The nation mourns

At 6AM, my phone rang. I squinted my sleepy eyes to read the messages from one of the group chats. It went something like, "sad.... My bro told me at 4am....." The actual message meant to be read as, Mr LKY had passed away on 23 March 2015 at 3.18AM.
 

Dear Mr Lee, you wept for the nation in 1965. Today, the nation weeps for you. Today will also be remembered as one of the saddest day in Singapore's history as the nation mourns for the loss of a great man. It is with much regrets that you would not be able to celebrate SG50 with us. Thank you for everything you had done for Singapore. We will always remember you. Rest in peace Mr Lee.

 

At 8am, Mr Lee Hsien Long gave a national address on channelnewsasia. His eyes turned red and he had to pause to compose himself. It was heart-breaking to watch.

His speeches in Mandarin and English

 "今天，我们失去了一位敬爱的领袖，建国总理李光耀先生。李先生在我们心目中的地位是无可替代的，他与人民建立了深厚的感情，深受人民的爱戴。在李先生住院期间，各阶层人士通过不同的方式表达了大家的关怀和慰问。这给了李先生和我家人很大的安慰。我谨代表家属向大家致以最衷心的感谢。”
李总理说到这里，一度哽咽。他接着说：“由始至终，李先生最关心的就是新加坡的存亡。他把一生奉献给新加坡，致力团结全国人民，激发大家自力更生。在他的领导下，我国成功从第三世界晋升第一世界，成为一个让人民引以为豪的家园。他的离去对新加坡和我家人是个巨大的损失。"

"The first of our founding fathers is no more. He inspired us, gave us courage, kept us together, and brought us here. He fought for our independence, built a nation where there was none, and made us proud to be Singaporeans. We won’t see another like him. "

"To many Singaporeans, and indeed others too, Lee Kuan Yew was Singapore. As Prime Minister, he pushed us hard to achieve what had seemed impossible. After he stepped down, he guided his successors with wisdom and tact. In old age, he continued to keep a watchful eye on Singapore. "

"Singapore was his abiding passion. He gave of himself, in full measure, to Singapore. As he himself put it towards the end of his life: 'I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There’s nothing more that I need to do. At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up? My life. "

"I am grieved beyond words at the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew. I know that we all feel the same way. But even as we mourn his passing, let us also honour his spirit. Let us dedicate ourselves as one people to build on his foundations, strive for his ideals, and keep Singapore exceptional and successful for many years to come. May Mr Lee Kuan Yew rest in peace."
 

Video in English PM Lee-I-am-grieved

 

Video in Mandarin PM Lee-National Address in Mandarin

 

From the PMO

Mr Lee’s body will lie in state at Parliament House from Wednesday to Saturday, for the public to pay their respects. Those who wish to pay their last respects at Parliament House can do so from 10am to 8pm daily from Wednesday to Saturday.

 

 

Lastly, my favourite amongst Mr Lee's interviews, “Could I have lived my life differently? Maybe yes. But probably not. At each stage, I made what was then the best choice. Having taken that decision, I changed direction and there was no turning back”.

 

 

 

VAT refund in London

A post on VAT refund!! In order to claim VAT, you must leave United Kingdom for a destination outside the European Union with the goods.

 

EU countries include United Kingdom but exclude Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.

 

From my personal experience, the UK officer did not ask to see my purchases. But I had previously claimed VAT in other EU countries where they requested to look at my purchases.

 

It is very orderly at the VAT Refund office and they even have staff to help answer queries.

The VAT refund for my purchase is EUR434 but I only received GBP365.34 (The rate they use was 1.0664 and that is about EUR390). Besides a GBP2 handling fee, there is an additional administrative fee of GBP39 as I have opted for the refund in cash. The refund is paid in the currency of the country where the Refund Point is located. There is a currency conversion fee if you choose a different currency.

 

I prefer my VAT refund in cash

Pro

- You receive cash immediately. I remember I had to wait about 3 months to get my refund when I opt for payment via Credit Card.

- If you opt for your refund via Credit Card, the bank's rate is usually less favourable to us. 

- If you are a frequent traveller, you can keep the euros for your next trip.

- Alternatively you can keep the euros first and bring it to the money changer when the rate is better.

 

Con

- you have to pay for additional administration fees.

 

 

 

Important!
- Find out the location of the VAT office. This helps to save some time.
- Arrive early! I waited about an hour in the queue.
- Make sure all the documents are completed. The shop assistants will help you.
- Bring all your purchases with you and be prepared to show them to the officers.

- You must have your passport and boarding documents with you. The officer asked for my flight details.

 

Please also read my post on shopping at The Mall in Tuscany, Italy.

Holiday Inn Express London Luton Airport

Address: 2 Percival Way, Luton Airport, London, United Kingdom

We arrived in Heathrow Airport in the evening and took the airport transfer to Luton Airport. We had to stay overnight in London as we would be flying to Amsterdam the next morning. Although the hotel is right besides the runway, the room was quiet and we had a good rest. The hotel is about 10 minutes walk to Luton Airport which is a good walking distance. On our first night, we took a taxi as it was dark and too cold. Their breakfast has a good variety. This is the perfect hotel for an early morning flight.

19 to 23 Sep London, England

London was our last stop and by then we were exhausted.

Our itinerary
19 Sep - Oxford Street and Pollen Street Social 

We went shopping at Oxford Street. Primark is so addictive! I had to stop myself as we had made a reservation for dinner at Pollen Street Social.

20 Sep - Stonehenge and Geales Restaurant

We decided to do something less hectic and only booked a half day tour to Stonehenge. The thing about guided tours is that they always start very early in the morning. I wanted the full day tour initially as it will bring us to more places but A preferred a half day tour. The journey to and fro Stonehenge took almost 4 hours and we were given 45 minutes to visit. We had late lunch at Geales Restaurant. No trip to London is completed without Fish and Chips.

 

21 Sep - Buckingham Palace, St James Park, Big Ben, Piccadilly and Angus Steakhouse

We woke up early to catch the Changing Guards at Buckingham Palace. But when we reached, it was already very crowded!  There is a website for the Changing Guard Dates and Timings so it is helpful when planning your itinerary. I will suggest that you do not wait outside the Palace. We stood along the main road and had quite a good view.

 

From Buckingham Palace, we walked past St James Park and reached Big Ben. Big Ben refers to the massive bell inside the clock tower. By then, it had started to drizzle again. We continued walking until we reached Piccadilly. If you are planning to visit Chinatown, this is the vicinity. We saw a supermarket selling durians! Side track - recently I came across a newspaper article about an evacuation in Plymouth, England due to durian. Source from Asiaone

 

I love musicals so one of the must-do for me is to watch a Broadway show! It is cheaper if you buy the tickets on the day itself. We paid  £39.50 instead of the usual price  £65. There were too many musicals to choose from and I was spoilt for choice. I eventually decided on the musical "Dirty Dancing". If possible, I will really like to watch one musical everyday!

We also visited the M&M's World at Leicester Square. It is the largest candy store in the world. Check it out at M&M's World - London. If you are a M&M fan (like me), you must visit this flagshop!

We ended the night with dinner at Angus Steakhouse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

22 Sep - Hyde Park and Four Seasons Roast Duck

It was a lovely day for a stroll and people watching in the park! We also wandered further and ended up at Bayswater Station. We did not know there are actually many Chinese restaurants in this area. One of the restaurants, Four Seasons Roast Duck, had newspaper articles plastered outside their shop and it caught our eyes. Although we were still very full from breakfast, we decided to order some roast duck and fried rice to share. The duck meat was indeed yums!! Watch out for the red signboard.

 

 

 

 

London, I hope to be back!

Double Tree by Hilton London Hyde Park Hotel

Address: 150 Bayswater Road, Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom
Nearest Metro: Queensway (Central Line) and "walkable" distance to Notting Hill and Bayswater Station (Circle and District Line)

 

I like the location of Double Tree; just minutes to the Queensway Station (Central Line) or 10 minutes' walk to Bayswater Station and Notting Hill Station (Circle and District Line). Hyde Park is just opposite the hotel and we could enjoy a morning's stroll.

 

Upon check in, the reception gave us two warm chocolate cookies which made a really nice welcome gift. The room is clean and the décor is modern. They have my favourite brand, Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries They also have a coffee machine in the room. The Wifi speed is reasonable but you need a pass code to access. This pass code was only valid for 24 hours and we had to obtain a new code from the reception daily.

 

We stayed on the first floor and unfortunately it was facing the back of the hotel. It started to get really noisy very early in the morning when the workers went about doing their jobs. There were still some minor renovations going on and it was very disturbing. There were some days when we left the hotel early for some guided tours and we needed to take a nap in the afternoon before continuing the rest of the day. We requested for a change of rooms as we did not want to be woken up so early everyday but the reception cited "hotel is full". Later we went online and saw that they were still accepting reservations for the day.

 

This hotel has a great location and it will be a pity to write it off. I will suggest this hotel to travellers on business trips or short weekend getaways and try to request for higher floors at the time of reservation.

 

 

 

 

Interesting facts about the Water Closet in Amsterdam and Venice

 

In Amsterdam, we have to pay EUR0.50 to use the WC at McDonalds. One of the staffs will be sitting outside the WC to collect the money.

 

In Venice, the cost of using the public WC is EUR1.50 and it is by far, the most expensive public toilet we have ever came across. 

 

 

Ending this post with a random photo of the WC in Paris

 

18 Sep Musée du Louvre and Lover's Bridge

 

The queue at the ticketing booth was long but the queue moved very quickly. Tickets can also be purchased online Louvre. Do take note that the museum is closed on every Tuesdays. The nearest Metro station is Palais Royal Musée du Louvre which is a direct line from our hotel.

 

One of the reasons that people visit Louvre is to see Mona Lisa. It was so crowded! I couldn't take a photo with the zoom lens because there were so many hands and heads.

 

 

 

The Louvre is the best museum that I have visited by far. Their collections include Decorative Art, Egyptian Antiquities, Near Eastern Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan & Roman antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculpture, Paintings and Prints & Drawings. One day will not be enough!

 

Do you know there is a Lover's Bridge just a few minutes from Louvre? The lovers put a lock on the bridge and toss the key into the Seine river; a symbol of locking their love forever.

 

From our observations

Step1: Locate a good fengshui

Step2: Secure the padlock
Step3: Toss the key into the river
Step4: Pose for a photo

 

I first came across this while surfing the net. But if you have watched the TVB show "Triumph in the skies 2" (衝上雲霄 2), there is a scene on this! And.... we brought our own padlock! Alternatively there are also vendors selling padlocks at "tourist prices". The padlock that I brought is very tiny. You should go look at some of the padlocks - huge, pretty, colourful, unique...  

 

 

 

 

 

17 Sep Le Marais and Notre Dame

On our second day in Paris, we visited Le Marais which is the Jewish district of this city. We took the metro to Bastille Station; merely a few stops from our hotel.

Today's Le Marais is a fashionable district with many restaurants, cafes and art galleries. It is also known for the Chinese community hence you can find many restaurants selling Chinese food. I wanted to shop at the vintage shops but we were too early as most shops only open at noon.

There is an old Parisian feel about this neighbourhood, the perfect place to spend an afternoon.

A landmark at Bastille

We did not bother with a map and just enjoyed the stroll. Somehow we ended at Notre Dame! (I did not use any flash so some of the photos will appear grainy).

 

Ta-dah! This is my favourite photo that I took at Notre Dame. 

 

We ended the day with dinner at a quaint Japanese restaurant. We chose this place because there is a newspaper article outside the shop. It was a simple dinner of Ramen, Gyoza and beer. I seldom drink when I am in Singapore but during this Europe trip, I either drink wine or beer (French beer, Kirin, Qing Tao & Heineken) almost everyday!