Paris Adventure

Stayed at the Eiffel Seine, a boutique hotel right at the heart of Paris City, walking distance to the tower itself. Despite the cost, its location was superior although the rooms are a tad small. Got some cough solution for Dear and gladly it worked and soothe her condition slightly.

Immersed ourselves in the romantic charm of the city with all the great architectures and relaxed place of life.


Great way to cover the city would be through the hop-on-hop-off bus for first timers. Really helped us cut the travelling hassle and a quick way to take in all the sights and sounds of the city. Although the chilly air may be a bit too much sometimes at the upper deck :P


At the Arc de Triomphe, two rows of high-end shopping down the road. However we were not that much into the shopping mood. Some Chinese tourists asked us to help up in queuing at the LV store for their bags purchases. Flatly decline them, in a honeymoon here, hello. But it is quite a thing how they are sweeping up the bags even though it still cost thousands of Euros.

Had to catch the Mona Lisa. It was a rather small painting and maybe it is this fact that Leonardo Da Vinci was able to complete it. The rest of his art works were mainly incomplete given his innate curious nature which had him jumping from projects to projects across different disciplines.

The Mona Lisa was well housed in a bullet proof enclosure and visitors need to keep a good distance from it. The painting facing it was however much more stunning. The sheer size of the market scene depiction and the frenzy surrounding the scene can keep you admiring it for a good 20 minutes. Guess it was placed there to keep the crowd occupied if the place if over-packed.


A few work of art that were absolutely captivating in terms of the drama going on and the emotions they stirred. The fury of women well portrayed in the left painting and how your closest could be the very poison that kill you.

The right painting was my favorite and showed the scene of the coronation of Napoleon. He was supposed to be crowned by the highest priest in the land but decided that he is too great and should crown himself.



Louvre Museum's pyramid struture


Food in Paris was good but really quite expensive. Average about 40 Euros for two for each meal and we are not even talking about the 4-5 course meal locals normally have. Tried Escargot for the first time. The herb overpowered the natural taste of the snail, texture was quite similar to shell fish. Not as bad as I thought. Dear had just one and decided to stick to normal dishes.


Traditional pizza with thin crust and very flavorful beef toppings

View from atop the Eiffel Tower. To think Parisian then were protesting against the project thinking it will destroy the essence of the city. A World Expo landmark project which is what people relates to Paris in the first instance. Great human feat considering the technology available then.

Saw a street performer at the Montmartre. Climb up the lamp post and performed good football tricks. A great place for lovers to just chill out with a nice view of the city. Had Japanese sushi with dear at the place.

Read about the tricksters around the area and one take the form of some peddler who will run up to you and tie a red string around your wrist. If they succeed in doing so to you, they will insist on doing a friendship knot for you, at a price of course. So much for "friendship".


Departing Paris with a feeling of old charm and beautiful memories. Wouldn't mind coming back to Paris and explore the rest of France. Less museum the next time and more wine and natural beauty for our next trip.


Click here to enjoy the photo at Paris here

Stop 2: The capital of love, Paris Part 1

Took the EuroStar from London Central to Paris Disneyland. Surrounded by kids on the train but guess that is unavoidable. A family of 5 seated in front of us come with 3 kids including a baby. Luckily they are mostly tame with a few kiddy complaint here and there to mommy and daddy.

Enjoyed the country side view but Dear was trying her best to get some doze off time.

If any of you plan to visit Paris Disneyland in the future and intends to stay in the Disney hotels, do book their EuroStar Disney package online and you will have the luxury of having your bags checked in on the carriage. Booked mine separately and thus have to lug the bags to the hotel, checked in before we get to go to the park.



Our room in the Disney New York Hotel. The theme and decor of the hotel is old New York. Most important is the fact that it is only a 15 minutes walk to the hotel. Dear was still feeling the elements and hence we got dinner in the room. TV time was limited as most of the channels were French with only the children shows coming in dual sound.



This was definitely a different experience from the HK Disneyland. Besides being larger in park size and attractions, the park just have the extra magical feeling. Dear particularly enjoyed the live shows which featured new Disney Pixar characters from Monster Inc, Ratatouille. Mentioned that she was touched by the atmosphere and even shed some tears. Maybe it is like most child who relish the Disneyland experience.



Next up to the second park, Disney Movie Magic. Got to see how the Disney characters come to live including the work behind the character development. Lotsa work behind that including deciding on the side-kicks for the heroes.



Loved this part where we were guided on how to draw one of the character, Mu-shu, Mu-Lan side-kick. Dear in action above. Mine was not too bad either. A great souvenir to preserve our lovely Disney experience.



A beautiful lake in front of our hotel. Comes with a outdoor ice-rink too. Too bad both of us do not skate. The hotel provide a night bus tour of Paris Central as well and we caught it the last night to get a glimpse of its beauty before we head over for the next 3 days.



Will be posting about Paris-Part2. Meanwhile, please enjoy the photos here.

London 2010

Our long-awaited honeymoon, 6 months after our wedding in March. Close to 3 months of planning and we begin our adventure in Europe. London was the first stop out of five, with Paris, Barcelona, Rome and Venice to come. 14 hours flight direct from Singapore to London was a new experience for Dear whose previous longest flight experience was 8hrs to China.


The day of our arrival, the pope was in London to address his faithful. A big celebration at Hyde Park where thousands gathered to meet and greet him. We were however too tired after the long flight to join the big crowd and chose to catch the event on TV. :P


To start the European tour, museums are must visit points where we will be immerse in rich history and art. Our first museum was the London Museum where mummies, roman art in various forms as well as medieval English history come alive.

Dear was very intrigued by the statue of the Egypt man-eater. Head of a woman and body of a beast. Really scary and could be a reminder to all men that the wrath of a woman must not be underestimated.

The museum was huge and we sort of completed 3/4 of it. Headed to Trafalgar Square, a must visit if you are in London.


Wanted to catch the changing of guards but our travelling schedule did not permit us to do so. Just when we wanted to just take a glimpse of the Buckingham Palace, a surprise landed on our lap. Buckingham Palace was open to public to view its internal halls as well as its garden.


Coincidentally, I caught a documentary of the Buckingham Palace under a programme covering the Queen work and life before the trip. This was the chance for dear and I to see the awe and glimmer of the palace along with a special exhibition of the royal family photos and dress code for all the important events. Definitely an eye-opener and we even get to have tea like the royalty in the royal garden.

A mystical tree with bright red leaves in the middle of the garden, leans itself to the beauty of the landscape.



Last stop for London was the London Eye where we can see the Thames River in its full glory. Dear was not feeling well and may have caught a cold and had a very dry throat. The cold weather may have gotta to her. Still managed to catch the view before sunset.

The Big Ben was not as big as imagined. Kinda disappointed. Looking forward to Paris where the city of romance and the magnificent Eiffel Tower awaits us.



Grab a great breakfast at the train station before our Eurorail ride to Paris Disneyland. Cute that the coffee was actually served in a bowl. The brown pastry above tasted like Huat Kuey. Haha.

London, comfortable first stop for us due to the language and maybe the linkage to Singapore in the colonial days. Smooth start to the trip and off to Paris we go next.

For more photos, Click here