Strasbourg in the Alsace region, located near the border of Germany. It is also the capital of the Grand Est, this place is bustling with colors, timber. The history of alternating between German and French control over the centuries and its past also shows the mixtures of two cultures in this city! It is certainly one of the most interesting French city in the east to visit. Strasbourg is also one of the capital city of the EU! Besides it is also an interesting fact that I have been to all EU Capitals, together with Brussels, Frankfurt and Luxembourg City! The city is well known for its gothic cathedral that towers over the city as well as the cobbled streets and timber-framed houses that have survived for hundreds of years. It is impressive to see this buildings and we were also lucky enough that they survive the bombing raids in the world war! Follow me on my relaxing stay in Strasbourg!

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I am sure you all have heard of Colmar before or seen pictures of all those charming colorful attractive timber houses. It is a place that feels super unreal, nothing like France or in fact the imperialistic grand style that you are used to in Paris. More like a western fairy land, something that it is truly out of the world. The closest that I have seen these houses and building style will be from my trip to Hallstatt back 2 years ago. But Colmar comes as the more vibrant one, the more playful and happening town. The houses run next to canals with the iconic timber crossing as well as striking colors of brown, yellow and many more. It certainly reminds me of something that I will see in the movie Up, or in lego bricks played by kids. Colmar is also frequently ranked as one of the must visit in the world and a top destination in France as well as in Europe in guides. Feels like you are in Germany, but in fact the only greetings you hear are Bonjour and Bonsoir!

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The very first city of my solo adventures would be Lille! Lille is a city on the North East side of the country. It is located near belgium and known as one of the gateway to Europe as well. Lille is also one of the stops for the eurostar, making it one of the crossroads to everywhere in Europe. Although being one of the largest establishment in France, it is definitely much much less crowded than Paris, making it pleasant to walk around and yet at the same time, it is still a metropolitan with all the stores and boutiques that you may want. A perfect mid size city to stay in. I have to say that it is definitely not a city that was on my list beforehand, but I did get a host who offered to host me in Lille and the train ticket from Paris was affordable. With that comes a little review on Lille! I figure that this would be rather beneficial, especially for those who would like to stop by in the middle of their Eurostar journey or those on the way to other city!

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Unsure of how many such trips I am still able to take in the future, it is rather better to be living in the moment and do it while I can, while I am able. You never know when you will run out of time or the ability to do so. Continuing on my previous adventure The Bucket List, I separated from my parents in Paris and continue on alone in Europe. This time around I want to visit lesser known cities and definitely avoid those tourists attractions. I also did it pretty last minute and this is more of an impromptu, looking up the map and where should I head to tomorrow kind of solo trip. Well it guess it kind of mix it up for me and gave me extra excitement. I will share my thoughts on winging it at the end of this whole series!

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Doing a little summary after this astonishing trip, The Bucket List is my second trip of the year after The Cathay Present! Do check that out if you haven’t already done so. This time around, I am headed to Europe, or more specifically with the focus on Scotland and in particular Isle of Skye. The trip was over the summer, coming from Singapore, I hate to travel to warm countries. New Zealand was actually the place to go, being high up on my bucket list. However it doesn’t seem to be practical to head there in full blown winter either where driving might be a challenge. Then I thought of the UK, where it is neither too cold or warm in the summer. Then there was scotland, a place that I would like to go and the Isle of Skye after hearing so much about it. So that came to the gist of this trip! I would just like to share some of my thoughts with you as well as sharing how much this trip cost in total!

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I was in Paris, 7 years back, in 2012. 7 years of itch sure is a curse and I am thankful to be able to head back this time around to catch up on some of my misses the previous time around. It is certainly amazing to come back to this romantic City of Lights but perhaps not in the middle of a heat wave. I certainly enjoy far better strolling around these Parisian streets and the banks of Seine River this previous time around. Paris was kinda a hit or a miss, I am not sure what is your ideal way of travelling. Paris has its beautiful side as well as the ugly ones. It is the most romantic city in the world but also crowded, full of pickpockets and dirty. However I will still like to share with you guys a couple of places that I went to this time! Bonjour and Bonsoir everyone!

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