STUTTGART

Just in case u think that we miss germany so much so that we flew back for another round of travels, NO. Haha i'm finishing off the 2 cities we visited but were too lazy to blog yet. Stuttgart is a high-class city. Our main purpose for going there was actually to go to the nearby outlet city Metzingen for shopping :) Metzingen was really big, and a must-go if u are a Hugo Boss fan. We went to the main shopping street Koenigstrasse in Stuttgart after Metzingen, and what a mighty long shopping street it was!

Schlossplatz

View of the Neue Schloss from the pavilion. We took this pic according to the photo on the tourism brochure!

Mercedes-Benz Museum: Stuttgart is the headquarter of Mercedes and Porsche, and the Mercs Museum has been one of the place we've wanted to go since Jan. No disappointment there. It was sleek, stylish and high-tech. That hand-held audio guide has to be the poshest gadget (works on infra-red) as compared to allll the other museums!

Jem's favourite car.Mercs bus from Argentina!

The Gull-wingsMercs of the future!And then we arrive in the showroom. Ooooh this car, we love.Haha sorry if you're not interested in cars. Cos if you are, there's not much point in going to Stuttgart.

Next up, our nature-appreciating trip to Berchtesgaden National Park: Koenigssee.

a finality.

SO, we've been back in sunny Singapore for a grand total of 5 days.

Everything is 'cool', like real.

As we took the first steps out of the airport, warm moist air swept across our faces, leaving us feeling... sticky. And for the next few days, I could be wearing singlet and shorts, sitting motionless using my laptop in my room, and yet sweating profusely. That, my dear foreign friends (ello thomas marjo elodie, ca va bien?), is Singapore, averaging 32 degrees every day of the year and having sunny, cloudy, rainy, thunderstorm even all in one day.

Anyhoo, we (so garang) have begun internship just 2 days after we landed in Singapore. Barely adjusted from the jetlag, I have been having a hard time keeping awake at work (i cross my fingers that my boss will never read this) and feeling damn shack everyday. Jem is sick today and couldn't even go to work. It's ok, we'll probably get used to work next week. There's at least lunch time to look forward to, now that we've found pals working in the raffles place area (mad wave at fleaaaa).

Just want to tell our exchange pals how much we love them :) We miss u all!

2 more days in Germany.

We've packed almost everything into the luggages. Probably overweight again.
Tomorrow we're going shopping in Frankfurt. Looking forward to adding more weight to the luggages ha :)

Splatter of raindrops on the window ledge as we cruise down the lovely Koenigssee.

Other than the Frankfurt trip, we're pretty much dreading the next few days.
The thought of leaving the country that I've come to love tremendously, is sad.

To Dee, yes we so totally need a Euro-withdrawal group-mourning session. According to your FAQ, u should be in Catania now. I sure hope u're there, and not stuck in mafia-land Napoli.

MUNICH

What comes into your mind when you think 'Munich'?

B . E . E . R!!!
PROST! [For the uninformed, the blog title 'Prost!' is 'Cheers!' in german.]
The smallest size you can buy is half a litre, like mine. But everyone seems to be holding 1 litre mugs.
We were chilling with our beer in the huge Biergarten called Viktualienmarkt. Beer is such an integral part of life in Munich that I doubt Starbucks can make money here.Butcheries at the Viktualienmarkt: The initial concept of a biergarten is that you are free to bring your own food/ buy other food to eat with your beer. Of course thats not very possible now with 'no outside food allowed' kinda policy everywhere, but not Viktualienmarkt! We brought our cheapo ta-baos to eat there :)The Maypole at Viktualienmarkt. Our guide told us there is an annual competition to steal the maypole. Whoever who can steal it will win one year's supply of beer. Burp.Inside the Hofbrauhaus. Hof = royal. So this is the royal brewery, one of the biggest tourist attraction in Munich, though not too suitable for budget travellers.Theatinerkirche: A loud Italian Rococo exterior, a contrast to the white Baroque interior. Long-gang SURFING at the Englischer gaten!

The famous Paulaner brand, one of the few german brews available in Singapore. Our costly dinner there make us conclude that it is but a big tourist trap.
Instead, we recommend Augustiner Brauhaus. All main courses are below 10euro!

Probably the german food that I love most: Roast pig trotters

Friendly beer lady : Not the curvacious blondie with fishnet stockings you fantasized? Sorry, but Hofbrauhus took all the pretty ones. Plus those at HB wear cutesy costumes, even the men! Allianz Arena: The home of Bayern Munich and most people dunno, also the home of 1860 Munich.The white ballonish stadium exterior is uber cool. It changes colour according to the teams that play there.NEUSCHWANSTEIN!
Getting mentally prepared: It's a super long hike up man.The path up was so steep, but we charged on anticipating the beautiful view.The weather wasn't exactly perfect on the day we went, so let's admire Nicole's pics instead haha. (Lucky u!) The view of the Bravarian Alps, a lake and the Hohenschwangau at the bottom left.

PALERMO

We thought Palermo, the capital of Sicily, is a vibrant city with an unbeatable sandy shoreline, glistening water and half-naked people strutting around the streets. We were quite wrong yo. Palermo city has no beach to boast of and its shore is dominated by a huge not-so-pretty port. Nevertheless, we had a fantastic time at Mondello, thanks to the great beach and...the bestest seafood pasta I've even had!Speghetti Presidente from Ristorante Poldo 2 on Mondello Beach

Teatro Politeama: A stunning entrance with the quadriga on the stone arch. Teatro Massimo
The Duomo: By far the most amazing architecture in Palermo. The entire cathedral is in this natural honey colour, yet it is so subtly beautiful. It was built in Catalan-gothic style, and the interior in neoclassical.San Giovanni: Just one of the many Arab-Norman architectures in Palermo. They all have the unique red domes on top.Beer has become part of our lives. Trying out the Birra Moretti from Italy.Mondello!

Mondello beach is just a half-hour bus ride from Palermo central. It's more popular with locals than most tourists who like to venture further to Cefalu (amazingly beautiful fishing village cum beach). Squeezed into a rowdy-teenagers-packed bus and caught the beautiful view of Monte Pelligrino (ya the mineral water brand!)along the way.If only Sentosa has such clear blue water, where you can see right across the horizon, the seamless separation of sky and water, and not Indonesia in the distance.

23rd May was a very special day. As you can see the pics below, we actually opened a bottle of Sicilian chardonnay. It was...

... the Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan!

YA! like sooo important right? Jem swears a Liverpool fan cannot miss the match if Pool is in the Champions League final. SO, we sniffed out which pub shows the match, arrived there 1hour 45min early and waited. and waited.

It's our first time doing such atas stuff like opening a bottle of wine haha. When the waiter came with the fancy cooler and apperitives, we were so excited. Then felt so suaku for taking pictures :)

Admiring the sunrise as we rush off to the Palermo airport...

CIAO for now!