Hong Kong: Day 20 - A Symphony of Lights

We had booked a flight with a budget airline, Hong Kong Express, that offers cheap flights in all of Asia towards and from Hong Kong. As our plane takes off at 7.30 a.m., woefully, we had to get up terribly early. Fortunately, there are so many taxis roaming around in Jeju, that we just could walk to the street a few steps from the Ellui Hotel to stop one. The Jeju International Airport isn't far away, so we soon arrived. Still, it was bit stressful, as I had a battery in my bag and then, the security had me unpack my luggage to find it. It didn't register in my brains since I've packed some of my batteries in my main luggage coming from Europe. I got confused as I never understood what they were looking for. Eventually, he found the "thing" in my suitcase and as far as I have understood, I had to put it in my hand-carry. They let me go through. We didn't even have time anymore to buy souvenirs, as we had to hurry to our flight!

Upon arrival in Hong Kong, we went to the Airport Express and bought a convenient Airport Express Travel Pass, which included a return ticket to the airport and three days of free travel on the MRT.  It's a great connection to the city, and only about half an hour later we arrived at the last stop, the Hong Kong Station. It is connected to the Central Station, and we just had to take the MRT for one more stop to get to the Sheung Wan Station. From there we walked to our hotel for four nights, the Butterfly on Hollywood. Fortunately, we could check in already and be happy with our modern room, which had a flatscreen TV and even a little refrigerator. Actually - after waking up that early - we were exhausted and immediately dozed off for some time. It was still early in the afternoon, so we strained ourselves to wake up as not to be wide awake come the evening!

It was much warmer in Hong Kong than in South Korea, with temperatures of about 25 degrees. So, after we did some grocery shopping in the nearby supermarket at the Queens Road West, we finally started to go sightseeing. First, we actually wanted to eat. So we took the MRT - with our MRT-Pass - to Wan Chai Station and took exit A3. You can walk through the district on a self-guided walk, but we mostly were looking for a Pinoy restaurant we saw on google maps, but we didn't find it. Instead, we found a Thai restaurant, that was okay too. There were actually many food stalls and restaurants in the busy area of Tai Yuen Street and the Stone Nullah Lane. We took a glimpse of the Blue House, which was getting renovated, and walked through the Wan Chai Market. 

When we walked back to the north, we eventually came to a walking platform, which led us ultimately to the Wan Chai Ferry Pier. However, it was a bit stressful to get there, as there was a barrage of people on the walkway. Finally, we arrived and bought tickets for the Starferry, which brings you to the other side to the Tsim Sha Tsui Starferry Pier. It was not only an exciting boat ride, but it is also cheap.

We still had problems to acclimatize. Hong Kong felt kind of stressful. There were tons of people everywhere and everyone seemed to be in a rush. Even the escalators were faster. There was kind of a slower pace before, in South Korea. However, when we were at the pier and got the view of Hong Kong, the stress was all forgotten, as we enjoyed the amazing view. 

After taking some photos, there was still some time, before the Symphony of Lights would begin, a nightly light show with many buildings included. We tried to go the nearby Avenue of the Stars until then, but it was closed due to renovation. So, we returned to the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade and later enjoyed the light-show, which was great (and free). I would say, it's really a highlight of all the attractions, Hong Kong has to offer.

Eventually, we went back to the hotel by MRT and got some sleep, as we had many plans for the next day, among them a visit to Lantau Island, to walk up to a huge Buddha...

Slovenia - Day 15: Last Day in Ljubljana

We decided to sleep a bit longer since it was our last day in Slovenia. Our flight would only be in the evening, so we still have almost the whole day to roam around. We've packed our bags the night before, it left us enough room to just relax and enjoy the remaining time in Ljubliana. Eventually, we still had to have breakfast, so we went down around 9:00 a.m. to have it. It could really get crowded at this hour where most of the guests just got up, some are still in their pajamas... (that left me wondering why)

We waited for our time to check out at 12:00 0'clock hanging around relaxing in our cozy room, then went down when it was time and stored our luggage for a later pick-up before going to the airport. The City Hotel Ljubljana is very close to the old town center, but since we have seen the main attractions two days before, we decided to just walk around a bit without the real aim of what to find. We started at the nearby square Presernov Trg, which leads to the bridges into the Old Town.

First, we came to the Robba Fountain. Then, more by accident, we went into the Town Hall at the fountain, where we admired an interesting art exhibition. They also showed pictures of the past. If you go through the area now, you can't imagine how it was before, unless you see the pictures. There was all the traffic leading through the streets, but today it is a beautiful pedestrian zone in the Old Town. They really improved the city a lot and the pictures they exhibit to show how much.

Of course, we had to buy some gifts and souvenirs on our last day, so we took our time at a honey shop, the "honeyhouse," to check on the honey with different flavors. Among the lovely little shops in the street (Mestni trg) was also a lavender store where I got some excellent lavender oil. Eventually, we came to St. Florian´s Church, St. James's Church and the Column of the Virgin Mary. Fortunately, also a bench, where we could take a rest.

We decided to cross the river and walked past the City Museum and headed on to the Parliament Building. Nearby are more attractions, like the National Museum of Slovenia and the Slovenian Museum of Natural History, but we were really only in the mood for relaxing and headed to a Chinese restaurant at the nearby Park Zvezda instead.  

Finally, we walked back to the hotel, took our luggage and waited for a group taxi (Vanpools), that we had booked at the hotel, to get us to the airport. Then it was goodbye, Slovenia. 

All said, I really enjoyed this small but diverse country, where you can go swimming in the Mediterranean Sea one day, and spend the next day hiking in the mountains. Slovenia also has so much culture to offer. Travelling independently through the country without a car proved to be no problem due to the many trains and especially the ever-reliable buses and, with some English, communication was not a problem either. My personal highlight was definitely Bled and the whole region, including the Vintgar Gorge and Lake Bohinj. While it is great to spend a few days there, it is also possible to go there for a day trip with one of the regular buses plying that route from just in front of Ljubljana's train station to Bled, if you're short on time.