architecture
My impression of Scotland is its beautiful scenery, lakes, and of course the famous viaduct where the Harry Potter train scene was filmed. I've always wanted to take a road trip to the highlands and enjoy the beauty of mother nature Scotland has to offer. Alas, I don't have a car or anyone to road trip with, so a train trip to Edinburgh was my best bet of stepping into Scotland.
I scored a cheap(er) return ticket and so, I went off to Edinburgh for a weekend with my friends. We did climbed up 2 hills to get a nice view of the city (you can read it here and here), but in this post, I'll be sharing with you the beauty of Edinburgh's architecture from the ground.
After all, this Instagram picture got more likes than any of my other pictures, so it's safe to say many agree with me that Edinburgh is a lovely city!
Walking around Edinburgh, you really get a taste of what it feels like to be in an old town. Mostly because the buildings are all in a similar shade of brown, and have a similar style of architecture. I love that the Edinburgh Castle, as well as the random houses and buildings along the Royal Mile somehow complement each other really well, and just feel so… seamless.
From the Edinburgh Castle, you can see an aerial view of the old town of Edinburgh and of a course a little of the new town peeking behind it. But wouldn't you agree with me that the old town has a very nice comforting feeling with its somewhat-uniform-but-not-quite-similar buildings.
The thing about Edinburgh is, after you walk through a street of what would appear to be part of the old town, you come face to face with the Palace of Holyroodhouse - i.e. the house The Queen stays in when she's in Scotland. Surrounding it, is some modern looking architecture that is pretty similar to what you'd find in the new town.
We were hoping to be able to enter the Palace of Holyroodhouse, unfortunately, it was closed that day... So I sat on a bench and asked for an OOTD shot from my friend.
WHAT I WORE
Coat: coldwear.sg
Army Green Top with Sparkly Collar: Forever21
Checkered Pants: Uniqlo
Boots: Topshop
I think the design of the buildings nearby were quite impressive, and pretty unique. But growing up in Singapore, and having visited places like Hong Kong and Shanghai - more importantly living in London, I'm so used to seeing modern looking architecture, that I'm just more fascinated with the buildings in the old town. I think its normal for people to be intrigued by things they don't commonly see, which is probably why in every city, the old town is one of its top tourist attractions.
Needless to say, I spent a lot of my day walking around the Old Town and popping in and out of shops along the Royal Mile.
Most people head up to Edinburgh before going up to the highlands in Scotland. So if you happen to have a day to spend in Edinburgh, walking around and admiring its architecture, going on a whisky tour (I did and it was fun - More pictures in the future perhaps), along with having a nice meal or 2 in one of the restaurants along the Royal Mile, is just the perfect way to spend it.
By night time, you could catch this view of the city lights near the train station, which is such a wonderful way to end a day, right?
Edinburgh City: Admiring Old and Modern Architecture
30 April 2015 Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh, UK
Venice, ah Venice. The small (sadly sinking?) city that has been on my bucket list since FOREVER. With it's canals, gondolas, singing gondoliers, everything about this city has been romanticised ever since I knew of it's existence.
Venice is one of those cities where pictures alone will put it on your wanderlust list. No explanations needed, ever. Be it day or night, Venice is romantic and extremely charming. From its narrow streets to wide canals and beautiful sunsets, here are 10 reasons (plus loads of pictures) why I think Venice is beautiful day to night.
10 Reasons Why Venice Is Beautiful Day AND Night!
19 March 2015 Venice, Italy
The great thing about Prague is that everything is within walking distance. Not to mention, there is something attractive and interesting in every corner.
I love cities with unique architecture like these. Its so interesting how central europe's architecture differs so much from the west.
Prague is probably the most charming city i've visited in Europe - no offence to Paris or London. We all know I absolutely love Paris, and I probably ALWAYS will, but Prague, with its pretty streets, wide river, quirky old town, pastel coloured buildings, and AWESOME panoramic views, I couldn't help but fall in love.
Architecture is my number 1 weakness. Streets that look different. Special. Colourful. I'm sold.
Maybe its because I grew up in Singapore where housing estates all look pretty much identical, I find myself being drawn to places where the streets are different from one another.
Considering I'm not super well versed in architecture, and I don't exactly know the different eras and influences, I can't say what I specifically like about each and every building. All I can say is, it is DIFFERENT, and it makes me happy to see cities where each street looks different, houses on the streets are not identical, different colours, different textures, and yet everything is still in a way harmonious.
Maybe its because I grew up in Singapore where housing estates all look pretty much identical, I find myself being drawn to places where the streets are different from one another.
Considering I'm not super well versed in architecture, and I don't exactly know the different eras and influences, I can't say what I specifically like about each and every building. All I can say is, it is DIFFERENT, and it makes me happy to see cities where each street looks different, houses on the streets are not identical, different colours, different textures, and yet everything is still in a way harmonious.
Mini-Story #1: This is the coolest clock i've ever seen. It was first installed in 1412 which makes it... 603 years old. This Astronomical Clock shows not only the sun and moon phases but it also has the zodiac and star sign readings on it. On the bottom of the clock, there are 365 names, one for each day of the year, which is sort of like a name recommendation for people who gave birth that day. What I liked the most were the figurines beside the clock. At each hour, they move when the clock chimes. The figurine on the top left holding a mirror will shake its head, representing that beauty is not everlasting, one of the other figurines represent greed, and that greed will lead to human's down fall, and the Skeleton on the top right, would nod, representing we're one hour closer to death, and that life is finite.
So much thought placed in one clock.
Mini-Story #2: This windows were the 2 windows where they threw people out of them as an act of punishment. Giving rise to the term Defenestrations of Prague. It was not a very high window, probably 2 stories high? According to the walking tour guide, the first time people were thrown out of the window and they placed spikes on the ground. The second time, people were thrown into a pile of dunk, as an act of rebellion and they didn't intend to kill.
In the centre of Prague, there was also a huge christmas tree and market, with the fairytale like church (supposedly the one that inspired Walt Disney - or so people say) glowed in the background.
Not only is the city centre beautiful, at night, by the river, you get to see the colours and lights from the buildings on the other side reflected onto the water. Perfect for a quiet night stroll.
Prague is indeed magical. I enjoyed myself so much during my time there. I can even declare Prague the most beautiful european city i've been to thus far. Many may disagree (and claim paris/amsterdam/london etc. to be the most beautiful), but there is no doubt that Prague is on the list of most beautiful european cities.
Maybe it was the company, maybe it was the 3 full days of perfect weather, maybe it was because it was the first central europe city i've been, but to me, Prague is incredibly charming and romantic.
Plus, its significantly cheaper in terms of cost that the western european cities. Prague is a MUST VISIT.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures and the little stories (and my incessant gushing about how Prague is "beautiful". Thank you for reading ;)
WHAT I WORE
Purple Knit Jumper: GUESS
Grey Touch Screen Gloves: Marks & Spencer
Admiring Streets and Architecture - Prague, Czech Republic
12 February 2015 Prague, Czech Republic
Couple of posts back, I talked about Sagrada Familia, a beautifully designed church by the famous Antoni Gaudí. Another architecture beauty designed by Gaudí is the Casa Batlló, and I was just as excited whilst visiting it.
We visited the house in the day, but I much prefer its facade in the night
In my opinion, Casa Batlló isn't very big. It does look different from the buildings beside it, but not in an "in your face" way. Its subtle, but I swear its beautiful.
You have to go in. Just pay for the entrance fees, and take the tour.
Between Casa Batlló and Casa Milà, we chose to visit Casa Batlló because I preferred the facade of Casa Batlló and there was some sort of construction going on in Casa Milà. Observing the number of tourist and the queue at both houses, many seem to agree with me.
But don't worry about the queue - though it may look quite long, it sure moves fast!
Talking about the Facade of Casa Batlló, it's so cool that it has 3 different segments. Casa Batlló is sometimes termed as the skeleton building, because of the way it is designed. The design of the facade seems to resemble something halloween-esque. I can't even attempt to describe it, so i'll just let the picture do the talking.
Another reason to pay 18+ euros for the entrance fees is - The audio guide for the Casa Batlló is really good. It is detailed and interactive, plus they pose thought provoking questions throughout the tour. Which I really liked.
Such little things made the whole tour a lot more entertaining and enjoyable.
Unfortunately, my camera battery died half way through, so these photos are mostly from Jerald's camera.
Gaudi's inspiration for this house seem to be like the ocean or water, with all the curvy lines and wavy textures. It looked really dreamy, and evoked a calming sensation when you're walking around.
Once again, it's unfathomable, the amount of talent it took to design something like this.
The ceilings, the stairs, the handrails for the stairs, the windows, the doors, the DOOR HANDLES - yes, even the handles were ergonomically designed - were just designed to complement each other so seamlessly.
My favourite part was this central "channel" through the whole building. It is something like a light well and was designed to allow natural light into the house. An idea that only comes from a Brilliant Mind.
When you look up through the channel, you'll just be amazed at its design.
On the upper floors of the building, the hallways and stairs were all white. And I LOVE WHITE. So yes, I was very excited!
The audio guide said that the design of the hallway resembled something like a ribcage of a huge animal. And at that moment I thought "that is so true!!"
I never liked paying for entrance fees into museums / buildings - yes I have been spoilt by all the free entrances I got during my time Paris. Nevertheless, If you're ever in Barcelona, there is no reason to not go into Casa Batlló. It IS worth it. I just wish the house was bigger so I could see more and hear more about the inspirations behind the talented mind of Gaudi.
On the highest floor of the building, you get to see the designs of the chimneys. The colourful rooftop reminded me of a dragon tail. Haha! Maybe its just me and my imagination, but there is a slight resemblance.
I don't have a picture of the room labelled 16, but it was suppose to be for a water storage tank, and when you go in to the room, you really do feel like you're IN a water tank. Like the mermaid living in the water tank in the show Aquamarine - don't know how that reference came about.
But it was so cool to hear the drops of water, and see how they designed the lighting in the room to mimic that of being underwater.
I'm not too sure if its just a touristy gimmick, but I liked the "hollow" feeling you get when you're in that room.
From the chunk of text and 9 pictures, you can tell that I WANT to live here.
I wish modern day buildings have that much detail to them. I get that in this day and age everything needs to be sleek, clean and minimalistic. But sometimes I wish we could turn back time and have buildings designed like this.
Best of Architecture - Gaudí House, Casa Batlló
6 November 2014 Casa Batlló, Passeig de Gràcia, 43, 08007 Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
If you've ever talked to me about sports, you'll know that my only form of exercise comes from dance. Or walking. I don't run or play sports, I've never enjoyed playing ball games, or made any form of effort to visit the gym/go for a hike. The only time I climb the stairs when I'm on a holiday, is to get up to the highest level of a building to get a good view.
Basically, I'm just quite lazy. If there is an escalator, i'd take the escalator.
The last evening in Barcelona, we took a little walk to Parc Güell. If I'm not wrong, it's the biggest park in Barcelona. We were walking from the train station and some how came face to face with a steep inclined hill, accompanied buy what seemed like 80 steps. We climbed up mid way and I questioned if we were heading in the right direction.
We approached a local, and she said yes, we were, and that we just had to go on straight, turn right, continue on straight, turn left, continue on ahead and we'd arrive at Parc Güell.
Well, that was when we realised every turning involved climbing more steps.
After finally reaching what seemed to be the park entrance, to my dismay, we saw a stretch of escalators leading up to it. On the account that my throat was sore, and my nose was blocked/ I was feeling really lethargic - that was pretty much a hike up a hill. The plus side to climbing up is you do get to enjoy really good views along the way, and stop to take photos. You can't exactly stop on an escalator.
We decided to sit down at one of the wooden tables and benches before attempting to find the place with the Monuments. When we were about to sit down, we saw the same old lady we met on our short "hike" up to the park. She was just chillin' at one of the other benches, as if her climb up was effortless.
And here's me post climb, standing there staring towards the sun looking very tired, refusing to move my feet. As 2 supposedly fit and healthy young adults, Jerald and I felt really ashamed for taking so long to get up there and yet, feeling quite tired from the climb.
Parc Güell has more of an organic feel to it, unlike the usual pretty well groomed and clean parks i'm so used to visiting in big cities. It felt more like a forest/jungle - really tall trees covering the sunlight, slightly muddy, and narrow trails. Well, I have never been to a forest or a jungle, but you get what I mean.
As I wasn't feeling too well that day, we initially thought of heading back early and giving the park a miss. But, I insisted (and convinced my body - mind over body!!) that I was well enough to continue with the day's plan and I was glad we ended up going to Parc Güell!
The part of the park with the monuments was more touristy, plus you have to pay to get in. That being said, it was nice to take a look at different parts of the park. After climbing all the way up, we might as well pay to go in since it wasn't that expensive. It was an interesting place to explore and watch the sun set. Unlike the other areas of the park, this area around the monuments felt more resort like. I don't remember if there were student offers, but if you do decide to go into the paid area of the park, ask anyway.
The thing about Barcelona is, sometimes, they don't display the student prices or announce that they have discounts/offers for students even though they do have them. So just double check to be sure you're not over paying.
Thinking back, I'm quite glad Jerald and I took a longer route up to the park. The climb up was nice and quiet. There were houses on top and along each slope, and its so cool how the people living there are so used to the "work out". An elderly man just walked right past us and he was not panting one bit!
I think everyone should climb up to Parc Güell instead of taking the escalator. It isn't that much of a climb really - compared to 300+ steps up various towers in Europe. If I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed the climb so much more had I not been sniffling the whole time.
"Hiking" in Barcelona
2 November 2014 Park Güell, Carrer d'Olot, s/n, 08024 Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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