Halloween in Frankenstein Castle

It was quite a long drive but it was worth it. It was my first time visiting and spending Halloween in Frankenstein Castle. Thanks to good friends for taking me there. I did not expected too much people visiting the castle. You cannot really go directly to the castle. You have to go instead to Pfungstadt in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg in the state of Hesse. At the back of Toom Baumarkt, you can take the shuttel bus for around 15 minutes ride going on top of the hill where castle is located.

In the castle compound, you can see some kiosks selling Halloween stuffs. There is also a small beer tent and a restaurant inside. I am imagining how interesting it is to have one of this Restaurant Cook Jobs. Would you believe that the restaurant was so busy this afternoon. I guess there are thousands of visitors who visit the castle for the whole duration of the Halloween celebration.

taken inside the castle compound this afternoon (Oct. 30, 2011).

Frankenstein Castle is a hilltop castle about 5 km south of Darmstadt in Germany. Modern claims of the castle having an influence on the work of Mary Shelley remain controversial.

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A Visit to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey

I can't imagine how many tourists were at the Grand Bazaar during our visit last time. Would you believe that this bazaar is visited by thousands of people including locals and tourists each day. It is said that it attracts between 250,000 and half a million visitors daily.

As I entered this place last time, all that I said was a huge WOW! I can't believe that this bazaar is so large that a day-visit is not enough. You can find everything in this place.

Don't you know that The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world? It has more than 58 covered streets and over 4,000 shops.

Below are some of the images I took during our visit last September 2011. such a very interesting place!..and yes, especially for those who love shopping.

The grand bazaar began construction in 1455 and opened in 1461. It is well known for its jewellery, pottery, spice, and carpet shops.

Many of the stalls in the bazaar are grouped by the type of goods, with special areas for leather coats, gold jewelry and the like.

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Walking in Hohenfels, Germany

It is always nice to go walking around in Hohenfels. This is especially true if the weather is nice. I sometimes carry my jansport backpack especially during summer season. I put inside my camera, a bottle of water, cellphone and other personal belongings.

This municipality belongs to the district of Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate part of Bavaria. Hohenfels became a training area for the United States in 1951. In December 2005 it was officially named the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC).

This is one of the beautiful images I have in this beautiful place. You can see the tower of St. Ulrich Church and the hill where the Hohenfels castle ruins are found. Now, only the castle tower is visible.

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Cruising in Amsterdam Canals

It seems like yesterday when we visited Amsterdam. It is the largest city and the capital of Netherlands. It is one of the historical cities in Europe and has one of the largest historic centers registering about 7,000 historic buildings.

During our visit last summer 2010, we took a cruise which started near Heineken Experience, a famous brewery in Amsterdam. The cruise was very interesting. It is one of the best thing to see most of the city especially in seeing its historical canals. Due to its over one hundred kilometers of canals, Amsterdam is named as the "Venice of the North."

I and my friend Nonna, had the chance to cruise the Amsterdam canals last August 2010.

The three main canals, Herengracht, Prinsengracht, and Keizersgracht, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings. The 17th-century canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Jordaan, are put on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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I want to book a holiday to the Caribbean

If I still have the chance and the finances to travel before the end of 2011, I will for sure do it. And you know where it is? I want to book a holiday to the Caribbean. There are lot of beautiful places to spend a holiday in the Caribbean region. With the all year round good weather in this part of the world, this has been a famous getaway for many tourists from around the globe.

Here are the top places I would love to visit and experience in this region,

Barbados

This is one of the best bet to spend a holiday especially during winter season in Europe. Barbados is known for its beautiful beaches and numerous deluxe resorts. It has also a lot of historical sites to visit. This so-called "Little Britain of the Caribbean" uses English as its official language. This simply means that travelling to Barbados is easy and convenient due to the fact that English is widely spoken here.

Don't miss the Atlantic Submarine and Segways Tours in Barbados. Surfing and diving are also some of the famous watersports in this area. If you want to enjoy the nightlife, you can go nightclubbing at the beach bars.

palm trees, water and blue sky... a perfect place to spend a vacation during cold winter days.

Antigua

I am looking to go to Antigua in my next vacation. Why not? I was dreaming to go to Turkey, Hungary, England, France, Austria, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic and some other countries and it did slowly come true. Coupled with hardwork and determination, I was able to visit different places in these countries.

Many tourists enjoyed their vacation in Antigua. It is considered to be a beautiful vacation getaway not only because of its peaceful surroundings but also because of its nice beaches and interesting island culture. Feel free to include scuba diving and sailing in your itinerary. Don't miss to visit Nelson's Dockyard as well.

a beautiful church in Antigua.

Cuba

I had received a lot of travel packages to Cuba. I cannot book it this year because I already booked other places to visit. I wish to include it in my 2012 travel itinerary.

a lovely beach in Cuba.

Cuba is the largest and most populous island in the Carribean. With its tropical climate, Cuba has been a major tourist destination in this region. Clubbing, going to the beach, a tour in the countryside, are only some of the activities you can do there. Expect to hear a lot of Carlos Santana music everywhere. If you have the chance, go visit Tropicana. Also taste the different fresh juices in the markets.

One of these days, I know I will step on the beautiful places in the Caribbean.

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Sights Not to Miss When Visiting Rome, Italy

There are a lot to see in this capital city of Italy. Rome known as "Eternal City", is the largest city in Italy. It is the famed city of the Roman Empire. It has been the centre of one of the globe's greatest civilizations ever. It has been the millenium-long centre of power, culture and religion that influence the world with its around 2,500 years of existence.

Rome has been one of the most visited cities in Europe. It has two international airports, the Leonardo da Vinci/Fiumicino International Airport and the Ciampino International Airport. The first one is the modern and large main airport of Rome and is well connected to the center of the city by public transportation. The latter is the city's low-cost airline airport usually serving discount airlines in Europe. This is one advantage if you are from Europe because you can always find cheap flights from any European cities to Rome.

There are a lot of sights to see in Rome. Here are a few ones which should be included in your list.

Vatican City

I guess I don't need to elaborate too much about Vatican City. My sister once asked me , if she has the chance to visit Rome, she wants to see and hear the mass presided by the Pope in St. Peter's Basilica. Sad to say, I was not able to hear the mass there and did not have the chance to see the Pope. Maybe in my next visit.

This is the so-called city within the city and known as the world's smallest state. The State of the City of Vatican is located within the city of Rome. The St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Gardens, St. Peter's Piazza, Vatican Museum, are among the main sites you need to see and experience in this city. We don't have a lot of time going to Castel Sant'Angelo which is very near this area.

Don't miss to climb up to the cupola of St. Peter's.. From there , you can have a good view of the city.

the obelisk in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. One of my travel wishlist was fulfilled after our visit there last August 2010.

The Colosseum

This is also one of the must-see in ancient Rome which is considered to be the most famous of the Roman landmarks . It is also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre which can hold up to 50,000 spectators during those times. Gladiatorial combats and animal fights were ones held in this amphitheatre.

There is entrance when going inside the Colosseo.

I am happy to be there once in my life. I would love to visit this sight again in the future.

The Colosseum when completed measured 48 m high, 188 m in length, and 156 m in width. The wooden arena floor was 86 m by 54 m, and covered by sand.

The Roman Forum

This is one of the reasons why I still want to go back to Rome. Me and my friend Nonna were not able to go inside the Roman Forum, its name in Italian because of limited time. We only had a glance of it from outside.

The Foro Romano, as it is called in Italian, with its hallowed ruins were the most powerful seat of government in the world. It is normally a very interesting historical site. It is also not so crowded than the Colosseum. It is the best way of imagining the splendour and glory of ancient Rome.

The Trevi Fountain

This is considered to be one of the most fountains in the world. The Trevi fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. It is located near the Spanish Steps, also a famous sight in this city.

During my visit last year, me and my friend threw coins in the fountain. I only threw a euro coin believing that I will be able to visit Rome again in the future. At that time I still did not know about the legend of the "three coins". A current interpretation is that two coins will lead to a new romance and three will ensure either a marriage or divorce. Another reported version of this legend is that it is lucky to throw three coins with one's right hand over one's left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain.

The famous and beautiful Trevi fountain during our visit last August 2010.

The Pantheon

This was once a temple of the gods. Now it is a Catholic Church in Rome. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.

The Pantheon was under repair during our visit last summer 2010.

The building is circular with a portico of three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment. A rectangular vestibule links the porch to the rotunda, which is under a coffered, concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus) to the sky.

There are still a myriad of sights to see in Rome. The ones I shared here are just a few among the most interesting ones.

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Wonderful Trip to Ephesus, Turkey

Hubby was asking tonight if Ephesus was once a Greek city. He said that he read somewhere that it is. He finally found the travel flyer that says, Ephesus was once an ancient Greek city.

It was truly a wonderful and interesting trip we had in Ephesus. It is on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province in Turkey. No wonder an online friend told me that there are more ruins in Ephesus as in Greek today. The ruins in Ephesus are truly amazing. The architecture during those times are truly a work of engineering considering that they still don't have the modern machinery and equipments like what we are using now.

the library of Celsus in Ephesus..We visited this historical site last September 23, 2011.

There were a lot of international and local tourists at the time we visited Ephesus last September 2011. Partly owing to its easy access from Adnan Menderes Airport and via the port of Kuşadasi, this archaeological site is now a favorite destination of both local and international tourists.

striking a pose in Ephesus. In my background is the Theater of Ephesus. It was like taking a journey back in the past..a must-visit place when visiting Turkey.

Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation. The Gospel of John may have been written here. The city was the site of several 5th century Christian Councils, see Council of Ephesus. It is also the site of a large gladiators' graveyard.

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Autumn in Buckingham Palace, London, England

It's almost three years now since my three weeks trip in England. One of the sights that my friend showed me is Buckingham Palace. At this time, the palace is closed to public visitors. Another friend also mentioned that it is good to visit Buckingham Palace in August because you can go inside it.

Buckingham Palace is located in the city of Westminster and the London home and primary residence of the British monarch.

taken during our visit last October 29, 2008.

Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1705 on a site which had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was subsequently acquired by George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte, and known as "The Queen's House". During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, forming three wings around a central courtyard. Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

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Finally Got My Travel Books

While browsing online looking for Energy speaker seller, I ended searching another thing. I saw this book in a friend's house some weeks ago. I borrowed it from her because as I was scanning its pages, I found a lot of interesting places to visit. Finally last Monday evening while browsing online in amazon.com, I found this travel book. Sad to say, it is not available at the moment. I browsed another site and found the same book. I ordered it immediately. Today, the 501 Must-visit Destinations travel book was finally delivered to our home. It is a hard-cover and I found out that its original cost is 25.00 Sterling pounds. I bought it for 12.95 Euros and shipping was free of charge. I am quite happy with this book. It will give me more ideas of an interesting travel destinations especially in Europe.

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Another Visit to Boleslawiec, Poland

Boleslawiec is a medieval town in Lower Silesian Voivodship, Poland. Pottery making is a long tradition in this town, thus being named as a as Miasto Ceramiki or "Ceramics City".

It was my second visit to this famous pottery town in Poland. My first visit was last May 2011. It was purely a pottery shopping trip. This time, we had the chance to have some sightseeing in its town center.

It was raining so hard when we drove to Poland last October 8, 2011 at 5:00 am. Together with some friends, we were very thankful that we arrived there and came home safely too. It was quite an adventure trip. My friend drove outside of Germany for the first time. I knew that she can do it. I admired her courage driving there.

Together with friends, I am quite happy and contented during our trip. It was a very adventurous trip and was full of surprises. One of these days, I will share some of the exciting experience we had there.

Here are some of the images I took during our visit.

a fountain taken in one of the squares in the town of Boleslawiec, Poland.

a church with Jesus statue in front. This is where we parked during our short sightseeing.

beautiful potteries in Boleslawiec. taken in one of the shops we visited there. I love what I got from this pottery town.

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UNESCO World Heritage Sites To Visit in Bavaria, Germany

If I am not mistaken, there are about 36 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Germany. Five of which are located in the German state of Bavaria. Also called as Bayern in German, Bavaria is the largest federal state among the 16 states of Germany. If you look on the map, it is located on the south-east part of the country.

Depending on the time of the year you are visiting, you can always find cheap flights to Germany. Airlines such as Easyjet, Tuifly, Ryanair, Air Berlin are among the few that offer affordable fare to Germany. International travellers who wish to visit Bavaria should have no problems to book a flight in Munich, Nuremberg, Memmingen and even in Frankfurt airport.

Below are the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites you can visit in Bavaria.

The Town of Bamberg

I love this beautiful town of Bamberg. It is located in the Upper Franconian region in Bavaria. Due to its historical architecture and well-preserved heritage the whole town of Bamberg is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Among the intersting sites to see are; the Bamberg Cathedral, the Altes Rathaus or the Old Town Hall, the Klein-Venedig or the Little Venice, Alte Hofhaltung and the Michaelsberg Abbey.

The Little Venice (Klein Venedig) in Bamberg, Germany. I took this image during our visit last October 2010.

The Würzburg (Wuerzburg) Residence

This is considered to be the most beautiful compact example of South German Baroque palace architecture. It was the seat of the Würzburg prince-bishops, built between 1720 and 1744. The building was dubbed the "nicest parsonage in Europe" by Napoleon. A stroll through the palace ground is a must for art lovers and nature lovers alike.

I have been to this city for a lot of times already and I always love it.

The Würzburg Residence is a palace in Wuerzburg southern Germany. This was taken during my second visit last August 2011.

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies

This is regarded as one of the most perfect example of Bavarian rococo. The "pilgrims church of the Scourged Saviour" (Wieskirche) is located at the foot of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden in the Weilheim-Schongau district, Bavaria, Germany.

The Wieskirche was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983.

Limes Germanicus

The Upper Germanic-Rhaetian boundary wall Limes is one of the most outstanding archaeological monuments in Central Europe as evidence of the Roman era and its culture about 2000 years ago.

The German "Limes" Road runs close to the Upper Germanic-Rhaenian Limes from the Rhine to the area of Regensburg in the Danube. Along the 550 km road, there are well-preserved Roma relics restorations, excavations, and reconstructions.

It is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2005.

The Regensburg Cathedral and the Danube river on the foreground with the Museum ship. This is one of my favorite cities in Bavaria. I was there a lot of times.

The Old Town of Regensburg and the Stadtamhof

This is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2006. The 2000 years old Roman city of Regensburg is located in the northern most point of the Danube. It bears many treasures of Roman and Gothic architecture since it was not destroyed during World War II. The Regensburg Cathedral, the town hall, the princely palace of Thurn and Taxis, the Romanesque sacral buildings, are among the most architectural monuments of the City. The centuries old stone bridge is to be counted among the masterpieces of European bridge architecture. With its colourful houses and the street cafes, this Danube metropolis is also known as "Italy's northern most city".

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The Heroes' Square in Budapest, Hungary

I remembered one of the tourists who was with us during our trip to Budapest last August. She said that she was fascinated about this part of Budapest which is the Heroes' Square. Hősök tere, as it is called in Hungarian is one of the major squares of Budapest, Hungary, rich with historic and political connotations. It lies at the end of Andrássy Avenue (with which it comprises part of an extensive World Heritage site), next to City Park.

the Millennium Monument, in front of it is a large stone cenotaph surrounded by an ornamental iron chain.

taken during our visit last August.

Hősök tere is surrounded by two important buildings, Museum of Fine Arts on the left and Palace of Art (or more accurately Hall of Art) on the right. On the other side it faces Andrassy Avenue which has two buildings looking at the square — one is residential and the other one is the embassy of Serbia (former Yugoslavian embassy where Imre Nagy secured sanctuary in 1956).

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Staying in A Hotel in Kumburgaz, Istanbul

This is a nice place where we stayed in Kumburgaz. It is a wonderful place on the Marmara sea, about 60 km far from the centre of Istanbul. Our 5-star hotel have some bars inside and outside of the premises. Of course, you can see there used bar equipment. I love this place especially that it is located on the seaside. You can see the floating bar of the Artemis Princess Hotel in my image there. I remembered walking at the beach during our stay in this hotel.

Overall, I would say that it was a memorable and exciting trip we had in Turkey.

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Visit to Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) in Istanbul, Turkey

It was a superb trip we had in Turkey last September 2011. The 10-day trip was worth it. We did visited a lot of historical sites in the different places in Turkey. One of it was Istanbul, the most populous city in this country. It is also the cultural and financial center of Turkey. Istanbul was one of three European Capitals of Culture in 2010.

One of the interesting sites we visited in Istanbul is the Hagia Sophia, literally means "Holy Wisdom" and called in Turkish as Ayasofya. It was once an Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque and now a museum. It is famous for its massive dome and the it is considered as the epitome of Byzantine architecture.

It was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520. The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and was the third Church of the Holy Wisdom to occupy the site, the previous two having both been destroyed by rioters. It was designed by the Greek scientists Isidore of Miletus, a physicist, and Anthemius of Tralles, a mathematician.

Never miss this place when visiting Istanbul. It's truly worthy to visit. There is an entrance fee when going inside. If I am not mistaken, it cost 20 Turkish lira, around 10 Euros.

the Fountain (Şadırvan) for ritual ablutions in the left side front of Hagia Sophia. It was once an Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque

Interior view of the Hagia Sophia, taken during our visit last September 20, 2011.

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