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!!