23rd Feb 2007: Italy / Siena 意大利/西耶那

23rd Feburary 2007. One of Italy's best preserved medieval towns, located in the heart of Tuscany. Siena, built on three hills and surrounded by well preserved walls, is filled with tonns of Gothic architecture.

22nd Feb 2007: Italy / Pisa 意大利/比萨铁塔

22nd February 2007. We reach the tower of Pisa with not much of a surprise. It was a small area cramped with tourist with the traditional pose. Well, we did it too. There are no more steel cables pulling the tower as the repair work have been completed. Guess what, we had Chinese food for lunch. It sucks but it is still better than Italian.

20th Feb 2007: Italy / Milan 意大利/米兰

20th Feburary 2007. Castello Sforzesco was our first stop in Milan. Though it has long historical background with some wonderful interior courtyards designed by Leonardo, it didn't impress us much. Next was Leonardo da Vinci's HorseIt was build to represent the appreciation of the Americans for the genius of Leonardo and the legacy of the Italian Renaissance. Not a fan of soccer but the AC Milan Club was "huge". Another great day with plenty of sunshine.

22nd Feb 2007: Italy / Florence 意大利/佛罗伦萨

22~23rd Feburary 2007. Florence is one of Italy's most atmospheric and pleasant city. It's here that we see the famous David (replica) statue and the famous Ponte Vecchio. Weather is cool and so walking on the streets is so relaxing. Our dinner was Italian: steak + some red wines. The restaurant's was owned by a 70 year old man and his behaviour was nothing more than weird. Our hotel room looks decent but the bathrooms was a no no.

18th Feb 2007: Switzerland / Interlaken 瑞士/因特拉肯

17~18th Feburary 2007. Interlaken lies within lakes and mountains. The town is perfectly positioned as the gateway into the Oberland, linked into main train routes to and from Bern and Zürich.

18th Feb 2007: Switzerland / Interlaken / Jungfrau 瑞士/因特拉肯/少女峰

The day greeted us with a cold morning, when we step out of our hotel. There were barely any sight of sunshine when we were travelling to the 1st and second stop. I suffered ocassion of gidiness at the top due to lack of oxygen. Ying Ying was however doing very well. When we reached the top, the sun was very strong and temperature drops beyond tolerable level, at leat for me. My standard expression in the open tells you how cold I am. How I wish I could hang out a little longer in the mountain area to take more photos.

17th Feb 2007: Switzerland / Bern 瑞士/伯尔尼

The Clock Tower (Zeitglockenturm) was Bern's first western city gate (1191 - 1256) and formed the boundary of the first city extension. Today it is one of Bern's most important sights. The ornate astronomical calendar clock was created in 1530.


The tower clock was the city's main clock and therefore had an authoritative function in Bern. It was from there that travel times indicated on the hour stones along the cantonal roads were measured. Length units - formerly cubit and fathom, today meter and double meter - for public inspection are displayed in the arch of the gate.


17th Feburary 2007. Bern (Berne) is perhaps the most charming city in Switzerland. The city is named after a pathetic bear (not the ones in the photos) that was killed by a Duke in 1911.

19th Feb 2007: Switzerland / Lake Geneva 瑞士/日内瓦湖

19th Feburary 2007. Castle of Chillon (Chateu de Chillon ), built on the water's edge, Chillon is unique with one side a fortress facing the ancient road to Italy, the other a princely residence facing the Lake of Geneva.

17th Feb 2007: Switzerland / Lucerne 瑞士/卢塞思

Famous attraction was the Lion Monument (Bertel Thorwaldsen's Lõwendenkmal) where it commemorates the Swiss Guards who died while defending Marie Antoinette in the French Revolution. Along the Ruess River, the chapel bridge was built in 1333 and is 200 meters in length and features 120 captioned triangular paintings from the early 1500s that chronicle the city’s history. The bridge was nearly destroyed in a 1993 fire and has been restored. Not to mention Burcherer, where you can get all the good watches you wanted.