I bought plane tickets for Leipzig-Frankfurt-Amsterdam, but due to the airport strike, my connecting flight from Frankfurt to Amsterdam was cancelled. Was told by the Lufthansa staff that I could either take the next next flight (cos the next flight was fully booked already) which was many hours later, or they could give me a train voucher for a direct ICE to Amsterdam. According to them, the next train leaves at 8.04am and reaches about 11am, but after I arrived at the train station with the train voucher, there was no such train!! Obviously they weren't using the updated train schedules.. -_-''' Anyway I just took the next train at 9.43am then, and had a free 'visit' of Cologne (for about 5 min when the train had a stop there). So that's the photo up there..
I actually SMS-ed my bro-in-law about the screw-up, but think my SIM-card didn't have enough credit, so it never got through. Thank goodness my sis called.. Was wondering whether they'll end up waiting as planned at the Airport instead of the main train station.. Anyway reached only at 1.35pm, so we rushed off to Albert-Heiyn Market (not sure whether I got the spelling right hee) to walk through and have some lunch.
Chocolate stall! Can you spot the naughty chocolates? Didn't notice until my sis pointed them out to me! =P Anyway the market is made up of stalls and stalls, one beside the other, lining the street.. Sadly the Stroop Waffle stall was closed that day..
But there's always the fried bites stall!! Woot!! Never enjoyed oysters so much before! Guess they're really fresh.. Basically deep-fried fish bits or oysters, then you choose the sauce -- garlic or remoulade sort of thing.. Sinful but oh-so-delicious!
Yup and I met Steph who's doing her SEP in Amsterdam too!! That's our first time eating raw herring! Fish so fresh that you can eat it raw.. And this is only 1 of the 2-photo set haha.. She's got the other one with her looking at the camera.. =P
Presenting Steph and her soured face! After eating the pickles that come with the raw herring haha.. Classic!! We went to the Rijksmuseum after that, which was really cool, liked the Rembrandt stuff, they even had the gigantic, famous Night Watch!! Unfortunately due to the earlier flight-screwup, we didn't have time to go to the Van Gogh museum... Went to her place to cook dinner and ate with 2 other fellow Singaporean NUS guys..
Then we cycled to the Red Light District! That's us trying to take a photo there without any of the infamous 'windows' (otherwise the pimps might just beat you up haha)... The 2 of us surveying the standard of the girls but her guy friend just kept going 'ducks! so many ducks!' haha.. Cos there's this tiny river stream running in the middle of the 2 streets.. Hilarious..
Went to Zuiderzee museum the next day.. Lunch: 3 types of fish, oyster bites, fries, fish soup -- totally drool-able!! As one would say in german: total lecker!! Every so often now, I keep thinking of the fish I've had in Amsterdam.. They're really so so fresh, I guess it makes up for the lack of authentic-typical-Dutch food.. The fish that you get in Germany (at least in Leipzig and Stuttgart) is quite pathetic, perhaps cos they're not states near the sea.. Really really enjoyed this meal I had there...
Basically, the museum is made up of old holland houses and shops which they transported all the way there, to recreate an old holland village. Really interesting, but sadly, it was still considered winter, so many shops were closed..
Candid shot in front of a windmill.. As you might have told by now, the weather was rather gloomy and threatening for most part of my trip in Amsterdam, and really windy too.. Part of the nutty weather the whole of Europe is experiencing this year..
My mum and I left for Belfast the next day on an Easyjet flight.. So glad there're budget airlines nowadays!
That's our sushi lunch from Boots haha.. My mum's choice.. Part of a set meal offer by Boots -- snack (I chose a chocolate brownie) + main dish (sushi/wrap/sandwich) + drink.. We just sat down in the cafe in Boots which was closed that day, to start on our lunch, when a staff came out of the cafe's kitchen with a tray of sandwiches and drinks for customers! So we had some extra food for free! haha...
Main attraction of our Belfast trip -- Marks & Spencers! You won't believe the range of stuff they have there! Really amazing.. There were some really good offers too -- chocolate and clementine cereals for only 10 pence! We just took all of the last 3 boxes haha.. Bought some cookies which were on offer too, and my sis' scones.. Didn't stay out long though, cos my aunt had diarrhea the previous night, so she needed to rest..
Found some pretty flowers along the way.. Beautiful, ain't it? Looks almost like it's glowing hee..
That's my aunt's garden behind her house.. They grow melons etc themselves! I was playing some kind of badminton and baseball with Kenneth in the garden the next day.. and my fingers almost froze off in the cold and wind haha.. Then it was off, back to Amsterdam..
Went to feed the seagulls with bread crumbs the next morning.. When you start flinging the crumbs off the bridge, the seagulls start to swoop around, trying to catch the crumbs in midair! So fun! =P Sophia was so seriously dropping crumbs off the bridge haha.. And there was this super noisy duck that quacked its complaints incessantly haha..
Hyacinths which my mum and sis bought at the Albert-Heiyn Market on the 1st day I arrived, blooming so beautifully! Flowers here are cheaper than in Singapore and so beautiful! 
My mum and sis in her kitchen, where I spent many an evening cooking (or attempting to) under my mum's supervision.. 
My sis sending me off at the train station! I really must say, it was one whooping trip, especially meeting up and spending time with my family and steph and the good food.. =D
Yup and I met Steph who's doing her SEP in Amsterdam too!! That's our first time eating raw herring! Fish so fresh that you can eat it raw.. And this is only 1 of the 2-photo set haha.. She's got the other one with her looking at the camera.. =P
Presenting Steph and her soured face! After eating the pickles that come with the raw herring haha.. Classic!! We went to the Rijksmuseum after that, which was really cool, liked the Rembrandt stuff, they even had the gigantic, famous Night Watch!! Unfortunately due to the earlier flight-screwup, we didn't have time to go to the Van Gogh museum... Went to her place to cook dinner and ate with 2 other fellow Singaporean NUS guys..
Then we cycled to the Red Light District! That's us trying to take a photo there without any of the infamous 'windows' (otherwise the pimps might just beat you up haha)... The 2 of us surveying the standard of the girls but her guy friend just kept going 'ducks! so many ducks!' haha.. Cos there's this tiny river stream running in the middle of the 2 streets.. Hilarious.. 
Went to Zuiderzee museum the next day.. Lunch: 3 types of fish, oyster bites, fries, fish soup -- totally drool-able!! As one would say in german: total lecker!! Every so often now, I keep thinking of the fish I've had in Amsterdam.. They're really so so fresh, I guess it makes up for the lack of authentic-typical-Dutch food.. The fish that you get in Germany (at least in Leipzig and Stuttgart) is quite pathetic, perhaps cos they're not states near the sea.. Really really enjoyed this meal I had there...
Basically, the museum is made up of old holland houses and shops which they transported all the way there, to recreate an old holland village. Really interesting, but sadly, it was still considered winter, so many shops were closed..
Candid shot in front of a windmill.. As you might have told by now, the weather was rather gloomy and threatening for most part of my trip in Amsterdam, and really windy too.. Part of the nutty weather the whole of Europe is experiencing this year..
My mum and I left for Belfast the next day on an Easyjet flight.. So glad there're budget airlines nowadays! We met a Malaysian guy who works in Belfast, who was sitting in front of us in the plane.. He helped us with our luggage and even gave us a lift to the bus terminal (where we were supposed to meet my aunt) in his car! Yupz, so that's a photo of my mum, Kenneth (my cousin) and Pat Yi (my aunt) in the bus on the way to my aunt's house.. Had a filling sumptuous dinner of roast pork and naturally sweet carrots and other vege that my uncle cooked..
Went downtown the next day.. That's the Belfast version of the London Eye, but think it's still much smaller, than even the one in Singapore..
That's our sushi lunch from Boots haha.. My mum's choice.. Part of a set meal offer by Boots -- snack (I chose a chocolate brownie) + main dish (sushi/wrap/sandwich) + drink.. We just sat down in the cafe in Boots which was closed that day, to start on our lunch, when a staff came out of the cafe's kitchen with a tray of sandwiches and drinks for customers! So we had some extra food for free! haha... Main attraction of our Belfast trip -- Marks & Spencers! You won't believe the range of stuff they have there! Really amazing.. There were some really good offers too -- chocolate and clementine cereals for only 10 pence! We just took all of the last 3 boxes haha.. Bought some cookies which were on offer too, and my sis' scones.. Didn't stay out long though, cos my aunt had diarrhea the previous night, so she needed to rest..
Found some pretty flowers along the way.. Beautiful, ain't it? Looks almost like it's glowing hee.. That's my aunt's garden behind her house.. They grow melons etc themselves! I was playing some kind of badminton and baseball with Kenneth in the garden the next day.. and my fingers almost froze off in the cold and wind haha.. Then it was off, back to Amsterdam..
Went to feed the seagulls with bread crumbs the next morning.. When you start flinging the crumbs off the bridge, the seagulls start to swoop around, trying to catch the crumbs in midair! So fun! =P Sophia was so seriously dropping crumbs off the bridge haha.. And there was this super noisy duck that quacked its complaints incessantly haha..
Hyacinths which my mum and sis bought at the Albert-Heiyn Market on the 1st day I arrived, blooming so beautifully! Flowers here are cheaper than in Singapore and so beautiful! Managed to catch the Stroop Waffle stall at the market! Fresh, piping-hot Stroop Waffles! Caramel oozing out between 2 waffles mmmm... Simply heavenly.. I've seen the commercial kind being sold in supermarkets in Germany, but nothing can beat the fresh stuff, man!
Smoked mackeral! Super big one for just 3 euros! Really really tasty too.. Oh man, just writing this blog entry is making me drool.. =P And was having my last raw herring before leaving Amsterdam..
My mum and sis in her kitchen, where I spent many an evening cooking (or attempting to) under my mum's supervision.. My sis sending me off at the train station! I really must say, it was one whooping trip, especially meeting up and spending time with my family and steph and the good food.. =D
Back to Leipzig! That's the tiny (albeit not as tiny as the one at Karlsruhe-Baden) airport.. I was looking so blur, trying to buy a train ticket back to the city centre, that this American guy approached me and helped me out haha.. He also later helped out an Australian girl who teaches English in Leipzig.. Apparently he works at the Max Planck Institute.. And guess what? I actually bumped into him again in Leipzig a few weeks later! What a small world!
