Neuschwanstein - swan castle

today, we did a day tour to the "disneyland" castle - neuschwanstein castle!
the castle was actually nearer to Fussen town which is still a good almost 2hours train ride from Munich.
oh well, we need to do the mandatory travelling to and fro for the castle like most day tourists..

 

hubbi posing in front of typical bread/pastries store in central train stations

 left: waiting in the freezing cold for our tour guide to appear

right: on local train to Fussen!

 left: did a quick lunch at one of the eateries at bottom of hill (yes, we have distance to go/climb before reaching the castle...)

right: yz doing his classic dance with the ticket in hand

Hohenschwangau castle in the background - the castle that king ludwig was staying in when the constuction of neuschwanstein wass on-going

 we opted to take the horse carriage which took us 2/3 distance up the hill. im so glad for that for the remaining 1/3 distance up to the castle PLUS the remaining climb up to the mary's bridge (more about this below) PLUS the walk all the way down is no JOKE!

If you look closer, you will realise that the horses are actually bigger-built and more muscular than normal horses.
but its not really surprising given the number of passengers they have to pull up/down hill on a daily basis!
i did felt a little bad sitting in the carriage while they huffed and puffed their way up, not unlike when i sat on those donkeys to make my way up the cliff at santorini...
BUT, im really glad for even with the ride, my knees and calves ached like shit the next day from the walking/climbing for the rest of the day trip. @_@

they dropped us off at the lookout point which offers a good vantage point for taking shots with the castle:

 

left: we were near the clouds!

right: we can see what's below us through the bridge..

left: see, we are high up here

right: that is the mary's bridge - name after ludwig's mum - and yes we will make our way slowly up there to take the famous postcard shot of the castle.... zzzz

we were allowed to take photos outside the castle but not inside.
the guide throught the castle was pretty interesting though i think the view from the castle is definitely more spectacular than the interior designs - though king ludwig did have alot of interesting wall paintings done in most of the rooms.

left: the tower from the entrance

right: mummy and boy

left: yz posing as mediaval knight

right: we had done the interor tour, yay!

after the castle tour, it's time to make the slow, torturous ascend up the hill to the mary's bridge...

the cold mountain air helped a little as i gulped in the cool air into my burning lungs...

 can you see the Hohenschwangau castle which i took earlier on. we are THIS high up by now! zzzz

 

the mary's bridge. and there is absolutely nothing below those wooden planks...

so scaredy cat me didnt dare to walk the full stretch but only to the middle of it to take photos. wahaha.

the mandatory shot of the castle from the bridge

it was well past dinner time by the time our train rolled back to central station.

its a good thing that our hotel is only a stop from central station and we managed to find an authentic italian restaurant just opposite our hotel.

the owner and chef were italians ala the touchy kind. LOL.

but, their food was fast and delicious.

love the thin pizza crust which they prepared, threw into the big stove and done in a jiffy!

 

left: the pizza and spaghetti bolognesewere good!

right: the tiramisu aint strong enough in the liquor department but a good thing for yz i guess.

and that calls it a day for our castle day trip and what a tiring and fun day it has been!

we shall do the rest of munich tomorrow.....

Munich - Part 1

yeah, we are back from our holidays to europe!
this time round, hubbi and I decided on some cities in germany and amsterdam.
what's different for this europe trip from previous ones is we brought yz along!
its also the furthest we have brought him overseas.
apart from missing the younger boy badly during the trip, it was a blast.
the flight there was rather smooth and fast (though not the same can be said for the return one. @_@) and yz has been rather good and patient both on the flight/trains + all the museum/shopping trips.
and again, im very proud that my planning was a good one and most of the time the activities panned out just as planned. :P

ok, shall blog as much as possible with the memories still fresh in my mind.

if not, i never get to finish the posts like for our last south france/spain trip....

haha, arriving 8pm at frankfurt airport but was actually 2am in sg (6hrs difference).
a dazed yz despite catching some winks on board.

i deliberately chose a day flight contrary to what most would have wanted.

reason being though a night flight can save me time by reaching europe during day time but i can't imagine a dazed and cranky yz plus a giddy me suffering from lack of sleep (i can never sleep well/for long stretches on flight) starting our trip!

so for the first day, we checked into the nearest airport hotel for a good night sleep before starting the trip for good the next day.

and it turned out to be a good choice. though it didnt adjust yz's body clock immediately but it definitely helped to maintain our fatigue and sanity level..

waiting for free shuttle bus to airport early in the morning.

the last night was like a dream with us falling into deep sleep before 10pm and then me waking up at 4am (cos its 10am in sg.. lol). zzz

breakfast was done at a place familiar to all of us, esp. yz.

MAC! i love trying mac in other countries with their varied menus - we had scrambled eggs and a mcglory (?) burger - pretty similar to sausage mcmuffin just with different toast and lotsa vegetable.

on board the ICE train - bound to munich! 3 hours train ride and we were glad to buy yz an activity book from T3 airport which kept him occupied for most of the train rides we had during the trip

in munich in a jiffy - a slice of pizza - yum yum

apart from my own reluctance to take planes, i much preferred to take trains within europe though it may not be cheaper than domestic flights and definitely takes longer.
but, if you factor in the 30-45mins checking in, boarding time, waiting for luggage and the travelling time to/from airport, the time difference is actually not that big.
most importantly, i love the fact that main central station for most cities are located centrally in the city. so you get to "roll" into the heart of each city and surrounded by the "heartbeat" of it made up by all the buzz of people and activities there!
ok, that's just the romantic and old-school me talking.
in short, i really heart the train rides part. 

after checking in and freshening up abit, we were good to go!

on board the local tram to.....

tada! the alte pinakothe - in short museum (the bane for the boys - muhaha)

first, we needed to settle lunch and made the boys happy first so food!

it was a good thing that yz likes the sauerkraut (the sourish cabbage that is present with almost all dishes) so he did have his share of vegetable intake there.

the museum has its highlights and some classic pieces.

it was good that yz fell asleep for a good hour+ or so so i can roamed the rooms in peace with the husband trailing behind and sitting down at every opportunity. tsk tsk.

some of the pieces i really like:

the last judgement - by Hieronymus Bosch.

his style was definitely very different from the others gothic/renaissance artists and his paintings are always fascinating with their details though more often than not, they are kinda grosteque and unsettling.

such fantasy/futuristic style is really uncommon for those times.

i first known him through "the garden of earthly delights" in Prado, Madrid.

that is very very good.

albrecht durer! i especially love his self-portraits! this frontal one with his faraway gaze is fascinating.

seems to be seeing beyond us or above us.

the details of his hair and fur-trimmed robe were wonderfully drawn.

he always give me the idea that he's a vain one. with the superior air he drew himself, the fanciful signature he created (look at the AD!) and the luxurious wear.

but you have to admit, he's a good looking one at 28 for this painting. :)

this is really a masterpiece!

they have a rubens room! and i finally changed my opinion of him as the one who drew plump bodies for women. LOL.

they really housed some of the best rubens pieces here, in fact better than those i saw in prado.

a good baroque painter here as he managed to capture the "moment" in most of his paintings.

the last judgement on the left, though not fair to compare to that of michaelangelo's one in sistine chapel, may be as good in its own terms. the writhing bodies on different sides convey differrent emotions - the saved on the left and the damned on the right.

the rape of the sabine women on the right:

his composition  for his paintings is all great given the size of them.

and classic baroque - capturing a snapsnot of an action. *thumbs up*

some nice pieces from gustav klimt - when can i see the kiss for good. :(

onwards to modern arts museum - surprisingly more of his thing than mine.

i cannot appreciate things that i cant fathom! very frustrating!

only this piece from palermo managed to evoke something from me. and what is that i cannot tell.... @_@

after spending a "torturous" few hours with me, the boys deserved some fun time for themselves.

and since we are in the land of automobiles, where should we go?!

to BMW welt (showroom) of cos!

all the newest BMW models housed in this futuristic building!

left: on an old model of BMW bike

right: the happy boys not sure where to start in the building

yz having fun at the kids section

and of cos, we didnt order the new 320 much as the husband would like to do so. LOL.

but there were really locals who walked in, collected the cars and whizzed off in their new cars on the spot! cool!

all their metro stations have defibrillator and SOS direct line - a practical set-up

and then its dinner time! i've did some research before the trip noting down resturants which were recommended online!

so for dinner tonight, we are having at Ratskeller at the old market square at Munich.

an old-fashioned beer tarven styled place.

german beer!

i realised fanta+coke mix is a recurring item in the drinks menu and its really tasty and refreshing. :)

start of our meaty porky diet for the next 10days! @_@

the dishes were all delicious but after too much german food (which can be too savory in cases), i started to crave for plain wanton mee/fish soup..

ok, we will be heading to neuschwanstein the next day! - the castle that inspires disneyland sleeping beauty castle.

definitely a treat for yz who is into castles and knights recently.

a first @ turf city



My team was invited by our GM to the turf city today as his horse was competing with some of the best 4yo horses today.

This was my first time @ turf city! and we got to sit at owners' lounge and watched the races in comfort. :P

quite an experience and of cos we betted on some of the horses.

all by gut-feel for me since i've no ideas how to read the 马经！

my horse actually came in the second place for the 1st match but nowhere to be seen for the 2nd match. LOL.

my colls were luckier! their horse came in 1st and they won $100+ per pax (based on betting of $10+ only). wow!

no wonder people can get hooked on horse racing since the odds are much higher.

spread your bets on a few 冷门 horses and if one of them comes in first, the winnings is more than enough to cover the initial bets + earn you a healthy windfall! 

the horse "parading" before a match

gaga..ooh lala!

it was gaga night with some of the peeps on monday!

despite it being the first workday of the week, our mood was not dampened at all!

most of us made the effort to dress up after work before the concert.

and mad dd bought the most atrocious headgears/wigs for us.

we had fun trying them on in the car park but decided to ditch them last minute simply because of the mad hot weather.

and being in the standing lot for the whole night was just not going to help!

i dont want rash on my scalp by end of night!

   

me in crazy crab headgear





me, dd + ser with our neon wigs





the concert was a blast! gaga gave us a solid 2.5hrs performance belting out songs after songs.

her vocals were really good despite all the dancing and her theatrical antics were super entertaining. :)

and i so so so love the finale encore - edge of glory followed by marry the night! *hoot*

but my knees and calves were aching after all the dancing and jumping the whole time....

still, one of the best concerts ive been to in my life!

berry tiring weekend!

ok, make it the whole week.
for almost the whole work week, work has kept me berry busy during office hours.
even after work, my brain was buzzing with what's not done.... @_@
i will survive! and i must!! with the upcoming month-end closing and all the tasks to finish before we are due to go for our hols in 2 weeks time! *gulp*

lucky for the shopping breaks i indulged in during the week to keep myself sane (though definitely not healthy for the wallet's sanity...)!
GG5 sale has started on thursday and im all geared up!
went to a few branches and i DID try to restrain that teeny weeny bit.
i think i did an ok job.
damage - 3 tops, 1 belt, 1 leggings and 1 pants.

and then the weekend came!
merry-making with my boys. :)
     

<> 

YR's hair is back again. so i clipped it up in the crazy hot weather. *muhaha*
he really look like me when i was young!

  

on saturday morning, we went to suntec bright and early.
brunch was dim sum @ food republic. 

我好帅，不知如何是好。。
check out his thick lips and ..hair! hiaks.



我和 大宝贝



Then off we went to book fair!
times was having this fantastic sale where 5 books were going at $30!
i got my 5 easily. :)
and the boys had their fair share of children and activity books too!

then we walked over to marina square for more window shopping.

and seeing that the time slot is do-able, we caught MIB3 at GV.

not as good as MIB1/2 definitely but will do for nostalgia sake.

by the time we reached home after dinner, the boys were grouchy and ready to sleep.
and they did at by 9pm. :)
both hubbi and me spent time reading together (believe me when i said its a rarity and obviously im not refering to myself reading..).

today was more or less the same with us hitting town early in the day for brunch @ mac.
after that, shopping for the ng family!
with the taka sale, we got a new booster car seat for YR as well as a new stroller - Maclaren volo which will come in handy for our upcoming trip.
so light at 4kg and being a no-frills stroller, it will be perfect for YZ and us during the trip!
and of cos, i have to buy something - CK shoes - a steal at isetan sale.


dinner was at meatworks @ ion - what's with the 迷蒙的眼睛？！

 by the time we reached home after the early dinner, the sky was still not dark. 

spot the wannabe ironman at the back!

One of the better buys for today was stickers i got for the boys at Prints.

they were good quality puffy stickers that retail at $4.90 original but going at $1 now!
and what's better is you get 5 free for every 10 strips bought!
so one is less than a dollar each!
i let the boys have 1 each to stick on their wardrobe doors just now and the results were pretty good!

done by YR with my guidance of cos

Done by YZ himself, pretty good!

waiting for the boys to zzz now!
then hb and me can try the PECK bread i bought from taka basement!

time of the year again

yuppie, GSS is slowly but surely happening!
but i've started shopping before that! *gulp*
work has been getting crazier so i cope by retail therapy. :P

so i bought:
- a dress from zara
- a dress + a romper from topshop
- a skirt from bysi
- a dress, a skirt + a romper from forever new
- lounge pants + sockss from uniqlo
- a belt from dressy

ok, after gg5 sale, i will be good for the rest of may till mid jun!
i promise.
because im saving up for my trip in jun! *teehee*

my baobeis!

wanted to post a photo of YR taken today but discovered more random photos from the past!

this is YR "unhappy" pose nowadays = pouty lips + folded arms 

this is YZ at 2y+ wearing...... my undie! LOL think he ransacked our wardrobe and wore it on his own. haha.

YZ at 1y+ - his looks has changed so much!

gor gor at 2y3m, didi at 1m+ :)

they really grow up too fast.....



mad dd + ser ser birthday party

*woohoo* time for the crazy gang to gather once more.

this time round, we met to celebrate dd + ser ser bday!

after much discssion on watsapp, we decided to go old school.

and gb managed to book a room @ spring court.

we went for the $538++(?) package which gave us a room to ourselves completed with a dedicated waitress.

PLUS big flat screen and karaoke system so we can sing while we dined. LOL!

and oh yes, a whole suckling pig for the "新人". hahah.

with jx, candice + tanny!

we sang and laughed throughout the whole dinner.

think the waitress was either laughing with or at us.... :P

we were selecting all those classic songs of our era:

吻别,宽容,剪爱 etc. gosh!

and the singing got us into the mood so much that we went for second round at liang court party world!

it was 3+am by the time i was home, bathed and ready for zzz. @_@

lucky for hb, i was able to snooze my way till 10+am before the rascals decided once and for all that mummy got to wake up!

got this book from bookdepository and finished it in 2 days.
this is such a sad sad story.
as we all know, prime numbers are only divisible by 1 and itself. so they can't be anymore solitary.
so when 2 prime numbers get together, will they be the perfect match for each other given how similar they are or never be given their very nature?

the book gives us a peek at how tragedy can strike anyone suddenly and without prejudice.
and the aftermath of each tragedy can affect an individual like a poison seed.
taking root and growing into something so strong that devour its host.

i finished the last chapter in our living room with the husband watching channel 8 news on tv.
as i put down the book with a deep sigh, i told him i think im going to tear.
and then the tears start pooling in my eyes and streamed down my cheeks.
(ok, stop the drama mama jest)
the ending made my heart so so heavy. :(
its not exactly sad or a happy one but just like that. just like how life is.

and yes as life goes, the husband is pretty resilient towards his one-kind of a wife.
not at all perturbed by the sudden emo floodgates and instead gave me a comforting squeeze on the arm.
im just glad we are both not prime numbers (but certainly odd numbers i think)...