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Wednesday, 31 December 2014

Ireland - Dublin

This post is a reflection of the experience I had during my exchange in Dublin (2nd September - 18th December). It was an amazing stay in this peaceful and scenic city.

My exchange university was University College Dublin (UCD) and it is the most beautiful campus I have ever been to. It is located a little far from Dublin's city center, about a 20 minute bus ride. The entire campus is very clean and peaceful. I lived in Merville Residence, where it was literally a 5 minute walk to Quinn's Business School. Below are some of the photos I took of my hostel on the first day I arrived (2nd Sept).

Yes the room is a little small, but really cozy due to its powerful heater. 



The campus has two beautiful lakes and some really awesome facilities. There are two auditorium-size gyms for students, at least 5 football fields (too many to count), two indoor sports halls, and several beautiful residents for students (just a little ex!).



Due to some peer influences, I bought a second-hand bicycle on my second week there. It did not result in much cost savings eventually but it was really worth it. As I did not really know other people in UCD and was skipping lectures most of the times, I had plenty of free time everyday (when I wasn't travelling). I would use some of these free times to cycle around outside the campus. Here are some of the scenery I took during some of my rides.


Beautiful city isn't it


Random cycling routes behind campus, look at the view

Dublin city center is a happening place, like most Europe countries capitals. I did not go there very often as it is a 30 minute cycle from school (20 minute bus ride). The city center has absolutely everything you need. Fast food, Chinese restaurants, pubs, river, cheap apparel shops, you name it. 



Spire of Dublin, marks the city center

Speaking of cycling, it is one of the things I missed most about my stay in Dublin. During my long bike rides, I often took the opportunity to listen to some music, reflect, and relax my soul (although exchange is already very relaxed). I cycled to several great landmarks during my stay. The photos below are Dublin Castle and Phoenix Park.



One interesting festival I managed to experience during my stay was Halloween. Halloween is held on last day of October every year (I think). Due to my budget, I only spent 11 euros on a cheap vampire cape. With the help of some make-up and the cape, I thought I looked quite like a vampire. Instead of calling it Halloween, it was essentially clubbing in Halloween costumes. The pub culture of Dublin is way too strong and everything evolves around it.


4 months fly by real fast, guess that I can't be playing forever. Reflecting on my stay here, I would really have to say that Irish people are really friendly people. Although I did not manage to make any close Irish friends, it was a wonderful experience interacting with them through projects and school trips. Exchange is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I am glad that I have the privilege to spend it in Dublin.










Thursday, 25 December 2014

Germany - Frankfurt

One finally stopover at Frankfurt before flying back to Singapore. When we checked out from Kaixin's hostel and reached Frankfurt, the sky was already dark. After checking-in to our hotel, we made our way to the city center for a final dinner in Europe. The shopping streets were brightly lit with Christmas decorations and the atmosphere was really nice. Snow was the only thing that was lacking for a perfect Christmas.


We managed to find one promising German restaurant and had Pork Knuckle and Mussels. After dinner, we strolled around at the main Christmas Market which was really beautiful. The night ended with a final stroll along the river.


This concludes my 4 months trip to Europe. I am really thankful for the privilege go on an exchange and broaden my horizon. I have gone to eight different countries over this 4 months in the order of this sequence: Germany, Italy, France, Ireland, UK, Belgium, Greece, Austria. Here's my bucket list for the future: Spain, Portugal, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Budapest, Turkey, Netherlands, Morocco, Egypt.

Germany - Cologne

Finally exams has ended and it's time for Christmas! Flew to Mainheim to put luggage and set off with Kaixin to Cologne the next day. Totally underestimated the cold and I only realized I was under-dressed upon reaching Cologne.

First thing to see upon exiting the train station was the Cologne Cathedral. This Cathedral is the third biggest in Europe behind the Cathedrals in Barcelona and Milan.


We then had a quick lunch and took train to Cologne South to check-in to our accommodation. Due to minimal sleep the previous two nights and fatigue from exams, we decided to take a late afternoon nap and woke up two hours later at 6 pm. Hungry bellies led us to Neumarkrt, one of the main Christmas Markets for dinner. We had fried fish, grilled salmon, steak burger, grilled mushrooms, hot wine, and one lousy waffle. The night ended with really cold and windy stroll along the bridge to take pictures of the Cathedral from the other side of the bank.

Day 2 - Woke up at noon and we took train to a nearby city called Konigswinter to see a beautiful castle. Sadly the castle was closed for maintenance but we at least managed to see some really beautiful scenery.





It was even colder there than Cologne and I was really freezing while waiting for the train back. We were starving when we were back at Cologne and ate at some Peking Duck restaurant. Ordered Peking duck but it turned out to be roast duck like what we eat in Singapore instead of the true Peking duck.


Tuesday, 2 December 2014

Scotland - Edinburgh

Day trip to Edinburgh is a no-brainer as one does not simply spend 3 days in Glasgow. It was only a 50 minute train ride over and I was immediately greeted with a great sunny weather. Edinburgh's architectures are out of this world, every street along the old town is worth capturing on camera.



First official stop is the Edinburgh Castle. Despite having been to so many palaces and castles in Europe, this castle has completed exceeded my expectation and once again I was overwhelmed. Was previously told by my friend not to enter as the ticket was really pricey: ~15 pounds. Upon reaching the entrance, the security told me it's free to enter, what??! and I quickly ran in before he changed his mind. After Googling I found out that it is St Andrew's Day (30th November) which is the only day of the year the Castle allows free admission! How lucky am I?!



Met up with Tung Lin and he brought me to a nice Scottish restaurant. One of the dish we ordered was Scottish specialty which is made up of animal intestines, but it turned out to be soso.

I climbed up the Calton Hill in the afternoon and caught a perfect view of the New Town, really chilling. In the late afternoon, I randomly roamed about the Christmas Market and Old Town before travelling back to Glasgow.


I guess I covered around 60% of the main attractions. Edinburgh has quite a lot to see and I believe that 2 or 3 days will be ideal for one to fully explore the city.

Scotland - Glasgow

Last trip before my exam starts. Planned for a 3 day 2 night trip to Glasgow but didn't really think that Glasgow has enough to occupy me for 3 days, so I believed that I would probably venture to somewhere else on day 2.

Day 1 - Arrived at Glasgow at 11am, cloudy weather. First stop, city center and University of Strathclyde. This university was my first choice for exchange thus I really want to see how it would have been for me there. It turned out to be a disappointment as the campus is kind of old and unappealing, and a few builds are under reconstruction. Headed to Riverside Museum and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in the afternoon and I was more or less done with Glasgow?!


It was already dark at 4pm and I travelled back to my hostel for checking in. My mum's ex-classmate came to fetch me at night for a great Asian buffet dinner.

Day 2 - Edinburgh

Day 3 - Woke up almost missing the buffet breakfast. Headed straight to University of Glasgow, which has one of the nicest architectures I have seen among universities.


It started to drizzle as I made my way to the Botanic Garden in the afternoon. Felt a bit bored there and left after a quick walk. It was only 3pm and I realized that I had nowhere else to go and I aimlessly roamed about in the city center. In the end, I left for the airport early and camped almost 3 hours there for my plane...

A day-trip is totally sufficient for Glasgow in my opinion. The next time I'm in Scotland, I will definitely go to Isle of Skye.