Travelling to Geneva - Day 1 on 24/2

My first trip to Geneva. Drove our car to the Trent Valley and leave our car at the garage for a change of cam belt and back on Thursday to pick the car from there.

I didn't booked the train tickets in advance and it was more expensive to buy the tickets at the station. Tickets to and fro to Birmingham International cost 25.40 gbp for 2 persons at the internet. We bought the tickets for 2 persons one way cost 16.00 gbp.

Reached the New Street station and went to the Chinatown for a meal and then took the train to Birmingham International. Arrived at the departure area and it was easy we can just check in without any problem as Easyjet don't have any problem with overseas passport.

Reached Geneva Airport at 6.30 p.m. and took an hour to pick the rental car. Wow! amazingly we were given a new Audi A3 model car as we paid for a cheaper model which cost us 170.00 gbp for 5 days and that included extra insurance coverage.

We booked the hotel room at Passy, France. It took us one and half hours drive to reach the hotel. The hotel is almost near to the mountains where the Passy plateau just a few miles away from the hotel. The scenic view to the hotel is amazing beautiful and the mountains right in front of the hotel. Checked into our room and there is a balcony  where we can view the valley and the mountains.

The 2 stars Hotel le Tourisme is clean and need a door code to access the entrance of the hotel. The snakelike roads leading to the hotel are so cool. The charges for the room 3 night at 102.50 gbp. The extras charges  such as wifi, city tax and breakfast are not included. The room is big and clean as we  arrived here after 19.00  so we need to contact the owner for them to wait for us. We were given an entrance code to key in if we are back later than 9.00 p.m.

The beauty of the French Alps are amazing and can't wait to explore it the next day. Our dinner tonight will be char Sui Paw (roast pork bun) and Chinese donut which bought from the Chinatown. It is snowing at the moment and can't stop myself peeking through the window to look at the grand view of Passy. Tonight will rest early and start my trekking into the Passy plateau in the early morning.  Hotel le Tourisme is a bit out of the way even with the local bus it is best to drive if not, this  hotel is not recommended.

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Place: Passy, France

Date: 24/2.2013

Scored: 9 Stars

Photo By: Catherine Suen and Robert Suen.

This is Stephen's Story

Today my blogging is not all about my travel but on this charity fundraising which I am helping with Stephen's cause. Stephen is my daughter, Trixiebella  high school classmate and during these 3 years every teenagers enjoying life and easy free life styles living but not for this young man, he is fighting his life with cancer.

I have been busy trying to get some company to do cheaper printing of photos for me  so that I can donate for his cause and will be donating 10 photos for him so that he can auction in his one of the wanted to do list that is ballroom dinner. Also there is another British photographer, Ashley Vincent whom donated one of his photo for this cause. Ashley is a professional wildlife photograher whom is now living in Thailand and he is the winner of the prestigious Grand Prize Winner of the 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest. His portfolio are at the following link:
http://www.NatureImpression.smugmug.com  http://www.500px.com
and http://www.facebook.com/natureimpressions
to view his stunning and amazing beautiful works.

Here is the Stephen's Story.

Stephen is a 18 years old and in the last 3 years he have been fighting cancer in his bowel, leg and pelvis. He have had to undergo surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Medical opinion has ranged from him requiring an amputation to now instead being incurable.  He is facing a very uncertain, and probably very limited future.

Originally Stephen all he ever wanted to do was study hard and make a difference to the world by becoming a doctor, however in light of his circumstances he decided to be more pragmatic with his time.

This involve utilizing as many short term opportunities as possible to enrich his own life experience and most importantly to try and improve lives of others by fundraising and raising awareness of cancer in teenagers and young adults.

He had 46 items of wanted to do list before  this cancer took over his life. He had completed half of the wanted to do list now. He also have hit his target of 10,000 gbp for his cause of raising awareness of cancer in teenagers and young adults.  Now he is going for another higher target of 50,000 gbp for his cause of fundraising and if anyone want interested or wanted to do a little to help his cause  then here is the link to his Justgiving fundraising page. It also included  on the page a write up why he have decided to raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust:
https://www.justgiving.com/Stephen-Sutton-TCT

Photo: Supplied by Catherine Suen and Robert Suen
Dated: 14.3.2013

Strolling at Lichfield City, England

We live about 5 miles away from Lichfield city. This city is old and new buildings mix together little city. Strolling around this city and can find the oldest Lichfield Cathedral where the royal families come for regular visit to this church. 

There is the market which held on every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the central of the city.  Unfortunately, at this moment due to economic downturn there were lot of empty shops in this city due to high rentals and council taxes to survive in this city.

The church is also known as Three Spiral Church as the last 3 remain in England.  There is a park near this church and a beautiful lake surrounding it. During the autumn time when the trees turn to different colors and this city brighten up by the colorful trees.  In spring, the Beacon Park with acres of rolling fields for children and adult for golf games and footballs and there even a children playground. This park is open whole year round for the locals to visit and enjoy themselves around at this park.

We often visit this city for shopping for household items and foods but due to lot of the local business have closed down and leaving empty shops around the city. The locals living near or around here have to go into Birmingham City to get some of the high street goodies. The council trying to keep the city with activities and hope to  woo more tourists and locals into this sleeping city as the tourists from overseas or other cities comes to visit the Lichfield Cathedral and then they able enjoy the stroll in the city with a cup of tea.

Normally, I go shopping around this little city but nowaday, I just bought my camera and strolled at the park and enjoy myself taking some  photos of the beautiful scene around and near the lake at Beacon Park.

Place: Lichfield city
Scored:  3 stars
Photos: Supplied by Catherine Suen
Dated: 19.2.2013