Europe Trip 2007

It's been a looong time since I wrote an entry here. For those who still check out this page now and then, I guess I am finally back now with some stories to tell. The reason for my absence was really coz I forgot my password and user id and admin stuff like that. Too many passwords, my limited brain cells can't seem to take it these days.

So anyway, I just got back from one of the most adventurous trips I've ever had I think . Adventurous coz, we were in europe, in 3 different countries in a span of two weeks, with a manic, super hyper toddler under two and the amount of luggage that comes with it. Carrying diapers and two big tins of milk to last for two weeks, really adds up to a lot of stuffs. Over there, we were largely guided by maps after maps and a lot of intuition and helpful people. We were glad, alim's parents came with us to London and Paris, leaving us on our own in Swtzerland, while they made their way to Rome.

But i must say, it was one of the best trips we've ever had precisely coz the little one came along. People around just warms up to us when they see his quirky antics and friendly nature. He made so many friends along the way and it was just nice to watch them play. We were lucky he didnt get sick or anything like that and surprisingly slept soundly the most part of the 14 hoours flight. Phew for that! To those who worry about bringing a lil one to travel far and away with diffrent time zones, I would say, just go for it. You won't regret it coz u would have so many funny memories to bring home with you. But be prepared in case things go wrong, pack all the medicine he would need just in case, enough toys to keep him occupied and most importantly, read his body language to know when he's tired or has had enough.Irfan had one day of wacky sleep patterns and adjusted just fine the following day to the right time zone.

If you want to go sumwhere but not sure where to go, I would strongly recommend to go Switzerland!! You must go there at least once in your lifetime. It's just like paradise, the view of the mountains, lakes, glacier and alps just takes your breath away. trust me, the pictures and postcards that u see? well, the real thing is even better than that! I like the place so much, the air is fresh, its calming and the view is so panaromic that you cant believe your eyes. You should just lay your mat by the lake, with a view of the white alps and green mountains before you, and just sit there and do nothing. Everywhere you are, everywhere you turn to, the view is just like a picture. When I was there, I really didnt ever want to go home. You must go there, you must you must!!

London and Paris is full of history, like u would imagine it to be. London is full of historic castles, palaces that dates back to centuries ago. We went to buckingham palace and witnessed the change of guards, trafalgar square and picadilly circus and witnessed the youths hanging out. we also went to windsor castle, tower of london where the crown jewels are and finally saw the London bridge. Madame Tussaud was interesting and some of the statues really looked real, very real. But some, looked nuthing like the real people.
but the highglight of London, to me was taking the London Eye and of course, Stonehenge! It's quite spooky actually seeing the stones, standing majestic in the middle of the empty stretch of green field. Some of the stones looked like they had faces on them. Hmmm, makes you wonder...

The drive out of London was nice. We rented a car and took two days to drive out of london and see the countryside. We were surrounded by green fields and pretty cottages along the way. We managed to visit Shakespeare's birthplace and his home town as well as oxford university. The cottages were really pretty and we were so envious of the acres of empty green fields they have everywhere. If you ever decide to drive from london out, you might want to stay at cheltenham, at this place called the rising sun hotel. The hotel is on a hill and you would definitey not be dissapointed with the view. Along the drive you would pass cotswolds, one of the most scenic drive (as claimed by lonely planet) out of london.

And then there was the Eiffel Tower for Paris. To me, Paris didnt feel as romantic as it was hyped up to be. Maybe coz, we had the little one with us, and running around chasing after him, didnt quite capture the romantic atmosphere that Paris is famous for. Having the lil one spill hot chocolate while we relax at the cafe also didnt quite fit the idea of chilling out at the cafe and sipping latte. Told you, you would bring back many funny memories, if the lil one comes along! And I must say, Paris is not as clean as I expected. We could smell the stench of piss along the way. But i suppose the eiffel tower makes up for everyhting. the view from Eiffel Tower was great and very very windy. We took a boat ride along the river and we had a good view of the its famous buildings, like Notre Dame and Arc de Triomphe.

If you go to Paris, you must also visit the Louvre musuem where the real painting of Mona Lisa is placed. The strcuture of the musuem is really unique too.

Things are super expensive there, so we didnt shop much. But we did walk along oxford street in london and champs elysee in paris, where the shopping streets are.

If you ask me to compare between these three countries, I must say my personal favourite would definitely be switzerland. I just cant get over it. I keep telling alim i must go back there. You see the pictures and u would know what i mean. If you decide to go, visit grindelwald and you see great views. Go to jungfrau which is the top of europe and play with snow.Super cold! jakun irfan had a great time playing with snow and throwing em around. The view from there is also breathtaking. But the best part for me was when we took the cogwheel train up to schynige platte and you see clearly the peaks of the three highest alps in switzeralnd; jungfrau, eiger and monch. Haizz..i cant describe it. You could also capture the view of the oberland, where the two lakes hugs the mainland. We also took the boat ride along the super green lakes. Relaxing.

I could really go on and on about switzerland but this entry has gotten to be very lengthy. And Honestly, we are dead tired now. I dunno how I am going to go to tommorow's meeting in school, where reality strikes back. Irfan is also very lethargic and suffering from flu and slight fever. Guess we are adjusting. Glad he got sick only when we got back and not while we were there. I think you could imagine how tiring our trip was, having the lil one with us, making milk along the way, changing his diapers every now and then, chasing after him everywhere. Im just glad non of us fell sick there. Thank god for that!

Im just glad i got to spend two full weeks with irfan. The time spent was really priceless. As a result, I think he has become very clingy towards us. Dunno how it be for him when we get back to school.

Will upload the pics later. So many stories to tell..silly things that happened along the way, but maybe I'd do that later. Right now, Im gonna catch up on some sleep. Till later..