Guide Us with Your Grace; Give Us Faith So We'll Be Safe

My Bag's Not Packed; I'm Not Ready to Go

1. Accommodation: checked! I think I've contributed much to the IBIS franchise. By the end of my trip, I'm sure I'd have an IBIS experience. I'd be staying at IBIS throughout my trip, save for Mariazell; and that's only because there's no IBIS hotel there! IBIS hotels are not absolutely luxurious, but that's fine by me. I'd rather stay in a hotel with no frills than to pay more, really. Hostels and cabins are a big no-no to me after the Topdeck experience four years ago. Proper accommodation--one that will provide me with a kettle and hot water for bath--is absolutely vital. (By the way, I just learnt that Ibis is actually a large wading bird. Cool!)


2. Itinerary: checked! I have mapped out a route already but have yet to confirm the day/ night programmes with some tour agencies. This reminds me: I have to book the night Prague experience, ski trip in Salzburg, and mass in Vienna soon.

3. Winter clothes: long johns checked! gloves checked! parka checked! I'm missing some socks, scarf, (woolen) pullover, jeans (?), beanie (?). I heard from a friend that head-wear is actually very important in cold countries. I will have to get them soon... by next week!

Some cashmere and woolen long johns, ponchos and a vacuum bag, courtesy of momma.

My parka! Courtesy of momma too!

4. Footwear: Check! Kudos to my tiny feet, I managed to fit into some kid's sized boots from Timberland. So I ended up purchasing a pair of kids' boots, which costs $100 less than an adult's pair. It's absolutely great, since in all likelihood I won't be wearing the boots after this trip. I couldn't choose between this pair of boots


and this pair

After deliberating for half an hour (hahaha!), I decided on the former pair. I prefer its colour/ tone; and, it feels more comfortable. But I am slightly uncomfortable with the straps that run across the shoes. Strapping makes me feel as if I'm re-living the "Bata, back to primary school" days. Truth be told: I am still not sure if I should exchange for the latter pair. What do you think?

5. Backpack: Checked! I bought red and turquoise backpacks--one for me and the other for Dom. His birthday is in ten days! :) I can't decide which I prefer, so I'll leave him to choose which he prefers.

Yogi in a bag! I wanna bring this little dude with me to Europe because I know I will miss him! :(

6. Entertainment and Preparation: checked! Mom bought me an iPad for my birthday! Ooo la la! How awesome is that?! Initially, I wanted to bring a laptop to Europe so that I can record my travel experience when the day draws to a close. But I wasn't sure if bringing a laptop is a good idea since it's quite bulky and heavy. I guess this problem is solved with, voila, the iPad!

Look at the Apps I downloaded: guides to and maps of the cities that I'd be visiting! I even managed to find a Eurail timetable in the iTunes store! Now I'd have quick and easy access to the rail timings! yay!

I borrowed some architecture books to learn about the design of churches and buildings in Europe (haha, of course!), so that I'd be able to appreciate them when I'm there. Yes, there are also city guides to Budapest and Prague.

Once I finish reading these architecture books and city guides, I'll post some interesting fun facts on this travel blog. Meanwhile, I'll need to tie the loose ends of the trip, i.e. confirm some day tours and whats not.

Less than 3 weeks to go... :) *crosses fingers*

Back!

I've decided to revive my Europe blog, since I'd be travelling to Europe this December. Revisiting my old blog, whose address I'll not reveal, was like walking down nostalgia lane. I was greeted with this blog description that I wrote years ago:

A 20 year old female with a direction in life, but has a propensity to lose her way at times (metaphorically and literally speaking). Adores God, her family and her "three most important people". A passionate and zealous food lover who is obsessed with her weight. A language fanatic, Audrey is a firm critic of those who disregard the rules of the English language, i.e.: people who have a tendency to misspell and mispronounce words. She is now en route to mastering the German language.

I was indeed astounded by my sanguine disposition at twenty.

At twenty four today, I would not and would no longer dare say that I have "a direction in life", although arguably I have reached a milestone in my academic progress some two years ago and am wonderfully contented with my chosen profession. If I were to re-write my blog description, which I am hardly inclined to because of my pessimistic outlook on life, I might say something like: "Jaded and cynical, I really wonder if existence is about a relentless writhing in life's mire."

Perhaps my pessimism proves a need for travel: as I explore the physical and cultural space of this Earth--oh, how we are all indeed limited by the finite--I am able to live vicariously as a hedonist, if only for a while. Surveying towns and cities allows me to gouge and devour the myriads of their colours, sounds and smell, engage my senses all at once, satiate my curiosity, and become fully human. Never mind if this is only a temporal relief from the harsh, modern human condition, and a respite from facing repeated (or repetitive) disappointment and failures.

In the last four years, my hankering for travelling has been greatly suppressed, primarily due to the reasons that my sole travelling companion had gotten herself a boyfriend, who shares an equal passion for travelling, and that my then boyfriend had little money to travel with me. I have, as a consequence, visited only a few cities, namely, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Saigon (Vietnam), and Hong Kong. Although these cities are novel in themselves--oh, I recall that they were sardine-packed with humans, and I was simultaneously thrilled by the rules of the structureless traffic system and deafened by the incessant honking of the motorcycles--I found more joy sauntering down the streets of Europe.

Now that I have ended my relationship and have thus abandoned the hope of travelling to Europe with my ex-boyfriend some day, I resolve to (re-)seek some joy and inner peace by revisiting Europe--a different part of Europe, this time. Accompanying me on half of my journey is Dominic, my JC and church friend. (I am utterly grateful for his willingness to walk the walk with me. Pray, let this trip be a seminal point in my life; that I may recuperate and dwell less on the less than beautiful past.)

So, apart from having lost someone significant and apart from graduating from two institutions, I'm still pretty much the same individual after four years. I still am "obsessed about my weight", still am a "passionate and zealous food lover" and a language perfectionist, who is "en route to mastering the German language". Of course, the irony is that, while I love words very much, I often write incoherently and with awkwardness, fragmenting sentences unknowingly and helplessly; and while I detest grammatical errors, my writing's but grammatical errors galore. Ah, the little ironies of life, eh?

So, stay with me, if you will, for more updates on my Europe trip. Say hi to me in the comments section. Follow my blog! Because...

I have already booked my flight - I will be flying to Vienna on the 4th of December 2010 at 1159 hours and returning from Budapest on the 23rd of December at 1600 hours with Lufthansa. During this travel period, I will be exploring Graz, Mariazell, (back to) Vienna, Salzburg, Prague and Budapest. I have also bought my bag-pack, some long john, and gloves, which are obviously very expensive. Perhaps next week I will be shopping for shoes with my shopping assistant, Elizabeth.

Ich kann nicht warten! :)

p.s. I will upload photos soon too!