Slovenia : Bled – a lake that caught my heart

I always said i’m a ‘city-girl’! Well, i am probably a weirdo, whereby i have this claustrophobic issue yet love the hustle and bustle of a busy place. Haha

But somehow this city-girl, always got captivated by nature. Always! Nature never fails me. It is always breathtaking, and it always remind me to its Creator.

And today i want to share to you this awesome place that captured my heart. Located at northwestern side of Slovenia, Bled town has attracting visitors from all around the world, All the more its Bled castle and Bled lake.

History said that German Emperor, Henry II was giving a favour to the local Bishop. But the Bishop thinks that the castle is too fancy for him to stay in. Since then, so many owners come and go, was Brixen administrative building once as well. So the castle itself changes a lot too in terms of their architecture. I myself don’t really understand buildings, but this oldest castle in Slovenia is just pretty and worth the visit.

Why though? Because it is seated just next to the beautiful Bled lakes, surrounded with big mountains decorated with a pretty little island church in the middle.

Beautiful, isn’t it?? I can stop and stare for a long whilee.. and right after visiting the Bled castle, we took our bus tour to visit that pretty tiny island church.

The bus ride from the castle to the lake was about 15mins, and took about another 20 minutes for the lovely boat ride (Pletna – a gondola like with canopy on it)

Once we arrived at that little island, we have to take 99 steps up to the church up there. History said that long long time ago there was this rich couple who lived in Bled castle. Then the husband died when he was travelling. To keep the memory of her loving husband, the wife wants to build a bell tower. But apparently after two times of sending, the bell always failed to reach the island. She finally decided to built a church to commemorate her husband.

Until the local Bishop heard about this story, and try to send the bell for the her husband for the third time.

Finally the bell made it to the island! And legend said, if you ring the bell and believe, all your prayers will come true. ♥️

Now, this place is a busy place for local couple to take pre-wed and have a wedding in this island. Well, i cant see why not. Since it’s indeed pretty in here.

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Exploring Slovenia : Postojna Caves

My parents kept asking me and my brother to go for this Balkan trip. And we finally agreed to go in March, when the period is already heaten up a bit. Well, if you try to google, the best time to visit Balkan countries (southeast of Europe) is during the Spring time, which is in April/May. But since we have to go for a tour, there’s not much options on the travelling dates.

Ok, maybe some of you are asking, why Balkan? Apparently my parents are quite an avid traveller, even though most of their trips are on tour. So, not much options for us the kids to choose for. We just need to follow their lead. Haha

Anyway, the very first day of the Tour is super interesting for me. We went to Postojna (read: postonyah) cave , the billion years old cave that was just discovered 200 years ago by a cave lamplighter assistent, Luca čeč. The cave itself is super huge, it is stated that it’s the only cave in the world that have a double track railway line!

Yes, it’s the very first time for me as well to enter this kind of cave with a train (you can see my IG for reference🙈) , and it’s quite an interesting experience too to travel the first 3,7km with it. It feels like you’re in some kind of rides in universal studio. Haha. *Thanks to the imperial couple Franz Joseph and Elizabeth, who came to visit for the first time, and the people got it set up for them to enjoy the cave. Since then, the train tide has always been revamped for the visitors to enjoy the ‘show’.

i’ve been to this kind of cave in Hanoi (Thien Chung Cave) and China (Guilin, Reed Flute Cave – this one is pretty amazing too) but nothing like this before. Maybe it’s size captivates me. I think the size of the cave is 70 metres high, with more than 24km long.

But yesterday, we only walked about 2,5km. Which is the normal package of the attractions. Maybe the other 19km is not explorable for the visitors.

You have to enter this cave guided by the provided tour guide, and in designated time. So if you’re late, you have to wait for the next timing. They have many languages too. But mostly are still in english and european language.

The stalactites and stalagmites are so amazing. I can’t stop staring at some of them. Moreover when i know that it takes 10,000 freaking years to only grow a metre of it. It’s just Mindblowing!

Btw it’s cold and quite damp inside, so make sure you bring a jacket and wear comfortable shoes to walk that 2,5km of awesomeness. And dong forget to see blind Salamander aquarium right at the end of the walk. They said that Postojna blind salamander lives in total darkness in the Postojna cavern complex. They can grow to up to a foot in length, making them the world’s largest cave-dwelling animals and they can live up to a century.

There’s another funfact too why we cannot use flashlights inside the cave. Scientists said somehow our flash lights have some chemical reactions that somehow will stimulate algae to grow on the Karst. Surprise surprise!

*amazing 5 metre Karst that is very iconic. The white one (right side) is made from pure limestone, whereby the red-brick one (left side) is made from limestone with a mixture of red soil. Interesting to see how a side by side thing can grow differently.

And can you see the sparkly-like-diamond Karst? So lovely 😍

*For you who’s a bit claustrophobic like me, there will be some small tunnel inside the cave, but it’s still manageable since it’s not that tiny and there’s still room to breathe. So you can still chillax and enjoy :))

Random : Traveling This OR That

Hi semua, tau dong template2 This OR That atau BINGO yang lagi super IN akhir2 ini..

Awalnya gw bingung sih, what’s the fun in that? Pas lagi liat2 IG story temen-temen,  tiba2 gw ketemu template yang menyentuh sedikit soal traveling. Jadi template-nya itu super general, tapi ada 2 questions yang nanya, ‘Beach or Mountain’, ‘Summer or Winter’.. Nah, dari sana pun, gw masih ngerasa biasa aja..

Sampai beberapa hari yg lalu, gw lagi supper sama satu temen gw, abis ngobrol panjang dan lebar. akhirnya kita ngomongin banyak soal traveling, dan pertanyaan2 generik di atas pun muncul. soal preference kita saat travel, mendingan gunung atau pantai, panas atau dingin, dan lain2..

Dan tiba2 aja dong, abis sesi supper tersebut, ke-triggered langsung buat bikin template Traveling THIS or THAT. haha.. Mungkin karena topiknya gw suka kali yahh, soal Traveling gt.. Dan skrng kalo di pikir2, gw mengangapp This OR That yg lain gak menarik karena mungkin gw gak into the topic aja gt.. hehe..

Nah, untuk This OR That ini, gw gak bikin yg cuman biasa2 aja, ‘Spring or Fall’, atau  ‘Urban or Rural’. Kenapa? Yahh, karena gw mikir yang lebih extreme kyknya lebih seru aja gituu.. hahaha.. Dan lebih bisa ber-imaginasi dan ber-andai2. hahaha.

Kyk Template yg gw buat di bawah misalnya.. I dont even know whether one day i can  travel with Private Jet or Fancy Cruise.. Or meeting The Queen or one of the most powerful president on earth now. Tapi yah seru aja gt, berandai2 kita bisa travel naik Private Jet, dan ketemu The Queen with her super cute corgis. hahaha.

And who would want to sit beside a snorer on the planer or crying baby??

But well, if i really need to choose one, gw sih bakal milih duduk di sebelah snorer, di karenakan klo ngorok kan biasa lebih ada ritme dan low pitch.. jadi kyknya masih bisa di tahan lah gt.. klo crying babyy.. mann, gw pernah pasang headset, tetep aja kedengeran lohh.. Well, emang gw gak pasang the highest volume juga sihh.. soalnya kan kasian juga telinga gw d blast dengan musik sekencang ituu.. Dan.. gw lebih kasian mama-nya sihh yg harus diem-in.. So yeah.. yg ini sih based on personal experience.

Jadi yah gt dehh.. inti gw buat template ini hanya purely untuk entertain otak gw buat berandai2.. hehe..

So, What do you think? Should i make another one? Tapi hype nya kyknya sudah slowing down sii.. haha.. *biasa deh, suka telat terkontaminasi-nyaa.. hahaha.

Btw, pleaseeee feel free to fill in my template, post it in your IG story and tag me @jenita.darmento ! Would love to see your choices. hehe.. *who knows we have similar results. hehe..

Have a great week everyone! ❤

TravelTalk : Good Shoes Take You to Good Places

~ Good Shoes Take You to Good Places ~

Well, i kinda agree with the above quotes. Since without good shoes, you cant hike mountains to see breathtaking sunrise, cant walk that far to explore the fancy city’s alleys, and cant take the long stairs to see the beautiful cityscape.

Talking about shoes, i have an interesting fact about myself. When most girls need more space to store their new pair of shoes, I am a girl who always find it difficult to have a nice pair of shoes. *Yeap, you read it right! Haha

Believe it or not, for now, i only have 1 pair of flip flop, 1 pair of  sneakers, 1 pair of long boots, 1 furry winter boots, 1 pair of  running shoes, 3 pairs of flat shoes, 2 pairs of kitten heels, 1 pair of wedges, and 3 pairs of heels (which i only use 1 pair frequently. Haha #truestory #dontjudgeme

Well, i dont know if it’s already a lot. But for me, it is not many at all, since all shoes are meant for specific event, and i frequently use 1 pair of my favorite flat shoes practically everywhere for my daily basis. Haha..

Exploring Bratislava Old Town, Slovakia – 2016 with my Adidas superstar

Night stroll at The Beatles monument – Liverpool, UK – 2017  with my favorite Varina Ballet Flat from Salvatore Ferragamo

*It was 9pm in Liverpool. The sun was still up and bright!*

Morning Hike in Xiang Shan –  Taipei, Taiwan – 2016 with my striking pink Adidas Running Shoes.

*trying to find other travelling pictures with my only shoes on it, but can only find these three.. Haha*

Anyway, I am size 5,5 (US) – which is 35-36 in asia. Who got the same size as me?? Haha

This size is considered small even though im an Asian who lives in Asia. When i shop around in some shoe shops in Jakarta or Singapore, i always find that they dont really stock up a lot for my size. When there’s any, sometimes size 35 is too tight on me and size 36 is kinda loose. Haha. So,  i need to buy additional sole since it’s a little bit loose or have to let it goo since it’s too small! *Haishhh*

And  i really hate it when Often times, i find it comfortable when i  tried it in the shop, but it hurts real bad when i try to walk for hours. ~.~”

So normally, i would just come back to the same brand and probably same design with slightly different colour for my shoe needs. Awh Goshh, does this only happen to me? Lucky you if your feet can just fit to any brand!

I dont know if it’s too much to customised your own shoes, since most of the time, customisation is only for those who’s having leg problem or getting married.

But, i found this website FSJshoes that can custom your own shoes. From lovely wedding shoes to your fashionable walking boots! This made me curious, since they can do partial and full customisation, and they do ship worldwide as well.

What do you think, girls? What’s your favorite comfortable shoes? Will you go to custom your shoes too?

 

 

 

Dream Dinner Destination

So many list of beautiful countries waiting to be ticked off from my bucket list, and it is very hard to find a good period to travel since i started working. But the passion to travel is always there; so by the end of the day, i always find myself reading at some travel journals, visit some travel websites, and looking for airline promotions. haha.

it is really hard to decide where to go next, since all places have their own pulling factor, from their culture, their sceneries, their architecture, their shopping haven, their natures, and probably their food.

and talking about food, ‘Where is your Dream Dinner Destination?’

Indeed, it is one tough question. Each and everyone of us surely have our own ‘must place to go’.

If i may share with you, below is my 3 top choices for my ‘Dream Dinner Destination’

3. Ristorante Gambero Rosso, Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy.

*picture source from here*

Ohh, come on. who does not love this lovely colourful place. Vernazza is one of the fifth town in Cinque Terre region. For me, to have dinner in this place is a blessings. To enjoy the view, to feel the sea breeze, and to enjoy the local food! People said this restaurant is famous for their originality, fresh seafood and great pasta. i think ill be in love with the pasta that they are serving. Since i am a great noodle/pasta lover as well, i think it is a perfect dinner destination.

2. Grottino 1313, Luzern, Switzerland. 

*picture source from here*

Switzerland, one of the safest country in the world. I always wanted to visit this country and even think to spend my retirement in Switzerland. Well, blame all the pretty pictures that is very pretty and calming sceneries. while i browse through Switzerland, i found this super cozy and romantic restaurant. a place that you can have your lovely candle light dinner, literally. i can imagine the cold breeze outside, and the warmth that they offer inside. The perks of going to this restaurant is, they dont have a specific menu, they will surprise you with 2 courses menu for Lunch, and 4 courses menu for Dinner. I think it is somehow good for me who often do not know what to eat. haha, so they can just surprise me with their lovely sets.

1. Le Jules Verne, Eiffel Tower, Paris. 

*picture source from here*

ahh, Paris.. A city of Love. maybe some of you find it mainstream, but not for me. Paris have a special place in my heart. Went here when i was very very young, and fell in love with this Eiffel tower since then. I just found the tower, magical. When i grew up and find out that there’s a restaurant in it, by all odds, it become my ultimate Dream Dinner Destination! It has been a dream of mine to enjoy a great dinner and sipping some great wines and looking out to the beauty of Paris.

 Talking about travelling and eating, of course language take a huge part in it. You would not want to to get lost to your Dream Dinner Destination. well, i know sometimes getting lost when you travel could be fun. But, if you already made a booking somewhere, i think it’s good to find your way directly to your place of destination. And same goes with choosing the menu, and communicating with the waiter/waitress. Language is just so important, since you do not want to order something that you cant eat; let’s say you have food allergy or restrictions to some meat for example, and a restaurant already had this information available in English. i think there’s where Translation software could be useful for our travel.

Talking about Language, i took basic French before, since i’m a huge fan of french thingy, i thought i would be awesome if i can speak french one day. which i still think so. But learning a new language is really not an easy task to do. I gave up my french course since i dont have the time to attend the classes anymore and i dont have someone to practice with. So if there’s anyone out there who would want to teach and practice with me, i will be terribly happy! haha.

So that is my Dream Dinner Destination. Share yours if you have one! =)

 

Ohayou Tokyo! Day 1

Emang holiday itu selalu berasa cepet bngt ya.. ga nyangka 9 hari udah berlalu.. dan waktu.nya kembali ke realita kehidupann.. *noooo!!!*

but before im coming back to reality.. let us relive the trip.. hehe..

We went to Tokyo by Delta Airlines 6 o clock in the morning. *it was the same flight that took me to USA for my school trip 4 years agoo.. ahh.. another good old memories*

Thankfully it was a pleasant flight, and get to reach Tokyo by 2.30 in the afternoon. Since we only booked 7 days of JR pass ticket, we bought a limousine bus ticket to get to the apartment where we stayed for 3 nights in Tokyo.

nothing fancy about the limousine bus.. it’s just a normal bus that will drop you to some hotels. since we are staying in an apartment, we took the bus to the nearest hotel from the apartment.

the bus was our very first encounter with Japan public transport. and it really amazed me they are really on time.. when the ticket said that the bus leaving at 3:15pm. it will really leave on the dot.. *pokok.nya pas jem.nya berubah jadi 3:15, lansung tancap gas tanpa nungguin siapapun.. beneran ga lebay.. haha*

 

this limousine bus service cost us 3100 yen/person, which means around 36 SGD. The bus ride took about 90 minutes from the airport to Excel Hotel Tokyu in shibuya area, the nearest hotel from our apartment.

once we reached there, we immediately walked to our apartment. luckily it’s only 10 minute walk from the hotel. *kan cape juga boo jalan sambil narik2 koper. haha*

finally we reached to our lovely apartment named ‘Feel A Shibuya’. we booked this small room from Airbnb, and we loved it so much. it is near shibuya crossing, small but cozy for 4 of us, provided us with portable wifi and all amenities are ready to use.. feels like our own home for that 3 nights. hehe..

since we reached apartment about 5pm. we quickly go to Ichiran Ramen for dinner because we didn’t want to queue so long.

all bloggers, trip advisors and other social media said that Ichiran Ramen is a must go place when you are in Tokyo / Osaka.. *hits banget deh ceritanya ini tempat.. haha*

from our place to Ichiran, we must across the road via shibuya crossing.

shibuya crossing is just so happening.. *jadi ini kyk perempatan dimana semua orng bisa nyebrang kemana aja dr perempatan itu. gw ga ngerti deh cara atur traffic.nya gimana.. hahaha.. ohh. btw. di jepang gelap.nya cepet bngt.. kyk jem 6 gt udah gelap bngt*

Ichiran Ramen is just across Tsutaya mall.. it’s one line with 109 Men’s.

it was only around 6pm, and there was a queue already. luckily it only took us 10-15 waiting time..

since Japan is well know as a vending machine country, this ichiran ramen also require us to order via vending machine.

so you just insert your notes and coins, and just press whatever that you want to order. after that, the machines will print out 1 small notes that you must show to the waitress later on. after showing the small notes, they will ask you to circle the preference.. like the noodle thickness, how strong the soup that you want, spiciness, etc.

if you see the red and green light behind my order paper.. it’s the seating arrangement. they only have 2o seats in total. *dan ga ada bangku yg hadap2an donkk. haha.. gw lebih suka makan yg hadapa2an gt.. kyknya lebih enak aja drpd makan sebelah2an kyk gini.. selain bisa ngobrol, bisa icip2 jugaa.. klo kyk gini kan ga bisa yaa.. haha*

 

ohh. one funny thing.. we could not see the waitress face here, if you need anything, you just need to press the small button in the middle. and they will come to you. *agak anehh yah rasa.nya klo ngomong ga liat wajah.nyaa*

they provide us with glass and cold tap water. so practical yaa.. haha.. we dont need to keep asking if we want to refill.

and finally.. the moment we have been waiting for!!

ohh.. how i love this so so muchh.. *semua ramen enak di singapore lewatt.. ippudo.. santouka.. semua lewatt.. hahaha*

im not a fan of thin noodle.. but this one is really different. its thin but chewy, the soup was perfectly made.. strong but not make you sick of it. and the porkk.. hmmpp.. it’s just so yummyy and tender. all are just perfect in a bowl.. *faint!*

after we had our glorious ramen.. we just stroll around in shibuya and went back to our apartment, we were just so tired because none of us had proper sleep and we need to wake up early for the next day, because Disneysea is waiting for us! hehehe.

Goodnite from the glasses ‘family’ and Hachiko! ❤ ❤