European Tour - May 2008

Perhaps this family trip had been the most waited trip for my kids. As for me, I have never been to Europe before. Of course, I lied. Not really. Well, I landed and transit once at London Heathrow Airport in 1989 for a few hours. That was my European experience! I din't know what to expect in London except that after working with the European expatriates in KL, I would imagine that it would be just fine, nothing to brag about anyway.


My intention to utilize our time sharing facility was not successful after being turned down for late registration with Berjaya Vacation Club. I was cursing like hell, thinking that I paid the program for nothing. Again, not really it's for nothing, but the time such as this, about less than week, I had not got any luck for good location to stay in London. I was ill-advised by the BVC operator that for any oversea reservation, I should request the accommodation within thirty days, which normally the rule was to do it within 6 months. It turned our that the new rule states that the reservation is required in 3 months not thirty days ( I did not check the updated new rule book! This is the practice I do at work but not on personal need!?). If I knew who the person was (again, I should have asked the name of whom I was speaking with), I would squeeze his lips for this and .....!

Finally, two nights prior to the departure on April 28, 2008, my wife and I decided to stay at The Cumberland Hotel next to Marble Arch. It turned out that it is a good location, really at the junction of the busy Oxford Street, next to the Edgeware Street for halal Arabian foods and just at the exit or entrance of the Marbel Arch subway station!

We overnight in London and the next morning we took the Eurostar train to Paris. We booked the train tickets on the internet and at the London station, St. Pancras Station, we used the machine to exchange the reservation coupons with the actual train tickets. It took us 2 hours just to reach downtown Paris. Marvelous technology!

Much to my surprise, Paris does not turn out lovely as I thought. As for me, it is more like Chicago ( not that I had been to Chicago) but, perhaps a bit less like New York, minus the language and as strange as it sounds, Frenchmen do not speak English!The subways are dirty and although they claim that there should be one subway station within 500 meter radius in Paris, I could hardly spot them! Must have been due to bad sign board display?

We spent a day at Paris Disneyworld, visiting Disneyland Park and Disneyland Studio on Sunday. Perhaps, it was a wrong day for us given that there were many Europeans tourists on the same day whom we had to compete for rides. Abby and Afif may seem to be too over aged for such place by this time. Of course, it would have been more fun of they were younger, perhaps less than 7 years old. But we are thankful to Allah for this opportunity. Anyway, my wife and I were very happy that we could take them there this time... of course, Euro or Pound Sterling does not come cheap either...

Our miserable moment was at about 10:15 PM on the way back from Disneyworld. I recalled that the name of the subway station we were surprisingly interrupted by a black Frenchman was Pasteur Station. We were supposed to change the train to our hotel, and while the train stoped, this son-of-a-bitch black Frenchman went straight towards Afif who was about a yard from me. Holding my daughter, I called up Afif to get into the train, but this black man hold up Afif's shoulder just at the moment the train door was closing while speaking French to Afif. Afif was confused and I was worried sick and I did not let go of my daughter. Seeing the unusual moment, my wife hugged my son and pushed him into the train just at the nick of time the train door closed. My daugther was frightened and my son was shock. I showed my finger to the guy's face facing the train door. Deep in my heart, I was not expecting this to happen at all. For moment like this, my fellow malaysian housemate once said in New Jersey back in 1990, " ...such a bad bad black men they are.. and for this.. I once think aparteid served them better for who they were.." I am definitely in agreement with him given the pictures they portrayed.



We went back to London the next day and spent four more nights in London! We enjoyed the Arabic lamb rice and of course, I enjoyed their cheap strawberry, cranberry, and blueberry!!!


We met famous people too!!


London Museum of Science with the Appollo 10 Space Capsule


Edgeware Street, we liked the lamb rice from this Arabian Restaurant, Meshwar. When ordering, you have to mention that it is the lamb rice from downstairs (it's cooked at the basement?!!!)There was a Malaysian restaurant down the block, but it was left with the sign board only, sudah pindah? Tutup, we had no idea!


At Heathrow Airport, heading home. Home sweet home!!