Takamatsu, Japan

Although Takamatsu is a small city, it is unique in the sense that it is a place where tourists would not go. Thanks to 14th IGAC Meeting, I was able to come and visit this small and interesting city of Japan. With my favourite cuisine and beautiful gardens, my first experience in Japan was lovely.

23 September 2018, Hong Kong > Takamatsu, Cloudy

I woke up very early in the morning and travelled to the airport to catch my flight to Takamatsu. Since the time in Japan is an hour faster, the time today is only 23 hours. After a smooth four hour flight, I found myself in Japan, for the first time. I was able to figure out the transport and arrived in my hotel fast and smooth. After checking in and placing down my luggage, I began to explore the immediate surroundings around my hotel. I found a ramen shop (which also turned out to be the favourite ramen in my trip) nearby. Although they use chicken bones to make the broth, it was still very delicious and I enjoyed my first dinner here. After dinner, I walked around the area to find a large supermarket. I spent about an hour walking around because the supermarket is filled with very interesting Japanese goods. It was nightfall when I am done.

24 September 2018, Takamatsu, Cloudy

I began my day with a western breakfast. I then ventured into the unknown. I took the JR train to Yashima. I relied on google maps and walked towards Shikoku Mura. It was a refreshing walk because the Japanese streets are quite unique. Soon, I found myself at the bottom of the Yashima mountain. There is also a shrine at the side, so I decided to go to the shrine first. The shrine requires us to climb some stairs. I climbed up to the top, and when I looked back, the view of Takamatsu was not bad. I was supposed to wash myself with the well water to cleanse myself before going near the shrine, but I did not know that at that time. After that, I entered Shikoku Mura. Shikoku Mura features the old style Japanese architecture. After entering the paid area, you'll be greeted with a vine bridge, which you can walk around if you are a faint-heart. Crossing the vine bridge is quite scary since the gaps between the logs are quite big, and the centre of it brings you dangerously close to the surface of the water. I spent about two hours wandering around, discovering ancient Japanese methods of making paper, soy sauce, fishing, etc. I was pretty hungry by the time I am done, so I ate at the udon shop nearby. I got the cold udon with soy sauce dip. It is very refreshing. After lunch, I took the bus to the top of Yashima mountain. There, I explored the flat top peak. I entered the Yashima temple area first. Although the weather is bad, it was still beautiful. I can't help but notice that there is a paid entry museum, but nobody is going in. I left the compound and passed by some souvenir shops before reaching the viewing area of the Yashima mountain. Here, there is a tradition of throwing clay discs off the mountain for good luck. It represents the victory of the Minamoto warriors after they defeat the Taira. I did not throw any clay discs, but the view of Takamatsu from here is quite spectacular. I moved on, walking past an aquarium, and finally back to the bus bay. I began walking another round, when I realized I did not take raw pictures of the view of Takamatsu. This time, I walked a different route and discovered something that I did not find previously, the ruins of Yashima castle, so I decided to look for it. It was pretty okay. I then walked back and get my picture of Takamatsu from Yashima mountain. Majestic. It is one of the must see views of Japan. Cloudy day kinda makes it less impressive though.

I then took the bus back down and headed towards Kawaramachi, where I found a sushi place for dinner. The sushi from Japan is simply delicious. I ate it the correct way, because the sushi chef pressed it well and the fish really would not come off when you invert it. This ended my day and made me really happy.

25 September 2018, Takamatsu, Cloudy

Today is the beginning of the ICACGP and IGAC meeting. I began my day with a traditional Japanese breakfast. They have such a big meal for breakfast, complete with rice. Being a good early career scientist, I basically sit through all the talks. The lunch was disappointing because there was none left for us. People from my department just ended up walking to the supermarket nearby to buy our own lunch. My previous supervisor's student gave a talk in the afternoon, and I talked to him after his talk. Our dinner was at a more expensive sushi place. The uni here is really very nice.

26 September 2018, Takamatsu, Cloudy

Today was a full day at the conference. Breakfast was the full Japanese breakfast again. The professor from my department have a talk today. Lunch was better. I managed to get some food despite staying back to attend the soft skill course for early career scientists. The poster session was very good. I walked around and talked to many people, asking about their project and also learning about some knowledge that actually helps my research. Poster sessions is always a favourite activity of mine in a conference. There is a wealth of knowledge to be learnt by talking to the presenters. We went out with a Japanese professor and his student from Taiwan for dinner. They are actually from Earth Observatory Singapore. I had a good time getting to know them and talking to them over dinner. We had some drinks too.

27 September 2018, Takamatsu, Partly Cloudy

I had breakfast at the same place again. Today was really productive at the conference although it was a half day. Some of the talks were really interesting and beneficial to my research. Talks include biogenic emissions and biomass burning emissions. I managed to talk to Alex Guenther. We went to a very local udon shop for lunch, and it was perhaps the nicest udon I ever had. We then walked to Ritsurin garden, the tourist attraction that Takamatsu is most well known for. We began the tour by taking the boat. It was a small boat that only had four passengers. The guide spoke Japanese with the Japanese passenger, teaching him things about the garden. We however did not understand a thing. It was really a lovely boat ride though.

After the boat ride, we began exploring the garden on foot. It was really a refreshing walk in the park. We repeatedly ran into scientists from the conference. There were a few small buildings which had exhibits in them. There was a house that was showing the history of udon making. There was also one with wood handicrafting. There is a small garden where they actually use a broom to sweep the little stones into linear patterns. It was really unique and pretty. I went back and got the iconic picture of Ritsurin garden, which is also the cover photo of this post. This cover photo is appropriate given that Takamatsu is the most famous of this garden. In fact, if you google Takamatsu, this is the picture that you will see. Dinner was banquet style at Clement hotel. Unfortunately, I was late and missed the performance by one of the local school. I had difficulty trying to get a seat since most people were already seated with people they are comfortable with. I got a seat with people I have never met before. I talked with them, which was nice. The food was decent, the fish course was really good. Our table was not seated fully, but the waitresses still continued to serve food. They must have been ordered to do so in case anyone joins in late, they would still have all the courses. Japanese hospitality at its finest. After the meal, as I was walking around the area, the principal of the school approached me and gave me his name card. I felt strange, but I accepted his name card graciously and tried to talk to him politely. I was even pulled into the performing group's group photo. It was strange, but people were slightly drunk (maybe) and I just played along. I later found out that the Japanese treats their name card like an extension of oneself, so we have to treat the card with respect. Luckily I did! I just found it interesting as to why an important person such as this principal would give me an item so important to him. The banquet was really generous with the whiskey. When my friend and I asked for whiskey, the bartender gave us a glass with about 3 shots in it! I drank it slowly. When people started dancing, I left the place and went back to my hotel to rest.

28 September 2018, Takamatsu, Clear
It was a big day today as I have my presentation. I was nervous for the entire morning and noon. I skipped the talks in the morning so that I could rehearse for my talk in my room. The weather was lovely.

The two tallest buildings in Takamatsu, with the clear blue sky, greeted me as I left my hotel and walked towards the convention centre. There was a lunch with established scientists session, and I was assigned to table 24. When I got to the lunch tent, there was no table label and I had no idea which was table 24. I had no appetite anyway, so I decided to go to the auditorium early and rehearse for my talk one last time. At about three, it was finally my turn to speak. I was glad that I delivered all the content slowly and nicely, in a very calm manner. My nervousness somehow did not get the better of me. It was a nice talk and many people liked it. Some people came and talk to me after the session ended, telling me how they liked the style of my presentation. I was glad that I was able to speak in a way that made many people understand my work. Poster session 2 began shortly. As I was walking around the posters, random people will come along and say 'hey, you're the one that spoke just now, nice talk!'. These comments are really reassuring to hear. Poster session 2 turned out to be really nice and helpful as well. I met my lecturer from NUS. She did not recognize me, but from my expression, she knew I recognized her. We caught up a little bit about my undergraduate department. Finally, the day ended, and I was so relieved and tired at the end of today's conference. We had dinner at a random shop. I had some alcohol to relax after a stressful day.

29 September 2018, Takamatsu, Rain

As Typhoon Trami comes closer and closer, the weather deteriorated. Winds started picking up even today. The morning session of the conference went by fast, and the closing ceremony followed. I did not win the early career scientist award, but it was still good because I still got the chance to speak to an international audience about my work, and now, many people know me. This is perhaps the greatest takeaway for me attending this conference. I had ramen for lunch and began stocking up food for the typhoon that will arrive tomorrow. I spent my afternoon in the hotel since it was already raining slightly. Dinner was at the same sushi restaurant that I had after the day I explored Yashima mountain. This time, I did not try to save money. I ordered all the sushi that I liked and enjoyed one of the best meals that I had in Japan, with the benefit of being alone. The sushi chef made all the sushi in front of me.

Although there was no words exchanged, there was some eye contact and interaction. He was happy that I liked the sushi. The person sitting next to me ordered the soy pepper wings, which tempted me to do the same. It was quite good too. I was so full after this meal, but it was really satisfying.

30 September 2018, Takamatsu, Typhoon

For the first time ever in my travel blogs, I have this weather, haha. I had to extend my hotel stay by 1 day since the flight back to Hong Kong has been rescheduled. I basically spent the entire day in the hotel, and it was really quite sad. The only time I went out was in the morning, for my breakfast. Lunch and dinner was instant noodles. I also ate a few snacks then and now. I tried to do some work, but the internet was not good. Totally unproductive day, both in terms of work and travel. The typhoon winds continued throughout the night although the rain has stopped.

1 October 2018, Takamatsu > Hong Kong, Clear

After the storm has passed, it is time to head back to Hong Kong. Weather turned surprisingly good and Takamatsu appears to be barely scratched by the typhoon. The bus to get to the airport has a very strange schedule and I had to wait for two hours for the next bus after I check out from my hotel. Determined not to waste time sitting at the bus stop, I decided to make good use of the nice weather to explore and take good pictures of Tamamo Park, a small park right next to the CBD. I had to carry my luggage while walking around the park, but nevertheless, I made quick work of the park. The park contains ruins of Takamatsu castle. From the main ruins, the view is not bad. At one of the corners of the park, a watch tower still stands.

I really like this picture. I then went back to the bus stop and the bus arrived on schedule, bringing me to the airport to catch my rescheduled flight back to Hong Kong. I felt a little sad as I left Japan. The food and the culture here made me really like this country. I guess I would be back in Japan at some point later in my life, with my dearie, to another region of Japan. Till next time, I guess.

Istanbul

Credits go to Turkish Airlines for providing us with this free walking tour of Istanbul. Very adequately named, the Touristanbul brought us around the city, allowing us to have a sneak peek of what Istanbul has to offer.

14 July 2018, Rome > Istanbul, Sunny

After a short flight, we landed in Istanbul Ataturk airport early. We immediately went to clear the customs as we really want to do the Touristanbul. Fortunately, we made it for the 4PM to 9PM tour. We waited at the Starbucks until the tour began. We got up a bus, which took us into the city. Our tour guide joined us on the bus and immediately started to introduce the city to us. I fell asleep on the bus ride there as I was so tired. We started our walking tour somewhere near the Blue Mosque. Our first stop was the Sultanahmet Square. Here, there were three pillars: Walled Obelisk, Serpent Column and the Obelisk of Theodosius. It was quite interesting because the obelisks were carved with hieroglyphics, something that looks like it came straight out of a game. Interestingly, the base of the Obelisk of Theodosius is made from a different material, and is intricately carved. They most probably belong to two different eras, and the Obelisk was mounted into the base later on. The next stop was the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia is very huge. It's too bad that since it is a short tour, we could not go inside to look at the exhibits. Our next stop was the Grand Bazaar. According to the guide, there are thousands of shops inside the Bazaar. We walked inside just to get some pictures, and then got out. There was not a lot of time to explore, and we are worried about getting lost inside, so we did not venture too much. The guide then brought us to our dinner place. We were very pleased to find out that the dinner was at a local five star hotel, and was provided free of charge as part of the tour. They served a three course meal. Appetizer was tomato soup and a kind of cheesy snack, the main was chicken and rice, and the dessert was lokma, fried dough dipped in syrup. We were very happy with the dinner. Afterwards, we were led back to the bus and the bus took us back to the airport. We were surprised that we needed to go through a bag check before even entering the airport. Worse, after we entered, we did not recognize the place since the departure hall and the arrival hall was really different. After walking about, we found the same Starbucks and went there to chill until about midnight, and that was when we entered the gates to go to the boarding area for our flight back to Singapore.

15 July 2018, Istanbul > Singapore, Partly Cloudy

We boarded the plane at about 1 AM. This was the first time I am having a long flight with dearie. We played some solitaire together after the plane took off. After we ate, we just kept sleeping until it was time to eat again. Soon, our plane reached Singapore and we landed safely. This was the end of our long tour in Europe. We felt extremely thankful that throughout our trip, we packed our itinerary with many things to see, but yet found time to rest when we were really tired. Everything went according to plan and we were never mugged or have our important items stolen. Many memories were created in this 17 day (excludes flying days) trip, and they will probably stay with us forever. If they don't, I always have these blog posts and our pictures to refer back to from time to time. We also came back safe and sound, albeit with lots of itchy mosquito bites from Italy, and have many exciting tales to share with our families and friends.

Italy

So, we continue our tour in Europe. Italy is a very charming country, with so many iconic landmarks to its name. Dearie and I enjoyed our time in Italy very much despite the summer heat and the ever bothersome mosquitoes. As usual, we were wary of pickpockets throughout the trip and indeed we had a close encounter. We were really thankful that everything went smoothly as planned. We travelled from city to city, from the north down south, via train. Indeed, the Italians are the best at spaghetti.

8 July 2018, Chamonix > Milan, Sunny

We entered Italy via the Alps, a rather perfect place to start our travels in Italy. After crossing through the Mont Blanc tunnel, we arrived at Courmayeur. Our Flixbus from Courmayeur to Milan was delayed by more than an hour, so that got us really worried. We were quite hungry, but there was no shops where we could buy takeaway food, so we just survived on fruit bars. We arrived at Lampugnano bus station and took the train to Milan Centrale. We had a scary incident when someone tried to steal from dearie's bag. Thankfully, she reacted fast enough. This incident made us even more wary of our surroundings in Milan. We checked into our hotel and travelled to the oldest shopping mall in Italy, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. There, we experienced eating a late lunch in the oldest shopping mall. We then explored the area. The only interesting thing is probably the shopping mall and the majestic Milan Cathedral.

This huge beauty is the only reason why I have decided to make a stop in Milan. The carvings on this cathedral is really intricate. Each of those small spikes are intricately carved out of stone. We also had ice cream here, and it was tasty. I learnt that the flavour straciatella is actually just chocolate chip. We arranged to have dinner together with my friend Cathy. This was prearranged, but was still very coincidental since both of us are travelling, and we both happened to be in the same city on the same day. We have a lighthearted meal, the four of us. I am glad that dearie can get along very well with Cathy. Soon, we said goodbye and we returned to the hotel to rest.

9 July 2018, Milan > Venice, Sunny

We started our day happy with a rather nice breakfast in the hotel. We then made our way to Milano Centrale train station. Here, I bought a pair of Havaianas slippers under the repeated advise from dearie. It was a good decision and I did not regret buying it. Soon, we were on the train towards Venice. I started to annoy dearie by imitating the voice announcements on board the train. Venezia Santa Lucia was quite a mouthful to say indeed. Our first impressions on Venice... We are captivated by the small rivulets. Indeed, there were no tarmac roads, but only rivers running everywhere. There were no cars and buses, but only boats, gondolas and vaporettos (water bus). We checked into the BnB first. The house was really nicely decorated. We then had our late lunch at a random restaurant. The squid ink pasta and the freshly grilled fish tasted nice. After a satisfying lunch, it is time to explore Venice, on foot.

This is the famous Rialto bridge of Venice. We had an enjoyable time walking around Venice, crossing bridges and enjoying some very tasty gelato. We finally made our way to St. Mark's Square, where all the prominent buildings are located. St. Mark's Basilica is majestic, and proved to be very difficult to capture because of the three poles in front of it. Piazza San Marco and Doge's Palace is pretty. The Bridge of Sighs have a very interesting feel to it. We spent some time here enjoying the sea view and snapping many pictures. We had dinner at a local Italian restaurant. Dearie couldn't finish her squid ink risotto, so I had to help her finish it, leaving my pizza for tomorrow's breakfast. We went back to have an early night.

10 July 2018, Venice > Florence, Sunny

We woke up early so that we can visit Burano island. We made it to the Vaporetto station and took an early boat to Burano. Burano is famous for its hand made cloth lace. Its neighbouring island Murano, is famous for its stained glass. In Burano, we were able to find products from both islands, since it is so touristy. Burano is also famous for its colourful houses lining alongside the river channels.

Our hearts were captured by this multi-coloured sight. Since we were early, many shops were not opened yet. We walked one round around the island, stopping by certain souvenir shops. We had lunch on the island itself. The seafood here is indeed more fresh, but the prices are not a lot cheaper. After lunch, we made our way back to Venice, collected our luggage and took the train to Florence. We arrived in Florence in late afternoon, and managed to check into our guesthouse before the staff leave. Florence is a very beautiful city, but we only have limited time to explore it on this evening. We simply went to have dinner after we have unpacked. The seafood spaghetti here turned out to be the tastiest dish that we had in Italy. We went back early to rest. Somehow, dearie enjoyed showering in this guesthouse a lot. I do not comprehend why, however.

11 July 2018, Florence > Pisa > Florence, Sunny

We had the packed bread provided by the guesthouse and left the house in late morning. We took the train to Pisa, and walked to the leaning tower, having our lunch and some gelato along the way there, also crossing a very nice river along the way. Soon, we reached the tower and we allowed ourselves to 'sink' into the leaning tower atmosphere. Just a small nugget of information: the reason why the tower is leaning is because the land below the tower sank while construction of the tower was going on.

We expected to see a crowd, since this was a very popular tourist destination. We expected to see many people posing as if they were supporting something, and we got what we expected. The tower was not as tall as I thought, though it would make sense that it is not too tall, if not a slanting structure like that would topple. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to go into the grass, and we did not expect that. I took a picture of a row of tourists posing as if they were supporting thin air, just for laughs. We also walked around the area to look at Piazza del Duomo de Pisa and Battistero di San Giovanni. When we're finally happy with our pictures, we took the train back to Florence. Since there was some time left to explore, we went to check out Santa Maria del Fiore. We could already see this cathedral from our guesthouse, but going nearer, we were able to see the bell tower beside it properly, and that the paintings on the cathedral were actually very detailed. We had dinner at a fancy restaurant. Dearie had seafood spaghetti again, but it was less nice compared to the one yesterday. I had a calzone, which was basically just a pizza, but folded over on one side. We then went back to rest.

12 July 2018, Florence > Rome, Partly Cloudy
Once again, we ate the packed bread for breakfast. We were deciding whether we wanted to go and find the Soka assiciation in Florence, but since the transport there was tricky, we gave up after some trying. We ate a second better breakfast at McDonalds'. The Italian McDonalds' is very tasty. Our first stop for the day is Piazza della Signoria, where we can find the duplicate of the very famous statue of David by Michelangelo. There were also many marble statues there, and some of them seems to be quite LGBT. We continued our tour by walking towards Santa Croce. Santa Croce looks very similar to Santa Maria del Fiore in design, both having a similar painting style. Next, we went to check out Ponte Vecchio. Just like what we have read, this bridge is not just any bridge. This bridge has houses on top of it, most of which are jewellery shops. From the side view, the bridge sure has its own distinctive style.

We then went back to collect our luggage and took the train to Rome. We arrived in Rome in the afternoon. The room in Rome was booked by dearie, and it was an excellent choice, both in terms of pricing and location. After we have checked in, we went to see the famous Colosseum. 

Well, enough said, right. The picture speaks for itself. You can actually tell that the Colosseum has seen a lot of restoration works in its lifetime, but the sight of it is still simply impressive. I had a close encounter with a guy trying to sell his friendship bands. We tried to visit the Roman Forum nearby, but it was closing and hence we did not have the opportunity to walk in it. I just took a picture of it from afar. Following the advise of the owner of the room we rented, we went to the Trastevere area for dinner. After looking around, we chose a restaurant with outdoor seating and ordered their seafood spaghetti and spaghetti with clams. We sat beside two very friendly girls from Kazakhstan and they kept saying that dearie is beautiful, and I must treasure her. I cannot agree more. We then went back to rest for the night.

13 July 2018, Rome, Sunny

We started our day with the free Italian breakfast, then started our day with the first stop, the Spanish Steps. This place was made famous because of a romantic movie. It is now a tourist attraction and it was simply too crowded, just look at the cover picture of this post. Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain. This water feature is really very pretty. I took a while to capture a nice picture to do this place justice.

After we are done, we made our way to Pantheon. We stopped at a restaurant nearby for a quick lunch. The Pantheon in Rome is a lot older, so the feel of visiting a historical site is a lot stronger here. The first ruler of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele rests here. Interestingly, there is a deliberate gap in the ceiling, and the Pantheon is lighted naturally. After that, we slowly walked towards Vatican City. Along the way, we passed by Piazza Navona and Ponte Sant'Angelo. Only when we were about to reach Vatican City did we finally learn that the water fountains all around Rome is actually drinkable. We finally reached Vatican City and the St. Peter's Basilica.

I spent a very long time trying to take nice pictures of the area, and I feel quite guilty about it. When I have got enough, we went to queue to enter the Basilica. Unfortunately, dearie was wearing a dress, and she was not permitted to enter the Basilica unless she covers her shoulders up. After waiting for a while, we decided that I'll go in myself to take some pictures and then come out. To be honest, I find this 'rule' a bit silly, because when I am inside, I saw many people also wearing dresses that reveal their shoulders. I took a few pictures and came out quickly since I don't want to leave dearie behind for too long. We then left the place and walked towards Janiculum terrace, a small hill. I insisted on coming here because it was a clear day and I know that the sunset over Rome will be very beautiful. Fortunately for us, the climb is not steep and it was not too difficult to get to the place. The views from Janiculum terrace were indeed beautiful. We spent some time here taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful sunset. We then came down, ending our day in Trastevere again. And again, we ate seafood spaghetti because we really like it. A mental note to myself, I need to figure out how to make this dish for dearie. The secret lies in the oil and sauce. After dinner, we went back and packed up for tomorrow's flight.

14 July 2018, Rome > Istanbul, Sunny

We ate the Italian breakfast again, and then took the train from Ostiense to the airport. At the airport, we saw the replica of the mouth of truth, so I took a picture of dearie with it. We then departed Rome. This was also the first time I am actually flying with my dearie, and it meant something special to us. This marks the end of our travels in Italy, but the trip is not over yet since we are making a transit in Istanbul.

France

This post was continued from the previous one. France is a beautiful country, with different sceneries ranging from old stone houses and walls to lavendar farms and not to mention the Alps. Their architecture varies in style as well. Contrary to popular belief, the people here are really very nice. We were wary of pickpockets throughout the trip, to be on the safe side, but most of the people we met are really nice to us. I really like the French cuisine since the dishes are very widely varying. I deliberately planned it such that we will be in Paris on our second anniversary, for a reason, of course. Travelling with dearie makes the whole trip very comfortable and a lot less strenuous. Many memories were etched in this country and it will stay with us forever.

30 June 2018, London > Paris, Sunny

We arrived in Paris by the Eurostar. At the Gare du Nord, a nice security guard helped us find our way to Pigalle. This was our first experience with the French, and he was really nice. We took the metro to Pigalle and found our hotel: La Villa Royale. We were given a free room upgrade to the Jean Gabin room, and it comes with a Jacuzzi. I was really thrilled. We put down our stuff and went to the nearest store to buy some fruit and water. We also bought quiche and meringue from a nearby pastry shop. We then had a long and clean bath before resting for the night.

1 July 2018, Paris, Sunny

Today is our second anniversary in a relationship. Of course, I would not let the day pass just as if it was another day. We woke up and checked if we had a free breakfast. Unfortunately for us, it is a no. We ended up trying their McDonalds', to find that their servings are really small. Our first stop is the Arc de Triomphe. It was a lot bigger than we thought. It was simply majestic. We took a few pictures and selfies there before continuing to walk down Avenue des Champs Elysees. Since there was a festival of some sort, the roads were blocked and navigation became a pain. We bought a croissant along the way. Our lunch was at a LGBT friendly restaurant, in a LGBT friendly street. I find it nice that there is such a street in Paris. It was a very interesting and enjoyable meal since the waiters are very lively and entertaining. After lunch, we walked towards the direction of the Louvre Museum. We passed by a tall monument and a few nice buildings before finally seeing the iconic glass pyramids. There were a lot of tourists here.

We did not enter the museum, but took many pictures of the vicinity. We then walked down the park towards the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. We liked the Petit Palais more. We also made a small stop at the Pont Alexandre III. Here, we first saw the Eiffel Tower. We continued walking in the same direction along the Jardin D'Erivan. It was quite pretty indeed. We took a picture with some locals who attended the festival. Finally, it was time to decide on a dinner place. To our dismay, many restaurants are closed since it was a Sunday. We ended up in an Italian restaurant. The food was expensive, but not that great. After dinner, we looked around for shops selling wine and foie gras, as we were planning to picnic at the garden near Eiffel Tower. We managed to get rose wine from a small shop, but was unable to find any foie gras. We then walked to the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to walk to the other side of the river, and this made dearie very tired. Her mood became not too good, which made me quite worried because of what is going to come next for her. We finally reached the other side, which was a lot prettier with the water jets and the lights. We found a cozy spot, sat down, and I opened the rose wine so that both of us could enjoy. We simply just sat on the grass and watch the Eiffel Tower while the sky gets darker and darker. I softened her up by singing a song for her. The lyrics of the song describes how she is my one and only. Soon, Eiffel Tower lit up. At about ten, I got her to stand up so that I could take a night picture of her and the lighter up Eiffel Tower. I got her to back face me so that I can get her back view, but actually, I was fishing around in my bag for the ring box. I opened the package and put the box in my pocket, then got myself in the kneeling position. I then told her to turn around so that I can get a picture with her face. I bluffed her, saying that she was too far, so I asked her to move nearer to me, and nearer and nearer she came. When she was just in front of me, she knew something was coming. "What are you doing?" she kept asking, while I took out the ring box from my pocket and opened the box. The box came with light, and revealed a very shiny and reflective diamond ring. I did not make a long speech before I asked the question. It was short and sweet. My heart raced while I wait for her to answer me. She was too excited, but slowly, she managed a yes. I put the diamond ring on her finger, got up and hugged her tightly, then kissed her. Unknowing to us, a random passer-by took a picture of me when I was kneeling, and she approached us to get my email so that she could send the picture to me. I was really grateful for her doing that! We let our mood settle down and we went back to the hotel.

We bought a small cake at the same pastry shop near our hotel to celebrate our two year anniversary in a relationship, and now, as an engaged couple. 

2 July 2018, Paris, Sunny

Since we had an extremely tiring day yesterday, we slept in until quite late. When we finally got the energy to leave the hotel, we went to the Montmartre region. We found many interesting shops in Montmartre. Finally, we decided to buy some local pastries for breakfast. We sat along the benches and ate the pastries. It was really quite enjoyable. Next, we went back to a local french shop to buy cheesy potato and sausage. The staff in this shop was really friendly to us. After eating, we went to find the Wall of I Love You. There, we took a very cute picture. We then climbed up the hill to Sacre Coeur. 

Sacre Coeur is pretty. We entered it and walked around, then coming out to the viewing gallery outside. The view of Paris from here is quite good. We then walked around the Montmartre region to look for the nice pink shop. When we are done here, it was already quite late, so I suggested we find a place to eat here. We settled for a very local looking (people sitting outside) French restaurant, and this meal turned out to be the nicest meal (my opinion) in Paris. The two local ladies sitting next to us were really nice. One of them stopped dearie from eating the yellow fat surrounding the foie gras and taught us the right way of enjoying it, that is, to go with the bread and caramelized onions. As you can see, the French can be really nice. We returned to our hotel early today.

3 July 2018, Paris, Sunny

Our breakfast was bread from yesterday's dinner, plus some foie gras mousse we bought. Our first stop of the day is the Eiffel Tower. This time, we are seeing the tower in bright daylight, and it was still a sight to behold. After taking some pictures, we moved on to The Pantheon. The Pantheon is a place where many famous people are resting. There was a pendulum with an extremely long distance length, and a person will come and adjust it from time to time such that it shows the time correctly. We also visited the chambers. After the Pantheon, we walked to the Latin Quarter to find some food. We bought some local sweet crepes and continued on to Notre Dame, our last stop in Paris.

Notre Dame is majestic. We queued to enter it. The insides looks like most churches, complete with tombs, sections, and stained glass. The doors into the Notre Dame are really intricately carved. The access to the bell towers is ticketed, so we decided to give that a miss. When we're happy, we crossed the bridge northwards, since our hotel is in that direction, and walked along the river. We saw the Conciergerie along the way. I think we deposited our postcards somewhere around here. We walked back to the same monument we saw on the first day, and sat down on the grass to chill for a while before finding a dinner place. We settled for dinner at a local restaurant. I remember the indoor seating was very stuffy but the outdoor seating is a smoking zone. In the end, we chose the outdoor seating. The food was decent. A very nice couple was sitting beside us. They taught us now to enjoy the snails, and even shared their wine with us! They introduced the type of wine to us, which is named after the region the grapes were grown in: Cotes du Rhone. Coincidentally, our next destination is not far from this region. They also told us about the nursery song about Pont d'Avignon, when they found out that we are going to Avignon. So, yet again, we were very lucky to meet nice locals. We visited the pastry shop yet again, so I guess at this point, the shop owners recognized us as tourists who can't make up their mind what they want to buy, since we always take a long time to decide what we want.

4 July 2018, Paris > Lyon > Avignon, Sunny

We woke up rather early to catch the speed train from Paris to Lyon. Breakfast was self made, and to use up all the leftover foie gras. We really do like the foie gras mousse spread over bread. We arrived in Lyon just in time for lunch. After exploring the area for a while, we sat down at a place near to the train station. Lyon is well known to be the food capital of France, and this meal proves it to be true. It was not expensive, and the taste is decent. I had a half cooked tuna steak and dearie had calamari rings, both of which were really quite good. We lazed around until it was time to take the train down to Avignon. We arrived in Avignon in the afternoon, and we carried the luggage to our BnB house. For most other BnBs that I have stayed at, I could unlock the door using some instructions given by the owner beforehand, but this time, I forgot to ask, and I didn't check my email. In the end, we went to the house and knocked the door, to find that the owner was not in. I called the owner and arranged a meeting place for her to pass the key to me. This is a case which could have turned out to be a disaster, but I was glad that it didn't turn out so badly. I just had to run around the city in the blistering heat. After we put down our luggage, we went to check out the Palais des Papes and the Pont d'Avignon. Palais des Papes is quite beautiful. The palace itself is quite nice, but what made this place exceptional is the area surrounding the palace. The views from the palace walls are amazing. Perhaps it was because it was a beautiful sunset, the entire region looks amazing. The stone houses are really charming, and the river complements the entire scenery.

There was some music playing from a band nearby. I can't explain just how perfect and relaxing the evening was. We made our way to the bridge and got a few beautiful pictures. There was a small lavender patch, and we knew this was the teaser to what is coming up tomorrow. We had dinner at a decent restaurant. Dearie had duck confit while I had pork filet mignon. We ordered the Cotes du Rhone rose wine, as recommended by the French couple. I enjoyed it, and got a little tipsy afterwards.

5 July 2018, Avignon > Lyon > Chamonix, Sunny

We woke up early and checked out, carrying our luggage with us to the tour. Yes, we are having a Lavender half day tour. This was also the main reason why we have decided to come to Avignon instead of staying in Lyon. Soon, the van left Avignon and took us to Roussillon, a small rustic little town. There was a market going on. Dearie went to buy some lavender products while I went to get ice cream. Next the van took us to the main event, the lavender farm.

It was really beautiful. The lavender farm did not stretch as far as the eye could see, but it was still huge enough to be marvelous. We spent a good twenty minutes here taking pictures, but it still wasn't enough. Our next stop is the Gordes town picture spot. The sun's angle makes it really quite pretty. Our last spot is the Senanque Abbey. The monks still live in the Abbey and they make a living out of selling lavender products. Me and dearie bought a few of their products to support them. The abbey itself is also quite beautiful. We then returned to Avignon central. We took a short train ride to Avignon TGV station and ate some sandwiches before taking the train to Lyon. This train was delayed, but it did not affect our travel plans. At Lyon, we went for another nice Lyonnaise meal. Dearie had fish which was cooked in a paper bag, and it was really tasty. After the satisfying meal, we began on a long bus trip towards Chamonix. We reached Chamonix really late at night, and it was cold and slightly rainy. After a while, I managed to find where our little room was, and we went in and rested for the night.

6 July 2018, Chamonix, Cloudy

This was the first day in our travels where the weather is bad, so we consider ourselves really lucky already. Since we were very tired from our travelling yesterday, we woke up pretty late. We started our day by exploring the immediate vicinity and was happy to find that a supermarket was nearby. We bought some food for breakfast there, as well as food for hiking. By the time we were ready, and went to the tourist information centre, it was already about noon time. Since it was already quite late, and the weather was bad, there were not a lot of options available. After getting the information we needed to plan our next two days, we bought the two day multi-pass, allowing us to go to many different places. Our first stop in Chamonix is Le Tour. We took the bus there, and took the cable car up, then a ski lift further up. It was pretty cold on top. There, I brought my dearie on a very dreamy hike in the clouds.

We were walking in the direction towards the french/swiss border line. On a clear day, this route is supposed to show us views of both Switzerland and France on two different sides, but of course, we couldn't see anything except for fog. We did see ice on the ground, which was quite interesting for us. We walked around the area for quite a while, in a path that was not in the map. I kept a close watch on google maps to make sure I know where we are. We slowly navigated our way towards the Vallorcine cable car station while enjoying the dreamy cool hike. I could see that dearie is really enjoying the hike although she was a bit worried about getting lost in the clouds. Soon, we found the cable car station, and that is where we know we are safe. Here, we took out the drone and took some really cool pictures. We then descended the mountain back into the valley. We explored the Vallorcine area for a while before taking the train back to Chamonix. Our dinner was a pot of soup at a shop; and sausage and fries at another shop. We bought more food at the supermarket nearby in preparation for tomorrow.. We also did our laundry. We rested early today, since we know that tomorrow is going to be a busy day.

7 July 2018, Chamonix. Clear

The clouds cleared overnight and the weather is perfect in Chamonix. We woke up really early in the morning to avoid the queue for Aiguille du Midi. This is the highlight of our trip in Chamonix. At about seven, we took two cable cars up to Aiguille du Midi, raising from about 1030m to 3842m . The scenery (and atmosphere) on top is simply breathtaking (literally). It was beautiful, probably because as people living in the tropics, we hardly get to see icy mountains.

This is my favourite shot because I can get both the ice mountain and the sea of clouds. We took many pictures here. The stairs here nearly made dearie faint since the air was so thin. We queued to experience the 'void', which is basically a glass box where you can see below you. A staff will help you to take pictures using your camera. He didn't really know how to use my camera, however. Mental note to myself to set it to auto-mode for others to help me take pictures. The Aguille du Midi area is really a lot bigger than it seems from the bottom. There was also a tube and ice tunnel. When we're done experiencing everything here, we took the cable car down to the midway point. Luckily, dearie suggested that we take the train to Mer de Glace instead of hiking there. This was a good move since we save time, and energy walking under the sun. We confirmed our plan with a staff, who has an office with the best views in the world, before making our way to Montenvers train station. There, we first checked out the Mer de Glace from the top. At first, I thought it was nothing much. It just looks like a lot of dust on the top of the glacier. There was small tunnel, where we get to see a lot of crystals. We then sat down at some shaded benches and had our lunch, lovingly prepared by dearie. It was really enjoyable to have a lunch by the ice mountains. After we have regained some energy, we decided to take the cable car down to the ice caves. After we took the cable car down, we saw how far down we have to walk in order to reach the ice caves, and it was all stairs, and it was hot and sunny. Naturally, two questions came into mind. Is there really an ice cave below? Is it worth to climb all the stairs. I was more adventurous, so I definitely would want to check it out. I dragged dearie with me down. The ice cave was like a dream world. Mer de Glace is perhaps the most fascinating thing that we saw in the whole trip. In the 24C summer heat, the ice caves does exist, but is slowly melting. It sure is hard to believe that underneath all that dust is ice. In fact, the entire thing is ice!

We don't even know how much ice is actually there since we don't know how deep the valley is beyond the ice. So, the answers were, yes, the ice cave really is there, and yes, it is definitely worth climbing the stairs in the sun. Mer de Glace is one perfect example of a glacier that is experiencing glacial retreat due to global warming. This was truly a jaw-dropping experience. Next, we took a train, then bus to Les Houches. The cable car was just us and a biker, so that was a good hint to us that there was nothing much up there. We went up anyway. It was slightly disappointing. However, we did get to see a very different side of the Alps: green fields. Dearie gave me a small panic attack when she went to the toilet without me knowing. We didn't stay here for long and we went back to Chamonix. We decided to try the Chamonix luge. Fortunately for us, we managed to make it there before it closes, and the staff allowed us to go for one ride even when our multi-pass did now allow. We shared one luge. I was trying to drive it properly since dearie was a little scared, however, at the end of it, she enjoyed it so much that she wanted to go a second time. We couldn't do it though, since we don't have the tickets for it. We went to have a comforting ramen dinner before returning to rest. We really used our multi-pass very well. What an eventful day it has been!

8 July 2018, Chamonix > Milan, Sunny

We woke up early again, had our own breakfast, and went to catch the bus that will take us to Courmayeur. Going through the Mont Blanc tunnel with my dearie, I was reflecting on our trip in France. There was only one word to describe the whole experience: amazing. I am really thankful that everything went so smoothly till that point. This also marks the end of the travels in France, and the start of travelling in a new country. Italy, here we come.

United Kingdom

For the next three posts, I would be writing about the travels with my dearie, divided according to the countries that we visited. The very first post would be of course, where we start from: United Kingdom, or to be more precise, Sheffield and London. The entire trip lasting for 17 days was slowly and painstakingly planned by both dearie and me, to make sure that everything goes as smoothly and as easily as possible. I am really glad that everything finally happened. Really very thankful.

28 June 2018, Sheffield, Sunny

It was a very happy day. I started my day in my room, while dearie is already on the plane travelling towards Manchester. I woke up and started to prepare the tonkotsu soup for my dearie so that she can have a nice bowl of ramen when she arrives in the house. I went to meet with Prof. Maria to bid a final farewell and did some work before returning to the house to check on the soup. Then, I rushed to the Sheffield train station to fetch her. She did not notice me at first, and I went to hug her. We hugged each other tightly as this was the reunion after the longest separation we ever had. We then went to take a bus back to my house. I finished up preparing for the meal and we had our home cooked lunch. I realize I stuck onto the tradition of feeding her Japanese food on our first meal when we reunite. After lunch, I brought her to Weston Park to see my favourite tree and hang out for a while. She took out her drone and we took some pictures.

Next, I brought her to my office and I worked for a little bit before I did my final packing and left the office. While we were on the ground floor, we met Maria by chance, so it was an excellent opportunity to show her my girlfriend. We then went home and prepared dinner together. I made baked cod and she helped me to make the salad. We finished our dinner and went up to rest. Dearie slept early since she was really tired. I spent the rest of my day planning for the rest of the trip.

29 June 2018, Sheffield > London, Sunny

We woke up quite early in the morning to have breakfast, and then pack up my room to leave the house. I had to throw away my bedsheet and quilt, which was quite sad. We took a bus, then train to London. We had lunch at McDonalds', then travelled by metro to our hostel, Palmers Lodge. After putting down our luggage, we began our London city exploration. We started with the Westminster area. The sun was really scorching, but we still went ahead. I took a nicer picture of Westminster Abbey. 

Next was Leadenhall Market, then Millennium bridge and St. Paul's Cathedral. We just took pictures and went to the next. I then brought her to the Tower Bridge area. We first checked out the Tower bridge in the day from afar, then went to Spoons (The Liberty Grounds) for dinner. I really wanted to introduce Spoons to her because I know she will like it. I tried to buy Strongbow Darkfruit for her, a standard British favourite, but they ran out. The bartender mixed his version for us, which was very similar to the original, just a lot sweeter. She really liked it a lot. After dinner, we spent the evening walking around the Tower Bridge area, taking many pictures just like other tourists. We then went back to rest for the night.

30 June 2018, London > Taplow > London > Paris, Sunny

We checked out early in the morning, but left our luggage behind while we tried to find our way to Taplow Court. The Great Western Railway service brought us to the Taplow train station, where we waited for a van to take us to Taplow Court. Dearie is very happy to visit SGI UK. I found the place to be very intriguing and beautiful. When we were there, a staff member showed us around the insides of Taplow Court. The insides are really very nicely decorated. We then walked around the outside garden, taking many beautiful pictures.

We visited the shop, where dearie bought a lot of souvenirs for her Soka friends. Time passed very quickly here and we needed to get back to London to catch our Eurostar train to Paris. We were sent back to Taplow, where we got a train back to London. We collected our luggage and went to St. Pancras train station. Fortunately, we managed to make it in time, but I did not have the chance to bring her to British Museum. We had Pret-A-Manger for dinner, and then stepped through two customs, which we think is the nearest we have ever seen. It was literally ten steps. The train finally departed for Paris. The Eurostar train was really fast, and the part where it travels underwater was so fast that I feel that I didn't really get to experience the whole ride. It was supposed to be the longest man-made underwater tunnel, but a speed train just whizzed through it like nothing. This marks the end of my exchange in the UK, but also more importantly, the end of my journey in the UK with my dearie, and the start of our trip in France.