HK Independent Traveller Blog

  The weather in Italy in April this year (2024) was abnormal. Temperature ranged between 3°C and 28°C. Sun and rain alternated. The sky was grey and temperature low when we arrived at La Spezia , a living town and an excellent base for excursions to Cinque Terre and other towns in Liguria (e.g. Portovenere , Lerici , Sarzana , etc.) and Tuscany (e.g. Pietrasanta , Carrara , Pontremoli , etc.)  The weather forecast predicted a fine day next to our arrival day. No doubt, we headed to Cinque Terre , five beautiful and colourful villages dotted the coastline of Liguria. La Spezia is very near to Cinque Terre. From the distance closest to La Spezia are Riomaggiore , Manarola , Corniglia , Vernazza and Monterossa al Mare . The train connection between La Spezia and the villages is frequent in summer.  Cinque Terra is one of the most visited tourist spots in Italy, frequented by Italians and tourists from all parts of the world. The five villages are packed with people a...

  Locorotondo is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. It is located at the heart of Valle d’Itria on a relief 410 metres above the sea level. Its name means “Round place”.  It perfectly describes the circularity of its historic center shape which encloses bright whitewashed houses, small arches and narrow streets. The old town perches upon a hill. From there are magnificent views over vineyards, olive groves and cute Trulli .   I was attracted to Locorotondo with the information about it. But it was not on our list originally as we had many places to visit in our plan.  On the day, we arrived at Alberobello shortly after 9am. It was quiet at the Rione Aia Piccola district. But soon after the other commercialised side, the Rione Monti quarter , was packed with tourists, at the various slopes of lane and trulli shops.  It’s stressful with the crowds all over the place. I initiated to visit Locorotondo . My trip mate hesitated at the beginnin...

  We visited Forchheim and Erlangen on the same day. Forchheim is dotted with historical timber framed (Fachwerk) houses. But Erlangen is characterised with broad streets, exuberant palaces and formal gardens of the 1600s and 1700s. The key touristic sights are: Schlossgarten, Orangery, Botanical Garden, Hugenottenkirche,  Markgräfliches Schloss, Marktplatz, etc.  The railway station in Erlangen is very close to the city. It may be the city (which I had been) with the shortest distance to the town centre. The railway station is located at the south western side of the map above. Nearby are the major sightseeing points. So close and easy! We arrived easily to the Schloßplatz . It is the focal point of Erlangen’s pedestrian zone and venue for the city’s big events. A few paces in front of the palace (Schloß) is a statue for Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth , who founded the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in 1742. On the west side is the Paulibrunnen ...

  Forchheim is a wonderful, tiny town in northern Bavaria, known in the region as “ das Tor zur Fränkischen Schweiz ,” or the gateway to Franconian Switzerland . It was a royal town, Kaiserpfalz , a place where the emperor could rest and hold court during his travels and as such it served as one of several "capitals" (there being no one fixed imperial residence) during the 10th century and beyond. The little gem city celebrated 1200 anniversary in year 2005. Forchheim 's rich medieval history has been well preserved as evidenced by its most striking building, the half-timber Rathaus or town hall built between the 14th and 16th Centuries. It is the focal point of the city center. We were first welcome by the St. Anton Monastery . The simple Gothic exterior is a big contrast to the splendid Baroque interior. The high altar and the two side altars show Franciscan saints, which were created around 1770 by the Bamberg sculptor Johann Bernhard Kamm . Nearby is a piece of fun...