Exchange Programs

Amelie told us about her plan of visiting Singapore next year with her daughter (Cilaé) & it got me all so excited as finally after almost 15 years, we're gonna meet again!!! Then she brought up her ideas - 1) an exchange program for her daughter with a Singaporean family 2) home exchange for holidays. 

Project No.1 - Exchange Program for the Kids

The first I had in mind was sis. And as expected, sis was keen.  Both of them are of similar age too.. 12 & 14... But the girls' school holidays are in totally different timing, so I suggested that Cilaé comes over during her holidays & perhaps spend about 10 days with sis & Rachel (my niece). Then when Rachel has hers, she'll go over to Amelie's. Both Amelie & sis thought it's a pretty good idea but would have to discuss in details about how they spend time together while one of them is attending school. Perhaps enrol the other girl who's not schooling in a short term English / French class?  Amelie has even come up with the preliminary program - a few days at the countryside and a few on the mountain besides spending a few days in Paris.  We think it's really educational yet fun to learn about another country's language/culture & to make new friends. 

Project No.2 - Home Exchange

Hubby & I find Amelie's idea of home exchange interesting but as it's not common here, it might be difficult to make it happen.  If Amelie & Cilaé were to visit, we would definitely have them stay with us for a few days.  Then we thought if she could bring forward her trip to this year end to coincide with our anniversary trip, we could consider exchanging home with her??  But we both think the chance isn't high.

Whatever it is, I'm so happy that I'll be seeing her again... even though if it's next year.  Can't wait!

France

Just dug up my pix to show some friends as we talked about France. Besides Paris & Lyon, had also visited part of the Normandy region (Northern France) - Honfleur & Étretat.

Honfleur - a charming lil town, also known as "City of Painters". Fell in love with this beautiful place. It felt nostalgic just by walking on the slated & slopy ground & exploring the traditional houses & shops.

Étretat - magnificent! The cliff is well-known for its natural arch. Went there during winter & it's freezing cold because of the sea breeze. Spent some time climbing a bit of the cliff (really a bit only), strolling & having some fun on the beach.

Here’re some pix I took during the 2 trips:

There’re also some interesting recollections along with the photos.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Remembering my 1st trip to France was during winter, I first went to the port for training and was totally not used to the climate. As we're located at the edge facing the English channel without any blockage, the wind was unthinkable. The weather was said to be one of the worst in last 10 years. Once, I was calling home at a telephone booth (I didn’t have auto-roam service as it’s cheaper to use phonecards then) when it started to rain. I had to brave the rain + the extremely strong wind to run back to the hotel. Everything was flying in the air then.. the dustbins (big ones, half of my height) were being swept away too. You can't imagine how insecured I felt then. And there's hail on one of the nights.

Every morning my French colleague, FA, would pick me up at the hotel & go to the office together. One of the mornings she wasn't free to do so. I didn't mind at all as I could enjoy a nice morning walk… it's actually not that far.. 20-25 minutes by foot. But it turned out to be a stormy weather that morning & without any taxi to hire, I had to walk to the office in the rain... using umbrella was totally out of the question because of the strong wind. With no doubts, I was thoroughly drenched when I arrived at the office. I knew nobody at the 300+ (I think) office. Suddenly I missed home so much & while everyone was having their lunch, I hid in my colleague's room & cried. Have no idea how long it had been & without me realising it, a dude appeared at the doorway & asked whether I was alright. To me, that’s the 1st time I met him who’s a management trainee from another department but he had actually taken notice of me the day I arrived when I was introduced to many people. His compliment on me: A pretty Asian lady (though I don’t think I looked good then. Perhaps I was the 1st Asian girl he saw, that’s why). He somehow succeeded in distracting me from my homesickness when we started chatting. So he, Mic, became my FIRST friend in France (not even FA as she's known to be an extremely cold person & most of them including Mic disliked her). From then on, he would keep me company for lunches & dinners when I was alone and it came to a point that he’s officially recognised by the Director as my caretaker, haha. Over the weekend, he drove me to Honfleur & Étretat, caught a movie & shopped around too. He indeed made the otherwise stressful stay an enjoyable one.

The day when I had to leave for Paris, he took an hour off work to send me to the station & helped me settle my luggage on the train. At that moment, I realized that I’d unknowing become reliant on him. I supposed to feel happy that the training was finally over & I was heading to a 5-day vacation on my own. But I felt the opposite then. Anyhow I arrived in Paris after a 2-hour train ride & my late boss’ children, Amélie & Réne, brought me to the hotel. They left me to do whatever I wished to before meeting up again at Amélie’s place for dinner. Suddenly I was all by myself & I missed Mic terribly. By the way, I’m proud to say that I found my own way to Amélie’s without any tips from anyone on my 1st evening in Paris. Though it’s a lil scary as the quiet streets were poorly lit & I was struggling with the direction, at the same time, trying to watch out for robbers.

The whole of next day, I tried to walk around. When I returned in the evening, I got a message from the receptionist. It’s from Mic! I couldn’t believe it as I didn’t give him my contact details in Paris (I didn’t know it myself as the accommodation was arranged by Amélie). I ran to call him & he told me that he’d be taking the night train to meet me in Paris the following evening after work so we could spend the weekend together! Like a fairytale ya? I asked him how did he get to locate me & he said after I left, he realized he missed me very much, so he mustered all his courage to get the tel no. of Amélie from FA. He then called Amélie & explained himself in order to get the hotel no. Voilà… The next day when I talked to Amélie, she teased me & said Mic was such a sweet guy. In the evening, I waited for him at the train station & we’re so happy to see each other again. Very drama right? He rented a room in the same hotel & we spent the next 2 days touring Paris. However dreamy it was, we still had to part… it’s only a real short stint for us. Or should I say, he’s my French boyfriend of 2 weeks? He’s super nice & respectful towards me. But I seriously doubt the relationship would be fruitful even if I didn’t leave France as I was more like emotionally dependent on him in a total foreign land & he towards me, I guess it’s just an infatuation? The irony was... those 2 days in Paris had made us realise that we're of different world, in terms of communication & expectations. I'm sure if he'd known that earlier, he'd not have made the trip down to Paris. We didn't talk about it but we're (I believe he thought likewise too) somehow relieved that we had only 2 days before any conflict surfaced. At least there're only good memories now. Romantic Paris... the encounter I had had indeed lived up to its name.

2nd trip to France.. also during winter. Again, I stayed in Paris for 5D4N after work. But this time round, was all on my own as I had lost touch with Amélie & Réne. Like said previously, on the 1st day in Paris I was busy looking for alternative hotel & completely stressed out. When I finally settled my accommodation, I sat in front of Jardin des Tulieres.. was engrossed in studying the map & planning my route. Was so exhausted that I couldn’t bother much about etiquette… ungracefully sitting on a parapet - hunching back, swinging legs… my head bowed so low that I was sure my hair had successfully acted as a curtain for my face. Just when I was enjoying solitude amidst many other resting visitors around & continuous passers-by which were like just 2 meters away from me, I sensed from the corner of my eye that someone was nearing me. I hoped so hard that he/she wasn’t approaching me… as you can see I was totally not in a mood nor right form to befriend anyone. But yes, I heard a man’s voice & he’s speaking in French. I pretended I didn’t hear him without lifting an inch of my head. He didn’t give up just like that.. he came closer & asked me in French “How are you?”. Not given a choice, I looked at him & breathed out a reluctant “huh?”. This time, he used English & asked whether I needed help. I replied “NO.” & wanted to go back to my map. But he wasn’t deterred by my reaction & asked me where I came from & what I was doing in Paris. I relinquished & we slowly got into a chat. He’s a Tunisian who looked exactly like a Caucasian (slim & tall, with a pair of deep set grey eyes) but had a Malay name – Mohamed. We exchanged a fair bit of info on our own countries. When he knew I intended to take a walk, he offered to be the tour guide. To some extent I didn’t mind making a friend there but of course I was being very wary. So thanks to him, I had a lil narrative stroll to the places of interest along River Seine. He even walked me back to the main entrance of the hotel. As it’s his off-day the following day (e said he’s a chef), he asked to meet me at noon.

Early next morning I moved to the new hotel that was only less than a 5-min walk. After settling down, I rushed out to look for an adaptor as I needed to charge my dying mobile phone (been using colleague’s adaptor during the days of training & in Lyon). After getting my adaptor I took the chance to shop around. While waiting to cross at one of the junctions, a tall guy suddenly stopped next to me & spoke to me in French. I didn’t get what he said, so he asked in English “what’s the name of this street?”. I looked at him bluntly & pointed to the street name board nailed on a building wall just behind us. What a lame question right?? Then he asked me where I was from. I didn’t bother to answer him & ran across the street.. right into Zara. And he followed! He tried to get near me but I moved into the crowd & made sure I was surrounded by ladies. He got the cue & left the boutique shortly. That’s why I say a poor pick-up line makes a real bad impression ya? Haha.. nah.. just that I wasn’t free to befriend anyone or everyone who comes up to me. And it didn’t stop here, later you’ll know.

I bought lunch back to hotel as I needed to charge my phone and was ready to be out again after an hour or so. Didn’t think too much of the arrangement with Mohamed.. afterall we hardly knew each other & I didn’t get his contact no. (& no intention to do so). But to my surprise, he’s really waiting for me downstairs. We then visited another part of Paris for the whole day & had dinner. Again, he sent me back to the doorstep of the hotel. He’s working the next day & asked to meet for dinner. He would again wait for me in front of yet another hotel I would be moving to the next morning.

Early next morning, with the help of my dear friend Bernard I left the 2nd hotel. After checking in, I went to Bernard’s place which was located at the countryside for a delicious French lunch prepared by his beautiful wife. Thereafter I stayed behind for a chat & only left for the train station in the late afternoon. The train ride back to the city took an hour & I was already late in meeting Mohamed. The station wasn’t too far from my hotel.. I thought it’s about 20 mins’ walk.. however I got so lost that I had to refer to my map again & again. Just when I was studying the map at a junction, a guy on a scooter stopped in front of me & asked whether I need help (yes, same pick-up line as Mohamed). I told him “No” & turned away. But after a few seconds, I gave up & approached him for help with embarrassment. He showed me the way & I hurried off after thanking him. But after only a few steps, I was still very unsure & tried to figure out at the 2nd junction. Just then, I saw his scooter pulled up in front of me again & pointed to where I should go.. I waved at him in appreciation & headed towards the direction he indicated. Again, upon approaching the next junction I wasn’t sure which route to take as there’re simply too many small lanes without road name! And for the 3rd time, the nice guy appeared in front of me again. Ha! After giving me very precise instructions to reach the hotel, he introduced himself as Gilles & asked for mine. He said he wished to ask me out later. Not again. Though he’s real helpful & a very cute guy, nope… I wasn’t free. I felt bad in rejecting him so I gave the hotel’s no. & asked him to call me an hour later when I knew I would be out the whole night. The interesting part was I couldn’t figure out how he managed to meet me at every junction? Illustrated below:

When I finally arrived at the hotel, I saw Mohamed waiting for me across the road & by then I was already more than an hour late. He said he had since been waiting there & was relieved to see me as he’s getting more & more unsure whether I had played a trick on him by giving the wrong hotel.

The next evening which was also my last day in Paris, I met him at the same place. As usual we met in the evening after his work & he brought me to a new place for dinner & then walked around. (like the past nights). also caught a movie in one of the nights. When he sent me back, he told me he couldn’t bear to part with me & wished to linger awhile more. I had to remind him that we knew I was just a visitor & thanked him for spending so much time with me & gave him a goodbye hug. He got a lil upset & asked why didn’t I ask for his phone no. I told him it’s not necessary & turned to enter the hotel. When I was about to take the lift, he’s still standing there, looking at me. I knew I had to leave him there & then. I did start to develop some good feelings for him but I gotta be realistic. Hmm.. in this particular scenerio I think I acted like a man instead huh. I was glad I had someone to accompany me when I was all alone in Paris though.

Interesting Paris indeed. Being approached by a guy a day for 3 consecutive days.

But no matter how fun the encounters were, they couldn’t beat the joy & happiness I enjoyed with hubby when we visited Paris for our honeymoon last year. It’s just so different.

Culture shock?

Yesterday boss was saying the Korean rep would be going to the Port for training next Feb. Somehow I sense that he might want to pull me into the picture too. But I DON'T WANT TO GOOOOOOO! (1) Highly possible that the dates will clash with our CNY trip (2) It's usually a very tiring trip -> continuous sessions of training, meetings & discussions. Like the previous time, every single lunch & dinner was planned in the itinerary too & this went on for the whole week. I hate it! No time for a breather at all... there’s only enough time for us to rush back to the hotel for a shower & even for that it's considered a luxury that we didn't get to enjoy every evening. They might think it’s the result of excellent organisation & we'd to be well taken care of. But I yearned for a lil bit of time by ourselves.. to walk around, to have a relaxing dinner without having to entertain. Especially their dinners are known to be lengthy.. & unlike most of the Singaporeans who are flexible with our eating time – when we’re hungry we eat or when we’ve something on later we’ll eat earlier, they’re fixed with their dinner time. No matter wat, no earlier than 8pm. And the home dinners are the most impressive... could stretch to as early as midnight. First, they’ll start with a few aperitifs & some bites over small chats, after an hour or so proceed on to the dining table & the host would normally do the 1st round of serving. Subsequently the plates (of food) would be slowly passed from 1 pax to another... seems like they’re never in a rush. After the appetizers & main courses, they’d go for a round of cheese. Then dessert time. Then 3 hours later, at last we get to hear “coffee? tea? Anyone?”.

Back then, the 3 of us (1 from Shanghai, 1 from Japan & self) were not used to this part of the culture at all & were grumbling to 1 another. We nearly dozed off during some of work sessions, think those were too boring to keep us awake.. hehe...

So, I DON'T WANT TO GOOOOOO !!!

Jetlag?

Everybody has been asking whether we've jet lag? Answer: nope. No, not for my previous trips too. Reason is we can sleep anytime. Believe it or not... even on a short flight of 50mins to KL, I can ZzZ! Hehe... good thing's I've found a husband who loves sleeping as well. In fact his zzz power is of a much higher level than me! But if you consider feeling sleepy & lethargic during the day as 1, then we're having jet lag every single day! Ha!

Or maybe there's a lil bit that can be considered as part of jetlag - our bowel system. Both of us experienced the same change for the 1st week back in Spore... in the afternoon around 3pm whereas we have the habit of settling it in the morning.

Updates!

Wew! Finally completed our long Honeymoon story! It's become a rather constipated situation as all the concentration was placed on our honeymoon for the past weeks...

Will relate bit by bit what's happening lately... nothing serious or drastic though.

Our Honeymoon en France ~la fin~

Some interesting figures to start with: we've calculated.. on an average we walked a minimum of 7.5 hrs every day... highest in the record was 9.5 hrs on the 1st & last day in Paris!

Before we decided on this trip, my boss said it could be a good time to go as the weather was still cooling & it's long daylight. I didn't really believe him when he said the sun would only set at about 11pm during summer. Furthermore it's still spring time if we were to make our trip. Also asked him whether the shops & department stores would close later in that case & he said nope... "then what's the use? there's still nothing much to do at night wat..." I rebutted.

However when we're there, we gotta agree with my boss. Just don't know why we didn't feel tired easily. It's interesting huh. And Vince's colleagues asked why most fotos taken in day time 1?? So Vince explained to them again & said for the last night, we deliberately made ourselves stay out till past 11pm in order to have some night scene. Now they finally understand what we meant by having 15 hrs of daylight in a day.

And the weather was very inconsistent. The temperature could range from 10 over deg. to slightly over 20. The day we went Versailles was the coldest & we loved it!

My jie-mei asked me... I'd been to Paris twice already, still fun meh? Of coz!! It's totally different from the 1st 2 times when I'd just walked for the sake of walking & wasn't too interested in the monuments as no loved 1 to appreciate the great things & beautiful views with me. And I was so home-sick! This time round, I'd enjoyed many many things for the very 1st time.

Conclusion is..... it's an extremely fun & romantic honeymoon... just like what we'd dreamt about. Very often (even till our last day there) we just couldn't believe that we're walking on the streets of Paris, shopping @ l'Avenue des Champs Elysées, admiring the beauty of Vieux Lyon....... I mean, it's less than a week from deciding to getting everything ready. Though had been telling myself that the next time I go back to Paris would be with my loved 1, I never dared to think about it as seemed like it's never the right timing (1st was $$, housing issues, then it's because of my dad, getting the car & Tubby.... etc).

I'm so thankful to God for making my wish fulfilled at the least expected time.

Our Honeymoon en France ~last day~

Despite having packed most of the stuff on the previous night, we're still busy dumping things into our luggage the next morning. I gotta confess... it's me. There're so many things I had to use in the morning (for shower/skincare), was so fickle in deciding what to wear & messing up some of the clothes that were already in the luggage. Hubby had been doing most of the packing since the night before & was busy clearing the mess till the last minute without complaint. PS huh lao gong! Hehe... Now you know why I'm always very late to the airport when I travel alone?? But I'm sure you already know me long ago right...?

Had to check out @ 12pm & we only planned to leave for airport at 3pm (our flight was 6.50pm). After depositing our luggage at the hotel, we took a walk in the vicinity for the last time... enjoying the cool weather, the environment, the beautiful buildings... Then stopped at one of the more happening restaurants to lunch before heading back.

As usual, we took the métro to Charles de Gaulle Airport. Spent a lil more time in finding the right platform & also for the connecting train @ the interchange. Thank God we weren't too lost. The métro connectivity, while very developed, is well-known for being very complex & we'd braved it throughout our stay in France without problem. So you can imagine how complicated it was to go to the airport!?

We're very early at the boarding mall, like 2 hrs before ETD, as our check-in only took less than 5 mins. Without much better things to do (no DFS at all!!), we're stuck in our seats reading the only newspapers we could grab - Asian Wall Street Journal for me & Herald Tribune for hubby. Hey, don't be so surprised... I used to read AWSJ 1 ok....

Nearly dozed off while reading the papers & as if it's not bad enough, the boarding time was delayed for half an hour. Finally got on the plane but it didn't take off till exactly 2 hours later than the scheduled time! Our butts started to cramp even before the 12-hr+ flight journey began!! But the most intolerable part was the din!!

However we still gotta thank God because we didn't have a connecting flight to rush. All in all it's late for more than 2.5hours. There were quite a few passengers making arrangements for the next connecting flight as I think they'd missed the last 1. It's great that we returned in good health though we're a lil tired & disoriented.

And we only took a few pictures on the last day.

Our Honeymoon en France ~Day7~

Started the day by getting more chocolates & sweets to bring home. Had tested the chocs (it's really not an excuse for eating! hee!) & they're very nice. So thought of bringing more back as I was sure it'd not be enough when we're back. And remember the Ferrero Raffaello Coconut, the coconut version of rocher with an almond in the middle, that used to be sold in Singapore? Both of us love that but disappointingly we can no longer find it in Singapore. Found in France & we bought 4 boxes back (think contains 30+ pieces in ea box)!! Hee!

It's already past noon after we brought the food stuff back to the hotel & out again. Went shopping at Boulevard Haussmann & bought a few more tops & a bermudas for Vince. Our ultimate aim that day was to stay out late so we could finally take some night pix of Notre Dame & Eiffel Tower. Therefore we walked towards Ile de la Cité by taking another route from the previous day's. Spent some time at Forum des Halles which is a big park... it used to be a central wholesale marketplace some 800 years ago. Next to it was the 2nd biggest church in Paris - St Eustache Church. Very nice... with a mixture of Gothic & Renaissance designs but it's undergoing major repair works.

Made a few rounds at the 2 streets of restaurants near Les Halles. Vince's dear wife wanted to have chicken that evening but we concluded that Parisians so love the chicken that they eat only beef! In the end settled for fast food again & right after our dinner, we passed by this restaurant that served chicken in various styles of cooking!! Why it's always like this!!! Then had dessert at 1 of the restaurants facing the Seine river. Had my 1st tarte aux pomme (apple tart) on this trip but it's a shame that I didn't get to eat my fav - tarte tartin at all.....

Then very slowly we walked to Notre Dame & it's just the right timing when we reached. Beautiful Notre Dame...

Thereafter, we had a stroll along the River Seine to the other end where Eiffel was. It's the easiest & most convenience way by foot.

It's almost completely dark by the time we reached Eiffel Tower... ie. it's nearly 10.30pm Paris time. The brightly-lit Eiffel looked truly glamorous!

Finished our last shot close to 11pm & made our way back. Was feeling a lil sad that it's gonna be our last night & 5th day in Paris. Well... happy hours always pass you by swiftly!

Our Honeymoon en France ~Day6~

Wanted more ZzzZ that morning & thus woke up later than usual. Left the hotel past noon & it's a raining day. We had a stroll to Rue de Rivoli again to get some more souvenirs. Then conveniently walked through Le Louvre to Pont des Arts (bridge of arts), the 1st iron bridge in Paris. They're setting up a gallery there but we didn't stay too long as it's raining pretty heavily.

From there we walked to Ile de la Cité, a small island uniquely situated in River Seine, where the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris is. It's fun walking in the rain... gotta enjoy while we could! Reached Notre Dame about 45mins later. The more than 700-year old Gothic church looked really gorgeous! Went in & we're simply in awe of the beautiful interior. And it's so crowded. When we came out after the tour, we realised it's raining heavily again. No wonder there're so many people inside... to take shelter huh.

Unable to take much pictures..... but the rain didn't deter us from proceeding on & we decided to take an extended route to Eiffel Tower. Think we must have walked for more than 6km (!!)... covering Montparnasse area, passing by Hôtel des Invalides, Ecole Militaire (Military School) etc... It stopped raining by then & the weather's great. Were admiring some houses when we're close to Eiffel Tower & thought - how would these residents feel.. being able to face the great view everyday? would they be so used to it that they don't find it special anymore?

Finally we reached the big park in front of Eiffel - Parc du Champ de Mars. It's quite a long walk & we got to see the Eiffel Tower gradually getting bigger in front of us. WOW... couldn't believe we're standing right before the lofty La Tour Eiffel! Truly magnificent!!! It's said to be the best monument that symbolises Europe (not only France)......

Took quite a few pix but not very well taken as we'd forgotten to take our stand out. & there's no way we could wait for the night scene because it's only 7.30pm & far from getting dark! Felt real exhausted by then & had to take the métro back.

Know why we're so drained? Tis the route we travelled by foot for 6 hours on our 4th day in Paris.

Our Honeymoon en France ~Day5~

Left hotel at noon & we're going to Versailles by train. There's a direct train from Gare St Lazare so it's very convenient. But the problem was the signages made it quite confusing & we nearly took the wrong train.

Château de Versailles, or the Castle of Versailles, is located in the suburb... Southwest of Paris. Took about half an hour by train to reach the town of Versailles. The château is just within walking distance.

Felt the coldness once stepped outta train station & very soon, it started drizzling accompanied with very strong wind. When we saw the dark cloudy sky ahead, were a lil hesitant but decided to go ahead since we're already there. Glad we didn't make a U-turn.

While wandering in the château, we couldn't help but to think how such a massive piece of land with very impressive buildings was developed & looked like with the kings & queens living in more than 300 years ago. It could also house 20,000 courtiers at a time! Believe it!? It just made us feel so small... as if the boundaries were limitless. Ended our tour there when we're near to freezing, so cold that we couldn't walk normally. To think that at the end of our visit, we only covered less than 5% of the total land size which is about 815 hectares in total !

From Versailles, we took the train to Montmartre, back to the city of Paris. Visited another remarkable monument at the top of Montmartre hill - Basilique du Sacré-Coeur. There's this charming lil village behind the church, with many restaurants/bistros/pubs & painters.. a very arty place...

Walked down the Montmartre hill & the sloping lanes to reach the Montmartre area on ground. As usual, we intended to walk back to the hotel & took a stroll on the main road. There're many sex shops & peep-show bars on both sides, only then we knew it's a red light district. And before we even realised it, we're in front of Moulin Rouge! Had been wanting to go there to take a look in one of the evenings but we're always too tired to make a special trip there. So we're really happy to 'bump' into it! It's 7pm then & the sun's still shining brightly... so there's no way we could wait till night time to take some night scenes.

On the way back, went to the supermarket to get mineral water & some snacks. Reached our hotel around 9pm & ended our 3rd day in Paris.

Our Honeymoon en France ~Day4~

We're booked on an 9am train from Lyon back to Paris. Planned to wake up latest @7am... to get prepared & pack up the remaining stuff, then to have our breakfast before checking out. However we got up late & had only 10mins to take our breakfast. Not that the breakfast was too marvellous to miss... again, just to fill up our tummy. Wanted to save some $$ mah...

Eventually left with only 20 minutes to check out, walk to the station & look for the right platform... & there're more than 10 lines at the station! Thank God we made it in time, in fact 10mins earlier. It's soooo cold to be waiting @ the platform!!!

Cute huh?

Arrived @ Gare Saint Lazare @11am & we're a lil lost initially. Good thing it didn't take us too long to finally locate the hotel. It's actually very near to the station but we mistakenly took the opposite direction. Again, had to wait for about an hour before we checked in. Guess no more surprises due to the prior personal 'inspection'.

When we entered the room, we're surprised but this time it's a pleasant 1. Our room was big! Even bigger than some standard hotel rooms in Singapore or Malaysia. And the bathroom was like 3 times of what we previously had... besides a bathtub, there're 2 toilet bowls (1 for doing business & the other for washing)! Everything's in white, so clean & new! Wow... It's very very much better than we've expected. But the next moment, we're thinking... could they have taken our booking wrongly? Because during our visit to the hotel on the 1st day, they quoted us 2 types of rooms: 1 standard room for €145 & the next category, a deluxe @ €190. We definitely didn't want to pay S$390 for a room per night! So to be safe, we reconfirmed with them the type of room we'd originally booked. The hotel staff, who's very helpful & friendly, immediately understood our meaning & confirmed that they'd given us an upgrade. Hee! So happy!!

Went out @ around 1pm. The itinerary of the day was to explore the touristy Rue de Rivoli, 1 of the most famous streets in Paris. Along this extremely long & straight road (approx 2km), one can see several famous monuments & places of interest. It's great for shopping too & 1 of the end is linked to Champs Elysées with Place de la Concorde being the connecting point.

On the way, we passed by La Madeleine again & Place Vendôme. Bought some souvenirs... Rue de Rivoli is also known for having a string of souvenir shops. Took quite a lot of pictures @ Place du Palais Royal & across the road was the very famous Musée du Louvre! Spent a bit of time in Le Louvre & from there we continued on Rue de Rivoli. Then came l'Hôtel de Ville, the City Hall of Paris. Had a great time shopping around too. One of the purchases of the day - this stylish, zipped-up pink sweater...

Guess the price?? Will reveal @ the end of this post.

It's a laid-back afternoon we truly enjoyed. Covered the whole of Rue de Rivoli by foot. And the weather was great... cold, windy & cloudy.

Heading back to hotel by taking another route, exploring the small & interesting lanes. On the way, went to a big supermarket near Opéra Garnier to buy some chocolates & sweets back for colleagues. Reached hotel past 7pm. After a lil rest, went out for dinner @ a Kebab shop just down the street... it started raining then but we're happy that it stopped soon after, just before we were about to return to the hotel. Well.... 6 hours of walking were enough for our second day in Paris.

And yes, about the sweater.... we bought it @ €3.90. Tatz right, S$8, ie. It's so unbelievably cheap right??? At 1st I thought I saw it wrongly. So this definitely was the best best buy for our whole trip!

Our Honeymoon en France ~Day3~

Rise & shine on the 2nd day in Lyon! Had a good night's rest in a comfortable room...
Got all prepared & had breakfast @ the hotel's café. Oyes forgotten to mention it came with complimentary breakfast (can you believe it? €50nett for a good room w breakfast compared to Paris' & w/o breakfast!). But we're quite disappointed with the variety, or no variety. Basically just a selection of bread & jam, a generous serving of ham (which I don't fancy but hubby loved it!), yoghurt, fruits & coffee/tea/juices. We'd 2 servings each & we're done. But it's still better than none & we saved at least S$20 on breakfast!

Left hotel @10am. Wanted to go back to the city centre for some shopping. So far, I hadn't gotten anything for myself while Vince bought a polo-tee in Paris on the 1st day. Also got daddy a very small Eiffel Tower & some postcards for sis on day1.

The weather was great & very cooling. Had a relaxed morning walk to Place de la République. I bought a top but the best buy of the day was the Levi's denim jacket which my honey had persuaded me to get. This particular Levi's store was slashing prices storewide. I thought it's still ex after a 50% discount (€49) but hubby said we couldn't find 1 @ tis price in Singapore.

Just when we're moving on after spending more than 1 hour in Levi's, it started raining. Good thing we'd our jackets with hoods! So convenient... could walk anywhere with our hoods on but it's not a heavy downpour of course! We've no chance to do it here in Singapore but it's so common there.

After the shopping session, had lunch at Mac (during our stay in France, we'd quite a lot of fast food meals as it's cheaper). Then proceeded on to visit the Opera House, Hotel de Ville & Place des Terreaux. Also visited one of the oldest church - Eglise Saint-Nizier. Another beautiful monument with impressive interior.

In the late afternoon we decided to visit the supermarket & then back to the hotel to rest. Reached hotel around 6.30pm & got a message from Florence. I'd totally forgotten about her! She's from the Port & we used to work closely till she's transferred to Lyon 4 years ago. I emailed her the day before we left Singapore but as she's not working then, she only got the email on that very morning (Mon). She tried calling us at the hotel but we're not in. Eventually arranged to meet at her place @ 8.00pm that evening. Thought we could have an early rest.......

Took the métro to her place... it's not very far, 3 stops away. I was feeling glad to be able to see her again after more than 3 years & Vince was excited to visit the 1st French home! Introduced hubby to them & had dinner at her place while catching up on things. And Florence was very impressed that we took the métro by ourselves without seeking any help & getting lost. Hee!

Left their place slightly past 10pm & walked to the station. It's cold & windy!

And here's our 2nd day in Lyon.

Our Honeymoon en France ~Day2~

Woke up early next morning & it felt great to wake up in Paris! Washed up & packed up. Went for a morning walk before checking out. Boy..! It's cold on a Sunday morning @10am! Bought a baguette from a nearby boulangerie... saw many on the street carried 1 or 2 so we decided to join in the fun. Wanted to take it as breakfast as it's much cheaper. Chewed the baguette while carried on exploring until our jaws were so so tired... & we'd only finished half a loaf!

Checked out after the stroll & walked to the train station. It might look strange in Singapore to drag your luggage on the streets but in Paris, every1's doing it.

The TGV train left Gare de Lyon on the dot & it's not packed at all. So we'd the luxury of having 4 seats instead of 2. It took only 2 hrs to reach Lyon's Gare Part-Dieu as it travelled at a speed of approx 320km/hr. Our hotel was just opposite the station so again, it's very convenient. But we're having lotsa doubts... we paid €70 for the 1st nite in Paris & see what kind of room we had. This 1 in Lyon was €50/night...!

Once we stepped out of the station, we felt the warmth & scorching sun that we'd to take off our windbreakers. The weather was so different from Paris!! Checked in & the room turned out to be A-Ok! Air-con? Yes! Was a simple & perfectly clean room, nothing much to ask for... Looked like it'd been undergone a renovation recently. What a relief! Hubby thought it's the best deal room & I couldn't agree more.

Settled the luggage, got changed quickly & off we went, eager to visit the 2nd largest metropolitan area after Paris & 1 of the oldest cities in France. Took the métro to Vieux Lyon, the old quarters of Lyon. We're totally charmed by this part of the city... Most of the buildings there were built during the French Renaissance. Walking through the lanes with rows of Gothic & Renaissance houses on both sides was like walking through a tunnel of time... for a moment, we're somehow connected to the life & prosperity the city underwent during the 16th & 17th centuries. It's truly amazing & indescribable!

Visited the traboules which are narrow passages linking the street directly to the inner courtyards. The interesting part is that there are people living in all these houses. Both touristic & residential area. We found notices everywhere especially in the traboules to remind visitors to respect the privacy of the residents as these places were supposed to be private properties & some traboules actually need to have an entry code. But most of the residents allow visitors to walk freely during the day.

Lyon is well-known for being the gastronomic capital of France & the Michelin 3-star restaurants. Not that we're interested to dine in 1 as we're far from affording it! But truly there're so small cafés & restaurants around that we didn't know which to choose! Sometimes too many choices may not be good especially when we know none of them.

After settling our lunch @ 1 of the restaurants, we continued our walk. Found the entrance to the Fourvière hill which is the beginning of a very loooong flight of stairs. We hesitated for a while before taking up the challenge. Were so short of breath & to make it worse, we couldn't stop laughing at how each other looked & yet we motivated each other to move on. By the time we completed the stairs climb, I saw stars! Before I could fully catch my breath, we're already on another lengthy slope. You may not be able to imagine or see clearly in the pix but from the distance between the ground & la Fourvière, it's not difficult to gage how much we'd hiked!

Perhaps due to the lack of oxygen in our brain, we made a slight detour to our original destination. However, the scenery & the magnificence of it we enjoyed was undoubtedly worth all the efforts.

After the terrace garden @ Fourvière, we adjourned to the very famous cathedral - Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière. Standing at the foot, it looked truly awesome!! No picture can really describe the sight & feeling... looking @ historical monuments like this, we always wonder how could they have built such huge buildings with sophisticated carvings???

We enjoyed the surroundings & took time to walk around. It's quite warm & very windy... we'd hoped it could be cooler.

Then we slowly walked down, back to Vieux Lyon. Also visited Saint Jean Cathedral & we're so impressed by it. From there, we walked to River Saône, then stopped at the city center, Presqu'ille, which is in-between the 2 rivers. Thought we could do some shopping but only realised that the shops weren't opened on Sundays. It's good to be in retail business in France - work till about 7pm on weekdays & Sat, no work on Sun!

So we decided to return to hotel by foot. Passed by River Rhône & we just needed to walk straight all the way. It's like a "ghost-town" everywhere... Wanted to get some mineral water on our way back but no supermart was opened. Suddenly we appreciated our retailers in Singapore.... Eventually managed to grab some basics @ a petrol kiosk near our hotel.

Back at our hotel past 7pm & needed to settle our dinner. Without much choices, we dined in at the hotel's restaurant. A simple dinner with a main course & a drink (beer for hubby & wine for me) each & cost nearly S$80!

And then, rested our tired legs early on our 1st day in Lyon!

Our Honeymoon en France ~Day1~

Friday evening left office on the dot & hubby already waiting downstairs. Everything went as per planned - had dinner, went home, showered, packed the remaining stuff into luggage & then off to the airport. Took only 5 mins to check in so we were well on time! And the plane left on the dot. Well! It's a very good start indeed!

Not used to the inflight services especially in terms of entertainment & food. No personal TV! But the 12-hour turbulence-free journey was a good compensation. The returning flight was worse... their inflight audio system broke down. Not only did all the passengers cramp in our seats for exactly 2 hrs, we had to endure the loud irritating noise (sounded like when we're tuning the radio) throughout the 120-min repair process!! The speaker was just above us so can you imagine it??? And no audio entertainment at all because our control panels weren't working!!! I was like watching mimes while hubby enjoyed himself in the slumberland. What to do? Their airfare's the cheapest. But actually SQ wasn't that ex too.. just top-up a total of $200+ but there's no more seat on our departure date. It's a big pity!! Say whatever you want but am still happiest being a Krisflyer

Arrived @ Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam slightly past 5am which was ahead of the scheduled time. Was feeling a lil lethargic at 1st... all in all zZz for about 5 hrs while my honey was snoooozing next to me most of the time onboard except makan time....! But the thought of reaching our destination in no time just enlivened me! Went through the immigration checks & waited for about half an hr more before boarding the connecting flight which took about 50 minutes to reach Paris.

While waiting for the next flight @ Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport

Touched down @ Charles de Gaulle Airport & expected to join another looong Q @ the immigration counters. But surprisingly the signage led us straight to the luggage conveyor belt & the exit was just next to it. Only then I remembered just one immigration check is needed in Europe (how could I've forgotten what I've been telling my clients?! Though mine's ocean-based info, it'd be the same at the customs).

Passed through the exit & we're both so excited to take in the 1st breath of cold air. But then we're not totally sure was it the air-con (we're still indoor) or from the morning Spring breeze, ha! Something happened then which I could only say it's God's wonderful arrangement... Were standing on the long travellator leading to the métro station & I gave way to a lady who came up from behind. Had a glimpse of her when she passed by & suddenly I recognised her as my late boss' wife! It couldn't be more coincidental right!?! I've been thinking about her & the rest of his family often especially because we're going to Paris. The 1st time I went to Paris in 1998 my late boss' children took very good care of me & I lost touch with all of them soon after returning. In 2003 I tried calling them in Paris but to no avail. So we exchanged contact nos but as we didn't expect to meet each other, we couldn't manage to arrange for a meet-up eventually.

We reached our hotel smoothly. The hotel was a 10-min walk from the station for both metro & train - Gare de Lyon. Intentionally chose that area so it's easier for us to catch a train at the same station to Lyon the following day & convenient for us to collect our train tix. We also thought it's a good idea to stay in a different place from the last 4 days. Good thing we weren’t too lost & only took us a short while to locate the hotel with the heavy luggage. However the room would only be ready @12pm, which was exactly an hr later, so we left our luggage at the hotel & went exploring. Enjoyed just walking around. The interesting part was that after walking for about 30mins, we thought we’re quite far from the hotel but before we even decided to make our way back, we realized we’re back at the cross junction next to the hotel!

Finally checked into the hotel and we're not happy at all to see what came in sight. Yes… I did it again… the room was without air-con! Knew Vince was quite taken aback but he tried not to show it to upset me further. The room was clean (phew!) but it’s so small that we could reach from one end to the other with 1 leap if the bed wasn't there! The bathroom was pathetic. The shower cubicle was not only strictly meant for 1 person but it’s best for 1 stationary user, perhaps the best method to use it is to soap ourselves outside then enter the shower cubicle... stand below the shower head & just let the water rinse the soap off our body! The toilet bowl was also fixed at a weird corner, just next to the shower cubicle (forgot to take a pic!). There’s this pillar-like concrete piece next to the bowl which was not perpendicular but slanting towards the bowl. So when I did my business, I had to tilt my head a lil in order not to have my head gana knocked! Same for the basin so I could never stand too close to it. Funny design huh?! Think their other rooms aren’t like that. We had a peep at other rooms & it seemed bigger... or maybe psychologically thought so?? If without air-con can open the window right? Since the weather was cold. But they’re doing part of the exterior & just so happened a scaffold was built right outside our bedroom window. Actually upon checking in we’d requested the receptionist to give us a room which was not in that row where the scaffold was & she gave us right that! Perhaps we shouldn't have even mentioned it. We still kept the window pane ajar throughout the night eventually but didn’t feel comfortable at all. The surround wasn’t bad though… there’s an open-air market less than 10 steps away, quiet, near metro & train station.

After settling our baggage, we just wanted to get out, of course also because we’re so excited to hit the town! However we’d an important task to complete before we could really relax & that’s to find a good hotel for our return stay in Paris after Lyon. We had secured a room in TWO hotels, both very near to St Lazare train station (Gare St Lazare), 1 for all 4 days & the other only last 3 days as no availability on the 1st day. And we could cancel the reservation before 2359 on that day (27/5). After seeing what kind of room we got ourselves, the more we’re convinced to adopt the theory of “seeing = believing + assuring”.

So we started our day’s journey… let’s say the 1-hr walk before checking in was an appetizer. Please be informed that the whole traveling was made by foot except from from the very 1st destination to Gare St Lazre & the very last destination back to the hotel.

First visited the 1 with cheaper room rate. As expected, it’s not very appealing… was better than where we’re staying in terms of size but seemed much older. If given a choice, we’d not stay there. Then while we’re on our way to the 2nd 1 @ Boulevard Haussmann, we chanced upon this hotel that looked very presentable from the outside. Visited their rooms & they’re good due to the recent total revamp. They’re left with only 1 standard room during the period we wanted & the rate was €145… very ex… Visited the 2nd hotel, it’s as good & cheaper by €20. It’s a pity the 1st nite wasn’t available. After much consideration, we chose the €145 1 as didn’t wish to waste time packing/unpacking again & moving around. Then came to the final part when we searched for a internet café to cancel our 2 reservation. Phew! Done & we finally could enjoy our sightseeing!

The weather was great without any rain but not consistent.. in the morning was very cooling, noon time onwards was not cold at all… till later in the afternoon the temperature went down again.

Covered the whole Boulevard Haussmann, then headed for Champs Elysées & we got to visit l’Opéra Garnier, La Madeleine, Place de la Concorde which were all on the way. Not forgetting the Arc de Triomphe @ the end of Champs Elysées! Having lotsa fun just chatting, enjoying the great views of the historical monuments & buildings, the weather, the people…. & simply the thought of holidaying! But everything’s expensive there. Even a Mac meal set exactly the same as in Singapore costs slightly over S$13 (€6.50), so a lunch @ Mac costs S$27 for 2! In the afternoon we bought a sandwich from a boulangerie & paid €4… a takeaway sandwich from a bakery you know… Nothing's cheap. Yes something, beer & wine. REAL cheap!

After Champs Elysées, we started to feel the soreness in our feet. By then we’d already covered an 8-hr tour on foot. Amazing. Perhaps because of the long day light, we were reluctant to call it a day & carried on to River Seine. From there, we’re near to giving up & gotta stop a few times to rest. When we walked, we’re somewhat swaying sideways especially when we crossed the road…. & it’s like Charlie Chaplin!! I’m serious! Reached hotel around 10.15pm & the sun wasn’t completely set yet, like 7pm in Singapore?

Only had the strength to shower & we’re totally knocked out in the bed.

If you are interested, we'd be delighted to invite you to join us in a summarised Paris tour for Day 1.

Finalisation before our trip

Packed up on Wed, 2 days before we left. That's the earliest for me in the record! For all my past trips, I packed only the night before. I would usually prepare a checklist to save time but had no time at all to do it this time. Anyway wouldn't know what clothes to bring till we stood in front of our wardrobes. Been checking on the weather forecast but it sure didn't help much: 11°C but feels like 8°C (WHAT THEY TALKING ABOUT?!?!?! My hubby asked. Hehe... me have no clue either!). Visited other sites & the temperature forecast ranging from 14°C - 19°C. How come so much difference 1?? Nevertheless, 1 part was consistent - Mostly rainy & cloudy. Ok we'd pack at our own risk...

Thursday night, sent Tubby to this guy who's working with Pets' Lovers. He's recommended by his supervisor whom we met during one of the visits to their TPY branch to get some stuff for Tubby-boy. We'd go to her for advice concerning Tubby & she's always so willing to help. Though he charged a lil more than the normal boarding places, his was a better enviromnent as he only had 1 doggie at home with her 3 bbs & they're all caged. And he offered to let Tubby out every night when he's home. Hmmm... seemed like Tubby's getting a better deal than at home huh.

Friday @work... super holiday mood but I was still fussing over our accomodation in Paris. Like said, we'd actually settled all the hotel bookings but on Thurs I happened to read some more reviews about the hotel we've booked for the remaining 4 nights & discovered NO AIR-CON in the room! Oh no... I still ended up with 1 that fell short of my hubby's only requirement! After the long search we're ready to pay a bit higher to stay in a relatively new hotel but even for that it's zero availability during that period. Became a bit panicky as the day was nearly over. Eventually secured a room in 1 of the not-so-appealing hotels & planned to go in search personally upon arrival. Now you see why I was so busy.

Sometimes I can't tahan my own fussiness too but I can't help it. Good thing my hubby can take it so well! Hee! Thanks for being so understanding!

Back!

We're back from our Honeymoon!

Just touched down yesterday around 5.30pm & we're at work now... no choice.. 5 days of annual leave is already a luxury to us. Supposed to be back earlier @ 3.30pm but the flight was delayed for 2 hours @ Amsterdam airport!
Still feeling a lil disoriented but very fulfilling

The week before we flew off was truly bz bz.... too much things on hand. Gotta tie up the loose ends for my last work trip & mission at the same time settle all the necessary for our honeymoon most importantly our accomodation. Wanted to put up another (countdown) post on Fri, the day we left, but only had time to type the title! Anywayz I could afford 2 posts earlier on was already good enough. Didn't have time to share a lil about my nightmarish mission & God's grace.

Brought mum out for a simple dinner once reached home. Then back home after dinner to try upack some stuff esp the essentials & the dirty clothes, changed our bedsheets, cleaned Tubby's place before fetching our Tubby-boy back. Only returned past 11pm. Showered while hubby busy settling Tubby, kept the clean laundry (that mum did for us) & packed souvenirs for our colleagues. Only ZZ @1.30am... YAWNNNN..... Yep it's a lil overwhelming especially after 8 days of enjoyment... hee...

Be back very soon about our dream-like trip & others. Wanted to upload pix today & only realised my honey helped me pack my camera in my bag but not the cable...

2 more days....

Just booked our accomodation yesterday. Late ya? In the 1st place, we only have the intention to go last Wed night & put in action (applied leave & bought tickets) this Mon. Train tickets to Lyon also already settled on Mon. Now mainly concerned about the hotels we've found. Will be staying in 3 different hotels - 1 night on the day of arrival in Paris, 2 nights in Lyon, then back to Paris for 4 nights. When come to accomodation, I'm super meticulous, I admit. This the biggest problem when I travel. I can't stand toilet that's not clean & old... & the bed...

Been looking at few hundreds of small hotels in Paris since Mon. But after the bad experience during my last trip, I no longer have faith in what I see online. My sweet honey is ever so patient with me as he is not fussy at all, especially for guys who have served NS before according to him. His only request - the room must be air-conditioned. My dear hubby freaked out when he came across a review posted by one of the hotel guests talking about air-con wasn't installed in that hotel.

You know how expensive the hotels in Europe. If you're willing to pay Euro180 per night, you only get a 3-star hotel! (@Euro180 x 2.02 = S$363) Of course there are many below Euro100 but those good & cheap are usually already fully booked. And those cheap & are available, you'll start doubting "how come so cheap & supposed to be good (in terms of location & room condition) still got rooms??". There are soooooo many small hotels in Paris, mostly with only 40 over rooms, that's why it's not surprising the availability is slim for the real value for $$ ones.

The last time I went there was in 2003 near end of winter (had my 1-week training in Le Havre & extended on my own to Paris). Weeks before my departure, happily booked a 2-star hotel online after browsing through the description and pictures amidst many others. At that time was already Euro95 so I thought it shouldn't go too wrong. When I arrived, this bellboy helped me with the luggages up to the 3rd level. As there's no lift, I was glad he helped me otherwise I'd have a hard time getting the luggages up without a lift. Then before he even finished putting them down in my room, he stretched out his hands to ask for tips! Anyway about the room... Was very disappointed to see what type of room I got myself - the uneven wooden flooring was covered with a dark blue carpet, the bathroom was still considered clean but very cold because the old windows couldn't be sealed completely, sounds from the flushing system and the footstep noises (wooden flooring)...... But the most interesting was, I could clearly hear workers whistling at the construction site next door! Can you imagine, I paid S$200 for a room like this!? Guess its biggest selling point being situated in the middle of the touristic areas, only about 5 mins walk to the River Seine, Musée du Louvre & etc.

So instead of strolling around & enjoyed being in Paris, I was walking around looking for alternative hotel! After (I can't remember exactly) some hours, I finally found another 1 just a block away. Early next morning, I couldn't wait to pack up & leave the 1st hotel. Dragged (too heavy to carry) my luggages down the stairs by myself & all the way to the other hotel. However after settling down in the room, I just didn't feel comfortable at all! It was no doubt bigger but there's a strong smell I believe mainly from the old carpet and the bathroom was very poorly lit. Think about the bathroom in Singapore in the 60s or 70s... the type of tiles & a big yellow bulb from the ceiling. Ok this time was my fault. I personally visited the hotel the previous day & no problem. Then when my friend in Paris called me, I was desperately seeking for help! Good thing he was able to get me a room @ one of the Holiday Inn hotels and I had to pay approx Euro20 more per night. So the next morning, he sent me to the 3rd hotel on my 3rd day in Paris before having lunch with him & his wife @ their house.

The Holiday Inn room was great, very new & I want to go back for this trip. However I checked the rates & the minimum for a standard double room is Euro179!!!! We're not going to pay so much!

Have eventually booked 1 @ slightly over Euro100/night very close to the Opéra for the last 4 nights in Paris... the 1 in Lyon is much cheaper. Hopefully the rooms will turn out to be ok!

Looking forward to our Honeymoon!!

Dream coming true

We're going for our honeymoon !!

Where?


















When?


















You must be thinking... how come I never mention before 1?? Well... should I say only mid of last week that we decided to have our honeymoon! Though we've been talking about planning a trip since we got married, but no date & destination was fixed.

How it happened?

Was on a flight from KL to Bangkok last Wed. Was so so stressed out... it's the worst mission I've ever done for the past years! Read an article about Paris in the inflight magazine and suddenly I wanted so much to go there for our honeymoon. Waited till night to call & discuss with hubby... but I know my honey dotes on me too much to say "no" to me. Furthermore he likes France, like me! Hehe... Apparently my hubby was a lil surprised initially why the sudden suggestion & he was just concerned about $$$ & timing... whether he could take leave & when it should be. However like I expected, my honey eventually said "we shall go to Paris then! as long as you are happy!". Yeaaaah!

Even my French boss was amused when I told him & the group at Bangkok airport when we touched down. He said "huh? (you decide to go to Paris) just like this?" & I told him "ya lor!".

Just bought our tix online this morning. Almost all the airlines are fully booked including SQ! There're still some seats in SQ, BA & KLM last Sat. Thank God after trying several travel agents & also directly with the airlines, we've got ourselves 2 seats on the exact departure & return dates we want.

Will not be a long trip though... only 8 days. We plan to stay mostly in Paris except about 2 days in Lyon. As both of us hate guided tours, now extremely busy with looking for hotel & more info on where to go. I do have many friends in France but perhaps only meet up with 1 or 2 families because we want most of the time to ourselves to explore! Still considering whether to visit 1 of them, Miguel, who stays in a chateau... his wife's a winemaker & owns a vineyard. Sounds real good ya?? But too bad they stays too far... in Nice. We'll see... we may visit them eventually but most likely not. Train fares not cheap leh.

Just looked at the availability of train from Paris - Lyon. Tickets all sold out for the weekend & the earliest is next Mon (yes it's next Mon! sounds so near!!!). Quite a lot of planning homework to do.... Gotta settle boarding matters for our Tubby boy too.

Can't imagine how different I can feel in a matter of 1 week. Last Monday, I was totally tensed with a full day's meetings here & had to rush to catch a night flight to KL. Couldn't think of the days ahead as too much occupied my mind.

Ok, back to my research now!

Yippeeee! 4 more days to our France tour!!!! I can't believe it!