Heidelburg, Germany - Lotte Hostel for family and backpackers, a nice place to stay

I picked this Lotte Backpackers on Hostelworld since they have really high score and positive comments.

I arrived at 9pm (the reception closes at 10pm) and the owner was friendly to introduce a famous traditional German restaurant to us.

Things I like:
- bus 33 located outside the main train station can bring us easily to the hostel, €1.1 for one way
- hostel as it's pretty new, clean and cosy, the private room is very big as well.  (recommend for families)
- location is very convenient (in old town) close to the main street where bars and restaurants located
- most of the tourist areas are within walking distance (eg) Old Bridge, Heidelberg Castle, Heidelberg University, Hauptstrabe
- close to Christmas market
- nice scene as I can see Heidelberg Castle through the windows at the hostle, very romatic at night
- pretty cheap, €59/night
- check out at 11am so no rush in the morning

Things I don't like"
- even though it's a private room, but we still have to share washroom, yet the washroom is clean

I would definitely come back to this hostel again !!!

Florence - Food and Restaurants, Italty

There are 2 traditional food you can get in Florence - Cow Stomach and Florentina Steak, however, you don't want to miss the pasta and pizza here too.

COW STOMACH RELATED AND BEEF, cheap and delicious
Apparently, there are 3 types of bread that is famous in Florence:
- Panino Di Lampretto, this is cow stomach bread
- Panino Di Trippa, this is also part of stomach bread
- Panino Di Bollito, beef bread

>> WHERE TO EAT?
- You will find a small truck-like stall in this open market runs by a woman and a man (usually opens till 2:30pm), they will drive away the truck when  they close
- I have tried all 3 items I mentioned above and they are yummy !!
- You can locals are there for lunch toooo

FLORENTINA STEAK, EXCELLENT, Not Expenive
- As suggested by a local, this restaurant, Trattoria La Casalinga, is pretty popular in Florence and usually there is a queue there at night after 7:30. 
Address: Via dei Michelozzi, 9r. 50125 Firenze
www.trattorialacasalinga.it
tel: 055 21 86 24
email: lacasalinga@freeinternet.it
- It's about €35/kg, if you find anything above €45-50 that might be a tourist scam.
- The steak is wonderful and so does the house red wine
- order 1kg steak so I didn't have much room to try other food

PASTA & PIZZA, Cheap and Delicious
- This is a very local restaurant which you can see people buying pizza home and take away food
La Mangiatoia
Address: Piazza S. Felice,8/9r, 50125 Firenze
www.ristorantelamangiatola.it
Tel: 055 22 40 60
- The pasta here is about €6-8 and pizza cost €8-10, English menu is available inside.
- Staff is very helpful when explaining
- You can also try the tap sparkling white wine which is my favourite too, you can order 3 different sizes: 1/4L, half or 1L. 
- I had 2 dinners and 1 lunch here as I found out that the quality differences aren't too many comparing to relative expensive restaurants
- I had different types of pasta here and 1 pizza here, they are all tasty.  ( I honestly think the pasta here are better than those I had in Rome)
- Desserts are normal, not very outstanding, but still not bad.

Gelato
- The gelato in Florence is 2 for 2 scoops, but you will find that shops charge you €4 in tourist area. 
- Be careful before you buy gelato in the tourist area, ask for a price first !! I heard that 2 Americians were asked to pay €28 for 2 cups.

Florence - Premium Outelts, Italty

Florence is a small but an interesting city - they have all their own traditional food here and some of them can only be found in Florence.  Other than all common tourist destinations (which I don't think they are worth me talking about them here), I will share my food and outlet tour here with you.

HOW TO GET TO FLORENCE FROM VENICE?
I came here by train from Venice which is very convenient, buying tickets in advance is unnecessary, check the train schedule first (either online or at the train station) and just buy tickets before you hop into a train.  It takes 1.5 -3.5 hours depends on the type of tickets you buy (from €17.5 - 55).

HOW MANY DAYS TO STAY IN FLORENCE?
I stayed here for 4 nights as I had planned to spend 1 full day in outlets (if you have limited budget, I guess you can still do 3 nights on a really tight schedule).

OUTLETS IN FLORENCE
There are about 3-4 outlets in Florence, but I picked 2 to visit only as it had already taken me 1 full to do them.

1/ Space - Prada and Miu Miu Outlet
- highly recommend you to visit this one first if you have limited time
- it's a really big outlet full of men's and women's suits, shoes, bags, all leather goods
- it's way bigger than the one in HK
- the discount is pretty deep, 30-50% which depends on the products you buy (eg) a prada wallet is usually Euro $195
- remember to ask the staff there for the actual price !!! The price on the tag might not be final, usually it's cheaper because of defeats which I could barely see
- I bought a Miu Miu handbag for Euro $349 with 14% tax refund (price on the tag is $449, so don't forget to ask for the final price).  Just out of curisity, I checked the price of the handbag I bought at a Miu Miu store in Florence city center, it's Euro $995 for the same size, same shape but just different color
>>How do you go to Space?
- Take the train from Florence’s Santa Maria Novella Station to Montevarchi (30 mins to 1 hour, depends on what train you take, Euro $3.3 - 4.8/way), then continue by taxi (about 10-15 minutes) to the outlet.
- Once you get out of the station, Montevarchi, there is a taxi stand there.  Just tell the taxi driver you want to go to the Prada outlet, they know how to get there.  /
- 1- way (either station to outlet / outlet back to station costs Euro $12, it's printed on a card so it's pretty easy to deal with)
- you can also ask people whom hanging around the station / taxi stand to share a taxi with you, I invited 2 Korean girls to share a taxi with me, so it's only $3/person.
- Remember to ask the taxi driver to pick you up after, say like 2 hours or 3 (I spent 2.5 hours there) or get his phone number so you can call him to drive you back to the station as it's not easy to catch a taxi at the outlet. 
- take a number ticket before you go in the outlet (just right outside the door), the staff will keep the products you want and mark the number on your ticket down. 

2/ The Mall, locals also called Gucci Outlet
- It's a premium outlets that you can find different premium brands there (eg) Gucci, YSL, Burberry, Dior Prada
- Yes, there is also a Prada outlet there but it's waaaaay smaller than Space.
- I personally think the brands in this outlet aren't as affordable as Prada outlets, for example, I wouldn't buy a clothe at Alexander McQueen or Valentino.  The products at Gucci are very outdated, most of the products there are about 5-7 years ago and the disscount isn't very ideal.
- Burberry is quite good, you can buy their signature scarfs and jackets there.
- 1 store that is worth to visit is Ferregamo, the shoes there are about 30-50% off. 
- The outlet is relative small compares to those in US.  You don't see GAP or some other affordable brands there.
- Walk down to the other side of the road, you will find a diseal store there ( I didn't have time to visit, so not sure if it's an outlet or not)
- I buy a prada leather bag (not this season but a generic one) for $449 which is still a pretty good deal.

HOW TO GO TO THE MALL?
Method 1: By Train, suggest you to take train if you are going to The Mall from Prada Outlet
- Take the train from Florence’s Santa Maria Novella Station to Rignano sull’Arno (take about 30 mins to 1 hour, depends on what type of train you take)
- Then continue by taxi (about five minutes) to Leccio.
- Taxi to Leccio is a bit complicated (at least or me), as I didn't see any taxi stands nearby the station.
- There is a corner store-like shop right at the exit of the station, grab a private shuttle bus business card inside - Miriam, call them.  (about €5/person for 1-way).  I guess this private shuttle bus may also pick up people regularly at the train station, if you are lucky enough, may run into them without calling.

Method 2: By Bus, suggest you to take bus if you are going to The Mall directly from Florence city center
- Take bus SITA, the bus stop is very close to Santa Maria Novella Station
- This bus take you directly to The Mall, €10/person for one-way,  so no taxi is needed and is more convenient (I took this bus back to Florence when I left The Mall)
- Take about 1 hour to go back to Florence

HAPPY SHOPPING !!!
Follow me with the food tour I had in Florence, they are all recommended by locals.

Cheapest way to Fiumicino Airport, Rome

Terravision shuttle bus to Fiumicino,€6/one way, while another
shuttle bus - SIT costs €8.

Bus Stop: just one block down where SIT station is, also very close to Termini station.

Duration: about 1 hour, same as SIT

Tickets: I didn't buy in advance, just bought 30 mins before departure.

What City to Visit in Austria??

Many people would go visit Vienna in Austria, a very famous city that probably everyone of you would have heard about it.

VISITING MORE CITIES IN AUSTRIA?
Salzburg probably is another pretty city that you can't miss.  Just to give you a quick idea, Mozart was bored in this city.


HOW TO GO TO SALZBURG?
There is a train every 30-45 mins to Salzburg from Vienna at Westbagnhof Station.

The ticket costs me €18 (one-way) and almost 3 hours to Salzburg. Buying tickets in advance is unnecessary, as you can pick the train that fits your schedule at the station on the day you leave. (I bought mine 1 hour before I left)


Have a look at the photos that I took at Hohensalzburg Castle, the panorama is beautiful.

It was raining when I went there, I am sure it would be more beautiful on sunny days.

Vienna - Cafe Diglas, Austria

Cafe is very famous in Vienna, so I randomly picked this cafe on goggle map and found out at the end that this is a famous cafe in the area.  It's located in the city center which is very close to most of the tourist destinations.

I had also been to another popular one called Cafe Central (located in old part of Vienna, close to high-ended shopping area), I think Cafe Diglas is better in terms of quality and price while Cafe Central is too touristy.  Therefore, I visited Cafe Diglas again before I left Vienna.
Highly RECOMMEND you to visit !!

DIRECTION TO THE CAFE DIGLAS
Take the underground U3 line to the station "Stephansplatz", it only takes you less than 5 mins walk there.

WHAT HAVE I ORDERED?
1/ Cappuccino - the flavour is really good and the foamy milk is really tasty
2/ Double Mokka - this is double expresso in Vienna, I generally don't drink expresso because of its bitter and strong smell.  This one is very good.
3/ Large Cafe Diglas Breakfast - ham + cheese + scamble egg, the ham isn't very strong so I guess most people can eat it.  Scamble egg is the highlight.
4/ Apple Cake - an Austrian cake, there are 3 layers but I can't really tell what they are.  Recommend to share with 2-3 friends as it's a bit too much for me after eating 1 slice.
The above 4 items cost Euro $25 (including tips)

5/ White Coffee - nothing special, not recommended
6/ Hot Chocolate - if you are looking for high quality chocolate drinks, this is not the one.  I like the rich foamy milk the most, other than that, it's only a normal hot chocolate
7/Cheese Cake - the texture is very special - "fluffy" (very easy to break into tiny little pieces), similar to Japanese style.  The cheese flavor isn't very strong, definitely not New York type. Coating is pastry-like, but not crispy at all.  It's nothing similar to any American nor French style pastries. 
8/ Chocolate Ball - very sweet (benchmarking Asians' preference), I can only have 2 bites.  Look at the photos and see if you could sense how sweet it is.
These 4 dishes cost €18 (including tips)

Recommend you to bring a book to cafe Diglas to enjoy one afternoon there with a piece of cake and  cup of coffee, I wish I could do that but I only had 2 days in Vienna. 

For your information, I have another review written about the unique washroom door at Cafe Diglas.

ANOTHER CAFE
Cafe Sacher located in city center, is popular for sachertorte (a chocolate cake was originally made in Vienna and Salzburg), I didnt have a chance to try it CA there is a long queue.  Comments from friends of mine saying that it's a nice chocolate but it's not worth to line up for half an hour for it. 

Wombat Hostel "The Lounge", Vienna, Austria

It's a good idea to stay at hostels while travelling around Europe, it's cheaper than hotels and the staff is friendly (I personally don't rate staying in hotels in Europe as it's more expensive but the services are still bad). 

Just to let give you a bit information, I travel quit a bit and stay in different hotels and hostels, so the comments are globally relative.

WOMBAT HOSTEL "THE LOUNGE"
This time I stayed at a hostel called Wombat Hostel "The Lounge" (there are 2 more Wombat Hostels in Vienna) for 2 nights.

The location isn't at the very central (the ring) but it's close to U-Bahn (some of you may called underground/train) so you can just catch a train easily to cetral within 15 mins.

8-bed Dorm
I got mistakenly assigned to a 8-bed dorm on the 1st night (Euro $13/person) instead of 6-bed dorm (Euro $20/person).  I personally don't really care wheather it's a 6/8 dorm, so we got more welcome drinks because of this accident.

Things I like about 8-bed dorm:
- very clean & spacious
- the quality of mattress is good
- one locker/person, it's pretty safe

Things I don't like about this 8-bed dorm:
- roommates sleep a bit early, at 1030pm on Friday night (common problem)
-have to make the bed myself (generally I don't mind, but I have to make it very quietly at night with only light from mobile phone as other roommates were sleeping)

Private Room
Then I moved to a 2-bed private room (Euro $58/room) in the next day (I intended to stay at a private room initially, however, they are fully booked, so I stayed in a dorm on the first night)

Thing I like about this private room:
- pretty big and very clean
- washroom is big enough as to compare with other hotels (eg. St Christopher's Hostel in Bruges)
- don't have to share washroom with strangers
- don't have to make my own bed

Things I don't like in this private room:
- no TV (but it's very common in most of the hostels)

Other
- There is a bar in the basement where you can redeem free welcome drinks, foosball and pool tables are also down in the basement. 
- Laundary is located right next to the bar, Euro $2 for washing and Euro $2.5 for drying, including detergent.
- wifi is only available on the 1st floor where the receipt is, I know it's a bit lame that no wifi is available in the room. 

I am happy to stay at Wombat Hostel again next time.

Additional Information
U-Bahn
- Easy to understand and travel around
- Euro $1.8 for a single trip, Euro $5.6 for a 24-hour pass

Vienna - Amazing washroom door in Cafe Diglas, Austria

According to the title, I have experienced an amazing washroom today at Cafe Diglas in Vienna.  Cafe Diglas is a popular one in the area.

Look at the photos and you will see how fascinating the toilet doors are.  I have seen glass windows/doors changing into ground glass when they are closed, but I have never seen one using in any washrooms.  In addition, you can see there is a stop sign on the ground glass when it is locked. 

Shake Shack Burger, New York, Manhanntan

I finally arrive New York!!!! How can you not eat burgers when you are in Big Apple??!!!??

SHAKE SHACK BURGER
I have tried Shake Shack Burger (the top 10 burger joints in New York) and it's located in the center of New York, Madision Square Park. Stroll down for a burger to start your day, I am sure you will be happy with it. 

This burger joint is located in the middle of a park (for a person living in a packed city, this is such an awesome place) where you are surrounded by squarels and pigeons.

I suggest you to go there no later than 11:30am on weekends to avoid long queue and before 11:00-11:15am on weekdays. They have a camera sets near the line, check it out by using this iPhone app to avoid waiting. Cool, hey ;)

I order 1 signature Shake Shack double burger + a Shake hotdog (don't really remember the name, it's the first one on the menu) + cheese fries + a very thick chocolate shake.

Shake Shack Double Burger, US$7, RECOMMENDED
Shake Shack only uses angus beef for burgers and they are juicy and the flavor is fabulous that you have to try them out !!! Words couldn't describe all.
GO TRY!!

Shake Hotdog, forgot the price but cheaper than the double burger, NOT RECOMMENDED
I have no idea why Shake Shack bothers making hotdogs??!!?? It's just lame!!!! If you have been to Toronto, the hot dog stands outside Canadian Tire are so much better than this one.

Cheese Fries, US$3.5, GOOD
The fries are good, try them if you want more varities.

Chocolate Shake, ~US$6, GOOD
It is definitely for chocolate lovers. The texture is similar to a milkshake but it tastes less milky and a lot thicker that you need to eat with a spoon. Inside the shake, there are chucky pieces of choclate!! I personally think it's too sweet for me that I could only eat a few bites. My friend who is a chocolate lover is so happy after finishing the cup.

I would definitely come back for burgers (actually, I went again before I left) when I am in New York again!!

2 nights 2 days in Brussels, Belgium

I spend 2 days 2 nights in Brussels and 1 day in Bruges.

Pickpockets!! Beware of pickpockets or robbery when you are in Brussels, especially at night.

I witness an incident of robbery and spot a thief-like man on the first night in Brussels near Grand Place, all the tourists go there.  It is pretty scary - a girl gets robbed and she screams and runs after the thief, unfortunately, no one could help her.  Btw, according to wikitravel, it's not safe to walk around at night in Brussels,  so i just have dinners a bit early (around 7-8) and then head back to hostel.
Don't be too scared, its still safe to walk around during the day.

SIGHTSEEING
I arrive in Brussels at 5pm, so I only have dinner (don't walk around at night in Brussels, not safe enough). The next day, I spend around 7 hours walking in the city to all sightseeing places, and I am pretty much done everything in there.

I don't recommend you to spend more than 2 nights there as you won't walk too far away from the tourist places to keep yourself safe, so nothing randoms to explore.

There is a small beer museum near Grand Place, don't go there!

MUSSELS
Chez Leon, Grand Place, ~Euro$25-30/set, MUST TRY.

Try to avoid eating near Grand Place as they try to scam tourists with cheap food but very expensive drinks.  However, you can still try one there called Chez Leon.  They have the best musels in Brussels.  You can see locals also go there for dinners too.

The set I order includes 500gr + fries + beer

Cherry Beer

500 gr mussels + baked mussels with cheese

OTHER SEAFOOD
Mer Du Nord, Euro$30, CAN'T MISS

When you are strolling down to watch the church, St. Catherine, just keep walking down the road, you will see a semi-restaurant called "Mer Du Nord'.  They don't have any sitting places, you can only stand there.  The semi-restaurant gets crowded during lunch hour so be there a little bit early, say like 12pm to avoid lining up.  (btw, they close at night)

On the other side of the eating area, this shop also sells seafood, that's why the ingredients are so fresh.

I order 3 dishes:
-  The chief cooks it till medium-rare with herbs and olive oil !!! DON'T MISS

Fabulous Grilled Tuna!!

- 12 fresh mussels, Euro $6, come with lemon juice-like sauce.  Interesting and sweet!

Fresh Raw Mussels

- Raw Oysters (forgot to take picture), ~Euro$1.5-2 each, well, like oysters I normally have in different restaurants. ummm... If you have tried the oysters at Hog Island in San Francisco, they are pretty much the same.  I don't highly recommend you to order this if you have oysters once a while, these won't surprise you.

I also order a glass of white wine, the bill is ~Euro$30, GOOD VALUE !!!


ABC, near St Catherine, Good To Try
I also try a similar eating place right across the street called, ABC.  Part of the shop sells meat and seafood and the other side serves food.  As I have already eaten a bit at Mer Du Nord, I just order 1 dish - squid and octopus cooked in Spanish way.  It's also good !!!

They only have a menu written in Dutch, but the owner is nice enough to translate them for you.

The total costs Euro$30 as I have also ordered a glass of white wine and add some extra Spanish sausages in.

Octopus + Squid + Sausages cooked in Spanish Way

Le Paon Royal, very close to St Catherine, GOOD
We walked back to Mer Du Nord trying to have our last dinner in Brussel with them, unfortunately, they have closed.  So I just walk arounda little bit and find this restaurant.

You don't see too much tourists here, first criterion, not a touristy place, pass !

Here are the 3 dishes I order:

- This dish comes with french fries, Euro$24, the way it cooks is very interesting, however, the eel is a bit fishy.  I prefer the Chinese style more.

Eel cooked in herbs

- Horse fillet with shallots and red wine with french fries, Euro$23, surprisingly, it is delicious ! I couldn't tell it's a horse fillet from my first bite! It's like eating a beef steak but a very tender one.

Medium Rare Horse Meat, Delicious !!

- You can tell that the crepes are made with a lot of eggs that make them smell good and chewy.

Crepes with custard and mixed berries.

How can you miss fruit beer in Brussels??

WAFFLES
oh about this, I don't have any recommendations for you guys.  None of the waffles I bought are good, they are just too sweet or taste very artificial (like using a lot vanilla oil). I couldn't find a shop that makes it when you order.

ummm.... I probably wont go to Brussels !! Instead, I would travel to Bruges again !!