May 15th was our last day in Bremen. As our train would depart early at 7:15 in the morning, we woke up as early as 5 in the morning. After the early breakfast, we rushed to the train station and got to the right platform just in time. We traveled from Bremen to Kassel then transferred to another train from Kassel to Frankfurt.
After having lunch at Frankfurt, we headed to Zurich. We were supposed to alight at Basel to wait for our train to Luzern but along the way we decided to drop by Zurich instead since the train was going there. The train reached Zurich at around 3 in the afternoon. The weather was not very good at Zurich but at least it wasn’t raining.
We left our luggage at the storage lockers which cost us 18 Swiss francs (8 for the locker and 10 for the store-a-bag counter). For toilet use, one needs to pay 2 Swiss francs. After walking around the area, we had our snacks at Burger King. We had to pay 29 Swiss francs, really expensive for 2 burger meals! We took the 8 p.m. train and reached Luzern an hour later. We arrived at Hotel Seeburg past nine and we all quickly dozed off.
The hotel served good breakfast, a mix of different types of breads, cereals and cold cuts. I made sandwiches for our lunch J so we could save some money. We went to town and followed the walking tour suggested by the tourism office map. In the market place, I found a very nice leather bag but didn’t buy it.
The following day, we went to “The Swiss Transportation Museum” which was just a 10 minute walk from our hotel. Of course, Albert enjoyed this day seeing all kinds of transportation. He especially enjoyed the train exhibit as he really likes trains!
Before heading for Geneva the following day, we took a day trip to Engelberg and Mount Titlis. The trip to Engelberg itself was quite fascinating. The train had to ascend a mountain slope. Albert enjoyed the journey especially every time the train sounded its whistle. It sounded like Thomas, his favourite tank engine. Engelberg was quite foggy when we reached there. It was very cold; the temperature was probably less than 10 degrees C. The cable car to Mount Titlis was 10 minutes away (by walking) from the train station.
The ride to the top of Mount Titlis was divided into three segments. On the first segment, we took a cable car that could fit six persons, similar to the ones in Sentosa. On the second segment, we took a big cable car that could fit more than 30 persons. On the last segment, we took a rotating cable car which could also fit more than 30 persons. When we reached the summit, it was darn cold. It was snowing and windy. Despite that, Albert enjoyed playing with the snow while Alvin and I were shivering. After a while, we managed to adjust to the weather and threw snow at each other. It was cloudy so we couldn’t see anything far. But it was good to touch and play with real snow.
We went back to Luzern to collect our luggage at the hotel. Alvin went alone to the hotel and we waited for him at the train station. While we are in the train station I bought food for our trip. We managed to catch the 5 p.m. train to Geneva.
click here pictures
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Paul and Mary(reading 4years Old)
Yesterday was the last day of Albert’s first school term and his teacher’s assessments were good. He also got a book from the school.
After reading with him for 3-4 times yesterday, this morning(his birthday) he tried to read by himself.
click here video
After reading with him for 3-4 times yesterday, this morning(his birthday) he tried to read by himself.
click here video
In Bremen, Germany
Our SQ flight left Singapore at 11:50 p.m. and arrived at Frankfurt at 6:30 a.m. the following day, Sunday. The total travel time was around 12 hours and 40 minutes. On board the flight, they served us three meals. Since we couldn’t finish all the stuff in the meals, especially Albert’s, I packed some of those that we could still eat (we still had to take a five-hour train to Bremen) so my bag became really bloated and heavier.
During the flight, Albert was behaved quite well which was really good since we didn’t want to disturb the other passengers. He watched two movies, his favorite “Thomas and Friends” and “Bolt”. He also was kept busy by some computer games. When he got tired, he managed to sleep for three hours. He woke up two hours before we landed in Frankfurt and saw the pretty sunrise from above the clouds. My two boys greeted me Happy Mother’s Day!
I was not really impressed with the Frankfurt airport terminal (the airport seemed comparable with NAIA terminal 1). There were only four immigration officers on duty at that time (two of which were handling for European passports) so there was a long queue for non-European travellers.
We had a sort of difficult time looking for our connecting train. Luckily, we arrived there three hours before the train departure so we had enough time to look for the train. We followed the signs (saying “long distance trains”) but were led to the wrong train terminal. The German train system is quite complex and they have a lot of train types (city trains, regional trains, long distance trains, express trains, etc.) The express train that we were taking was in another terminal, but also in the airport. Luckily.
Anyways, Alvin had to have our rail passes validated first before we could board the train (or else we might pay a fine). It took him around 30 minutes to do this because the queue was super long! For our food, I bought two cheese buns (costing 0.90 each), a chicken sandwich for 4.50 euros, and 1 L Evian bottled water for 1.90 euros (bottled water is expensive in Europe and I only saw three brands: Evian, Volvic and Vittel).
We went to the designated train platform 20 minutes before the train arrived. It was really cold! The temperature was probably 10 - 13 C. The trains were very punctual and departed on time. A practical advice: it’s good to arrive several minutes before the train departure to know the exact location of your train coach as the trains can really be very long! It’s also advisable (always is) to travel light as the train floors are not levelled with the platform. You have to lift you luggage by yourself and do it very quickly.
The train (ICE, or inter-city express) departed Frankfurt at 9:57 a.m. and we had to travel for another five hours to reach Bremen, Germany. The train could go super-fast, up to 300 kph, but amazingly there was not much vibration that you could feel inside the coaches! The travel was much smoother than the MRT in Singapore even when the trains were running at blistering speed!
I feel that travelling through the train was really more enjoyable than if we travelled by plane to Bremen. We had a good view of Germany’s beautiful countryside landscape, old castles on hilltops, villages and towns. The train passed and stopped at the following cities: Mainz, Koblenz, Bonn, Koln (Cologne), Wuppertal, Hagen, Dortmund, Munster, Munster (Westf), Osnabruck and lastly Bremen.
When we arrived at Bremen, there was a football riot. Police were all over the place and the rioters were shouting and marching through the train station. Not really scared, just shocked with the very loud noise. We took a cab from the train station to the Hotel Bremer Haus. The hotel was actually near from the train station but we were very tired so we just decided to take cab.
We reached the hotel around 4 p.m. After eating the cakes that I packed from Singapore Airlines and the Rollo(cost 4.20 euros) I bought from the train station, we all went to bed.
click here pictures
Our SQ flight left Singapore at 11:50 p.m. and arrived at Frankfurt at 6:30 a.m. the following day, Sunday. The total travel time was around 12 hours and 40 minutes. On board the flight, they served us three meals. Since we couldn’t finish all the stuff in the meals, especially Albert’s, I packed some of those that we could still eat (we still had to take a five-hour train to Bremen) so my bag became really bloated and heavier.
During the flight, Albert was behaved quite well which was really good since we didn’t want to disturb the other passengers. He watched two movies, his favorite “Thomas and Friends” and “Bolt”. He also was kept busy by some computer games. When he got tired, he managed to sleep for three hours. He woke up two hours before we landed in Frankfurt and saw the pretty sunrise from above the clouds. My two boys greeted me Happy Mother’s Day!
I was not really impressed with the Frankfurt airport terminal (the airport seemed comparable with NAIA terminal 1). There were only four immigration officers on duty at that time (two of which were handling for European passports) so there was a long queue for non-European travellers.
We had a sort of difficult time looking for our connecting train. Luckily, we arrived there three hours before the train departure so we had enough time to look for the train. We followed the signs (saying “long distance trains”) but were led to the wrong train terminal. The German train system is quite complex and they have a lot of train types (city trains, regional trains, long distance trains, express trains, etc.) The express train that we were taking was in another terminal, but also in the airport. Luckily.
Anyways, Alvin had to have our rail passes validated first before we could board the train (or else we might pay a fine). It took him around 30 minutes to do this because the queue was super long! For our food, I bought two cheese buns (costing 0.90 each), a chicken sandwich for 4.50 euros, and 1 L Evian bottled water for 1.90 euros (bottled water is expensive in Europe and I only saw three brands: Evian, Volvic and Vittel).
We went to the designated train platform 20 minutes before the train arrived. It was really cold! The temperature was probably 10 - 13 C. The trains were very punctual and departed on time. A practical advice: it’s good to arrive several minutes before the train departure to know the exact location of your train coach as the trains can really be very long! It’s also advisable (always is) to travel light as the train floors are not levelled with the platform. You have to lift you luggage by yourself and do it very quickly.
The train (ICE, or inter-city express) departed Frankfurt at 9:57 a.m. and we had to travel for another five hours to reach Bremen, Germany. The train could go super-fast, up to 300 kph, but amazingly there was not much vibration that you could feel inside the coaches! The travel was much smoother than the MRT in Singapore even when the trains were running at blistering speed!
I feel that travelling through the train was really more enjoyable than if we travelled by plane to Bremen. We had a good view of Germany’s beautiful countryside landscape, old castles on hilltops, villages and towns. The train passed and stopped at the following cities: Mainz, Koblenz, Bonn, Koln (Cologne), Wuppertal, Hagen, Dortmund, Munster, Munster (Westf), Osnabruck and lastly Bremen.
When we arrived at Bremen, there was a football riot. Police were all over the place and the rioters were shouting and marching through the train station. Not really scared, just shocked with the very loud noise. We took a cab from the train station to the Hotel Bremer Haus. The hotel was actually near from the train station but we were very tired so we just decided to take cab.
We reached the hotel around 4 p.m. After eating the cakes that I packed from Singapore Airlines and the Rollo(cost 4.20 euros) I bought from the train station, we all went to bed.
click here pictures
The Journey (Euro Trip)
Our SQ flight left Singapore at 11:50 p.m. and arrived at Frankfurt at 6:30 a.m. the following day, Sunday. The total travel time was around 12 hours and 40 minutes. On board the flight, they served us three meals. Since we couldn’t finish all the stuff in the meals, especially Albert’s, I packed some of those that we could still eat (we still had to take a five-hour train to Bremen) so my bag became really bloated and heavier.
During the flight, Albert was behaved quite well which was really good since we didn’t want to disturb the other passengers. He watched two movies, his favourite “Thomas and Friends” and “Bolt”. He also was kept busy by some computer games. When he got tired, he managed to sleep for three hours. He woke up two hours before we landed in Frankfurt and saw the pretty sunrise from above the clouds. My two boys greeted me Happy Mother’s Day!
I was not really impressed with the Frankfurt airport terminal (the airport seemed comparable with NAIA terminal 1). There were only four immigration officers on duty at that time (two of which were handling for European passports) so there was a long queue for non-European travellers.
We had a sort of difficult time looking for our connecting train. Luckily, we arrived there three hours before the train departure so we had enough time to look for the train. We followed the signs (saying “long distance trains”) but were led to the wrong train terminal. The German train system is quite complex and they have a lot of train types (city trains, regional trains, long distance trains, express trains, etc.) The express train that we were taking was in another terminal, but also in the airport. Luckily.
Anyways, Alvin had to have our rail passes validated first before we could board the train (or else we might pay a fine). It took him around 30 minutes to do this because the queue was super long! For our food, I bought two cheese buns (costing 0.90 each), a chicken sandwich for 4.50 euros, and 1 L Evian bottled water for 1.90 euros (bottled water is expensive in Europe and I only saw three brands: Evian, Volvic and Vittel).
We went to the designated train platform 20 minutes before the train arrived. It was really cold! The temperature was probably 10 - 13 C. The trains were very punctual and departed on time. A practical advice: it’s good to arrive several minutes before the train departure to know the exact location of your train coach as the trains can really be very long! It’s also advisable (always is) to travel light as the train floors are not levelled with the platform. You have to lift you luggage by yourself and do it very quickly.
The train (ICE, or inter-city express) departed Frankfurt at 9:57 a.m. and we had to travel for another five hours to reach Bremen, Germany. The train could go super-fast, up to 300 kph, but amazingly there was not much vibration that you could feel inside the coaches! The travel was much smoother than the MRT in Singapore even when the trains were running at blistering speed!
I feel that travelling through the train was really more enjoyable than if we travelled by plane to Bremen. We had a good view of Germany’s beautiful countryside landscape, old castles on hilltops, villages and towns. The train passed and stopped at the following cities: Mainz, Koblenz, Bonn, Koln (Cologne), Wuppertal, Hagen, Dortmund, Munster, Munster (Westf), Osnabruck and lastly Bremen.
When we arrived at Bremen, there was a football riot. Police were all over the place and the rioters were shouting and marching through the train station. Not really scared, just shocked with the very loud noise. We took a cab from the train station to the Hotel Bremer Haus. The hotel was actually near from the train station but we were very tired so we just decided to take cab.
We reached the hotel around 4 p.m. After eating the cakes that I packed from Singapore Airlines and the Rollo(cost 4.20 euros) I bought from the train station, we all went to bed.
During the flight, Albert was behaved quite well which was really good since we didn’t want to disturb the other passengers. He watched two movies, his favourite “Thomas and Friends” and “Bolt”. He also was kept busy by some computer games. When he got tired, he managed to sleep for three hours. He woke up two hours before we landed in Frankfurt and saw the pretty sunrise from above the clouds. My two boys greeted me Happy Mother’s Day!
I was not really impressed with the Frankfurt airport terminal (the airport seemed comparable with NAIA terminal 1). There were only four immigration officers on duty at that time (two of which were handling for European passports) so there was a long queue for non-European travellers.
We had a sort of difficult time looking for our connecting train. Luckily, we arrived there three hours before the train departure so we had enough time to look for the train. We followed the signs (saying “long distance trains”) but were led to the wrong train terminal. The German train system is quite complex and they have a lot of train types (city trains, regional trains, long distance trains, express trains, etc.) The express train that we were taking was in another terminal, but also in the airport. Luckily.
Anyways, Alvin had to have our rail passes validated first before we could board the train (or else we might pay a fine). It took him around 30 minutes to do this because the queue was super long! For our food, I bought two cheese buns (costing 0.90 each), a chicken sandwich for 4.50 euros, and 1 L Evian bottled water for 1.90 euros (bottled water is expensive in Europe and I only saw three brands: Evian, Volvic and Vittel).
We went to the designated train platform 20 minutes before the train arrived. It was really cold! The temperature was probably 10 - 13 C. The trains were very punctual and departed on time. A practical advice: it’s good to arrive several minutes before the train departure to know the exact location of your train coach as the trains can really be very long! It’s also advisable (always is) to travel light as the train floors are not levelled with the platform. You have to lift you luggage by yourself and do it very quickly.
The train (ICE, or inter-city express) departed Frankfurt at 9:57 a.m. and we had to travel for another five hours to reach Bremen, Germany. The train could go super-fast, up to 300 kph, but amazingly there was not much vibration that you could feel inside the coaches! The travel was much smoother than the MRT in Singapore even when the trains were running at blistering speed!
I feel that travelling through the train was really more enjoyable than if we travelled by plane to Bremen. We had a good view of Germany’s beautiful countryside landscape, old castles on hilltops, villages and towns. The train passed and stopped at the following cities: Mainz, Koblenz, Bonn, Koln (Cologne), Wuppertal, Hagen, Dortmund, Munster, Munster (Westf), Osnabruck and lastly Bremen.
When we arrived at Bremen, there was a football riot. Police were all over the place and the rioters were shouting and marching through the train station. Not really scared, just shocked with the very loud noise. We took a cab from the train station to the Hotel Bremer Haus. The hotel was actually near from the train station but we were very tired so we just decided to take cab.
We reached the hotel around 4 p.m. After eating the cakes that I packed from Singapore Airlines and the Rollo(cost 4.20 euros) I bought from the train station, we all went to bed.
Trip prepations
I was quietly stressed and filled with fears and so many what ifs about the swine flu pandemic news. But still, I set aside my feelings because I didn’t want this to ruin my planning.
I even home quarantined Albert from school. I didn’t send him to school since Monday for fear that he might catch some virus from school and get sick. Kiasu Karen J
With some hesitations, I still continued thinking and buying stuff for our trip. I even documented the packing of our luggage which I did last Tuesday.
Today’s news made me happy and less worried because the Ministry of Health – Singapore raised down the alert flag from orange to yellow.
click here photos
I even home quarantined Albert from school. I didn’t send him to school since Monday for fear that he might catch some virus from school and get sick. Kiasu Karen J
With some hesitations, I still continued thinking and buying stuff for our trip. I even documented the packing of our luggage which I did last Tuesday.
Today’s news made me happy and less worried because the Ministry of Health – Singapore raised down the alert flag from orange to yellow.
click here photos
Our Luggage(Europe 2009)
Finally, we’ll be flying in several hours time. I planned to sleep longer than usual but still woke up at my normal waking time. I was probably just excited (and anxious) for the trip.
We’ll be traveling for 18 days (including air travel times) and will be visiting places where the temperature ranges form 8-18 degrees Celsius. Winter Time and Cold Wear’s list suggests that we need 3 layers of clothing. I spent a lot time just planning what to include in our luggage…I didn’t want to spend extra money to buy necessary things in Europe (because I heard that its expensive to buy stuff there). After listing down everything that we would need for 18 days, I discovered that we needed to pack at lot for the three of us. Instead, I decided just to pack for 7-9 days and we will just find a laundry shop around our hotel.
Our packing list
Alvin’s Conference
4 Long sleeves
2 Pants
1 Coat
2 neck tie
4 handkerchiefs
1 belt
Tops
Inner (long john, intimate wear, shirts)
6 Dad
6 Mom
8 Albert
Mid Layering (sweater/cardigan)
2 Dad
4 Mom
4 Albert
Mid Layering (long sleeves)
3 Dad
3 Mom
3 Albert
Outer wear(jacket/coat/windbreaker)
1 Dad
1 Mom
2 Albert
Sleepwear (tops and bottoms)
4 Dad
4 Mom
6 Albert
Bottoms (corduroy/jeans)
2 Dad
4 Mom
3 Albert
Underwear
8 Dad
15 Mom
8 Albert
Accessories
Cotton socks
6 Dad
6 Mom
6 Albert
Belts
1 Dad
1 Mom
1 Albert
1 Backpack
1 umbrella
1 water bottle
Sunglasses
Albert’s milk powder
Toiletries
Lip balm
face moisturizer
body moisturizer
tooth brush & tooth paste
comb
nail cutter
shaver
shaving cream
Medications
Pei Pa
Cold & flu remedy
Fever & pain
White flower
Plasters
Bengay ointment
Extra for suppers
3in1 wheat sachets
Biscuits
I managed to pack all of the above in 1 large and 1 medium luggage bag. I also packed 1 empty sports bag as spare.
Planning our trip was really fun indeed.
We’ll be traveling for 18 days (including air travel times) and will be visiting places where the temperature ranges form 8-18 degrees Celsius. Winter Time and Cold Wear’s list suggests that we need 3 layers of clothing. I spent a lot time just planning what to include in our luggage…I didn’t want to spend extra money to buy necessary things in Europe (because I heard that its expensive to buy stuff there). After listing down everything that we would need for 18 days, I discovered that we needed to pack at lot for the three of us. Instead, I decided just to pack for 7-9 days and we will just find a laundry shop around our hotel.
Our packing list
Alvin’s Conference
4 Long sleeves
2 Pants
1 Coat
2 neck tie
4 handkerchiefs
1 belt
Tops
Inner (long john, intimate wear, shirts)
6 Dad
6 Mom
8 Albert
Mid Layering (sweater/cardigan)
2 Dad
4 Mom
4 Albert
Mid Layering (long sleeves)
3 Dad
3 Mom
3 Albert
Outer wear(jacket/coat/windbreaker)
1 Dad
1 Mom
2 Albert
Sleepwear (tops and bottoms)
4 Dad
4 Mom
6 Albert
Bottoms (corduroy/jeans)
2 Dad
4 Mom
3 Albert
Underwear
8 Dad
15 Mom
8 Albert
Accessories
Cotton socks
6 Dad
6 Mom
6 Albert
Belts
1 Dad
1 Mom
1 Albert
1 Backpack
1 umbrella
1 water bottle
Sunglasses
Albert’s milk powder
Toiletries
Lip balm
face moisturizer
body moisturizer
tooth brush & tooth paste
comb
nail cutter
shaver
shaving cream
Medications
Pei Pa
Cold & flu remedy
Fever & pain
White flower
Plasters
Bengay ointment
Extra for suppers
3in1 wheat sachets
Biscuits
I managed to pack all of the above in 1 large and 1 medium luggage bag. I also packed 1 empty sports bag as spare.
Planning our trip was really fun indeed.
Europe Trip 2009 (Planning Stage)
In March, Alvin’s research paper was accepted in a conference to be held in Germany. I actually didn’t have a plan to go to Europe but after seeing the different sights, I decided to “tag along” with Alvin and visit other places in Europe.
I actually started looking out for popular tourist destinations in Europe using Google Earth since late last year (even though we had no immediate plan at that time). We “officially” started planning after Alvin’s paper was accepted. We first applied for an entry visa. The processing took 10 working days.
Just want to share what I learned during the planning:
A) Visa Processing Requirements:
1) Airline itinerary: can get from travel agencies for free
2) Hotel bookings: Can get bookings online
3) Child does not need to pay visa fees
4) Insurance: NTUC is cheaper than AIG and more comprehensive
B) Airfare Comparison (SG to Frankfurt):
1) Etihad Airways (has stop-overs) was the cheapest but they don’t fly daily
2) Qatar Airways (has stop-overs) was also cheaper than SQ but they have a stop-over of more than 15hrs in Qatar.
3) Qantas Airways flies direct and cheaper than SQ by a few hundred dollars
4) Singapore Airlines flies direct but more expensive than Ethihad, Qatar and Qantas. But if you get the odd flight times, it will be cheaper than Qantas and Qatar Airways.
C) Euro Rail
1) Can by online thru www.eurail.com.sg (Dynasty Travel)
2) Point to point 2nd class seat is much more expensive than Global Pass (if you are going to visit several countries).
3) Global pass are 1st class seats and Flexible for 15, 30, 60 days.
D) Hotels
I compared the prices of several websites such as bookings.com; hotels.com; and Octopus.com. We used our Marriott points for our accommodation in Paris.
E) Clothing – For a budget-type like me…
1) Cold Wear – I got some cheap on sale clothes from here
2) Winter Time – They have more variety than Cold Wear
3) John Little – Cheaper than 1&2 but lesser options
4) Song Song – Cheaper than the rest J bought some cotton turtle neck shirts.
F) Museums Pass
Paris Museums pass: www.Paris.concierge.com
Metro Pass: www.parismetro.com
Disneyland Paris: www.365tickets.com
Switzerland Tours: www.viator.com
G) Reference books for our itinerary
1) Europe Eyewitness
2) Lonely Western Europe
3) Frommer’s Europe
4) Budget Europe
5) Lonely Planet Switzerland
6) Switzerland Brochures: you can request online and switzerland will send you by parcel
G) Itinerary
At first, my itinerary was for 21days and was very ambitious. I had to revise it 14 times to get a more realistic one. Some of the revisions I made:
1st version: Germany (Frankfurt, Bremen, Berlin), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Belgium (Brussels), France (Lille, Paris, Versailles), Switzeland (Geneva), Italy (Milan, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Assisi, Venice)
2nd version: Germany (Frankfurt, Bremen, Berlin), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Belgium (Brussels), France (Lille, Paris, Versailles), Spain (Barcelona, Madrid)
3rd version: Germany (Frankfurt, Bremen, Berlin), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Switzerland(Geneva), Belgium (Brussels), France (Lille, Paris, Versailles), Spain (Barcelona, Madrid)
.
.
.
In the end, we had to cut down a lot of countries (as the cost was too much!) and going thru many countries was not practical and realistic for a very short time. We settled down to three countries, namely, Germany (Bremen, where Alvin’s conference will be held, 5Nights), Switzerland (Lucerne 3Nights and Geneva 2Nights) and lastly France (Paris 5Nights and Versailles)
Hotels:
Bremer Haus Hotel(BREMEN, GERMANY)
The hotel is in the city’s historical core, just out of reach of all the hustle and bustle of the city on a peaceful sidestreet; the perfect Bremen getaway. Start your day with the hotel’s hearty breakfast buffet, then head out and discover all the city’s hidden treasures. For business travelers, the hotel is close to the exhibition grounds, and for those who want to extend their sightseeing to the outlying area and nearby towns, the railway station is also nearby.
Address: Loningstrasse 16 - 20, 28195 Bremen, Germany
Rate: SGD212/night winclusive of breakfast
Seeburg Hotel, Luzern (LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND)
Situated in lush green surroundings in Seeburg, 3 km from the centre of Lucerne and right on the banks of Lake Lucerne, Hotel Seeburg offers stunning architecture and great views.
Spend peaceful nights in tastefully furnished rooms and enjoy the wonderful views towards the lake, the mountains and the forest.
Choose between the elegant Alexander restaurant serving gourmet cuisine and selected wines, and the stylish Seerestaurant with its great views on Lake Lucerne, Mount Pilatus and romantic sunsets.
Enjoy inspiring conversations in the Sunset City Beach Light bar, where all Lucerne meets in summer under the open sky.
A wide range of stylish and fully equipped seminar and banquet rooms are at your disposal as well in the Seeburg hotel.
Hotel Rooms: 57
Addres: Seeburgstrasse 61
6006 Luzern, Switzerland
Tel: 041 375 55 55
Rate: SGD242/night inclusive of breakfast
Renaissance Paris Hotel La Defense(PARIS, FRANCE)
The Renaissance Paris Hotel La Defense is in the heart of La Defense district of Paris, France. Just next to the Grande Arche de La Defense this Paris hotel is just a few minutes from the capital's famous attractions: only 6 metro stops from the Champs-Elysees. Guests can walk from the Renaissance Paris Hotel La Defense to the large shopping center "les 4 Temps" as well as to the CNIT conference center. Whether you come by train, metro or taxi from Paris airports, access to the hotel is easy and for those coming by car there is a private and supervised hotel car park. This upscale hotel provides spacious hotel rooms with Marriott bedding, air conditioning, Internet access, premium TV channels, and in-room safe. For successful conferences and events there are 13 meeting rooms with natural daylight and broadband internet. Hotel guests have free access to the fitness gym with sauna and steam room. Guests can enjoy traditional French cuisine in the hotel restaurant and a relaxing atmosphere at the Colonial bar.
60 Jardin de Valmy, Boulevard Circulaire, Sortie 7
Paris La Defense Cedex, 92918 France
Phone: 33 1 41975050
Rate: SGD321/night inclusive of breakfast
I actually started looking out for popular tourist destinations in Europe using Google Earth since late last year (even though we had no immediate plan at that time). We “officially” started planning after Alvin’s paper was accepted. We first applied for an entry visa. The processing took 10 working days.
Just want to share what I learned during the planning:
A) Visa Processing Requirements:
1) Airline itinerary: can get from travel agencies for free
2) Hotel bookings: Can get bookings online
3) Child does not need to pay visa fees
4) Insurance: NTUC is cheaper than AIG and more comprehensive
B) Airfare Comparison (SG to Frankfurt):
1) Etihad Airways (has stop-overs) was the cheapest but they don’t fly daily
2) Qatar Airways (has stop-overs) was also cheaper than SQ but they have a stop-over of more than 15hrs in Qatar.
3) Qantas Airways flies direct and cheaper than SQ by a few hundred dollars
4) Singapore Airlines flies direct but more expensive than Ethihad, Qatar and Qantas. But if you get the odd flight times, it will be cheaper than Qantas and Qatar Airways.
C) Euro Rail
1) Can by online thru www.eurail.com.sg (Dynasty Travel)
2) Point to point 2nd class seat is much more expensive than Global Pass (if you are going to visit several countries).
3) Global pass are 1st class seats and Flexible for 15, 30, 60 days.
D) Hotels
I compared the prices of several websites such as bookings.com; hotels.com; and Octopus.com. We used our Marriott points for our accommodation in Paris.
E) Clothing – For a budget-type like me…
1) Cold Wear – I got some cheap on sale clothes from here
2) Winter Time – They have more variety than Cold Wear
3) John Little – Cheaper than 1&2 but lesser options
4) Song Song – Cheaper than the rest J bought some cotton turtle neck shirts.
F) Museums Pass
Paris Museums pass: www.Paris.concierge.com
Metro Pass: www.parismetro.com
Disneyland Paris: www.365tickets.com
Switzerland Tours: www.viator.com
G) Reference books for our itinerary
1) Europe Eyewitness
2) Lonely Western Europe
3) Frommer’s Europe
4) Budget Europe
5) Lonely Planet Switzerland
6) Switzerland Brochures: you can request online and switzerland will send you by parcel
G) Itinerary
At first, my itinerary was for 21days and was very ambitious. I had to revise it 14 times to get a more realistic one. Some of the revisions I made:
1st version: Germany (Frankfurt, Bremen, Berlin), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Belgium (Brussels), France (Lille, Paris, Versailles), Switzeland (Geneva), Italy (Milan, Florence, Pisa, Rome, Assisi, Venice)
2nd version: Germany (Frankfurt, Bremen, Berlin), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Belgium (Brussels), France (Lille, Paris, Versailles), Spain (Barcelona, Madrid)
3rd version: Germany (Frankfurt, Bremen, Berlin), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Switzerland(Geneva), Belgium (Brussels), France (Lille, Paris, Versailles), Spain (Barcelona, Madrid)
.
.
.
In the end, we had to cut down a lot of countries (as the cost was too much!) and going thru many countries was not practical and realistic for a very short time. We settled down to three countries, namely, Germany (Bremen, where Alvin’s conference will be held, 5Nights), Switzerland (Lucerne 3Nights and Geneva 2Nights) and lastly France (Paris 5Nights and Versailles)
Hotels:
Bremer Haus Hotel(BREMEN, GERMANY)
The hotel is in the city’s historical core, just out of reach of all the hustle and bustle of the city on a peaceful sidestreet; the perfect Bremen getaway. Start your day with the hotel’s hearty breakfast buffet, then head out and discover all the city’s hidden treasures. For business travelers, the hotel is close to the exhibition grounds, and for those who want to extend their sightseeing to the outlying area and nearby towns, the railway station is also nearby.
Address: Loningstrasse 16 - 20, 28195 Bremen, Germany
Rate: SGD212/night winclusive of breakfast
Seeburg Hotel, Luzern (LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND)
Situated in lush green surroundings in Seeburg, 3 km from the centre of Lucerne and right on the banks of Lake Lucerne, Hotel Seeburg offers stunning architecture and great views.
Spend peaceful nights in tastefully furnished rooms and enjoy the wonderful views towards the lake, the mountains and the forest.
Choose between the elegant Alexander restaurant serving gourmet cuisine and selected wines, and the stylish Seerestaurant with its great views on Lake Lucerne, Mount Pilatus and romantic sunsets.
Enjoy inspiring conversations in the Sunset City Beach Light bar, where all Lucerne meets in summer under the open sky.
A wide range of stylish and fully equipped seminar and banquet rooms are at your disposal as well in the Seeburg hotel.
Hotel Rooms: 57
Addres: Seeburgstrasse 61
6006 Luzern, Switzerland
Tel: 041 375 55 55
Rate: SGD242/night inclusive of breakfast
Renaissance Paris Hotel La Defense(PARIS, FRANCE)
The Renaissance Paris Hotel La Defense is in the heart of La Defense district of Paris, France. Just next to the Grande Arche de La Defense this Paris hotel is just a few minutes from the capital's famous attractions: only 6 metro stops from the Champs-Elysees. Guests can walk from the Renaissance Paris Hotel La Defense to the large shopping center "les 4 Temps" as well as to the CNIT conference center. Whether you come by train, metro or taxi from Paris airports, access to the hotel is easy and for those coming by car there is a private and supervised hotel car park. This upscale hotel provides spacious hotel rooms with Marriott bedding, air conditioning, Internet access, premium TV channels, and in-room safe. For successful conferences and events there are 13 meeting rooms with natural daylight and broadband internet. Hotel guests have free access to the fitness gym with sauna and steam room. Guests can enjoy traditional French cuisine in the hotel restaurant and a relaxing atmosphere at the Colonial bar.
60 Jardin de Valmy, Boulevard Circulaire, Sortie 7
Paris La Defense Cedex, 92918 France
Phone: 33 1 41975050
Rate: SGD321/night inclusive of breakfast
Making Faces(Reading@47months)
For the past few days, Alvin took over the night reading sessions with Albert while I was busy preparing for our trip. Alvin taught him how to read the short story entitled “Making Faces”. It took Albert two days to read the story on his own.
Click here video
Click here video
My Mommy (Reading@47months)
Teaching a child to read is very challenging and needs PATIENCE but the result is very rewarding for me as a mom.
Click here video
Click here video
47months "One Little Rabbit"
I’ve been busy planning our trip and forgotten to take videos of Albert’s reading lessons for sometime. Here’s a video of his latest reading lesson.
click here video
click here video
Up in the sky
Last week, we went to Kinokoniya Ngee Ann City to find maps for our trip and to buy a book for Albert. But we never found a book that is suitable for our reading lessons (that is, with large fonts and minimal pictures.) So I decided to make a book for him myself. I searched for simple stories from the web and printed it out using big fonts.
On that same day, we let Albert read through the book and today, just 3 days after, he almost can read the whole story with minimal assistance.
Click here video
Here are some of the tips that I got from the book (How to Teach your Baby to Read by Glenn Doman ) which I think are quite effective based on my experience:
1) Show your child the words in lower case letters except first letter of a proper name and in large font.
2) 5-minute sessions several times a day in order not to tire out your child (Vocabulary of the family environment; Vocabulary to build sentence’s structure; Phrases)
3) Follow text with your finger as you read
4) Teach according to your child’s mood. Do not force!
5) Build up the confidence of your child, appreciate his accomplishments
6) Don’t start a session when one of you is tired, hungry or bored.
7) Have fun together; take this as your bonding time with your child.
On that same day, we let Albert read through the book and today, just 3 days after, he almost can read the whole story with minimal assistance.
Click here video
Here are some of the tips that I got from the book (How to Teach your Baby to Read by Glenn Doman ) which I think are quite effective based on my experience:
1) Show your child the words in lower case letters except first letter of a proper name and in large font.
2) 5-minute sessions several times a day in order not to tire out your child (Vocabulary of the family environment; Vocabulary to build sentence’s structure; Phrases)
3) Follow text with your finger as you read
4) Teach according to your child’s mood. Do not force!
5) Build up the confidence of your child, appreciate his accomplishments
6) Don’t start a session when one of you is tired, hungry or bored.
7) Have fun together; take this as your bonding time with your child.
Albert’s development
Albert’s progress for the past months:
1) Drinks formula milk only before sleeping
2) He hasn’t been wearing diaper for the past 3months
3) He talks a lot
4) He uses Google to search for games or Thomas J
5) He eats the same as our meals
6) He can play a memory matching game of 3x6 in 2mins
7) In the process of constructing asking questions
8) He can color nicely if he in a good mood or not rushing to do other things
9) Less “NO”
10) Less tantrums
1) Drinks formula milk only before sleeping
2) He hasn’t been wearing diaper for the past 3months
3) He talks a lot
4) He uses Google to search for games or Thomas J
5) He eats the same as our meals
6) He can play a memory matching game of 3x6 in 2mins
7) In the process of constructing asking questions
8) He can color nicely if he in a good mood or not rushing to do other things
9) Less “NO”
10) Less tantrums
Recap
Kinareer naming lately dito sa bahay ang mag-reading sessions with Albert.
We have been very enthusiastic with the progress of our reading lessons. Even Albert himself looked very interested also. When he wakes up in the morning, he always wants to read his flash cards and he says “put in youtube ok” hahaha. Really encouraging even his playgroup teacher made a comment on my facebook and encouraged me more to continue with the reading lessons faithfully.
Today I tried to recap our one week of reading lessons. We had a total of 110 flashcards containing 171 words. I shuffled the flash cards and the result; Albert managed to read 90% of the flashcards.
click here video
We have been very enthusiastic with the progress of our reading lessons. Even Albert himself looked very interested also. When he wakes up in the morning, he always wants to read his flash cards and he says “put in youtube ok” hahaha. Really encouraging even his playgroup teacher made a comment on my facebook and encouraged me more to continue with the reading lessons faithfully.
Today I tried to recap our one week of reading lessons. We had a total of 110 flashcards containing 171 words. I shuffled the flash cards and the result; Albert managed to read 90% of the flashcards.
click here video
"Sponge" Albert
After our two-worded reading sessions, i was becoming really amazed and filled with excitement with the progress of our reading lessons. So last night before i went to sleep i made new flashcards for Albert and this time containing phrases.
In the evening, after our 2 session(morning and afternoon) i tried to have 1 round with him before our friends arrived for dinner and the results were very amazing.
I realized that a child's brain at this stage is really like a sponge. It can absorb many things. Even though i have just shown the flash cards twice before this video was taken, he able to remember and read the words correctly.
click here video
In the evening, after our 2 session(morning and afternoon) i tried to have 1 round with him before our friends arrived for dinner and the results were very amazing.
I realized that a child's brain at this stage is really like a sponge. It can absorb many things. Even though i have just shown the flash cards twice before this video was taken, he able to remember and read the words correctly.
click here video
Visita Iglesia 2009
Good Friday is holiday here in Singapore and for the first time we thought to visit 7 churches in Singapore. We went with our friends who were on vacation in Singapore and met some old and new friends during the visiting.
We started our first leg at 9am to St Anne Church which is just a walking distance from home. Then we took a bus to the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary followed by Immaculate Heart of Virgin Mary and managed to catch a mass. Then we headed to City via MRT. We alighted at Little India station and took another bus to Our Lady of Lourdes. Then we walked thru Queen street to St. Joseph followed by Sts Peter and Paul and lastly to the Cathedral of Good Shepherd. We finished our Visita Iglesia before 3pm.
We reached back home at 5pm. I thought we’re all very tired and I think also because the weather was very hot. All slept and woke-up before dinner.
"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."
~ C.T. Studd
We started our first leg at 9am to St Anne Church which is just a walking distance from home. Then we took a bus to the Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary followed by Immaculate Heart of Virgin Mary and managed to catch a mass. Then we headed to City via MRT. We alighted at Little India station and took another bus to Our Lady of Lourdes. Then we walked thru Queen street to St. Joseph followed by Sts Peter and Paul and lastly to the Cathedral of Good Shepherd. We finished our Visita Iglesia before 3pm.
We reached back home at 5pm. I thought we’re all very tired and I think also because the weather was very hot. All slept and woke-up before dinner.
"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."
~ C.T. Studd
First 2 worded Session
After finishing almost 200 words, we tried to test if we could go to next level using two-worded flash cards. Im proud to say that Albert memorized the words within two days.
Click here video
Click here video
47.3 months old
Albert memorized all the words in one day only. We just did the morning, afternoon and evening session.
click here video
click here video
Albert can read
When Albert was two years old, we tried to teach him to read. We created flash cards containing familiar words and flashed them to him as suggested by a book. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work out because he couldn’t speak that much yet that time.
Several days ago, we tried it again. Surprise! In less than two weeks, he could read more than 70 words. For the next two weeks, we will start showing him adjectives and articles. Then after that, we will try out with couplets and phrase.
click here video
Several days ago, we tried it again. Surprise! In less than two weeks, he could read more than 70 words. For the next two weeks, we will start showing him adjectives and articles. Then after that, we will try out with couplets and phrase.
click here video
2009Jan - New Word "Sand dune"
Last night before we went to sleep, we talked about what we could see in the countryside. Albert made several suggestions. Here was our conversation:
Mommy: What are the things you see in the countryside?
Albert: Lake
Mommy: Lake. Good, what else?
Albert: River
Mommy: Yes river. Anymore?
Albert: Pond
Daddy: Very good, what else?
Albert: Fish in the pond
Daddy: Wow fishes in the pond...
Albert: Ah, mountains...
Mommy: Yes, mountains.
Albert: Trees.
Mommy: Good..trees
Albert: Sand dune
Mommy: Ano daw, daddy?
Daddy: Sand dune.
Mommy: Ano yun?
Daddy: Parang field sa desert...
Mommy: Next, what else? (I learned new word from albert, hihihi)
.
.
car
road
bus
train
.
.
.
zzzzzZZZZ
Mommy: What are the things you see in the countryside?
Albert: Lake
Mommy: Lake. Good, what else?
Albert: River
Mommy: Yes river. Anymore?
Albert: Pond
Daddy: Very good, what else?
Albert: Fish in the pond
Daddy: Wow fishes in the pond...
Albert: Ah, mountains...
Mommy: Yes, mountains.
Albert: Trees.
Mommy: Good..trees
Albert: Sand dune
Mommy: Ano daw, daddy?
Daddy: Sand dune.
Mommy: Ano yun?
Daddy: Parang field sa desert...
Mommy: Next, what else? (I learned new word from albert, hihihi)
.
.
car
road
bus
train
.
.
.
zzzzzZZZZ
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