Solli in Paris

Clarke Quay

Ladies night, first stop on an Italian restaurant and then off to the clubs in Clarke Quay :-)

Bukit Timah nature reserve

Bukit Timah is a 163-hectare nature reserve and an Asean heritage park and it is one of the largest primary rainforest left in Singapore. In the nature reserve there are also steps leading to Singapore’s highest hill at 163.63 m. Me, my sister and dad went there in the morning one sunny day. On our walk we passed by very cute monkeys that were living there, they were playing with each other and jumping from one liana to another. It was fun to see :-) If I was living permanently in Singapore I would definately have been going to this nature reserve every week and walked to the top of the hill, best exercise ever and at the same time, fresh clean air and beautiful nature ;-)

Bukit Timah nature reserve

Bukit Timah nature reserve

Bukit Timah nature reserve

Foot and leg massage deluxe (OSIM)

I’ve been writing that I’ve been walking alot around in Singapore and ofcourse that puts pressure on feets and legs. One day when I went to the supermarket with my sister we passed by an OSIM store and as soon as I saw their leg massage machine and ran in and asked to try it. During the years I’ve tried MANY massage machines and I’ve never found the ONE. Ok, hold your horses…when I had put my legs in this machine and I leaned back in the armchair I was taken to HEAVEN. This leg and foot machine from OSIM is a 3D massage machine and it did reflexology massage (pressing points on my soles) and it wrapped around my legs and massaged my calves, ankles and feet at the same time..it was like there were several human hands doing all that and I just felt so releaved. On top of that there is also a kind of heating in the machine and gives a feeling of hot stone massage around the feets. Suddenly my feets and legs felt as light as the air and I didnt wanted to leave the machine :-( I wanted to bring it with me…

Fort Canning Park in Singapore

Singapore isn’t that big and if you want to see as much as possible I would suggest you not to take the MRT. On my last day in Singapore I walked all the way from Little India to Raffle’s Hotel then to Marina Bay Sands and then to Fort Canning Park and then to Orchard Road and in the evening I walked back all the way to Little India. You can see on the map below where I went (follow the pink lines).

Anyhow, during the day I took a break in a beautiful park called Fort Canning. It was boiling hot that day so I went and had a seat on a bench next to a big tree that gave me some shadow. I sat there for a while, reading my book “One Day” that I had brought and at the same time I enjoyed the peacefullness of the park. Almost no people where there so it was very quiet. A perfect park to have a break in and it’s very central.

Sollis track

Fort Canning Park in Singapore

Fort Canning Park in Singapore (artist P.Gnana)

New Years Eve in Singapore

After our New Years Eve dinner at the Italian restaurant InContro in Singapore we had a walk along Clark Quay and reached the bridge at Riverside Point. It was crowded with people and everyone were waiting for the fireworks. The ambiance was crazy, people were there from all over the world…some guys had big loudspeakers pumping out songs from Rihanna.At midnight we all were dissapointed though, no fireworks around the Clarke Quay area…we should have been at Marina Bay Sands watching the fireworks instead. But it didn’t acctually matter, what mattered was that me, my sister and dad were joined and having fun. After midnight our dad went back to his hotel while me and my sister continued our evening…

Me and my sister went on to the centre of Clark Quay where there was a big outdoor NYC party. The DJ was awesome…he was playing the best hits from Rihanna, David Guetta and other awesome partytracks…people were just happy..dancing and enjoying the New Years Eve. And even though it was the first time in my life that I didn’t watch any fireworks I had enjoyed my evening :-)

New Years Eve in Singapore

Robertson Quay

It was very difficult to decide WHERE to have our New Years Dinner in Singapore. We wanted to have authentic Singaporian food but in fact Singapore more or less have food from all over the world and do not have any special authentic cuisine..apart from some courses… So after been looking on TripAdvisor we found Incontro, an Italian restaurant ranked as number one in Singapore. I’m a big fan of Italian food so I was excited going there and before reserving a table me and my sister went there a couple of days before, to see how the restaurant looked like inside and we got to talk with one of the owners aswell. She was very nice, an Italian woman from Schweiz but had been living in Singapore for 10 years now. We got a good feeling about the restaurant so we made a reservation. On New Years Eve we went to Robertson Quay (next to Clarke Quay) to have our New Years Eve dinner at Incontro. The food was very good, BUT since I’ve had delicious food in Italy and in one of the best Italian restaurants in Paris (Oenosteria) I must say it was not even comparable. Italian food has to be made with Italian primary products to taste Italian..thats my opinion. And I guess it’s difficult to keep the freshness of primary products if they’ll be transported all the way to Singapore from Italy. But the food did taste very good and so did the heavenly desserts we had, tiramisu and moelleux au chocolat!

Incontro – 30 Robertson Quay, Singapore

Incontro, Italian restaurant in Singapore

Incontro, Italian restaurant in Singapore

Incontro, Italian restaurant in Singapore

Pastries in Singapore

The pastries and cakes in Singapore were just a pure delight to watch and eat. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves ;-)

Pastries in Singapore

Pastries in Singapore

Pastries in Singapore

Pastries in Singapore

Chinatown in Singapore

In Singapore there is a district called Chinatown. We went there one day and as soon as we stepped out from the MRT we found ourselves on a street filled up with tourists, buildings on each side painted in pastel colours and the typical Chinese red lanterns hanging high above us. The day we went there was a very very hot day and walking around on those packed street didn’t appeal to us that much so we didn’t stay there for so long. But we did pass the food street where you can find typical Chinese food from different areas, we visited the Hindu temple Sri Mariamman (see the photos below) and we passed the fruitmarket. There are several places of worship, you can find hindu temples, buddhist temples, churches and mosques. Also if you’re into Chinese food you’ll find many restaurants and there are also several museums and art galleries in this area. This website, Chinatown Singapore, is very useful if you’re planning to visit Chinatown.

Chinatown in Singapore

Chinatown in Singapore

Chinatown in Singapore

Little India in Singapore

When we were in Singapore we went a couple of times to Little India. It was almost like going to India itself (even though I’ve never been there). It’s an area filled up with markets with fruits, flowers….you can feel the scent of spices and insence in the air…hear music from the Bollywood movies pumping out from the loudspeakers of the stores and there are many, many Indian restaurants so if you’re up for some delicious Naan bread and tikka masala you are at the right place :-)

How to get to Little India – take the MRT station: Little India

Little India in Singapore

Little India in Singapore

Little India in Singapore

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

If you like chocolate then the Chocolate Bar at Marina Bay Sands is a must if you go to Singapore :-) My sister had made a reservation for her, me and our dad and in January we went up to the 57th floor in Marina Bay Sands…all the way up to the Restaurant The Club that is next to the famous swimmingpool that is on the terrace.

The Chocolate Bar,  opens at The Club at Marina Bay Sands every night from 8 and offers 57 chocolate themed desserts, crafted by hand with premium chocolate. I was literally in heaven endulging myself with almost one of each dessert… As soon as we stepped in we were shown to our table and we could order something to drink. I had tea on the first round and a cup of hot chocolate later in the evening. There were also chocolate ice cream and moelleux au chocolat that could be ordered apart from what was served on the buffet. The staff really made sure we had everything we needed on our table and also took away the plates as soon as I went up for a new round. I think I had 4 plates in total…filled with delicious chocolate desserts. That is also the explanation of why I was suffering from sugar coma deluxe when we left ;-)

Chocolate Buffet – The Club at Marina Bay Sands, Sands SkyPark (Level 57, Hotel Tower 2), Singapore

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Chocolate Buffet at The Chocolate Bar (Marina Bay Sands)

Orchard Road

If you love shopping and you’re in Singapore then you should go straight to Orchard Road – it is every shopaholics mecca!

Singapore is the country where you will find the worlds most luxurious cars but also people wearing high fashion brands. I’ve been living in Paris for two years, Paris – known as the city of fashion…and as soon as I started to have a walk on Orchard Road I saw so many people having handbags from Chanel, Miu Miu, Prada, Dior, Balenciaga etc etc…I saw so many handbags in one minute than I’ve ever seen in Paris (and the fashion weeks included). Orchard Road is crowded with malls, big malls with stores such as Dior, Cartier, Chloé, Armani, Bread & Butter, Prada, Rolex, Tiffany’s, Hublot, Dolce & Gabbana, GUCCI, Louis Vuitton, Balenciaga etc So you had practically maybe 10 stores of all those brands on the street because there were one of each in every mall. For me, it was just fun going there window-shopping…..but for those of you who are shopaholics…Orchard Road is the place for you ;-) Here you will find high fashion clothes, handbags, watches, jewelleries, shoes and also electronical products.

Note: Shopping seemed to be a very popular activity among the Singaporian people and the Western people that are living there because of their work. If its a good or bad thing going shopping all days long and just consuming is up to each and every person. If you can keep a healthy balance and focus on buy things you really need I think it’s good but if you just spend time on pure consumation I think it’s sad. That’s my point of view and I will write more about my personal reflections from my trip later.

Orchard Road – Orchard MRT Station

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

Orchard Road

Singapore Sling

On one of my last days in Singapore and while my sister and dad were in Malaysia, I went alone…accompanied with my book “One Day” to the Raffles Hotel to try the famous cocktail “Singapore Sling” where it was created a long time ago.

Raffles Hotels & Resorts is a luxury international hotel company and they opened their first hotel in Singapore (Raffles Hotel) in 1887. They have hotels in a few countries and in Paris it’s the award winning Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris. It recieved the Condé Nast Traveler 2012 and is recognized as one of the world’s Best Hotels for Ambience and Design.

The Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore is where the cocktail Singapore Sling was created in 1915 by Hainaese-Chinese bartender Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon.

There are now also a Spring Sling, Summer Sling, Winter Sling, Autumn Sling, Tropical Sling and a Courtyard Sling apart from the Original Singapore Sling.
When I was there, first of all I didn’t had a seat in the Long Bar (where the cocktail was created), it was too dark and too crowded with tourists…instead I went to the courtyard that had a more peaceful and relaxed ambiance and where I at the same time could enjoy the beautiful weather.

I had a Original Singapore Sling which consists of the following:
30 ml Gin
15 ml Cherry Heering
7,5 ml Dom Benedictine
7,5 Cointreau
120 ml Sarawak Pineapple Juice
15 ml Lime Juice
10 ml Grenadine
A dash of Angostura Bitters
Garnish with a slice of Pinapple and Cherry

I was so excited about having my cocktail so I totally forgot about telling the bartender to put as little as alcohol possible because I had not been drinking any kind of alcohol for several months…
The cocktail was great, perfect blend of fruity and sour…but a bit too much alcohol for me so I couldn’t even finish it.

Raffles Hotel – 1 Beach Road Singapore

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Raffles Hotel

Sentosa

Sentosa is an artificial island that belongs to Singapore. I really wanted to go and see the island so one day we all went there but as soon as I stepped out on the island I was dissapointed. After have been travelling on beautiful paradise islands in the Philippines…this artifical island was so fake I could almost not stand it. I even didn’t go into the water because I thought it was dirty since there were many ships not far away. We only stayed there for two hours. Its a great place if you want to work on your tan…which I did in a sunbed next to the water.

The island has an area of 5 square km and you can go there by either a cable car or by Sentosa Express Monorail that you take at Harbour Front (MRT station). Around 5 million people visits the island yearly and there are two 5-star hotels, 2 golf courses, a Universal Studios Singapore, Butterfly and Insect Kingdom, Underwater World and Dolphine Lagoon, Fort Siloso (used during World War II) and many other attractions and activities to do. Since 70% of the island is covered by secondary rainforest you can see animals such as monitor lizards, monkeys, parrots, peacocks and other fauna and flora.

If you will be in Singapore for several day and want to hang out on the beach (but not IN the water since I thought it was pretty dirty) or if you are a family with children who are bored on the city life…then a tour to the island would be great break.

Sentosa

Sentosa

Sentosa

Sentosa

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

Whenever I travel and visit a new city I always try to locate and visit their Botanic Garden. When my dad came and visited me and my sister in the end of our trip we went to discover Singapore’s Botanic Gardens (one fifth the size of Central Park in New York). I was not disappointed…it was so amazingly beautiful! There were sections with Orchids (The National Orchid Garden) a small tropical rainforest, ginger garden and other sections where you could see different kind of plants…flowers etc. There were also a couple of restaurants and we took a break and had some slices of fresh fruits and a carrot cake with Philadelphia-cheese frosting on top…yummie :-)

You will find the Botanic Gardens in Singapore here:

1 Cluny Road  Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

The Botanical Garden in Singapore

At the National Museum in Singapore

The National Museum of Singapore is definately worth a visit! When I was there they also had an exhibition from Musée D’Orsay in Paris, the name of the exhibition was “Dreams & Reality” with masterpieces of paintings, drawings and photographies from Vincent Van Gogh, Monet, Gustave Courbet and many others. One of the painting that really caught my attention was the beautiful one below. A young girl surprised in her bed by Death in the guise of a black angel.

If you want to know more about Singapore and their history there is a section of 2,800 sqm gallery with objects, art, photos etc telling about Singapore’s history. It includes the struggles the early settlers had to overcome, you will be taken through the drama of major national events as well as the personal stories of individuals. Before you enter this section you will be handed a multimedia handheld device designed to guide you through the Singapore History gallery and it’s available in English and other languages. I really liked that gallery and it gave me lots of knowledge about the country’s history and past from different perspectives.

National Museum of Singapore – 93 Stamford Road Singapore

"The young girl and Death", Marianne STOKES

Outside the National Museum in Singapore