Thursday, 12th July 2018 We took a Lavender Express Train bounded for Furano this morning. We were half-expecting that there would perhaps be some lavender scent or even decorations onboard this Special Train Service (which there were none unfortunately). Arrival at Furano station some 80 minutes later, we transferred to another local train that would bring us to the Nakafurano Station where the lavender fields are located. We chose to visit Farm Tomita due to its proximity to public transportation. This was an easy 25 minutes walk from the station. Along the way, we passed by the Town Lavender Fields which gave us a preview of what was to be expected at Tomita later. We paused for a short lavender-flavoured ice-cream break before continuing our walk along the main road. This was a warm and sunny ... read more

Tuesday, 10th July 2018 We started Day 03 of our program with a visit to the Hakodate Morning Market. Located right next to the train station, this is an ideal place to buy and sample fresh seafood. YP wasted no time in buying a pack of dry scallops and some medication for her family. We also took some time off to sample the sweetness of the Hokkaido melons and roasted scallops. After we were done with market shopping, we stopped by at the restaurant row to sample raw sashimi and crab legs. The colourful food samples outside the restaurants made them very tempting for us to try them all! From the morning market, we headed to the beautiful Onuma Koen which was an easy train ride away. This is a picturesque national park located at the ... read more

Sunday, 8th July 2018 We took an overnight flight from Singapore to Narita International Airport via the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. During the flight, we were happy to be "upgraded" to the extra leg room seats for free. As usual, Singapore Airlines impressed us with their quality in-flight service and we were well taken care of even though we were seated within the Cattle Class. By Sunday morning, we had landed safely to welcome our 10-day vacation in Japan. Sorting out our pre-booked tickets at both the JR and Keisei Rail Offices at the Airport took a while as there was a fair bit of crowd ahead of us. Everyone was making use of the various value-for-money Railway Passes to embark on their land journeys in Japan. The journey from the the airport to our hotel at ... read more

Friday, 15th June 2018 From Krakow, we took a 2-hour bus ride to the Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps and arrived in good time for our admission. There was no cost to enter the premises as long as we had a reserved ticket. When we visited, there were plenty of free shuttle buses which could bring us to the Birkenau Camp in the afternoon. Auschwitz functioned as a work camp that housed mainly Jewish and some Polish prisoners in the Second World War. There were rows and rows of red-brick buildings that doubled up as sleeping barracks for the prisoners and offices for the SS Officers. In my opinion, our visit wasn't as overwhelming as expected since we had visited the Dachau Concentration Camp the year before. Nevertheless, the exhibits were chilling to a certain extent. ... read more

Wednesday, 13th June 2018 Our day began early with breakfast at a local 19 Gram Coffee Chain that served up traditional Eggs Benedict and other hot foods. After a satisfying meal, we took a Bahn to Nordbahnhof where the Berlin Wall Memorial is located. This is another site in the city where remnants of the famous wall could be seen. Over at the Documentation Centre, there is a special exhibition titled "1961-1989, The Berlin Wall" where poignant images of the wall were displayed. In the afternoon, we also found time to visit the DDR Museum located in the Mitte District. This is a little nostalgic museum that showcased life in German Democratic Republic (GDR) aka East Germany in a fun and interactive setting. Opposite the DDR Museum stood the Berlin Cathedral Church with its majestic and ... read more