EUROTRIP by apeng

This trip took place few months and here goes.....
Depart from KLIA on MH2. For the first time I'm gonna sit in economy class on a long haul flight unlike my partner in crime, Fadd. Wondering how its gonna feel because I'm so use to travel in business class [ with that extra room leg and bigger seat :) ]. Check in and immigration was a breeze although no aisle seat is available anymore. More reason to feel worried :) . Generally, its a smooth 12 hour flight. Breakfast was served coincidentally during 'sahur', no problem for 'puasa'.
From London we flown on board British Midlands. The only earliest flight available is at 1115am. Arrive in Manchester 1 hour afterward. My sister, her husband and their youngest son were already there at the arrival hall waiting for us. Once we step outside the terminal, the cold weather of Manchester greet us. Excited and can't wait what's in store for us in the coming weeks.

There's not much activity in the first day, just resting and getting use to the new time zone. Managed to entertain the kids while playing Nintendo Wii.
The next morning, all of us wake up early to start the day. First stop was a factory outlet in Stoke selling pottery and fine china. There are a few particular brands that we are interested in such as Royal Doulton, Wedgwood and last but not least Noritake ( for those who haven't heard about it, consider it as the same quality as Corelle only more expensive ). We bought a few things off the shelf. From Stoke we drive through a countryside area to Chatsworth. We were told that this is where the movie Pride and Prejudice took place. At Chatsworth, Sotheby's ( famous auction house ) is having a selling exhibition of monumental sculpture from 8 Sep until 4 Nov title 'Beyond Limits' in the garden area. Some the sculpture displayed :

) Ju Ming -> tai-chi series : preparation for underarm strike

2) Francois-xavier Lalanne -> vache paysage (le grand)

A new day, still a bit tired from yesterday activity. Today, we are going to another factory outlet in Colne, Boundary Mills. Here, the range of things is endless. You can find almost everything from clothes to house decorations. Managed to get hold of Remy and set to have our 'buka puasa' together. Can't remember the name of the place but one thing for sure we had a lot to catch up.

Manchester United Museum & Tour is on the card today. Just wondering what's the fuss about Man United and Old Trafford stadium. Admission fee is 10 pounds. Quote, " After delving into the history of Manchester United in the museum, why not delve a little further and take a behind the scenes tour or the Theater of Dreams. The stadium tour takes you to places that are only accessible to the players and officials on match days, so if you've ever wondered what it feels like to emerge from the player's tunnel to the roar of 76,000 fans, now is the time to find out. You'll also get to sit in the heights of the North Stand for a bird's eye view of the pitch, stand in Sir Alex Ferguson's spot in the dugout (a bit smelly though) and sit at your favourite player's peg in the home dressing room." After everything that I've wrote, I'm still a Blues fan. There is no chance that I'm gonna switch my allegiance. "Long live the Blues"

Early next morning, we took a 5 hour bus ride from Manchester Central to Victoria Coach Station in Victoria, London. Bought the ticket through internet from National Express, search for 'funfare' ticket, cheapest ticket available. Spent two nights in Caswell Hotel, a bed & breakfast establishment in Victoria. True to its name, a room that offers limited space, no view whatsoever only plenty of stairs. Suits us just fine for the price that we are willing to pay just to get a room to rest. We went to Madame Tussaud straight after check in and it took about 2 hour to discover he whole building. This is the only place where you can rub shoulders with celebrities, compare muscles with sport stars and pucker up to politicians. Pose alongside Hollywood stars and become part of your own Hollywood poster. Not even the sensational news in Harakah can match the scoop in the century, a picture of you with Julia Roberts. Sing, dance and perform with the sultry Jennifer Lopez, stunning Beyonce, wild Britney even Kylie Minogue, are you diva in the making? Before you finish the tour, there is a 10 minute animated show, get the back seat for best view.

We start our second day in London by using the hop-on-hop-off Open Top Bus Tour @ The Original Tour. Stop at London Bridge and went to London Dungeon. Unfortunately, my camera ran out of juice so no picture for today. Anyway, the experience is unforgettable. Thereafter, we visit the Tower Bridge Exhibit, a marvel in engineering world. Discover full size steam engines and working models showing how the bridge works, interactive computers and above all, one of the best panoramic views of London from the high-level walkways, 47 meters above the Thames. The bridge opens to allow traffic through 900 times a year, another spectacle not to be missed! Unfortunately, we went there and come back empty handed :( . The Thames Circular River Cruise is next on our agenda. Departure is from Westminster Pier and some of the famous sights are the Houses of Parliament, Shakespeare's Globe, St Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern, the Tower of London and the London Eye, the latest attraction in London. The British Airways London Eye is the world's highest observation wheel and offers passengers amazing views of Britain's capital city. There are 32 high-tech passenger capsules and each one can be fill up to 25 persons. Though, seat is limited and most of the time you have to stand for the whole approximately 30 minutes. Security check is quite stringent as the world we live in become more dangerous. If I had a further one more day, for sure I would have visit Stamford Bridge, Chelsea FC fortress.
Next stop, Paris. Air France gets us there. Train ride to Amirul's settlement, My Suite Village is about 1 hour 15 minute with one train change in Chatelet Station. He is kind enough to let us stay in his place for 2 night FOC. A short rest and off the three of us to the romantic city of Paris. A trip to Paris is not complete without a visit to Eiffel Tower, so that's our first stop. Like most of the tourist we went to Champs De Elysse, a famous road flank by designer boutiques. At one corner, stood the Louis Vuitton flagship store. This is where the famous and rather expensive brand originate from. "Sorry dear, no handbag for you this time." From there we went to the Louvre, a place known for its artistic value and Monalisa. 'Da Vinci Code' an adaptation film from a bestselling book by a bestseller author Dan Brown made that place even famous. 'Buka puasa' was a simple meal of salmon tagliatelli and vegetarian pizza in one of the restaurant along the road. With a full stomach, we headed towards Notre Dame to watch the 1/4 final match between All Blacks against France. As you can imagine, the area was swarmed with French people chanting 'Les Blues'. Damn, our favourite team All Blacks lost to the host 18-20. Feeling disappointed, we headed back home for a good night sleep. Preparing for an exciting journey tomorrow in the land of wonders, DISNEYLAND....