Singapore Sojourn

Well this is it. 3 days in Singapore to finish off our big adventure for the year. We arrived in the evening after a full night of flying. With the time change we lost a day, as you do, but after unpacking and venturing out into the warm rain, all we wanted to do was find some dinner and then sleep. We woke the next morning reasonably well rested and decided to get out and stay busy to ward off any jet lag that might show itself and interfere with our adventures.

We jumped on a hop on, hop off bus to get a feel for the place. This turned out to be a great idea and with the one ticket we could do 5 tours over 2 days. We started with the City Tour and saw a lot of the new buildings, attractions & estates. The Merlion, Singapore River, The Singapore Flyer, Pit Lane from the first night Grand Prix race just run the week before. We passed the new Grandstand overlooking the floating sports stadium where the World Cup soccer is soon to be played. Still not sure what happens if the ball is kicked out of bounds and into the river. And of course, a ride down Orchard Rd. Once back at the beginning at Suntec City - an amazing five building complex, with the Fountain of Wealth in the centre - we took some time out for coffee and then jumped on another bus for the Heritage tour.

As the name suggests this trip took us through all the older parts of the city and we drove through the Colonial Heart of Singapore where most of the lovely old buildings now house Museums and History of the Colonial past. We passed through Clarke Quay, Bugis St, Little India and the Arab Quarter, not forgetting the jewel in Singapore's crown, The Raffles.

After lunch we jumped on the big Rhino bus to Sentosa Island. The trip to Sentosa took us over the bridge where you get a great view of all the new development that has and is still taking place in Singapore. (One huge area of construction is going to be a Casino development - The Integrated Resort, they called it). Once there we made our way to the Butterfly Park and spent some time with the delicate creatures and were also entertained by a colourful bird show. A walk down to see the Merlion and then it was time to catch the bus back to Suntec city. All this made for a great days sightseeing but enough was enough was for one day, it was time to hit the streets. We wandered for a while until caught in a tropical downpour when we decided it was time to call it a day. We had a date that night with some wild animals.

The Night Safari is an excellent way to see the animals. In the Zoo you are lucky if you see them dozing in the sun or hiding behind rocks. Here they become active at night and you get driven past them in a Safari tram. All lights are off with just some gentle flares along the way. We saw most of the animals active during this ride and after sitting in on wildlife show we then were able to wander the many (dark) pathways to see more of the animals close up. A great place to visit when you are there next.

The following day we stayed with the animal theme and went along to see The Jurong Bird park. It was great and we spent most of the day there. We sat in on two shows and while the birds are not fully trained they are very entertaining and do some amazing stunts. The fully enclosed bird aviary with a huge waterfall was one of the highlights of the park. We had a great day.

Once back in the City we jumped on board the Singapore Flyer for a birds eye look at the city. The wheel at 165 metres is 30 metres higher than the London Eye. The breathtaking, panoramic views of the Marina Bay, the island city and beyond is great though the rain & the humidity does make it fuzzier around the edges. A great way to see the whole area though not so historic as London. Just does not have the same WOW factor. Still worth the experience though.

That night we took our last bus ride of the tour from yesterday and jumped on the Red Lantern Tour for a look at the 'Real Singapore', The Red Lantern District and Little India at night. The trip started out in suburban Singapore at one of the Highrise Complexes where we could wander around with the locals. We had dinner in the local markets, yummy, and a look at where the locals lived, shopped, socialised and dined. From there we drove on through Little India, all lit up and decorated for the coming Deepvali Festival. Half an hour later saw us getting off the bus for a walk through the Gayland district. This is the Red Light district covering about 8 blocks. All legal here and supposedly licensed but only in this district. We all got back on the bus just amazed at the sheer numbers of young girls we had seen 'working'. A sight you must see to believe. Orchard Rd shops at night brought us back to a Singapore we all knew much better. At this it was time to call it a night and head home to bed again.

The next morning we donned the 'Glad Rags' and walked to Raffles where we had breakfast. It is just as grand on the inside and the service was impeccable. A real treat. We then spent a couple hours checking out the shops on Orchard Rd before we went back to the Hotel to pack. A delay saw us spend a little longer in the airport than we had planned but if you have to spend time anywhere then Changi Airport is not the worst place you could be stuck.

One more flight and we arrived home safely in the early hours of the next morning finishing off what had been a great 3 weeks. We had had the best time and seen some wonderful places. But it was good to crawl into our own bed again and wonder what tomorrow would bring.

Until next time...........

One last day in London town...

Our taxi ride to Park Lane took us through some London streets we had not seen before. We met Auntie Muriel who had come into London to join us for our last night. We had an excellent dinner at a great little restaurant in Shepherd's Market, a quaint little square just behind our hotel. Lots of eating, drinking and talking about all we had seen and done since we left her on the previous Monday. And we had not been the only ones who had been busy. This was Auntie Muriel's second trip to London in two days.

The next morning we all had breakfast in the hotel and then ventured out to do a final bit of sightseeing. We had a walk down Carnaby St in the district of Soho. We only wandered a few of the streets in the 'Carnaby' area but did find the wonderful Soho mural and the very old Shakespeare's Head pub. We caught a bus a bit further down the road and hopped out once more to have a look at the grand old Burlington Arcade. This was the world's first shopping arcade, opened in 1819 to great acclaim and now recognised as a historic and architectural masterpiece. It was great to window shop but the budget would have had a major blow out if we had tried to shop there. Maybe one day when our numbers come up.

With our checkout time looming we all returned to the hotel and said our farewells to Auntie Muriel. It had been such a wonderful week with her and the family which I will remember always.

Once the luggage was safely stored Bill & I decided that we had time for a quick walk before we needed to get to the airport and so we wandered along the streets until we ended up in the West End. From there we hopped on a bus to take us to the one Landmark neither of us had visited yet. Yes, Buckingham Palace. How could we not have a look. Passing the Royal Mews on the way, we popped in to have a look at the Queen's Gallery, but did not make it past all the tourists in the gift shop. Last time we were there the guards were very still but this time we were in time to see them doing a couple of marches back and forth. Not sure if it was for a reason or just to keep the blood flowing but it did add a bit of interest for the many tourists taking photos. From there we walked through St James Park back to the hotel, collected our luggage and caught an old London cab to Paddington station were we could catch a train direct to Heathrow. This time with no stairs.

A couple of hours at the airport went pretty quick and in no time at all we were up, up & away on route to Singapore with a 2 hour stopover in Dubai. Both legs of the trip were very smooth and in no time at all we were coming in to land for 3 more days of fun & adventure.

As long as we could wake up in the morning.............

City to Sand

Saturday morning dawned and with it our last full day with Faye, Rem & Ethan. We had a great morning with them acting as tour guides as we explored Den Haag and had a look at all the famous landmarks. Den Haag is the third largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam & Rotterdam and is a mix of old & new areas. The old are very impressive and full of history and we saw the Binnenhof - the political centre of the Netherlands, Parlament (Hofvijver), Holland Spoor (Den Haag Station), Mauritshuis (now an art museum). Queen Beatrice chooses to to live and work in The Hague and we saw the Palace as well as a variety of monuments to her many ancestors. And as always, the Oude & the Nieuwe Kerks. Just wandering through the maze of lane ways and streets on our way to see these wonderful sights was a joy in itself. Some of the shops are very old and picturesque. We had a look inside the lovely old Hotel Des Indes, now operating as a boutique hotel.

Visitors to The Hague who want to shop will not be disappointed as there is a huge range of specialty shops and Department stores, all within walking distance from almost everywhere. Otherwise the tram helps you get around easily. The Passage is a beautiful old shopping arcade (much like the Block Arcade here in Melbourne) and it was there that we stopped in a great bookshop for a much needed morning coffee. On our way there we saw a wonderful little old man with a horse drawn Organ Grinder. Right in the middle of the tiniest lane way but having a good morning entertaining the crowds.

Some of the new buildings are lovely too and the Library is a wonderful example of how the old & the new can mix in harmony. The dancing fountains in front will entertain the kids all summer, though not really sure if they'll have the same appeal in the middle of winter. They might become Ice Swords then.

After a quick pitstop at home for lunch we jumped in the car and drove the 20 mins or so to the coast to see the Seaside town of Scheveningen. Even though it was a fairly cold & windy day the town was very busy with many people walking along the boardwalks and the beach. There were quite a few brave souls in the water windsurfing & kite boarding. There was also a great sculpture park with some very strange creatures watching the beach. Another interesting sight here were the open men's toilets along the boardwalk. They were a free standing 3 sided urinal, just placed along the path. Thank goodness there was no-one using them is all I can say.

The Kurhaus, now operating as a hotel, is the most prominent building along the beach and is a very impressive sight from wherever you see it from. We went inside to see the beautiful architecture that dates back to the 18th century. It consisted originally of a concert hall and a hotel. Having suffered serious damage by fire, it was rebuilt between 1886 and 1887. After deteriorating and closing in 1969, the Kurhaus was saved from demolition in 1975 by being listed as a historical building. it was renovated and re-opened by Queen Beatrice in 1979.

Once home again we packed our bags for a morning departure and settled in for our final night of Wine, Cheese & Chinese. It was a wonderful 4 days in The Netherlands and even though we were sad to be leaving so soon there were still adventures to be had.

The next morning we said our farewells to Faye at home and Rem & Ethan saw us safely to the station. Thank you so much for having us and making our time with you so special. Our trip back to Brussels was without dramas this time and 2 1/2 hours later we were back at St Pancras International looking for a taxi to take us to our hotel in Park Lane.

London was calling...........

Amsterdam - we love you!

Our day exploring Amsterdam was great fun. We travelled there from Den Haag by train (no dramas today) and on arrival we jumped straight on to a Canal boat for a tour of the city. Seeing the city from the canals was great and with an informative commentary it helped us once we were back on the ground. Amsterdam is a Grand Old city, much of it dating back to the 12th Century. Quite an effort to imagine the age of some of the buildings, given that we as a nation are so young.

The canals certainly seem to be the most stress free way to get around the city as once on the ground, it is the bikes that rule and there sure are a lot of them. Combine them with fact you have to watch for traffic coming from the opposite direction and it is a miracle that I got home really. Bill had to save me more than once as I looked the wrong way and thought all was clear. Still, I made it and I'm here to tell the story.

We started our walking tour of Amsterdam from the Station and armed with a map from one of the visitor guides we headed off towards the old city. After a couple of blocks we found Chinatown and decided to venture in to have a look. What we found was a little more than the Chinatowns we know and love. We were right in the middle of the district that Amsterdam is famous for. And I'm sure I didn't see a red light in sight. Well, of course once there we had to walk through and even though it was not yet lunch time many windows were occupied with girls to entice people in. Poor Bill got sick of my running commentary pretty soon but just as I thought I had adjusted we'd pass another and my 'did you see that one' started again. Oh well, an education in the seedier side of life you might say. Makes Hay St look like Kindergarten and we didn't even see it at night time when it comes alive. We also passed some of the 'Coffee Shops' that Amsterdam is just as famous for but did not venture in. Time we found some real sights so we just kept on walking.

Following our nose rather than the map saw us wandering along canals with wonderful shops and houses to look at. Of course, we saw more Churches and came across a couple of markets during the day. Some of the landmarks we saw from both on the canals and while exploring on foot were the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum, the Nieuwe Kerk & the Royal Palace in Amsterdam's Dam Square, many of the amazing sights we saw we recognised from the miniature village the day before. It was incredible how real they were.

We followed a couple of walks marked on the map and one of them was a unique shops walk where you used the map to find a number of little shops with an interesting mix of goods. It took you through other parts of the city so just by exploring we found little streets, quaint shops & houses and houseboats on the canals. We also came across the Houseboat museum so we went on board to have a look and were quiet impressed with how life could be on the canals.

Finally walked out once more, we set off through the busy city centre, back to the station for our ride home to make the most of our time with Ethan, there was a racing car set that I had a date with. Did I win, against a 4 year old, not likely. I just might crawl up those damn stairs tonight!!!!

Until tomorrow...........

Canals, Churches & a Tiny Town

The next morning, once the boys had gone to work & school, Faye, Bill & I set off to catch a tram to Delft. Yes, you heard right, a tram. Den Haag has a great tram network and they are a wonderful way to get around, just like Melbourne. I know you have all heard of and seen the Blue & White Delftware and this is the village that it comes from. The little town is beautiful. Canals and Churches make for a very picturesque place. One of the Churches looks decidedly crooked and is in fact just that. Many say it was built that way, others say it is sinking. Whatever the reason it has managed to survive for many centuries so I imagine it will stand for a while longer.

As is usual in a lot of European towns the city square and Church is the main area and that was the case here. A large Church at one end and a Palace at the other make for a pretty impressive sight. It was Market day when we were there and the square was full of market stalls selling all sorts of things. Bill decided that a climb to the top of the Church Spire would be the best way to see the whole square and so climbed the 300 odd steps to get his photo's. Faye & I piked and found a cafe for a quiet coffee while we watched the action in the market.

On the way back to the tram I discovered that the people of this town have to have a real skill to drive and park their cars beside the canals without falling in. No rails or kerbs and they reverse park - I'm in awe.

The sightseeing continued into the afternoon and after we collected Ethan from school we went and visited Madurodam. It is Holland in a nutshell. The miniature city offers you the highlights of the Netherlands on a scale 1:25. All the famous landmarks, canals, docks, locks, airport & the boy with his finger in the dyke are all represented in this amazing park that delights all who see it. Many metres of working train lines, cars on motorways, ferries on canals and planes that taxi along the runways are just some of the many displays that are working models making for an even more entertaining visit.

So once again after a full day it was very weary legs that had to face those stairs at bedtime. Another adventure tomorrow, we are off to Amsterdam.

Until then..............