My Euro-trip started in Stockholm city. Discard the work days, had extended two days – one night to stay in Stockholm to enjoy the city.
Right after my wife arrived, we head to meet a net friend of mine! Yes, you see it right. NET friend :hahaha:
I get to know her because of a Swedish friend… yes, another net friend. At that time, they were still together but not now. (that’s quite a disappointment because I did not get to meet the Swedish… anyway, there’s always chance!)
I met her once, like 5 years ago… She travel around Asia and when she stop at Malaysia, we (me and my wife) picked her up for some bak kut teh and roti canai! Time flies… 5 years gone and it is my luck to meet her again in Stockholm! We had some chat about life and how’s things had changed… It was a great start for my trip!
We rented a small cabin inside a boathouse. It is really small… but enough for 2. It has sufficient spaces for you to have your dinner and a clean restaurant. Overall, it is not bad.
This is the view from the boat restaurant windows.
Our day definitely started with not too good weather… It is because the weather is not good… the sun was hidden behind the clouds and very windy.
The first stop for the day is the Royal Palace. The timing was perfect! We had the chance to witness the The Royal Guard exchange which is a old tradition of Sweden. It happens every sunday at 12:00 PM near the Royal Palace in Stockholm. (Hopefully I am correct :P) . A lot of visitors were queued up for the performance!
Herewith some photos of the guard exchange. Live performances presented as well. (I believe we shoot a movie of it… will dig it out and post it later 🙂 )
For the two days in Stockholm, we had walked through the old town (Gamla Stan) and also the city centre… Nothing notable but everything looks so new to us! :hahaha:
This is the landmark in front of my company office.
Some building and scenery shots… from various places such as on top of the bridge that connecting city centre with Gamla Stan, the city hall and etc…
Of course some night view…
To be honest, the weather is really cold which caused me really hesitated to move my hand out from pocket to take photo… (definitely not a reason for not producing high quality shots…) :xd:
I hope you enjoy the photo as much as I enjoy Stockholm!
As most of you know, I just got back after travelling around these 3 countries – Sweden, Italy and Netherlands.
I only able to cover Stockholm for Sweden and Amsterdam in Netherlands. Italy is my primary focus, been into Venice, Rome, Florence and Pisa.
Taken a lot of photo but before I start posting it. I would like to share this with you while it is still fresh in my memory…
It could be very useful if you are planning a Europe trip especially to the 3 countries that I visited.
These are my gains on the trip, of course, with some painful cost too.
Let’s start it now.
1. If you want cheap flight, go for Ryanair, but it is not cheap if you do not book with discounted price… You have to check it daily, it will change the price and you only book it when it reaches your price. Normally the flight can go as cheap as 10 Euros… It could save you hundred of Euros if you book 2-3 return flights.
2. Get a weekly pass on train or buses if you going to stay longer in a city. It will usually cheaper if you factor in the time you saved from walking. However, if you are hardcore backpacker who want to walk and has plenty of time to experience the atmosphere… then forget this. LoL.
3. Always plan your itinerary and book necessary accommodation and transportation in advance. It will save you a lot!
3. This is painful lesson… The City Terminal in Stockholm is not backpacker friendly. It close on 12AM and open on 3AM. If you have early buses or train… You better find a place to stay for the night, for example, go to the airport because it usually don’t close… If you really want to stay around the city, you can choose to spend your midnight in the Mc Donald nearby the terminal. It is 24/7…
4. When you are at Venice… No need to spend 2 euro to buy the map… It is a maze. Just follow the crowd… You should be able to reach the tourist spot… How you can get back to your hostel… That is up to your memory 😛
5. In Italy, street food are cheap! Home cook cheapest! Restaurant are evil. :hahaha:
6. If you travelling around Italy by inter-city train. Be sure you reach the terminal an hour earlier than the schedule because some terminals are really huge, it will take some times to walk to your train…
7. English does not work for Italy. Prepare for the worst!
8. Mc Donald offer the cheapest fast food (burgers)! 1 euro 1 burger.
9. Train in Netherlands has different type namely, intercity, sneltrein and sprinter… I could be wrong but this is a hard-learnt experience where all the sign board are not written in English…
Intercity – Stop every city (Note: not every station or terminal but only those marked “IC”)
Sneltrein – Slight more stopping point (Note: only stop at terminal with those marked “IC” and “S”)
Sprinter – Stop every station / terminal.
10. Most toilet costs money… some are free on major tourist spots. If paying for pee is not cost-effective for you. You can either find a tree to cover up or always empty it when you sees free toilet. :xd:
11. Generally, the people in hostel are very approachable. Spend time to introduce yourself and talk to them. Perhaps you can add a few more friends to your FB :hahaha:
I have more to write but this is getting very lengthy. If you are about to go to these countries. Drop me a mail or leave me a message, I will be gladly to share my itinerary with you. 🙂
Last but not least, I am kind of surprise because I met 2 foreigners that speak Mandarin with me… First is an Swedish old lady in Stockholm, and a handsome father from United States who I met in Ventican.
Hope you find this useful!
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