Bologna in Summer

war in Bologna, Italia beruflich aber nur für 4 Tage

Im September 2024 war es in Italien immer noch heiß...

und den meisten Tagen waren es 30 Grad

aber als ich wieder Deutschland war, war die niedrigste nur 6 Grad...

4 Tage ist einfach zu kurs

a few pictures

 

@leeuwarden, the netherlands

@dresden, deutschland

@dresden, deutschland

@rothenburg, deutschland

crossing the dessert in Middle East

@Wadi Rum, Jordan

Serenity

on an autumn afternoon @ St. Stephen's Green in Dublin.

finally...

this is not my new year's resolution, but i really need to note down my japan trip last year... before my next trip planned for april this year.

so here's my rambling thoughts.

our trip was well planned - by my friends, miss i. thanks to her that i didn't have to worry about my day-time activities as we have a very detailed programme ready, printed out! she also got a guidebook for this trip which she carried with in her backpack everyday. it was no easy job. you should know how thick the book was...it was literally like carrying half kilo of sand...

thanks to the weather, my memories of all the places that we went to were all picture-perfect. clear blue sky and long white clouds. apart from the heat, it was all great.

so the trip started in kyoto, where enjoyed authentic japanese food, kyoto style. especially the very famous locally grown veges. the ones you see at nishiki market are perfect examples but minus all the preparation work. japanese people are so serious about presentations. everything looks so perfect and artistic.

all the basic points are skipped here, you can find gazillions of books/articles written about the wonderful old capital of japan. let's not bore you with repetitive information.

before our nara trip, there was a stopover in fushimi inari and took an unusual route where nobody did. it was such an amazing walk. tiring, yes. but you got to see the residents in the local mountains. the old little shops, the lazy black cats lying on the floor under the sun. the polite postman passing by on a bike, the beautiful wild flowers in between tombstones. it was well worth the effort and energy even though we got so exhausted.

since then, we started taking "unusual routes" to avoid big crowds of tourists.

when we arrived in nara by train with big suitcases, it still didn't get much cooler, didn't feel one bit like we were in autumn already. the weather was so fine that i could just lie on the bench to get roasted for the rest of the day. we hopped on our rented bikes and began our adventure. riding bikes was all new experience again. the last time that i rode bikes was in paris with my friend along shadowed avenues by the musee rodin in chilly autumn 2 years ago.

the uphill ride wasn't easy but we were running on a tight schedule as we just left kyoto and would be leaving for wakayama the same night, we didn't have too much time planned for nara. all we wanted was to see the deer and feed them senbai. kasuga taisha was tucked away in a very quiet area, although still popular among tourists, it attracted much fewer foreigners. as we were being super impressed and having fun taking pictures of a gigantic tree, there was an old man talking to us. 

i didn't speak a word of japanese, so my friend had to listen hard. he was just casually sitting by one of the shrine/temple like building, leaning against the wall. just an ordinary looking old guy. nothing special at all. he blahed away while snapped a twig in half and passed us the twigs. "smell it, try", he was telling us. woah, the aroma of the broken twig smelled nothing like what i imagined a piece of wood would smell like. i don't have the words for it but it was like sandal wood or agar wood. we asked what this twig was, he pointed to the big gigantic tree of which we were taking pictures! wow! that's amazing. we really wanted to know what this fragrant piece of wood is, but could not understand such specific jargon. well, this is where my phrasebook kick in useful! i quickly found the page asking people to write things down, he then wrote a kanji that we understood. 楠. argh~ we all smiled and nodded along, followed by more botanic questions from my friend...

he then led us to the back of the shrine, moved aside the dangling vines and leaves, showed us something that's really cool. stone lanterns made of marbles! we were told that these were only original marble stone lanterns made in the old times left in japan. all these good marble ones were taken away to tokyo by the rich and famous. these were the only old and originals left, now hidden behind big tall trees. nobody would ever see them if it wasn't because of the guy. this was such a wonderful story from him and we even got to know what the gigantic tree was! yes, i asked if we could take the twigs home with us. and now it's  safely tucked away, hidden among my books.

this was the first couple of cute stories happened in nara. oh, did i forget mentioning my map got eaten by a deer? i was trying so hard to take it back, but was so scared of the aggressive animal. and in the end, a laughing foreigner took a picture of me, trying to pull a half-eaten map out of a deer's chewing mouth. 

NOT a pretty picture. NO.

- part 1 ends - 

a picture is worth a thousand words

and i have a few here.

the long due post

I've been meaning to write something for ages but didn't really have the time.
OK, this is a lame excuse… but after a day's work and commuting my energy level goes to 0, thinking about my feelings and make sth sensible out of it seems such a luxury.

I've now been away for about 2 years, half of which in France, the rest in China. And i came to seriously think about it now -

1. what's the difference living in sheepland and outside Sheepland?
2. was it difficult to get over the (reverse) culture shock? Why?
3. Positive sides on both sides?
4. If I had to make a choice again, what would i do?
5. What parameters count in leading a life we want?

(I'm seriously sleep deprived from a long haul flight, a night of hen's party and getting up early the following morning to be the driver and not having a proper laptop to type all these up…returning to sleep but will finish answering the above, soon)

つづく

每日一篇正能量

田間野趣 @ 廬山

低碳自助遊——之出遊路線規劃

近日身邊諸多驛馬星動的，紛紛前來諮詢我歐遊時的出遊路線規劃。

是啊，我翻翻前文，自覺概括得很好，打下了堅實的框架和基礎。

卻發現原來自己沒有寫過一篇正經的、針對任何城市的路線規劃。

實情是：第一次也是唯一一次認真規劃是去瑞士，之後就鬆鬆散散，到了哪裡按部就班著來。

我是真的很煩規劃路線，常常要拖到最後一秒，然後通宵達旦地趕出一些東西來，免得自己最後到了目的地也不知所措。

並且我也並不願意借鑒別人已經做好的規劃，青菜蘿蔔，他們喜歡的我未必會愛啊。

好吧，言歸正傳。

以下的花都行程，獻給吾友L小姐。

住：連鎖小花旅店，全世界都是統一格局，且這兩枚都在第9區，黃金地段，不過105歐一晚，一早就開始做計劃的朋友，一定合適。

行：關鍵是要近地鐵。在花都住超過1周的，可以選擇買一張八達通。不然可以買日票、或者12張的套票。有了八達通，還可以租借腳踏車，踩著單車逛花都，很好玩！

食：如果住所周圍有露天街市的，一定要把握良機！趁機看看也好，買點地道小食也行，體驗民情，順便探探價格。周圍一定是有麵包店的，一定要去買法棍、可頌包來吃！其他的諸如酸乳酪之類的，可在便利店解決！

玩：目的地很多，先去博物館吧。必備博物館通票。規劃這個的時候，請將帶有巴黎地鐵行車路線的地圖拿出來，對照著不同區，標注起來。隨後根據需要在不同天安排不同的指定活動區域。逛博物館，絕對是個體力活。另外需要注意博物館的休館日。通常是週二。請額外注意，相互錯開，避免摸門釘的悲劇發生。

另外花都有很多的博物館、紀念館、公園和其他藝術類公共設施都是常年免費對公眾開放，請千萬不要客氣。

買：法國人的情趣都在小店了。大商場和大百貨店都還是留給陸客們吧。

我似是有寫不下去的嫌疑……或者說是有太多要說但是不知從何說起。

最後兩個小貼士：重拾你多年未說的法語、不要抱有任何期望直接去吧。

歡迎蒞臨花都！祝你有一段難忘的回憶！

法蘭西，歡迎你！

pic credit: bookitnow.com

españa

@jardin botanique, barcelona

@parc güell, barcelona

@parc güell, barcelona

除了德國之外，給我最多驚喜的是西班牙。

熱情奔放，氣候宜人。

潮濕的，帶有海水味的空氣中夾帶這桔子的香氣。

閉上眼睛回憶，西班牙的每一副畫面中都充滿了金色的陽光。

每日一篇正能量

這個瘋孩子……不要跑偏了跌入河中才好啊~

m en suisse.

每日一篇正能量

pic credit: ms M.

dear cz, who's karen sew3ll? when did she come in?

低碳自助遊歐洲 —— 十四

這一整年的休息調整，令我的價值觀亦有所改變。

我在歐羅巴遇到了許多人，甚至遇見了另一個自己¹。

雖然我仍然急躁，時不時還是喜歡抱怨兩句。

這終究是個良好的開始，讓我有機會認清自己。

我也在遊歷過程中真正地感受到了歐羅巴的包容，讓人謙卑和平靜下來。

那些令人動容的時刻很多，在諸多博物館的巨幅的油畫之前；偉岸的古希臘雕塑腳下；無聲息又美得讓人暈眩的景色之中；肅穆冰冷的柏林牆內……

時時記起一群小學生蹲在地板上臨摹羅丹的模樣，有板有眼的。

這種種都流溢出歷史和文化的積澱，多金的財主如何都學不來的。

這世上，我能得到的最珍貴的財富，大概就是這一年的閒蕩。

時日雖不長，卻讓我又遇見了自己。

1. i met a lot of people in Europe. i even encountered myself. - james baldwin

低碳自助遊歐洲——十三

上回說到最佳伴手禮實乃明信片是也。

今天就具體地說說和明信片有關的事吧。

各大旅遊景點城市的大街小巷都不乏旅遊紀念品商店。

門外無一例外地擺了兩個或以上的明信片架子。

要是閣下只是踩點式遊覽的。

不妨把握住這樣的機會，速速過選購幾張看得過眼的。

順便詢問一下店內是否代售郵票。

有些比較壞的店主會借此賺取一點小利潤。

但10張國際郵票起買時，小錢也變成了不小的數目（受害者心聲）。

比較悠閒的遊客，可以慢慢逛。

書店，咖啡館，精品店也有明信片。

照片內容倒未必是該城的遊覽名勝。

畢竟我們也要追求一些美感嘛。

有些咖啡館和酒吧，還有免費的明信片可以索取。

別小瞧了這些免費的明信片，人家可是本地製造，帶有濃重的當地特色。

我至今還念念不忘那張在一個詭異又陰森的小酒館門口隨手帶走的紫色兔子圖案明信片——多應節，當時是復活節，反面還有許多德文的廣告。

將來我再看到它，定會再度想起那個陽光燦爛的週末。

再具體說說郵票這回事吧。

有些國家的郵票是國內國外兩種郵資。

國外的分為歐洲和歐洲以外。

不具體稱重。

唯一讓我遇上要一封封稱重的是義大利郵局的歐巴桑。

偏偏我還遇上了郵局系統出問題，兜了兩個圈子，問了兩個一句英文也不會的歐巴桑之後終於摸索到了。

拿號排隊。

等了多久我是不記得了，大概是足以讓我完成製造一個火箭這麼久吧，終於輪到我了。

結果，櫃檯的歐巴桑竟然說，「我這裡不辦理寄件服務。」

……

換到了另一個櫃檯。

好，慢慢稱，一個個來。

等到具體郵資都寫在卡上，準備撕郵票給我時，她發現郵票不夠了！！！！

然後她去了後面的小房間找，這一找又是20分鐘。

大概是去即刻印郵票了吧。

有些國家還要求往國外的郵件必須貼上「航空」字樣的藍色小標籤。

有時候我也會耍無賴地自己畫個框，寫上"par avion"。

似乎也沒什麽太大影響，郵資都付足就可以了吧？

另外值得一提的是，途經郵局或者與郵筒擦身而過時千萬不要因為懶惰而錯過。

誰曉得下一個在哪裡！

記憶當中阿姆的郵筒很難找，風車國的郵票都是5張一賣的。

至今我手中仍有幾張未發掉的明信片，和一堆1歐面值的風車國國內郵票。

等著我親自送去人家府上吧，或者在人類登陸火星前可以完成。

pic credit: superstock.com

低碳自助遊歐洲——十二

故事是這樣的，我還小的時候，遇到過一個德國來的歐吉桑。

我帶著歐吉桑走街串巷，向他展示地球這邊，城中普通人的生活。

他興致勃勃地穿梭在人群中，自得其樂。

我問他，「你爲什麽不拍照留念，這樣才可以回去展示給你的家人和朋友看啊？」

他說了一句至今都叫我拍案的話，「最美的風景都在心裡，看到過，感受過，體驗過，就都記住了。」

說完，他還拍了拍心口。

也因此，每次出門，我都給自己寄一張明信片。

隻言片語，胡亂寫些什麽。

哪怕只是寫：

今天早上出著太陽下雪了，最高氣溫零下5度，太騙人了，凍得我根本寫不到字。就這樣吧。

二〇一一年於捷克布拉格郵政總局大堂

p.s. 門口的玻璃大門上貼了一個嚴禁攜帶槍支入內的標識，有點搞笑，但又很嚴肅。

記錄了當時的氣氛和環境，加上精美的郵票和在郵局排隊時的故事。

這一張並不怎麼貴重的小紙片便成了最經濟又最有意義的伴手禮。

你猜猜，我最喜歡哪張？

相關閱讀：《來瑞典買什麽手信》

每日一篇正能量

@ vigeland park, oslo

自曝其短

給自己的明信片

黃色的噹噹車穿梭在狹窄蜿蜒的山路上。

在車裡，看路人，也被路人看。

慢悠悠的28路車，一天之內來回坐幾趟都不生厭。

歐亞大陸最西端的海角啊，我搭了這麼久巴士終於抵達了。

遊客們興奮地在懸崖邊上擺各種造型拍照。

藍天白雲，卻看不到一望無際海天一線。

於是我跳進花叢，拍起昆蟲來。

週日的早上，貝倫修道院門口排起了長龍。

誰願意放過這免費入場的機會呢。

偏偏在等了一個多小時之後，又恢復售票了。

這究竟是要讓人起多早？！

久仰久仰，原來你就是那傳說中的火車站。

才疏學淺，找不到一個適合的詞來形容你。

只覺曾經輝煌的帝國，今日淪落到了破敗，有種讓人心生疼的美。

低碳自助遊歐洲——十一

每個人對出門之前的行李箱，到底要收拾什麽都有自己獨特的見解。

我的裝箱關鍵點要儘量讓自己融入在當地人中，樣子已經長得有點吃虧了，所以只好靠衣裝來假裝自己是個留學生。

因為打扮得越像遊客，被害的幾率相對也高。

這可不是聳人聽聞。

馬德里的星某克每張桌上都放了一個防範扒手的「溫馨提示」。

但這絕對比不上親歷地鐵三人包圍一個歐吉桑的未遂犯罪以及兩人在星某克偷某歐巴桑的手袋未遂來得震撼。

雖說穿得像個本地人並不能杜絕被下手的遭遇，但總比招搖過市來得好。

在咖啡館時，可以玩玩看人遊戲，猜猜哪些是遊客，哪些是本地人。

不過，你以前在網上看到的那些「街拍」們都是特例。

要不然也不會被拍下來放在網上啊~

假如實在覺得無甚頭緒的，就只需帶最少的衣服，去當地的大型連鎖店入貨吧！

每間店的物品，除了本季重頭推出外，會因買手的眼光而略有差異。

所以看到好的就要下手，避免錯過再也遇不上的悲劇（過來人的忠告~）。

旅行重頭戲都擺在法蘭西的，可以參考這裡。

又，法蘭西的時髦小孩間都在流行它。

低碳自助遊歐洲——十

不知不覺，竟然已經絮絮叨叨地啰嗦到了第十篇。

果然是非一般的多話啊。

不自詡了，切入正題吧。

這旅行季節的選擇呢，是很煩人的。

以購物為目的的旅行，分兩種。

一是爲了第一時間國際接軌買新貨，二是爲了追求合理價格而來。

感激勇往直前的米國人民，與日俱增的國債數字和聯繫匯率。

想要求得一個合理價格，比起以前來更富挑戰性了。

前者應該不會有時間和興致慢慢研究自助遊。

後者應該對何時開始大減價比我更瞭如指掌。

他們旅行的時間段也很固定，前者是三月，九月；後者是一月，七月。

和我一樣沒有這麼多預算的暴走族，選擇餘地就大多了。

反正是在不熱門的時節出門的，只要跟隨氣候決定目的地便好。

說來，深秋應該是最佳季節，從山上眺望河對岸那漫山遍野的金黃色樹葉又豈是一個浪漫可以概括。

暴風雪肆虐的冬天似乎並不受旅客的歡迎。

根據我不可靠的回憶看來，聖誕節出門確是十分過癮的。

無論走到哪裡，都可以在聖誕集市上兜兜轉轉，嚐嚐平民的地道小吃，享受免費的露天音樂會。

即便什麽都不買，僅僅是看過往的人群和旋轉木馬上歡樂的兒童，也會在寒冬帶來一絲暖意。

喜歡走到哪裡拍到哪裡的攝影控，在冬天出行時可能會略有所失。

暴風雪天氣下的天空都是灰色的，陰陰沉沉，並不給你過多的施展機會。

當然這也可能只是因為我的個人技術爛到絕頂。

開春的時候適合南下去到南法和地中海沿岸。

一過五月，近地中海的南西班牙就熱得要命，那時候去北歐應該正好。

中東歐的地方應該亦適合在進入初夏時節出行吧。

但那些地方卻是美，零下5度的天氣裡暴走兩個小時，也不會讓人多一句怨言。

說到底，只要抱著感激和好奇的心上路。

同一個花園裡，光禿禿的樹枝映襯在一望無際的雪地上或者充斥著光著膀子躺在草地上曬太陽的人群，都是最美的風景。