Make the most of your child’s early years by introducing the Total Development Program to develop a habit of reading and love of learning in your child.
ETL Learning’s signature product Total Development Program will fully fulfil the learning needs of toddlers and young children up to the age of 10 years old. Continue reading “ETL Learning: Total Development Program for Your Child”
Fishing takes place all year round, even in winter. Ice fishing is actually a lot of fun, because we can move freely on the surface of rivers and lakes when they are frozen.
After the exhilarating reindeer and husky sleigh rides, our guide brought us to experience ice fishing. Continue reading “Finland Travelogue – (Part 4): Ice Fishing with Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park in Lapland”
When it comes to a website dedicated to the female community that shares meaningful and valuable advice on lifestyle, beauty, fashion, relationship, perspective and inspiration, try exploring ZULA.
A new website created for Gen Y Singaporean females, ZULA is run by a team of more than 10 successful women who really dig into writing in-depth articles with practical and actionable advice to help you get what you want out of life – these women have a lot of insight into what a Gen Y needs (and wants) to know. Continue reading “Zula.sg – A New Female Inspiration site for Gen Y Singaporeans”
Our next itinerary is going to enjoy the company of arctic animals where we will visit local reindeer farms and husky kennels and take on a fascinating ride on a sleigh.
We had no idea where we were after snowmobiling for one hour. But one thing we knew, we were really deep into the forest. Continue reading “Finland Travelogue – (Part 3): Reindeer and Husky Sleigh Ride in Lapland”
Travel like a tourist and live like a local. They need not be mutually exclusive and Airbnb has made it possible for us to enjoy a meaningful holiday with authentic, local experiences.
We were really blessed to meet a wonderful host who readily fetched us from Santa Claus Village to his Airbnb abode at no extra cost.
Many parents want to stay in touch with their children safely but feel that it is still too early for them to have mobile phones. All thanks to innovation, dokiWatch could be the answer. Designed for children aged from 6 to 12 years old, the quirky-looking dokiWatch is the world’s most advanced 3G smartwatch. Continue reading “dokiWatch – Big Solutions in One Small Device, Keeping Families Connected!”
Planning a getaway trip to Taipei has never been easier! After 11 years of construction, Taiwan’s Taoyuan Airport MRT will officially open to the public on 2 March 2017. Travellers can look forward to see their travelling time to Taipei City in just 35 minutes. Continue reading “Travel to Taipei Main Station by Taoyuan Airport MRT!”
This is our first trip traveling all the way to Sweden and Stockholm, being near to Helsinki (Finland) by just an hour flight, became a part of our itinerary during the school holidays.
It is no secret that Sweden is famously known for being the “Land of Ikea”. However, we know in our hearts that Stockholm has so much more for us to discover. We were first whisked off from Changi Airport to Helsinki (Finland) in a 12-hour flight.
Thanks to the new spacious, calming and eco-smart Airbus A350 aircraft by Finnair, our journey was made very much smoother and enjoyable.
Needless to say, on-board entertainment is sure to bring smiles to the kids.
We were surprised that Big and Small M did not complain on the long journey. After landing at Helsinki Airport, we hopped onto Norwegian in a flight to Stockholm Arlanda Airport.
All in all, after counting the total flight hours and waiting for transit, it took us about 17-hours to reach Stockholm, finally!
It was -7 degrees when we reached and freezing cold. What to do in Stockholm? At the Stockholm Arlanda Airport, feel free to pick up travel guides, brochures and maps. They will come in handy in any last-minute itinerary planning. Hey, not to forget buying a SIM card at the convenience store before leaving the airport. It cost $95 Krona (SGD $15) for our SIM card.
You have few options to travel to Stockholm city – either by bus, train or taxi.
Stockholm-Arlanda Airport is located 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Stockholm City.
The Arlanda express train takes you from Arlanda Airport to the city center. The platform is easily accessible, underneath the arrival terminals. Departure: every 15 minutes (for most of the day). Travel time: 20 minutes.
Flygbussarna Airport Coaches departs every 10-15 minutes between Arlanda Airport and the City Terminal (located next to the Central Station). Travel time to Arlanda: 35-45 minutes. Buses also run to Liljeholmen via Karolinska, Fridhemsplan and Södermalm (50 min). To Bromma airport via Kista and Sundbyberg. (54 min).
We eventually settled on taking a taxi which cost $450 Krona (SGD $76). It is actually more expensive to travel by train after factoring the 4 of us. Before hopping onto the taxi, do ask the driver on the fare. Stockholm is quite a cashless society. Everywhere you go, credit card is widely accepted for purchase.
Our accommodation was at Freys Hotel, which was a short walking distance from City Terminale. The hotel rate were rather pricey which was a big thumbs down. A maximum of 2 adults are allowed for a normal room booking. If you are travelling with kids, the hotel would need to impose additional charges and upgrade you to a bigger room.
In our hotel room’s balcony.
Merry Christmas! How can we not explore Christmas Markets on a trip to Europe? We dropped our luggages and headed straight for the market. Along our way, we met a kind Swedish who walked with us over a kilometre to the market.
At the Old Town Christmas Market, you will find a lot of Swedish Christmas and other specialities such as Swedish Christmas sweets, smoked sausages, smoked reindeer, elk meat, handmade knitted caps, candy floss, glögg (mulled wine), a range of Swedish handicrafts and decorative arts of workmanship and much much more.
The Old Town Christmas Market is the oldest Christmas market in Stockholm and Sweden. With the exception of the years 1907 – 1914, it has been a ongoing tradition until present time.
Crowds, from the young to the old, gather at Old Town Christmas Market during this season to soak into the Christmas atmosphere.
We did not really shop here but indulging in the food is a definite must for us.
Sipping over a cup of hot chocolate was heavenly in such a freezing weather 🙂
Exploring Christmas Market is a bonus when you visit Stockholm. You can check out which Christmas Markets will be opened over here.
We do not think it is a must to hit every attractions during our travel. Sometimes, even by leisure walking is very much a part of our itinerary. And it does bring great family bonding as well.
It is common to ice skating indoors but it was our first time experiencing ice-skating rink in the middle of the city and to top it all – at outdoor. This is a surreal moment for winter visitors to Stockholm.
For once, we were a tad surprise that it only cost $60 Krona ($10) for 2 kids to skate including the skating gears. We were kindly advised by the ice skating staff to watch out of our belongings.
She is very happy!
The skating rink is self-maintained since this is winter season.
Kids had so much fun over here and never mind about falling down, they got up and continue to glide round the rink.
What a treat for everyone! Children gathered and sing christmas carols. We really felt like experiencing the true spirit of Christmas. Night comes early during the winter season. By 3:30pm, night beckons. We are dreaming of a white Christmas. Our first trip to Stockholm; a dreamy Christmas 🙂
Our one and only accommodation in Iceland has been our campervan. Yup, no hotel accommodation booked. We did, however, tried to book a hotel before coming to Iceland. Iceland’s “Bubble Hotel” – The 5 Million Star Hotel, is an unique lodging concept that has taken travel to another level.
Opened early this year, the Bubble Hotel is so popular that it is fully booked and many travelers who wanted to catch this experience have to be put on waiting list. Needless to say, we were not able to book it and experience sleeping in the nature. It was only by chance, at the eleventh hour, that a booking was opened that we managed to book it!
An interesting part of booking The Bubble Hotel is that the exact location will only be given upon booking confirmation. A clue is that is located at The Golden Circle route, and of course, in a forest. The Bubble is a dome-like structure made from transparent plastic into which warm air is pumped at a steady rate, keeping it inflated, and warm.
For the adventurous travelers, you can get to experience sleeping under the stars or watching the aurora borealis dance when it appears to fulfill one of your lifelong dreams. There is no guarantee of seeing the lights but rest assured, you will have a magical night when they appear.
As there are not a lot of trees in Iceland, creating a “bubble” lodging in the forest, sheltered by the trees, is probably the best answer to satisfy a desire to sleep and relax safely in the woods.
The bubble has a heating system with thermostat so the bubble stays warm all winter. It offers a no-frills lodging for us who just want to experience the most of the nature. We stayed in Bubble Asta which has double bed. There are four of us. After including the kids, we paid about ISK $44,350 and it was shown as SGD $587 in the credit card statement for one day stay.
After checking in, Big and Small M fell asleep almost immediately.
Just earlier on, we had a misadventure when our campervan fell onto a slope. All thanks to the kind samaritans, they managed to pull our campervan back to safety.
Rescue in operation. Thank you so much!
Views of our Bubble from the outside. The Bubble stays inflated with a noiseless ventilation system that continuously refreshes the air to prevent humidity and adjust the temperature based on thermostat settings.
Just a stone’s throw from our Bubble is a shared service house with two toilets and showers and a self-service kitchen. Free coffee is given 🙂
Coming to one of the most beautiful countries on earth, Iceland, is already a dream experience. To top it up with a stay at The Bubble Hotel makes the whole trip even more sweet. Come and experience a magical stay at The Bubble Hotel and hey, book early!
Click here to know more about The Bubble Hotel in the Facebook
Click here to book The Bubble Hotel in the website.
Click here to read blog post on Lost in Iceland Travelogue – (Part 4): Svinafellsjokull, Icelandic Horses and Strokkur Geysir
Click here to read blog post on Lost in Iceland Travelogue – (Part 3): Svartifoss, Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss Waterfalls
Click here to read blog post on Lost in Iceland Travelogue – (Part 2): Hvannadalshnukur, Skeioararsandur Bridge Monument and Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon
Click here to read blog post on Lost in Iceland Travelogue – (Part 1): Renting a Campervan and 8 Tips on Self Driving in Iceland
A new mega-eatery by the name of Wild Market opens in Shaw Towers in December. It comes as no surprises to me but hearing that it offers food at foodcourt prices makes it worthwhile to check it out.
Shaw Towers is just located opposite Suntec City. If you are coming from Suntec City, you can cross from the overhead bridge to South Beach Hotel and just cross over a street to Shaw Towers. Parking facilities is available as well. Continue reading “Shaw Towers: Wild Market {Food and Bar}”
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