Grail Trail

I had unwittingly gone a Grail Trail and only realised when I got back home where the controversial movie Da Vinci Code based on Dan Brown's bestselling novel was just launched in the theatres not too long ago.

The show stars Tom Hanks as symbologist Professor Robert Langdon, who is called to the Louvre museum one night where a curator has been murdered, leaving behind a mysterious trail of symbols and clues. With his own survival at stake, Langdon, aided by the police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, unveils a series of stunning secrets hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, all leading to a covert society called the Priory of Sion which is dedicated to guarding an ancient secret that the Holy Grail actually refers to the sacred bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene (leading to the controversy). The pair set off on a thrilling quest through Paris, London and Scotland, collecting clues as they desperately attempt to crack the code and reveal secrets that will shake the very foundations of mankind.

Paris, London and Scotland - precisely the places I visited on my trip. My trip began when I arrived at Heathrow Airport in London where my aunt, who lives in Dorset, came and picked me up. Dorset is a county in the southwest of England, on the English Channel coast and is famous for its picturesque coastline, the Jurassic Coast, which features unique landforms such as Lulworth Cove, the Isle of Portland, Chesil Beach and Durdle Door, as well as the holiday resorts of Poole, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Swanage and Lyme Regis.

My aunt hasn't been to Paris before and we decided to get there via the Eurostar. The Eurostar is a train service that connects London (Waterloo station) with Paris (Gare du Nord), Lille and Brussels (Gare du Midi). Trains cross the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel, or "Chunnel". The high speed train took less than 3 hours to get to Paris.

Paris is the capital and largest city of France. It is also the capital of the région Île-de-France that, encompassing Paris and its suburbs, represents France's most dynamic centre of economic activity. Paris is a leading global cultural, business and political center and is renowned for its defining neo-classical architecture as well as its role as a major international influence in fashion, gastronomy and the arts. It is widely regarded as one of the world's major global cities. Dubbed "the City of Light" (la ville lumière, which also resonates with the French word for the Enlightenment, les Lumières) since the 19th century, Paris has a reputation as a "romantic" city. The most recognisable symbol of Paris is the 324 metre (1,063 ft) Eiffel Tower on the banks of the Seine.

We returned to England after the wonderful tour of Paris, and shortly after I set off for Edinburgh in Scotland via an internal flight from Southampton Airport. Edinburgh is the second-largest city in Scotland, UK and Scotland's capital city. It is situated on the east coast of Scotland's central lowlands on the south shore of the Firth of Forth and in the unitary local authority of City of Edinburgh. The historic centre of Edinburgh is divided into two by the broad green swath of Princes Street Gardens. In the south the view is dominated by Edinburgh Castle, perched atop the extinct volcanic crag, and the long sweep of the Old Town trailing after it along the ridge. In the north lies Princes Street and the New Town. The gardens were begun in 1816 on marshland which had once been the Nor' Loch. On the immediate west of the castle lies the financial district, housing insurance and banking buildings. Probably the most eyecatching building is the huge circular sandstone building that is the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

When I returned to England, I toured London before bidding my aunt farewell and heading back to Singapore. London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. The city is an international leader in finance,politics, education, culture, entertainment, fashion and the arts. It is widely regarded as one of the world's major global cities, and has been an important settlement for nearly two millennia. The city is an international transport hub and a major tourist destination, counting iconic landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace amongst its many attractions, along with famous institutions such as the British Museum and the National Gallery.