17 Oct 2014

Pots-dayyyuuummm

That box of chocolate coated goodness on the left.......... I AM GOING BACK TO GET MORE

Sansoucci Palace, Potsdam

So now we are back in Germany and our first stop was at Potsdam, a few miles outside Berlin. Some of you may have heard of Potsdam from the historical Potsdam Conference during the Cold War period. The place prolly didn't mean much to me then... maybe just the historical bit would interest me. But right now if I looked back.... the Sansoucci Palace has pretty interesting columns/buttresses/pillars/not sure exactly what are those with the sculptures replacing the different corinthian/doric/ionic orders on the top OK ART HISTORY STUFF SORRY

But the only thing I remember was my lovely guide at Potsdam whose husband came to pick her up after work with their puppy. The dog was really huge but really really adorable though.

THERE IS REALLY NOTHING MUCH TO SAY ABOUT POTSDAM so just sit back and scroll through the photos guys.

Stay hipsterrrific (I have no idea how to derive anything hipster from this post)
Ming Rui

6 Oct 2014

Polskaaaa


Wieliczka Salt Mine, Wieliczka

Surprised that there is much more to the underground salt mine than what I saw when I visited it a year ago with the choir. Twice the number of chapels, salt sculptures, salty walls and... just salt crystals. Just that the Dumbledore dude wasn't there because we didn't go on a Sunday :/ I really missed the choir very much when we were there as all things just seems more fun when you're going through it with your friends. Still feel humbled and honoured up to this date to have sang in the gorgeous underground chapel under the glistening chandeliers with the ACJC Choir. Sigh memories...


Hotel Dinner: Chicken Schnitzel with cuscus


Auschwitz/Birkenau Concentration Camp, Auschwitz

The experience every single time when I return to any concentration camp in Europe is always haunting. Walking through the same exhibits: the cracked glasses, the heaps of luggages, the mountain of body hair, the gallery of mugshots, the hall of pots, pans, spoons, cups and forks; all belonging to the people who left their dreams behind and got tricked to come to Auschwitz, thinking that there is a better future in store for them. Was lucky to also get a chance to tour Birkenau, where the famous train track leading into the camp was located at (not in Auschwitz guys!) It made me feel very blessed to be part of the century where such atrocities are not tolerated in any society, but also reminded me of the impending dangers brought about by the extremists and social unrests happening in different parts of the world. I always thought, how would I actually survive if I were to get captured and sent into a concentration camp? 

To be honest, I doubt I would even survive the train ride there.


Central Park/Castle District/Jagellonian University Courtyard/Old Town Square, Krakow

Nothing much to say here, just normal sight-seeing. Just that yaaaaaaaayyyyy I finally got a chance to go up to the Castle District. The day we were in Krakow was a freezing ass cold shit day, I bundled up myself like as if I was in Antarctica instead of Poland. Not sure why though, the cold would just seep through your thick layers of clothing into your bones and send chills right down your spine and attack you from left right centre up down diagonal... everywhere lah.

We also had the chance to enter into the St Mary's Basilica, which is an iconic feature of the Old Town Square in Krakow. Sadly I never had the chance to see the entire Old Town Square in broad daylight (like at noon or something) as I always seem to be there in the evening, or at night. It started hailing (drop drop drop like grapes) halfway while we were having our free time at the square.... pretty scary experience.

"And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction." -Matthew 9:35


Jasna Gora Monastery, Czestochowa, Poland

We went there to see the Black Madonna and it snowed a lot. A really cool Benedictine monk showed us around the entire monastery but the kids were really bored after days and days of church-visiting so we started throwing snow balls at one another as and when we had the chance to.

Sigh.... Singaporean kids.


Old Town Square, Wroclaw

There are really many many gnome statues hidden all around this quaint city, of which I again, only have seen its glory in the evening and not in the day. My tour guide was telling us about the gnomes, and my mum really thought they were real and started exclaiming out embarrassingly "THEY ARE REAL RIGHT?".... I think someone really needs to give her a lesson on how to differentiate real and fake things.... but at least now she knows how to differentiate a real and fake Longchamp bag though :P

I really like Christmas markets in Europe (not like they have it anywhere else) as they really bring out the true Christmas spirit in everyone. Christmas Markets normally start on 1st December all the way to either early January, or Christmas day... if I'm not wrong. I like how they sell different types of wine.... and beer....... and random alcohol *inserts emoji smirk* BUT THE MAIN POINT IS THEY PUT IT IN ALL THESE PRETTY CUPS UNIQUELY EXCLUSIVE TO EACH AND EVERY CHRISTMAS MARKET! So cool right, you can like totally collect them and add more burden to your luggages as they are fragile... and sort of heavy.

Haha okay that's all for Poland. Stay tuned for the Germany leg of my trip.......... whao we are back to Germany again.

Stay hipsterrrific,
Ming Rui