Castellaro Lagusello & Lonato del Garda (13/04/2019)

After coming back to Italy, I convinced my dad to do a day trip and visit a couple of towns close to lake garda. After leaving Vicenza we drove westward and reached the small town of Castellaro Lagusello, part of the club the most beautiful villages in Italy. The town sits in a hilly area right south of Lake Garda and is bordered by a small lake of its own. After parking the car, we checked out a couple of restaurants to eat in later but opted to look for something else later on. We walked through the old town and reached the porta arcuata, the main entrance gate to the fortified part of the town. This in fact characterized by a castle surrounded by walls and built during the 13th century by the Scaligeri, rulers of Verona. As we walked through the gate and next to the medieval tower which was turned into a clock tower during the 16th century, we passed by the town's main church dedicated to St Nicholas. It was unfortunately closed so that meant walking onwards. As we reached the southern part of town, encircled by walls, we encountered the Villa Tacoli Arrighi, a 15th-century building which was built right on the walls using the towers for part of its construction. As it was private we could not go through but we nonetheless enjoyed the sight from the exterior. Right in front of it are two of the oldest houses in the town, dating to the 13th century. As we walked around the town we tried to reach the small lake but found out all streets just ended to a part of the walls or were closed off by houses. Walking back we then reached the car and drove off towards the next stop. Driving along picturesque rolling hills, we then stopped at an agriturismo called La Civetta. There we had a good filling lunch and then got back in the car to drive onwards to Lonato del Garda. This small town built among the hills to the southwest of Lake Garda has a long history since pre-roman times. Its present aspect incorporates various centuries with most buildings dating to the 17th and 18th centuries. After parking the car we then headed on foot through the old town stopping first to see the small church of Santa Maria del Corlo. Built during the 16th century it features a nice interior with traces of medieval frescoes and is currently in use by the local Romanian community. After that, we then went uphill to reach the entrance of the castle but to our surprise found out it was full of people due to a flower festival taking place inside. An entrance ticket was required but as we wished to see the museum nearby they told us to go around to the other side and buy the ticket directly there as they did not have the combined one. So after leaving my dad there I ran back down the hill and through the town to reach the eastern entrance of the castle. I bought the combined tickets and then ran back up to let my dad in too. As we walked below the walls we admired the many stalls selling all kinds of seeds, flowers, fruit trees and other plants. Then, through another gate, part of the second set of walls, we entered the castle proper. Originally erected during the 10th century it received just slight alteration thus leaving it quite intact. From the walls, we could easily see the lake in the distance and despite the cloudy weather still provided for a nice view. On the eastern end a small building, the only remaining of the castle, hosted a small ehibition on archaeological remains and stuffed local fauna. After that, we went out of the first set of walls and downhill to the eastern entrance where I had bought the tickets. There we then joined a tour which brought us through the museum of the Fondazione Ugo da Como. Hosted inside the Palazzo del Podestà a 16th century which served as the seat of the Venetian podestà or local ruler who managed the city for the Republic of Venice which had annexed the town in 1516. Our guide, a middle-aged man, even though a long-time employee there, made a lot of mistakes and forgot a lot of things and was rather mean to us as he totally forbid us from taking any pictures. After the period under Venetian dominance, when the town passed under Austrian rule, the building became a barracks and then during the 19th century was bought by an Italian politician, Ugo da Como. He fully restored the building as much as he could and added his own personal touch with old furniture gathered from buildings around the country. Parts of the medieval frescoes in the lower part were still visible and well preserved and the rooms with the salvaged furniture were a delight. I particularly marveled at the impressive wooden library which contained up to 50.000 books which made me want one of such all for myself. After the visit to the museum, we then exited the walls and walked through the city center reaching then the main square, Piazza Martiri Della Libertà. Right next to it is the imposing Basilica of San Giovanni Battista, whose huge and tall cupola can be easily spotted from the surrounding countryside. Featuring a beautiful white facade, the church was built in the Baroque style during the 18th century over a previous building. Once inside I marveled at the lavish marbles and gilded decorations found throughout. After visiting the church, we decided it was time to go so heading back to the car we got on and drove home.

The entrance to the castle of Castellaro Lagusello

A street inside the castle

13th century houses

The Villa Tacoli Arringhi

The clock tower

Interior of the church of Santa Maria del Corlo

View of the Basilica and the bell tower

Another view of the Basilica and bell tower

The castle

View of the old town and the market from the castle

View of the old town from the castle walls

View of the castle from the bell tower

The Basilica of San Giovanni Battista

The baroque facade of the Basilica

Copenhagen (30-31/03/2019)

For the last few days in Hamburg, I decided to do a weekend trip to Copenhagen to meet up with my Finnish friend Veera. I left Hamburg in the early morning by bus which drove northwards through Lubeck and then to Fehmarn island where it boarded a ferry directed towards Denmark. That was a pleasant alternative that traveling around by land and gave about an hour time to get off and relax on the deck of the ferry. Despite the wind, it was a pleasant sunny day and from the top of the deck, I could admire the dark blue sea. After reaching the shore we drove further and finally reached Copenhagen about 6 hours after departing. Having been here before in 2017, I did not have much in plan to see but rather wished to enjoy strolling around. So after meeting up with my friend Veera we directed ourselves to the Danhostel located between the train station and the old town where we checked in our room. We were in a six-bedroom, together with an Australian girl who was already there. After talking a bit about this and that we then left for the city center. We walked along one of the main streets, Vestergade through the old town and then down Strøget, one of the longest pedestrian streets in Europe. At the end of it, we reached the large square, Kongens Nytorv, which in turn opened out to the beautiful Nyhavn, the old port of the city of Copenhagen, filled with multicolored buildings. After walking along the harbor we passed through the nice Amalienhaven garden which overlooked the large Havn canal and reached the northern part of the old town where the famous statue of the Little Mermaid is located. Obviously packed with tourists I had no real interest to visit it but as we were there we did a quick stop to observe it. Much smaller than expected the statue is only 1.25 meters tall and laying on a rock right on the shore it is an interesting sight yet overly praised. After taking a pciture we then turned around and headed through the Kastellet, a well preserved 17th-century fortress once part of the huge bastions which used to fully encircle the city. We walked through the fortress and observed the typical red wooden buildings characteristic of that time period. Then back through the old town, we came upon the many attractions including Frederik's church and the Amalienborg Palace until we reached the pedestrian bridge which brought us over to the eastern part of town. Here we walked through the typical area called Christiania, a hippy-like zone which is popular among young and those looking to score some legal light drugs. Heading back we then stopped in a nice small square called Gråbrødretorv, where we found a cafe to have a beer before dinner. With the sun setting the weather had started to become quite chilly but luckily we were sitting right below one of those heating lamps and with a blanket to cover us. As we started to get hungry we then headed nearby to a place I had found which served good food for more affordable prices. We both had a burger with fries and a drink for about 100 Krones so about 14 euros.  After dinner, we decided to head somewhere else and grab another beer, at a pub called Southern Cross Pub. My friend took a beer while I opted for a tastier cider. After that, we decided to head back to the hostel and go to sleep finding out that two more people had then joined our room and smelling incredibly strong of weed. The following morning, feeling a bit groggy from the night before, we decided to head into town for breakfast. We found an open place called Next Door Cafè which served delicious pancakes with maple syrup. After filling up with food we then walked further along the streets and passing through the nice botanical garden whose grass and plants had already started to become green. Not far ahead we then reached the Statens Museum for Kunst or National Gallery of Denmark. The entrance was a bit hefty but nonetheless provided for a great art exhibition. Masterpieces from famous artists from the 14th century to the modern period were showcased in a stylish building. Among the many paintings were examples of artists such as Cranch the Elder, Brueghel the Younger, Titian, El Greco, and Matisse. After the nice visit to the museum, we headed out and passed by the pretty Rosenborg Slot with its nice surrounding garden. Then starting to feel a little hungry we decided to try out an area which had recently become hip. So we headed to the former meatpacking district, located right behind the train station, where old meatpacking warehouses were being turned into hip restaurants and bars. Being it Sunday lunchtime many places were closed but we found a spot in an Italian restaurant called Mother. We ordered two pizzas, which took quite a bit to arrive, which meant I had to finish mine quickly before risking to miss my bus. In fact, I hastily said goodbye to my friend Veera and ran off to the bus station where I managed to take my bus headed back to Hamburg. Obviously, the bus left later and ended accruing a total of two hours of delay meaning I reached Hamburg late at night.

The Nyhavn harbor

Another view of Nyhavn

The buildings inside the Kastellet fortress

The Amalienborg Palace

The picturesque Gråbrødretorv

A street in the old town

The National Gallery

Inside the National Gallery

The Rosenborg Slot

Eutin, Plön & Kiel (24/02/2019)

The weekend promised good weather so we decided to do another day trip into Schleswig-Holstein and see a few towns on the way. After getting the regional train from the central station in Hamburg, we reached the first town: Eutin. We headed towards the old town and reached the Markt, the town's main square surrounded by pretty low buildings. Right behind it was the town's church, dedicated to St Michael. Built during the 13th century it features a mix of romanesque and brick gothic. It was unfortunately closed as we tried to get in which meant continuing forwards on our walk. We then reached the town's main attraction, the Eutin castle, originally founded during the 12th century but now presenting a 17th-century Baroque style. It is surrounded by a nice moat and as we walked through the main gate reached the pretty inner courtyard. Unfortunately, the castle was closed and could only be visited during the summer period so we just settled with admiring it from the outside. We then continued on foot and walked through its large park, partly english lanscape garden, and partly orderly french styled garden with patches of earth for growing use. After the nice stroll while enjoying the sunshine we headed to the station from where we took a train to the next town: Plön. After reaching the destination we continued on foot through the old town passing by the main square where the church of St Nicholas is located. As we found it open we entered and admired the fully wooden 17th century Baroque interior. From there we continued onwards walking slightly uphill and reaching the castle. Located on a terraced hill overlooking the Great Plön Lake, this 17th century palace served various functions throughout its history. It was in fact turned into a military school, then boarding school and recently is houses an optometry qualification centre meaning it can be rarely visited. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the sunny day and view of the lake from up there and strolled a little around the building. We then continued on and not far ahead reached the Prince's House, a nice 18th century building which served as summer house. It is surrounded by a nice park, part of the castle's premises which we decided to walk around. From there we then descended downhill and reached the lakeshore which we followed until arriving back to the station. We then caught another train and reached Kiel a little later. The city, mostly modern looking, was heavily bombed during WWII which meant most of its old town was completely destroyed. As we exited the train station we walked through the city center and reached the Rathausplatz, a central square with the 1911 town hall to the south, the opera house to the west and open to on the north towards a small lake. The town hall featured an interesting tower which was based on one in Venice, most probably the one of St Mark. After walking further we then passed by the ciy's main church, St Nicholas. Originally dating to the 13th century it was rebuilt in the gothic revival style during the late 19th century, completely destroyed during WWII and rebuilt after. Unfortunately it was closed so we continued onwards through the center. Walking on we passed through a nice park which incredibly featured some crocus flowers. I was definitely not expecting them at this time of the year and so far north and was most probably due to the unsually hotter than average temperatures. Further on we walked along the seaside on the large pier which holds many transport and leasure boats as Kiel is one of Germany's largest ports. At one point after a bit of walking we decided to turn around and head back through the city center to look for a place to eat. We found a small chain called Campus suite which Ania suggested as having good dishes for cheap prices. After a filling lunch we then decided to reach the station from where we took a train taking us back to Hamburg.

The main square in Eutin

The Eutin castle

Entrance to the castle

The castle's inner courtyard

A street in Plön

View of the old town of Plön

The Plön castle

The Prince's House

View of the Great Plön Lake

Kiel's town hall

Mulhouse (15/02/2019)

After having received an email by our university coordinator in Strasbourg who announced we would have a small ceremony where we would receive our diplomas, we booked our flight tickets to the Euroairport. Once there we had some time before heading to Strasbourg so we decided to visit the nearby town of Mulhouse which I didn't have a chance to see while studying in the area two years before. So after a short bus ride, we reached the city and then headed on foot towards the city center. We arrived at the city's central square, Place de la Reunion, where the church of Saint-Etienne and the town hall are located together with other interesting buildings around its perimeter. After walking through the square we continued along a large central street and reached the northern edge of the old town where the Bollwerk, the only remains of what used to be the medieval walls encircling the city center. After coming back again to the main square we tried to enter the main church, St Etienne, built at the end of the 19th century in the Neogothic style, but found it unfortunately closed. We then headed inside the old town hall where we found out we could visit the small museum for free. The town hall, built in 1553 in the Rhenish Renaissance style, features a nice red exterior decorated with figures and allegories. Once inside we walked through the rooms which contained objects from the middle ages up to the modern times and relating to the city and its surroundings. A room was dedicated to paintings of the city, another to archaeological remains found in the area, and yet another with daily objects of alsatian residents. Particularly nice was the renaissance room which was used by the city council during the city's history and decorated with coat of arms most of which had german names due to the fact that the city, together with the rest of the region, was once part of the German lands. After visiting the nice town hall we went out into the street and continued a little until we reached the Musee des Beaux-Arts. The entrance was free on that day which meant a nice unexpected surprise. As we toured its rooms we admired art from the middle ages up to the contemporary period. Most artists were french but there was even a nice painting by Brueghel the Younger. After seeing the great art inside the museum we headed back to the main square where we sat, together with many other people, on the church's steps while enjoying a bit of sun before finally heading to the bus station to catch our bus in the direction of Strasbourg.

View of a street in the old town

The main square, Place de la Reunion

The church of St-Etienne

The town hall

The bell tower of the church

The room inside the town hall

Stained glass window showing the map of the city

Another view of the main square

Celle & Uelzen (20/01/2018)

After flying back to Hamburg, we decided to do another day trip during the weekend and opted to visit the towns of Celle and Uelzen with the train. After taking the regional in the direction of Hannover we reached Celle's station and got off to explore the city on foot. The weather was quite cold and a layer of frost had covered the ground. We walked through a public garden and then reached the Schloss Celle, a castle/palace built during the 16th century in the Renaissance style. It is surrounded by a nice park which we walked before entering the castle proper. Unfortunately, as my luck usually goes, the main facade was completely covered in scaffoldings and that meant evading that part when taking pictures. After paying the entry ticket we toured the building which included Baroque rooms filled with paintings and objects relating to the area's history. We toured most of the rooms but could not, unfortunately, see the chapel and theatre which were only visitable through a guided tour. I was a bit disappointed not to see the renaissance chapel especially after a room virtually showed the splendor of it. After the visit to the palace, we then crossed the park and entered the old town proper passing by the building holding the Bonnman Museum. A little further we reached the Markt, the city's main square with the church of St Mary at its center and some beautiful half-timbered houses around its perimeter. The town is, in fact, a member of the German Timber-Frame Road, and with its nearly 400 such houses one of its most remarkable examples. We entered the church and explored its interior, originally built in the gothic style during the 14th century it now presents a Baroque style from the late 17th century. Particularly noteworthy were the baroque organ and the gilded altar from 1613. After the visit to the church, we passed by the old town hall located on the eastern end of the square and featuring a baroque facade. We then continued on through the pretty old town streets admiring the beautiful multicolored facades of the timber-framed houses. After giving a nice round of the city center we then walked back through the castle's park and reached once again the station from where we took a train to the next town, Uelzen. A famous train hub the station was in fact redesigned by the Austrian born, New Zealand artists Friedensreich Hundertwasser with beautiful mosaics and red brick. After exiting the station we headed towards the city center and reached the main church, St Mary. Built around the 14th century it features a gothic structure with a large central bell tower jutting out among the low roofs surrounding it. Unfortunately, as we tried to enter we found all doors locked, so we decided to walk further. We passed through a nice street featuring some timber-framed houses here and there but realized that the town was rather empty and cold. After touring the small old town we then decided to head back to the station from where we finally took a ride headed back to Hamburg.

Inner courtyard of the Celle castle

The castle in Celle

Interior of the church of St Mary

The town hall

View of the bell tower and timber-framed houses

A street in the old town

Another street in the old town

The castle

The church of St Mary in Uelzen

View of the church's bell tower

A strete in the old town