.::. The Honeymoon - Part 4 .::.

We flew from Munich to Iceland. Not the best way because air tickets ain't that cheap (cheaper from London).

Iceland is a very unique country. It's the first country that we have been and do not know how their currency looked like. It's amazing that the whole country is wired effectively and you can pay for your bus tickets with your credit card on the bus. We paid for everything by card and they have these wireless device that is even faster than those wired ones in Singapore shops. So yes, you do not need to exchange for any of their currency to travel around Iceland!

We were in awe once we arrived and got on the bus. It's one of those countries with landscapes so dramatic that you just had to be in awe. I was praying to catch the northern lights, but out of the few nights we were there, only the first night was clear.

Another great thing about Iceland is that the airport shuttle drops you at your hotel (most hotels anyway). The tours also picks you up and drop you back at your hotel.



So obviously, the first thing we did was to call up the tour agency to book the northern lights tour. It was a clear night with beautiful stars and freezingly cold. Really cold. We were driving around, trying to chase the lights. The tours informed each other of their location and if there were clear skies or clouds closing in. It was a long night and after hours of waiting, we almost gave up hope.



And at the last stop, we finally saw it. Not impressive really, but hey, at least we saw something! It was so hard to get out of the warm car into the cold at every stop. The lights were flickering at the horizon, with lots of stars.

We did try hunting for the northern lights again the following night, but didn't see anything.



We followed a tour the following day, to visit all the scenic areas. It's really amazingly dramatic landscapes. First stop was this flat plane covered with snow and a hint of the sun in the horizon.



This was one of the most famous waterfalls in the world. Frozen. It was so cold here, I had trouble smiling with my frozen face. After like 30 minutes out in the cold, gosh, the hot soup we had for lunch was so good.



And here's the geyser! I captured the moment just before it shoots up. The tell-tale sign is this blue dome just before it erupts.



Here's us.



Another super cold area with lots of historic significance. But it was just flat and really vast.

After a whole day of touring, we had dinner at one of the famous restaurant and paid a bomb for really fresh fish and delicious food. It was yummy.

The next day in Iceland was a relaxing day. We slept in, walked around in town and went to Blue Lagoon, this geothermal pool that was stunning and really shiok in the cold weather.

There's also mineral clay to be used as a mask. It's not only Asians that are erm cheapskate. I saw so many ang moh bringing containers to bring those mineral mud home. It's per entry for the Blue Lagoon and you can use the mineral mud freely, but obviously not supposed to bring it home! They do sell the mud and other mineral products at the store!

Totally breathtaking place. I think both of us enjoyed it a lot and it was a nice relaxing day as our tour was coming to an end.

Right outside Blue Lagoon.

Some graffiti in town.

We've come to the final destination of this trip and have done a loop around Europe yet again.

First stop was Four Seasons duck. It's yummy, but still wasn't as nice as we remembered. The first time we had this was really unforgettable.

I wanted to watch Les Miserables desperately. And ridiculously, all tickets were sold out for the next few days. We usually bought discount tickets on the same day and did not expect this to happen. This was probably because of the recent movie that brought renewed interest to the show. When we were choosing between this and Phantom the last trip, all tickets were available on the same day! 

I only have myself to blame for not checking or booking tickets earlier on when I was in London just 2 weeks before. The box office was very rude too, telling us there were no more tickets at all. I asked if there was any way, if someone did not collect tickets or anything, he barked that there's NO MORE TICKETS AT ALL - like I did not understand English. *bleah* Very disappointed, but well. Next time!

We went to Camden Market, somewhere we have not been before. Sit on motorbikes and eat chinese takeout box and fish and chips in the cold.

We spent quite some time shopping in Selfridges. Gosh it's a nice place to shop! I love all the furniture and household stuff. We nearly wanted to buy a clock back, the grey one in the middle that the husband likes. But the thing is, we didn't need a clock and it's kinda big to carry back. We didn't in the end.

Oh, and nespresso capsules are ALOT cheaper in London. We bought like 12 sleeves of capsules back at about 50 cents each.

And the last night in London was Chinese New Year's Eve. He insisted on having steamboat, which was fine by me. But he insisted on going somewhere quite far for steamboat instead of the one in chinatown that had mediocre reviews and cost about SGD$40. The further one was cheaper and had better reviews.

So we dropped our stuff at the hotel and took a train out of town (we were staying at Victoria). It was a 45 minute train ride and when we walked out according to the map, it was a residential area and very quiet. It brought us to a quiet and dark neighborhood with no sight of the restaurant. There were nothing but houses in sight even when we reached the very short road where the restaurant was supposed to be. I was cold and hungry by then, it was already after 8pm. We finally saw a couple and asked them for directions. To our dismay, they told us that the address was at the other side of London, very far away. There was the short road with the same name in the neighborhood, but the address and area wasn't there.

Gosh. I was really cold and hungry by then. The train back to town would take another hour and there were nothing to eat around that area. I was grumbling and feeling incredible, not knowing to be angry or to laugh at how the husband has yet again brought us to the wrong place during our travels. He was acting sheepish and trying to gauge if I was really upset, but at the end I guess both of us found humor in our situation. After all, it's having each other's company that was the main point.

We were contemplating MacDonalds near our hotel or heading to Chinatown to find some food. We ended up at Chinatown and made it into a chinese restaurant around 10pm, just before they closed.

On hindsight, I guess we were thankful that the map brought us to a nice residential neighborhood instead of one of those areas that we should avoid. I mean, we had no idea where we were going!

This is how London's Chinatown looks like during Chinese New Year. You can find everything here. I think London should be a nice place to live in. I ilke London, in a not-too-crazy but very fond sort of way.

And this was us, after a long day and adventure around London on Chinese New Year's eve. We flew back the next day, just in time for Chinese New Year.

It has been yet another great trip as a couple. And it was on our anniversary when he wrote me a card that made me realize how accommodating I was with the husband's schedule and everything. I practically planned the whole wedding single-handedly and the husband did not need to worry about any of the details. I didn't even make him visit endless bridal shops to choose my gown as I bought it myself online. The hotel coordination, the flowers, the prep work and the everything was all settled by me. He just had to choose when I asked him to and show up with me when needed, while I did all the homework. I didn't get upset when he had to leave right after the wedding and was actually supportive of his study trip. Then, I planned the whole honeymoon. He just needed to give his inputs on where he wanted to go and I made everything happen, choosing the most convenient hotels and cheapest deal and routes. I've done all the research and find out where and how to go the nicest places. And when he had his classes, I was entertaining myself and enjoying the me-time to travel around alone, buying him toiletries without whining nor throwing any tantrums. Perhaps, I finally saw what he loves about me though his default answer is 'because you're ben ben de (silly)'. He's happy to let me do these stuff (there are some stuff that he does and I do not ever touch) and I really do not mind getting these done, for us.

I think we make a great team. I'm as thankful to have him as he is to have me. The honeymoon was well, one of the many memorable trips we had that brought us closer yet again. These are moments that I'd like to remember in the many years to come.

To many more happy trips~!

.::. The Honeymoon - Part 3 .::.

Keeping up the momentum! The husband is traveling for work this week and the evenings are very productive now that I'm going to move on to my new role and do not have to bring work home.

We took a train from Paris to Lausanne, the Olympic city and spent the rest of the afternoon there. The subways are very nice and I love the hilly old town with cobbler stones.



Lausanne was actually a stop to catch the scenic train ride to Interlaken where we used as a base to travel around Switzerland.



They say Interlaken is well, too touristy and all, but it is still a nice little town really. There was limited things to do as the funicular up the hill was closed during winter. We spent the afternoon walking along the lake and just taking everything in.



We took many train rides across Switzerland on many scenic routes. I mean, what can we do when it's so cold and snowing outside?!

We went up to Jungfraujoch. It was pretty. I can never forget the bitting cold.

The viewing deck was only partially open due to winds. It was so cold and windy with snow being blown into your face. Your face and hands freeze. It was barely sub-zero but felt so much colder than the -26 degrees in Sweden due to the wind and altitude. We wanted to take nice pictures badly and went out when the wind subsided, took a few shots and went back to 'thaw' ourselves. This repeated for so many times till my cheeks were all red and sore from the wind.



Yea, we were crazy enough to attempt jumping shots in that cold. Crazy things we do. The real crazy people were the Koreans. They lay on the snow with their tummy among other posts, some took their socks out for jumping shots!!!



We did manage to get a nicer photo when another tourist helped us snap one.



We stopped by Grindewald for a stroll on the way back. I almost wanted to try snow sledging - it looked like a lot of fun. But me being me, was afraid of coming downslope very quickly and not very sure if I'd like to be out there in the hills when snow was forecasted. I promised to come back with our kids someday!



We had cup noodles in the hostel and went to this famous restaurant in Interlaken to try the cheese foundue. After all, it's a must-try. We didn't like it though. There was too much alcohol in it and doesn't really taste like cheese!



Another reason why I didn't go for snow sledging was that we've planned Luzern for the next day. I've always wanted to visit Luzern because it's where one of the Harry Potter scene was shot.



The 'Harry Potter' bridge! There was a scene on the broom being shot here, I can't remember which episode.

Actually, Luzern was somewhat a disappointment for me. I suppose I had higher expectations with all the great reviews.

I think this was Berne?

This should be the old streets of Berne. And it's my favorite city or town on this trip. But on hindsight, I loved Cambridge too.

We climbed up a little hill for this view.

It was really beautiful.

Then we squeezed in Zurich just before it turned dark.

I kind of like Zurich. It feels like the old and the new came together, and it was nice to walk around the city.

They also had a little viewpoint.

Next up was the Bernina Express. It was my favorite scenic train ride out of the many we took. I love it! I can't decide if I like this better or the one in Norway.

The landscaped changed quite bait throughout the ride. Then there was this stopover where you can drop and take pictures. It was cold (what's new). Again, there was this group of Koreans taking crazy pictures. 

We only had 15 minutes and we were running around, taking pictures and setting up the tripod. Till those Koreans offered to help us take a jumping picture.


























The landscape was really dramatic when it came to a frozen lake.

Then as we pulled into the area nearing Italy, it was totally different.

The thing is, my zoom lens was spoiled after the short stop-off and picture taking. I wonder if it was too cold, but my lens couldn't retract and couldn't focus. =( I had to go on the rest of the trip without my camera and had to rely on iPhone. I had my wide-angle lens, but in the hotel!!!

This was in sharp contrast to the dramatic landscape just barely an hour away.

It was sunny with blue blue skies but still super cold.

The town was deserted because it was a Sunday. The famous Italian restaurant wasn't open, to my disappointment. We went to the other restaurant, and the food was great (and cheap) too. This is an Italian town in Switzerland and very near the border to Italy.

So we enjoyed ourselves, had a walk in the empty town and took in the sights. The train actually goes into Italy, but that part was closed due to rail repair. =( We were taking the same train back.

For some reason, we decided to board the earlier regional train, thinking that it would stop at one of the beautiful stops on the way. That will give us some time to take some pictures and board the Bernina Express when it drops by the station.

All was well. We got off the station and took in the dramatic landscape. There were people paragliding on the frozen lake.

You can see that the station is behind while the frozen lake was on the right. It was impossible to walk because the snow was soft and I sunk deep into the snow with every step I took (till knee level!!!). There was no where else to go.

So, we went back into the station because it was cold and my jeans and shoes were wet. Then, when we checked the train timetable, we realized that the Bernina Express does not stop at this station! We were screwed. We were going to miss the train and had to wait for a whole hour before the next regional train brings us to another town and we had to transfer back to where our hotel was. Gosh, I was panicking and upset to be left in the cold like that. There was another Swiss guy there who confirmed our suspicions. Gosh.

The Bernina Express was going to pass by this station but it just doesn't stop on Sunday. I heard the train approaching and went out to see in some desperate attempt. Miraculously, the train stopped! And for some crazy reason, I actually ran to the train and tried to press the 'open' button. And miraculously, the train doors opened!!

So, we hopped onto the train! The train stopped for quite some time till the train conductor found us and checked our tickets. He was looking for the people who boarded the train and told us that the train was not supposed to stop here. The driver made a mistake and forgot that it was Sunday, making the stop. They then realized that someone opened the train doors and boarded the train. I didn't believe our luck then really. Another little adventure on our trips.

This was us, making it back to the train and really happy!

And here's the other pictures from the iPhone.

This was the Bernina Express part, nearing Italy.

This was on Junfraujoch.

This was on the Bernina Express.

The Swiss leg of our honeymoon ended with the Bernina Express. A great ending really.

Switzerland was beautiful, although it didn't really impress me that much. I suppose I should say that it just didn't impact me as much as Norway did. Or maybe Norway was too stunning for me that has raised the bar for dramatic scenery like that, I'm not sure.

And here we are, on our way to Germany on a snowy morning.

I was very nervous about getting to Munich, because part of the railway was closed for maintenance works. We had to change to a bus in between. Having been around Europe so much, I knew how it could be like. There was a high chance that we would miss our connections, especially with snow.

And sure enough, we were screwed. The bus was late, and then refused to drive us. They had some issues with the drivers and routes. We got up the big bus, then were asked to get down, then they were arguing, then we got on a mini bus. They were speaking in languages that we didn't understand and nobody knew what was happening, even the locals. We were very late for the connecting train into Munich and I was dismayed. We had a day in Munich and was supposed to arrive around noon to meet Julia and Alex for lunch. They were my weekly dinner buddies from Sweden and we kept in touch. With missing the connecting train, it's anyone's guess what time or how we will get there.

And you know what? Amazingly, the train waited for us. I mean, the whole train loaded with passengers waited on the track. I really couldn't believe our luck this trip. How much luckier can we be? The train was actually waiting for a few more buses from many different towns too.

We arrived more than an hour later, but well, we made it and met up with Julia and Alex! I was so happy to see them again and they brought us around Munich for shopping and great German grub.



I love the Radler there (beer with lemonade). I was really happy that Tiger Beer started selling it too in Singapore recently. It tastes different, more gasey and less lemony though.

Here we are at the rustic old square. It was a cold and wet day.

From Munich, we flew to Iceland in search of the northern lights aka aurora. It was supposedly one of the best years to catch the northern lights due to the solar activity - whatever that means.