Copenhagen | Dream Home for the Snail

Can't you tell what kind of a person am I from the kind of home I want to live in?

Copenhagen | Swan Lake

Copenhagen, located near the sea, is weaved in and out by broad strokes of canals. These canals are clean, and it reflects the blue of the sky. It doesn't stink like Venice too. Strangely enough, they're not as famous.


A swan feeding from its shallow depths...


Walking by the waterside on a sunny day... The houses in Copenhagen are so harmonious!


Some of them even have these suburbanesque trees in front of them...


Two friends on a bridge.
What are they talking about?


Floating house. I would love to live on one. Not one that is on the tourist's route though, probably.


The Maersk Opera House. Maersk is the largest company in Denmark. It is an international container shipping company which (practically) owns the country.


The LITTLE Mermaid.

Brussels | Antiques City

As the capital of the Europena Union, and comparing it to other European cities, I must say that Brussels is a let down. The atmosphere is rather Frenchly snobbish, and unless you are talking to an immigrant, they are not very nice. There's lots of (expensive) boxed gourmets, but not much gutsy good food. There's plenty of stylish art-nouveau decoration pieces (lamps, door knobs, window panes, etc.), but they seem to have not succeeded in putting them together to create great architecture, save great urban design. Plus, the amount of tax they are levying on its citizens, the maintenance of its infrastructure is patchy, the metro smells like beer (and seems to never have gotten any renovation since the 70s!). Eww.

Anyhow here's the prettiest gleans:


The Maneken Pis (the pissing mannequin) is a tourist icon of Brussels. As you can see, there's always a constant crowd hovering around it. Legend has it that the boy in the statue stopped the bombing of a certain quarters in Brussels by pissing on the explosives. (Really?)


Ok, the shops there are authentic and darn cute. Don't you think this could easily have been in London?


And what else could these cute shops be selling! Chocolates, flowers, potted plants! Life is sweet.


French Garden = Robotically neat hedges.


Professor's lamp.
Putting this on your desk will make you look smart.
Second hand (other wise it wouldn't look so eclectic, wouldn't it! )
Sells for 80 euro apiece.


I love the antiquated look of its hinges. Makes you think that things used to be made with thought.


Innovative inside-outside bench... with trashy beer cans inside.


HQ of Cote d'Or Chocolate? Free tasting of the day (left) is their concoction of chocolate with white pepper and pecan. Exotic!


This is their main square, La Grand Place. It doesn't look striking during the day, these buildings glisten prettily at night. Come to think of it, these Belgians, they have time to trim their hedges to perfection, but none to clean their smogged-out gray city square?


A dirt's view of the glam. Surprisingly, them speaking French doesn't mean that they're uptight. People can casually sit on its pavement and drink beer here at night.


Lego at the airport is a really good idea. I wish they think to make that elsewhere (hint hint... american airports where they often run late!)

Having said that though, I must say that its a rather unfairly mean comment. I'm complaining because I don't have money to spend, and Brussels don't have public good freebies. Brussels may not compare favorably to its European friends, but it is still way prettier than Houston where I am now.

Oporto | Portugal

Oporto is the quieter side of the tourist-run western Europe. It is out of the way of major airline routes, and it does not have an attraction of a legendary scale, but! It's a cute, well-organized and well-disciplined place (ie. the people are reluctant to speak English, but there's plenty tourist info center and english signs, that non-Portugese speakers can traverse its city without much trouble).


The one scene that Oporto is famous for.


This is the hostel where I stayed at. A charming, petite, historic house. Complete with pigeons. The residents here seems to like the idea of feeding pigeons, unlike their pigeon-averse European neighbors.


The ultra modern light rail that runs through this city. Nice man. (because he stays calm as I stalk him).


Me on the bridge scene.


Souvenirs with chicken of Barcelos on it. In Australia, this chicken is also better known as, Nandos. Yummmm!


Vibrant café and shops riverfront. Touristy, but not overtly so.


One of the things I miss about the touristy Europe is the sound of accordion wafting through the air. And the smile of the old men who plays it.


Advertisement for port wine. Not my endorsed brand though. But in case you're looking for a good bottle of port, go and find Graham's 10 year tawny port next time you're at the airport's duty free.


Whispers says that this is the best pastry shop in Oporto. It is small (no seating), tucked away on some street corners, but surprisingly packed with people, even on a rainy Monday. I had to jostle around to get the sights many delicious Portuguese egg pastry at the shop. I couldn't possible eat all of them, but thankfully they have these takeaway mini-version!


Nice pastry people. They think I'm Japanese.


Complicated stair manouvers seems to be their pastime specialty (see the post on the Lello)


Ceramics as walls is another one of their favorite architectural bag of tricks.