Amsterdam - 26/6/2010

Salam semua dan good morning.

Meh kita sambung cerita pasal Amsterdam. On this date kami dibawa untuk melawat the Gassan Diamond Factory. Saya tak ambil gambar kat factory tu. Everybody loves diamonds right? Kat sana mereka menceritakan segala selok belok pembuatan diamonds dari sekasar2 batu sehingga sehinggala terjadinya diamond yang mencecah ratusan ribu Euro. Beli? Nolaa...i'm NOT into diamond sangat...heh..heh..heh.

Next, kami ke Volendam. Tak terbayang saya Volendam ni dikelilingi oleh benteng tinggi yang memisahkan laut dengan daratan yang lebih rendah arasnya. Tiba-tiba aje nampak laut...we was sooo teruja!! Banyak windmill disini..i mean sepanjang perjalanan ke Volendam ni. Pastu, pegi Clog shoe factory, kilang buat cheese dan naik canal cruise.

Sebelum memulakan perjalan nak explore Amsterdam ni, mehla kita baca news tuk hari ni...which is sepatah haram pun saya tak faham yang ditulis dalam suratkhabar tu sebab berbahasa Dutch..:P Ni gimik aje nih..berlakon..:) :D

Volendam

20km north-east of Amsterdam lies the fishing village of Volendam. Volendam is a nice small village. Along the way there were lots of windmills and farmland. Nowadays there are only a few fisherman left most people work in the Amsterdam area or even further away. It is a major tourist spot because Amsterdam is close and the village still has it's own culture. These villages still exude the charm and tradition of yesteryear and feature the original homes used for hundreds of years by its fisherman inhabitants.

Sepanjang perjalanan ke Volendam tu, kita boleh tengok lembu-lembu tengah relax-relax, baring-baring sambil menikmati udara segar kat sana sambil makan rumput yang menghijau. Lembu kat sana gemuk-gemuk & sihat :)

Rumah cantik..bunga cantik..kawasan cantik..peaceful..seronok tengok rumah-rumah kt sana..cantik-cantik belaka..:)


Baca betul-betul nama hotel tu...baca..baca.. :D



Depan rumah laut....bestkan?!?!?! Perkampungan nelayan ni..cool kan.

Pilih-pilih jgn tak pilih..hehehe..:) Rambang mata betul kat sana..mcm2 nak beli tgk tu nk beli tgk ni nk beli.

Zaanse Schans

Is a small village on the banks of the Zaan river, complete with tidy green houses, real working windmills, and small topical museums such as the Clock Museum and the first Albert Heijn store. The Zaanse Schans village gives you a picture of what it must have been like.

Saya suka view dari sini, boleh nampak windmill, the blue sky and the lake..cantik sgt!!

Macam mak dengan anak pulak..hehehe. Ni kat depan clog shoe factory

Rasa macam beli bawa balik aje kasut2 ni bagi kat family & kawan2...:)

Canal Cruise

A very good, fun and original way to Amsterdam is to take a canal cruise. For over 40 years, Amsterdam Canal Cruises has been providing canal cruises through the canals of Amsterdam from the landing opposite the old Heineken Brewery (Heineken Experience). Amsterdam Canal Cruises has a fleet of 6 spacious and comfortable cruise boats. All boats are equipped with heating, toilet facilities and a partly open rooftop. Some of these boats have an outer deck, so weather permitting, you can sit outside.

The Canal boat tour will show you the city from a different perspective. Also during the trip an audio guide will tell you very interesting stories about the city and its artichecture. It's about 1 hour tour, very relaxing. We did it around 3:00 -4:00pm.

There are water everywhere in Amsterdam, so small tiny canals and bridges are very common in the city. Houseboats and tourists boats are a common sight in the canals. Very picturesque

Ok...sebenarnya...banyak dan panjang lagi cerita about Amsterdam ni. Saya rasa cukupla setakat ini dulu....much of the general basic info dah saya cerita kat sini..gambar-gambar pun dah banyak kalau rasa macam tak puas lagi...silala tengok website about Amsterdam, Holland, Volendam, Clog shoe, Canal Cruise, 'Red Light Street' (its an experiencela pegi situ..hehehehe) Next story is about German pulak. Kat German lain pulak scenary dan ceritanya...so tunggu k.

Brussels to Amsterdam – 25/6/2010

Sampai Amsterdam fr Brussels dah petang. Kami terus check in @ Ibis Hotel, Schiphol. Rehat-rehat dan solat…pukul 7pm kami ramai-ramai keluar pegi Amsterdam Center. Dari hotel ada bas shuttle ke Schiphol Airport, pastu naik train pegi town. Shuttle service is every 15 minutes. Their time is VERY GOOD AND VERY PUNCTUAL!!

Schiphol train station is situated directly below the airport. There are direct train services from the airport to Amsterdam Central station, the railway station is located in the terminal's central hall under the Schiphol Plaza.

Public train kt sini best..double decker. Dah la besar, luas, dua tingkat pulak tu, tak sesak dengan manusia, sangat selesa dan sangat menepati masa. Kiranya macam komuter servis kat Malaysia. Tp, ni servis kat Amsterdam. Kalau nak dibandingkan dengan Malaysia ni...depa jauuuuuuh lagi better dari kita.

BIG modern windmills. This will allow you to take advantage of the wind to generate some electricity. Windmills are a very efficient way to supplement power.

@ Schiphol Train Station with K. Zah & K. Ani

Train yang sangat besar..sangat luas and its double decker!!

Dalam train to Amsterdam City. Duk kt deck atas..:)

Ice bullet train

Kat sana banyak kenderaan jenis macam ni kat town centre

Zaman world cup..rata2 nampak manusia bawa bendera

Sini pun ada Madame Tussaued

Cheeesee shop

Souvenir shop..banyak betul jersey Netherland

Hard Rock Cafe

Kat sini banyak canal dengan jambatan2 kecil yang menjadi identity keunikan Bandar ini. Terdapat boat house kat tepi2 canal ni memang cantik. Dari satu sudut ke satu sudut yang lain kebanyakannya nampak macam nak sama aje. Sini memang cantikla..dan masa ni sejuk..berangin sepoi2 nak malam. Masa ni baru pukul 10.21pm tauu...terang lagi kann..:)

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.