London to Brussels – 25/6/2010

Kami bertolak seawal pukul 6am pagi ke St Pancras International Train Station. Train kami ETD pukul 8.30am. Ni nak naik Eurostar ke Brussels, Belgium. Took us 2 hours to reach Brussels and journey was so smooth. Merasala saya melalui English Channel walaupun hanya dalam terowong.

St Pancras International Train Station

Kings Cross and St Pancras International Stations stand adjacent to one another and share the same Underground Station. Kings Cross stations main use is for services up the East Coast Line to Scotland via York and Newcastle. There are also some suburban commuter trains to just north of London from Kings Cross. St Pancras International is most famous for being the Eurostar train terminal in London. Frequent services run to Paris and beyond. There are services to the East Midlands of England via Luton, towns like Nottingham and Sheffield.

Eurostar High Speed

The Eurostar high speed train runs its trans-channel tunnel service between London and Paris and Brussels from the newly refurbished St. Pancras Station International rail terminal. You roll along smooth and breathlessly quiet past fields of green and yellow as the world races past at about 185 miles an hour. Then, the scenery goes dark for about 20 minutes as you pass under the English Channel. It is an extremely cool and quick train ride.

English Channel

An arm of the Atlantic Ocean between western France and southern England. It opens into the North Sea and is traversed by a train-ferry service. A rail tunnel beneath the English Channel, known as the "chunnel," connecting Folkstone, England and Calais, France, was opened in 1994.

Sekitar kawasan St Pancras Eurostar Station.

Bersama K. Bisma dalam Eurostar

Beginila rupa bentuk muncung Eurostar. Dah sampai Brussels dah ni.

Brussels

Brussels is the capital of Belgium and the administrative centre of the European Union. This has earned the city the title of the Capital of Europe. Brussels has been given its character by the coexistence of French and Flemish culture, and it is nowadays home to nationalities around the world, adding a cosmopolitan flavour to its atmosphere. The vibrant atmosphere of Brussels is further enhanced by picturesque medieval streets, lively squares, beautiful boulevards, impressive monuments, spacious parks, cosy cafés, interesting restaurants and an active cultural life.

The Royal Palace of Brussels

The official palace of the King of the Belgium is in the nucleus of the city of Brussels. Though today the King and his family do not live here anymore. The Royal Family has shifted to the Royal Castle of Laeken in the suburbs of Brussels. The Royal Palace is situated at the southern end of the Brussels Park and the present structure as we see it today was renovated in the 1900’s on the iniative of King Leopold II. Even if the King does not reside here, he uses it as his office. There are a total of four buildings which also consists of a museum inside, displaying the collection of the Belgian royal dynasty.

Cantik garden kat The Royal Palace ni

Ada orang tegur..saya nampak 'gemuk' sikit at this picture...ffuuhh..berbunga2 ria suka!!! Gambar ni ajerla....yg lain-lain tu semua nampak keding aje..ahaakkss!! Sebenarnya nak cerita pasal wafel tu..nampak tak...dahla besar...variety flavour...sedap plak tu..betul2 yummy!!

See..see...told u...nice rite!! Yummy rite!!

Brussels, T'Serclaes Monument

The monument underneath the arcades of the Maison de l'Étoile at the Brussels Grand Place commemorates Everard t'Serclaes, a 14th-century popular Brussels hero. T'Serclaes was caught up in a territorial feud with the Lord of Gaasbeek, who had his castle just outside Brussels. Local superstition has it that stroking the statue, especially Serclaes' arm and the dog's nose, brings luck. Be that as it may, it certainly keeps the statue shiny. It is said among locals that the statue of Everard ‘t Serclaes brings luck and grants the wishes of all who touch it. Serclaes’ arm and the dog’s nose are supposed to be especially lucky. Other parts are also stroked frequently, such as the face of an angel and one of the shields.

Dikatakan kalau usap lengan statue ni akan membawa tuah dan jika make a wish akan dimakbulkan. Tak pasti plak saya..yang pastinya saya ada make a wish..:P Sama ada dimakbulkan ke tidak tu semua urusan Allah swt.

Coklat-coklat kat kedai ni semuanya sedap-sedap dan murah-murah...rugi kalau tak beli coklat kalau pegi overseas ni.

Manneken Pis

In Flemish it means “little man pee”. This is a very famous attraction in the city. The statuette is of a little naked boy urinating in the fountain, located at the junction of Rue de'lEtuve & Eikstraat. There are various stories about this statue. One of them goes like this - Brussels was under siege by foreigners in the 14th Century and the attackers had planned to destroy the city walls with explosives. A little boy named Juliaanske from Brussels happened to see it. He urinated on the burning fuse and saved the city. On some occasions the statue is dressed in a costume. The present statue is Bronze as the original which was made of stone was stolen and destroyed.

Tu la MP tu. Ceto'et aje. Dulu besar...dari sumber-sumber mengatakan..patung tu telah dicuri..later digantikan dengan yang lebih kecil aje. Tu yang nampak kecik aje tu..:)

Bunga-bunga tengah blooming.

Grand Place/Town Hall

Named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, the Grand Place square which houses the Town Hall is one of the most important tourist destinations in Brussels. Visiting this landmark will surely prove to be very memorable. Grand Place is the central market square, surrounded by many historic buildings such as the Town hall which dates back to the 15th century. The Town Hall was destroyed in 1695 when it was bombed by Marshal de Villeroy. The Hall today is home to a museum displaying tapestries, wood paneling and painting from the 17th century. The Grand Place and Town Hall look even more beautiful at night when they are lighted with golden floodlights. In the spring and summer season, there is a light show that is spectacular.

The Atomium

The Atomium is monument built in 1958 for the Brussels World's Fair exhibition. It was designed by André Waterkeyn in the shape of a metal molecule which when magnified 165 billon times will look the Atomium structure. The entire structure is made of 9 interconnected steel spheres that tower at 102 meters tall. It weighs a massive 2400 tones. All the sphere are exhibition halls, but the most interesting one is the top sphere (18 meters in diameter) which provides a panoramic view of Brussels and Brabant.

Inila ahli-ahli Land Surveyor yang join the tour bersama isteri masing-masing. Tak termasuk saya dan k.bisma yea..:)
Dari kiri - Tn Syed, Mokh, En Shaukie, En Saba, K.Zah, K.Ani, Tn Haji, K.Bisma & me







Ohhh yea...kat sana bikers bawa motor besar-besar...tengok..tengok..besarkan. Memang tak nampakla motor yang bercc kecil kat sana..:P Ni kat salah satu rest area @ Netherlands kot..ntahla confuse dah..byk sangat. Nak pegi Amsterdamla ni.



Bas ni la yg membawa kami rombongan 'Cik Kiah' serata Europe. Driver dia Mr Boris.

Lepas ni next stop is Amsterdam. Dalam masa 1 hari, saya travel 3 negeri from London, Brussels and Amsterdam. Not bad…not bad…he..he..he.. Perjalanan ke Amsterdam ialah 3 ½ jam.