21.11.10 Love in Paris

yes, finally in paris.  you simply just feel love is in the air.  the streets, sights, architecture is simply stunning, and with the night view, is hard for anyone not to fall in love with this lovely place (except maybe the proud and unfriendly parisians spoil the day).

well, i was there in late nov, so it does look pretty gloomy in the day (its raining too!!)

1st stop was the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. with its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets in the world.  very pretty indeed.

20.11.10 Paris here we come

today will be a whole day of drive to paris.  depart swiss at 8am. long drive.....stop for nature's call, drive, stop for lunch, drive.....

finally, we arrived in france.  slowly, we enter paris city :)

as time permit, we rushed for the river cruise on river seine (530pm depart). wow...we made it just in time at 525pm for boarding.  how lucky.

19.11.10 Lucerne

after Mount Pilatus, lets proceed to Lucerne.

Wiki info: The Lion Monument or the Lion of Lucerne, is a sculpture in Lucerne, Switzerland, designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris, France.

19.11.10 Mount Pilatus

after a good rest yesterday, woke up and open the window.  my room is facing this mountain. apparently, there is a restaurant/cafe at mountain top. the star is shining.

rise and shine...the view outside (on the streets).  its quiet in the morning.  peaceful.

Morning view of Interlaken (small town) from my hotel room.

today, we will leave interlaken.  first stop will be mount pilatus.  afternoon, we will proceed to lucerne.

View of the lake (along the way)

18.11.10 Top of Europe – Swiss Alps

we are going up Jungfraujoch, often called the “Top of Europe” which at an elevation of 3,454 meters (11,332 ft) above sea level.  since it’s mountain, we finally ‘changed’ our outerwear to a set of thicker winter jacket.

17.11.10 Milan cross Interlaken

now at milan. time for some shopping before we cross the border in the afternoon to interlaken, switzerland. yes, it will be snow time.

the street of Milan. bicycles for commuters pay & ride.

Milan Cathedral (Italian: Duomo di Milano) is the cathedral church of Milan in Lombardy, northern Italy.

16.11.10 Verona

as venice is only 1/2 day tour, we had the afternoon free.  our tour guide suggested that we take up the optional tour to verona at €15/pax.  well, since we're already here, its nearby, so why not?

its a contrast from venice.  here in verona, its bright and sunny.

wiki info: Verona (Italian pronunciation: [veˈroːna] is a city in Veneto, northern Italy. the city has been awarded world heritage site status by UNESCO because of its urban structure and architecture).

16.11.10 Venice

yes, i’m going venice today. renowned for its beauty (city of canals).  but 天不作美. its gloomy and started drizzling.  the disadvantage of traveling in november (trying to comfort myself) -.-

arrived at dock to cross over to Venice Island today. It's raining!!

15.11.10 Pisa

the leaning tower of pisa!  we’ve reached Pisa at about 9am.  there’s already quite a crowd.  we are lucky to arrive earlier (as about 20 mins later, came a huge group of CHINA tourists)

background info: the Piazza del Duomo (“Cathedral Square”) is a wide, walled area at the heart of the city of Pisa, Tuscany, Italy, recognized as one of the main centers for medieval art in the world. partly paved and partly grassed, it is dominated by four great religious edifices: the Duomo, the Leaning Tower (the cathedral’s campanile), the Baptistry and the Camposanto.

14.11.10 Florence

florence is in the tuscany region of italy.  places of interest include Piazza del Duomo & Ponte Vecchio.

1st stop of the day: Piazzale Michelangelo, a famous square with a magnificent panoramic view of Florence, Italy.  standing there is a copy of Michelangelo’s David.

poor david, with so much stains...

as we visited europe in november, its considered start of winter.  the days generally look gloomy with shorter daylight too.

13.11.10 Vatican & Rome

great weather today. first stop, into another country - the vatican city.
the Vatican Obelisk & St. Peter’s Square.  long queue to enter the Basilica.

the Vatican Obelisk

St. Peter's Basilica

12.11.10 Rome

i love europe. the thought of visiting europe is a dream comes true.

its been some years since we got to travel as a couple (happily without the kids). so this 2nd honeymoon to italy, switzerland & france is great.

the thought of planning for F&E seems too much, and so we have opt to travel via tour package instead (12 days with SA Tours)

its emirates (with a transit at dubai), our 1st stop is rome.
it's around 1pm, and the tour begins.