Apart from Venice, the next Italian city that I found myself falling for is the art, historical and cultural capital of Italy, Florence. One of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, Florence is the capital city of Tuscany region in the central Italy, and it is much adorable than and a far cry from the rest of Italian cities with its rich historical and cultural heritage. Florence is known as the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance with its strong influence in ancient Italian art and architecture. Two of the greatest sculptors in Renaissance era, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vince, were born in here.

Florence is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world with River Arno splits Florence into new and historic sections of the city. Spending at least a few days and staying in one of the luxury villa in Florence is surely a great idea to enjoy your vacation here. When we first arrived at its main rail station of Santa Maria Novella (SMN), and walked out from the station, we were already in the heart of historic Florence. All within walking distance, city attractions could be easily explored one after another. Among them, the Duomo Cathedral is definitely the dominant icon, being the highest building in Florence. Climbing up its 460 steps of spiral staircase to the tower top, we had the best panoramic view of the Florence cityscape. Next up would be the Accademia Gallery. I was more than willing to queue up for 45 minute just to get in there. Why? Because the original David, the greatest sculpture done by my favorite sculptor Michelangelo, was housed inside there!

By sitting at one of the many open air cafes at Piazza Della Signoria, not far from the Duomo, travelers not only could see many of those famous sculptures around the square, they can also do some people watching (which was in fact a local culture). A replica statue of David could also be found here.

For my wife who loves leather bags and wallets, San Lorenzo open market is a ‘must-go’ market. We spent hours in there to buy some of those high quality local leather products such as shoes, bags, wallet that preciously made in Firenze.

In the evening, we walked along the River Arno, the main river of florence and Tuscany. We came to the Vecchio Bridge, the oldest and most famous bridge that spanning across the River Arno. There are shops selling jewelries, arts and souvenirs. In the evening under the setting sun, it just looked marvelous in yellow colour.

When the night fell, we took a bus up to the hill top at Piazzale Michelangelo. It is the best viewpoint to Florence city skyline. I set up my DSLR onto a tripod and shot endlessly! Another replica of the David statue could also be found at the Piazzale. Check out other the frugal ways to explore Florence during weekend.

Florence is also the starting location for visiting other highland cities of Tuscany, such as Sienna and wine producing area such as Chianti for the Chianti Classico wine. If you are a wine lover like me, staying in one of the Tuscany villa and hopping the vineyard after vineyard for some wine tasting can surely let your hair down.

In fact, Florence offers much more than that. The local foods always make my mouth water! I couldn’t help but to try the local cow stripes, gelato, as well as the local Florence steak dinner, with a glass of Italian Chianti Classico wine as well as some breads with local Extra Virgin Olive Oil. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate travel guide to Italy

恭喜发财！ Happy Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year 0f Dragon 2012! This is my another photo report on CNY 2012 celebration and decoration at one of the most popular festive destination in Kuala Lumpur, the Tianhou Temple (天后宫, Tian Hou Gong). Lanterns and lighting features are put up around the temple each year to celebrate the festival. This year was no exception. People flocked into the temple as devotees as well as visitors to get into the festive mood.

In terms of decorations, there were nicely presented this year, as usual, eventhough it lacked of surprises.

The same scene that could be seen everyday: Devotees were filling up their drinking bottles with holy water poured from the Guan Yin Goddess.

Lanterns are hung all over the temple, especially at the courtyard in front of the main prayer hall at 1st floor, which houses the Goddess of The Heavenly Mother (Tian Hou).

Taoism and buddhism devotees are doing their prayer at the main hall, with lots of joss sticks burning around.

Tian Hou Temple is frequented mostly by the local Chinese community.

How to get into the Chinese New Year mood quickly? Watching Dragon dance performance is one of the best. Four “Dragons” were dancing to the beat of associated loud drums and cymbals rhythms.

Those “dragons” were so friendly to mix around and get together with children.

“Can you take a photo for me?”

These are a few of my favourite shots of the day…

Some EXIF info: Photos were taken with my Nikon D7000 and my Nikkor 18-105mm medium zoom lens. Daylight preset White Balance setting. No flash fired with Matrix metering.

Click HERE to view more Chinese Lunar New Year celebration photos in my Flickr album.

Tomorrow I’ll be moving further up to another popular New Year destination of Malaysia, Genting highland Resort World. More photo reports on CNY 2012 will be posted here in Travel Feeder. Until then, Ciao! – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide of Festive seasons

HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS LUNAR NEW YEAR OF DRAGON 2012!

Chinese New Year (CNY) or Lunar New Year 2012, Year of Dragon, falls on the 23rd of January this year. I will be taking a week leave to celebrate the festival in Malaysia. Before the festival which is 2 days away, this is another set of Chinese New Year decorations in Mid Valley, one of the largest shopping mega mall in Kuala Lumpur. Decorations in Mid Valley this year are not as good as last year version, and simpler if compared to other shopping malls like Sunway Pyramid, but they still attracted huge crowd flocking in to snap photos while they were shopping for CNY clothing and foods in the mall.

Main stage of decorations was set at the Centre Court of the mall.

Kiosks selling CNY merchandise are set up at the lobby.

Stage is set up for various performance in conjunction with the Chinew New Year of Dragon.

Another set of giant lanterns is hung and displayed at the East Court of the mall.

Nothing to shout about on the deco, but it could at least stimulate our Chinese New Year mood to do some last minute shopping for the new year. Until I come back from my break next week, Travel Feeder would like to wish those who celebrate the festival:

HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS LUNAR NEW YEAR OF DRAGON 2012!

Guest Post

If you are seeking a tranquil holiday idyll in Spain that offers a family friendly vacation in beautiful surroundings then there is no better way to enjoy a peaceful time away with loved ones than by booking one of the cheap villa holidays available on the magnificent island of Menorca.

The island

The first thing to examine before considering any holiday in Spain is your chosen destination and Menorca is sure to more than meet even the most demanding of expectations. While other Balearic Islands, such as Mallorca and Ibiza, have a reputation as being the playground for the young, the way of life on Menorca is very different.

The island is the second largest of the Balearic Islands and is situated just 21 miles from Mallorca.  Menorca has managed to retain that all-important balance between welcoming tourists to the island without sacrificing local traditions, customs or the Menorcan way of life. As a result, Menorca is not as bustling, crowded or noisy as many other popular Spanish resorts, but the island is all the better for it.

The north shore sees picturesque fishing villages punctuate the rocky bays and inlets around the wilder northern side of the island, whereas the south shore offers a sharp contrast. Over 100 sandy beaches (almost as many beaches as Ibiza and Mallorca combined) provide the perfect place for families to enjoy the fabulous surroundings; and with an array of places to go and fewer people, it is perfectly possible to enjoy a day in the sun without feeling overcrowded.

Additionally, there are plenty of family-friendly activities to choose from on the island, diving, snorkelling and fishing are all popular water-based activities, while you can explore the island in a little more detail either on foot or by renting a bicycle; the areas of Cap de Favaritx, Cap de Cavalleria and S’Albufera provide some of the best places to explore. The pretty capital Mahon hosts firework displays during the summer, while Aquarock, a water park in Cala’n Bosch, is always a hit.

Without doubt, the best base for any family break in Menorca is to hire one of the cheap villas available on the island. Hotel living can be fraught for families who try to live together in just one or two rooms and hiring your own villa alleviates this problem and provides you with the perfect place to relax, unwind and enjoy both the beauty of Menorca and some valuable time with each other.

The villa

So, other than having more living space available, what is it that makes villas in Spain, particularly those in Menorca, much more preferable to a hotel-based break? In truth, there is no simple answer; there are many different reasons why villa holidays are so popular.

A villa is not only a place to stay on holiday, but it becomes a home from home. In a villa, the accepted standards of family living are not compromised by being forced to eat at certain times, having little or no personal space, and sharing small bathroom facilities. A villa not only provides you with a luxurious holiday base, but also allows you to live as you would at home. You can cook and eat when and where you like or sunbathe by the pool without having to battle each day for a sun bed.

In short, a villa holiday offers holidaymakers much more flexibility. You get to have the holiday you want, rather than the holiday that your hotel is providing. You can still enjoy all the attractions you would get at a top hotel, but in a Menorca villa, you get to select when to enjoy them.

With so many outstanding villas now available in Menorca, selecting one that suits both the size of your party and the facilities you require is easier than ever and with prices now highly competitive, 2012 may be the perfect time to enjoy your own fabulous Menorca villa holiday. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Europe

To wrap up my travel stories in Italy, I’d like to recommend wholeheartedly the top 5 cities of Italy that I head over heels in love with. Italy is always the Europe country that had given me lots of great memories and travel dreams, ever since my first visit to Italy 13 years ago. When it comes to planning for an Italy holiday, there are overwhelming tourist destinations that could easily spoil you right at your first sight! So, picking the right destinations for your period of travel and purpose of travel would always be a matter of the utmost importance.

I traveled to Italy last year for the second time. To explore Italy to its fullest within a very limited period, I had to plan an itinerary that could cover 5 best Italian cities while still involving the least intercity traveling. I had a lot of funs and memories from the trip eventually that I could call it a successful holiday. For those who are planning for a same trip with similar time constraint, here are the top 5 Italian cities in my itinerary that could be your choice either:

1) Venice – One of the city that I love most in Italy is definitely Venice. Venice is an island compo consisting of 118 small islands separating each other by canals. It is sited along Adriatic Sea in Northeast Italy. Not unexpectedly, it is also the most valuable island in Italy, as researches has revealed that Venice is sinking by 5mm each year and by the Year 2050, most parts of Venice would be underwater!

2) Florence – A frugal but relaxing weekend destination in Europe that I would recommend would definitely be Florence in the Tuscany region of Italy. Tuscany is the capital of arts, culture and romance of central Italian region. If you are spending your weekend in its regional capital of Florence, you are about to explore one of the best art, culture and architecture city in Europe, or maybe the world.

3) Greve In Chianti – If you are a wine lover and don’t quite like the ever crowded city environment in Florence and Pisa, Chianti region is where you must visit for at least a day in Tuscany. Chianti is the wine region in Italy producing the famous Chianti Classico wine bearing the authentic Gallo Nero (black rooster) label.

4) Pisa – Apart from Florence, sienna and the highland wine region of Chianti, the next place I love to visit is Pisa. It is the capital city of Pisa Province located on the mouth of the famous River Arno before joining to the Ligurian Sea in western coast of Italy. The main attraction of Pisa is definitely the world famous Leaning Tower. However, a slow walk around the city centre had really surprised me with many other architectural and artistic marvels of this beautiful city.

5) Rome – Rome is a huge city with many districts. However, most of the attractions are located within the small historic centre of Rome, which includes the Old Rome and Colosseo Districts, and is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Rome. With uncountable immensity of its archaeological and artistic treasures, include many beautiful palaces, millenium-old churches and basilicas, Roman ruins, obelisks structures, remarkable statues and fountains design, Rome is Europe’s 3rd most visited city.

Don’t get me wrong. These 5 destinations were the best options for what the combination of time and money that I had on my last visit to Italy. There are many more exciting cities that certainly worth any traveler’s visit. Verona, Milan, Naples, Sienna, Amalfi Coast, Southern Italy, to name a few, are equally great! You can read some of them in my Italy travel section. If you are planning a trip to Italy and Europe, check out my planning guide first on how to plan it perfectly. – Travel Feeder, your ultimate photo travel guide to Italy