My Last 3 Trips

This post is really meant for memory sake for it is so outdated- the last 3 trips my company sent me to.

Nantes, France (14-20 September 2009)
Went there to attend a conference. The journey was boring as usual but not too tiring as there was only 1 transit (KL-Amsterdam-Nantes). Nantes is a very small town but there is a nice old castle there, which reminds me of the fairy tales. There is nothing much to do there except walking around town, do some (window) shopping and simply enjoy the cool weather. I was trying to buy some souvenirs but couldn't find any souvenir shops there. Strange huh? But I bought a bag for myself.

Me and my colleague stopped by Amsterdam and visited the city for a few hours as we had a 10-hour transit time on the way back to KL. If you ever transit in Amsterdam, I recommend you to take a look at the city. You can store your luggage at the airport. The big locker can fit two big luggage and the train ticket to city centre cost less than 5 euros (if I remember it correctly). The best part is, there is a toilet with shower inside the airport. I have used it twice. It's free but they just provide the shower with hot water. You need to bring your own toiletries and towel.

Walking back to the hotel.

Told you I did a lot of window shopping.

The town centre. We hang out there eating ice-cream.

Picnic.

The entrance to the castle.

Inside a Cathedral.

River cruise at Amsterdam.

A typical building in Amsterdam.

Multi-storey parking for bicycle.

Tourists at the infamous red light district.
I saw the ladies waiting for customers. Some pretty, some not
and some are frightening.

Bordeaux, France (3-11 October 2009)
I went back to KL from Nantes on a Sunday, spent a weekend in KL and off to France again the next Saturday. So I crammed myself again in the tiny seat for 10+ hours. This time, I transited in Paris. It's crazy to walk at The Charles De Gaulle Airport. I had to walk for around 30 minutes from one terminal to the other to take a domestic flight.

Bordeaux is bigger than Nantes and there are more things to see and buy. I thought as we get closer to the year end, the weather will be colder so I brought along my thick jackets and sweater and boots. The weather forecast said the temperature would be around 15C. I was wrong and so was the forecast. It was so so hot. It's even hotter because I wore sweater and boots. The mat salleh walked around in shorts and t-shirts. I felt so stupid but it's ok coz I got myself another bag.

The street is closed every Sunday for pedestrian and some bazaar.

The Sunday market.


Spices and sauces.


Funfare and fountain.


The city train.


A hot and sunny day.


Don't know what building is this but I love the stone wall.


The Cathedral at night. We were having dinner nearby.


The place where the meeting was held.

Busy Friday afternoon at the shopping street.


The same shopping street at night.

Skelleftea, Sweden (17-23 January 2010)
This is the best trip among the three. In fact, I would say that it is the top 2 places that I will remember for a long long time to come. First will be Milan, not because of the shopping but the buildings. I just love to see the architecture and people walking around, hanging out at the sidewalk cafes, walking their dogs, etc. etc. It's just so Italian. I will remember Skelleftea for it's snow. It was my first time seeing snow and so much snow. The river was frozen and everywhere you see is white. When you are walking outside, you can just smell the snow. To me, it was really cold but to the locals, -5C is very mild weather. The third day we were there, temperature dip to -17C. I just got to know that Skelleftea has 6 months of winter!!! Wow wow wow!! I did so many new things there like walking in the snow, wearing 4 layers of clothes, riding on a snowmobile and tasted the best salmon ever. It was really a great trip.

Preview of the snow.

A view outside the conference hall. It was snowing at that time.


Another view on a brighter day. We only saw the sun for
one day throughout the 5-day stay. One thing
I learnt-the brighter the day the colder it is.


The bridge we have to cross (i.e. walk) to go back to the hotel.


It was pitch dark at 3 p.m.


On the way to the Svansele Wilderness Centre and saw
these lovely red houses. Almost all of their houses are red
and they look really nice surrounded by ice.


Moose on the loose!!


Dinner being cooked.


Dinner is ready-It's difficult to balance the potatoes on the
curved plate that is made of wood. The cutleries and
mug are made of wood too.


Moose and reindeer meat.


Great coffee and ginger bread.