UALboy

Check-in at PER

We were assigned to the internet check-in counter, where the trainee was checking us in. So, the whole process became much longer than it needs to be. The whole process of check-in, immigration, and security took almost 45 minutes.

PER SKL

The lounge is quite small, but certainly will be able to fit the 30 business class passengers, along with the other eligible passengers. There was an okay spread of warm food. The cup noodles were certainly a good fix after all the wine tasting from the pervious day. There is a separate alcove with cheeses and liquors. The boarding call was soon made and most people made their way to the gate.


Interior of SKL


Took a photo of the food spread after most people have left


The A330 craft to take us back to SIN


Bye Perth!

After boarding, the normal SQ boarding formalities were performed. We were soon airborne. Once again, the service was great. We were both addressed by our names throughout the flight. They were also very friendly and ready to chat. Frequent checks on the passengers were made to make sure that we are happy.

Prelude
A choice of apple, tomato or freshly squeezed orange juice


Sliced fresh fruit


Starter
Choice of cereals or yoghurt
Kellogg’s cornflakes with milk or Birchermuseli
Plain or fruit yoghurt


Main
Indonesian fried noodles with seafood
Griddled hotcake with blueberry compote, egg frittata and chicken sausage
Poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce, bacon, roasted tomato and roesti potatoes

Breads
Assorted breakfast rolls
Butter – Fruit preserve

Beverages
Gourmet coffees and selection of fine teas

Next: IC Singapore

UALboy

We were immediately escorted up to the room after arrival. We were upgraded to a Shophouse suite with no club access, which was exactly what I wanted. Who needs the club when you can just go downstairs and get some kaya toast? The suite was extremely lovely, especially with the Perenaken style architecture. It is important to note that our windows do open to a really busy shopping mall, and it remained busy till 10pm or so. So, if you are interested in sleeping early and need extremely quietness to fall asleep, this suite might not be for you. However, for someone who have felt asleep during a Stomp performance, a little mall traffic was nothing.


Into the suite


Bedroom


View from the Balcony


The living room


We had some really tasty chilli crab at No Signboard last time. So, we decided to give Jumbo Restaurant in Clarke Quay a go instead.


Chilli crab, very tasty


Black pepper crab, quite different compared to the chilli crab. Still yummy regardless


Singapore Flyer

Just like London Eye, the attraction is way too expensive. However, with a SQ boarding pass, the discount certainly helps cushioning the blow. The free audio guide was quite nice as it gives out information about the sights and the history behind it. What is interesting is that the place is not at all crowded compared to the London Eye. We only had to share our capsule with one other person. Maybe it is because we went there before noon and Singapore does not really get busy until like way later.


Past the top of the Flyer, with CBD at the background

After the ride, we paid a visit to one of the “die die must try” restaurant in Singapore, the Banana Leaf Apolo in Little India, for the fish head curry.


Eating on a banana leaf, with some very tasty veggies on the side


Little India with Diwali decorations


Remember! No durians on the MRT

UALboy

Even though we know that Sentosa is a gigantic tourist trap, we just have to go in order to say it for ourselves. It was indeed true. The place was very crowded with tourists moving in their glacial paces. Most of the attractions that they have are not particularly interesting either.


A fake merlion, you can pay to go up to its mouth and head.

One of the attractions that caught our eyes is Fort Siloso, which has some very interesting history about the Singapore in WWII and how the British soldiers lived back in the 19th and early 20th centuries.


Surrender room, the British surrendered to the Japanese after 8 days of fighting. What is interesting is that they still showcase the chairs that were used during the ceremony.


Beaches


Sunset over Sentosa

RC Singapore

Although it was very hard to forego the sweet suite from IC Singapore, we were quite excited to re-visit the RC again.


Kallang view from the club lounge


The most comfortable bed in the world


Best bathroom view ever


It has been three years since the last visit to Singapore. It was very shocking to see all the new development in the other side of the Marina. I cannot believe that they are turning the Marina Bay into a reservoir!


Finally, the obligatory skyline of Singapore at night

UALboy

Hello Superjumbo!

We got to the security queue 35 minutes before boarding. However, the staff was acting like as if it was Defcon 5 and they needed all the LHR pax RIGHT NOW. Anyways, we got on board and all the pre-departure formalities were performed by the book. However, it was obvious that the crew was much more stressed than the other flights. For this time, we were not addressed by names unless the cabin crew was looking at the manifest. The crew was also not as caring as the other flights were. They were more just rushing through to get all their tasks completed in a timely fashion.


Pre-departure cocktail of the month. It is a mixture of tomato juice and something else... It was kinda yucky


Ready for a 13-hour flight to LHR


Lunch
Prelude
Satay
With onion, cucumber, and spicy peanut sauce


Addicted to the peanut sauce


Starter
Mesclun with spicy scallop and mango salad

Main

Stewed chicken in red wine with selected vegetables and fettuchine pasta
Wok fried Chinese style beef steak with black pepper sauce, sautéed vegetables and fried rice
Oven roasted black cod served with lobster sauce, stewed vegetables and olive oil coated fingerling potato
Nasi Padang
Indonesian style steamed rice with lamb rending, grilled spiced chicken, steamed fish soufflé and mixed vegetables


BTC - Wild mushroom and chorizo risotto in natural jus with arugula


Singapore Chicken Rice





Finale
Choice of Viennetta ice cream or dark chocolate ice cream with citrus compote
Gourmet cheese with garnishes
A selection of fresh fruit
Gourmet coffees and selection of fine tea, with pralines

After the conclusion of meal service, I decided to set the bed and watch a few movies. I noticed that a golden tie was now sitting behind me. Uhoh. That was why the crew was so tense, as they were being evaluated by the golden tie, aka the flight auditor. Another interesting point on this flight was that most passengers were quite restless at the beginning of the flight. The cabin crew button was constantly heard across the cabin.

Light bites menu

Noodles
Fish ball noodles served with fish balls and fish cakes
Vegetarian and non vegetarian instant noodles

Sandwiches
Soya chicken with pickled ginger in ciabatta
Smoked salmon with tapenade in focaccia
Roasted vegetables and cheddar cheese in onion ciabatta

Snacks
Assorted nuts
Ferrero Rocher chocolate bar
Granola cereal bar
Lay’s potato chips
Assorted biscuits
A selection from the fruit basket


Light meal menu
Starter
Smoked duck with potato salad and arugula lettuce
Choice of balsamic or mustard dressing


Main
Phad thai
Thai style fried rice noodles with prawns, sliced chicken and beancurd served with raw beansprout and peanut


Panfried tournedos of beef in herb sauce with roasted vegetables and gratin potatoes

Penne with arrabiata sauce, grilled salmon, arugula, shaved parmesan cheese

Finale
Mocca panna cotta with vanilla sauce
Gourmet coffees and selections of fine teas


Chocolate mousse cake from SQ

It was sad that this is my SQ flight for a while. It is certainly a consistently good airline. So, as my Governor would say, "I will be BBBBack!"

UALboy

London is a city that we are both very fond of and we visit there at least once a year. So, to keep up with the tradition, London became one of the destinations for the RTW. The challenge is that both of us are running out of stuff to do in the city. So, we ended up visiting the London Transport Museum, which was very interesting and educational.


Christmas decoration at Covent Garden


Stage for the Lion King

As a huge fan of the Tudors, in which Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Henry VIII very well, we have to stop by the Hampton Court. It is a 30-minute train ride from Waterloo station. So, the journey there was not too hard.


Entrance


Very classic Tudor style columns


New wing built by William and Mary


A super fun maze at the garden. The maze is quite large, we only made one mistake and it took us a few minutes to complete. (it is actually really easy. Just make sure that you turn right every time, except the last turn) There were like children crying because their siblings finished and they were getting frustrated at being lost.


More garden

UALboy

We were upgraded to an executive room. The room is definitely very spacious in London standard. After all, we got a separate living room, which is unheard of for the price that we paid. I only got a few minor complaints of the property, such as the minibar not being refreshed daily, and the shower shield not being able to handle the rainforest showerhead.


Living Room


Mini-Bar


Bedroom

It seems like there were quite a bit of people staying in the club level during our stay and the staff was definitely overwhelmed by the amount of people in the club lounge. It was almost full during the evening cocktail hour, where there is an average selection of snacks, but plenty of champagne and liquor to go around.


View from the club lounge, overseeing the Wellington Arch


The club lounge itself

UALboy

With no direct *A service between LON and PAR, we decided to give Eurostar a go. I did not have that fond of a memory with them last time as the train was delayed for two hours, so I might as well have taken a flight. This time, we decided to treat ourselves and bought a Leisure Select ticket for 99 pounds OW, thinking that we would be able to enjoy more space and less crowded atmosphere.

The check-in and immigration process could not be easier. From picking up tickets to boarding, the process is almost all automated. However, the station was quite busy, and with everyone having their luggage with themselves, the place soon became very packed.


Ah. The calm onboard Business Select. There were probably 7 of us in the whole carriage.

Then, we got some bad news. They seemed to have some mechanical problem with the train and they decided to combine two train services to Paris into one. So, we got all our stuff again and boarded the new train. We were told that the Leisure Select cabin was still half empty after combining the whole train. But, as the boarding process continued, they realized that there were not enough seats in the Economy cabin. So, it was now a free-for-all process and our cabin ended up leaving full. We ended up taking an hour delay.


Breakfast served after departure, a warm dish was delivered later

Next: IC Paris (BA-NANAS!)

UALboy

The hotel gives a very old-school glamorous feeling the moment you step in it. We have booked an opera-view room and got upgraded to an opera-view junior suite. However, it was not available when we checked in. So, they offered either a prestige suite without an opera view, or a waiting room for a few hours until our junior suite was ready. Although the prestige view was nice, it was located on the 5th floor, as the ceiling was a bit low and gives a really claustrophobic feeling to it. Also, the opera view was simply unmatched.


Opera view.


The metro station entrance is just right there. However, we can hear/feel the tremble given by the metro passing by every few minutes. As a Los Angeleno, the instinct is EARTHQUAKE!!! So, that was the only minor point for getting an opera view room.


Night view


The entrance to our sweet suite




Our new suite is on the 2nd floor, which has super high ceiling. With the additional space being a junior suite, the room actually feels much bigger than the prestige suite.


Impressive ballroom

The club lounge provides very nice canapés (along with tons of desserts) and cocktails in the evening. I ended up having three glasses of champagne every night and loaded up on the canapés. Even though we always planned on going to dinner, we ended up just going to the bed as we got full on the snacks.

UALboy

Versailles

It took us three hours to get through the inside of the palace. Afterwards, we took a stroll to the garden and also visited Estate of Marie-Antoinette. The place is probably 20+ minutes away by walking. One can pay 6 Euros to ride the tram to get there. However, we decided to just get some exercise in and walked there. The estate is certainly not as impressive as the palace itself. So, if you have somewhere else that you must go, the estate can probably be skipped.


Royal Garden


No matter how far you go, it is still hard to fit the whole palace into one photo


Arc de Triomphe on Armistice Day


View of the Eiffel tower from the top of the arc during the light show. It seems like they are only lighting one side of the tower now to save energy, except for the hourly light show.


Jardin du Luxembourg, highly recommended for a relaxing stroll during a nice day.


The Panthenon (stay tuned to compare it against the original Panthenon). A lot of famous French people are buried there. As scientists ourselves, we have to visit Marie Curie’s burial site.


Very impressive Panthenon, with a pendulum clock in the middle




Freaky exterior of Centre Georges Pompidou, a must do if you like modern art

UALboy

Another advantage of staying in the IC Paris is that it is two minutes of walking distance away from the Roissybus station. It costs 9.10 Euro and 45-minutes (without traffic, so maybe an hour during normal hours) to get to CDG. Even with our seven bags (okay… three checked and four carry-on), it was not hard to do the Roissybus at all.
The check-in was fairly painless, especially with all the scary stories here about CDG. We could use a bit more signage to get us to the LH lounge, as we were confused about whether the lounge would be before or after security (it is after).


Interior of the LH lounge


Food station, with an okay selection of continental breakfast items.


Our first solo flight. We were the only two passengers in the business class cabin.


Still get excited to spot an A380


Bye CDG


A quick breakfast

UALboy

We decided to take a cab to downtown Milan from MXP. It turns out to be a big mistake because MXP is crazy far from downtown. It ended up costing us 95 Euro to get there. The cheaper alternative would have been taking the MXP Express or MXP bus and then cab it to the hotel. Oh well! Lesson learned.


Upgraded executive room. The staff told us that it is the one of the best rooms in the hotel and I would agree. The room was quite spacious with a view (although it is no IC HKG/Paris)


The office side of the room


A huge bathroom for European standard


The view, not spectacular, but certainly quite nice.


A few lawn chairs, unfortunately it was very cold and wet while we were there. So, we did not even sit there at all.

UALboy

Duomo


Another impressive cathedral


The Galleria next to the Duomo

One can also pay five Euro to climb to the top of the Duomo. With a few extra Euro, an elevator is provided instead. The climb up is quite short, so if you are physically able, the hike is not particular strenuous.


At the top of the cathedral. The sloped top certainly made it hard to walk on


View of the square from the top

We tried to visit Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie to see whether there were any openings for viewing the Leonardo’s Last Supper. But, it seems like they only let in 25 visitors every 15 minutes. So, a reservation is a must. Instead, we went to Castello Sforzesco, which was originally a Visconti fortress then remodeled by Francesco Sforza and Leonardo da Vinci.


The fountain in front of the Castello


Quite pleasant inside

UALboy

Lake Como is just an hour of train ride from Milan Cardona station. It is a world different than Milan. I can totally understand why people get their summer houses here. The town was just quiet and peaceful.


Nice houses along the lake


The marina along the lake


Funicular to the top of one of the mountains


Amazing view of the lake and the town

The train ride back to Milan was quite interesting. We were the only two people in a dimly lit, full of graffiti carriage. So, if we were murdered on the train, no one would know. It was a very creepy train ride indeed. But, we survived regardless.

Next: Flying Swiss to Zurich and Rome

SASDC8

Fantastic report ^ What a trip so far!!

aviatorzz

Fantastic report so far. Just slightly jealous!

I enjoyed the historical point of view in this report, including points of the past and present.

zz