A Glance at Europe

Tasting 5 European cities in 15 days

Photo: Dan Chen

by Shen Wu

Five cities in 15 days, sounds like around the world in 80 days though I was not betting with anyone. Indeed, it was a journey with a tight schedule. For some of the cities, I spent 3 days, like Paris, while in others, like Milan, I only stayed for a few hours. Although it may not be the best way to explore the beauty and charm of the cities in such a hur-ry, it did give me an unexpected and unforgettable experience.

Travelling by all means of trans-portation such as plane, train, bus, underground, tram and boat, the journey was full of ex-citement. Every city has a unique personality. Here I would like to share my stories from several cit-

ies which I find fascinating.

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I have never been a big fan of “must go” or “must see”. Those tourist spots are called “must” for a reason, but for me, “must” is little bit exaggerated. How-ever, Barcelona changed my mind, or, to be more specific, Gaudi’s architecture changed my mind.

For me, Barcelona is the city of Gaudi, the most creative genius in the field of architecture. It was raining when I went to see Sagrada Familia, one of the most well-known churches designed by Gaudi. The church was presented in an unusual shape. Colourful food, such as corn, was decorated on the top of the church. In-side, the pillars as imitation of trees have branches and holes. Gaudi is an architect who found most of his Inspiration from nature, such as beehives, sea shells and trees. It felt so unreal that I thought I was inside a science fiction movie. From the outside we could see the building was unfinished; part of it was still under con-struction. Gaudi died before the comple-tion of the Sagrada Familia.

Now people are continuing on his unfin-ished work by following the drawings he left. We also visited Casa Milá and Casa Batlló, both of them were designed by Gaudi.

There is nothing quite like it. No one but him can put architect into such an ex-treme. If you have an opportunity to visit Spain, the architecture by Gaudi is must see.

caption:1.Statues on the roof of Casa Milá2.Decoration of Sagrada Familia3.Spiral stair in Sagrada Familia

Photo: Shen Wu

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TipsSagrada FamiliaOpen hour: Oct. - Mar. 9.00 - 18.00Apr. - Sep. 9.00-20.00Ticket: Basilica visit: € 13 (€11 for student) Casa BatllóOpen hour: all year around, from 9.00-21.00Ticket: € 18.15 (€14.55 for student)

by Shen Wu

Barcelona: immortal Gaudi

We made a bold decision to follow the rail of No.16 tram to Museumplein instead of taking a tram, since the price of tram was a little bit expen-sive. This may sound stupid but it worked! The view on the way was fascinating: people were having a meeting in the basement; the old lady was watering her flowers outside the door step; two big pictures were hanging in the construction, showing the street twenty years before and after. On our way back, we had lunch in the bakery where delicious cakes were served.

Following the rail can be regarded as a practical way to explore Amsterdam if you don’t have a time limit and want to save money. More importantly, we didn’t get lost. If there was more than one track, we simply waited for the next tram to see which track it took. As the saying goes, it is more about the journey than the destination.

caption:1.No.16 Tram 2.Car in a cafe3.Snack bar4.A real cat in the window

Photo: Shen Wu

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by Shen Wu

Amsterdam:travel along the rail

Venice:islands exploration

by Shen Wu

Photo: Shen Wu

Besides the main island, other small islands such as Murano and Burano are worth visiting. The theme of Murano is glass. Not far away from the Quay, there was a place called S Marco Glass Factory where we watched the workers blow the hot liquid into beautiful glasses. The owner of the factory told us: “it looks more beautiful when facing the light.” He picked up a crystal ball and held it up to the window. When the light went through the ball, it reflected more colours than it did in the dark. All the glass in the factory was for sale. Price can be negotiated if you buy more and pay by cash. We bought three crystal balls. We made a bargain with the owner, paying 18 euros each instead of 20.

Countless glass shops are situated along the banks of the river. Most of the glasses the shops sell are simi-lar, so make sure you shop around before making a purchase.

On our way to Murano Faro, the Quay, there was an extraordinary glass work of art. It looked like a flower with its fire-like petals.

One thing to note is the Quay where the ship sails to Burano is not the same one as the Quay where we got off. The ticket to Burano is the same price as to Mu-rano. After half an hour of sailing, we arrived at Burano, the colourful island. Walking on the island, we felt as though we were right inside a fairy tale. Just like some-one has just tipped over a paint bucket, all the houses are painted with any vivid colours you could name. There are shops selling local handicraft and Burano lace.

caption:1.Glass lamps 2.Crystal balls 3. House in Burano 4.House in Burano

Photo: Shen Wu

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TipsTickets can be bought at every quay. It cost € 6.5 per person to travel from one island to another.

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Paris:a date in spring

Photo: Shen Wuby Shen Wu

What colour do you think represents Paris, the romance capital?

For me, it is green. Walking along Avenue New York, rows of plane trees along the banks of the Seine. With an eyeful of green and gentle breeze, I could grab a book and sit here for a whole day. In fact, many people did. Jogging, cycling, or simply walking on this endless green boulevard can be added into the top ten to-do list in Paris.

In the afternoon, we visited the Louvre, the treasure house of precious paintings and sculptures. The mysterious Mona Lisa Smile was greeted by dozens of cameras of visitors, as was the Venus de Milo. When walking out of Louvre, it was already half past six. The scenery at that time was absolutely stun-ning. The clouds beside the sun looked as if they were on fire. Louvre and other buildings were tinged with red and gold by the sunlight. From a distance, love birds with their hands held were whispering in the background of the sunset and the Eiffel Tower. At that moment, I was immersed in the air of the romance capital. It was so romantic!

How can a date be called a date without delicious food, especially sweets? Having a bit of Macaron, has always been a dream of people who have a sweet tooth. This little round colourful des-sert has driven thousands of dessert lovers on a pilgrimage.

First we tried Ladurée, the legendary brand which was referred to as Chanel in the field of Macaron. Six Macarons which were delicately packed in a green box with golden decorative pattern on it cost 15.5 euros, quite expensive but not unreasonable, since it was situated in the Palace of Versailles. The cookies were smooth and crispy. I could even taste a little ground almond inside. It was sweet at first bite, but the taste of sweet immediately disappeared so that the sweet was quite agree-able (sweet but not greasy). The scent of the filling between the cookies stayed for a while before fad-ing away, leaving endless taste in the mouth. My personal favourite is Jasmine flavour.

While Ladurée is known as Chanel, Pierre Hermé, of course, is the Hermé of Macaron. Comparing these two famous Macarons, each one has its own specialty. Although the cookies of Hermé are not as crispy as Ladurée, they have glitter powder on them which makes the Macarons look more appealing. In addition, the cookies of the Hermé’s have more than one colour. However, for those who care more about the taste than appearance, the filling of Hermé has richer taste than Ladurée.

Macarons by these two shops add one more reason for me to revisit Paris. I simply cannot get the taste out of my head.

Macaron: Ladurée vs. Pierre Hermé

caption:1.The Louvre in the sunset2.Plane trees3.The Seine

Photo: Shen Wu

4.Macaron by Ladurée5. Macaron by Pierre Hermé

Photo: Dan Chen

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The highlight of the journey is the cruise. There is a booth at Quai Rive Neuve where you can find several cruise routes. The route we chose lasted for three hours and cost 28 euro. It was definitely worth the price.

Before us was the boundless shining blue Mediter-ranean. We were held up five meters high by the big waves. All of us were caught in the spray like drowned rats. My mouth was filled with the taste of salt and our trousers were full of white marks left by sea water. Waves came again and again until we were all wet, from top to bottom. How-ever, none of us left the prow and moved inside the cabin, since standing in the prow really made you feel like Jack Sparrow in his Black Pearl. All we lacked was a black flag with a skull on it to be called pirates and of course, a black eye patch. It was awesome!

The route is designed for some small islands such as Châteaux d’if. The waves became still when sail-ing towards the islands. Everyone took advantage of this rare opportunity and brought out their cam-eras and began to shoot. The islands were full of hills, huge white rocks and castle-like buildings. The trees were growing in unusual places where there

was little space. Quite a few mountain climbers and hikers on those islands waved to us when they saw our boat. Most sightseers enjoyed this trip, but not everyone, especially for those who suffer from sea sick. “It feels like thirteen hours!” said a boy from an American family.

Marseille:A cruise you will never forget

caption:1.Ships in the Vieux-Port

2.A view from the sea3.Fishing in the island

4.A tree

Photo: Shen Wu

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by Shen Wu