Even so, i enjoyed it to the fullest, and I'm very grateful to UCSI for granting us this opportunity. THANK YOU! :D
okay, so we were to depart from Malaysia on to this wonderful trip on 11th September 2014. It was a total of 10 DAYS trip! :D
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| MY MALDIVIAN PASSPORT AND THE TICKET (yes it reallly annoys me that the logo is not at the centre) -.- |
First of all, we all gathered together in KLIA where we checked in together! Wasnt much of a hassle since we were all on time! I was truly very excited! was in need of a real break. :D And this was it!
In the plane, all i wanted to do was sleep! because the day before i was too nervous and checking on what i could have missed on packing every now and then. So i was in NEED of sleep! however, not everything works as planned! i got hooked on this movie! HARRY POTTER! ;) *not my first time btw* also i had my junk food too with me! i made my own little cinema in the plane! ;) i did enjoy it! very much! :D
Our first stop was to Paris by Emirates, but we transited in Dubai for 4 hrs. It was truly a long wait! But i did have a good rest in one of the lounges, and also i got to interact with people from different countries during the wait. And also, i met these cute little pakistani babies! BABIES! so cute! :D made the very tiring time a bit enjoyable! Through this all, i had a very fun plus terrifying experience with a friend! apparently she got lost! and the only way we could contact each other was through wifi since we didn't have roaming. The terrifying part about the whole thing was that the wifi was veryyy bad! every other second i lost the connection. but somehow, thankfully we found each other! :) Overall, I've got to say, it was a nice and happening experience.
Time to FLY STRAIGHT TO PARIS! :D The flight wasn't all that bad. I was actually really afraid that i wont be able to sleep or rest even for a bit again. But to my surprise, I had a good rest from Dubai to Paris. AND good food too! *which was a total surprise for me, since i don't really like Plane food*
LANDING IN PARIS! :D
By the time we reached in Paris, all I wanted to do was freshen up! But we were on a tight schedule. So couldn't do much about it. But still, my friend and I did rush to the washroom to atleast brush our teeth! And in that little time even, we were lagging behind. :P *see how tight our schedule was* ;)
We first took the bus from the airport to the Charles de Gaulle Etoile. The bus ride was around 15euros and it was almost an hour drive. and on the way got to see soo many different sights. i saw soo many graffiti works around, beautiful old buildings, and so much more.
Here are the scene from outside of the bus. Once again, i didn't see much! mostly because i was dozing off every now and then. ;) but from what i even got to see, i got to see the way the french lived. So calm. And seeing people on bikes, it was absolutely beautiful.
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| heavy traffic around here. |
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| the blue blue sky :D |
oh and i saw COWS! ;D
Our next stop was to the Eiffel tower! :D we were truly very much excited for it, even though we had to experience it with our luggage bags. BUT AGAIN, once in a lifetime opportunity! so we EMBRACED IT! :D
While walking to the Eiffel tower, one of my friend was approached with one of the pick pockets, that we were very much warned about. Thankfully nothing happened and everything was alright. Advice for anyone looking to visit EUROPE: be aware of your surrounding!
And we finally reached the grand Eiffel Tower. And the place was packed with people. We bought tickets to get on to the second floor of the tower. and we had a specific time to do so. However, since we were carrying our luggage bags, the security officers requested us to go in two groups, so one group can look after the bags while the other goes first. Our lecturer decided for her and the sem5 to go on first with the boys.
While waiting for the group 1 to come down, we sat around in one of the corners there with our bags and everything. At that moment we were approached with so many people looking for us to buy keychains and souvenirs of the Eiffel tower. Oh and also, THEY ACTUALLY CAN SPEAK MALAY! :O
So it was our turn to go on to the second floor of the tower. And here are some of the breathtaking views for you to see :D
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| uphigh and the city below ;) |
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| breathtaking view :) |
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| so much white- plain colors :) |
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| few highrise buildings |
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| buildings buildings! |
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| and GREEN! :D |
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| i just love this view :) |
and we even took some group pictures up there with the eiffel tower. :D
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| group photo :D *thaankyou vijay and hakeem* |
once we took in all of the Eiffel Tower ;) we were to go back down. And we had two choices, either to queue up for the lift, or to go down 600 flights of stairs. Of course us being us, we chose the stairs! *were you thinking that we would be too lazy? NA-AH, atleast not in Paris ;)* AND THAT EVEN was one awesome experience. And when we got down, our legs were terribly shaking ;) shows how unhealthy we were :P
Finally we were heading to our hostel. Again dragging the luggage along! However some wanted to stop for food, since we were all so exhausted. I was very hungry too. But unluckily for us, we couldn't find any halal restaurants. so we ended up buying fruits and chocolate.
REACHING THE HOTEL
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| the hotel that we stayed in :) |
This is our hotel, Park & Suites Villejuif. It was located in a very convenient space. Right beside was the Casino and lots of restaurants. AND HALAL ONES! :D *such a relief*
This was inside our apartment. it was a two room apartment with one bathroom and kitchen. Perfect for a short stay :) eventhough i hated the fact there were no muslim showers T.T truly difficult in a different culture! BUT, we learned to manage! :D
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| inside of the apartment :) |
After freshening up, we RUSHED to eat foood! was soo hungry the whole day! however the food was quite expensive. but it was tasty-ish! ;) overall it was better than having nothing to eat at all ;)
TIME TO SLEEEEP! :D aah! bed! but before that, talked with the parents and husband :) had to let them know that i was safe and sound! :D
DAY 2
We were still a bit jet lagged from the whole journey. but we had to wake up a lot sooner, which was extremely tiresome :P but well, we didnt come all the way from malaysia to europe to sleep and rest ;) but still, we were the last ones to reach, and that really didnt come of well :( BUT, THIS WAS THE FIRST AND THE LAST! :D
after getting ready we bought some food from the casino. bread and drinks. :)which we shared amongst the muslim peeps! :D and the very cool thing about the casino was the self checkout counters, it was a whole new experience. :) I've got to say! it should be introduced in Maldives too! however there is that other case, PEOPLE WILL RUN OUT OF JOBS! hmm! something to think about! well anywayss.. THE BREAD WAS VERY DELICIOUS :D but the juice, TOO MUCH PULP O.O
so today we started our journey to the Musee du louvre using the metro line, and on the way there we got to see the beauty of the place. And actually walked. we almost never get to experience that in malaysia, specially in the city.
the buildings are so vintage. you rarely see any modern buildings around. shows how much they want to preserve their heritage and the architecture style. and they had their own uniqueness! :) i was truly amazed! the use of subtle colours! mostly white or clay brickwalls!
very much influenced by the ancient architecture styles.
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| very rectangularish building, following symmetry |
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| faded colors :) subtleness and yet so beautiful. |
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| from afar :D |
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| again mostly symmetrical but the details are soo intricate |
look at the scooty. so cool :)
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| oh look a man on a horse |
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| gigantic building |
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| love the railings :D |
while on the way to the Louvre, we came across the Notre dame de paris. And it felt like i stepped right into my history 2 class. All that i learnt came rushing back, and to actually experience something that you have learnt is very exciting. at least for me.
Also, i had a one on one history class with my lecturer too! ;) she was the one who previously taught us history and it was quite fun to relive the whole thing but not through pictures, but straight away from the building. HONESTLY, i think i understood more! if only, we get to visit every historical building! *my next stop will totally be the Pyramids*
Notre dame is one fine example of Gothic Architecture. All the characteristics are put in, the pinnacles, flying buttresses, rose window and also the gargoyles. This is one of the most gorgeous buildings I've seen ever. :) also, i so wish we could have had the opportunity to step in. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to queue up.
Heres a look of the place from my perspective :D
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| pinnacles |
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| flying buttress |
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| rose window |
you can see the flying buttresses here.
arched windows.
intricate facade.
rose window with the pointed arch.
sculptures on the facade
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| facade |
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| close of of the rose window |
the gargoyles.
After experiencing all this our next stop was the lock bridge, where couples comes and lock their names. i wanted to do the same too! ;)
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| love locks :) |
a little dedication for the husband <3 :D
I had quite a fun time locking away and throwing the key! ;) lets hope it remains there till my next stop! *if ever* ;) SOMEDAY! *PRAAAYS HARD*
On the way here, againnn we lost of our dear lecturer :P and the funny part is, she DIDNT REALISE THAT SHE WAS LOST! ;) see thats what paris and walking around in it does to you! you are so much taken in with the beautiful buildings and the surroundings that you dont even realise that you are lost! ;)
And finally we reached the Musee de Louvre. Just stepping into the place itself was wonderful. once again, fully packed of people. Why not? after all its one of the most historical monuments. And also where the famous painting of MONA LISA is located :D
We walked around the whole place, i honestly dont think we left even a single spot unseen! but truly, was very exhausted that we couldnt really really take in the whole experience! atleast i couldnt. i wanted was to sit for a bit ;)
As you know, GETTING LOST is normal in our case! :P we again lost one of our friends! and this time, it wasnt funny at all! since the place is soooo HUGE! it wasnt going to be easy to just find every single person. My tactic for not getting lost was i always had a person targeted :D not that i literally follow the person around! :P but someone you can spot from afar! :D and thats how i actually survived in here! :D
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| The entrance |
intricate sculptures of different poses.
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| so much detailing that it looks actually real! |
the dark entrance
and the glass pyramid
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| beautiful piece of work |
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| relief model ;) |
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| so beautiful. even the emotions are seen here |
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| carved women :) |
beautiful paintings
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| so much emotions in JUST ONE PICTURE :) truly beautiful. |
Mona Lisa :D
This is one hard picture to take! SO MANY PEOPLE! honestly, i felt like someone would walk over me any second! *since im so short* >.< but yayy! i got to take this picture! and selfies too with a friend! ;D
the inverted pyramid. the lowest part.
here is where we came out from :D
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| WHERE TO NEXT? |
The Centre Pompidou, Our next stop. :) its a collection of both modern and contemporary art. The exterior of the building has its own language where the tubes and the structures are color coded. the blue color is for air conditioning, green for plumbing, yellow for electricity and red for elevators.
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| the facade :) |
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| Mona Lisa and her moustache ;) |
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| view from the Pompidou |
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| view outside, and the most contrasting building. |
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| artwork inside :) |
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| glow the lips! |
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| retro :D |
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| chalk wall :D |
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| GAME OF GUNS? ;) |
DAY 3
Villa Savoye
On the 3rd day we were headed to Villa Savoye, which was designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. This villa is known for its breakthrough architecture from the historical ways and taking in the modern ways. It is where the 5 principles of Architecture came from.
1. Pilotis
2. Free facade
3. Open plan
4. Ribbon Windows.
5. Roof Garden
this was absolutely a fantastic experience. being an architecture student and actually stepping into one of the most well known places of the modern world is a great opportunity. I have always loved this building, maybe for its simplicity. :) and ofcourse this was THE START of modernism :D thank you Le Corbusier :D
We even got to sit on the furnitures. :) and YES, IT IS VERY COMFORTABLE! so lets have a look into the building :D come along!
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| the facade :D |
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| pilotis |
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| chair 1 |
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| seating units :D |
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| toilet space. |
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| stairs. |
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| ramp |
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| flowy staircase |
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| bathrtub |
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| the blue room |
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| garden |
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| perspective view. |
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| green roof top. |
After this some headed to take the tickets for the disney land. And later on we split into groups. Our sem tagged along with Ms. Sharmilla and went out to buy souvenirs and eat ice cream ;)
We stopped right in front of the Arc De Triomphe while waiting for others to come. It is one of the most famous monuments in paris, with intricate sculpture works. It follows the Neoclassical Architecture style. beautiful piece of work right? :D
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| Arc De Triomphe |
While walking we also came across the first Louis Vuitton complex ever.
After the souvenir shopping and everything, we went back again to see the Eiffel tower at night! ;)
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| the glowing Eiffel Tower. |
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| fairy light eiffel tower! |
after NON STOP clicking pictures, my friend and I went and bought some souvenirs to bring back home :D *quite expensive* O.O
And THEN it was time to head home! YAY! bed! :D and food! ;)
After going on all rides and looking around it was time for the fireworks show, which starts at 9 :D
here is a pic from that wonderful experience ;) SOOO BEAUTIFUL RIGHT? i know!! however i wish i wasnt looking at the whole thing through my camera! :( that was the only downside! but still! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. and thank god i stayed back, even when i was tooo tired to go on! :D
We took the tube to go to Russel Square from Kings Cross Station using our Oyster card :D same like a touch and go :D and from Russel Square there is a bit of a distance to walk to reach our hostel, the Generator.
DAY 4
So this was the most exciting day! :D we were all going to go to DISNEY LAND! WHEEE! i think for me, the whole excitement for the EURO TRIP was because we were going here! :P well ofcourse who wouldnt want to meet their childhood favs! *sadly i didnt*- since i was too busy getting on every fearful ride that there was!! xD
It was very exciting, we got to go on all these rides and faced our fears! im extremely afraid of new things and specially roller coasters, BUT this time i wanted to face it. i wanted to experience it all and get to terms with it! :D and TODAY im proud to say that it wasn't a horrific experience at all, BUT A WONDERFUL ONE! even though i felt like i was gonna die when ever there was a 360 turn :P *called out for mum the most* :P
sorry in advance! i was too busy enjoying the moments that i totally forgot to snap pictures! in my head there was only one thing going on! RIDES RIDES RIDES! xD here are some pictures from inside the disney land :D enjoy!
walt disney and micky :D
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| the incredibles!! |
the Incredibles ;)
toy story :D buzzlight year
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| MICKEY!! |
the Castle :D
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| rides! |
lion king float
wall-e and eva! <3
After going on all rides and looking around it was time for the fireworks show, which starts at 9 :D
here is a pic from that wonderful experience ;) SOOO BEAUTIFUL RIGHT? i know!! however i wish i wasnt looking at the whole thing through my camera! :( that was the only downside! but still! IT WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. and thank god i stayed back, even when i was tooo tired to go on! :D
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| Disney Fireworks :D |
Day 5
THE LAST DAY IN PARIS
This was the day we were to go to LONDON from Paris. I had everything packed the previous night after coming from Disney Land. The thought of leaving Paris was both happy and sad! MOSTLY HAPPY! because i was going to LONDON! my fav!
anyhoo, we are going from Gare du Nord, Paris to St. Pancras International, London by TRAIN :D
Since we were to leave Paris and going to London, we had to go through immigration check up. It didn't take that long and it was an easier procedure. We took the Eurostar train and our coach was no.14! I've got to tell you, the seats were very comfortable! ;)
off we gooooo! :D
since i slept through the whole journey, i didnt get to see much. :/ sorry once again! but i had a good sleep? ;) be happy for me! ;)
and once we reached london, we passed through customs and i ran directly into this HUUUGE DOG! customs dog! but still, it was very very scary :O DOGS dont necessarily scare me! but t his one did! but thankfully i didnt even shriek or anything! *bravo-toself*
this is the St. Pancras International Station :)
In here i tried to see whether there was any way that i could change my Euros to Pounds. AND when i finally did find the currency changer, they charge 20% commission fee! O.O thank god i asked before hand! :P
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| Generator |
the first step and i already was fascinated by the interior space. it is the perfect stop for a backpacker. :D a very relaxing environment with friendly staff :D
As this was a hostel, we were mixed with our seniors. i was roomed with samaha, illin and elyne. the rooms were pretty small to accommodate four people and the luggages. but we managed! :D the room came with 2 double decker beds and a sink with boxes underneath the beds.
outside view from the room.
After checking in, we all got ready to go out to the Lyceum Theatre to see the Disney's Lion King.
On the way to the theatre, we got to see some fascinating things around. :)
the red telephone box :D
the double decker bus :D
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| edge of the road! |
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| Lyceum theatre |
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| Ballerina in a sphere! O.O |
we had another 45mins to wait for the play to start, so our lecturer allowed us to go see the convent garden. :D and there we had our fish and chips too :D the uncle was very nice, and the food was just as delicious :D AND IT WAS HALAL! seee, PLUS ONE FOR LONDON!
when it was 7pm, we all hurried back to the theatre! :D the whole theatre room was filled with people! not a single seat was available.
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| stage view |
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| music podium |
Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pics or videos when the play started. but i will tell you this, it was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! the whole thing was THE HIGHLIGHT of the trip for me. why wouldnt it be. one of my all time fav cartoons being renditioned soo well into a play with so much emotions. and i loved the actor who played SCAR. :D he did justice to his part! the actors were not the only reason why the whole play fell into place! but the set the production the choreography! everything was very much thought of. even to their costume. everything had a reason and it all made the play what it was! AN AWARD WINNING PLAY! :D
I would like to thank our lecturer for giving us the opportunity to experience it. It was my very first experience and it did justice! and im looking forward to many more of these in my future :D
when the play was done, we all went back to the hostel so very hungry! and on the way we bought some food for us too. :)
DAY 6
This day our plan was to visit the Science Museum :D It was quite fascinating. Well, you can get how interesting it will be from the name itself. I had a quite good time here! loved seeing how the technology evolved with time. Even the vehicles. however, ive got to say, the old cars looks sooo much better than the ones you see now! :P *my opinion-OLD IS GOLD*
while in the science museum we went into the iMAX and bought ourselves caramel popcorn! WHICH WAS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! the best ever!
here are some of the pictures while visiting :)
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| walking to the Science Museum |
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| hollow circle with led texts. |
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| old engine |
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| books and newspapers |
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| china and other cutleries. |
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| nasa area |
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| the revolving globe. |
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| stacked cars. |
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| teeensy car *suitable for me* |
this was the space specifically designed for kids and for them to learn about patterns. the way the idea has been put together is quite fascinating. :)
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| touch pod |
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| plant a seed to grow the patterns |
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| ripple path |
seeing this area really helped to expand my knowledge in how to actually educate a kid on the simplest things. :D this was a pretty good experience since we were to design a visitor centre INCLUDING for kids right after we get back to malaysia! :D
Piccadilly Circus, is where we headed to after the Science museum. to buy souvenirs and to shop for a bit. :) we walked around for a bit, but was too tired really to do much. so we just bought souvenirs and then waited for everyone else to finish :)
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| piccadilly circus. |
DAY 7
This was the day we were planned to go to the Buckingham Palace to see the change of guard. I have always wanted to go there since i was a kid. Mostly because i used to watch Mr.Bean and i have always wanted to take a picture with one of the guards there. Unfortunately I didnt get that opportunity! maybe some other time! ;) :D
We went there early morning and already the whole place was filled with people. and our lecturer asked us to find a suitable spot so that we can see the ceremony. however, since most of the people had already booked their spots, we didnt really get a good spot. and ended up waiting at the walk path.
the changing of guard ceremony was to start at 1130, so we had a good hour long wait.
but by the time it started it got very interesting. unfortunately i didn't see the ceremony that was happening inside the gates.
The policemen guarding were not as strict as one would have thought. they are quite friendly and VERY polite. honestly, i dont think i have ever come across such polite policemen. there was this one policeman, who seemed like he was there to entertain us rather than guarding! i had a fun time laughing at the jokes even though i missed almost the entire ceremony :P
After the ceremony took place we then reached out to the policeman to take a few pictures with us! they were non hesitant and took pictures with anyone who asked! :)
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| buckingham palace |
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| the front gate |
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| monument. |
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| guards marching |
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| changing of guards ceremony being taken place. |
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| policemen on horses |
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| guards marching. |
We walked back to the garden and layed around for a bit. and then it was time to get off out lazy bums and to walk again! ;)
Discovery Children's Story Centre, Was where were we headed to after the changing of guard ceremony :) this is where the stories of the kids were brought to light. every thing you see inside is a creative imagination of a child. It is not a daycare, but a place for both the child and parent to enjoy together. :) this is the only current branch of the place and they are meaning to expand.
We were also asked not to take pictures of the kids. which is quite understandable! :)
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| the wooden ride |
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| the alienship |
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| garden chair |
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| interior animal furniture |
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
this was where we went after the children's centre. this stadium hosted the London 2012 games. :D it was a huge space with a lot of people in it. and on the way there i saw so many muslims. it almost felt like i was back in malaysia :P
in here we walked around a lot. but didnt enter anywhere or buy anything!
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| wired tower |
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BIG BEN AND THE LONDON EYE
Later we went to see the big ben and the London eye :D which are both landmarks of London and a must see for all tourists :D
how i wish to go on the london eye! someday! In sha Allah. for now, will just look from afar and be jealous of those who get to experience the SLOW ride! ;)
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| london eye |
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| big ben |
Westminster Abby
And again later we got to see the Westminster Abby. which is also a landmark :) and also where the royalty family marries :)
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| the rose window |
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| pointed arches |
DAY 8
This was a day i was looking forward to! not because i am a fan or anything, but just so that i can send pictures to my friends who are crazy about arsenal! ;)
and i bought souvenirs from here for my brother too :D
I did want to take a tour around the stadium but it costs a lot, around 20pounds and i didn't have that much on me at the time.
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| front elevation |
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| the team and their jersey |
Tate Modern, was where we were headed to afterwards :) it is the national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group. and one of the most-visited modern art gallery in the world.
this was my art work on the wall of tate modern ;D
London tower Bridge
Afterwards we went to the london tower bridge eventhough we were very exhausted. since we coudnt find any halal restaurants nearby. :/ but it was a good experience to look around and search for the places.
and the reason why we were sitting the whole time we were there. so exhausted. no food. and all walk! T.T
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| the red flowers |
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| tower bridge |
Later on we were headed to Royal Festival Centre, and on the way there we got to stop at the market and eat halal delicious food. the food was soo good that it reminded me of what i used to eat back home :D And after looking around in the Centre, we headed back to the hostel, since we had a lot of packing to do. :O
DAY 9
As this was the last day in london, our lecturer allowed us to go on our own and do what ever we want. so we invited our friend who lives in Birmingham to hang around with us :D
Our first stop was to the Portobello Market, where we shopped for gifts. It was a quite interesting market. different from all the others we have been to. they had antique stuff and it was soo fascinating to see all of it :D
Our next stop was the Abbey road. for all the Beatles fans of course :D
After that, we headed to the oxford street to buy more souvenirs. :D and i got to even buy the one thing i had been looking for since i went on the trip! :D so very happy about it :D
It was time to get back to our hostel to check our luggage bags and to head for the long journey to paris by bus. but before that we did enjoy one last meal of the most delicious tandoori chicken ever :D
And when we got to the station we had to long a walk way with our luggages, and the bus later departed on 1130pm.
DAY 10
It was a 10 hr bus ride from london to paris, and we slept the whole way through. and once we reached the station we headed to the airport to go end the beautiful trip. :(
we didnt have much time to spare once we reached the airport, we just had to straight away check in. our flight was due to depart at 330 in the afternoon. and the whole way back to dubai, i couldnt even sleep once. but i did enjoy the movies :D
once we reached dubai at around 1230am we went and looked around the duty free places. even though they say it is duty free it was quite expensive. so couldnt afford to buy anything. or eat :P but it was still fun :)
and our flight from dubai to malaysia was to depart at 350am. unlike the flight from paris to dubai, this one was quite smaller. and it was very difficult to sleep or get any rest in it. but i did still try my best. ;) it took around 7hrs to reach malaysia. :D and once we did, we hurried to go back to our home, to get a good days sleep! :D also to the reality that was awaiting for us. :P
Over all, it was a very fun and exciting trip. And Im very grateful for the opportunity. :D
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