HK Independent Traveller Blog

23 Nov 2014 (Sunday) It was a gloomy day and we set on to visit Certose di Pavia in the afternoon as it opened at 14.30.  The opening time was only two hours.  Or you can start the visit at 9am.  We took the train from Milano.  The Certose appeared right in front of us.  The walk outside the wall lasted about 20 minutes.   Certose di Pavia is a one of the largest monasteries in Italy. It was built by order of Gian Galeazzo Visconti as the funeral chapel of the family.  The construction started in 1396 and ended 1452.  The church and the facade were built in 1473 and 16th century respectively. Certose in Italian means a house of the cloistered monastic order of Carthusians .  They were known for their seclusion and asceticism and plainness of their architecture.  But the Certosa is famous for the exuberance. The white marble facade infused with mottled pink and green is stunningly beautiful.  Sculpture and ...

My birthday was forecasted with bad weather.  The weather of the day before was predicted a bit better.  Parents of my friend took us to a romantic town nearby, Dinkelsbühl , for celebration. It is an enchanting little town.  Just as a coincidence, there was the Kinderzeche which made the day more memorable.  The legend tells that when the Swedish army besieged the town during the Thirty Year's war, a girl took the children to the Swedish general to beg for mercy. The Swedish general had recently lost his young son due to illness.  And a boy who approached him  resembled his own son so closely that he decided to spare the town. Click here to see the parade.     Dinkelsbühl is a medieval town but modernised nowadays.   One can see QR code randomly for tourists to understand the spots and the town.  Buildings are old but very colourful and preserved in a good state.  I could see only one in bad state. Around the ...

26 July 2014 Feuchtwangen has a history of more than 1200 years.  A lot of historical buildings remain, dot the main square at the town centre.   Feuchtwangen is named as the 'festival hall of Franconia' with the four big festivals during the year and huge half-timber Franconia houses in the centre.  The focal point of the square is the Röhrenbrunnen fountain build in 1726.  The statue is Minerva, the Protectrewss of Commerce .  At time of visit, it was full of colourful flowers.   Other famous spots include: Romanesque cloisters, the Kreuzgang - dated from 12th century Handwerkerstuben - workshops preserved in their original state, e.g. a confectioner's, a dyer's, a potter's, a shoemaker's, etc.  The collegiate church, the Stiftskirche - Different church parts dated between Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque periods. The altar, dedicated to Mary, was created in 1484 by Michael W...

We visited Würzburg on my birthday, 27 July 2014.  Weather everywhere nearby Nürnberg was expected to be bad.  Only Würzburg stood out as the option to spend a nice day.   The photo above was taken from a bridge, not the Alte Mainbrücke , with a view of the strategic positioned Fortress Marienberg .   We began the day with a visit to St. Johannes, Stift Haug .  Inside is enoromous, immaculately white and solemn.  A mass was in progress.  Therefore we could not tour around.  Then we took a train to see Veitshöchheim . Returning to Würzburg we were strolling along the river Main and appreciating the buildings on the two sides.   Opposite are the striking Fortress Marienberg and Käppele on top or middle of two hills. We took the challenge of climbing up to visit the Käppele.  The Baroque towers upfront drew our steps closer and closer.   The trip took time and energy.  All sweating in the high s...