Quaint old town and the black forest drizzle

Gonna make this post a fast one coz I wanna sleeeeep early for once (yes, 3am is actually early for me) Dijon had been a stopover in between Paris and Colmar. We only had our lunch there before moving on.

^ I didn't pay much attention to this picture until I read The Da Vinci Code. Look at the EROS on that brick wall. Coz EROS is an anagram for ROSE, which symbolizes the sacred feminine or rather the wife of Jesus Christ as told in the book (Mary Magdalene). Okay now, Idk much about Christianity or the sacred feminine. But according to the book, there are so many hidden symbols in Europe passing on the story of Mary Magdalene if you care to look. Sometimes I feel like I don't even know what's real or what's fiction anymore.

DIJON → COLMAR

I was expecting really awesome, pretty Christmas markets in Colmar but it kind of disappoint. Had the nicest rosti at an eatery which adeline and I sourced for ourselves tho (seeing how that was the first eatery we chanced upon which looked affordably priced, not too fancy, and with an English menu) HAHA see my half-assed attempt at free-cropping my rosti, but it was really good. Imagine the potatoes hidden beneath those cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms!!

On the Colmar mini train tour and never did I expect the guy seated beside me is a senior from NTU Chinese ????? MAJOR OMG coz he looks 100% angmoh pai. But should have known coz in my dreary state of sleepiness while the train chugged through the old town (it's that slowww) I heard him say some sentences in very cheem Chinese, pronounced in the most perfect Chinese Chinese way. Like damn 标准. No wonder Kd said 一届不如一届 LMAO. That guy was from the 3rd batch; Im from the 8th. Holy cannot wait for my graduation ceremony.

COLMAR → GERMANY

At Germany's Titisee-Neustadt ^ that's the Black Forest & Lake Titisee. Nobody's interested in the cuckoo clock making demo HAHA everyone just wanna shop. Bought a pair of swarovski earrings which I love ttm ^^ It only rained that afternoon in Germany for the whole ten days we were in Europe, and that rain was really gentle. I don't think I've ever describe rain that way. And yes, freakin' cold also.

On a chocolate roll in Germany coz Steve said it would be really cheap WTF THEY WERE NOT CHEAP maybe except for a couple of choco. Felt damn cheated ???? And it's not exceptionally nice I feel. Heard Swiss chocos are nicer but wayyy more expensive. And we both encountered the rudest, most unhelpful service staff in this Swiss hotel bar/lounge (I've no idea which hotel coz I just fucking follow the tour group only, I can check it up on the detailed itinerary tho but too lazy) when we asked for hot water for our cup noodles, TOOT SIA. Im feeling too sleepy to recount it here coz you know, need a lot of energy to scold people lol wtf am I talking about.

Okay Im going to bed. So excited to do up Switzerland post next!! 

(So I can admire the swiss alps photos again hahaha)

We'll always have Paris

DOVER → CALAIS

By ferry (: So, we were supposed to see the White Cliffs en route but we saw nothing maybe coz of the fog. That was what happened when we arrived at Paris from Calais - the top of the Eiffel Tower was shrouded in this veil of fog we were like HUHHH and the Seine River Cruise - it was brrr brrr sooo cold and dark I couldn't really see anything ????? Winter is not really the best time to go on this cruise, I guess. Also, plz meet Tiko - adeline's fluffy unicorn HAHAHA wtf she actually brought her there for real.

CALAIS → PARIS

Okay now, you needa know that Paris est mon rêve - I'd been wanting to go there since secondary school days, like if anyone were to ask me where I would love to travel to, I always say Paris. No other place seems as magical as this city. Idk if it still holds true now (as what adeline said - reality vs expectation) but Paris is a place I will definitely want to go back to, even if it's just for their Louvre Museum!! And all along I thought I would go there with Xy (she's another Paris fanatic) hahaha but there will always be another chance. Anyway, we were there prolly a month after the attacks and apart from the armed military men doing their rounds, everything else was normal. I still think I lack the history / architecture / art / religion knowledge to fully appreciate this city, but photos with all those famous landmarks IS A MUSTTT

^ Arc de Triomphe & Pyramide du Louvre

PS. the tour didn't actually include a visit to the Louvre Museum (even tho they brought us to the Louvre Pyramids), and we didn't get the chance to go up the Eiffel Tower (not even close, the tour group saw the tower from really far away, shrouded in fog somemore) I mean, our tour package price had been low for a reason. And so for that reason, we were on the metro again (: which meant we gave up shopping at Galeries Lafayette, saw quite a number of girls in our group bought Longchamp tho haha but I was like, nooo I rather see Mona Lisa.

The Louvre Museum is housed inside the Louvre Palace, so you can imagine the grandeur IT'S JUST WOAHHH AND "OH, LAME SAINT! THE MONA LISA!" As you can see, the painting quite small actually wtf and this particular piece was to be seen only at a distance and I didn't have my specs with me ????? The french name of this painting is called La Joconde and luckily it wasn't very crowded when we went!! Just wished I had read up more so we could see and understand more when we wander through the endless corridors, but well a photo with Mona Lisa is good enough :')

Top 3 Things You Must See In The Louvre

(which dan brown called the "Louvre Lite")

• Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa (1503-1506)

• Venus de Milo (100BC, Greece)

• Winged Victory of Samothrace (190BC, Ancient Greece)

Below are photos of Eiffel Tower in all its glory <3

We'll always have Paris.

xx