Wednesday 29 October 2008

Luxembourg City

This was an interesting city because it seemed to have many valleys, making bridges necessary to get from one place to another other than to cross rivers. Also, it was like a two-storey city for there were buildings under these bridges where the land is lower.



You'll find two other photos of Luxembourg City here.

Tuesday 28 October 2008

Little Chalet

I can't quite remember if this was in the outskirts Luxembourg or Belgium. All throughout our trip, we either camped in tents or chalets. I remember we had to jam the door with brooms and chairs since the door lock didn't look assuring despite it being locked.

I remember seeing some of the coolest caravans ever in one of the camp sites. They could be extended to make more room and they were beautifully furnished with lovely drapes, couches and television!




Monday 27 October 2008

The St Michael and St Gudula Cathedral, Brussels

lWe saw this gothic-styled church as we were crossing the road on our way back to either the bus or the camp site. It was kinda hard to keep track since we were mostly on the move with the Kelana Convoy tour. Our stay in each city was quite brief since the journey by coach took up some time. We had a full day or two in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland and Paris, France but only a few hours to spare in Amsterdam, Brussels and Luxembourg City.


Sunday 26 October 2008

Manneken Pis, Brussels

The statue of a little boy peeing is a very popular landmark in Belgium and you'll find many souveniers of the statue. While this is a nude statue, it changes its attire from time to time, which could be another reason to its fame. :)

The story that was told to me by our guide was this:
"Another story (told often to tourists) tells of a wealthy merchant who, during a visit to the city with his family, had his beloved young son go missing. The merchant hastily started searching with others all corners of the city, until one member of the search party found the boy happily urinating in a small garden. The merchant, as a gift of gratitude to the locals who helped out during the search, had the fountain built." - wikipedia



Saturday 25 October 2008

Grand Place

I simply love the look of gritty, old buildings and the market centre of Brussels have a whole square full of archaic guild houses. I love the grids on the window and the detailed borders as well as the roof. It goes to show how Europeans appreciate the artwork in their buildings. It gives them a sense of vintage grandeur.


Friday 24 October 2008

The Atomium, Brussels

The Atomium monument is a magnified version of an iron atom. It's been blown up in size 165 billion times!



Wednesday 15 October 2008

National Monument

And, if you're visiting Carlton Hill, you must see this massive piece of Greek-looking architecture. It is built as a memory to those who died during the Napoleonic wars.





Tuesday 14 October 2008

Dugald Stewart Monument

If anyone is to visit Edinburgh, I'd be sure to tell them about Carlton Hill's spectacular views and monuments. Overlooking the city is the Dugald Steward Monument, which sits on Carlton Hill.



Monday 13 October 2008

Flock of Tourists

The number of tourists increases during the summer period of UK while the residents too travel to other nations for holiday-making. The picture below is taken within the grounds of the Edinburgh castle.


Saturday 11 October 2008

The Thistle of Scotland

Not only is the thistle the national flower of Scotland, it is also Scotland's national emblem. It is said to be a symbol of nobility from the ancient Celtic times.

It has earned its recognition when the Vikings were trying to attack Scotland. But, they cried out upon stepping on the flower, thus alerting the Scottish troops.



Friday 10 October 2008

Floral Clock

Situated at the entrance of the garden below the Edinburgh Castle, there lies the huge floral clock which is the only one that I've ever seen in my 28 years of living. 0_o

The garden is just right along the main street of Edinburgh. And, with the towering castle above it, it's really quite something which no one can miss.



Thursday 9 October 2008

Gum Fighters

I was taking my mum and sis around London when they came for my graduation ceremony. And, we had just walked out of the Tower of London and was heading towards the nearest Tube station when we saw this! A van with proper equipment to remove (chewing) gum off any surface!

Monday 6 October 2008

The Giant Causeway

A natural phenomenon called rock crystallization formed the Giant Causeway. The rocks are made up of basalt crystals and are naturally hexagonal.

I came across websites about the place as I was doing some research on places-to-visit for the trip. Back then, we haven't quite finalised our plans on Ireland and Northern Ireland just yet. The more I read about it, the more excited I grew. I even came across sites about an underwater pyramid by the coast of Japan. It's like Atlantis all over again!

But yeah, I was very much fascinated by the Giant Causeway and made sure we got to see it somehow.





The hexagonal rocks stack on top of one another and they form pillars. These were found at the inner part of the trail.

Sunday 5 October 2008

Coast of Northern Ireland

We took on a bus tour arranged by our youth hostel to get to the Giant Causeway, which really was the main highlight of our trip. Before we got there, we stopped by a coastal area which has spectacular views of the cliffs and arches. We had a little adventure of trying to get to a detached "cliff", or maybe it can pass off as an island, by crossing a hanging bridge. This was quite a feat especially with the strong wind blowing.





Saturday 4 October 2008

Flutter To The Boat

I went into a travelling frenzy in the summer of 2004. In June before I graduated from Stratclyde Uni, my housemate and I planned a trip to Belfast and Dublin. We took the National Express from Glasgow to Stranraer, where the bus went on the ferry to get to Belfast.



The view of the coast from the ferry


Just a month before the Ireland trip, I went on a Kelana Convoy 5-country tour with 2 of my juniors. I have yet to find those pictures!

After I graduated, in July, my mum, sis and I went off to Germany and France before I finally headed back to Brunei. These pictures will come in due time, somehow.

Thursday 2 October 2008

Standing Through The Test Of Time

Each time I see an elderly couple, I thought how sweet they both look together. They could be riding the bus together, crossing the roads together or grocery shopping together.



Hyde Park in the year 2004

Wednesday 1 October 2008

Saya telah nampak Anak Bulan! Yay!





Notes:
Manual Focus
25 sec
5.6f
ISO 800

I was still idling away when I saw the view by my balcony. When I got down to it, I didn't realise the moon was slowly going down! I tried taking it handheld but it was extremely blur. I ran to my car to get the tripod Maw Maw lent me.

By the time I had several runs with different settings, the little moon was slowly moving down where the trees are blocking. Thus, this is the best I could manage. :( And, I am sure my sloppy manual focusing was making the blur worse. I guess it was hard to gauge as well because I wasn't wearing my glasses. La la la. Sigh.

Well, it's HARI RAYA again! That means meeting old friends and having loads to eat, yeah!

I watched Mama Mia last night and loved it. Great tracks with lots of drama and love, which makes me want to watch the real musical!

Greens Here and There

I was going around UK quite a bit in the year 2003. In good weather, the blues and greens from the parks are true remedy to good spirits.


Hyde Park in London


Regent Park in London


Greenhouse in Glasgow Green

Cathedral Ruins

During my third year, I joined the Castle Tour for International Students with some of my house mates. The tour included some of the castles in Scotland and we even get to stay in one which has been turned into a hostel. Moreover, it was said to be haunted.

Anyway, this is a ruined cathedral within the Queen's Palace grounds in Edinburgh. It was taken in February 2003. By this time round, I have upgraded from a film camera to one of the simple Canon's Powershot after I dropped my film one at a camping trip in Wales.