Switzerland - Interlaken, Zurich

25th September 2014

I decided to go on a trip out of Germany, by myself, just because lc was going to London for 6 days and I couldn't go. Pretty stupid reason. But well, it was a good decision! And in the end, I didn't have to go alone. I met 2 girls during the torturously long intensive seminar sessions who wanted to go together, and so we did!

We took a 4-hr train to Interlaken first, and stayed at the Backpackers' Villa. It was the first time I stayed in a hostel, and it was better than I expected! Of course, it was an all-girls room.

Look at that amazing view from our room. It was really really beautiful.

We first walked into the main city area after putting down our luggage. It was about 10 minutes from the villa, and along the way we just couldn't stop ourselves from snapping photos of everything and everywhere.

C wanted to get a SIM card, so we went to the Swisscom and got a prepaid card for 20 francs, which gave 2GB of data for a month, and then you could get unlimited data by deducting 2 francs per day from the card. Good deal if you really need to use your phone during the trip!

It was difficult to find a place for lunch, because, like everyone knows, Switzerland is such a freaking expensive place to live in. We decided on an Indian restaurant, and each of us got one small pot (it was really small, not as big as it looks in my picture) of curry something. I got the most basic one - curry chicken. And it tasted godly. Not sure if we were just too hungry, but we finished up our bowls of rice pretty fast, and ordered an extra bowl to share. This cost us 28 francs each. T.T

As we arrived too late for the Jungfraujoch, we decided to go up to the nearer Harder Kulm for some amazing views of Interlaken. We took the train up, which only took a few minutes, and cost 14 francs with our half-price card.

Oh yeah, let me talk about the half price card first. As we decided to go to the Jungfraujoch, which is the highest mountain you could get to by train in Europe, we just had to buy the half price card, which literally gives you 50% off ALL trains in Switzerland. It cost 120 francs (or 98 euros). Yeah, ultra expensive. But the Jungfraujoch train is originally priced at 198 francs. So we thought getting the half fare card could definitely save us some money!

Moving on, before we got to the train station to take the train up, we saw this:

The water was so clear, and had a very strange artificial-looking blue-ish green colour. The tapwater in Switzerland is definitely safe for drinking, and yeah, you're like getting Evian from taps. How awesome is that?

The Harder Kulm is 1322m above sea level, and offers a really great view of the entire Interlaken region. You could also see a little bit of the Alps up there. I'll allow the pictures to do the talking.

Funny story of the day: C and S each bought a scoop of ice cream, which cost 3.50 francs. C let us try her yoghurt flavour. While S was trying, the whole scoop dropped out of the cone and landed on her right arm, while her right arm was holding her own scoop. As she was holding something in her left hand and was carrying her camera in front of her chest, she had to tilt her arm to stop the ice cream from dropping onto her camera. And while doing so, her scoop of ice cream dropped onto the floor as well. And we just froze. The girl who sold us the ice cream saw the scoop of ice cream on the floor and came out to offer us another scoop for free. So kind of her!! But she only realised later that we dropped both, and she was like "What, both of them?!?!!!" Hahaha omg it was so embarrassing. Anyway she gave us 2 new scoops for the price of 1. :)

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26th September 2014

Jungfraujoch!! Yes!! It was a 2.5-hour train ride up, and we had to change trains in between. And as the train moved along, we came across a lot of nice places.

Seriously, I think you could easily spend one week in Interlaken. You just need to hop onto the train and get off anywhere you like. It's a really good vacation spot for anyone, as long as you have the money ;)

This is the train that goes up to the highest train platform in Europe, 3454m above the sea level. The platform was super crowded, unlike any other platforms in the region. As the train took us up the Alps, it had 2 stops before the Jungfraujoch, Top of Europe, where passengers were allowed to get off for 5 minutes to grab some pictures.

Temperature started decreasing, and we froze when we were finally up. It was reportedly -3°C. C and I were only wearing 2 layers, including our jackets. And yeah we started regretting the moment we got there. I didn't really expect it to be that cold, but now when I think back, that was pretty dumb eh? I mean there was snow on the mountain, obviously it was gonna be cold... Sigh. S was wearing 5 layers and still feeling cold!! So be sure to bring more clothes if you're planning to go there.

After getting off the train, you will be able to get a good view of the mountains. There's a cafe selling food and beverages as well. The best thing you could have up there is probably the Korean cup noodle Shin Ramyun, hot, fragrant, and mouth watering. It cost about 7 francs though!

Don't forget to get some pictures of the mountains.

Amazing right? You'll get to pass through several stations inside the building, before you can reach the highest point of 3571m at the Sphinx Observatory. In between, there are some nice stuff as well:

The observatory!!

GET OUT AND GRAB PICTURES! Even though it's freezing.

The snow/ice was really slippery to walk on, and the wind was so strong that day. We had a very hard time getting down from there and into the building. We (and a few other girls) ended up squatting (to balance ourselves better and not get blown away by the wind) and walking so slowly and carefully while holding on to the ropes at the side. Could feel the adrenaline rush. When we got into the building eventually, we were so excited that we didn't even realise we were screaming. Some guy walked up to us and asked us to shut up. Well, he was right, but could have done it in a more polite way!

We left Interlaken in the evening and took a train to Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland!

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27th September 2014

We stayed in an apartment I found on Airbnb that was about 13min away from city centre by train. It was near the Uetliberg Mountain. It was a quiet and nice neighbourhood.

The Zurich lake was really nice. We sat on the ledge by the lake, enjoying the sunlight and the chill air. There were a lot of swans and ducks in the water, which would swim towards you and stay around for a long time. I guess they wanted some food but we didn't have any :/

I love autumn. It's probably my favourite season of the year. I love how we can enjoy the sun without feeling hot; I love how the leaves start turning red, and give the city a whole new look.

There were some of these mysterious fruits at the roadside, which really looked like blueberries but I don't think they are!

C and I bought a Swisslotto with 2 groups of 6 numbers for 5 francs!! That was my desperate attempt at earning some quick bucks. Unfortunately we only got 2 numbers out of 6 T.T

I don't know why, but we saw a million Lamborghinis and Ferraris on the road that day. Having some sort of rich-kid competition?

We went up to the Uetliberg and witnessed an amazing sunset!

There was a tower at the peak, which we climbed up, despite it being kind of scary for me! Height phobia :/ The view was awesome, and when the sun went down, the whole city lit up. That moment was priceless!

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28th September 2014

There was a restaurant at the train station selling seafood, that just looked so tempting, but I was broke, so I didn't have any.

C bought this plate. And guess how much it was? 40 francs. Yeah. OMG!

We bought the 24-hour Zurich Card for 24 francs each, that gave us free access to all transport and museums in the city. There was also a free ferry ride! We all fell asleep on the ferry, exhausted from having to wake up early everyday!

At the train station, there was this mascot, which we took photo with. And.... guess what it did to me?!

Like, errrrr, why did you block my face T.T

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29th September 2014

We woke up at 6am to catch the bus back to Mannheim. It was supposed to take 5 hours, but it took 6. Train would be 3 hours, but more than 2 times the price of bus!

Switzerland is really awesome. And we had loads of fun, other than having to starve sometimes because of our budget. I will definitely go Interlaken again and spend much much more time there. We didn't even have time to have a good stroll at the lakes. I saw cp's photos at the lakes and they were so beautiful! 人间仙境!

Germany - Burg Hohenzollern

13th September 2014

It was a cloudy day. I left in the morning to catch the train from Mannheim to Hechingen station. Then I had to take a bus to get to the car park at the foot of the castle. The instructions to getting there are pretty clear on the official website. There were only a few (less than 5) bus timings per day, and they were obviously not coordinated with the train timings. So I had to wait an hour for the bus, and the train station was so empty I just had to sit at a random corner.

When I finally arrived, it was already 3pm! I took the bus up to the castle, since walking would have taken really long. I got 2€ off for the admission ticket with my student pass. The castle looked nice from the outside, quite alike what you see on Google. There was a couple getting some wedding photos up there. And, for some reason, the place was filled with couples, young and old. So I just felt kind of sad that day.

Anyway, I went into the chambers that day, with my Category II admission ticket. We had to wear huge slippers outside our shoes before stepping inside, and they were so difficult to walk in, so everyone was just sliding around. Pretty hilarious.

Photos were not allowed in the chambers, but I could tell you that it was not very well-furnished, and had pretty simple wooden furniture. Not even 10% as extravagant as the Versailles.

The castle was not very big, and I finished the tour within an hour. I decided to walk down the hill, hoping that I could find somewhere to get a good shot of the castle, but it was too foresty :/

I got back to the train station much earlier than expected, so I thought, maybe I should just visit Tübingen as well, since it was so nearby and along the way! But I guess God didn't support my decision and it started raining so I had no choice but to go home D:

It was not a very exciting trip. And it was way too far for me. I guess if you're staying in Stuttgart then it's worth a shot. If not then forget it. Just go to Neuschwanstein Castle instead!

Germany - Heidelberg

8th September 2014

This was quite a spontaneous trip. Heidelberg is only about 15 min from Mannheim by train, or 50 min by tram 5. I was just getting bored after lc left and decided to explore Germany a bit by myself.

I chose to take train because tram was too slow and I don't like to waste time on transport. My first destination was of course the Schloss Heidelberg. It was about 30 min from the train station by foot. Or should have been. It took me over an hour to get there though, because Google Maps was screwing with me and my compass was spoilt!!! I was almost there but Google Maps said I overshot so I started walking back but my position on the map didn't change. It wasn't until I'd walked halfway back when I thought that I should just follow my instincts.

And luckily, I found it in the end!! Sense of accomplishment. Although everyone who has gone there before are probably laughing at me :P

The weather was really good, a little too good (hot) after walking for an hour. After walking up the hill, I found the ticket office and got student discount for my ticket. The lady selling the ticket was really nice and friendly!

This was the entrance to the castle. 

The Courtyard

The castle is famous for its wine barrels - Heidelberg Tun is the largest wine barrel in the world.

Of course, after viewing the wine barrels, I got a drink there ;)

The bartender recommended me this German wine. Not sure what it's called, but it tasted pretty good. And I could keep the cup as a souvenir! :D

As usual, you get a good view of the city at the castle!

Afterwards, I went to walk around the Altstadt (old town), and saw the Karl Theodor Bridge (Old Bridge). I sat by the side of the bridge for a long while, just enjoying the surroundings, and resting my feet.

Having a 600-year-old castle as the city's backdrop is way too cool. Wish Singapore had that! Worth a visit if you're in the vicinity :)

France - Paris

29th August 2014

This trip was pretty spontaneous. Lc and I went for an orientation talk, and the Dean told us about some places to visit when studying in Mannheim. He happened to mention that Paris is only 3 hours away by train, and I was like... really?!?! And yeah, we checked the DB website, and sure enough, it was really pretty damn fast. But because we booked it pretty last minute, the trains were soooo expensive. 99€ for single journey I think. That was when we found out about the 4-months Bahncard 25 that costs only 25 Euros and gives 25% discount to all train tickets. Such a worthy deal.

We headed to Paris on the ICE train to Paris Est, scheduled to arrive at 4.50pm. But the train screwed up and we only arrived at 6.30pm! We even had to change a train in the middle :/ We checked into out hotel - yes, stayed in a hotel because we booked so late but it wasn't too expensive - and then had dinner nearby, then headed to the Eiffel Tower!! I thought it was too late because it was already 8.30pm but lc said that Paris is awesome at night so we went.

And it was awesome indeed! The whole place was flooded with couples and the brightly lit Eiffel tower in the distance was like a lighthouse. Enjoying the cool breeze, we slowly descended the steps, hand in hand. The carousel was spinning round and round at the base of the tower. It felt surreal.

On the other side of the tower was a huge patch of grass. And people were just sitting there, smiling, talking, taking in the sight. Regrettably, we didn't bring a mat to sit on (the grass was wet), so we could only stroll around. All of a sudden, the tower started to sparkle and everyone frantically took out their cameras and snapped pictures of it. Apparently, the tower does that every hour at night until 1am for 5 minutes.

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30th August 2014

When we woke up, it was almost noon! We headed to the Louvre Museum. So the famous pyramid is actually one of the two entrance to the museum. And for some reason people love queuing up to go in from there, for whatever reasons. You could also just go in from the basement entrance, which is much less crowded.

I got free admission (YAY) since I'm an EU resident (for a while) :D We only visited 2 out of the 3 halls, because the heater was so strong and I felt extremely hot and suffocated after visiting 2. Anyway, I'm not such a big fan of art. We exited the museum from the pyramid, and there's a cool lift that you could take instead of the stairs (or was it escalators?).

I had the best macaron I've ever had in there. And guess what, it was from McCafé. Hahaha.

La Seine, 塞纳河, was not too special during the day. I think the ambiance is better in the evening or night.

We went to the Tour Montparnasse to get a panoramic view of the entire city! I think the money was well spent. It has a total of 59 floors and is 210m tall. The only drawback was that the viewing area was surrounded by a panel of glass (with metal pillars every 3m or so), which would be quite annoying if you wanted to get a good picture.

We had our meal at this restaurant that ran out of all the things we wanted to order from its menu :/ We got a free cocktail though. The appetizer was a salad with bacon, which was pretty nice. But the mains were really.. bad!!! I can't remember how many steaks I have ordered in Europe, and I have officially given up on them because I haven't had a single nice one!! Lc got this dish that was supposed to be baked fish, but it just ended up as mashed potatoes with maybe tiny bits of fish in it -.-

Fortunately, there was this fabulous fast food place near our hotel where we kept buying fried wings for supper haha! My appetite was always sooooo good :P

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31st August 2014

We took the RER to Château de Versailles, or the Palace of Versailles. I remember how much my History teacher talked about it and Marie Antoinette in Sec 3.

The whole palace was very extravagantly and exquisitely designed. It had gold gates!

There were free audio guides at the entrance. I don't remember anything that we learnt in History... So the audio guide was helpful, but now I've forgotten everything again :P

On the left is the famous Hall of Mirrors, in which there are 17 mirrored arches and a lot of chandeliers. On the right, if I do not remember wrongly, is the King's chamber. See the work of my shaky hands haha.

After touring the palace, we waited till about 6.30pm to go into the garden for free. Actually you could pay to go in earlier to see the fountain show, but we had already missed it, so might as well wait for free entry! Anyway, it's free for EU residents as well, but lc didn't have any visa stamped in his passport so he couldn't go in.

In the garden, you get to see the back of the palace! Really beautiful. The garden is huge too!! We didn't even get to walk one round, since it closes at 8.30pm. We walked about 1/3, then turned back. I really really liked the garden. The ambience was awesome. It's a pretty romantic place. Marie Antoinette was so lucky!! Haha.

Super beautiful right? I think Versailles is a must visit if you're in Paris!! Even if you don't understand its history, or are simply uninterested, do visit the garden, have a picnic, a jog, or even take a boat ride! You won't regret it :)

Oh yeah, there was this guy, who seemed to be stalking us, or me, since we were waiting for the free entry into the garden. And he just kept appearing around us wherever we walked. Even when we were leaving, we thought we got rid of him, but there he was, right behind us. -.- But throughout the whole evening, he was at quite a distance, so I'm not sure if he's a professional stalker, or we just got the wrong idea? But anyway, I just really freaked out and we didn't have our dinner near Versailles. We went back to the city centre, and roamed around the cold dark streets for a long time, before settling for a pizza, because everything was so expensive. And the waitress didn't let us buy 1 pizza for 2 persons. We almost left and I had to say I wasn't hungry before she let us order just 1. Whatever. How could anyone finish an entire pizza... That said, we had the best pizza ever! It was so delicious!! Haha.

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1st September 2014

Well, that concluded our journey in Paris. I wouldn't say it's a top-tier city to visit. I didn't love it very much, partly because it was so expensive, and partly because the city was pretty dirty. Oh, and I lost the bracelet that lc bought for me in Venice!!! D: