Stockholm

Yuan arrived the next day after i came back from the UK..
and a few days later the 4 of us were off on a 5 day trip to Stockholm and Copenhagen!


Stockholm is the capital city of Sweden. Most people take a cruise to Stockholm from Helsinki but we decided to fly to save time =) The city is surrounded by an archipelago of tiny islands.. during this time some of this water is still frozen.. as can be seen from the pic below..


We took some maps/brochures.. bought return bus tickets from Stockholm Arlanda Airport to the city.. then headed towards our hostel.. in Gamla Stan (Old Town)..

Along the way we passed by the Stockholm Town Hall.. and walked by many beautiful waterways.. No wonder Stockholm is called the "Venice of the North"!


We settled in at our nice hostel and went out to explore a little. We were there on the right day coz there happened to be a skiing competition going on! So we joined in the crowd!

This competition is held around the Royal Palace.. they basically gathered all the remaining snow in the city.. made a circuit around the Palace.. and then raced around it..

Nationalism from young.. Waving the Finnish Flag!

Swedish boy not to be outdone

We didn't actually go into the Palace itself.. coz of the race.. it was closed! Besides.. we needed to pay.. haha

The Gamla Stan is really quite nice.. with quaint shops and nice cobbled alleyways.. We found a famous hot chocolate and dessert place right in the middle of Gamla Stan.. food was good! Except that it was like run by gays.. with "interesting" and provocative paintings on the walls.. oh and the waiter's hand brushed against mine.. gasp!

Nobel Museum - Stockholm is the home of the Nobel Prize

Exploring the Gamla Stan..

Many Swedish flags along the street

What are you looking at?

Sky bridge

Ri Hao the Viking.. Rarr!

Sweds like their elks

*Wei Sing still had her bag.. Sob Sob

Edmund, who was on NOC in Stockholm, invited us to a big Singaporean gathering on board a restaurant boat.. We had whole lobsters! Then we realised that it was wed.. and wed is half price lobster day.. no wonder i see so many Singaporeans haha.. Gian Berng

Jelene, Yuan, Wei Sing, Zhou Chu

Anyway we met many nice people.. and we actually went to a popular club that nite.. but walked out after realising there weren't seats.. then went to a Jazz place.. but the when we arrived.. the oldies finished their last song and then packed up.. =)..

We arranged to meet up with Claire, Ian, Jing Hui and Lucas at the City Hall for the guided tour the next morning

On the way to the City Hall..

Ducks and more ducks

?? I forgot what this building is ??

The Town Hall was really quite cool.. it is where the politicians of Stockholm work and meet..

The Blue Room.. where the Nobel Banquet is help each year

Not really blue eh? Notice the pipe organ at the top of the room

Wall murals painted by a former prince of Stockholm

The Golden Hall.. now thats more like it

Outside the Town Hall by the waterfront

Sunny weather makes pictures looks good

We went looking for lunch after that.. but couldn't find some Herring thing that Wikitravel recommended.. but found a better restaurant instead! This old lady in a bakery pointed us to this place.. which served wonderful white fish.. lamb and pork dishes..

Yummy!

Can i start now?

We went shopping after that.. but Ri Hao and i grew bored.. coz there were no sales going on.. haha.. so we decided to explore 1 more museum which was nearby.. the Medieval Museum..

We then found a place to hang out while waiting for the girls.. something resembling the Esplanade Library.. =)

We were leaving that night to stay over at the airport.. but before we left.. we were still treated to a nice sunset by the water..


Stockholm is really quite pretty and happening.. like a really huge Helsinki.. with more history.. and according to Yuan.. prettier girls on average.. i didn't notice.. seriously!

Next stop: Copenhagen!

Liverpool

Last entry of my UK trip.. =)

Welcome to Liverpool! European Capital of Culture 2008!

There is a saying, that there are 2 famous football teams at Merseyside.. Liverpool Football Club.. and Liverpool Reserves! The city is much more than a football city though.. i found it to be an incredibly welcoming city, so proud of their scouse accent.. the way Singaporeans are proud of Singlish =)

Apart from the unbelievable night at Anfield where we swept Real Madrid aside 4 - 0.. Wei Sing and i also took time to visit the sights in the city..

The Liverpool waterfront was declared a UNESCO heritage site in 2004. Being a port city, Liverpool's docks really important to its history, and the most well-known being Albert Docks. The area has now been converted into museums and shops.. A bright and sunny day meant that we enjoyed a nice walk around the docks.. Oh and a side note.. the RMS Titanic was registered in Liverpool =)


Of the many museums in the area (Merseyside Maritime, Slavery, Tate Liverpool etc).. the Beatles museum has to be the most visited! Just my own guess.. judging from the number of people taking photos outside it. We didn't go in though.. firstly coz we're poor cheapo students and secondly coz Uncle Cogan told us it was a rip off.. haha.. but if u were a Beatles fan.. i'm sure it will be worth the money!

Yellow Submarine! (Familiar with the song?)

Liverpool actually has the 2nd highest number of Grade 1 and 2 buildings in the UK.. 2nd only to London! Besides the football team.. the Liverpool's Pierhead has to be the most representative of the city.. its 3 most recognisable buildings

The Three Graces.. from left: The Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building, The Port of Liverpool Building

As you can see, the pier is a really nice area to hang out.. especially on a sunny day such as this!

More sights of Liverpool..

St George's Hall

Walker Art Gallery & Central Library

Liverpool has wonderful shopping as well! According to Uncle Cogan, Liverpool people used to go to Manchester to shop.. but after Liverpool One opened.. Manchester people are coming over to shop!

Wei Sing and i decided not to travel to Manchester mainly because of the shopping haha..

Liverpool FC Superstore at Liverpool One

Fashion show at nite

We also visited the tiny but famous Matthew Street.. This is where The Cavern was located.. made famous by the many famous bands that started out and performed there.. The most famous being The Beatles of coz!

John Lennon and I

The names of artistes who have performed at The Cavern.. (filled the whole wall).. recognise any names?

The city is really Beatles Crazy!.. Don't believe me? The Airport is named Liverpool John Lennon Airport!

Where The Beatles had a pint before and after their gigs.. you can still sit where they used to sit =)

Eleanor Rigby - A character from the Beatles song

The Chinese Arch at Chinatown.. apparently the largest outside of China! tells u a bit about the Chinese population in Liverpool =)

The last day in Liverpool was spent sightseeing, visiting the World Museum Liverpool and shopping =)

The Beat Goes On is a special exhibition about Liverpool Music.. =)

60s chart.. look closely to see how popular The Beatles were =) .. and they were just getting started!

There was a stage area with inflatable instruments.. for us to pose around =)

The World Museum also has a huge Egyptian collection.. donated by some rich guy.. its the biggest outside London again.. and apparently Egypt wants to get some of the stuff back coz they're so precious!

The Bombed Out Church.. its roof was hit by a bomb during WWII..

The fantastically huge Liverpool Anglican Cathedral occupies 9600 sq metres! It's the 5th largest cathedral in the world.. it was constructed over more than 100 years.. and its bell tower is 101m tall.

Lighting a prayer candle

This picture at the side of a building is truly representative of how Beatles crazy the place is..

The Beatles

SuperLamBanana.. fast become one of the most instantly recognisable and popular symbols of Liverpool!

Thanks Uncle Cogan and Aunty June! We had a wonderful time in Liverpool =)

So we spent another day finishing our shopping in London.. before flying back to Helsinki.. knowing in our hearts that this trip is a truly amazing one.. one that will stay in my heart for a long time..