小腳板在丹麥走天涯 leaving footprints around Denmark!
Interesting picture that was submitted to Toemail! 😀
20 樣未去歐洲前不知道的事 20 things I never know before going to Europe
Before I went to Europe for the first time, I knew very little about things going on in this continent. I know some of the things may sound really stupid not to know, but I also believe that’s how I gained my knowledge bits by bits when I traveled. This is one of the reasons why I love traveling, and why traveling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.
- Greenland is part of Denmark. It is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark!
- Differences between Nordic countries and Scandinavia! Scandinavian countries = Sweden, Norway and Denmark and Nordic = Scandinavian countries, Iceland, Finland, and three autonomous regions (Faroe Islands, Greenland and Aland Islands). *
- Super small countries in Europe: San Marion and Liechtenstein! (I heard of Vatican City, Monaco and Malta before.)
- Trains can separate into 2 or even more parts. For instance, the first bit of the train will go to city A, while the last bit will go to city B.
- Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are considered as 1 area (or country) if you are buying inter-rail/eurail pass in Europe!
- The major/easiest way to travel from city to city in Turkey is by bus, and they have wifi, free snack and drink provided on the bus! Someone will push a little trolley and come to your seat and serve you!
- After buying a train ticket, sometimes you have to reserve a seat, if not, you may end up standing in the train for your whole journey.
- Cheap airline can be really cheap! I once got a ticket from Italy to Denmark for 5EURO!
- While many food is more expensive than HK, carrots, milk and potatoes are cheaper! For example, 1 pint (568mL) of fresh milk cost only £ 0.49 (HKD5.75), while the average price of a pasta in a restaurant is around 10GBP (HKD120). [For foreign visitors’ information, 236mL of fresh milk cost at least HKD6 (£ 0.51), while a pasta with coffee or tea will cost around HKD50 (£ 4.25) during lunch time and HKD80 (£ 6.8) for dinner time.]
- Italian cuisine is more than just pasta like spaghetti and pizza! There are more like gnocchi, tortellini…you can make a Strawberry risotto, and the pasta we called Angel hair in Hong Kong is called Capellini in Italian. (If you tell them Angel hair, they may not know what it is…)
- Difference between hard water and soft water! Hard water have more minerals like Calcium, for us who are not used to drink hard water, you may end up having some hair loss problem!
- Get a free postcard in pubs in Denmark! (maybe also in other countries…)
- Send a postcard for free from Europe by writing ‘student-to-student’ instead of sticking a stamp. Couldn’t find any official info about it, but I had quite a lot of successful cases! (Send from: Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria…etc. to Japan, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and the USA…etc.)
- Free university education (up to Master degree) in some Nordic countries (e.g. Denmark, Sweden)!
- Daylight saving! So time will shift 1 hr on a specific day.
- Celebrations of festival! For example, St. Patrick’s Day in March in Ireland; Mother’s Day and Red Nose Day in March and Red Poppy for Remembrance Day in Nov in the UK, Queen’s Day in May in the Netherlands…etc.
- There are little <3 (hearts) on the coins of Danish Kroner – the Danish currency.
- You can’t make snowman with any snow. Sometimes snow is too wet or too dirty for it.
- Only Asians have difference between single eyelid and double eyelids! Europeans all have double eyelids! (Why?! Life is sooo unfair!)
- Hong Kong is part of Japan to some Europeans.
第一次踏足歐洲前，對歐洲的認識可說是少之有少。可能有些事情說出來，您會覺得‘不是嗎？您連這東西也不知？’但正正因為有機會到外地闖闖，和來自不同地方的人交流，我才漸漸學會了這些書本上學不到的知識。這也是我喜歡旅行的原因，也應現了讀萬卷書不如行萬里路的道理！
- 格陵蘭是丹麥的一部份，現在是丹麥皇國裏面的一個自治國。
- Nordic 同Scandinavia這兩個字是有分別的！Scandinavia =瑞典、挪威和丹麥；而Nordic = Scandinavia、芬蘭、冰島、法羅群島、格陵蘭和奧蘭群島自治區。*
- 在歐洲裏面的超級小國：聖馬里昂(San Marion)和列支敦士登(Liechtenstein)！ （我以前只聽說過梵蒂岡，摩納哥和馬爾他。）
- 同一架火車可以分開去兩個不同的地方。前段去城市A，後段去城市B！
- 假如購買火車證歐遊，荷蘭、比利時及盧森堡是當作為同一地區的！
- 在土耳其，最容易穿梭不同城市的交通工具是巴士，而且巴士設備非常好，不但有WIFI，還提供小食及飯品！還會有專人把食物送到您的座位！
- 買了火車票不等如您有位坐，有時候要再加錢預留座位，如果沒有座位，您可能整程火車也要企！
- 廉價航空公司真的很便宜！曾經試過買一張從意大利到丹麥的機票也只是5歐元！
- 雖然很多一般食食物都比香港昂貴，但紅蘿蔔，牛奶和薯仔是非常便宜！例如：568mL的鮮牛奶只要0.49英鎊，但去餐廳吃一個意大利粉就大約要10英鎊。
- 除了和意大利粉外，意大利還有很多美食！如gnocchi、tortellini，，仲有可以有士多啤梨意大利飯！香港人叫開既天使麵，原來意大利人係無聽過呢個名既，佢地係叫Capellini!
- 水都有分硬水同軟水，硬水既礦物質豐富得多，平常不是飲慣硬水的香港人，飲得多有機會甩頭髮！
- 係丹麥既酒吧係有個扲免費名信片的！
- 想免費寄名信片可以試下係貼郵票既地方寫Student-to-student！雖然找不到官方資料，但我曾經在丹麥、德國、捷克、奧地利等國家寄過，試過寄去日本、香港、英國、美國都收到！
- 一些北歐國家是提供免費高等教育〔直到碩士〕。
- 夏令時間！係某一日深夜既時候，會多左或少左一個鐘！
- 不同的節日慶祝活動！例如，愛爾蘭在三月有St Patrick’s Day，英國在三月有Red Nose Day和母親節、還有十一月的陣亡將士紀念日，荷蘭在五月有Queen’s Day…等。
- 在丹麥貨幣 – Danish Kroner的硬幣上是有<3（心）型的圖案。
- 不是一下雪便可以堆雪人！有時雪會太濕、有時會太髒…！
- 只有亞洲人有單眼皮和雙眼皮的分別！所有歐洲人也是雙眼皮的！ （天啊！為什麼這麼不公平？）
- 有些歐洲人認為香港是日本的一部分。（不知爲什麽…）
免費名信片 Free postcards!
第一個雪球 My first snowball!
士多啤梨意大利飯 Strawberry Risotto!
會分開的火車 Train that will detach!
*Reference: http://lostinstockholm.com/2010/03/09/the-confusion-between-scandinavia-and-nordic/
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相關博文 Related blog articles：
3個去完要再去…再去的城市 3 cities that worth to go again…and again!
5樣女生初次獨遊異地不可不知的事 5 things girls need to know when traveling alone for the first time
5個旅遊或留學前的收拾小秘密 5 secrets when packing for traveling or study abroad trips
很多人在留學或旅遊前也有一個大難題，究竟要帶什麽？帶多了就好像笨了，忘記了一些東西又很不方便。但是與其給你一個packing list，不如讓我跟你分享我5個收拾留學或旅遊物品的秘密！
1. 電器轉換器/拖板
最小要帶2個轉換器，萬一一個壞了，還有一個後備！假如2個也壞了，那…你真的唔好彩，下一次不要再到這間店買轉換器吧！
[from http://www.solentcables.co.uk]
2. Layering的學問
特別是女生，layering可以讓你帶小一點衣服！本來女生就是有很多衣服，不同場合有不同的需要。但現在的天氣又變化莫測，時凍時熱，準備一些簡單薄薄的深色長袖T恤及leggings，加上夏天也能穿的短袖T恤及短褲，減小所需要帶的衣服。
3. 衣架/掠衫繩
帶備最少一個衣架，主要是沖涼後可以把毛巾掛起來，不用擔心要掛在骯髒的地方。
特別給準備長時間旅遊的你：帶備一條掠衫繩，需要在旅館洗衣服後也不需要擔心沒地方掠乾。
[from: http://www.go-travelproducts.com/]
即使我是去留學或是住酒店，我也出發時也會帶備一條旅遊毛巾，這些旅遊毛巾比一般的貴一點，但假如你經常去旅行，也是一個值得的投資！
旅遊毛巾的好處是：輕、快乾、打開是大條，收起來是很小！
[from: http://www.go-travelproducts.com/]
千萬不要不要不要帶旅遊書！(除非你的行李有很多位或沒有超重的危機…)
現在在網上容易找到資料，假如你已一早為旅行進行計劃，那可以為所需的版面影印（請留意版權問題，我是從來也不看旅遊書的）或在網上列印相關的資料！假如你沒有為旅行進行計劃，那就去到以後去Tourist Information Centre或是旅店問問別人吧！
P.S. 上述介紹的產品沒有任何廣告成分，純粹是筆者以往的心得，圖片也是來自官方網站（假如你不喜歡我使用你的圖片，歡迎與我聯絡）。假如有其他好介紹或心得，歡迎分享！
It’s very common that we feel stressed before traveling or studying abroad, we worry about what we should pack along. If we bring too much, we may feel a bit stupid to bring along things we don’t need. If we forgot about some important stuff, it may create some inconvenience. Rather than sharing a packing list which you can easily find online, let me share with you 5 secrets I have when I am packing for my traveling or study abroad trips.
1. Socket adaptor/ extensions
Bring at least 2 socket adaptors with you! In case one of them is broken/not working, there’s one more to charge your gadgets! What if both of them are broken…?! Then I would say, sorry, you are so unlucky, maybe you should buy your adaptor somewhere else next time! 😛
Especially for the ones who are going to study abroad: Bring an extension cord with 3-4 sockets! This is very useful for lazy people, so you don’t have to un-plug, and plug, and un-plug your charger every day!
[from http://www.kenable.co.uk/]
Sounds abstract, what layering? It’s about how you prepare your clothing For girls in particular, wear with layers can help you reduce the amount of clothing you need to bring! Preparing different occasions with different outfits, girls always need many different kinds of clothes. In addition to climate change, it’s hard to forecast how the weather be like, prepare some long sleeves t-shirt and leggings in black or some other dark colors so you can wear them underneath your summer t-shirt and shorts!
3. Clothes Hanger/Clothes line
Bring at least one clothes hanger with you, so you don’t have to worry where you can put to dry your shower towel!
Especially for the ones who are going to travel for a long time: Buy/Prepare a clothes line, so you don’t have to worry where to dry your clothes in case you have to wash some of them in your hostel later on.
4. Travel towel
No matter study abroad or traveling, I always bring along a travel towel with me, this kind of travel towel is slightly more expensive than the usual ones. But if you always travel around, it’s something worth to invest!
Advantages of travel towel: Light-weight, quick-dry, big enough when you open it and small enough when you fold it!
5. Guide book
Never Never Never bring a guide book/travel book! (Unless you have a lot of space and weight limit for your luggage…)
It’s easy to look for travel information online nowadays! If you always plan well for your travel, maybe you can photocopy the pages you need for your travel (please aware of the issue of copyright, to be honest I never really read a travel book) or you can print the information online! If you are not planning to plan your trip, then why don’t you just go to the Tourist Information Centre or Hostel to ask for suggestions and your way after you arrive!
P.S. The products introduced above are not advertisements, they are just sharing that I have my travels. Photos of the products are from the official website (Please let me know if you do not want me to use the picture.) If you have any other recommendations or packing secrets, please share!
購買旅行用品相關網站 Related website about buying travel products：Go Travel, Muji
留學計劃相關網站 Related website about studying abroad：EF Education First 留學計劃
相關博文 Related blog article：5 tips to save money when studying abroad
到外國留學認識朋友的必學4招
海外升學期間，有時候難免感到寂寞，好好利用在外國的時間，結識異國的朋友，令社交圈子更廣，不用整天也‘宅’在家！
1. 參與興趣小組
如果您有一些特別的興趣，如運動、電影、音樂等，可以參加不同的興趣班或是組織，認識一些志同道合的朋友，一起做一些大家也喜歡的東西。
2. 微笑
有時候，一個微笑會為您帶來一個新的朋友！即使大家背景、種族不同，笑容能表示友好，讓大家的隔膜減小。
3. 參與不同活動
留意校內校外不同的活動，多參加不同的活動，如到其他小鎮城市觀光，增加遇到不同朋友的機會。
4. Say Yes!
特別是第一個星期，有不同的新朋友邀請您去活動或是party就一定要去應酬一下，廣交朋友，再慢慢看一看喜歡跟誰一起玩，千萬不要錯過第一個星期，因為之後很多人都會連群結隊，到時想找人一起玩便更吃力了！
如果你還有其他認識新朋友的好方法，不妨留言跟我分享！
4 tips to meet new friends when studying abroad
It’s common to feel lonely sometimes when you are studying abroad. In order to make the best out of your stay, why not meet more foreign friends, expand your social circle and chill out with friends during your leisure time! You never know, maybe some of these people you meet will become your lifelong friends.
Here are a few tips from me on how to meet new friends when you have just arrived at a new place:
1. Join some interest group
If you have some particular interests/hobbies, e.g. sport, movie, music…etc., you can join some interest class or group. Get to know some people who share similar interests and do something that both of you enjoy together!
2. SMILE 🙂
Sometimes, a little smile will bring you a new friend! Even though we are from different backgrounds and ethnicity, a smile can represent friendliness and reduce the barrier between you and your new friends!
3. Join different activities
Pay attention to different activities organized on the campus or outside the campus. Join different activities like visiting some nearby cities or countries together and increase the chance of meeting new friends!
4. Say YES!
Especially for the first week, if there is anyone inviting you to join some activities or parties, you have to say YES! Get to know the people first, and see who you can get along well with. After the first week, everyone already has their own circle of friends, so it will be harder to get into the others!
Share in the comment below if you have more tips!
5個海外留學慳錢秘笈
留學生本身學費已經昂貴，加上外國的生活指數一般比香港高，想幫父母減輕負擔又或者留番多d零用錢做自己想做既野，以下呢五個慳錢秘笈可能幫到你！
1. 購買二手家具及衣服
隨著留學的普及，很多不同地方也有留學生，一般也是住一陣子便會離去，可以嘗試購買他們的家具。有些地方如英國，很容易找到不同的二手衣服店，多數也是慈善機構開辦的，衣飾由善長人士捐贈，所得的收入也作慈善用途，有些商品的質量還不錯的！
2. 申請學生火車證、巴士卡
各處鄉村各處例，不同地方有不同的學生優惠，即管問問不同的前輩，看看有甚麼乘車折扣。假如你在英國留學，英國便有火車證，申請費約30鎊，於非繁忙時間在倫敦乘地鐵也有減免車費三分之一的優惠。假如你踏單車的技術不太差的話，以單車代步也是一個好選擇！
3. 減少出外用餐
出外吃飯一般比較貴一點，可以嘗試自己烹調一些簡單的菜式，有勇氣的話也可以在網上找食譜，跟著試一些新菜式。假如有一群三五知己，也可以一起炮制晚餐，順道聯誼一番！電飯煲在外國並不是太普及，所以可以學習用一般煮食用具或微波爐煮飯，或是到唐人街買一個！
4. 減少出外娛樂
到朋友家一同耍樂，玩玩不同的遊戲，一同焗個蛋糕，看看電影！這些娛樂比到電影院或其他娛樂場所便宜得多！
5. 利用視像通話
出國留學家人少不免會掛心，從前科技尚未有這樣發達，長途兩話費是不可或缺的開支，現今科技發達，利用不同軟件如Skype,Whatsapp等，便可常常跟家人交談。〔Skype也有月費計劃，可透過網絡撥打至外地的手提電話，而月費一點也不昂貴！〕
2022 更新：現在也不用Skype, 簡單一個Whatsapp, Facetime, 或是Zoom call便可以跟家人朋友聯絡！