Eastern Europe Photos Part 1

Lets start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.....

Its gonna take forever to upload. My comp's pretty fast I must say (can be faster I suppose) but with 8mps... Its agonizing... but for you I will......

I'm gonna write a little bit more abt my travels instead of just the title ...so.... one day, hopefully, if my blog is decent enough, I'll get some advertisers, some sponsers, some free trips and perhaps even some money. Yeah, that's my resolution for the new year..... lets see how long it lasts. By the way, are there any openings for a travel writer Azzie? I'm up for it!

You know, this is really taking a long time to upload. Any one knows how to compress the pics and is willing to tell/show me how? Picasa doesnt work for me...... I have no idea why. Well, you realise that after 2 pics the image sizes have become smaller. Feel free to click on it and look at it. I think it takes a shorter time to download ( or so I say)

Bonn, Germany : Beethoven's House

We went there cos FIL wanted to go.... you know me... I dont even know the difference bet Beethoven and Mozart etc. We were not allowed to take photos of the interior of the house so I only have some exterior shots. The interior was very well maintained I must say. There werent many photographs around at that time so it was a lot of hand drawns and paintings. Well maintained..... its a good thing he wasnt born in Singapore..... his precious house would have been demolished to make way for some road or highway.

Christmas Market in Cologne

One gorgeous thing about travelling to Europe in winter is that there are Christmas Markets everywhere! It makes the cold more bearable I suppose..... Run into the market to grab a bratwurst and gluhwein(hot wine) and paddle around the crowds..... Its really fun. The trick is to look around and try not to buy too many things.... and dont freak out when you pay like 3.50 euros for a sausage and a bun.... take it or leave it......

Automatic Bag Storage in Cologne

This thing is truly amazing. Only the germans can pull this off with such precision too. What happens is that you put in like 4 euros and the box will open, chuck in your luggage and collect a card. The door closes and then reopens again but your luggage has magically disappeared. Chuck in more of your luggage and the same thing happens. When you are ready to collect your luggage, go to ANY of these boxes, slot in your card and your luggage will magically appear within 40 seconds!!!!!

Its snowing in Krakow, Poland

I spotted the snow on the plane before we landed, though I was sitting in the centre aisle. The flickering of the lights from the wings reflected blots and spots of beautiful whirls. I told SS it's snowing..... I dont know why he refused to believe me.... We landed on a bed of snow... soft and white..... hmmm.... like a cross between marshmellow and ice kachang.... It was such a blessing..... dint have to dream of a white christmas anymore..... These European pilots are fantastic thay can fly in all sorts of weather...... Anyway, this was taken at a park near our hostel. Lovely isnt it......

At night in Krakow

This was taken from our hostel/apartment in Krakow. Like many places in Europe, they can build up to around 7 stories or more without the need for an elevator. Lugging up my backpack wasnt hard I must say but with all the weight of the thermals, down jacket and hiking boots it was like wearing an armour.... And though the outside is cold, as soon as you enter the building, you'll become warm rather quick, cos you're sheltered by from the winds. And with a backpack and many layers underneath, your cant possibly take everything off, so its like a sauna in there. Our apartment was neat.. literally.... had a basic kitchen and roomy bedrooms. Nice place...... The heaters are really good. And in every hostel that we went to, no matter how cheap, there was a very good heater, so much so that in some places, we had to open the window!

Thats all the patience I have for now..... more to come soon.....

:)