Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Unique Gifts

This is quite a personal post and not some sort of my travels in Europe. It seems that somebody will be celebrating a special day this coming weekend. I am still thinking of a present. I am also thinking of some unique personalized grandma gifts for my mother's birthday next month. She's is already a grandma of six grandchildren. She's is also expecting a grandchild from me but until now, it is still zero. I guess it is not too late for me to have one. I already have some unique gift ideas for her and I hope that she will like it. Thanks dear Mother for bringing me in this world. You truly deserve a special present. Wish I am there in your special day! Wish you always the best and good health too!

The Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium

Let' go travel Europe again! This time we are visiting Brussels, the capital city of Belgium. I am featuring the central square of Brussels called the Grand Place or Grote Markt in French language. This square is the most famous sight in this city and considered to be the most memorable landmark. Together with the Atomium and Manneken Pis, these are all included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

These are some of the snapshots I took during our visit last summer 2010.

The Brussels Town Hall stands 96 metres (315 ft) tall and is capped by a 3 metre (12 ft) statue of Saint Michael slaying a demon.

the guildhalls in Grand Place.

The Grand Place is surrounded by guildhalls, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse (French: Maison du Roi, Dutch: Broodhuis).

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Shopping in Rothenburg of der Tauber

This is a continuation of my previous post on Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Actually, it was a shopping experience. There was already a winter sale going on during our visit last January. We visited one of the shoe and sneaker stores in this town. One of my friends found a very cheap winter boots for a very cheap price. She had almost 90% discount for that. That truly a very nice shopping experience. Imagine saving more than a hundred Euros for that shoes? That was really a great deal. I guess someone wants to go shopping this week.

Enjoy the rest of the month of March!

A Winter Visit to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of the beautiful town to visit on the Romantic Road in Bavaria, Germany. It is known for its well-preserved medieval Altstadt or Old Town.

This is one of the gates to the Old City. If I am not mistaken, this is the Markusturm (Marcus Tower). These were taken during my second visit last January 2011.

The Market Square (Marktplatz) is the center of urban life in Rothenburg o.d.T. The Square is framed on the west by the Town Hall (Rathaus), on the north by the City Councillors' Tavern (Ratstrinkstube) with its Tourist Information center, on the east by shops and cafes, and on the south by St. George's Fountain.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Car Insurance in Europe

Driving a car in Europe without an insurance is a mortal sin. It is always required by law to have an insurance for your car. As we bought a new car last January, one of the requirements to get the registration is a confirmation that you bought first an insurance for it. What we did was, we went to the bank and asked a certification that we will be buying our car insurance from them. The insurance agent from the bank gave us a certain Code and we proceeded with the registration.

Nowadays, you can already browse for cheap insurances online. The insurance from our other car was bought online and it is cheaper compared to an agent. Insurance sites like estatecarinsure.com are offering the same services. We decided that after a year contract with our car insurance we will buy it online so that it is cheaper. I asked before our insurance agent why buying insurances online is cheaper compared to buying from them. He told me, it is because of their personal service. Now I know!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Sightseeing in Kallmünz, Bavaria, Germany

Kallmünz is a municipality in the district of Regensburg in the state of Bavaria, Germany. It is a beautiful small medieval town situated at the Naab river. It is situated around 15 kilometers from Hohenfels, where the JMRC training of the U.S. Army is located.

The image below was taken as we were on our way to the castle ruins in Kallmünz. You can also see the tower of St. Michael's Church on the right side. River Naab is also visible on the background. The ruins of the Kallmünz Castle is the main attraction in this area.

this image was taken during our visit last May 2010.

Poland Sightseeing

Poland, called as Polska in Polish is a country located in Central Europe. Due to its location Poland is accessible by plane in most of Europe's major airlines, by train especially from its neighboring countries like Germany,Czech Republic, by car, bus, yacht and boat.

Poland is a historical country and the first Polish settlement in Biskupin dates even further back to the 7th century BC. It is the 9th largest country in Europe and the 69th largest in the world. It is also a member of the European Union and the Schengen agreement. Until now, it still did not adopt the Euro currency.

Since Poland joined the EU countries, it has become a major part of global tourism market. Its visitors are increasing every year, thus contributing to Poland's economy. You have to remember, there are always affordable Poland holidays that will fit your budget.

Here are some of the most attractive destinations for tourists in Poland.

Warsaw

It is the largest and capital city of Poland. Warsaw is also known as "the phoenix city", after the Polish people had rebuilt and recovered the extensive damage of the World War II.

A city break or trip in Warsaw can be a fabulous experience. There are a lot of major attractions and sights to see and to experience. The view of the cityscape with its varied architectural styles tells the history of the city and the country as a whole. Don't miss to visit Śródmieście, meaning Inner City, the central district of Warsaw where you can see a lot of sights. The Royal Road is also a must to visit.

Being the capital city, Warsaw is home to several professional musical and play companies including the Polish National Opera and the National Philharmonic. It also celebrates various festivals such as the Warsaw Film Festival, Warsaw Autumn, Garden Theaters Contest and some other more. Warsaw is simply a must to visit when making a trip to Poland.

Krakow

This is another interesting city to visit in Poland. Krakow is the second largest city and one of the oldest cities in Poland. There are a lot of things to do and see in this city. The most popular tourist attractions are mostly located in the Old Town with its Main Market Square, 14th-century buildings of the Jagiellonian University, dozens of old churches and museums and Kazimierz. Other beautiful and historical sights to visit are the Wawel Hill, home to Wawel Castle and Wawel Cathedral, where many Polish kings are buried.

For those who love nightlife, dining, shopping, Warsaw is also a city to provide such activities to its visitors and tourists. Beware with bar scam, hotel scam and taxi scam in this city.

The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) in Main Market Square in Krakow, Poland. credit

Lublin

It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship. Lublin is a candidate for the title of European Capital of Culture in 2016. Main sights to see include The Castle of Lublin and Chapel of the Holy Trinity, St. Stanislas Dominican Basilica and Monastery, the Old Town Square, Lublin Cathedral and Trinity Tower, Cracow Gate and many more. Some religious buildings and museums are also worthy to see. You might also want to take a walk on its park like the Saxonian Garden and the UMCS Botanic Garden.

Wroclaw

I had known this city by its German name, Breslau. Wroclaw is also a historic capital of Silesia. It is famous for German tourists and for Polish people as well. The Rynek with its Town Hall, the Centennial Hall, Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, St. Elizabeth's Church, Salt Square are only some of its beautiful sights. If you want to experience a romantic evening, walking through the mystery brick stoned streets in Ostrow Tumski is very much recommended. It is complete with hand-lit oil lamps lit nightly

There are still a lot of beautiful cities in Poland that maybe added to your travel portfolios. You might want to consider Poznan, Katowice,Szczecin, Auschwitz and other destinations that might be of interest to you.

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