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Home is where the heart is – My Twelve Favorite Cities of the World

Florian Buechting Just Blogging No Comments

Home is where the heart is – I had the idea to this posting about my favorite cities of the world while listening to music related to different places n the world. One of them was my home town Cologne, which I will not feature in this posting – it would likely be on top of the list. It is, of course a very personal selection. In addition, I haven’t been too much to Asia, Africa and the Southern Hemisphere in general, so that the potential candidates may be even more limited than you think. Happy to discuss with you – maybe you love one of the spots as well? Or you feel they are absolutely terrible?

 

My Twelve Favorite Cities of the World

Here are my twelve favorite cities. Two of them are just featured in a single review posting (both published in the early days of this website). For all other cities, I gave you all postings related to the cities below.

 

12. Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe

My posting about Sao Tome has been one of the very first I posted. I unfortunately did not have the current Flyctory.com style and format, but I absolutely love to look back at visiting the former Portuguese colony. Sao Tome & Principe is the only African country outside North Africa I traveled to. Even though I could not communicate to the people to well, I loved their friendliness, their hospitality. The capital city Sao Tome is actually a pretty neat and cool place. Hope to be back one day. The city will definitely stay in my heart.

Sao Tome – Island worth visiting!

 

11. Washington D.C., USA

Most of my visits to Washington D.C. have been in pre-Flyctory.com days. I hope I will be able to share more about the US capital with you one day. All the amazing museums, being at the original Declaration of Independence and all the memorials – Washington is pretty cool… And maybe I make it to a Capitals home match soon again…

 

10. Taipei, Taiwan

Taiwan has been one of these places I visited in very early Flyctory.com days. The day trip to Kinmen was great, but the capital Taipei has been simply amazing to me. Modern sights like Taipei 101, tradition and an absolutely clean and well organized city. Hope that the country can stand the difficult political situation.

Taipei – City worth visiting!

 

9. Munich, Germany

Yeah, Cologne is the German city of my heart, my home town. But I just cannot deny that the paternal part of my family is Bavarian. I love Käsespätzle, Leberkäse… and Munich. My grandparents have died long ago, my father is dead as well, but Bavaria stays in my heart. And the city of Munich as well as its lifestyle always stays special to me.

 

8. Hamburg, Germany

I finally decided to have the two German cities one after the other in here. And finally, I like Hamburg just a little bit more than Munich. Even though the giant harbor is leading to a very different layout of the city, I feel that Hamburg people are somehow very close to Cologne. I always enjoy being there. The city is on my list for several stays in 2023 again as well.

 

7. Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Vancouver is another amazing city in Canada, but finally, I have been in Toronto much more often and feel more familiar to it. I also have made a lot of great memories there, including my very first NHL ice hockey match, which I visited with my father, still at the legendary Maple Leaf Gardens. Enjoying the Toronto Islands in summer, flying from Billy Bishop Airport (YTZ) – I simply love it!

 

6. Helsinki, Finland

If only I could speak their language… There have been and still are so many great Finnish people in my life. Helsinki is practically involved in any trip to Finland. There are so many spots I really enjoy. And the city always reminds me of wonderful friendships and memories. A great spot!

 

5. Husavik, Iceland

Two Icelandic cities are featured in my list. I don’t only love Husavik due to the Fire Saga story. It is simply as Icelandic as a village can be. A small village with a lovely, open, friendly atmosphere, fishermen… And they even have whales right in front of their doors. Where the whales can live because they are gentle people…. If you are in Iceland, visit this place… I feel that is the best way to feel the magic as well.

 

4. London, United Kingdom

On the music as well as on the travel side, London is likely the city I featured most frequently on Flyctory.com. Even though the city gets more and more crowded and touristy and even though influencers more and more do strange things in weird places there, the British capital is just a special melting pot in Europe. Love it!

 

3. Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

You might be quite surprised that Abu Dhabi is popping up in this list, while Dubai is not in. I simply love the flair of the U.A.E. capital, which is less hectic, more cultural. Even driving a car is more relaxed there compared to the ever-growing megacity in the North. You still have plenty of opportunities to hang out and enjoy yourself. The stricter Covid-19 measures made it hard for me to travel there the last years. But I aim to come back as soon as possible.

 

2. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

If you follow this blog rather frequently, I guess that “Steel City” has been an easy guess for you. Not just my annual Penguins trips lead to close links to the city. I just love the people, the open-minded, relaxed style there. And even the traffic jams are more bearable than on East Coast. Riding up Washington Hill in the Inclines and going to PPG Paints Arena thereafter – life just cannot be too bad if you are on the best side of Pennsylvania.