Carlsberg Brewery København

How can a trip to Copenhagen be complete without a visit to the famous Carlsberg brewery? That’s what I thought anyway. Since the hotel that we stayed in was only 20 minutes walk away, it only affirms our decision to make a quick trip to the brewery.

The whole tour was quite enjoyable and quite value for money. It costs DKK40 per entry which equates to roughly £4. With that comes 2 free vouchers that entitle you a pint of beer or soft drinks at the end of the visit. We obviously opted for beer as we wanted to try the different beers available (bad decision!!) …. E.g. Limited Christmas Beer, Brown Ale, Caramel Beer. As KL and I were not beer drinkers – we basically had to force the beer down! I think we were the only ones there who did not finish the beers. If my dad was there, he’ll probably reprimand us and finish it for us. =)

The bar where we got our free drinks from.

The tour was really informative – it shows us how beer was processed as you would expect, stables where horses were still used as means of transportation around the brewery, video presentations comparing the traditional and modern method of beer processing….etc. The highlight I thought was the amazing beer collection they had on display. It is apparently the largest beer collection from all over the world.


Presenting the world’s largest beer collection…




Did you know that Carlsberg was first brewed in 1847 by Jacobson? The first brewery was built just outside Copenhagen on a hill (berg in Danish). The brewery was named after his first son Carl hence the name ‘Carlsberg’. ;)

Epping Forest

It’s been awhile since we explored the vicinity of London as any chance we get, we’ll be trying to get away from the city. Anyway, we were looking for nearby places (by our definition - less than an hour to get to) so we decided on Epping Forrest - a forestry area well known for its fine woodlands and wildlife. A definite must for nature lovers, walkers and keen photographers!

Epping Forest stretches for about 12 miles, running from the town of Epping. It's easily accessible from London by jumping on the red Central Line to Theydon Bois or Epping station. So, it’s a great day out.





The vibrant colour of the moss stands out among the dry leaves.

Taiping

The trip back to my hometown, Taiping was a very short one. As we had only a morning to spend in town before we head back to Kuala Lumpur - it was either sight seeing around the lake gardens or stuff ourselves with food - guess what we chose?! Heh!

..... pit stop to one of my many favourite food stalls! The stall below serves the best char kuih kak (stir fried radish cake with egg & bean sprout) I've ever had. It's located in Taman Sening and is only available in the morning. So, if you are in town - remember to try it!



The cendol man in action - a favourite dessert with my brothers. Though I never did acquire the taste for it. The usual stall that we normally go to is the one near the St.George's but as it was not opened yet, we settled for this one round the corner and I thought it tasted equally good!

Rubbery rubber

We were on the way back from my uncle's durian plantation in Bentong when we came upon acres of rubber plantation. It was definitely a photo oppurtunity for us, so we asked our uncle to make a photo-stop.





On a different note, KL's brother mentioned that we are becoming more like tourists - wanting to take pictures of everything and anything that we come across. I guess after being a way for so long, looking at these snapshots on a cold and miserable winter brings you much closer to home.

Carn Mor Dearg

Over the August bank holiday, a group of us went up to Scotland hoping to summit Ben Nevis via the classic route, the CMD arete.

We didn't make it to the top due to horrid weather but I had a good time nonetheless This despite getting soaked through from top to bottom; having bad blisters on both my feet. To make matters worse, the heavy showers and strong gusts of wind made each and every step an effort. (I must be getting KL's syndrome - i.e. KL's definition of a holiday = challenging, suffering, pain & more pain).

The evening before, our tent in the valley over looking the notorious north face of Ben Nevis.


The before shot...


And, after ......PH salvaging what's left of his tent.
(Oh.. did I mention that PH's tent was thrashed by the wind and rain?)


Click here for previous post on our last trip to Scotland

Going Home...

2 more days and we're heading home for 2 weeks.... YIPPEEEEE!!!!!!

Bags are all packed, all set to start pigging out on local food ... oh, and of course seeing loved ones. :p

More of Prague

The Prague Castle (Pražský hrad) is one of the most popular sites in Czech. It's known to be the largest ancient castle in the world.


The famous Charles Bridge by night....
The bridge is constantly streaming with tourists all day long. The countless souvenirs stand and not to mention the street performances and musicians is an excellent place for a lovely stroll especially after a nice and romantic (and hefty) meal by the river.

Czeching out Praha Part II

Staromestske Namesti, in the heart of Prague is one of the most picturesque city in Europe. The old town square is fenced by a unique mix of Baroque, Romanesque and Gothic styles buildings, giving it a somewhat fairy-tale-like atmosphere.






Did I also mention that the food was good and cheap?! Although vegetarians be warned -the Czechs only eat meat, meat and .. oh did I mention more meat!! The teetotallers among us will also be shocked to find that a pint of beer is actually cheaper than bottled water.

London Eye

The London Eye, one of the world's highest observation wheel, offers a panaromic view of London.


Salvador Dali's Nobility Of Time Sculpture with the Eye at the background.

Czeching out Praha

Curious to see what was there to experience outside Prague, we took a 50-minute train ride to Kutna Hora. It was a recommended day trip - being a medieval town and the second largest Bohemian city in the Middle Ages and all. In the end, we didn't have much time to explore the town – and just as well too because the town was extremely quiet that day.

Anyways, we overshot our tram ride from the main station to the town centre and ended up going further out into the suburbs. I'm glad we did! We stumbled upon fields and fields of wheat, corn and sunflowers. It was breath-catchingly beautiful and serene! I really thought that was the highlight of the trip.



After all the Hindi-movie-style prancing around and dancing amonst the sunflowers, it was time to head back to Prague. Imagine our dismay to find that there was no tram service back to the train station! We had to walk about 5 miles along the railway tracks….. and run towards the end when we realised we could miss the only train back to Prague. Along the way, we managed to recruit an Australian couple and a group of British teenagers who were also caught up in the discrepancies of the timetable.

The outskirts of Prague certainly offered a nice enough adventure – wish we could say the same about the medieval town of Kutna Hora!

Borough Market

Borough Market is one of my many favourite places in London. Its constant buzz of activity, the delightful smell of fresh ground coffee, the colourful array of fruits, vegetables and flowers always seem to entice me back for more.



The different types of cheese....


... and more cheese stacked neatly in rows.




Imagine my surpise when I came upon this plant... "Periuk kera"?

The charm of the Cham

Back for the seventh time, our trip to Chamonix (this time, anyway!) was surprisingly more relaxing and less strenous compared to our previous trips. KL promised me a 'real' holiday with some climbing activities on the side.

To be fair, I had my share of holiday (relaxing as what your would normally expect on a holiday) and he had his (climbing, climbing and more climbing till you drop). We had time to wander around the familiar town of Chamonix once again and explore the neighbouring alpine village of Argentiere. Surprisingly, we also managed to fit in 3 days worth of climbing and mountaineering.

We've checked into the same hotel (the last time we brought Ah Ma, Dad and mum here), the Les Gaillands. It's a pretty and very comfortable hotel with a lovely lake nearby and the climbing area right next door. On top of it all, we got a big room with a balcony view of the Mont Blanc Massif.

The hotel we stayed in, Les Gaillands.


... the lake overlooking the Mont Blanc Massif.


... the massif in its full grandeur.


The view from the centre of Argentiere, a typical alpine village.


Escargot anyone? Nothing like a hot plate of french snails with some fresh baguette and the vibrantly coloured Nicoise salad.

... more pictures from Wimbledon 2005

Va Va Vooom...

The annual motor expo was held in Canary Wharf for the whole of last week (13-19th June). They were more than 40 manufaturers with exihibits of over 220 of the latest cars and bikes.

We took the oppurtunity to drool over the cars they had out on display. Though much to our disappointment, the Land Rover had actually left the expo on Friday. Why they left before the weekend (I assume would have the biggest turn out) - still puzzles me. Oh well!

Here's a picture of something KL would love to own.


Though I suspect, his mum and mine would be very much happier if he were to own something this... :p

ZOOoooo

9 years in London and KL has never been to the zoo. It was a lovely Saturday afternoon and with an empty promise of a balloon and an ice-cream I managed to convince KL to accompany me for a peek at what the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) had in store for us.


The ever so shy giraffe, graced us with its presence for a meer minute before getting stage fright.


The playful lioness trying to get loving attention from the "king".



The tiger seemed to be constantly saying "I'm famished!" everytime our eyes met. Needless to say, I didn't hang around too long!


One of my many favourite pictures, a very grumpy looking gorilla.


The other resident's of the zoo - the anti-social penguin, the proud Arabian oryx, the elegant sea horse and the comical alpaca.



The vibrantly coloured starlet Ibis and the flamingoes by the lake.



The sight of a hippo always reminds me of a friend's mum who was chased by one that escaped from the Taiping Zoo. It ended up in the Lake Gardens, a popular spot frequented by joggers. My friend's mum certainly sprinted for her dear life that day!