HK Independent Traveller Blog

  After visiting beautiful Seligenstadt , Matthias drove us to Aschaffenburg . It is in northern Bavaria, near the border with Hesse. Aschaffenburg is often referred to as the ' Bavarian Nice ' due to its mild climate and Mediterranean-inspired flair.   We visited various nice spots in the afternoon: Pompejanum - a replica Roman villa with elaborate mosaics and ancient artworks Johannisburg Palace & park - magnificent Renaissance masterpiece Oldtown Schönbusch Palace and Park - an English-style park with lakes and landscaped gardens. I talk about the Pompejanum in this post and will share the Johannisburg Palace and Schönbusch Palace and Park in separate posts. We parked near the colourful Pompejanum. It is a pastel yellow Mediterranean building on a burgundy base with pleasing wisteria . The yellow and violet complement each other and are especially eye-catching under the sun.     The Pompejanum was built between 1840 and 1848 as a reproduct...

  Seligenstadt is over 1,900 years of history and charmingly situated on the Main River. It is a traditional and picturesque town: richly decorated timber-framed houses in the Main-Franconian style. Ancient buildings dated from 9 th , 11 th century remain and stand as witnesses of history. They are the former Benedictine abbey with itsuniquely beautiful monastery garden, Einhard Basilica , the ruins of Emperor Barbarossa's imperial palace , the Romanesque House , the Einhard House and the Neoclassical town hall. Jane (Duong) and Matthias picked me up from Sabrina’s place. In the car they figured out to have breakfast at the Kloster (Monastery) of Seligenstadt . The former Benedictine Abbey of Seligenstadt was founded in 828 by Einhard (advisor to Charlemagne). Within the abbey walls and with the provision of water, mill and garden, the monks could provide themselves with everything that was necessary to live. The garden is filled with flowers, herbs and small fruit trees. Variou...

  My first visit to Frankfurt dated 1991. My friends and I had a 6-week tour in various European cities. Frankfurt was a two-day visit. Programmes for both days: museum. I went to  Heidelberg  on the second day. So, my impression and memories of Frankfurt were very shallow. Throughout the years, I came again for work and visiting friends in between but had no chance for sightseeing.  In mid-April 2026, I returned to Frankfurt to visit ex-colleagues and friends. My ex-colleagues, Jörg and Sabrina, prepared a nice surprise for me. They took me around to see the revived old town of Frankfurt. Many Fachwerkhäuser ( half-timber houses ) were damaged / destroyed during the Second World War. Römer remained but many others disappeared. The old town centre was filled with the tasteless Technical Town Hall and used as a car park. A renewal project  between 2012 and 2018 was undertaken to reconstruct old houses in the original style and a few new buildings harmonious ...