Starnberger See

Continuing the mini break after Legoland, we drove approx. another 1.5hrs thru Munich to Starnberg. Our next destination... The lake - Starnberger see...

After check in at our hotel - Hotel Residence Starnberger See - we freshened up a little and then went on our hunt for the next Beer Garden we can find. When you are in Bayern (Bavaria), you look for beer garden food!!...

At the recommendation of the hotel receptionist, the nearest one to us is Tutzinger Biergarten and that was where we went...

Took awhile before we made the turn into the small little road leading up to this beautiful beer garden by the lake.. Our stomachs were already growling with a vengeance by the time we arrived.. Stepping out of the car, we were greeted with the smell of BBQ fish.. Heavenly... 

Stangerl Fisch

We had our fills and took our time to soak in the beautiful view of the sunset by the lake.. Priceless!!...

Day 2 started with a decent breakfast at the hotel. We then drove down to Starnberg Port where our little (approx) 3hr roundabout cruise starts (and ends... lol).

The beautiful Starnberger see is only 1 of 5 lakes in this region - Fünfseeland.. If we have the time and chance, maybe we can make a trip to visit all of them..

As it was still early, we also made a trip to the oldest pilgrimage church in Bavaria since 1850 - Kloster Andechs.. The interior of the church was simply breathtaking...

Interior of the church

We decided to be adventurous and made the climb to the top of the bell tower.. Do not try this if you are afraid of heights and claustrophobic... 

Interior of the bell tower

Exterior of the bell tower

The last adventure of the day was the forest climb (in my flimsy sandals) to the 'König Ludwig II Gedenkstätte' where King Ludwig was said to have drowned. A church was built at this point in remembrance of him.

Memorial cross (the small one) at the spot where King Ludwig's body was found

So.. that's the end of our short 2 day break... Looking forward to the next one but I hope we don't get sunburnt again.. Lol...

L E G O L A N D Deutschland

2013 has been such a bad travel together with Mikka year. All travel plans were either made alone or not materialized... I felt that we really needed a short break away - Together...

We decided to do a short getaway starting with Legoland!!...

Have been talking about visiting this place for a long time but never did get down to planning it. Since its only about 1.5hrs away from here, why should we not include it in our 'mini vacation'?

It was no surprise that the moment we got out of the car in the parking lot, we were more or less surrounded by kids (of all ages ranging from 3 - 80)... Lol... It's afterall a kids paradise... 

Since we already got our entrance tickets online, there was no need to queue to get them (thank God!!)... That saved us at least 20mins. 

 

First thing that hit you after u push past the entrance bar was "Now I remember why we love Lego".... Tiny pieces of coloured plastic bricks put together to become all kinds of fantastic and amazing figures... WOW!!!... As you go further into the park, big and small figurines always never fail to keep the smile on your face along the way...

There are rides, 4D films, live animal shows.. Something for everyone in the family. For those who prefer to walk around, there's the miniature land that is absolutely gorgeous.. Mini versions of Berlin, Amsterdam, Castle Neuschwanstein to name a few. Also, for all those Star Wars fans.. of course you can find your favourite characters build up from what else but - Lego bricks... 

Tip for those who want to visit.. Double up on the batteries for your camera and phones.. You WILL make lots and lots of pictures.. 

Castle Neuschwanstein 

Das Rote Rathaus in Berlin 

Amsterdam 

Hamburg 

Allianz Arena München

Tübingen

A few weeks back we made a day trip to Tübingen. Also known to be the traditional University Town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The buildings and architecture in the old town is super.. As the second world war did no big damage to this part. Most of the buildings were unscathed and very well preserved. The Rathaus (City Hall), traditional half timbered houses & Schloß Hohentübingen are the main attractions in the Altstadt (Old Town). Just some pictures to share... =)

 The Rathaus (City Hall)

 

Schloß Hohentübingen

Traditional Half Timbered Houses

 Streets of Tübingen

Going 4 months and still having fun....

2 more days and its the 3 month mark for me in Germany.. How time flies... I was still just complaining that the weather is always cold cold freezing freezing.. now its Spring already. Still chilly but there is definitely more sunshine... =)
Still 'struggling' with school but I made quite a few new friends. My class is super international.. We have classmates from so many countries. Spanish, USA, Canadian, Czech, Russia, Turkey, Peru, Ukraine, Taiwan and of course... China.. *winks* Its really interesting when we go out for meals cos there are some many different languages coming from one table.. LOL...
Other than the norm school day routine, I have managed to find some interesting 'close to home' food. There's a Chinese restaurant - Rice Man - in downtown Stuttgart that sells Sichuan Mala-Steamboat.. Was soooo elated and it actually tastes not too bad..  But do take note that the steamboat is on the second level. The shopfront is quite deceptive.. Looks well... not so appetizing.. If I didn't know it, I would never step in.. keke.. Last weekend I also found a great Korean restaurant - Eat Drink Man Woman - @ Schwabstraße a few stops away from Stuttgart by S-Bahn. The BBQ is great but personally, I would give the Kimchi soup a pass the next time.. =D
Today is Mikka's birthday so I decided to try to cook some real German food. Poor Mikka, had to put up with my not East not West cooking.. but he's still alive.. keine panic!! So, for the first time in my life, I attempted the Schweinebraten... and it didn't taste too bad.. keke.. I also made Vanilla & Chocolate pudding for dessert.. Sweet right?.. *winks* Hope that he liked this Birthday dinner...
So much so for now.. will try to update more soon... Ciao!!

Gathering on X'mas eve 2009...

I know its already waaaaay over Christmas but I only managed to get pictures today, hence the late update...
This group of friends will always be dearest.. Have known them since I was 10.. Nice eh.. Having gatherings with them is always nice and fun.. Brings back a lot of old memories and at the same time creating new ones.. *Grinz* I will miss them when I go away...
Last year's gathering was at Veron's new place @ Compass Heights.. Nice function rooms they have, but just a tad too complicated to get to it.. LOL.. Much easier if you just go straight in from the outside. You would be completely lost once inside the compound. Food was good.. the cake was great.. *yummie* chocolate cake from the Hilton... *winks* Sometimes when we have gatherings, I always have this feeling that I'm growing too old too fast.. keke.. Looking at the kids.. woah.. what have I been doing for the last few years? *giggle* With thanks to Feryl, I have some pictures of that nite....But i just realized that we didn't take any group photos... shucks!! We have to take one.. at least one....

KL Trip 2010

Had a great trip to KL over the weekend. Eat and shop till you drop.. Actually I haven't done this much walking for a loooooong time.. keke... We had to get to the airport by 6am so I practically didn't sleep for most of the night.. Mikka called me grouchy.. LOL I had to admit cos I was really tired and I didn't dare to sleep for fear of not being able to wake up.. Poor me... Love the bed too much.. All was fine, caught a cab, picked up Adrian and Jo and we were headed for the airport. The best thing about Jetstar Asia is the flight takes off from Terminal 1 instead of the sucky budget terminal in which my opinion is - even Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal looks nicer... *giggle* After we checked-in, we headed over to Delifrance to catch a cup of morning coffee and some food. There was this local guy in the queue behind us. He gave his order to the aunty behind the counter -"An egg croissant please".. guess what was the reply? "HAH? 8 Kosong??" We nearly flipped and that guy was so embarrassed. When on earth did Delifrance started selling pratas or did she think he wanted 8 plain croissants? *ROFL* Singapore Changi Airport should really take note of hiring people who can speak better English. To speak, it is supposed to be an International Airport and what? Best in the world? (Or has it been overtaken?) Anyway, that was just a prelude to a happy and fun trip. We slept all the way and the flight was so short it felt just like taking a bus from Yishun to Bedok.. keke.. When we touched down at KLIA, we were a little lost as we had to take a Skytrain to the main immigration block. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze... early morning crowd?? Feels like work huh? =P After a round of looking for our check-in luggage (cos there were simply too little as most people brought hand-carry) we finally cleared immigration and made our way to the hotel to check-in. We stayed at the Coronade Hotel, the location is awesome if you wanna shop shop shop n shop.. LOL It is situated directly opposite Sungei Wang Plaza and within walking distance to most of the shopping malls around that area. The minute we settled the hotel check-in we headed behind the street to have the long missed Bak Kut Teh (Herbal Pork Rib Soup) *Yummie* and after that.. needless to say.. walking all over the place to explore.. I really have no idea how many times we actually visited Times Square. I found the very talked-about 'Krispy Kreme Donut' that Keani is crazy over (Hey babe, u have yours in the States, I have mine in KL =P ) There is one setback during this trip.. I never got on that rollercoaster in the Cosmo's World Indoor Theme Park right inside Times Square itself.. Lach!! They only sell the package entrance tickets which I don't have time for.. I will be back... wait for me rollercoaster... keke.. Other than shopping.. we also drank like crazy.. I could never imagine that we could finish 3 beer towers... keke... Food is great too.. We managed to find the 'famous' Marmite Crab after some searching and well... the taste is not fantastic but something very different from what we normally have.. good!! *Thumbs Up* We should do this again sometime.. keke...

Girl's Nite Out...

Had a little dinner cum drinks outing with Karen and Lucy last Friday.. If you are ever thinking of stuffing yourself silly, or simply just feel like 'pigging out', a good recommendation would be Vienna International Seafood & Teppanyaki Restaurant. They have a good mixture of Japanese, Chinese and Western selection for you to satisfy your stomach. My favourite pick would be the cakes and desserts ending the meal with a nice cup of hot tea. Price is also quite reasonable @ S$36.80++ per pax (for Fri/Sat/Sun & P.Holidays). If you wanna dine there, especially if you have a big group, it is advisable to call in advance for reservations. We were put on the waiting list for a day before we finally managed to confirm a table for just the 3 of us. After dinner, we decided to take a walk in the mall to help digest a little. However, only after awhile, we ended up in a little cosy pub just a few doors down the restaurant. The Brauhaus Restaurant & Pub is a great place if you wanna have a nice chat and a few good drinks. Music is not too loud so you do not have to scream your lungs out when you wanna talk to someone else. Their all-time favourite on the menu would be of course the Pork Knuckles but we had no more space for food. Maybe we will try it another time. The most attractive thing for this pub would be the wide selection of beers from Germany, Belgium, Australia, India, Japan, Jamaica, Brazil, Canada, Argentina, Morocco, Namibia, France, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Thailand, UK, USA and I really dunno where else.. LOL.. I have no idea who else in Singapore can beat this range...

** Mikka.. have to bring you and Yogi here.. Think you guys would like the place.. keke

~~6 more days.... Mikka come~~ *Blink Blink*

Countdown to Mikka's arrival - 6 days!! Waiting is agony....
Mikka's latest craze is golfing and he's trying to perfect it every chance he has... keke...
Amidst the busy 'golfing' schedules (=P) Mikka had to make a trip down to the Ritter Sport Chocolate Factory last weekend to fulfill the many requests for Schklolade over here... *chuckle*  Not forgetting the Hanutas as well..
His Missy, that's me is also asking for Swabian noodles and Bifi's...
I just love Bifi's.. Perfect junk-food to stop your rumbling stomach for a good while.. keke..
** Don't worry Mikka, for these, I will bring you to the golf shop down in Kreta Ayer, I more or less already know where it is... =D **

Back on Track *PC Revived*

Finally... After a few agonizing days without my PC, now I'm back on track. *GRINZ*
Was actually supposed to get it back last night but my PC doc forgot to take my CPU with him when he left the office... bugger... Nevermind.. at least I got it back, now I'm HAPPEEE......

I told Mikka baby that I saw a news report about an 'invasion' of marmots in Germany's southern Allgäu region that's driving the

Image via Wikipedia

farmers crazy.. (http://www.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20090825-21481.html) Now he says he's going 'Marmot Hunting' on Saturday... sounds fun..
He got himself a new toy, the - Canon Photoshot SX200IS - a reeaaal good camera. Can't wait to get my hands on it too... keke..Hope he really finds them and take a few goods pictures..

* But Mikka, be careful not to step into their traps.. Remember they can kill cows too.. * *chuckle*