Sometimes, the best things happen when unplanned. True enough, this happened to me when I took an unplanned afternoon visit to Utrecht, Netherlands last October. Yesterday, I shared with you details about my few days around Amsterdam. In those 5 days, I took trips to different cities & towns outside the center – Utrecht being one of them.
I messaged my Europe-based friends weeks before the trip & tried to set-up meet-ups during the trip. As mentioned in yesterday’s post, I caught up with my Amsterdam-based friend Tobias on my 2nd day in Amsterdam. I also got a reply from Megan, another Dutch friend I met in Krabi in 2015. Megan & I didn’t plan out where & when we’ll meet until when I was already in the Netherlands. We then decided to meet in Utrecht, the city where she’s based. This resulted into an unplanned afternoon in another canal city; perhaps a more beautiful & authentic one than Amsterdam.
This city wasn’t in the plan – but hey, found myself in Utrecht one afternoon during my stay in NL!
Utrecht a city found in the very center of Netherlands. This populous city used to be the city center of Netherlands during the Middle Ages. The city lost its center to Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. Currently, Utrecht houses Utrecht University, the largest university in the Netherlands. The city has other academic institutions making it an important city for Dutch education. People normally come & live in Utrecht to study & finish school.
Found this uniquely-designed building outside Utrecht Centraal, near Hoog Catharijne in Utrecht.
Utrecht is 25 to 30 minutes away from Amsterdam via train. I took the intercity train from Amsterdam Centraal & arrived at Utrecht’s main station, Utrecht Centraal. Tickets cost €19 return. From there, I walked around the city, went in & out of different shops & passed by the Oudegracht, the city’s old canal. I met up with Megan after 2 hours of exploring & enjoyed some Dutch snacks over beers.
Let me share with you photos I took during the walk around the city & meet-up with my lovely friend, Megan. This entry will be more of a photo blog – don’t forget to check out the captions to know about the sightings.
The view outside Utrecht Centraal – the left side is modern; the right side view is old & traditional.TivoliVredenburg is one of Utrecht’s modern buildings. It is a music complex, concert & events hall.
Oudaen Restaurant
On my way to Oudegracht.
Oudegracht – Utrecht’s old canal which runs through the center of the city. Beautiful sighting!! 🙂
Holland Tulips!!!
View from a random alley.
One of the few favorite photos I took in Utrecht during that afternoon visit to the lovely Dutch city!
St. Martin’s Cathedral, Utrecht is under renovation during my visit last October.
Dom Tower of Utrecht: One of the city’s main sights is also under renovation.
The world’s biggest bicycle parking garage is found in Utrecht under Utrecht Centraal. Cool beans!I love how Utrecht’s weather is different from that of Amsterdam’s. It was a clear sunny afternoon!Tried a Dutch local snack called Olliebollen (translates to oily ball); their local version of doughnut. I also tried other local snacks – bitterballen (deep fried meat balls), cheese sticks & fried shrimp.A photo with my friend Megan – the reason why I visited Utrecht. Had a great afternoon with her!
That ends my short but enjoyable visit to the city of Utrecht. It was not in the plan but I didn’t regret any time or money spent in this beautiful city. Amsterdam’s canals are beautiful; but from what I saw in this brief visit, Utrecht’s canals are way better. The canals give a certain local & unique Dutch vibe than that of Amsterdam’s. For sure there were other nice sightings or places to visit in the city but I had to go back to Amsterdam before the dark.
Have you been to Utrecht before? What do you think of the city & its canals? Which one do you prefer? Share your thoughts & experiences in the comments section below. Do you have any question about Utrecht? Feel free to shoot an email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
One last photo of Utrecht – look at that peaceful canal & the colorful & tall old houses around it. 😍
Thanks for reading up to this part. I hope you enjoyed the beautiful photos of Utrecht. Watch out for the next post on this Going Solo In Europe Series. I’ll take you to the Dutch countryside next time.
The long wait is over! It’s here; it’s time to start my Going Solo in Europe Blog Series! I know most of you are waiting for these blog posts. You guys want to know where I went, what I did in the countries I visited & how I managed to survive this trip by myself. I have a lot of stuff to share; how I wish I can everything done in no time. Please bear with me as I try to write & post one blog after another in between my busy work schedules. Now, let’s get this thing started.
Finally made it to Europe last year!! Started my 19-day Euro trip in Amsterdam in Netherlands! 🇳🇱
Last October-November 2019, I went on 2.5-week trip to Europe all by myself. It was my first time in Europe; first time to be far away from home for so long. I did everything from scratch – booked my own tickets & hostel accommodations, applied for a Schengen tourist visa, researched my route & planned the cities / countries I wanted to visit. It was hard at first but the excitement for the trip helped out carve a rough plan for this 19-day trip to Europe.
PS. I shared a few details about this trip in my 2019 Year In Review post. Check out this post if you are eager to know more about the route I took.
This solo trip of a lifetime started with a return ticket I booked with Singapore Airlines in January 2019. The ticket cost me roughly $720 & it included flights to Amsterdam, Netherlands & back from Copenhagen, Denmark. It was the cheapest ticket & route during that promotion. I read articles & forum posts in the past advising that the Netherlands Embassy is the easiest embassy to obtain a Schengen Visa – thus explains why I got a ticket arriving in Amsterdam. Months of planning passed & about 1.5 months into the trip, I got my tourist visa from VFS Netherlands. Click this link to know how I applied for a visa all by myself, without the help of any tour agency.
In the past posts, I shared with you how my flights went from Manila to Singapore & Singapore to Amsterdam aboard one of the world’s best airlines, Singapore Airlines. Make sure to check out those posts to know how is it flying with such well-regarded airline. After flying 3 hours to Singapore, having 12 hours layover around Singapore & flying another 13 hours to Amsterdam, I finally made it to Europe! Today’s blog will talk about my first destination in Europe – Amsterdam.
amsterdam
Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. This populous city is known for its beautiful canals & it’s unique houses. The city’s history dated back in the 12th century when this reclaimed fishing village around a dam in the Amstel River started to become an important port in the country’s economy. It then developed into one of Europe’s financial & trade center to which it is still like that today. Fun fact: The Amsterdam Stock Exchange is the oldest stock exchange in the world. This also explains the city’s big role in the history of European financial market. The city is also the center of Dutch cultural heritage.
going around amsterdam
Amsterdam’s public transportation system is simple & efficient. There are a number of options available to visitors – trams, trains, buses, ferries, taxis & even bicycles. Majority of the tourist destinations can be reached by riding the tram. There are various ticketing options for these transportation systems depending on the length of validity of the ticket. I tried GVB’s 1-day / 24-hour ticket for €8. This allowed me to have unlimited rides in GVB-operated buses, trams, trains & ferries around Amsterdam. The unlimited pass was not worth it in my opinion.
The Netherlands is a bicycle-friendly country. All roads have bicycle lanes, even up to the smallest roads in the countryside. Dutch people use bicycles in their everyday lives. I caught up with my friend Tobias, whom I met in Kawaguchiko, Japan last November 2017. He brought his bicycle & he asked me to try it & cycle around the city. It was a surreal experience but it was very cold. I never thought I would cycle around Amsterdam!
Caught up with my buddy Tobias who’s based in Amsterdam. We met in Japan in November 2017.
Amsterdam Schipol Airport (AMS), Netherlands’ main international airport is located 17 kilometers away from the city. Trains & shuttle buses connect the airport to the city. I took the intercity train from Amsterdam Schipol Airport Station to Amsterdam Centraal Station for about €7 one-way. The journey took about 20 minutes.
The best way to go around Amsterdam is by foot. I walked to & from my hostel everyday & around the city for the most part. Walking around the whole day was tiring; glad the cold weather made up for it. Walking also saved me some money; it was also a good exercise while on holiday.
free walking tour
One cool thing about travelling around Europe is the presence of free walking tours. These tours run on a tip-based system. The tour guests or joiners walk around the city with a guide through a personalized route (made by the guide) & get more information about the city’s history & culture. At the end of each tour, the joiners give tips to the guide as a ‘fee’ for the tour. The guides receive any amount of tip in these kinds of tours.
There are a number of walking tour companies that run in Amsterdam. I joined SANDEMANs NEW Europe’s Amsterdam walking tour with Karl. He guided us around the city, told stories of how Amsterdam & the Netherlands started & gave recommendations on what else to do & where else to go. Karl’s tour ran for about 3 hours with a 15-minute break in between.
These walking tours run every day. They offer tours in English & Spanish languages. Schedules & bookings are available in Sandemans website. Believe it or not, I had so much fun in this walking tour up to the point where I joined SANDEMANs NEW Europe’s walking tours in Brussels, Prague & Copenhagen. The walking is the best way to know a certain city in Europe.
amsterdam sightseeing
I stayed in Amsterdam & around Netherlands for 5 days. I wanted to go around the country at my pace, visit the countryside & explore more of what the city has to offer apart from all the canals. Believe it or not, I didn’t get the chance to visit all possible spots in those 5 days, I wish I stayed more. I’ve been to a lot of places in those 5 days, check out these places below.
Amsterdam Canals
People go to Amsterdam to see the canals. The city has about 165 canals which makes about 100 kilometers long when combined. The Amsterdam Canal Ring, which comprises most of the canals in the city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized in 2010. The beautiful old & crooked houses add up to the majestic views – from the hundreds to bridges over the canals.
Damrak
Damrak is the main street that connects Amsterdam Centraal, the city’s main train station, & Dam Square, the city’s town square. This is the “main street” to the center of Amsterdam. This 750-meter street has old buildings, shops, hotels & restaurants.
Dam Square
Dam Square is Amsterdam’s town square. It is the place where the free walking tours start. It is also where the Dutch war memorial dedicated to the fallen Dutch World War II solders is located.
Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam
Opposite the Dam Square is Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam, commonly known as the Royal Palace Amsterdam. This palace is the king’s official reception palace. The palace is open to visitors on normal days. Tickets cost €8 per person.
Amsterdam Centraal
Amsterdam Centraal is Amsterdam’s biggest & main station. The station has trains that can take you around the Netherlands & even to other countries like France, Belgium, Germany & Switzerland.
Van Gogh Museum
Van Gogh Museum is an art museum dedicated to the works of world-famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh. The museum showcases hundreds of paintings made by Vincent Van Gogh during his time. It also has galleries that feature his modern counterparts & modern exhibition spaces. The museum is located in Museum Square in Amsterdam South. Tickets cost €19 & are available for purchase online.
Rijksmuseum is the Dutch national museum dedicated to the country’s arts & history. It showcases the country’s history, art & development from the middle ages to the 21st century. Museum tickets cost €19 & can be bought online before the visit.
Vondelpark
Vondelpark is Amsterdam’s most famous park, located near Museumplein at the south of the city. This park is a popular recreation place for the locals. The park becomes a venue for shows, events & concerts during summer.
Anne Frank House
Anne Frank House is a house & biographical museum dedicated to Anne Frank, a Jewish wartime writer / diarist. Located at Prinsengracht 263, this house is the exact house where Anne & her family lived during the World War II. Anne Frank became famous on the publication of her diary; the diary that documents their life while hiding for more than 2 years during the World War II. Her translated diary, The Diary of a Young Girl, sold millions of copies worldwide.
They sell majority of the tickets online at least 2 months before the date. They also sell limited tickets at the museum doors on the day itself. Tickets get booked fast so make sure to plan out your visit. Tickets are at €10.50 including a booking fee of €0.50.
KINboat Open-Air Canal Boat Tour
Right outside the Anne Frank House is the boarding station of KINboat’s Open Air Canal Boat Tour. This 1-hour open boat canal tour took me around the Amsterdam canals for an hour. Our boat driver / tour guide showed us some interesting houses & important buildings around the city; also gave us some details of the city’s history & culture. We used an electric & environment-friendly open-air boat for the tour; which explains why the tour costs a few more euros than the usual canal boat tour.
I bought the open-air boat ticket about 15 minutes before the tour itself. Tickets cost €16 per person & are available online.
Basiliek van de Heilige Nicolaas
Basiliek van de Heilige Nicolaas or Basilica of Saint Nicholas is Amsterdam’s main catholic church. Located in the old district, just a few steps outside Amsterdam Centraal, this basilica is a popular tourist attraction to Catholics visiting Amsterdam. The church was built over 130 years ago & still sports the neo-baroque & neo-renaissance style of architecture. Entry to the church is free of charge.
Oosterpark
Oosterpark is the public park located behind the hostel where I stayed with. The massive park has a big pond with birds & different animals. People go here for recreation & relaxation in the morning until late afternoon.
Heineken Experience
One of the famous contributions of Netherlands to the modern world is Heineken Lager Beer. The beer originated in Amsterdam in the 1870s & was made through the efforts of Gerard Heineken. The lager beer has captured the attention of Europe, won several awards & continued its expansion until it became a global brand.
Heineken’s first ever brewery was transformed into an interactive museum called Heineken Experience. This guided tour showcased how the beer started brewing in the past, how it was produced & how it conquered the world. This interactive tour takes about 1.5 to 2 hours & includes 2 glasses of beer. Tours can pre-booked online. I got my ticket about an hour before the tour & it cost me €18.
Red-Light District
De Wallen is Amsterdam’s famous red-light district. This area is composed of hundreds of places offering legal sexual services. The alleys are characterized by transparent glass windows with ladies (legal prostitutes) seating or standing behind under a red light. The area also has cafes & coffee shops selling cannabis & all other stuff you can think of.
Leidseplein
Leidseplein or Leiden Square is a small entertainment square located at the northern tip of Vondelpark. This square has cafes, bars, restaurants, music venues & dance clubs where tourists primarily go to at night. I came to this place & met up with my buddy, Tobias whom I met in Japan in 2017.
Rembrandtplein
Rembrandtplein or Rembrandt Square is another entertainment square found in Amsterdam. Named after Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn, this square used to be a butter & dairy market where local farmers go to & sell their products. Nowadays, this area is known as one of the city’s nightlife spots. The square now has many cafes, bars & restaurants around it. It is also one of the famous areas for hotels in the city.
missed places
I was in Amsterdam for 5 days & I didn’t have the time to go all places. I also went one afternoon to Utrecht & a day up north to the countryside. I missed a few places which I will definitely put on my list when I go back. These places include A’Dam Lookout, MOCO Museum (I missed the Banksy special gallery during my stay), Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, NEMO Science Museum, Jordaan & Bloemenmarkt (which I heard was super touristy – need to see it still).
People usually go to Amsterdam for just 1-2 days but I think there’s more to see than just the Dam Square, the Amsterdam Canals & the museums. The city may be too busy, too full of tourists but it has an unexplained impact that would make you think of visiting over & over again. It’s been months since I’ve been to Amsterdam & I am dying to go back. I want to just walk around the city, enjoy the beautiful views from the canals, savor the sights of colorful crooked houses & learn more about the city through the other museums. Amsterdam is & will be always be special. It was my first city to visit in Europe & will always be one of my favorites.
Have you been to Amsterdam in the past? What are your favorite places or sightings in the city? Do you also have that feeling of wanting to go back to the city in the future? If you haven’t been to Amsterdam, is it one of the places where you want to go? Let’s engage into a discussion. Share your thoughts & experiences in the comment section below. Do you have any questions about Amsterdam? Feel free to send the questions to me via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Thanks for joining me in Amsterdam, the first installment of my Going Solo In Europe Series. Watch out for the photo blog about the beautiful Utrecht!
As mentioned in my earlier SQ flight report, Singapore Airlines is the national carrier of Singapore. This 5-star airline flies to over 60 destinations in more than 30 countries across 5 continents. They are one of the leading carriers in the Southeast Asian Region with the help of their subsidiaries – Silk Air (which operates to some regional destinations) & Scoot (which operates on a low-cost business model). The airline flies both Airbus & Boeing jets & boasts a young fleet of new generation aircraft.
Singapore Airlines is a full-service carrier which offers complimentary baggage allowance, in-flight meal & entertainment in all of its flights. It has a loyalty program called KrisFlyer & is a member of the Star Alliance.
fare
I mentioned in my SQ 915 flight report that I booked this multi-city ticket from Manila to Europe for $719.23 or ₱37,669.40 as charged by my credit card. This economy ticket includes flights from Manila to Singapore, Singapore to Amsterdam, Copenhagen to Singapore & back to Manila from Singapore. All legs include 30 kilograms check in baggage, in-flight meals & entertainment. I know you can get ticket for as low as $500 return or even cheaper in a low-cost airline but I can say that the ‘upgrade’ to Singapore Airlines was worth it.
flight & aircraft information
Singapore Airlines used an Airbus A350-900 for this 13-hour flight from Singapore to Amsterdam. This new generation aircraft has 253 seats in 3 classes – 42 in Business Class, 24 in Premium Economy & 187 in Economy. Business class seats are in 1-2-1 configuration. All passengers have lie-flat beds & direct access to the aisle. The premium economy class is at 2-4-2 configuration with wider seats & leg-room & a generous recline. Economy class is configured into 3-3-3 seating arrangement with generous seat pitch & a decent recline.
This flight to Amsterdam was operated by a 4-month-old A350 with aircraft registration 9V-SMV. The flight took 12 hours & 54 minutes & traveled 10,939 kilometers. We left Singapore a few minutes after the scheduled departure time & arrived in Amsterdam around 7:40 in the morning. The flight was full (with only 2 economy seats vacant in the cabin) but it was great. I didn’t experience any turbulence or any trouble.
Check In, Baggage & Boarding
Beautiful & classy Changi Airport Terminal 3!! This area is found after Singapore immigration.
Singapore Airlines’ flights to Europe (as far as I know) all depart from Changi Airport Terminal 3. The airline divided the Terminal 3 check-in counters according to classes & groups. They have designated check in counters / areas for first class & business class passengers. Premium economy passengers & KrisFlyer status holders also have designated check in counters. Economy passengers & those who checked in online also have a separate queue. The check in counters in Terminal 3 have no lines & are generally quiet. I already got my Singapore to Amsterdam boarding pass when I checked in at Manila station so there was no need to go through check in process again.
All Singapore Airlines economy passengers are given 30 kilograms of check in baggage allowance. This is already included in the paid fare. I was on a connecting flight so I already dropped by baggage in Manila. There was no need to check in my luggage on this flight to Amsterdam. I left my luggage in Manila & collected it in Amsterdam upon arrival.
This Airbus A350-900 flight to Amsterdam had about 200+ passengers. In order to maintain order in boarding, the staff boarded the passengers by group. Business class passengers, Star Alliance & KrisFlyer status holders boarded the aircraft first. Premium economy passengers came next. Economy class passengers also boarded by groups. Passengers seated at the rear part boarded first & those in the forward economy seats boarded last. I was assigned in the forward economy section so I was one of the those who boarded the aircraft last. Boarding process didn’t take long; the next thing I knew cabin doors were already closed.
Seat Amenities, In-flight Meals & Entertainment
Economy class seats on Singapore Airlines’ Airbus A350-900 have a seat pitch of 32 inches & seat width of around 18 inches. Each seat is already provided a plush pillow & a nice brown blanket. It also comes with an adjustable headrest which makes sleeping more convenient than ever. The leg room is not as generous as those in premium economy but it was great for a 13-hour flight. The seats also come with new-generation personal entertainment screen, a foldable tray table with mirror, a seat pocket (with in-flight literature), a coat hook, small storage space below the screen, a foldable cup holder, a USB charging outlet & a universal power outlet. The aircraft is Wi-Fi enabled but I didn’t bother checking the rates.
LOOK! Generous leg room in this Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900 aircraft to Amsterdam. 🙂
Economy class passengers can also ask for a simple amenity kit from the crew. The kit includes a toothbrush & toothpaste, a pair of socks, eye shades, ear plugs & a comb. Passengers can ask for these amenities piece by piece. Seat comfort was great; seat recline was generous. I normally don’t sleep on flights but I had a nice long sleep in this flight. It didn’t feel like I was seating that long!
This 13-hour flight had 2 main meals & unlimited rounds of snacks in between. The crew distributed in-flight menu to all passengers after boarding. The menu includes the 2-3 food options for each main serving, the list of drinks & snacks available. It came in English & Dutch languages. The crew distributed hot towels to all passengers before they rolled out the food.
SQ 324’s first meal service – oriental chicken rice with tuna macaroni salad, bread roll & drinks. 🙂One of my favorite parts of this flight – SATS double chocolate ice cream. Perfect post-meal treat!
I chose the chicken rice for supper & vermicelli noodles for breakfast. All meals came with side fruits / vegetables, bread roll with butter & drinks of choice (either coffee, tea, fruit juice, beer, white or red wine). The supper came with ice cream for dessert while the breakfast had a large cup of yogurt. The meals were tasty; the servings were just right to make me full & fall asleep for a few hours. What I really liked is the use of metal cutlery in all meals. However, they also use plastic cups for all drinks & a lot of plastic in the meal service.
Breakfast served to us before landing in Amsterdam Schipol International Airport. YUM SO GOOD!
The crew rolled out snacks about 5-6 hours into the flight. Passengers can request snacks at any time of the flight. The rear galley was also stuffed with food by the crew. Passengers can go there & get any snack they want.
KrisWorld, Singapore Airlines’ entertainment system, offered hundreds of local & international movies & television series to watch on-board. It also comes with podcast choices & hundreds of songs & albums to choose from. Each seat comes with a touch screen portal & a pair of not-so-great quality earphones. The entertainment system was alright – probably not the best in the market – but it has enough content to make you busy in a 13-hour flight.
lavatory
I only used the lavatory at the back of the forward economy section & I can say the crew did a fantastic job in maintaining the cleanliness & orderliness of this lavatory. It was also nice to see dental sets, mouthwash & a moisturizer available for the passengers. Tissue supply was not an issue in this flight. Kudos to the crew who maintained the lavatories on this flight.
crew service
Apart from the impressive & new-generation economy class product, Singapore Airlines is also known for their warm Singaporean hospitality. The crew on this flight is not an exception; they provided the passengers of this flight an excellent service. The head of the economy cabin welcomed us to the aircraft with his best smile, he helped out the passengers in putting the luggage & bags in the overhead cabin & he even checked on us before the settled for take-off.
The rest of the crew was pleasant to deal with. I requested for their signature Singapore sling drink & minutes after, I was given the drink plus chips & nuts as snack. The crew also did several rounds offering fruits, sandwiches, chocolates & chips to passengers who are awake. They also made sure that everyone’s hydrated by serving water almost every hour. Service was lovely. I sensed that the crew on this flight really wanted to give the passengers the best in-flight experience. Happy to say they did. It was a lovely 13-hour flight!
verdict
What can I say – it was an exceptional flight with Singapore Airlines! Considering this was my first ever extra long haul flight & it was with SQ, I boarded the aircraft with reasonably high expectations. Believe it or not, I was happy & satisfied passenger! It was a 13-hour flight but to be honest, it didn’t feel that long.
Massive pre-departure area in Changi Airport Terminal 3 – with charging stations & comfy seats.
The flight departed from the gorgeous Changi Airport Terminal 3. The waiting areas were massive; there were several charging stations. Immigration & security check didn’t last long considering I was in the terminal during peak hours. Boarding process was fast & efficient.
Now into the flight. Seat comfort was amazing. The amenities provided complimented each other – pillow was soft, blankets were thin but warm & headrest was a comfortable to sleep in. The amenity kit was a bonus – not all airlines provide an option for an amenity kit in economy class. Personal entertainment system was modern but the content was just alright. I watched about 2 movies before I fell asleep. The earphones were a bit of a letdown – they were not that comfortable to wear. The lavatories were well-maintained throughout the flight.
Here is SQ’s signature Singapore Sling with chips & crackers. Lovely snack in between flight meals!
The in-flight meals were tasty; its serving sizes were just right. I enjoyed every part of the meal plus the ice cream after supper. The Singapore sling was worth the try again & again. It was nice to see the galley full of snacks. I was asleep during the first snack service – I asked for snacks as soon as I woke up. I only asked for a drink & I was given chips & crackers too.
Look at the amount of food available in the galley! Passengers can get anything they want here.
The highlight of the flight was the cabin crew service. I felt the genuine & warm Singaporean hospitality during the flight. The crew was magnificent, all smiles & always ready to help. They made sure all passengers are stuffed with food & drinks & had a pleasant flight with Singapore Airlines. Service was exceptional!
Is Singapore Airlines something I will recommend to everyone? Definitely. Was it worth the ‘upgrade’ from cheaper flights? Of course. To be honest, I think I actually got more than what I paid for. I suggest that you try flying with Singapore Airlines; you’ll know the reason why.
As expected, Singapore Airlines again delivered another excellent flight from Singapore to Amsterdam. Thank you for the wonderful flight experience in this 13-hour journey.
Attention avgeeks! If in any case you want to know the specifics of this flight & the aircraft used, check out the details below:
Airline: Singapore Airlines Flight Date: 23 October 2019 Flight Number: SQ 324 Route: Singapore (SIN) to Amsterdam (AMS) Duration: 12:54 hours Seat Number: 42C Aircraft: Airbus A350-941 Aircraft Registration: 9V-SMV Aircraft Engine: 2 x Rolls-Royce Trent XWB Age: 0.5 years old Year Delivered: 2019
Have you tried flying with Singapore Airlines in their long haul routes? How was your experience? Did you like the in-flight meals & cabin crew service? What was the highlight of your flight? Share your comments & experiences below. I’d love to hear from all of you. Do you have any comment or suggestion on how I can improve the posts & content in this blog / website? Feel free to send them in via e-mail to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Don’t forget to turn your notifications on for my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Thank you for joining me in this flight report. I hope to see you again in the next one.
Allow me to share with you details of my 2019 in terms of trips taken. I will also give insights of the interesting content developments here in my website.
trips recap ✈️
SORSOGON 🇵🇭
I started off the year with a day trip to the beaches of Matnog, Sorsogon. I didn’t post about this day trip in this website but I believe it’s worth sharing here. My cousins from Australia welcomed the new year in our hometown. Days after the new year, we took them to the islands of Subic, Matnog in Sorsogon. We first went fish feeding in a sanctuary then continued to Subic Beach. It was a fun day spent with cousins in the beach.
JAPAN 🇯🇵
Back in February, I flew to my favorite Japan for 9 days. My supposed-to-be trip to Nagano, Kanazawa & Toyama turned into a family trip around Tokyo & Kansai Region (Osaka, Nara & Kyoto). I flew with them to Tokyo then took a side trip to Nagano then met my sisters in Osaka afterwards. It was a delight seeing the snow monkeys in Nagano & spending some alone time in a very cold & snowy place in Japan. I then flew to Fukuoka to spend a day around the city before catching my flight back to Manila. I may not have been to Kanazawa & Toyama in this trip but I’ll make sure to go next time.
I didn’t post much about this but I went to Japan again a few months ago. My friend & I decided to surprise another friend in her flight to Fukuoka & to ruin her first ever solo trip. We spent 48 hours around Fukuoka, Japan, went to pretty interesting places, savored every Japanese meal & drowned ourselves with the Lipton milk tea drink.
Office friends & I went on a spontaneous Bacolod weekend trip last February. We flew to the city & went to the famous Ruins then had chicken inasal for dinner in Manukan Country. We then went to the town of Don Salvador Benedicto to check out Negros’ Little Baguio. After a few hours around the mountains, we went back to the city & decided to just eat out until we flew back to Manila.
I flew to Melbourne, Australia with Leng & Shane (from Sydney 2018 trip) during the Holy Week break last April. I spent 8 days around the city & the nearby suburbs. We also went to the Brighton Bathing Boxes, Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island & Yarra Valley Wine Country. My friend Lord, who I was with on It’s The Ship 2018, joined us on our first few days in Melbourne.
We didn’t make out Melbourne itinerary that busy compared to our Sydney one. We just enjoyed our time there, strolling around the beautiful city, trying out different cuisines & hoarding every single interesting item in the supermarkets.
It’s been years since our last family trip to Singapore. My parents decided to bring the family to Taiwan for the Fathers’ Day weekend. We went to the city of Taichung on our first day as per my sister’s request. She wanted to see the flower farms in Taichung plus take nice photos with the family. We then went around the city on Fathers’ Day – went to church, strolled around Daan Park, ate at Din Tai Fung, hiked the Elephant Hill & walked around Raohe Night Market.
On our third day, we took the Klook guided tour to Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen Old Street & Shifen then finished the day around Ximending. We spent our fourth day in Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, Liberty Square & in the airport for our flight back to Manila. I met with my good friend Richard, whom I knew in Komodo, Indonesia in 2018, for a few nights in Taipei. He was also in the city waiting for his flight back to Europe. It was fun catching up with this man over food & drinks!
One spontaneous trip I took this year was that to Yogyakarta. I saw a piso-fare ticket to Jakarta last June for an August trip & decided to buy that ticket. I contacted Yudi, a friend I met on Its the Ship 2018 who is now based somewhere in Indonesia. We then agreed to meet in Yogyakarta & volunteered to take me around.
Lord of LordAroundTheWorld, who joined me in Melbourne last April, decided to join me a week before the trip. We then met with Yudi & his friend Dallin in Yogyakarta & we went around the city. We went to different temples (Borobudur, Prambanan, Taman Sari) & also took the lava trail tour in Mount Merapi. We ate in different local restaurants & tried several local dishes. We spent most of our time in Yogyakarta in the road, in restaurants & in our hotel. It was a relaxing trip; not the usual busy one. It’s nice to step back for a while & just enjoy chilling.
My buddy Rick & I flew to Boracay last September to surprise our high school friends having their holiday in the island. They didn’t know that we were coming so we decided to show up on the afternoon of their 2nd day, right after arriving in the island. We ate in nice restaurants, walked along the shore, swam on the beach & spent some quality time with the group.
Rick & I stayed for 2 more days in the island & just spent most of the time relaxing, eating, walking & drinking. I didn’t expect this September trip to have its 2nd part after the Bohol weekend in 2018 but I hope there will be a 3rd installment in 2020, 4th installment in 2021 until this becomes a regular trip with them. By the way, I didn’t join my family in Hong Kong to join these people plus I also don’t have my passport during this time.
E-U-R-O-P-E!!! 🇳🇱 🇧🇪 🇨🇿 🇩🇰
Finally made it to Europe this year!! It’s me in Grand-Place de Bruxelles -the center of Brussels. 🇧🇪
Finally, A TRIP TO EUROPE! This is the highlight of my 2019. It was a dream come true. I haven’t posted anything about this trip in the website but I’m happy to share that this long-time plan of going to Europe happened last October to November 2019.
One of my Europe trip highlights – a trip to Český Krumlov. This town is picturesque & peaceful. 🇨🇿
It all started with an affordable ticket I got from the Singapore Airlines & BPI promotion last January 2019. I got tickets flying from Manila to Amsterdam, Netherlands & leaving from Copenhagen, Denmark, both via Singapore. I saved up the whole year, planned my itinerary, booked my hostels & booked the inter-country flights ahead of time. I applied for a tourist visa on my own – no help from any agency & got it after a week.
Nyhavn – my favorite place in Copenhagen… It’s where the Danish Christmas market is found! 🇩🇰
And the trip happened. Due to busy work schedule, I didn’t have time to do more research & make my final itinerary. I arrived in Amsterdam with no plans, not even a single idea how to go to my hostel. I got scared at first but I ended up having the best days of my life around Europe. I went to 4 countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic & Denmark), explored cities & small towns, reunited with friends I met from previous trips, met cool new friends along the way, took walking tours in every city / town, drank more beers than waters in a day, walked thousands of steps & tens of kilometers a day & ate all local food I can in every place. I did all of these alone! Yes, I FLEW TO EUROPE ALONE & I SURVIVED. It was probably the bravest thing I did this year.
Obligatory photo with the canals of Amsterdam in The Netherlands.. Can’t wait to go back here! 🇳🇱
I have so much to share about this trip but I am reserving that for the individual posts. I hope you’ll watch out for those write-ups.
Blogs: TO FOLLOW.
blog highlights ✨
Aside from the usual blog contents I post, there were 2 significant developments in this blog. First is the continued posts for the Tuesday Tips & Hostel of the Day features. I had 3 Tuesday Tip posts & 7 hostel of the day features published in my website solely for 2019. I still have a long list of Tuesday tips to share & hostels (especially the ones from Europe) to publish so watch out for those. My main goal of posting these Tuesday tips & hostel features is to show the world that there are nice things out there that don’t need hefty amounts of money. You can have the same fun & memorable experiences by paying small amounts.
This year, I introduced a section in my website called Flight Reports. You guys know I love flying & my interest in aviation is something else. I thought of sharing my flight experiences with different airlines – how the service is from check in to boarding to in-flight services & cabin crew service. Since I started the section in June, I already published 8 flight reports about 5 local & international airlines. I didn’t expect this section to get hits but I’m happy that I get regular website visits for these specific posts. I still have about 5 or 6 flight reports to share with you, most of them from my European trip. I hope you’re excited for these flight reports as I am!
By the way, this just came in. This website has finally hit 90,000 site views! This is another milestone hit before the end of the 2019. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the endless support – from sharing my articles & posts, to commenting & liking the posts that appear on your timelines to your comments & questions. I appreciate all of these.
Thank you for giving me the reason to continue sharing more content in this website. I can tell you this is not the end, it is just the start of more tips, flight reports, itineraries & blog posts. I have a long list of topics to share & upcoming trips & flights to take. You’ll definitely see more in this website next year.
Here’s to an adventure-filled 2020. Happy New Year, dear readers!
PS. Some photos were taken using my HTC U11. Shout out to my friends Junelle, Mark & Richard for allowing me to use your photos in this post.
