It has been a hectic trip.
Hastily pieced together with no clear plan in mind (as usual) on where to go, what to do, when to visit.
Even without much preparations, I'd say that this trip has been rewarding.
Having visited Prague for a good number of days 2 years ago, Frankfurt was underwhelming in comparison. Nothing much more than a financial and transport hub, Frankfurt couldn't hold a candle to Prague in terms of history, architecture or culture.
Unexpected visit to the world famous Schloss Neuschwanstein and Schloss Hohenschwangau, which was the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty castle, that eventually came up characterise Disney's signature Castle logo. The enchanting but tragic story of King Ludwig II, the beautiful Bavarian lands and Alps, were really beyond what I had seen so far on my travels. (having caught Beauty and the Beast just 2 weeks ago helps too). This really sparked my interest in castles, which Germany and France have plenty of. It will be nice to bring Dear to do castle hopping together in the future.
Bought the Londonpass before landing @ London. Looking back at the schedule that I eventually took, I'd say it wasn't the wisest choice. The fact that one had to visit a good number of attractions everyday to breakeven on the cost, wasn't exactly the best way to enjoy a holiday. By the end of the second day, I was getting tired and took it easy on the 3rd (last day) of the pass.
Growing up with the image of Tower Bridge as London Bridge, this trip serves to clearly separate the two. HMS Belfast and Churchill war rooms was impressively and steeped on WW2 history, a good visit.
Parliament house and Big Ben are always picturesque. Westminster Abbey is by far the most elaborately decorated religious landmark that I had visited, with immense history that dates back about one millennium. Victoria and Albert museum was a surprise find, nice to find a free attraction that offered so much. Picadilly circus, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Changing of Guards, St James Park, Harrods were all straight out of the postcard intriguing.
Though I couldn't make Old Trafford as my first destination visit to an EPL stadium, visiting Emirates stadium only serves to make me more interested to visit OT one day. Red Devils' long illustrious history simply dwarves the Gunners
Figured out how to make the most out of the local bike sharing system, the cycles really allowed me to travel longer distances in a shorter time, and at the same time, see a lot more of the non glitzy side of London, all at the low cost of £2 for 24 hours. One of the best discoveries, and made up for my refusal to buy the oyster card. This system really fits big cities like London. I hope that the SG version will take off, but the weather and people's behaviour is suspect.
As I write this at Trafalgar Square on my last night here, my reflections on how my travels affect the family is also well established. Ryan is starting to know and miss daddy on long trips, which makes me less inclined to do much more biz trip extensions in the future.
Gotta spend more time with the boy
