Valentinas Travels

When I think about Germany, big cities like Berlin, Munich or Hamburg come to my mind. But 2 weeks ago I had the chance to explore a city that is less known, but absolutely wonderful and worth a visit: Lübeck, in the North of Germany, 65 km from Hamburg and not far away from the Baltic Sea. It counts about 220'000 inhabitants and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is often called "City of the 7 towers" or "Queen of the Hanse". Well deserved!  It is quite easy to get to Lübeck - from Hamburg Airport there are good train connections that need less than an hour to bring you to Lübeck. Once there it is quite easy to get around as the old city center is quite small. You won't need a map as the 7 towers of the town help you to orientate yourself. And you won't need a "To do"-List as you'll just pass by by the most famous things. When you stroll around, you'll also discover a lot of beautiful things  - picturesque, hidden all...

Let me tell you about a wonderful hike I did last weekend with a good friend of mine.  The weather didn't look too good, so we decided to go where the weater often is much better than elsewhere: The wonderful Ticino region! We decided to do the Tamaro-Lema pre-Alpine hike - just between Switzerland and Italy and probably one of the most beautiful hikes in the Swiss pre-Alpine region.  We took the train to Bellinzona and then to  Rivera .  From there, it's only a short walk to the cable cars that brings you up to Alpe Foppa (1530 m).  Up there, we visited the famous chapel  Santa Maria degli Angeli , designed by the famous Swiss architect Mario Botta and made out of concrete and porohyryr. Quite impressive! And I admit, I probably would go to church more often if every church had such a view! ;-)  On top of the Santa Maria degli Angeli chapel. Shouldn't every church have such a view?  The restaurant at Alpe Foppa We then star...

Let me tell you about a wonderful hike I did with my family last week. It was the birthday of my mother, so we had decided to do a weekend trip to the Appenzell region in Switzerland -a region that you probably know because of its liquor,  its cheese or its cows. I guess this region is what many people think is the "real Switzerland", the "cliché-one". Well… They’re propably right! ;-)  We stayed in the hotel “Frohe Aussicht” in Schwende ( -->Link ), just some minutes away from the village of Appenzell – a wonderful hotel in the middle of green hills, cows and traditional houses. Mr. and Mrs. Inauen are very hospitable hosts and we immediately felt welcome there. The food was great, the rooms very clean and nice. Translated, the name of the hotel means “happy view” – no lie I would say, right?   The little village of Schwende Schwende When you're in the Appenzell region, make sure you try a typical beer or an "Appenzeller" liquor...