TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

The drive from Strasbourg, France to Bonn, Germany took me roughly three hours. The route via Germany from Alsace, France where I holidayed ( Colmar , Alsace Wine Route ) to Utrecht, the Netherlands is faster than via Belgium. I love long drives and I can be on the wheel for hours and I do not mind it at all. As long as I have good music, I am all set. Best place to park in Bonn? Under the market square. I went to Google Maps and wrote down a few of the streets entering the market square and fed one of them to my GPS. When parking in your own country is going at 5.00 euros an hour, parking anywhere else in the world is always cheaper. The Market Square (Markt) and Bonn City Hall and this is my souvenir picture of Bonn, inside the car in the underground parking of the Market Square =) Bonn: Ludwig van Beethoven’s City Websites: Bonn Tourism | Beethoven Haus Did you know that Beethoven was born in Bonn in 1770? After his move to Vienna, the capital of classical music...

Before I left Strasbourg I was lucky to have seen this beautiful part of the city, which I later found out is a highlight in the list of places to see and experience. One of the most charming little squares in medieval Strasbourg. PLACE-DU-MARCHE-AUX-COCHONS-DE-LAIT  And so I have learned that the exact translation of Place du Marche aux Cochons de Lait is — ‘The Suckling Pig Market Square’. You can only guess that during the medieval times suckling pigs were traded here. Other squares in Strasbourg were named in a similar fashion, i.e. Vieux-Marché-aix-Vins (The Old Wine Market), Marché-aux-Poissons (The Fish Market) and Marché-Neuf (New Market) A lovely place to sit down in one of the cafes with a glass of wine and then people watch! This square has a small narrow alley leading to Place de la Cathedrale . I like how the French spell the plural of sandwich. It is cute, no? When two worlds collide, cuisine wise: French meets Deutsch. One of the colou...

I really liked Hong Kong. I wish I could stay in this city for a longer period of time. I would try all different kinds of noodles and peking ducks, and visit all the high-rise lounge bars with sweeping panoramic views over Victoria Harbour. Central Skyscrapers The family managed to walk around a bit in Central admiring the tall buildings. Did you know that this neighbourhood in Hong Kong Island is the most expensive to live in the country? Moreover, the real estate for office letting here are in the astronomical pricing range. Hong Kong Central Business District Remains the World’s Expensive Office Market   (click to read the survey). Overall occupancy cost of Hong Kong’s Central (as of 2013 rate) is US$235.23 per square foot per year, followed by London’s West End at US$222.58 and Beijing’s Finance Street at US$195.07. The Dutchman lived here in Central very briefly as an expat and very much loved the Hong Kong life as well. Here are a few pictures I took during the day: ...