Trees in England

I have been browsing my photos of my trips around places in Europe when I noticed something interesting: I love having my photos taken beside trees. Here are some of my many photos. My friend took these photos while we were wandering around England. I really adore trees--especially the gigantic and bizarre-looking ones!

Cambridge

Blenheim Palace

Blenheim Palace

Stratford Upon Avon

Disneyland, Paris

Although it was never my childhood dream to go to Disneyland, visiting the site made me (falsely) feel like I just made a dream come true! I was actually hesitant to visit the place at first because I knew going on the scary rides was inevitable. But when I was already there, and my friends dragged me to the rides, I was surprisingly having a lot of fun! So fun, I wished we could go on more rides. Due to the extremely long queues, we unfortunately only went to three rides: The Phantom Manor, Big Thunder Mountain and The Tower of Terror. 

The Phantom Manor. This ride was not scary at all (but I think children will find it scary). The ride slowly took us around the manor to see ghosts and (supposedly) scary phantoms. The ghost holograms were really outstanding; and they seem so "real!" I might actually be scared if, let's say, my brother will set up that kind of ghost hologram at home!

Big Thunder Mountain. We killed almost four hours for this ride because we didn't opt for the fast track option. In the fast track option, we get to book the ride and come back during the specific time. The queue looked deceptively short. But it took us four grueling hours of waiting. Nevertheless, it was so worth the wait. The scariest part was when the vehicle entered the "mine" and everything turned pitch black. The ride went up slowly at first. Upon reaching the peak, the speed picked up and with bullet-speed, the vehicle took us all the way down. That couple of seconds in the dark felt like forever! Oh! I forgot to add, when we exited the dark mine, and of course, my eyes were wide open, I saw giant cactuses all over the area. They were so beautiful! 

The Tower of Terror. My friends really had to drag me to this one. It's one of the scariest ride I've ever had in my life. Can you imagine going up the elevator to 12th floor and suddenly dropping to the speed of gravity? Then the elevator comes up again; and when you reach the peak, the huge window opens and you get a bird's eye view of Disneyland. Repeat the entire process for a minute. Oh yes, I screamed 'til my throat ached!

I had so much fun visiting Disneyland. I'm definitely going back with my future kids someday.

Shells in a pot from l'Etoile D'or, Leuven, Belgium

Other than studying for my exams and preparing for my thesis defense, I spent the last few months in Belgium dining out with my friends. Although we spent a hefty sum, it was much lower than the usual since we were able to avail of numerous discounts thanks to the Social Deal website I chanced upon one day when I was lackadaisically scrolling my facebook page. One of the best deals we had was from l'Etoile D'or. The restaurant served us with a pound of shells for only 12 euros (although the original price was 24 euros)! It also came with a bowl of  Belgian frites. The deal was for us to get a pound of shells and we choose from a list the flavors we want. I chose "knoflook met room" (garlic with cream). My friends chose other flavors which I can barely remember because in the end, the one who luckily got the best flavor was me! The restaurant is located near the train station in Leuven--just in front of the bus stops. I haven't tried their other dishes but the pound of shells in a pot is definitely a hit!

Amsterdam and Madame Tussauds

 Hi Everyone! The examination period is finally over and I have to triumph over another semester, the last semester so I can obtain my Master's Degree in Molecular Biology. It sounds fancy, but I don't know what to do afterwards (other than settling down with my boyfriend and obtaining PhD. haha). I barely have 7 months to go before I leave Europe and I'm already planning to do lots of travelling--hopefully, when I finish my thesis early and I pass all my exams, I can do a European tour with my boyfriend. I need to save a lot of money because to be honest, my ego suicides whenever he pays for most of our expenses every time we travel. And so beginning next month, I have to impose austerity measures. :D

Last Christmas, my boyfriend and I drove three hours to Amsterdam. We spent the entire morning perusing Van Gogh's art works in a museum his family established after he died. After grabbing a quick bite at a sausage stall in a park near the museum, we headed towards Madame Tussauds. It's a decent-size building where you can find wax figures of famous people--dead or alive. While I am not particularly fond of "famous" people, I found myself extremely excited to have photos with them. Why? Because they look so real! And they're even better than the real ones!

The lady working there said that the place is usually packed everyday. During the peak season, the number of visitors can reach up to 4000! The wax figures are so detailed, even the hair on their skin looks real. The founder, Marie Tussaud, is such a talented lady. She founded the museum in London some time in the 1800s. So far, there are 8 other branches around the world and you can find them in the following cities: Amsterdam, Berlin, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Washington D.C., New York and Las Vegas. So if you happen to visit one of these cities, I suggest you go to Madame Tussauds. You need not know all the famous people there. Looking at the wax art works themselves will surely be pleasurable enough.

I will briefly describe the Van Gogh Museum some other time. It's also a must-see in Amsterdam. In general, I liked Amsterdam because it's very much similar to Belgium. But one big difference is that Belgium is more tamed! And marijuana is definitely illegal here. I can't describe how much I hate the scent of marijuana. The smell reeks everywhere in the streets of Amsterdam. Before, I told myself that one day I will try the delicacies in one of Amsterdam's cannabis "coffee shops"; when I got there however, I changed my mind. The stench of those coffee shops are so foul, I want to puke. But it's just me. I don't know. Maybe you can try and tell me about it because I am definitely never going to try it in my life. 

That's it for my Amsterdam trip. I remember I owe you the story of the night when my boyfriend proposed under the Eiffel Tower. I'm getting married, would you believe? Time surely flies and I'm not getting any younger. But while I can, I will definitely keep on travelling. The world is so beautiful!

Good night!

P.S. In my last oral exam yesterday, the Professor asked me, "Are your exams always like this?" I said, "Yes Professor." Then he asked, "Are you the best in your class?" That was very flattering! Then I replied, "No Professor, my friends are smart too!" But at the back of my head, I was like, "Definitely not the smartest in the class, Professor. Wait 'til you see me in the lab!" haha!