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Travelogues

I have traveled a fair bit, both on business occasions and on personal trips. In most of my trips, my main focus is to seek out the famous tourist spots as well as wandering off the beaten path to hunt for elusive scenery experience. My list of travel experiences are listed below for the interested reader, with the most recent in memory on the top. Since my blog posts do not necessarily follow chronological order (my writings are highly dependent on my mood and schedule...), this serves as a useful list for readers to rifle through my experiences and look for the ones most interesting to your purpose.


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2014 Germany Trip

I was awarded the rare opportunity to take my time in exploring parts of this wonderful country during my 3+ months stint for a business trip. My base was in Babenhausen, an idyllic village south of Frankfurt, so naturally the majority of my visits were to the southwestern part of the country.




2014 March - Würzburg

Würzburg was my first wander, hunting for a UNESCO World Heritage and the charm of an old town in a dreary prelude to spring. The castle gardens would have been magnificent if my visit were a few weeks later but I was impressed nevertheless.


Würzburg attractions:

Würzburg Residenz


2014 March - Speyer

I went to Speyer for its UNESCO World Heritage Listed Speyer Cathedral, but got more than I hoped for. Speyer is truly a city of religion, having multiple churches besides the famous cathedral, each holding its own inner beauty waiting for the traveler to explore. It was here that I learned one important point - as a traveler, walking beyond the boundaries of the guide book can reveal untold beauties that only few eyes have feasted on.

1 Day Trip to Speyer (with itinerary)

Speyer attractions:
Old Gate (Altpörtel) | Speyer Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage) | Holy Trinity Church (Dreifaltigkeitskirche) | Memorial Church (Gedächtniskirche)

Speyer


2014 March - Cologne

This is the most visited city in my trip albeit not due to a touristy reason. It is far from being my favorite city, my attention only grabbed by the world renowned Cologne Cathedral, seemingly the only reason for any visit to this age old place. Nevertheless I left many a footprint here, with just as much memory here with a great friend whom I had not met for years.

1 Day Trip to Cologne (with itinerary)

Cologne attractions:
Cologne Cathedral (UNESCO World Heritage) | Hohenzollern Bridge | Cologne Hbf | KölnTriangle | Cologne Messe/Deutz Station

Cologne event:
Cologne Carnival

Cologne


2014 March - Trier

I did not expect much out of Trier when I planned my trip - this was supposed to be just a cheap accommodation alternative for my visit to Luxembourg. Upon setting foot on this place, I realized how wrong was I. I was practically in Rome without traveling past the south of Alps. Everywhere in Trier exuded history more ancient than most other UNESCO areas in Germany.

1 Day Trip to Trier (with itinerary) | Evergreen Hostel (Hilles Hostel)

Trier attractions:
Imperial Baths (UNESCO World Heritage) | Aula Palatina (UNESCO World Heritage) | Electoral Palace and Palace Gardens | Roman Bridge (UNESCO World Heritage) | Main Market (Hauptmarkt) | St Gangolf's Church | Church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenkirche) (UNESCO World Heritage) | Cathedral of Trier (UNESCO World Heritage) | Porta Nigra (UNESCO World Heritage) | Amphitheater (UNESCO World heritage)

Trier


2014 March - Worms

Most travelers to Germany would not expect Worms to be on their itinerary, and the same applies to me. I visited only due to the opportunity I received from my job. Historically this was one of the place where Protestantism was triggered, and nobody was more famous in this than Martin Luther himself, defying the religious authority in the Diet of Worms. There was not much to see but it was still a worthy city to drop by if you are on the way.

1 Day Trip to Worms (with itinerary)

Worms attractions:
Worms Cathedral (Wormser Dom) | Luther's Monument (Lutherdenkmal) | Old Synagogue

Worms


2014 May - Rothenburg ob der Tauber

You couldn't get any more German than this town that is surrounded by medieval walls, unbelievably surviving the horrors of World War II with little more than a glancing blow. The historian in me leaped with joy during my visit, but I could imagine the dismay look on the faces of travelers in search of iconic landmarks. For me, the whole town is a landmark in itself, its natural beauty blooming in full force during the spring of May. Be sure to allocate time for a shot in front of the famed Plönlein.

Road to Rothenburg | Rothenburg ob der Tauber Part 1 (with itinerary) | Part 2 | Transports

Rothenburg ob der Tauber attractions and food:


Plönlein

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2013 Hanoi Trip

This trip was made at the end of 2013, in November to be exact. The week long trip was not only for ancient Hanoi, but also included excursions to UNESCO Heritage listed Halong Bay and to far off Sapa.


Attractions: 

Food: 
Kem Xôi - ice cream with glutinous rice and coconut flakes

Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage
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2013 Kunshan Trip

The business trip to Kunshan lend me an experience to explore China, not withstanding my previous experience in Hong Kong and Macau. I was led to beautiful places and helped relaxed a mind stressed from work.






West Lake, Hangzhou
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2012 Hong Kong Trip

My first personally planned overseas trip was an eye opener for me. It was fun and exciting although my writing experience was still very much in its infancy.