[Greece] The Island of Corfu

In Greek, Corfu Island is called Kerkyra.

It is located at the Northwest of Greece, while Mykonos and Santorini are at the Southeast.

Because it is so close to the heel of Italy, you could see much Italian influences on the Island.

There are many English, Russian and Italian tourists.

For once, I could count the amount of Asian tourists I saw on this trip with my 10 fingers.

The direct flight from London to Corfu is approximately two hours and 50 minutes.

I departed from Gatwick with my medium-sized backpack for a three-day and three-night trip.

Thanks to it being the summer, I managed to fit four outfits, two bikinis and all my toiletries in that backpack!

Truly travelling light!

[Greece] Foods of Corfu

Once again, I have skipped my June holiday blog and came straight to writing about Corfu.

First thing's first, I have to write about the food!

When I go on beach holidays, I usually don't gain weight because of all the walking and (some) swimming.

The first morning, we had breakfast in this beautiful hotel restaurant that cannot look any more like a painting!

[France] The Little City of Colmar

Welcome to my post on Colmar!

After my insistence on visiting this city, my two friends have agreed to come with me.  I think one of them just don't really care or know where she is going lol.

Once again, I must confess the pick of Colmar is because of some photos I've seen online couple years ago.  What could be a better way to pick your vacation spot right?

(Seriously, just look at how gorgeous this place is!)

A Beautiful Encounter: Hitchin Lavender Farm

I've always wanted to see a lavender field - an actual grand field with rows and rows of lavenders!

This year I won't make it to Southern France, so I found Mayfield, Cotswold and Hitchin lavender farms.

After some Googling, I settled with Hitchin because of proximity and some photos online.

Hitchin station is just 30 minutes away from London King's Cross.  The lavender farm is an £8 taxi ride from the station.

[France] Strasbourg - Part 2

One of the best part about being on vacation in a foreign city is that nobody knows you.

(Except your travel companions obviously.)

 

You can sing freely while walking down the streets, laugh loudly, take constant selfies and pose as tourist-like as you want!

 

The second half of my day at Strasbourg was like that.

[France] Strasbourg - Part 1

Once again, I took the National Express bus to Stansted Airport.

My destination this time: Strasbourg in Eastern France.

It was 9pm in Strasbourg when I arrived. For some reason (I'm sure there was a legit reason), the train no longer ran so I had to take the bus.

Quite a lot of others and myself waited for 45 minutes for the bus to arrive.

No matter though, as we all saw this beautiful sunset.

A Look Inside Kenwood House

Located a 20-minute walk from the Hampstead tube station, the Kenwood House is a stunning estate with breathtaking garden and grounds.

I love walking down nature "tunnels" like this.

It's when I can sort of feel like a princess yoif you know what I mean.

[Germany] Courtyard Marriott

I am very picky when it comes to accommodations, especially when travelling solo.

Safety is my number one priority.  Then comes cleanliness.

In some European cities, a decent hotel room isn't that much more expensive than a private room in a hostel.

This time in Cologne, I stayed at the Courtyard Marriott.

[Germany] Heerstraße's Cherry Blossoms

Weibo, Chinese Twitter, has a gazillion photos of beautiful places.

The exactly locations of these photos are rarely marked.

 Finding Heerstraße (pronounced Heerstrasse) was not an easy task, but I did!

This place is so beautiful it's almost unreal!

(I forgot to breathe for the longest time while I stood at the entrance to Heerstraße.)

[Germany] The Cologne Cathedral & Beethoven's Birthplace

Before I dive into the cherry blossoms, here are some attractions that are beautiful year-round.

It takes about one hour to fly from London to the Cologne Bonn Airport.

(I later realize the airport is named so because it's located in between the two cities.)

Cologne, or Köln, is the fourth largest city in Germany.

One of the city's most famous attractions is precisely the Cologne Cathedral, Köln Dom.

Shakespeare of Stratford-Upon-Avon

Ah, William Shakespeare's birthplace - I simply cannot miss this visit living in London.

Early morning, I boarded the train to Dorridge and transferred to the Stratford-Upon-Avon train from there.

(It's faster to transfer than to take a direct train.)

The trip duration was just a little over two hours.

Whitstable: My Love for the Seaside

Whitstable is to the East of London, about a two-hours train ride.

If you love oysters, this is the town for you!

It was yet another rainy day.

Having lived in England for almost four months now, rain doesn't affect my plans.

Brighton Part 2: Exploring the City

Once I got off the train, the city centre is just a 5-minute walk.

Brighton is a small town.

All the attractions, such as the Clock Tower, The Lanes, Brighton Dome, Royal Pavilion, are pretty much all within 20-minute walk.

Brighton Part 1: A Seaside City

About 86km away from London (SE England), I travelled to the seaside city of Brighton one Sunday.

The Brighton Pavilion was the main reason I decided to visit. 

One of the Pavilion's most famous residence was George, Prince of Wales.
(No, not the little Prince George - he is the Prince of Cambridge.)

Now that I've done this extremely brief Royal introduction, I feel a lack of knowledge on the topic of the British Royals.

Rotterdam Part 3: The City

 I finally get to show you the actual city of Rotterdam!

 

When I got off the plane, I already felt that it was much colder than London.

The temperatrures are about the same, but definitely not the wind chill.

 

Neverthless, the cold was all forgotten (kind of) when I saw this amazing view! 

(A view from the Euromast, which I'll talk more about in a bit.)

Rotterdam Part 2: Cube Houses

Cube Houses, or Kubuswoningen in Dutch, are built based on "living as an urban roof."

Basically, the house represents a tree and all the houses together, a forest/a village. 

Pretty cool huh?  Now let me take you for a tour inside one of the houses!

Rotterdam Part 1: Markthal

My first trip since moving to Europe is to Rotterdam!

A little about this city before I go on...

1. Rotterdam is a city of the Netherlands.

2. It has the largest port in Europe.

3. It has one of the best universities in the world: Erasmus University.

4. It is about 75km south of Amsterdam.

 

It is difficult to fit all that I have seen in Rotterdam into one blog entry, so I will split them up.

 

First on: Markthal (Market Hall)