Europe (2017): From Warsaw to Helsinki, the Capital City of Finland

If you ask me how many days should you spend to travel around Poland - I would say at least for a week so that not only you able to cover both Krakow and Warsaw, but Gdansk (one of the oldest cities in Poland) and Wroclaw. Unfortunately for me, I was pressed for time and therefore, only managed to spend four days in Krakow and Warsaw and yet, I found it's still insufficient enough.

HOW TO GET TO WARSAW FREDERIC CHOPIN AIRPORT 

My flight from Warsaw to Helsinki was estimated to depart at 9am. Therefore I decided to leave my hostel earlier. Luckily the bus stop is located just right in front of Dream Hostel and I don't have to  worry about catching up the bus. Took bus #175 heading to the airport using the 24-hour ticket I bought a day before. The trip took about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on traffic and hence, it's advisable to plan your journey well. 

#1: The bus stop in the Old Town "Plac Zamkowy" but then, this is not the bus heading to airport. (For illustration purposes only)

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Europe (2017): Dream Hostel of Warsaw - The Best Hostel I Ever Stayed in Europe

Out of the 10 hostels I stayed throughout my almost three weeks trip in Europe, Dream Hostel in Warsaw is the one I love the most. Therefore I think it deserves to have it own post. Here are the reasons behind why you should choose this hostel if visiting Warsaw:

Location - Dream Hostel is smacked right in the center of Warsaw's Old Town (Stare Miasto). It's really convenient as there are abundant of restaurants, cozy cafes, souvenir shops, convenience stores and more within the vicinity. And the best part, bus stop to airport and city is located right in front of the hostel - which is super handy.

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Europe (2017): Warsaw's Attractions & Sightseeing

Rise and shine, Warsaw! 

As usual, I woke up earlier than the rest for another adventures around the capital city of Poland. Normally, I got up from the bed before the sunrise but then not because I want to chase the sunrise but in order to capture photos without being photobombed - like they said, the early bird catches the worm. 

WARSAW'S ATTRACTIONS & SIGHTSEEING

As I only have one whole day in Warsaw before leaving, I just selected few best places of interest to visit. 

Warsaw's Old Town (Stare Miasto)

The oldest part of the capital city. It is one of the most prominent tourist hubs with cobblestone alley and medieval buildings reconstructed after the WWII such as the city walls, the Barbican and St. John's Cathedral. Right in the heart of the area is the Old Market Place which consists restaurants, cafes and shops. 

#1: Warsaw's Old Town, the finest and most picturesque part of the city. 

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Europe (2017): From Krakow to Warsaw & It's Like Hell Day For Me

It was raining by the time I arrived Krakow.
And when I was about to leave, it was drizzling and miserably cold too.

Well, at least the weather was pretty good to me the day before so that I could managed to cover several notable attractions and popular landmarks around Krakow before leaving. 

I left the hostel right after had the free breakfast provided and walked to the bus station which not far away - less than 10 minutes walk perhaps. This time around, I carried additional thing with me which is the newly bought luggage bag from the shopping mall nearby. In case you're wondering, I actually travel without any baggage throughout my solo trip around Europe for almost three weeks cause the luggage I packed before the trip went missing somewhere in Dubai - not sure whether it's Malaysia Airlines or Emirates's fault (will blog more about this incident in upcoming post) but then always think of a bright side, it's not bad to travel light somehow. 

#1: One World Hostel of Krakow is smack right in between the main market/square and railway/bus station.

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Salâm from Iran

I really lost count the trips I had for this year - whether it's my 3rd or 4th trip so far. I have been bitten by travel bugs once again, cause I lost my passion in travelling somewhere in between 2016 to 2017 due to personal reasons but now, I'm craving for more travel adventures - not sure this is good or bad sign anyway.

#1: Iran marks the 41st country I visited and it's my first Middle East country I've been.

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Qatar Airways, My Favourite Getaway to Europe

It all started when my friend and I planning to see the Northern Lights, or known as aurora borealis. After browsing few airlines, we spotted Qatar Airways is having promo, whereby fly-in Stockholm and fly-out Oslo for RM2,780 which consider to be reasonable and affordable cause both of these cities are well-known to be comparatively expensive to fly in and out. Without thinking any longer, instantly we click book and that's goes our "Duo Trip to Hunt for Aurora Lights". 

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Europe (2017): 3D2N in Krakow, Poland

After experiencing more than 8 hours in the overnight sleeper train from Prague, the train finally arrived in Krakow Glowny, the Central Train Station in Krakow. The first thing I done right after I came out from the train station is directly look for the hostel I booked beforehand. One thing I love about Krakow is the train station and the old town are located just side by side, without have to travel far away. 

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World's First Michelin Starred Ramen Restaurant - Tsuta, Tokyo

When comes to travelling, most of the times I will always prepare a list of "What To Do & See" in the respective cities/country that I intended to visit. However for the food list, I don't normally do so cause I prefer to eat whatever that's convenient for me. I'm not the type that will purposely travel all the way from the west to the east, or even from the north to the south for the sake of food adventures. 

Not until my recent trip to Tokyo lately, my new travel partner in crime is very particular when comes to food, or should I say he tends to be more picky than me. And this is where I got to know more about the prestigious Michelin-starred restaurants. So I thought why not give it a try at least once in any of these Michelin-starred restaurants since I was in Japan - it's better to experience myself rather than reading all these reviews and comments in blogs and social media, right?

WORLD'S FIRST MICHELIN-STARRED RAMEN: TSUTA
To initiate my virgin Michelin-starred experience,  I gave it to Tsuta - Japanese Soba Noodles. In case you are wondering, Tsuta is the first ramen restaurant in Japan to be awarded one Michelin star dating back in 2015 which drew national and global attention. It is the only ramen shop in the world to be awarded for three consecutive years - 2016, 2017 and 2018.  

#1: Tsuta - Japanese Soda Noodle, the first ever ramen shop in Japan to be awarded a prestigious Michelin star. 

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Europe (2017): Overnight Train From Prague To Krakow

After spending more than 24 hours in the beautiful city of Prague, I proceeded to the next country which I never been before - Poland. Poland is a country in Eastern Europe with a rich and eventful history which situated next to Czech Republic. After did my research, I decided to take overnight train from Prague to Krakow. Well, it's not my first time to experience overnight train as I experienced this before in Norway last two years (until now I haven't blog anything about my Northern Light experience yet) but then the difference is, I'm taking alone for this round. It's wise to book everything beforehand than purchase on the spot.

WHERE I BOUGHT MY OVERNIGHT TRAIN TICKET FROM & HOW

Almost majority of my transportation tickets I bought online and for this overnight train from Prague to Krakow, I purchased directly from this particular website - the Czech Railways (CD) website www.cd.cz. It's pretty simple and straightforward to book from this website, just like how you purchase your airticket from AirAsia or Malaysia Airlines website. The train booking normally opens 90 days ahead, or even 60 days for certain routes in Eastern Europe. As I plan to overnight in the train, I chosen the sleeper with 3-berth compartment instead of couchette. Of course then, my choice would be slightly higher in term of the cost but I rather sleep comfortably so that I can have the energy to continue my adventure on the following day. Curious how this train looks like? Watch the video I uploaded at the bottom.

#1: Praha Hlavni nadrazi, the largest and main railway station in Prague which provides international railway connections. 

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Tokyo for My Birthday Trip (Sneak Peek)

Can't deny out of the 40 countries I've been, Japan is my favourite country I ever visited. The thing I that make me admire Japan is because for its unique diversity. It's indeed a great country where tradition meets the future. It has everything that one could ever imagine - it's fast-paced, yet serene and peaceful at the same time. It has that magical which instantly captivate and leave me enchanted. And that's why I chosen Japan as my birthday trip. 

#1: Up to date, Malaysia Airlines is the only airline offers direct flight from Kota Kinabalu to Tokyo.

Four consecutive years since 2015 - Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo & Tokyo again! Honestly to say, I never get bored of this capital city and now planning to go again. But somehow, this time around I decided to do something different - visit Tokyo's less touristy and off the beaten path such as Kinugawa, Nikko, Gala Yuzawa and more. 

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