HK Independent Traveller Blog

Friends and I visited Tai O on 4 March.  It's about 3 weeks ago.  That day, we were blessed with sunshine. Since then we haven't seen any sunshine but grey and sometimes rain. We could enjoy the tranquillity once we've got off the bus. On the left is the pier. Fishing boats parked along the coast.  Just follow the crowd to squeeze into the main town.  Shops on the both sides are selling dried seafood. We started a bit wandering in the main town.  Both sides are mainly dry seafood shops. We left shopping as the last activity and proceeded to the market to purchase fish as part of our lunch. Our restaurant 海韻素食菜館 is located in a village within Tai O. We went there via a more scenic route: passing through the pier, crossing a long bridge with nice sea views.  Finally we arrived at Nam Chung Tsuen .       We had sumptuous food,  Great dishes kept on flowing onto our table.  The most impressive is th...

Dated back to the 9th century,  a sacellum  (a small shrine) was standing at Via Torino 17 of Milan.  It was dedicated to Saint Satyrus , an old saint and the brother of Saint Ambrose , patron saint of the city Milan. This little shrine was already an important place. Apart from this fact, a miracle occurred here in 1241: a young man attached with a dagger the fresco of a Madonna and Child, and the wound had started to bleed. At the end of the 15th century, duke of the city, Galeazzo Maria Sforza , duke of the city at time, commissioned Donato Bramante to build a church. Bramante was one of the best architects of that time. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan an dHigh Renaissance style to Rome. His other works include the cloister and apse at Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan), Palazzo Caprini (Raphael's House) in Rome, Saint Peter's Basilica of Rome , Cortile del Belvedere of the Vatican . Building a church at Via Torino 17 was a big challenge, al...

Industrial revolution started in Britain in the 18th century. The economy changed from agriculture and handicraft to industry and machine manufacturing.  It gradually spread to the other parts of the world.  In the 20th century, The Novecento ('new century), the middle class of entrepreneurs and industrial families emerged.  It marked the beginning of a new era in the country's history.  Milan rose as the capital of Italian finance.  The new class challenged the tradition by erecting imaginative, eclectic and bizarre new residences in the heart of the old city. The area of Porta Venezia , near Via Malpighi is where a handful of art Nouveau / Liberty style houses have been standing for close to/exceeding  a century.  Our eyes are easily trapped with inlaid with floral friezes, polychrome majolica tiles, wrought iron and reliefs of all kinds. In the new era, rules were cast aside. Neoclassical forms were combined with Baroque eccentricity a...

  A giant middle ' Finger ' stands in front of the Milan Stock Exchange . It is an expression of FXXX YXX to the bankers and CEOs, reflecting the grievance and annoyance from the 'people' who have been 'butchered' by the entrepreneurs dominating the Italian stock market for generations.  They win, profit from the losing public.  The government just keeps their eyes blind. The anger was expressed by Maurizio Cattelan , famous for work of controversy.  He created this 36 foot marble middle finger in 2010, with a title L.O.V.E .  It stands for Liberta, Odio, Vendetta, Eternita (Freedom, Hate, Vengeance, Eternity). The artist did not comment the 'finger' but most people assumed it referred to the economic crisis that affected Europe, and Italy in particular. The statue was supposed to stay at the square for a short time.  The inauguration sparked debate and controversy. The upper ones protested against it.  But the public thought that it repr...