Tag: europe

From Alsfeld to Frankfurt – Scenes from the German Countryside to the Big City

Posted on July 6, 2015February 7, 2017 by Keane Li

As I entered Germany by train, it seemed like a year ago that I began this Europe trip in London when really it had only been two-and-a-half months. The constant moving and reshuffling of living quarters (not to mention flatmates) made it seem more like a series of many trips interconnected rather than a single journey. Each stop was a fresh start with a new city and a different way of life. My transition from my time in Switzerland to that of Alsfeld would be my last, save for the subsequent long voyage home.

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Stunning Switzerland – Adventures in Zürich, Lucerne, Interlaken, Bern, Basel & Beyond

Posted on June 25, 2015March 9, 2022 by Keane Li

The train from Milano Centrale into Switzerland was by far the most breathtaking voyage by rail I have ever embarked on. Lakes. Waterfalls. Roads elevated to the heights of grandiose mountains. Gasps of wonder were not uncommon from our train carriage. Also, it was burning hot in Milan when I left, and by then I was longing for the Swiss chill, the idea of being in the mountains sans burning skin and free from the hell spawn that is the mosquito.

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View of Milan from the Terrazze del Duomo

Milan – Elegance, Nightlife & Expo 2015 (Videos)

Posted on June 13, 2015October 1, 2017 by Keane Li

Seven years ago in a lifetime far away, before I had ever been to Europe, when I still thought bruschetta was pronounced with a sh, the first native Italian came into my life. I decided to pick up the language, now having someone to practice with; I ditched French and embarked on a voyage into la bella lingua. She was from a small town near Milan, and, since then, I held a fascination for the bustling Italian metropolis. Seven years later, I finally saw the city for myself.

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Bologna – Days of Pasta, Portici & Youth

Posted on June 7, 2015January 18, 2017 by Keane Li

Bologna is a vibrant town, powered by a population of university students. Self-expression is everywhere, from the abundance of street art to the hairstyles I haven’t seen since the late 80s. Portici and graffiti, late nights spent on piazza pavements, the sound of music that never dies; within my first night in Bologna, I knew straightaway it would be unlike my quiet (yet profound) experience in Camaiore, Lucca and Cinque Terre.

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Falling in Love in Camaiore – Cinque Terre, Lucca, Pietrasanta

Posted on May 31, 2015January 18, 2017 by Keane Li

If there’s anything writers are good at, it’s expressing themselves with words.

It is, after all, our one sole job. Still, I find it hard to describe my experience in Tuscany’s small town of Camaiore. After having visited Florence and Rome (with a brief stint in quiet Pisa), I had thought my visit to Camaiore would be a relaxing one. It was anything but; my time spent in this unassuming city turned out to be both physically and emotionally charged.

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Pisa Beyond the Leaning Tower

Posted on May 26, 2015January 18, 2017 by Keane Li

Whenever I would tell an Italian friend that I was heading over to Pisa, the response I most often got was incredulity with the question, “Ma perché Pisa?” Certainly, after having visited the cultural richness of Florence, little Pisa, known primarily to the world for a building malfunction, seemed an odd place to spend several days. My friend living there assured me that there was more to Pisa than its iconic tower; she was right.

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View of Florence and the Duomo from the Torre of Palazzo Vecchio

Florence – Renaissance Art and the Tuscan Countryside

Posted on May 23, 2015January 18, 2017 by Keane Li

Traveling from Rome to Florence isn’t just a commute; it’s a leap through time. While a visit to Rome is an adventure to the zenith of Antiquity — imposing structures and ruins that leave much to the imagination, pillars and slabs and arches of an immortal nature — visiting Florence offers a more modern, more dynamic experience.

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Revisiting Rome – Hidden History, Vespa Rides & Private Club Dining

Posted on May 18, 2015January 18, 2017 by Keane Li

The shade is halfway down to block the sun, but it’s already burning inside the train. A group of teenage scouts in uniform of some troop brigade chats loudly nearby, in front of me is a young law student, and, to my right, two ragazzi speak in thick dialect. I can barely understand them when they ask if I can close the shade completely. The regionale train takes nearly three hours to reach Rome from Naples, where I had just visited, and I am without water, slowly sweating out what little precious liquid remains in my body. But, hey, at least I don’t have to pee.

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