Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Piazza del Campo is the beating heart of Siena, and one of the most distinctive medieval squares in Italy. Its broad shell-like form came from the natural slope where the city’s streets once converged, and over time it was carefully shaped into a harmonious civic space rather than a simple market place.
Continue reading “Conchiglia”
The Duomo of Siena is one of Italy’s most striking cathedrals, built over several centuries as the city’s wealth and ambition grew. Its origins go back to the 12th century, with the building consecrated in 1179, and major work continuing through the 13th and 14th centuries.
Continue reading “Black and white”
The Natural History Museum in Siena is one of the city’s most intriguing cultural stops, especially if you enjoy places where science, history and old-world atmosphere come together. It is closely tied to the Accademia dei Fisiocritici, a scientific academy founded in 1691, and the museum’s collections grew over the centuries through donations, acquisitions and careful preservation.
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Montemaggio is a rounded, wooded hill in the Montagnola Senese, rising to roughly 670 metres above sea level in the municipality of Monteriggioni, north of Siena in central Tuscany. The hill forms one of the higher points of the gentle, rolling landscape between Siena and Colle di Val d’Elsa, and is reached by country lanes and forest tracks that thread through chestnut, oak and holm-oak woodlands. From its slopes you get the classic patchwork views of Chianti – vineyards, olive groves and hamlets punctuating the soft folds of the countryside – while the summit area includes an old farmhouse known as Casa Giubbileo and small karst features and caves in the limestone that give a hint of the hill’s geological variety.
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The Via Francigena is an ancient pilgrimage route that links Canterbury with Roma, with the option of continuing further south into Italy. It was created to provide a safer and more practical overland path for pilgrims, traders and travellers moving through medieval Europe, and it later became a major cultural itinerary rather than just a religious one.
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The Dreiländerstein near Friedland, Neu-Eichenberg and Hohengandern is a striking border marker because it has stood at a point where political frontiers repeatedly shifted over time. Before the modern German states existed, this spot marked the meeting point of older territorial claims; later it separated the Electorate of Hesse, the Kingdom of Hanover and the Kingdom of Prussia, which is still reflected in the stone’s historical inscriptions. After German reunification, it once again became a symbol of three neighbouring states meeting there: Hessen, Niedersachsen and Thüringen.
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Roti canai is one of those dishes that immediately anchors you in Malaysia’s rich, layered food culture. At its core, it is a flatbread with South Indian roots, introduced through migration and adapted over generations into something distinctly Malaysian. Made from a simple dough of flour, water, eggs, and ghee or oil, it is stretched, folded, and cooked on a hot griddle until crisp on the outside and soft within. It is most commonly served with dhal, but variations include chicken or fish curry, making it suitable for breakfast, lunch, or a late-night meal.
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The Northeimer Seenplatte is a man-made lake district on the edge of Northeim in Niedersachsen, formed from former gravel pits and now spread across roughly 360 hectares with a dozen artificial lakes. It looks open and spacious rather than natural in the strict sense: broad stretches of water, reed-lined edges, sandy or grassy banks, and in places a distinctly recreational feel, with sailing, swimming, windsurfing and walking routes alongside quieter zones for birds and wildlife.
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The Ducksteinquelle near Moringen is a small calcareous spring in the countryside by Lutterbeck, best known as a pleasant walking spot rather than a dramatic natural spectacle. Its water is rich in lime, and as it emerges and evaporates, it leaves behind tiny mineral deposits on mosses, plant remains and the ground, gradually building a porous form of limestone known as tuff or ‘Duckstein’.
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Each June, the Brockenaufstieg turns Braunlage into a lively base camp for long-distance hikers heading up into the Harz, with the town’s central square filling before dawn with rucksacks, trekking poles and a mix of nervous energy and quiet anticipation. The atmosphere is friendly rather than competitive, more about testing stamina and sharing a long day in the hills than chasing times, and you notice quickly how mixed the field is: seasoned ultra‑walkers alongside office workers who have been training on forest tracks at weekends. Once the start bell goes and the crowd strings out towards the first climbs, Braunlage drops away behind you and the focus shifts to settling into a rhythm for many hours on your feet.
Continue reading “Brockenaufstieg”