Day 2 & 3 in Europe....
Day 2 (31/03)
Get up early to go to Berlin Zoo, Biggest Zoo in Europe. Again, were the only ones there. Ghost zoo. Weather very bad, raining and very cold. We were struggling to get around with put umbrella contantly being blown up. Only us and an old man in the zoo. Even the rhinocerous and alpacas were taking shelter from the rain. Not us.
Got to see some amazing hippopotamaus swimming in the water. One made a loud noise that shook the whole place. Very cool.
Spent some time following signs that pointed to the eis bar (polar bear). Could not find the eis bar. Saw many birds instead. All cool.
Finally found polar bears. Three of them. They were all quite funny. Swimming around and scratching themselves on rocks. Saw more cool animas including a boss like gorilla and smiley orangutan. Left zoo at 12 pm.
Visited the Brandenburg Gate. Very nice Place. Here I attach a picture of Brandenburg Gate.
Found our way to the Holocaust Denkmal (Memorial). Memorial made up of concrete blocks on undulating land. Very tempting for the graffiti vandals I imagine. That's why there's a security guard there I think. Pic of me at memorial.
Entered the visitors'c centre. Paid 2 euro to listen extremely informative automated guide. Spent two hours there. Very good Holocaust museum. Came up and it snowed while we were underground (the centre is located below the memorial). Sky very clear and very nice. Pic of me near Brandenburg Gate. You can see how clear the sky is, reflected in the water puddles some more. No need umbrella already.
Go back to hotel. Exhausted. Nap. Woke up at 8. Visited the East Side Gallery in the dark. Longest remaining stretch of Berlin wall. Interesting wall that was built to keep east Berlin from getting into West Berlin. Very cold and mechanic place if not for the bright and nice graffiti that adorns it. Picture of the wall. David posing because I was the one taking pictures. Take the U-Bahn to next station. Locate amazing burger stall recommended on Lonely Planet. David ecstatic because he is a food lover. I had been talking about Burgermeister all this while but he never knew how good it really was. Burger stall situated in old public toilet. But so busy until you need to take a number to wait your turn (like at Malaysian Immigration). Burgers super good and affordable! Pic of David at the burger stall.
Walked along many graffiti stained buildings. That area very dark and dodgy at night. Slept late even though had to wake up a 4.45 am to catch train to Heidelberg. Pic of hotel before we left. It was a really really cool hotel.
Day 3- 01/04
Got up at 4.45 am to catch the train to Heidelberg. Train departed at 5:56 am on the dot from The Hauptbahnhof. Said good bye to Berlin. I really liked the Hbf, was the most memorable site in Berlin for me. Train very nice. Big, luxurious and very comfy. Even had pillows for our heads. This was the high speed Intercontinental Europe train famed for being expensive and new.
Reach Heidelberg at noon. David extremely tired because Berlin was like a marathon. Weather bad, running around, fighting the elements with only a small flimsy umbrella. Worn down, Heidelberg rejuvenated us with its slow pace and better weather. Got into the castle because it was free entrance day. So lucky! Pic of heidelberg although I'm sure you've seen it. Pic of me in the castle.
Stroll around city, eat. return and napped. Had late dinner at Next door Mcd's.
Continue next post....more exciting stories....
Monday, April 16, 2012
Travel tales in Eastern Europe - Part 2
More stories coming up...
Day 1 (30/3)
David and I arrived at Berlin at 9 AM. Picked up large back pack and headed for Berlin City Centre on the S-Bahn. Bought a welcome card that allows us to travel anywhere in the city for 48 hours. Used my English-German Dictionary and map of the S-Bahn from Lonely Plane to get around.
Reached our Michelberger hotel in Warschauer Strasse. Hotel is very nice, edgy and trendy. Embodies Berlin's subculture. For the rest of the Berlin trip we were on the edges of East Berlin, former communist colony and site of much graffiti. Also very dark and dodgy at night but has some really good food.
Visit Bundestag at 11 AM. Get to go in because I pre booked an appointment to visit the glass dome. Needed to bring passports to prove that we're not terrorists.
Finish Bundestag tour. It was very informative. Free Audio Guides. Head to Karlshorst German-Russian Museum because David wanted to look at some WWII tanks.
Had tom yam soup and salmon teriyaki for lunch at the Hauptbahnhof (My favourite place in Berlin).
Reach Karlshorst, had a look around the museum. We were the only ones there. Ghost museum. David a bit disappointed at the military transport on exhibition. Incidentally, stupid me forgot to bring camera for Bundestag visit so there are no Bundestag Pictures. Picture of David spread eagle on the museum floor as proof that we were the only ones there. I suggested that he act like a corpse while I took the picture from the second floor. Success! Nobody around so we could take all the silly pictures we liked. Also here is a pic of me and a tank. This tank was on the Museum's wiki page so David was very excited to pose with it.
After Karlshorst, were super tired. Went back to hotel. Ate at Russian restaurant recommended by hotel. Did not like Russian food. Slept Early.
More coming up....
Day 1 (30/3)
David and I arrived at Berlin at 9 AM. Picked up large back pack and headed for Berlin City Centre on the S-Bahn. Bought a welcome card that allows us to travel anywhere in the city for 48 hours. Used my English-German Dictionary and map of the S-Bahn from Lonely Plane to get around.
Reached our Michelberger hotel in Warschauer Strasse. Hotel is very nice, edgy and trendy. Embodies Berlin's subculture. For the rest of the Berlin trip we were on the edges of East Berlin, former communist colony and site of much graffiti. Also very dark and dodgy at night but has some really good food.
Visit Bundestag at 11 AM. Get to go in because I pre booked an appointment to visit the glass dome. Needed to bring passports to prove that we're not terrorists.
Finish Bundestag tour. It was very informative. Free Audio Guides. Head to Karlshorst German-Russian Museum because David wanted to look at some WWII tanks.
Had tom yam soup and salmon teriyaki for lunch at the Hauptbahnhof (My favourite place in Berlin).
Reach Karlshorst, had a look around the museum. We were the only ones there. Ghost museum. David a bit disappointed at the military transport on exhibition. Incidentally, stupid me forgot to bring camera for Bundestag visit so there are no Bundestag Pictures. Picture of David spread eagle on the museum floor as proof that we were the only ones there. I suggested that he act like a corpse while I took the picture from the second floor. Success! Nobody around so we could take all the silly pictures we liked. Also here is a pic of me and a tank. This tank was on the Museum's wiki page so David was very excited to pose with it.
After Karlshorst, were super tired. Went back to hotel. Ate at Russian restaurant recommended by hotel. Did not like Russian food. Slept Early.
More coming up....
Travel tales in Eastern Europe - Part 1
Read Adeline's stories of her recent trip to Europe some parts of which brought tears to my eyes....
Hi Mom, Dad, Wei Wei and Ai Ai,
I'm back from my extremely long and drawn out trip of Europe. It was
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
I really enjoyed this trip. More so than Italy, mainly because I planned it, and also because we didn't do a tour package so we could do what we wanted.
I really love Europe! There's just so much to like about it!!
Mainly, I love Germany and Austria and Poland! I also visited the Cz Rep (Prague) but didn't like it that much (although Prague is a beautiful city).
Yes, Poland. Did you know I went there? I don't think its a highly visited country and I've never seen it advertised as a tourist destination before but I am so glad I went there. I went to Krakow, mainly to visit Auschwitz and Birkenau but ended up enjoying Krakow city itself so much. Things there were so cheap when converting from Zloty (Polish Currency) to pound. After our first meal, David and I stopped looking at prices on the menu and just ordered as we liked. We ate like kings and dined at classy, fine dining places every night. I even left a tip of more than 10% of my bill on our last night because I was so happy with the food and service and also because I could afford to!
To exemplify how cheap everything was for us, Coca cola cost us 50 p. In Vienna, Coke cost us 2 euros. Big Difference right? So every night we ate fresh seafood at this classy French-Polish restaurant. The dishes ranged from 28 zloty to over 40 zloty but to us, when converted, the meals never exceeded 20 pounds. That's a big big deal for us. And we could just spend money like water because we knew everything was so cheap! However, we held back on certain things that we felt were too over priced and unreasonable.
Anyway, enough about Poland. I'm getting ahead. My tour started in Berlin, Germany. David and I landed at Schonefeld Airport on 30/3, at 9 AM. We then took the S-Bahn to our Hotel which was located near the East Side Gallery, the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin wall. Saw lots of graffitti on the way. Was not impressed by the weather. But you know what we were very impressed by?
German Engineering.
Yes, the S-bahn is so awesome! Its convenient and takes you to all the main places in the city. The trains come on time, On The Dot. The train stations are big, spacious and so organised. I was really amazed at how efficient Germany was. I really liked the main train station, the Hauptbahnhof. Best train station I have ever seen. It is HUGE and has lots of shops and restaurants. German children are very well behaved and German parents seem to take very good care of them (unlike UK families: single parenting, benefit scroungers etc). Anyway, I was very impressed by the efficiency and organisation of the Germans. However, I would later see this level of German organisation and efficiency again... but in a very different context. I saw it again in Auschwitz and Birkenau. Did you ever wonder how one single government killed more than 1.5 million Jews in a few years?
Auschwitz (in Poland) stayed with me for hours and will maybe stay on for days, after I took the tour. In my quiet moments, or just before falling asleep, the bunkers in the concentration camp, Birkenau would flash before my eyes. I would repeat every exhibit I saw, every picture of every person that I looked at. I can still remember the smell of the bunker, and I can still feel the atmosphere. Auschwitz really left a very deep impact on me. I kept imagining what it must have been like for them. I was really haunted. Still am.
Yet, it was the best tour I have ever taken and it was the best for David too. If you ever want to travel not just for leisure, but to learn, you should go to Auschwitz. I cannot imagine the depths of men's hearts to the point that man was capable of creating such a place and such a system for other men to live and die in. Our tour guide ended the tour so aptly with these words: ..now you can see..how one man... created a living hell for another man to live in. It was a really really tragic tour. Nobody clapped when the tour ended. We were all just too shocked. I gasped out loud a few times during the tour because I was just too taken aback by what I saw, smelled and felt. It happened over 50 years ago but the camp remains, just as if it happened recently. Also, in all our pictures of Auschwitz and Birkenau, neither me and David can be found smiling. It just wasn't appropriate. The tour guide even scolded the parent of a kid who was throwing stones on the camp grounds because it was disrespectful.
Back to the question. How did a group of men exterminate over 1.5 million Jews in just a few years? Birkenau is a testament to that. When I first saw the camp, the first thing that struck me was how organised it was. The bunkers were neatly spaced, everything was neatly organised. To be honest, the camp, reminded me, of Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Disturbing right?
They thought of everything. Hitler and his men devised the concentration camps in their conference: The Final Solution to the Jewish question. They chose Auschwitz as the final destination for many of the Jews in Europe. Jews were brought from as far as Oslo in Norway and Thesaloniki in Greece. The Jews in Greece even had to pay for transport to Auschwitz. As you know, Jewish discrimination had been going on for a while. In some places, Jews were already moving and living in ghettos, not allowed to mingle with the general population. So here was what they did:
1. First, they took over Auschwitz which was a former soldiers' bunker. They expelled all the villagers living within 40 km of Auschwitz. They didn't want anyone to know what they had planned.
2. Auschwitz was first used as a prison for Polish political prisoners. Later on, the first Jews started arriving in overcrowded trucks. Many died on the trip there.
3. Auschwitz was not big enough. So they built Birkenau, a camp a few km away. This was where their organisation and efficiency shone.
4. The Jews were told that they were being transported to a country in Eastern Europe to start a new life. They did not want to cause panic. They also told them that they could only bring a limited amount of luggage. So the transportees only brought their most valuable items.
5. The Jews are then loaded onto cramped trucks to make the very long journey to Auschwitz. Many die from suffocation and exhaustion during this trip, especially the elderly and the young.
6. At the camp, the Jews are separated. The army doctor examines them. Those deemed fit to work are given uniforms and led to one area. THose deemed unfit (elderly, children, pregnant women, sickly looking people) well....
7. They are told that they will be going for a shower... to clean them up.
8. They are led along a stretch of road in Birkenau.. to these 'showers'. (We walked along this same stretch). As you know, the showers are not real showers. These are the gas chambers which helped the Nazis exterminate over 1 million of the 1.5 million that they killed.
9. In the gas chambers, the people are told to strip. There are signs on the wall saying 'This way to the showers'. There are hooks for you to hang your clothes up. For all purposes, the place really looks like a public shower. The Nazis did not want to cause panic.
10. The Jews are cramped into a room. There are shower heads on the wall. But these do not work. Instead there is a hole in the ceiling. From here, the Nazi soldiers will pour the poison Cyklon B. This poison will cause death by internal suffocation... within 15 minutes. The Nazis lock the shower doors. The Jews still think they are going to have a shower.
11. They lock the doors, they pour the poison. Jews die by the hundreds. There is massive vomitting and bleeding as the poison takes effect.
12. After the gas subsides, the doors are opened. Jewish prisoners are forced to search the bodies for gold teeth. They cut the hair from the bodies. This human hair will be used to make yarn and wool for the Nazi soldiers' garments. ( I saw the human hair exhibit. They preserved it. It made me feel so sick). The belongings of the dead are taken to Germany to fund the German army. The Auschwitz was not only useful in getting rid of the 'enemy', it was also very profitable. The German army made over 80 million marks from the camps. l
13. These Jewish prisoners are then shot. The Nazis did not want any eye witnesses of their crimes.
Okay. This is the end of Part 1. I can go on but have to take a break as it is too... sad. I was there on the camp grounds. I walked inside the gas chambers. I saw the crematorium which was used to cremate the bodies. Nobody knew what the Nazis were up to. The Allies only found out about the scale of this evil after they defeated the Axis. The soldiers who liberated the prisoners say that they will never forget what they saw.
I can tell you that the bunkers which housed the prisoners affected me the most. The smell was terrible but I am sure that the camp prisoners had much much more terrible smells and living conditions to deal with. Those who did not die in the gas chambers died because of appaling living conditions, starvation, overly long roll call, execution, beatings etc.... The bunkers. I could go on and on. I can understand why survivors develop so many phobias and fears. They will never forget, definitely. Most who arrived in the camps died within a few months of being there. Even young, able bodied people.
Okay, have to end here.
Actually, I also visited many nice and beautiful places during my trip. I saw the Alps for the first time. They were beautiful and so majestic. I had a great time in Berlin. I had an even better time in Munich. I loved Vienna. David and I did not really visit the landmarks. We went cafe hopping instead. Viennese cafes are a cultural institution and I guess we really simmered into Viennese lifestyle. The cafes are amazing. The waiters are all dressed in tuxes, no matter how shabby the decor is, and the food is really good. The pastries are amazing. I had Sacher Torte from the historical and famous Sacher Hotel twice. I watched a concert performed by a quartet of 3 violins and 1 cello. It was amazing. I really liked Vienna. Then I went to Prague. It was meh. People were rude, didn't speak English and for some reason, Prague had so many tourists even though it was only early spring. Nice city though, very fairy tale like. The Cz Rep's landscape reminded me of all the storybooks I'd read before. The drawings seem to come straight out of the landscape. Heidelberg was nice but it paled in comparison with the other cities. I went to Neuschwanstein and had a really good tour guide who made us laugh. Castle was very nice from outside but inside was like.. what, that's all? That's because Ludwig II didn't have time to complete it.
I visited two zoos, and one Parliament (German Parliament, the Bundestag). I watched one German opera in Vienna (Der Fledermaus by Johann Strauss). I heard Mozart, Dvorak and Strauss played live in front of me. I really enjoyed it. I visited three castles. Heidelberg castle, Neuschwanstein and Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. I ate all kinds of things. Travelled on all kinds of trains. I really liked the experience I had. My favourite train was the newest Intercontinental Europe train. It was super fast and super comfortable.
okay. got to go now. Will write more later.
Love,
Adeline.
Hi Mom, Dad, Wei Wei and Ai Ai,
I'm back from my extremely long and drawn out trip of Europe. It was
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
I really enjoyed this trip. More so than Italy, mainly because I planned it, and also because we didn't do a tour package so we could do what we wanted.
I really love Europe! There's just so much to like about it!!
Mainly, I love Germany and Austria and Poland! I also visited the Cz Rep (Prague) but didn't like it that much (although Prague is a beautiful city).
Yes, Poland. Did you know I went there? I don't think its a highly visited country and I've never seen it advertised as a tourist destination before but I am so glad I went there. I went to Krakow, mainly to visit Auschwitz and Birkenau but ended up enjoying Krakow city itself so much. Things there were so cheap when converting from Zloty (Polish Currency) to pound. After our first meal, David and I stopped looking at prices on the menu and just ordered as we liked. We ate like kings and dined at classy, fine dining places every night. I even left a tip of more than 10% of my bill on our last night because I was so happy with the food and service and also because I could afford to!
To exemplify how cheap everything was for us, Coca cola cost us 50 p. In Vienna, Coke cost us 2 euros. Big Difference right? So every night we ate fresh seafood at this classy French-Polish restaurant. The dishes ranged from 28 zloty to over 40 zloty but to us, when converted, the meals never exceeded 20 pounds. That's a big big deal for us. And we could just spend money like water because we knew everything was so cheap! However, we held back on certain things that we felt were too over priced and unreasonable.
Anyway, enough about Poland. I'm getting ahead. My tour started in Berlin, Germany. David and I landed at Schonefeld Airport on 30/3, at 9 AM. We then took the S-Bahn to our Hotel which was located near the East Side Gallery, the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin wall. Saw lots of graffitti on the way. Was not impressed by the weather. But you know what we were very impressed by?
German Engineering.
Yes, the S-bahn is so awesome! Its convenient and takes you to all the main places in the city. The trains come on time, On The Dot. The train stations are big, spacious and so organised. I was really amazed at how efficient Germany was. I really liked the main train station, the Hauptbahnhof. Best train station I have ever seen. It is HUGE and has lots of shops and restaurants. German children are very well behaved and German parents seem to take very good care of them (unlike UK families: single parenting, benefit scroungers etc). Anyway, I was very impressed by the efficiency and organisation of the Germans. However, I would later see this level of German organisation and efficiency again... but in a very different context. I saw it again in Auschwitz and Birkenau. Did you ever wonder how one single government killed more than 1.5 million Jews in a few years?
Auschwitz (in Poland) stayed with me for hours and will maybe stay on for days, after I took the tour. In my quiet moments, or just before falling asleep, the bunkers in the concentration camp, Birkenau would flash before my eyes. I would repeat every exhibit I saw, every picture of every person that I looked at. I can still remember the smell of the bunker, and I can still feel the atmosphere. Auschwitz really left a very deep impact on me. I kept imagining what it must have been like for them. I was really haunted. Still am.
Yet, it was the best tour I have ever taken and it was the best for David too. If you ever want to travel not just for leisure, but to learn, you should go to Auschwitz. I cannot imagine the depths of men's hearts to the point that man was capable of creating such a place and such a system for other men to live and die in. Our tour guide ended the tour so aptly with these words: ..now you can see..how one man... created a living hell for another man to live in. It was a really really tragic tour. Nobody clapped when the tour ended. We were all just too shocked. I gasped out loud a few times during the tour because I was just too taken aback by what I saw, smelled and felt. It happened over 50 years ago but the camp remains, just as if it happened recently. Also, in all our pictures of Auschwitz and Birkenau, neither me and David can be found smiling. It just wasn't appropriate. The tour guide even scolded the parent of a kid who was throwing stones on the camp grounds because it was disrespectful.
Back to the question. How did a group of men exterminate over 1.5 million Jews in just a few years? Birkenau is a testament to that. When I first saw the camp, the first thing that struck me was how organised it was. The bunkers were neatly spaced, everything was neatly organised. To be honest, the camp, reminded me, of Berlin Hauptbahnhof. Disturbing right?
They thought of everything. Hitler and his men devised the concentration camps in their conference: The Final Solution to the Jewish question. They chose Auschwitz as the final destination for many of the Jews in Europe. Jews were brought from as far as Oslo in Norway and Thesaloniki in Greece. The Jews in Greece even had to pay for transport to Auschwitz. As you know, Jewish discrimination had been going on for a while. In some places, Jews were already moving and living in ghettos, not allowed to mingle with the general population. So here was what they did:
1. First, they took over Auschwitz which was a former soldiers' bunker. They expelled all the villagers living within 40 km of Auschwitz. They didn't want anyone to know what they had planned.
2. Auschwitz was first used as a prison for Polish political prisoners. Later on, the first Jews started arriving in overcrowded trucks. Many died on the trip there.
3. Auschwitz was not big enough. So they built Birkenau, a camp a few km away. This was where their organisation and efficiency shone.
4. The Jews were told that they were being transported to a country in Eastern Europe to start a new life. They did not want to cause panic. They also told them that they could only bring a limited amount of luggage. So the transportees only brought their most valuable items.
5. The Jews are then loaded onto cramped trucks to make the very long journey to Auschwitz. Many die from suffocation and exhaustion during this trip, especially the elderly and the young.
6. At the camp, the Jews are separated. The army doctor examines them. Those deemed fit to work are given uniforms and led to one area. THose deemed unfit (elderly, children, pregnant women, sickly looking people) well....
7. They are told that they will be going for a shower... to clean them up.
8. They are led along a stretch of road in Birkenau.. to these 'showers'. (We walked along this same stretch). As you know, the showers are not real showers. These are the gas chambers which helped the Nazis exterminate over 1 million of the 1.5 million that they killed.
9. In the gas chambers, the people are told to strip. There are signs on the wall saying 'This way to the showers'. There are hooks for you to hang your clothes up. For all purposes, the place really looks like a public shower. The Nazis did not want to cause panic.
10. The Jews are cramped into a room. There are shower heads on the wall. But these do not work. Instead there is a hole in the ceiling. From here, the Nazi soldiers will pour the poison Cyklon B. This poison will cause death by internal suffocation... within 15 minutes. The Nazis lock the shower doors. The Jews still think they are going to have a shower.
11. They lock the doors, they pour the poison. Jews die by the hundreds. There is massive vomitting and bleeding as the poison takes effect.
12. After the gas subsides, the doors are opened. Jewish prisoners are forced to search the bodies for gold teeth. They cut the hair from the bodies. This human hair will be used to make yarn and wool for the Nazi soldiers' garments. ( I saw the human hair exhibit. They preserved it. It made me feel so sick). The belongings of the dead are taken to Germany to fund the German army. The Auschwitz was not only useful in getting rid of the 'enemy', it was also very profitable. The German army made over 80 million marks from the camps. l
13. These Jewish prisoners are then shot. The Nazis did not want any eye witnesses of their crimes.
Okay. This is the end of Part 1. I can go on but have to take a break as it is too... sad. I was there on the camp grounds. I walked inside the gas chambers. I saw the crematorium which was used to cremate the bodies. Nobody knew what the Nazis were up to. The Allies only found out about the scale of this evil after they defeated the Axis. The soldiers who liberated the prisoners say that they will never forget what they saw.
I can tell you that the bunkers which housed the prisoners affected me the most. The smell was terrible but I am sure that the camp prisoners had much much more terrible smells and living conditions to deal with. Those who did not die in the gas chambers died because of appaling living conditions, starvation, overly long roll call, execution, beatings etc.... The bunkers. I could go on and on. I can understand why survivors develop so many phobias and fears. They will never forget, definitely. Most who arrived in the camps died within a few months of being there. Even young, able bodied people.
Okay, have to end here.
Actually, I also visited many nice and beautiful places during my trip. I saw the Alps for the first time. They were beautiful and so majestic. I had a great time in Berlin. I had an even better time in Munich. I loved Vienna. David and I did not really visit the landmarks. We went cafe hopping instead. Viennese cafes are a cultural institution and I guess we really simmered into Viennese lifestyle. The cafes are amazing. The waiters are all dressed in tuxes, no matter how shabby the decor is, and the food is really good. The pastries are amazing. I had Sacher Torte from the historical and famous Sacher Hotel twice. I watched a concert performed by a quartet of 3 violins and 1 cello. It was amazing. I really liked Vienna. Then I went to Prague. It was meh. People were rude, didn't speak English and for some reason, Prague had so many tourists even though it was only early spring. Nice city though, very fairy tale like. The Cz Rep's landscape reminded me of all the storybooks I'd read before. The drawings seem to come straight out of the landscape. Heidelberg was nice but it paled in comparison with the other cities. I went to Neuschwanstein and had a really good tour guide who made us laugh. Castle was very nice from outside but inside was like.. what, that's all? That's because Ludwig II didn't have time to complete it.
I visited two zoos, and one Parliament (German Parliament, the Bundestag). I watched one German opera in Vienna (Der Fledermaus by Johann Strauss). I heard Mozart, Dvorak and Strauss played live in front of me. I really enjoyed it. I visited three castles. Heidelberg castle, Neuschwanstein and Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. I ate all kinds of things. Travelled on all kinds of trains. I really liked the experience I had. My favourite train was the newest Intercontinental Europe train. It was super fast and super comfortable.
okay. got to go now. Will write more later.
Love,
Adeline.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Driving lessons
Young people love cars. The moment they reach the age they can drive, they will bug you to pay for their driving lessons.
After 2 cases of 'licence' abuse (one by the elder sister and the other by the driver), Tim decided to put the brakes on paying for the licence of the youngest daughter. Despite her badgering, complaining, nagging and arguing, daddy would not budge. He said that there was only 2 cars in the family, one for him and the other for the brother to drive to college. Amanda, the ever determined girl she was, decided to work to save money to pay for her licence.
A very noble thought indeed but I have learnt that sometimes the glam and the glitter of KL shopping malls (modern temple, as a preacher called it!) will quickly put paid to any ideas of saving for driving lessons, purchase of cars or holidays or whatever else....alas after deducting EPF, SOCSO and all her shopping bills at Uniclo (you guess it she worked there and was tempted by the staff discounts) nothing much was left for her at the end of the day. The only treat she probably gave us with her pay (unless my memory failed me) was a MacD big breakfast on the way to Singapore during our March holiday this year on the ship, Libra.
At the end of the day, mummy had to graciously give her some money to help pay for her driving lessons (as an ample excuse in case daddy asked mummy, we conspired to say that it was an ang pow for her for good results). However this is a fact which cannot be denied as she did get sterling results for her second re-sit of the Maths, Bio and Chemistry paper for her Foundation in Science.
Anyway, she just completed her driving exam. Whilst all of us passed ours at first try, mummy being the oldest at 34 (yep, that's how old I was when I took up the wheels but I passed) she made family history by being the first to fail her exam!
I wonder who is going to pay for the repeat lessons? Don't look at me!
After 2 cases of 'licence' abuse (one by the elder sister and the other by the driver), Tim decided to put the brakes on paying for the licence of the youngest daughter. Despite her badgering, complaining, nagging and arguing, daddy would not budge. He said that there was only 2 cars in the family, one for him and the other for the brother to drive to college. Amanda, the ever determined girl she was, decided to work to save money to pay for her licence.
A very noble thought indeed but I have learnt that sometimes the glam and the glitter of KL shopping malls (modern temple, as a preacher called it!) will quickly put paid to any ideas of saving for driving lessons, purchase of cars or holidays or whatever else....alas after deducting EPF, SOCSO and all her shopping bills at Uniclo (you guess it she worked there and was tempted by the staff discounts) nothing much was left for her at the end of the day. The only treat she probably gave us with her pay (unless my memory failed me) was a MacD big breakfast on the way to Singapore during our March holiday this year on the ship, Libra.
At the end of the day, mummy had to graciously give her some money to help pay for her driving lessons (as an ample excuse in case daddy asked mummy, we conspired to say that it was an ang pow for her for good results). However this is a fact which cannot be denied as she did get sterling results for her second re-sit of the Maths, Bio and Chemistry paper for her Foundation in Science.
Anyway, she just completed her driving exam. Whilst all of us passed ours at first try, mummy being the oldest at 34 (yep, that's how old I was when I took up the wheels but I passed) she made family history by being the first to fail her exam!
I wonder who is going to pay for the repeat lessons? Don't look at me!
Sweet girl
Each child in my family is unique. They are really specially created by God to fit into our family. My eldest daughter is a lovely and mature girl, wise beyond her years. My son is funny, jovial and a quiet person but my youngest girl is really sweet. Amanda is my constant companion whenever she is home. She finds time to be with me and to go shopping with me or just generally chit chat. I love to hear her playing on the piano, singing and talking in her lilting voice.
The other day, she took my hand and told me "Mummy I pray for you everyday. I pray that you don't get cancer." As it turns out, one of her friend's mum had cancer at a young age and he had to skip a year of uni to take care of her. Amanda told me that she prayed hard for me that I won't get cancer as she loved me so much.
It is moments like this that makes you weak in the knees and brings tears to your eyes. How wonderful to have your children telling you that they love you so much....
Amanda suggested that we visit the mother of her friend who was recovering from cancer and I willingly took her there. Her loving and kind heart has touched me once again....I must have done something right in bringing her up....
The other day, she took my hand and told me "Mummy I pray for you everyday. I pray that you don't get cancer." As it turns out, one of her friend's mum had cancer at a young age and he had to skip a year of uni to take care of her. Amanda told me that she prayed hard for me that I won't get cancer as she loved me so much.
It is moments like this that makes you weak in the knees and brings tears to your eyes. How wonderful to have your children telling you that they love you so much....
Amanda suggested that we visit the mother of her friend who was recovering from cancer and I willingly took her there. Her loving and kind heart has touched me once again....I must have done something right in bringing her up....
Stress
What do you do when your young adult tells you that he is stressed out by his studies?
I have experienced stress in my job. That's because I use my brain, eyes and grey matter quite a bit and I work more than 8 hours a day..... but a young person telling you he is stressed? Apparently this comment seems to be commonplace nowadays. My god grandson was saying to his friend that school stresses him out! I was rather shocked when I heard it. Stressed in studies? I wonder what will happen to them when they come out to work.
Well in Samuel's case, he decided to do something about the stress. He made the decision (without consulting us) to skip one term of college and take a break from his studies. We thought that he was going for classes as he left and came back at his usual time. Later we found out that he did go back to college but only to play badminton.
Imagine our shock when we found out during his Uni open day, that he had opted out for a term to escape the stress of studies. That really made the father boiled. He was on the war path with his son and there was a shouting match at home. When the situation calmed down, we realized that what's done is done and we had to leave him be. At 21, we really could not take the belt or spank him across his buttocks or give him a tight slap. Yelling and screaming did not changed the status quo. My son is as stubborn as he can be, just like his father. That leaves me the mother peacemaker having to sit down and ask him some probing questions on why he did what he did.
We sought counselling from his teachers and decided to let him take his course at the pace that's best suited for him. After all he had 5 years to finish his diploma. So what if at 25, others would have graduated with a degree ahead of him (especially his younger sister) and that he had only a diploma.
When something like this happens, we will often try to evaluate where we have failed in our parenting duties. Oftentimes I will also compare him with other young adults who seem more to be more accomplished than him.
I have decided to let him be. He is 21. If he finds his studies stressful and that he needs a longer time to complete his course, I will have to accept it. It is his life and his future. The more important thing is for him to graduate one day. I am looking forward to that.
I have experienced stress in my job. That's because I use my brain, eyes and grey matter quite a bit and I work more than 8 hours a day..... but a young person telling you he is stressed? Apparently this comment seems to be commonplace nowadays. My god grandson was saying to his friend that school stresses him out! I was rather shocked when I heard it. Stressed in studies? I wonder what will happen to them when they come out to work.
Well in Samuel's case, he decided to do something about the stress. He made the decision (without consulting us) to skip one term of college and take a break from his studies. We thought that he was going for classes as he left and came back at his usual time. Later we found out that he did go back to college but only to play badminton.
Imagine our shock when we found out during his Uni open day, that he had opted out for a term to escape the stress of studies. That really made the father boiled. He was on the war path with his son and there was a shouting match at home. When the situation calmed down, we realized that what's done is done and we had to leave him be. At 21, we really could not take the belt or spank him across his buttocks or give him a tight slap. Yelling and screaming did not changed the status quo. My son is as stubborn as he can be, just like his father. That leaves me the mother peacemaker having to sit down and ask him some probing questions on why he did what he did.
We sought counselling from his teachers and decided to let him take his course at the pace that's best suited for him. After all he had 5 years to finish his diploma. So what if at 25, others would have graduated with a degree ahead of him (especially his younger sister) and that he had only a diploma.
When something like this happens, we will often try to evaluate where we have failed in our parenting duties. Oftentimes I will also compare him with other young adults who seem more to be more accomplished than him.
I have decided to let him be. He is 21. If he finds his studies stressful and that he needs a longer time to complete his course, I will have to accept it. It is his life and his future. The more important thing is for him to graduate one day. I am looking forward to that.
Money matters
Normally before Tim and I embark on our travels, we will count the pocket money we give the children and give them a little extra just in case of emergencies. It is not uncommon for us to give the young adults RM500 to RM700 before we depart for a 10 day sorjourn overseas. The money is to cover their food and transport and other expenses for the entire time we were away.
Usually it is enough. Except for the 14 day holiday we took to England this year when Amanda blogged to say that she missed us so much (that entry really made my day) the India trip was well managed in terms of finances for them. For the England trip, her money just ended a day before we returned and she was 'desperate' to get more money from me. For India, she had to dip into the emergency funds I left her as she had to pay for school books and other stuff.
Well, its understandable that there will be minuses in the budget especially in dealing with young adults. They must have their MacD's or KFC's or their Starbucks or movies or the occasional dates. They also need now and then to buy the latest concert tickets like Planet Shakers and maybe the latest t-shirts at Uniclo which happen to be on sale. It is inevitable that we as parents have to cough up some of the money to pay for the occasional treat!
In order to maintain good relationship with them, we have to be generous when it comes to allowances and not be tight-fisted. Money goes a long way to build relationships. Giving them a lump sum to handle each time we travel helps them to learn responsibility and accountability in the handling of their funds.
Money does matter to young adults and you have a winnable formula if you are willing to dip into your pockets for the little luxuries they will ask you now and then to finance.
Usually it is enough. Except for the 14 day holiday we took to England this year when Amanda blogged to say that she missed us so much (that entry really made my day) the India trip was well managed in terms of finances for them. For the England trip, her money just ended a day before we returned and she was 'desperate' to get more money from me. For India, she had to dip into the emergency funds I left her as she had to pay for school books and other stuff.
Well, its understandable that there will be minuses in the budget especially in dealing with young adults. They must have their MacD's or KFC's or their Starbucks or movies or the occasional dates. They also need now and then to buy the latest concert tickets like Planet Shakers and maybe the latest t-shirts at Uniclo which happen to be on sale. It is inevitable that we as parents have to cough up some of the money to pay for the occasional treat!
In order to maintain good relationship with them, we have to be generous when it comes to allowances and not be tight-fisted. Money goes a long way to build relationships. Giving them a lump sum to handle each time we travel helps them to learn responsibility and accountability in the handling of their funds.
Money does matter to young adults and you have a winnable formula if you are willing to dip into your pockets for the little luxuries they will ask you now and then to finance.
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