Let the pictures do the talking
The impressions and feelings
I have within me
on a sunny autumn in Regents Park
As I glaze at the blazing leaves
and bid farewell to the summer leaves
I whisper...
"Goodbye summer, hello autumn"
Friday, 30 October 2009
"Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn"
I am a woman with little words
Let the pictures do the talking
The impressions and feelings
I have within me
on a sunny autumn in Regents Park
As I glaze at the blazing leaves
and bid farewell to the summer leaves
I whisper...
"Goodbye summer, hello autumn"
Let the pictures do the talking
The impressions and feelings
I have within me
on a sunny autumn in Regents Park
As I glaze at the blazing leaves
and bid farewell to the summer leaves
I whisper...
"Goodbye summer, hello autumn"
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
The other side of Catalunya: Barcelona
Normally a visitor will spend about 3 to 4 days for a vibrant city like Barcelona. Initially I thought two days would be sufficient to cover Barcelona. But somehow, if a friend would ask me, I would recommend at least 3-5 days to really experience the different facets of this city. Nonetheless, we have managed to compact all the major attractions during our short two days visit. Here is our adventure:
3rd Oct 2009 (Sat), Barcelona : The first arrival
The 1.5 hour train journey from Girona went by swiftly. By the time we’ve arrived Plaza Catalunya, near La Rambles where the Barcelona’s very own ‘Oxford Street’, it was almost 8pm. After choosing a Hard Rock Café t-shirt, A & I walked around the city amidst the large crowd in search for our hostel. After about 20 mins walk, we found and checked into our little home. We left our bags and headed in search for some 'tapas' in one of the restaurants nearby. We chatted till about 9-10pm, and then we walked to the beach with a quest for the Baja Beach Club, a pub which my manager recommended before I left.
4th Oct (Sun)- Barcelona’s main attractions
We woke up in the morning and geared with small bags, excited to begin our real exploration of Barcelona, a city with bustling activities.
During out almost 12 hours exploration, these are the places which we have visited:
Cathedral
Located right behind our hostel, this cathedral proves not only a convenient but worthwhile stop over. The ongoing mass during the morning made our visit even more enriching.
Casa Bastlo –An impressive masterpiece of Gaudi with the organic theme. I really like the architecture and design in and out of the house. I felt as if I was in an undersea world, being ‘lost’ inside the bluish architecture. Even the aged lift left me in awe.
Casa Mila- Another astounding architecture of Gaudi. This brownie building gave me an impression of huge mushrooms from the outside.
Sagrada Familia – This church was never completed up to today. Nonetheless, monies are invested in maintaining and restoring the original design of Gaudi. The inside of the building with the very unique pillars resemble trees with brances in a massive forest. It was indeed a brilliant masterpiece. Hence it is no wonder that until today, it was never finished because the building requires many talents and planning from many facets of skills including engineers, architects and renowned designers.
Park Guelle-This is an impressive open park with many Gaudi’s sculptures and architectures with the frog being the icon of Barcelona as you can see in many postcards. We walked around the park , visited the Gaudi museum, listened intensively to a pair of passionate and talented violin and keyboard players in the square, and finally climbed to the top of a hill, where we witnessed the bird view of the true Barcelona. It was amazing!
La Ramblas - We came back to La Ramblas with an attempt to visit another Gaudi building but it was closed for construction. Nonetheless, we overcome our disappointment with another Spanish specialty, 'paella' a.k.a seafood rice.
Musical Fountain - We took the metro to Espanya to have a taste of the quieter and romantic side of Barcelona- the musical fountain. We waited until 10pm, but somehow, the show never materialized. We have no choice but to leave with disappointment. It also means that we left with another reason to come back. :)
Beach near the Olympic City - Despite the disappointment and exhaustion, we left for the beach at the Olympic City with a final attempt to search for Baya Beach Club, but to no avail. Instead, we visited some other pubs nearby, but later decided that we were simply too tired and instead return to the hostel.
5th Oct (Mon) –Barcelona – Final Call
We woke up pretty early with a last attempt of getting a sneak preview of Barcelona’s other gems. We dropped by at some places and took quick snapshots before heading to the bus stop to catch our bus to Girona. Here are some of our final destinations:
Musuem Picasso - We walked passed the museum which could be easily missed as it was located at a very small lane, dwarfed by this big city. As it was Monday, musuems here are mostly closed- another tip worth mentioning to anyone who wish to visit these places in Barcelona.
Arch of Triumph (AOT) – The arch simply reminds me of Paris and India where their very own AOT attract tourists like honey and bees. It makes me think that perhaps if Malaysia or UK could have build their very own AOT, many tourists would come flooded to the place. Ahh, sometimes, life can be just so superficial!
Plaza Citta Musical - The bulding was not as impressive as I have expected, at least during this short visit. It is supposed to be an old building but somehow, it looks more like a modern architecture, which appear to be an ordinary piece of work. Or perhaps I have expected more after appreciating Gaudi's work in comparison.
Finally,before we hopped on to our bus for the Girona airport, we've managed a brief , but satisfying 30 mins visit to the ‘Gaudi Cascada’ located just 15 mins walk at a park nearby. We took a quick snapshot and ran back to the Nord bus station, grinning with much contentment.
3rd Oct 2009 (Sat), Barcelona : The first arrival
The 1.5 hour train journey from Girona went by swiftly. By the time we’ve arrived Plaza Catalunya, near La Rambles where the Barcelona’s very own ‘Oxford Street’, it was almost 8pm. After choosing a Hard Rock Café t-shirt, A & I walked around the city amidst the large crowd in search for our hostel. After about 20 mins walk, we found and checked into our little home. We left our bags and headed in search for some 'tapas' in one of the restaurants nearby. We chatted till about 9-10pm, and then we walked to the beach with a quest for the Baja Beach Club, a pub which my manager recommended before I left.
4th Oct (Sun)- Barcelona’s main attractions
We woke up in the morning and geared with small bags, excited to begin our real exploration of Barcelona, a city with bustling activities.
During out almost 12 hours exploration, these are the places which we have visited:
CathedralLocated right behind our hostel, this cathedral proves not only a convenient but worthwhile stop over. The ongoing mass during the morning made our visit even more enriching.
Casa Bastlo –An impressive masterpiece of Gaudi with the organic theme. I really like the architecture and design in and out of the house. I felt as if I was in an undersea world, being ‘lost’ inside the bluish architecture. Even the aged lift left me in awe.
Casa Mila- Another astounding architecture of Gaudi. This brownie building gave me an impression of huge mushrooms from the outside.
Sagrada Familia – This church was never completed up to today. Nonetheless, monies are invested in maintaining and restoring the original design of Gaudi. The inside of the building with the very unique pillars resemble trees with brances in a massive forest. It was indeed a brilliant masterpiece. Hence it is no wonder that until today, it was never finished because the building requires many talents and planning from many facets of skills including engineers, architects and renowned designers.
Park Guelle-This is an impressive open park with many Gaudi’s sculptures and architectures with the frog being the icon of Barcelona as you can see in many postcards. We walked around the park , visited the Gaudi museum, listened intensively to a pair of passionate and talented violin and keyboard players in the square, and finally climbed to the top of a hill, where we witnessed the bird view of the true Barcelona. It was amazing!
La Ramblas - We came back to La Ramblas with an attempt to visit another Gaudi building but it was closed for construction. Nonetheless, we overcome our disappointment with another Spanish specialty, 'paella' a.k.a seafood rice.Musical Fountain - We took the metro to Espanya to have a taste of the quieter and romantic side of Barcelona- the musical fountain. We waited until 10pm, but somehow, the show never materialized. We have no choice but to leave with disappointment. It also means that we left with another reason to come back. :)
Beach near the Olympic City - Despite the disappointment and exhaustion, we left for the beach at the Olympic City with a final attempt to search for Baya Beach Club, but to no avail. Instead, we visited some other pubs nearby, but later decided that we were simply too tired and instead return to the hostel.
5th Oct (Mon) –Barcelona – Final Call
We woke up pretty early with a last attempt of getting a sneak preview of Barcelona’s other gems. We dropped by at some places and took quick snapshots before heading to the bus stop to catch our bus to Girona. Here are some of our final destinations:
Musuem Picasso - We walked passed the museum which could be easily missed as it was located at a very small lane, dwarfed by this big city. As it was Monday, musuems here are mostly closed- another tip worth mentioning to anyone who wish to visit these places in Barcelona.
Arch of Triumph (AOT) – The arch simply reminds me of Paris and India where their very own AOT attract tourists like honey and bees. It makes me think that perhaps if Malaysia or UK could have build their very own AOT, many tourists would come flooded to the place. Ahh, sometimes, life can be just so superficial!
Plaza Citta Musical - The bulding was not as impressive as I have expected, at least during this short visit. It is supposed to be an old building but somehow, it looks more like a modern architecture, which appear to be an ordinary piece of work. Or perhaps I have expected more after appreciating Gaudi's work in comparison.
Finally,before we hopped on to our bus for the Girona airport, we've managed a brief , but satisfying 30 mins visit to the ‘Gaudi Cascada’ located just 15 mins walk at a park nearby. We took a quick snapshot and ran back to the Nord bus station, grinning with much contentment.
Sunday, 18 October 2009
The Catalunya Experience - Girona
2nd Oct 2009 (Fri) – Girona
I took the 8.50pm plane from London and arrived at the Girona airport at about 12 mid night. I met A, who flew from Paris for our weekend rendezvous. After getting lost for a while or making the dawn discoveries of the town in our very own way, we’ve managed to reach the hostel at about 1.30-2.00am. :)
3rd Oct 2009 (Sat) - Girona
After barely a few hours but sufficient sleep, we headed to the broken wall on the east side of the town to start our very own discoveries. The central location of the hostel and the accessible size of Girona allowed us to visit the attractions by foot without much hassle. During our 7-8 hours exploration, we have managed to visit two Cathedrals and even witnessed a local wedding. We had our brunch in a cafeteria at the square in front of one of the Cathedrals. We took our time slowly, enjoying every moment of the medieval city views, while savoring the toasted sandwich and a hot cup of cappuccino.
Hah, for a moment I felt life is beautiful! Beautiful weather, nice company, great medieval environment (always my cup of tea) and most importantly I am on holiday, away from the busy lifestyle for a moment! :) A good catch up with a friend from faraway in a place I want to be with the sunny weather made the trip even more enjoyable. What more could I ask?
We walked up the remains of the medieval walls and towers towards the Arabian bath, John Lennon garden, and headed back to the opposite directions to the medieval town itself. Girona itself is a nice place for shopping whilst strolling through the small lanes which brings out the locals' culture and life. The architecture of the buildings resembles some of the smaller cities in Italy and they have equally fascinated me. Strolling through the labyrinth of the Jewish quarters also brought back the imagination where, when and how the Jews once lived many thousand years ago. Throughout all the strolls, I have never once felt without the mystical aura of the medieval town.
On the bridge, we were trapped in between the Onyar River which separates the city from the old and new.. Being the usual artistic and sentimental me, I can’t help imagining myself in a time clock. Over to my right were the modern office buildings where our train station is situated. Over to my left were the historical sites, buildings and the colourful old houses and the ever impressive small lanes in between the medieval buildings. The lanes, lamp posts, doors and old architecture of the aged buildings never failed to amazed me. Like many old medieval towns, filled with priceless thousand years of histories and hidden (untold) stories, I’ve grown accustomed to Girona.
I took the 8.50pm plane from London and arrived at the Girona airport at about 12 mid night. I met A, who flew from Paris for our weekend rendezvous. After getting lost for a while or making the dawn discoveries of the town in our very own way, we’ve managed to reach the hostel at about 1.30-2.00am. :)
3rd Oct 2009 (Sat) - Girona
After barely a few hours but sufficient sleep, we headed to the broken wall on the east side of the town to start our very own discoveries. The central location of the hostel and the accessible size of Girona allowed us to visit the attractions by foot without much hassle. During our 7-8 hours exploration, we have managed to visit two Cathedrals and even witnessed a local wedding. We had our brunch in a cafeteria at the square in front of one of the Cathedrals. We took our time slowly, enjoying every moment of the medieval city views, while savoring the toasted sandwich and a hot cup of cappuccino. 
Hah, for a moment I felt life is beautiful! Beautiful weather, nice company, great medieval environment (always my cup of tea) and most importantly I am on holiday, away from the busy lifestyle for a moment! :) A good catch up with a friend from faraway in a place I want to be with the sunny weather made the trip even more enjoyable. What more could I ask?
We walked up the remains of the medieval walls and towers towards the Arabian bath, John Lennon garden, and headed back to the opposite directions to the medieval town itself. Girona itself is a nice place for shopping whilst strolling through the small lanes which brings out the locals' culture and life. The architecture of the buildings resembles some of the smaller cities in Italy and they have equally fascinated me. Strolling through the labyrinth of the Jewish quarters also brought back the imagination where, when and how the Jews once lived many thousand years ago. Throughout all the strolls, I have never once felt without the mystical aura of the medieval town.
On the bridge, we were trapped in between the Onyar River which separates the city from the old and new.. Being the usual artistic and sentimental me, I can’t help imagining myself in a time clock. Over to my right were the modern office buildings where our train station is situated. Over to my left were the historical sites, buildings and the colourful old houses and the ever impressive small lanes in between the medieval buildings. The lanes, lamp posts, doors and old architecture of the aged buildings never failed to amazed me. Like many old medieval towns, filled with priceless thousand years of histories and hidden (untold) stories, I’ve grown accustomed to Girona.
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