The Christmas market is basically filled with stores selling Christmas trinkets and other odds and ends.
The place was crowded with people in Santa hats and there were even carolers. The whole place just exuded a festive cheer. However, we didn't spend much time there and after just wandering a bit, we tried some Gluehwein (heated wine), called it a night and went back home.
Even though it was just a little time spent away from the books, the trip to the Christmas market was really enjoyable.
KFC is Mannheim is served with pure class. Glass plates, and metal forks and knives. Even the fries and coleslaw are served in glass bowls.
Zinger with cheese? Yes please. With some class on the side? Definitely.
Farewell Colonel. I'll see you in London. (Look at how he watches over us with kind eyes like a Guardian Angel.)
But besides the rare trips, the most excitement we would get on most days were the food we made. (By we, most of the time I mean Jiahui) Besides the usual fare, we had...
Creme Brulee!
Gratin!
Cream of Mushroom! From scratch!
Tom Yum Fried Rice! (Jiahui let me fry the eggs! She always let's me fry the eggs when she makes fried rice! Schooo Sweet. Aren't they the most beautiful perfect eggs ever?)
Meatballs!
Rocky Road!
Chicken Curry!
Chicken Wings!
Congee! (My first time)
And after awhile we started to run out of Soy Sauce.. and so we had to become a little bit more inventive in our cooking so as to reduce our consumption of Soy Sauce. Not a single drop of soy sauce in these dishes.
Breaded Mushrooms!
Sweet Soy Sauce Chicken!
Schnitzel!
And the most stunning one of all. Jiahui made Currypuffs. Curry-freaking-Puffs. I'll say it slowly. I ate. Homemade. Curry Puffs. In GERMANY. Delicious. Curry Puffs. My life is full of win.
My version of the ABC soup. BAC soup!!!
And last but not least, the dinner I just had, Baked Pasta. Our last meal together.
Thus ends the culinary adventures of the two SMUggers in Ulmenweg. Thanks Jiahui, for eating my countless failed attempts and for teaching me how to cook. Everytime you let me fry the egg I feel myself grow a little more. It is as you said, the easiest dish to cook is also the hardest, and I have mastered the art of frying eggs. I have truly learnt a lot. Iron Chef Fu, I have become.
The next afternoon, we were in Amsterdam. Ahhhh Amsterdam. Sin City. Sex, drugs with a conspicuous absence of Rock n Roll. The first place we went upon arriving in Amsterdam was the Red Light District. Sadly no photos. In fact we just kept on going back to the Red Light District. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over over the next few days. The first thing you notice about the the RLD in Amsterdam is it doesn't really feel all that sleazy. In fact it feels down right proper compared to Geylang in Singapore. For me, the RLD there feels pretty much just like a specialized business district. Electronics in Sim Lim. Textiles on Arab Street. Sporting goods in Queensway. And sex in Amsterdam. It is legitimate and unabashed. There's no chance of confusion between the pliers of the sex trade and an innocent girl on the streets like in Geylang. The fishtank from which they work are a clear barrier and boundary between their worlds and ours. Marked on the outside by a tube of red flourescent light and lit from within by neon, they ply their trade with a seductive smile, come-hither wink and suggestive gestures with their fingers and bodies. Step inside and the curtains are drawn. Sex is just... in progress all around you.
This piece of art on the ground right in the center of the RLD clearly depicts what is going on all around you.
The oldest church in Amsterdam also conveniently sits right in the center of the RLD. Heehee. Father I have sinned.
Drugs. Its everywhere here as well. Coffee shops sell them and there are definitely more people smoking joints than drinking beverages. Here's us outside the Bulldog, the longest running coffee shop chain.
Nice little stores sell Magic Mushrooms, the key to unlock the door into the world of the wonders. Because of my fantastical imagination, I do not need mushrooms but try one to see what its like to see what I see for 4 hours!
Of course we didn't try any drugs. Because just like piracy, drugs is wrong. Nods. Say No to drugs. You don't need drugs to have fun.
Amsterdam was not just about Sex and Drugs of course. It is a beautiful place with canals running across the entire city...
... and houses on the canals.
The oldest house in Amsterdam...
... as well as the smallest (the red one) at only 1.5m wide.
And let's not forget the food. Amsterdam has the most delicious fries. Samurai sauce. HAH!
And super awesome Asian food. Something that we've been looking forward to for months. Roast duck. Criminally good tofu.
Love will find a way and I was able to run into my soul mate. We didn't even arrange to meet up because we knew that fate would bring us together. We were like, "Eh don't need to arrange la. Confirm will run into each other one." Europe is too small for us.
We rented a car on Saturday to drive down to Belgium. Ask me to tell you the story of how we booked the car. It's hilarious but not blog-safe. And so we got into our spanking new Mitsubishi Lancer and started for Belgium.
First stop: Antwerp. When we arrived in Antwerp, clearly something was afoot. Something was about to happen. Something big. Like a parade or something. It seemed pretty crowded and they were giving out these red beanies to everyone.
After having a little bit of fries, I set out to find out what was going on.
After asking a random beautiful Belgian girl, we found out that...
... and quickly started to explore the town and I totally splurged on Belgian Chocolates here. We didn't get to see much before the sun came down. Not that it mattered because Bruges was beautiful by night as well. In fact it might have been even more so.
The day was pretty much over and we drove back to Amsterdam. Finally mustering enough courage to give it a try, I volunteered to drive part of the way back. That's when I proceeded to show the world how bad I was at driving. Shock as it may come to those who assume that there is nothing I can't do, I suck horribly at multitasking. (!!!) It's true! With the triple threat of driving on a different side of the road, different side of the car as well as not having driven a manual car since passing my TP 4 years ago, I had almost killed 108 Belgians before I crossed the border into Netherlands. All the passengers in the car hung on for their dear lives. Joe the Navigator and Clement the Backside Driver both went to sleep figuring its best not to know how they died while Jiahui tried desperately to avert disaster by making sure I did not fall asleep at the wheel.
Amsterdam was an absolutely unforgettable experience that can only be summed up with one picture. (Inside joke)
Things on my mind:
Actually they're just tasty Lychees that Jiahui bought from the Lidl. Never expected to find Lychees here. I love Lychees. But truth is I don't even get to eat Lychees much in Singapore. I usually only get to eat the canned Lychees. Lychees. Lychees. I love Lychees~~~!!!
Thanks for the Lychees Jiass!
It was really cool, and not all that cold! I mean, this will sound duh but, everything was so white! So clean! Winter was here!
Then the snow melted. And it was pretty much ho-hum. It snowed in many places in Europe that weekend so I guess it was just a one shot cold spell and we got really lucky. Then, the next night, it started snowing AGAIN! And not just wussy snow. Real snow. So for the first time in my life, I got to go play outside, WHILE it was snowing.
The reason why I suddenly blogged about the weather now is because, I just encountered another kind of weather I've never experienced before. FREEZING FOG.
That's right. Freezing fog. I'm gonna go outside and experience for myself what FREEZING FOG feels like. I'm pretty sure it'll be nothing awesome. Just looks like regular fog. But at least I blogged about it shortly after it happened.
And spastic me chose to go out in my slippers.
Things on my mind:
Gerger
Erm... some street in Vienna.
Erm... some church in Vienna
Erm... should be the Opera house... I think. Also in Vienna.
Ah. the most Awesome Toilet in all of Vienna. This was the defining moment in Vienna for me. In the capital of Music, I went into a toilet that played classical music. Brilliant. Pure Class.
The greatest thing about Eastern Europe was that Joe and Huiyi (Oktoberfest Buddies) were joining us. And so when we finally met up with them, Joe was so excited to see me that he dropped all his bags, ran towards me and jumped into my warm embrace. I do literally mean jump as in jump off the ground and wrap his slender thighs around my manly waist, jump. Because they joined us a day late, the next day we brought them around Vienna (Marcus was busy). With Jiahui leading the way, we quickly lost our way.
But we eventually got back on track and we brought the two on the same tour Marcus provided us. But of course, having switched off, I had to make up stories for any of the things that I didn't remember. For example,
I asked Joe what did he think the netting was for. To which he replied that it was to prevent pigeons from going up there. Then with my most serious voice ever I told him, "Correct! That is one of the purpose. However, the main purpose of the netting is for safety. Back in 1862, a part of the dome collapsed and killed a man right here where we are standing. Since then, they've put up the netting so that if any part of the dome drops, it'll hit the netting and bounce back up to repair itself." Basically, Joe only finds out that my story is total bull only at the last moment and Vienna was filled with stories like that for them. Giggles~ Hilarity for me. Ahhh the ability to mesh truth and lies together so seamlessly is an art.
... a kitchen where the entrance to the apartment lies. But when you step in, and you look into the apartment, you notice on your right, stairs. Stairs that lead you to... a freaking LOFT where his bed is!
I mean like what the eff? He's on exchange. I'm on exchange. The difference in living conditions are ridiculous.
Salivation ensues.
Check out my huge CANNON!! (Wan Li Chang Niao!)
Chance Meeting with Julia from SMU!!!
Parliament Building
Basilica of St Stephen
Heroes Square where the Heroes of Budapest are honoured.
By the time the day ended, I realised I had a monumental task ahead of me. The stories that U-jin told us of Budapest contained some that were downright unbelievable. The question then is, how am I going to tell these said stories to Joe and Huiyi when my credibility (due to the Vienna debacle) were at an all time low.
If my claims of intended destinations were suspect, they obviously didn't believed me when I told them that the chain bridge...
... due to a design flaw, had to be dismantled and kept inside this tunnel during winter.
And when I told them the balls of the horse of this statue were so shiny because students always rub them for good luck, I had thought for a moment that Joe believed me because he went to rub the balls together with me.
However, in the middle of our statue genital rubbing activities, another tour guide arrived and told the same story (albeit not as well as I did) It was at this time when Joe told me that he was actually just patronizing me and that he was shocked to realise that my story was true. And to think! I worked so hard to remember all of U-jin's stories and this is what I get in return! Where is the trust!?
... and a beautiful view of Budapest by night.
And we left Budapest early the next morning for Prague, Czech Republic. With Huiyi leading the way we were worried we would get lost...
... but we didn't and we soon had sight of our destination, Prague Castle (tallest building in the distance) which we would reach after we crossed Charles' Bridge (on the left).
At the gates of Prague Castle
A Cathedral within the Castle grounds
By the time we decided to descend Prague Castle, the sun had begun to set. It wasn't that we spent a lot of time up there but the days are getting shorter in Europe and it becomes dark around 5pm as opposed to the 9pm when I had just arrived.
Old Town Square
Prague was a truly beautiful city and I enjoyed just doing nothing there. The two days we spent there was basically just us wandering around until meal times and stopping for drinks every once in a while...
... drinking what is supposed to be some of the best beers in the world.
Alas all good things must come to an end and we had to bid Joe and Huiss fare thee well as we were heading to Krakow, Poland. By this time, Joe and I had become close like lovers...
... and he really didn't want to let me leave...
... nonetheless on the night train we boarded and to Krakow we went. Thankfully I would see Joe again in Amsterdam.
We would only spend a day in Krakow because from all reports, Polish cities were uninteresting. It didn't help that we had no guide in Krakow nor even a rough itinerary. Expecting little by way of excitement from the city, I decided we had to create our own fun. And so, the night before in Prague, I read up on the many silly legends related to Krakow and told Jiahui and Clement the stories through out our time in Krakow. Unfortunately, Krakow was small. SO small that we had seen 40% of the sights before 10am. By accident.
All these stories were related to the church and I was almost out of stories to tell with only 1 story left before lunch time. Just beside the Church was the Cloth Hall...
... the oldest departmental store in the world. The Cloth Hall was situated right beside the Church in the town square and so basically, by lunch time, all that was left to see in Krakow, was the Wawel castle atop Wawel Hill and the one story of the Dragon of Krakow.
We were not impressed. Secondly, this meant we had nothing left to see in Krakow, no more stories since the Dragon of Krakow story was about the Dragon living in the hill on which the "castle" was built upon, and it was barely 2pm. All that was left for us to do was to explore the castle and to visit the fire breathing dragon statue.
Basically, the fire breathing dragon statue was the highlight of my stay in Krakow and I was excited from the very beginning about the prospect of seeing the fire breathing dragon statue. I mean how cool is that!? A fire breathing statue! And I was excitedly telling Clement and Jiahui about how we need to catch a picture of us and the dragon spewing fire. As it turns out, the two of them actually didn't believe me when I told them about the fire breathing dragon and they were only patronizing me! (Just like Joseph!)
... spewed flames, as was the cloak of disbelief finally shed.
Eastern Europe. The one where no one believes me.
