克羅地亞南端的杜邦力夫

西元後7世紀，商旅在現今克羅地亞南端建立了杜邦力夫古城。商旅們精於談判，深明和氣生財的道理，在當時的意大利、威尼斯、鄂圖曼等強鄰中辟出了一片自由天地。在文藝復興時期，這個有深厚斯拉夫元素的城市受到意大利文化的薰陶，孕育出獨有的克羅地亞文學。由於它在海事共和國時期的高度發展，在1979年被選為世界文化遺產城市。

經歷地震和多次戰亂後，現在杜邦力夫約有四萬多居民，面積979平方公里。旅遊渡假業發達，不再靠貨物經商了。

我到達的時候適逢當地舉行夏日嘉年華，藝人們穿起民族服裝，搞鑼打鼓地在大街上唱歌，是娛賓也是自娛，非常熱鬧。這個地方教人一見鍾情，也是我整個旅程中最美麗的城市。不論站在城內或站在城牆上，它都是那樣地令人感覺舒適。杜邦力夫的舊城由一道圍牆所包圍。站在圍牆上內望，盡是橘紅色屋頂，麻色牆身的樓房。轉頭外望，圍牆外是一望無際的蔚藍色亞德里亞海，海濤拍岸，喚起古希臘的傳說

I have been planning to start a travel blog for some time now, and here seems as good a place as any, especially with the on-going competition - over the past three years I have been to 28 countries in Europe (according to the blog's classification, 31) as I did my degree in England and let's face it, we all work best with a deadline.

Of course this is not just about me - it would be great if my travel preference for less well-known destinations would strike a chord with some of you out there. And it's about time people from Hong Kong start exploring the world without those awfully touristy package deals!

To avoid disappointment, please note that I will not be going into minute details of my travels. Rather this is more like a taster of the cities and attractions I describe. Afterall the internet is abound with sites like www.ryanair.com for cheap flights around Europe, www.hostelworld.com / www.lastminute.com (amongst others) for accommodation that suits all tastes, and for details there are always www.lonelyplanet.com. It also helps to check out the local tourism office for latest information. In short, this serves more as an inspiration for those planning their next trip, and as an introduction to places less well-known but is nevertheless worth visiting.

This guide is (mainly) on the Balkans, Southern Europe and the Baltics, Northern Europe. For further details feel free to contact me. For reviews of other countries, stay tuned!

十六湖國家公園有歐洲九寨溝之稱, 是聯合國的受保護自然公園, 有的都是自然湖泊、瀑布、山色, 遊客不算多, 一身裝束都是有備而來走山路的, 而且很自律, 途中沒有一點垃圾