At the back end of last year, I started my first big overseas trip. We went to Europe, via Singapore, and this is my view on the places we went....
Singapore: Very modern, very green, very friendly, very clean. One of the great things about Singapore is also the relative cost of taxis, very cheap. As far as shopping goes, people rave about Orchard Road, but my tip, go into the Marina, if you want to see sometihng extraordinary go to Suntec City. I'm a bloke who's not into shopping much, but I could have gone there for days strictly for that. Suntec City is basically 6-7 huge shopping towers all interconnected, very clean, lots of variety, and lots of uber cool deals. To give an idea, I bought 4 PC games (new ones) for like $70 Australian. I looked at what they retailed back here when I got home and I would have been forking out over $350. Another great thing in Singapore is the Jurong Bird Park, for any animal enthusiasts out there this and the Singapore Night Safari is wicked. Food wise, Singapore has more restaurants per kilometre than any place in the world, the variety is unparalleled. You can go to Italian, steakhouses, or course good old Asian cuisine. And because there's so many of them, you can get some cheap deals. Feka's must do: Have a Singapore Sling. Not a cocktail man myself, but these things are da bomb. 4.5*.
Edinburgh: It's not as big as I thought, but it's hard to explain just the sheer tapestry of history. The buildings blow you away, they're so old, and have such character. And then when you hit the centre of the city, to your right on a high rising hill is this amazing castle overlooking the city. It's quite freaky. If you're into history, Edinburgh is a priority. The only problem with the UK I found is the food, they tend to cook in a lot of fat. Feka's tip for food, go to pubs. Cheapest good food you can find, they're like historical RSAs. 4 *.
Stirling, Scotland: Went up there, via Edinburgh to the castle. Also on the way went to Linlithgow, which is a small, very old town with Linlitghgow Palace, where Mary Queen of Scots was born and raised. Stirling Castle was the former governing house of Scotland basically. Again, amazingly old, and high up perched over Stirling and looking up to the Highlands. You get a pristine view also of the William Wallace monument. 3.5*, not a lot else in Stirling but it's still a wicked place.
St Andrews, Scotland: Not a lot else up there, they do have a castle, but the main spot of course is the golf course. A great photo opportunity, and it's a really picturesque drive up the mid north of Scotland. 2.5*.
Durham, England: Is a little tricky to drive around I found. But the castle and just the old school nature of the town is pretty rad. 2*. We only stayed for half an hour en route, but its a good stopping point.
York, England: The York Minster is here, but alas I had no idea until I had left the town which is unfortunate. There's a lot of Roman fortifications here, the town is basically fortified by old roman walls. Quite an interesting look for sure, it's very very old. 3*.
Liverpool, England: The real surprise I thought. I had no idea about Liverpool apart from the Beatles. For a tip, when you're at the hotel ask for the cabbie, not the Magical Mystery bus tour. What you get is for about the same price is a private cab with a guy who went to school with the Beatles, going to places the Buses simply can't. If you're good, he'll even take you into a pub that his uncle owns where Paul McCartney had a private cut in room where he wrote a lot of the Lennon-McCartney legends. Also, ask him about John Lennon, and the number 9. I don't believe in those types of things, but this simply has too much coincidence. If you're a music lover, this will teach you a lot about the origins of a lot of what we hear today, and make you wonder just how diverse all the Beatles actually were. Aside from the Beatles, Liverpool is a very old city in itself. You're on the River Mersey (just like Gerry and the Pacemakers Ferry Across the Mersey), and up Water Street and around the CBD is a wealth of amazing history. Let alone the Liverpool/Everton rivalry, or the immense bombathon this city suffered at the hands of the Germans. 4.5*
Cardiff: A load of castles around the area, but here's a good tip. There's a market up on St Marys Street, running up near Cardiff Castle, which has a load of old vinyl records. And when I mean a load, I mean thousands of them. And across from there is another little shopping thoroughfare, which has a shop with a million books, old, new, so much history, and very cheap. 2*.
Paris: The best of the best. Forget the "French people are rude" routine, simply use Bonjour, Merci, Au Revoir and since you show an interest in them, they will show more than interest in you. The great thing about Paris is it's very well set out, and things are quite close together. A lot of the major monuments are scattered around the River Seine. People talk about the Eiffel Tower, but honestly, to me things like Le Oper, Le Louvre, Champs Elysses and Arc De Triomphe were better than that. Le Louvre is a must see, yes, it's the home of the Mona Lisa, but straight across on the other wall is a painting of which the type you'll never see again, ever. It's incredibly huge, so well defined, so intricate. The Mona Lisa itself is tiny, the size of one of those Mechanics shops calendars with the titty women. Aside from the paintings, Le Louvre is an amazing site. The building is huge, amazingly huge. There's just not enough time, I didn't get to Montmatre, San Concreu or the Palace of Versaille which I desperately wanted to, but wow. The spirit walking down Champs Elysses with Arc De Triomphe at one end, and Place De La Concorde at the other, where Marie Attoinette was beheaded, is amazing. Absolute must see. 5*.
Milan: Honestly, didn't even check it out, stayed there one night, was absolutely bemused by the train trip which you see beautiful French scenery, the Swiss Alps, and then when you get to Milan the tracks are surrounded by rubbish and tin shed shantys. N/R. The big site here is their Duomo.
Rome: Very vibrant and colourful. Tight streets, but then again, this city was built how long ago? Some of the top sites here are Fontana De Trevi, Coliseum, St Peters Basilica.. here's another one, Emanuelle Vittorio II, I'm not sure what it is I'm assumign it's an old Palace, but the architecture here is amazing. Basically you make a bee line from the Coliseum, walk past the Forum and Caesars Palitino Hill, and there it is. Do a 90 degree turn, and you head towards Fontana de Trevi. 4.5*, especially given the food and how passionate the Italians are about their food. If you leave early not having finished your plate, they apologise to you, why? Because it's usually momma's restaurant, and momma wants to satisfy her customers, and who are her waiters? Their sons. If you ever want to see family style restaurants, they are here.
Florence: Another amazing hidden jewel. Florence is surprisingly small, and it's in the Tuscany hills. Three amazing sites, the Duomo is incredibly beautiful, the Uffizi with the Statue of David is mind blowing, and Palazzo Del Pitti is a site not often talked about, but it has massive long languid gardens with amazing sculptures everywhere. You can lose a day here alone. THe best thing, the Duomo is five minutes from the Uffizi, and Palazzo Del Pitti takes you over the famous old bridge and is about five minutes from the Uffizi.. by that, I mean walking. Florence is basically Renaissance period, and is completely different to the other cities. Food here is awesome, place call Sabotinnis, if you can find it it has the best Trifle. Not the heavy stuff we've all had, this is soft and creamy and oh my god. 4*. Nothing is ever a rush here in Florence. You just relax, drink Tuscany wine, and enjoy the rumbling hillsides.
Venice: Such a small city, you can walk it, but of course you must go on a Gondola. It's an amazing experience, the bridges are surreal. Everything is water transport. And then walking is narrow winding alleys with every turn offering something new. Best spot is St Marks Square, with St Marks Basilica and the Doges Palace. Near there is the Rialto bridge, which is a site in itself. People here again are very friendly. 4*. It's such a unique, vibrant experience.
Vienna: Talk about a hidden jewel, take a train trip from Venice to Vienna, most naturally beautiful scenery. The houses you see are like old style American barns in size, all near lakes, all near snow. Vienna itself, the only criticism is something they can't help, I don't know really any German and while most speak English, it's generally broken English. German is a difficult language to understand on the run, and thus reading maps can be difficult. One of the most awesome places is Schonbrunn Palace, a massive old style royal palace. The site is just jaw dropping. Vienna's centre is as good as Paris', you have the Opera House where Mozart, Beethoven and the likes worked, you have the Theatre which housed Shakespeare plays in the day, you have an unbelievable Parliament, the Presidents headquarters, and the Museum Quarter. I didn't get the time to go into any of these buildings, but the architecture here is unbeatable so its easy to lose a day just doing that. Of course the Danube flows through Vienna. 4.5*. Austria is beautiful, you've also got places like Salzburg which you go through by train, and you wonder... why haven't I spent more time here? One other word... Schnitzel... Yum. Authentic. And of course, Cordon Bleu from the French influences too.
