Invitations

I had quite a tiring day today.  There are a lot of things to do both online and offline. The weather was also so hot outside today but thanks to our old stone house where you feel like you are inside an airconditioned room.

Anyway back to the main topic. This is one thing I love in my life in Europe.  I received a lot of invitations the past days  from  events, gatherings, birthday parties,  group travel and shopping escapade. The biggest  deal for me is  the invitation for a birthday party  next week.  I am planning to make customized gift cards as presents. This sounds unique and I already experienced doing it before.

Yesterday, I also received a call for a trip but my friend in facebook sent me a message that it won't push through. I guess not so many people are coming. There will also be an event tomorrow for a Pinoy Summer Festival. I will try my best to come when all my assignments are done.

I guess that is all for now. Thanks to all my friends for  always remembering  me thru invitations of any kind.  I truly appreciate it. Have a nice weekend ahead!

Read More

Euro Travel in Vernazza, Italy

I was asked many times by friends who went with me  during our spring trip to Italy,  if there will be a trip like what we had there  last year. One of the places we visited was Vernazza in Italy. First time to hear about this place? It is actually one of the 5 villages of Cinque Terre. It is the fourth town heading north...It has no car  traffic and you can go there with a train or by foot.

Vernazza is located in the province of La Spezia in Liguria, Italy. It is a famous fishing village.

With regards to my first sentence here, I told my friends that I will let them know once  I can find the same trip like what we had last year. I also want to experience the same trip again.

I took some images from  Vernazza as  proofs that I was there. Here they are!

It is very interesting to know that some house owners made their home a store. That is quite a good idea.

The Cinque Terre  signed in Vernazza, Italy.

This little village along with the other 4 Cinque Terre villages are very famous for tourists and visitors. The windows of the houses where they  hang and dry their clothes looks interesting.

All these images was taken during our visit last April 2011.

Read More

Top Places To Visit in Norway

Getting ready for another trip? How about Norway? It  is one of the  five  Scandinavian countries along with  Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.  It does not belong to the European Union countries but it is a member of the Schengen Agreement. This country is  famous for the complex and deep fjords along its west coast. Traveling Norway can be a promising experience since it is known for its amazing and varied scenery.

Here are the top places  I wish to Visit in Norway.

Oslo

Everytime I visit a certain country especially in Europe, my first target is always its capital city. That is why the first city that  I wish to visit in Norway is Oslo. It is the largest city of Norway and the third largest city of Scandinavia. This city rank among the most expensive city in the world but I am quite sure that  we can find there budget hotels during your stay.

There are a lot of things to see and experience in Oslo. You might want to go for a walk in one of its park. A visit to its Royal Palace, the Oslo Cathedral, the University of Oslo and other interesting buildings and architecture here are recommended. This is a good news to all museum-lovers, visiting the museums in Oslo is free. Not only that, Oslo has a lot of interesting museums to visit. For sure, you will have a great time in this city.

Various discount airlines fly to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. Depending on your departure city, you can always find cheap airfares especially when planning booking for your trip  ahead of time.

Oslo, Norway. taken by my fb friend Bernard.

Trondheim

Another old but beautiful city worth to visit in Norway. It is considered to be the oldest of Norway's major cities. You can experience everything in this city from music to arts, culture, nightlife, student life... all combines into making Trondheim one of the most exciting city centers of Northern Europe.

I will not surely miss the marvellous Nidaros Cathedral, the second largest church of Northern Europe when I visit this city.

Bergen

Another wonderful city to visit is Bergen. It is very famous for its beautiful nature and lovely surroundings. A walk or a hike around the area will give its visitor an unforgettable adventure trip. There are a lot of attractions in this city. Pick the ones that you like most especially if you are only visiting  for a day or two.

Kristiansand

This city is called “the jolly capital of the South”. Its nickname simply catch my attention. This city is sometimes called as Kristiansand S to distinguish Kristiansund in western Norway. S stands for South. I would love to experience the largest festival in Norway which is held in this city. It is called the Quart Festival, a multi-day music festival.


For you holidays to Norway, don't miss to read airline reviews before booking your ticket. There are a lot of affordable airlines that fly to all major aiports in Norway.

Other interesting places to see are Bodø, Drammen, Tromso, Nordkapp, Stavanger, Lofoten and Drammen.

Read More

Visit to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain

We are finally backed from our trip in Spain. It was a long and tiring trip we had but it was all worth-it. It was again another dream came true when I visited Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia region. This city is also the second largest in Spain after Madrid. This is another interesting city I visited in Europe. A day trip in this city is not enough to see everything. This is also the reason why I would love to visit it again in the future.

One of the sights we visited was the Sagrada Familia. This famous architecture  commissioned by Antonio Gaudi is now listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site since November 2010. This architecture is truly amazing. Called as Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family or Basílica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia in Spanish, this is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona.

I am still quite tired from our Spain trip. For now, I would just like to share some images taken from Barcelona. More travel stories and updates to come in my other travel blogs below;

See The World
Travel Euroasia
Europe Travel Pad

 

View of the Nativity façade during our day trip to Barcelona last July 14, 2012.

a detail of the  Nativity part of Sagrada Familia. 

The style of la Sagrada Familia is variously likened to Spanish Late Gothic, Catalan Modernism and to Art Nouveau or Catalan Noucentisme. While the Sagrada Família falls within the Art Nouveau period, Nikolaus Pevsner points out that, along with Charles Rennie Macintosh in Glasgow, Gaudí carried the Art Nouveau style far beyond its usual application as a surface decoration. wikipedia.

Read More

Garden Stuffs

I love the new patio in our garden. Sad to say, we can no longer install our gazebo because it was replaced with this new patio. I love that gazebo design i found in the garden center but I can no longer have one. We actually still have a room for a gazebo in our garden but hubby don't want to have one in that area. If I don't get very busy next year in summer, I would love to have that gazebo back in our garden. Another project that is still waiting is a little garden house. I can still wait till hubby built one.

The Poppy Peridot flowers were also gone now.

White tulips from our garden last spring time. They were gone now.

Read More

The Würzburg Residence

So far, this is one of the most beautiful palaces I visited in Germany. The Residence in Wüzburg is truly a work of art. I have been there for a lot of times but it was only during my recent visit last  July 2, 2012 when I had the chance to go inside the palace. Sad to say, taking photographs  is not allowed inside the building.


Interiors include the grand staircase, the chapel, and the grand salon. The building was dubbed the "nicest parsonage in Europe" by Napoleon. It was heavily damaged during World War II, and restoration has been in progress since 1945.

I was actually touring  relatives of  friends who came to visit Europe for some days.  One of the cities I showed them was Würzburg. It was so far a  wonderful time I had with them.

Here are some of  the snaphots I took during our recent visit last week.

Garden façade of the Residenz. This looks more beautiful when all the roses in the  garden are blooming.

Court  of the Residenz in Würzburg, Germany.

 

The front  of the Residenz and the Cour d'Honneur

Read More

Travelling from U.S. To Europe

Most of the time  planning  our trip ahead of time  to  any destinations  around the world  will surely save  us time and  money. We also avoid stress and hassles in searching for cheap flights and accommodation.  Taking for example my friends who were  looking for Cheap flights from Florida to Italy, they had a hard time looking for cheap trips  because they  made their  bookings  too late.   Always remember not all last minute travels are cheap especially going to Europe.

The St. Mark's Basilica in the middle and the Ducal Palace on the right side. This was taken as we toured a friend from the U.S.  last summer 2011.  This was already my third time in Venice, Italy and I always love to visit  this beautiful city.

I  had a friend who toured  Europe last 2010. She already informed me  starting late  2009 that she will be visiting Europe.  I told her that she can avail of cheap travels if she will plan it ahead of time. I helped her in trying to find Cheap flights from New York City to Paris including cheap accommodations. She visited Europe last August 2010  but she bought  her plane ticket in February of the same year.  Imagine that  is almost 6 months advance  of buying her ticket  and she  truly found a cheap flight to Europe.

I accompanied her in her travels during that time.   I also helped her in finding cheap hotels and accommodations, plane tickets from one European city to another and  train tickets as well. We visited  6 countries in Europe including Italy,  France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.  Imagine spending only around 1,500.00 Euros for three weeks in these 6 countries  with everything in it.  We really had some good travel deals during that Europe tour we had last summer 2010.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Seine River that flows in this city. This was taken during  my  second visit in France capital  together  with a friend from the U.S.

This is what I have been telling to some friends who wish to make a tour in Europe, always plan it ahead of time and for sure they can save time, money and effort. If you are travelling from U.S. or any parts  of the globe  to Europe, always remember to  plan everything ahead  of  time.

Read More

Shipping from Europe

It depends on what you are planning to ship or mail and how it weighs, the price will certainly differ. When I  mailed one box that weight around 12 kilos to Spain, I paid  around 22.00 euros. Just yesterday,  a friend of mine asked  me how much does it cost for a box  that weighs 25 kilos to the United Kingdom.  I need to ask again the post office since the one she talked with last week don't speak English.  This is the problem sometimes in Germany, not all people are speaking  English. Of course, you need to have good packaging for shipping to ensure the safety of your items.

I need to pack today the items that I will be sending to the U.S. this week.

Read More

It's Summer Sale in Germany

Hello to all shopaholics out there! This is the perfect time of the year to go shopping in Germany and maybe in whole of Europe. The summer sale in Germany already started two weeks ago. Until now, there are still a lot of sales everywhere from shoes to clothing, accessories, bags, gadgets, electronics  and I also found some jewelry deals in the malls where we went to the past weeks. If you want to save money while enjoying shopping, this is the best time for you to go out and start your shopping escapade.

Happy shopping to all!

Read More

Partying on the Tyne: Hen Do Ideas for Newcastle

It’s the summer. Well, the English equivalent of the summer anyway. Good weather or not, it is wedding season and what comes before a wedding besides all the planning? A good hen party, of course.
Whatever you’re after, city breaks probably have it; and as far as city breaks go, Newcastle-upon-Tyne is up there with the best of them.

If pure partying is what you’re after, you could don your Union Jack glitter hat and dance to top 90s tunes at Babylon. Or for the more retro night, try Flares – where disco is still top of the charts. Take a trip to Bigg Market for Pop World, pop over to Quayside for the smart-yet-retro Flynn’s Retro Bar or try one of Newcastle’s newest and liveliest venues – Cosy Joes. Why not finish the night off with The Riverside – one of the best clubs in Newcastle that offers great drink offers, all night. When you’re all partied out, check out some of the hotels in Newcastle city centre for a place to slumber.

For an altogether different option, pampering sessions are also available. Who doesn’t like to be treated to a good massage or some treatments – especially if you’re the bride-to-be. A few miles out of the city, you can find Slaley Hall, offering top notch spa treatments for that added bit of luxury. Or, if you prefer to stay local to the city, there are so many other options to choose from.

For the more adventurous, why not try your hand at paintballing... disclaimer: it could hurt, but it’s definitely memorable! Delta Force offer paintballing packages within reasonable distance from the city. There are so many other options to consider; dance classes, a cocktail masterclass at Revolution or the trusty stripper/naked butler to make your hen do simply unforgettable.

Read More

One Life is Not Enough to See The World

I had some nice conversation with friends yesterday. We were talking about travel and we agreed that when we have extra money, we will surely keep on travelling. We will not wait until our legs get  painful due to old age and can no longer enjoy walking while sightseeing. Besides we  cannot bring our money and all material possessions 6 feet under the ground. Agree folks! I can't even imagine on how to plan a funeral  and   all of us has a final destination. So let's keep on travelling when we still can! Life is short  and I believed that a lifetime is even not enough to see all the wonderful creations of God in this world.

If you have the chance, time and money, go travel and see the world, for this is truly a beautiful world! Have a safe travel all the time!

Read More

Travel Snapshots from SEgovia, Spain

It was quite and adventure when I visited Segovia, a city in Spain located on the north of Madrid.  I travelled to this city alone and I boarded the fast train  of Spain called  AV. It only took over 30 minutes and I was already in Spain.  I would say, it was an adventure travel because there were a lot of experiences I had  when I went there. Besides  it was my first trip to this city and I still don't speak Spanish.  I wish  to share more  about my trip to Segovia in my future post.

For now, just enjoy watching some of the images I took from this city. It was only a day trip and I guess, I only spent almost 4 hours there. At least I was able to see some of  its tier sights.

The Cathedral in Segovia, Spain during our trip last March 2012.

A monument located in front of Alcazar of  Segovia.

View of the surroundings of Segovia from the Alcazar.

Read More

Don't Miss These Sights When Visiting Munich

Munich is beautiful! This is one of the reasons why I always recommend Munich to all my friends who are visiting Germany. Munich is one of my favourite cities in Germany not only because it is the capital of the state of Bavaria but simply because it is truly a lovely city. It is noted for its architecture and culture and most of all for hosting the world's most famous and largest festival, the Oktoberfest.

Munich has these six amazing attractions to visit:

1. Nymphenburg Palace

I visited this Palace twice already. If I have the chance to go there again, I would still love to. This palace is located in the heart of Munich. Many of the palace showrooms still have their original baroque decoration. The gardens around the palace are a perfect place for an afternoon walk or a picnic.

The Fountain at the garden located at the back of  Nymphenburg Palace during my second visit last May  2012.

2. Viktualien Market

This is Munich's largest outdoor market place. This market has a variety of foods from many different countries. Different wines, breads, cheeses, and beers are all sold here. Even if you're not on a major shopping spree this is still a great place to stroll through and grab a bite to eat.

3. English Garden

This is one of the most breathtaking city parks in Munich, Germany. This park was created in 1789 by Sir Benjamin Thomas. Today you will find many people playing Frisbee and football in the park. Horseback riding and sunbathing nude by the horse track are two other favorite activities to do in the English Garden.

The Chinesischer Turm or Chinese Tower with beer garden at the English Garden in Munich. I was there!

4. Olympiaturm (Olympic Tower)

This amazing tower stands 291 meters high. The observation platform, which is located at 191 meters in the air, gives visitors a breathtaking view of Munich. There is also a revolving restaurant where visitors can enjoy a meal and the views of the city at the same time.

Our visit to the Olympiapark and seeing the Olympic Tower last 2009 was a wonderful feeling for me. Sad to say, we don't have the chance to go up to the tower. Hopefully in our next visit.

The Olympic Tower in Olympiapark in Munich during our trip last 2009.

5. Deutsches Museum

With forty-five exhibits, this is one of the largest science museums in the world. The museum is located on an island in the beautiful Isar River. Priceless artifacts include the first automobile and the first diesel engine. One of the most popular attractions at the museum is the high voltage display that actually produces electricity.


6. Pinakothek der Moderne

If you like visual arts then you will definitely want to visit this large museum dedicated to 19th and 20th century visual arts. The collections at this museum range from the industrial revolution up to today's modern computer culture.

To all international guests and tourists who are trying to find cheap Flights to Germany, I am quite sure you can find a lot  online. There are a lot of discount airlines that are serving affordable flights in most airports in Germany like Ryanair, Easyjet, Virgin Atlantic and many more.

For sure you will going to have a wonderful and memorable stay in Bavarian's lovely capital. Have fun!

Read More

My Second Visit in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

Fourth of July 2012, I know that day was a very memorable one for our American friends. It was the same with me because during that day, I also visited for the second time Karlovy Vary. I was actually invited by some friends to go with them and I am so thankful about it. We had a wonderful time in this city and I was happy because I saw them enjoying the place. They love this city.

Karlovy Vary, also known as Carlsbad in English or Karlsbad in German is a city in Bohemia, Czech Republic. It is very famous for its spa and hot springs. Its whimsical architecture also made this city very well-known. Some famous people like Emperor Franz Josef I, Beethoven, Wagner, Tsar Peter the Great Tolstoy, and Marx visited this city for these reasons.

Karlovy Vary which also means Charles Bad was named after Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, who founded the city in 1370. Some famous people

There were quite a lot of people during our visit because  the Karlovy Vary  International Film Festival  is still going on. It started last June 29 and will last until July 7, 2012.  I guess it is the  highlight of our visit  there.

The Mill Colonnade. There were a lot of activities going on that day. Live bands, street performers and other  outdoor activities for children and persons  with disabilities  also took place.

Some colorful and nice buildings  in Karlovy Vary and the Tepla River that runs in this city.

We did not really saw everything in this city but at least  I am happy that I visited it again. Some of our time was spent shopping for Bohemian crystal. Our friends from the United States of America who were with us that day, also the reason why we went there, were so  happy about their experience in Karlovy Vary.

I believed, I will be visiting the city again in the future.

Read More

Discovering the Art in Venice

Venice is an Italian city renowned all over the world for its incomparable beauty. The city comprises of a massive group of almost 120 islands that are all connected by small bridges. One of the highlights of travelling to Venice is the beautiful art on offer. Art in Venice includes many manifestations and monuments although there are some of them that stand out more prominently than others.

The Peggy Guggenheim Museum is something not to be missed when visiting Italy. The collection of this museum bears all the personal life of Guggenheim and is dedicated to it for the amazing work done to promote art of every form. The museum comprises of art from different varieties and styles like futurism, cubism, surrealism, metaphysical painting, American abstract expressionism, avant-garde sculpture and European abstraction as well.

The Venezia  Murano store in Venice, Italy. This was taken during my third visit in Venice.

The main mode of travelling within Venice is by boat and you can use one to get to the dell’Accademia di Venezia. This place was originally founded by the state of Venetia in the year 1750. The main attractions of this place are the various works of art it houses. Most of the art pieces are from Venetian masters who lived in the 17th and 18th century. Among the artists whose works can be found in the collection of dell’Accademia di Venezia there are Leonardo Da Vinci, Carpaccio and Giovanni Bellini.

The Gondolas in Venice. I finally experienced it during my third visit last July 2011.

Among the most popular places for those on a tour of Art in Venice is the Museo del Vetro, aka the Glass Museum. The museum was established in the year 1861 on the island of Murano. The island itself is located to the north of Venice. Housing a Murano glass collection that is the largest in the world, the museum offers visitors a peak into the history of glass manufacturing apart from housing beautiful examples from great masters.

Read More