In October 2019, I embarked on my first ever trip to Europe. Over the 17-day journey, I visited museums and historic landmarks, caught up with friends, and sampled some amazing cuisine.
To join me on my epic journey through London, Berlin, Warsaw and Krakow, click the links below!
On this day, I visited the National Museum in Krakow, the Polish Aviation Museum and ended with a grand dinner at a goose restaurant.
On my final day of the trip, I checked out of my hotel and took the train back to Warsaw and onwards to the airport. It was a smooth flight back to Singapore, with a stopover in Doha.
Thanks for reading this epic travelogue! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did experiencing and writing it.
I bid farewell to Warsaw and hopped onto a high speed train for the 2 hour trip down to Krakow. I then spent the afternoon on a walking tour of the historic city.
I spent the bulk of the day visiting the Auschwitz extermination camp near Krakow. I will have a separate post about it soon.
Click HERE for Day Sixteen and Day Seventeen.
On Day 10, I said farewell to Beerlin and set off for Warsaw via the Berlin-Warsaw Express. The six hour ride took me through the flat plains of Eastern Germany and Poland.
I spent the day sightseeing with my friend Jakub, and we visited several historic landmarks and museums.
On Day 12, I visited the Warsaw Rising Museum, which took up most of the day.
I spent the day mostly catching up on work stuff online, as well as catching a breath after nearly 2 weeks of constant travelling. Chilled at the hotel.
Click HERE for Day Fourteen to Day Fifteen
I spent Day 8 exploring the Neues Museum and the Pergamon Museum, both filled with thousands of artefacts from across the world. One of the most fascinating days of my trip.
On Day 9, I toured the Alexanderplatz, the Berlin Cathedral, the Stasi Museum and a food fair.
To read a detailed account of this fascinating Cold War museum, click HERE.
Click HERE for Day Ten to Day Thirteen
I departed London on the morning of Oct 14, travelling by the Eurostar to Brussels. I then took two ICE trains to Berlin, changing in Cologne. I reached Berlin that night and had a quick dinner before bed.
I spent the bulk of this day on a walking tour of Berlin’s best cultural and historic spots.
Click HERE for Day Eight and Day Nine
My friend Alex and I spent the day touring the Imperial War Museum and the districts with Big Ben, Parliament and Buckingham Palace.
On Day 5, Alex and I hung out at the Victoria & Albert Museum and Harrod’s before we bid farewell to each other. I then ended my last day in London with a play at the Duchess Theatre.
Click HERE for Day Six and Day Seven
I checked into the YHA Hostel at St Pancras, which was conveniently located across the road from King’s Cross Tube station. The rooms were comfortable. As it was already late afternoon, I rested a bit before heading to Leicester Square to meet my friend Zane, who was studying in London, for dinner and some sightseeing.
On the first full day in London, I decided to dive straight into history with visits to the Churchill War Rooms and the (in)famous British Museum.
On my second full day in London, I explored the historic Tower of London, met up with my friend Alex who had come down from Scotland, browsed the wares at Camden Market and ended the day with a fantastic tapas dinner.
Click HERE for Day Four and Day Five
I travelled to Hong Kong from 29 to 31st August 2019 to attend the Global City Roundtable at the Education University of Hong Kong. It was my first time visiting Hong Kong and I initially looked forward to exploring this vibrant Chinese territory.
Alas, as the date drew closer, I became increasingly concerned about the violent confrontations between protesters and the police in the city, metro and outlying towns. Colleagues and friends jokingly told me to livestream the demonstrations should I be stranded due to an airport blockade. While I laughed off such banter, I was definitely worried about any adverse developments.
I landed in HK after a relatively smooth 4 hour flight. The Cathay Pacific jet was less than half full, perhaps a striking visualisation of the slump in visitors. The immigration officer was surly but I quickly got through and found myself in the arrival hall. I had intended to take the MTR to the town of Sha Tin (where my hotel was) but the transport desk suggested that I take a direct bus E42 instead. It cost just HK$14 compared to HK$350 for taxis.
The ride was relatively smooth and offered great views of the city as well as the mountains of the New Territories. After inching past a horrific traffic accident that had jammed up the main road, I got off at Sha Tin MTR station and walked through the New Town Plaza to check into my hotel.
After a quick meal, I decided to explore the surrounding area. Sha Tin is one of Hong Kong’s new towns built in the 1970s and consists of tower blocks squeezed between the mountains and the river. It resembles the HDB towns of the same era, except with much higher density.
In the evening, I decided to follow the advice of one of my twitter friends and take a ride on the famed Star Ferry which connected Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. The MTR system is really straightforward to figure out and I made my way easily to East Tsim Sha Tsui and the pier. Tickets were really cheap at just HK$2.70 for a one-way ride. The views of Victoria Harbour were fantastic and I enjoyed the snazzy light show.
The next day was conference day. So my boss and I made our way to EdUHK’s campus in Tai Po. The buildings are nestled on the mountain side (sorry Kent Ridge, but the views here are nicer). We were the first panellists to present our research. I was quite nervous but I think I did alright in answering the three questions that my boss passed on to me.
Our academic hosts treated us to a sumptuous lunch at the campus Cantonese restaurant. I took the opportunity to ask my hosts about the current crisis in Hong Kong and shared Singaporeans’ general views on the situation. What struck me most is the extremely high level of politicisation and civic consciousness among staff and students, in contrast with generally apathetic Singaporean students.
I had the evening free and planned to pay a visit to the Peak, but my boss’ HK friend said it wasn’t a good idea and instead invited me along to dinner with my boss. We had a wonderful eight-course meal and a really engaging conversation about Hong Kong affairs. I daresay I learned so much during dinner that night and I thanked them for their tremendous hospitality.
News was reporting that protesters were planning to blockade the airport that Sunday (Sep 1) and there were also fears of violence on Saturday. Therefore, after some considerable nagging from my parents, I switched my return flight from Sat night to Sat morning. It cost $100 but the peace of mind was worth it.
The next morning, my boss and I checked out at 6am and took a cab directly to the airport. The journey took just 20 mins on the empty highway and we soon arrived at the terminal. Airport authorities had implemented strict checks for those entering the terminals but the queue was short and we got through quickly.
After a quick breakfast, my boss left to catch her flight while I waited two hours more for mine. HK airport is huge and I decided to walk up and down the terminal looking at planes parked at the gates.
The flight home was one of the smoothest I’ve taken. The plane was again barely half full, and I got the row to myself. Discovered the comedy series “Kim’s Convenience” and watched 5 episodes (it’s a riot!).
I was honestly disappointed that I couldn’t explore the city safely given the high level of political unrest wracking Hong Kong. But I hope to return to this fascinating city sometime in the future to experience its many wonders.
