2009

After having breakfast at hotel (of course bread, corn flakes and yogurt again), we travelled down to Luxembourg. It is ruled by a Grand Duke. It is the world's only remaining sovereign Grand Duchy. The country has a highly developed economy, with the highest Gross Domestic Product per capita in the world.

Luxembourg lies on the cultural divide between Romance Europe and Germanic Europe, borrowing customs from each of the distinct traditions. Luxembourg is a trilingual country; German, French, and Luxembourgish are official languages. Although a secular state, Luxembourgh is predominantly Roman Catholic.

Monument du souvenir

First, we first reach monument du souvenir, usually known by the nickname of the Gelle Fra (Luxembourgish for "Golden Lady"), is a war memorial in Luxembourg city, in southern Luxembourg. It is dedicated to the thousands of Luxembourgers that volunteered for service in the armed forces in the Allied Powers in the First World War. It is situated in Constitution Square.

Royal Guard

Next, we headed to the Royal Guard at the Duke Palace. We saw a young handsome guy on duty. I was busy taking picture for my friends who were posing in front of the guard. Consequently, when it was my turn, the guard started marching.

Old fortress city


Here, we reached the old fortress city. It is now a Unesco World Heritage site.








Luxembourg viaduct

Luxembourg viaduct, also known as Passerelle. It carries road traffic across the valley. It is 290m long, with 24 arches, and 45m above the valley floor. It is also known as Old Bridge by people from Luxembourg city. The "new bridge" in this comparision is the Adolphe Bridge, which was built between 1900 and 1903.

It was built between 1859 and 1861 to connect the city centre with Luxembourg's new railway station, which was located away from the city centre so as to not detract from the defensive capabilities of the city fortress.

Pic: the new bridge, Adolphe Bridge

Place D' Armes

It is a square in Old Montreal quarter of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The second oldest public site in Montreal.

Europe Trip Country 2: Belgium

13 Sept 2009

Antwerp

Once we got down from the coach and made our first step on Antwerp, we saw this pedestrian bridge. I do not really know what it is called. I just feel that it is nice and hence I snapped a photo of it.

We then headed to Old Market Square. It is surrounded by Guild houses and the Town Hall. Most of the guild houses are rebuilt after they burned down in the 16th century.

Pic: Guild houses. They reflect the tradition of building in wood with their use of stone to imitate wooden pillars and beams. The group of guild houses on this square is characterized by its variety; each facade strives to be different in height and rhythm. The guild houses feature extensive use of glass, with many window s to let in the maximum amount of light.

The picture below shows the Town hall, a renaissance building constructed between 1561 - 1565. The green statue is made by Jef Lambeaux and is called Brabo. It was inspired by a legend of a giant who used to live on the banks of the river Scheldt. Whenever sailors on the Scheldt refused to pay toll, he punished them by cutting off their hand. A Roman soldier called Silvius Brabo, killed the giant, cut off his hand and threw it in the river.

We then met a group of tourist from Japan (I guessed, from their dress). A few guys from our coach even approached them and requested to take picture with them.

Before we left, we tried the well known fries in a shop named Frituur no1. It was recommended by our tour guide. Fries are topped with the sauce of your favour. And the prices varies depending on the type of sauce. We finally made our decision to order three different sauces and share among us. Nice!!!!

Brussels

We stopped at Brussels city ring road to view the Atomium. It is a monument built for Expo '58, the 1958 Brussels World's Fair. Designed by Andre Waterkeyn, it is 102-metres tall, with nine steel spheres connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times.

Also, we visited Brussels Royal Palace. It is similar to Buckingham Palace in London but of course not as grand as Buckingham Palace. We were able to look into the interior design of each room/hall for different purposes.

Then we reached Brussels city centre. We first walked to Mannikin Pis. It is a small bronze fountain sculpture depicting a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. It was designed by Jerome Duquesnoy and put in place in 1618 or 1619. There are several legends behind this statue, but the most famous is the one about Duke Godfrey III of Leuven. In 1142, the troops of this two-year-old lord were battling against the troops of the Berthouts, the lords of Grimbergen. The troops put the infant lord in a basket and hung the basket in a tree to encourage them. From there, the boy urinated on the troops of the Berthouts, who eventually lost in the battle.

We also heard that Belgium is famous for its waffle. We saw a crowd of people standing in front of the counter waiting to make their order. Below shows the three types of favours:

Of course, we did not miss the Godiva Chocolate... They are expensive but we were happy to have an opportunity to taste a small piece of chocolate for free. We also buy a cup of chocolate. Oh my god, that was the best hot chocolate I have ever tasted. They put a piece of chocolate and blended together with the hot chocolate. It was so chocolaty.

Europe Trip Country 1: Netherland

12/13 Sept 2009 Netherland

Today was the first day of our 14-day Europe trip. The first stop would be Netherland. Here, we were going to visit Amsterdam including a glass domed canal cruise seeing Amsterdam, wooden clog and cheese farm, Gassan Diamond Factory, Red Light District and Dam Square.

Glass Domed Canal Cruise Seeing Amsterdam

This was a cruise along the widest river in Netherland. There was audio description telling you some attraction at both sides of the river. One unique thing we saw was the houses' design, which was usually tall and skinny, with a small door and big windows.

This is due to the fact that in older days, their government charged door taxes based on the door size. So the people make their house with small doors, just enough for a regular person to get through to save their taxes. Also, since land is expensive, they build their houses taller and skinny.


You must be surprised how the furniture get in with such a small door. Well, there is a hook on the top used to transport their large furniture from ground to the upper floor through their big window.

Below are some pictures captured during the cruise:

Pic: Build their home on a boat

Gassan Diamond Factory

Right after the boat ride, we were in front of Gassan Diamond Factory. Finally, we had the chance to look at real diamonds. The lady in the office showed us different grades of diamond, with different size, cutting, and color.

pic: some of the items sold in Gassan:

Red Light District

It is a neighborhood where businesses connected to the sex industry (sex shope, strip clubs, adult theaters etc.) exist. In some red light districts prostitution may legally take place. The origin of "red light" term is considered to be the red paper lanterns hung outside brothels in ancient China to identify them and attract customers. Cameras are not allowed in this area or your camera will be trashed.


There are shop lots, where the "ladies" are posing inside a glass compartment. Most of them just wear lingeries, some even have glowing undergarments. Right behind them is a bed and a basin for basic washing purposes. Guys look through these "aquariums" and find a girl they like. Then knock on the glass door and negotiate the price with the "lady". When the curtain is pulled, you will know there is something going on inside the glass room. The entire process may just take 30 minutes. I heard that each transaction costs about 50 euro.


Please note, the mission is "making guys to reach their highest excitement". It is up to the "ladies" to decide how to achieve that. Of course, it can be negotiated. But the customers cannot force them. There is an alarm button just beside the bed. The ladies can always press on the button and the corps nearby will rush in ASAP.

Wooden Clog and Cheese Farm

We also went to a wooden clog and cheese farm. One of the staff (could be the boss) can speak little Mandarin and Malays. He is a funny guy and he made his demonstration interesting.
Pic: Cheese

Pic: workplace to make wooden clog

The staff told us that plain wooden clogs are used during gardening, yellow during working and red during dancing.

Kinderdijk

Windmills are originally from Arab. But they are now become one of the landmark in Netherland. Kinderdijk is situated in a polder at the confluence of the Lek and Noord rivers. To drain the polder, a system of 19 windmills was built around 1740. This group of mills is the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands.

The name Kinderdijk is Dutch for "Child's Dike". In 1421 during the Saint Elizabeth flood of 1421, the Grote Hollandse Waard flooded but the Alblasserwaard polder stayed unflooded. It is said the when the terrible storm had subsided, someone went on to the dike between these two areas, to see what could be saved. He saw in the distance a wooden cradle floating. There was no hope that anything would be living in it, but when it approached, movement was seen. When the cradle came near the dike, someone fished the cradle out and saw that in it a baby slept quiet and dry.
Elephant parade

The elephant parade is visiting Amsterdam from September onwards. A hundred full size art elephants swarm the streets of Amsterdam: together, they form a remarkable open-air exhibition, the Elephant Parade, that is dedicated to the Asian elephant. After the successful editions in Rotterdam and Antwerp, the exhibition in Amsterdam will be the largest so far. The aim of this project is to raise attention for the Asian elephant that is threatened with extinction.

Scotland Day 5

9 September 2009

We departed from Isle of Skye back to Glasgow. Along the journey, we stopped by at Eileen Donan Castle. It was built in the early 13th century as a defence against the Vikings. In April 1719, the castle was occupied by Spanish troops. The Spanish troops were defeated a month later. The castle was restored in the years between 1919 and 1932. This restoration included the construction of an arched bridge to give easier access to the castle.

We left the castle in 10 minutes because of the strong wind and rain. We headed to Ben Nevis Distillery, which is a whisky factory. At here, we were able to view the complete process of making whisky. A true Scottish whisky should contain at least 40 % alcohol. We were given a voucher worth 10 pounds and free testing of whisky. It was my first time consuming such a strong drink in my life. I was so happy to see my favorite highland cow just right beside the entrance.




Next, we went to Glenfinnan for its Glenfinnan Viaduct. It was built between 1897 and 1901. Located at the top of Loch Shiel in the West Highlands of Scotland,the viaduct overlooks the Glenfinnan Monument and the waters of Loch Shiel. This viaduct has been used as a location in several films and television series, including Charlotte Gray, Monarch of the Glen, and most famously Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in which a substantial sequence revolves around the Hogwarts Express (the steam train) crossing the viaduct. This is the biggest attraction.

Pic: Behind me was Loch Shiel and Glenfinnan Monument

Pic: Due to heavy fog, the view

Scotland Day 4

8 September 2009

We departed to Isle of Skye from our hotel in Inverness. On the way to Isle of Skye, we stopped by at Loch Ness again to visit Urguhart Castle. It sits beside Loch Ness, between Fort William and Inverness. Though extensively ruined, it was in its day one of the largest strongholds of medieval Scotland, and remains an impressive structure, splendidly situated on a headland overlooking Loch Ness.

It is not known precisely when the castle was built, but records show the existence of a castle on this site from the early 1200s. The area had been granted to the Durward family in 1229, and they were probably the builders of the castle. This castle was then largely destroyed in 1692 by Williamite troops who had been holding the castle against Jacobite forces. The intention was to ensure that the castle could not become a Jacobite stronghold, an intention that was fully achieved as the castle was never repaired and remained as a ruin. It is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.

Next, we headed to Isle of Skye. It is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. At here, we visited The Storr, Lealt Fall, Kilt Rocks and Duntulm Castle.

The Storr is a rocky hill. It took us 45 minutes to walk up to The Sanctuary, the area in front of the cliffs. This has a number of weirdly shaped rock pinnacles, the remains of ancient volcanic plugs. One of the most famous of these is known as The Old Man of Storr.

Pic: The Storr

Pic: The giant rock behind me is The Old Man of Storr

The next stop was The Lealt. It is between the Old Man of Storr and Kilt Rock. The Lealt River rises in the foothills of Hartaval and flows north and east before plunging down two insurmountable drops into the Sound of Raasay. Each drop is about a hundred feet and only a hundred yards apart. From the foot of the lower it is only a few hundred paces to the sea, the last few dozen are a seductively deep channel, swelling with the spent waves from the shore. The water of the river is not clear and yellowish.

Pic: The Lealt River

Pic: Around The Lealt River, the steep cliff

You have to beware in this place. Do not fell because of a wrong step. Walking further towards the steep cliff, you will reach a place like below:



As mentioned, The Lealt is between the Old Man of Storr and Kilt Rock. We have visited The Storr and The Lealt, of course we did not want to miss the chance of visiting the Kilt Rock. Kilt Rock is black basalt columns that form what looks like Pleats in a Kilt on this cliff. This area was a viewing point that was fenced off. You know it's a DANGEROUS area when there is a fence; most cliff areas are not fenced or walled off in Scotland, Ireland or Northern Ireland! We also heard a strange noise that sounded like a boat but we didn't see any and it was almost Spooky.


Last but not least, we made our last stop at Duntulm Castle. Duntulm means "Fort on the green grassy headland" and is also "home of piping". It is supposedly severely Haunted with 3 ghost stories with a horrific history. One being of a a nursemaid that held a baby son out the window to see the ships & accidently dropped him to his death in the sea! As a punishment, the nursemaid was set adrift on the North Atlantic in a small boat. This castle was built in the 14th and 15th centuries and it was badly ruined.