My Travels !: November 2015

In June 2015, I embarked on my maiden trip to the United States!

And what better way to journey there then to treat myself to some luxuries along the way.

This time, I'm taking Eva Air from Los Angeles with a stopover in Taipei.

Cheers ... Champagne on a plane!

A bed to sleep in during the flight.

A 3-course meal starting with appetizers.

This is Eva Air in Taipei.

Following that is the second leg across the pacific ocean to the United States.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

A tram tour in Universal Studios

The Hollywood sign. A must see for all visitors

Disneyland, California

Parade at Disneyland

Las Vegas (sin city)

No, I'm not in New York.

Hoover Dam

World famous Grand Canyon

Replicas at Las Vegas

Lobster and seafood chowder by the ocean

Lone cypress tree

Golden Gate bridge @ San Francisco

Cruise around Alcatraz Island

Must do: Take the tram

Time to head home from San Francisco

Time flies. Coming to an end of 2015. I realized that this year has been very busy for me. My most recent blog post was in January this year. How true is the saying: time and tide wait for no man. Now that things are winding down. At this period of time, I am not as busy with work. Thus, there is the 'me' time. Time to take stock of this year, of my health and of course, of my blog.

This year I have been to some places. Will be updating in the next few posts. In february this year, I went to Italy. At that time, I thought of Italian pasta, spaghetti, gelato... So Italy it is.

I flew with Emirates, with a stopover in Dubai. Now, Dubai airport is very, very big. So are its facilities. There are only few places where I see a lift with two set of doors side by side.

I have passed through Dubai airport a couple of times, and every time it always amazes me.

Some Chinese decorations that reminds me this is the year of the Goat!

Here I am, in Rome, Italy! I booked the van transport to Roma Termini station, and am treated to my first views of Rome. Next time if I were to visit Rome, I will take the train instead. It's much faster with less waiting time and no traffic jams.

I stayed at a small, forgettable hotel near Roma Termini, so that I don't have to drag my luggage around too much. After depositing my luggage, it's still in the morning, so I have the whole day to explore Rome!

I took the Rome metro to get around. It's very convenient and the stops are near the attractions.

First stop, the Spanish steps.

Fortunately I went there on the first day. I read in the local news that there was a riot the next day at this place, and the fountain was sort of damaged.

Next stop is the Vatican. An impressive place it is...

I didn't go into the St Peter's Basilica. The queue is way too long.

A short walk away from here is the Vatican museum. I like the art deco on the ceilings.

The spiral staircase in the Vatican museum.

On my way around Rome, I spotted some lovely fountains.

The Trevi fountain is under renovation at that time, but still very impressive. It was recently reopened.

More imposing Roman structures!

The famous Colosseum

Reminds me of the Arc de Triomph

The next day, I took the train to another city, Florence. It is about 2 to 3 hours train ride away. I booked all the Italian train tickets using RailEurope website. After booking it, I went to its office in Chinatown to collect the tickets. It might be a bit more expensive, but the website is easy to use.

Florence...