A Souvenir Shop in La Subbetica, Andalusia

After some hours trip with the bus from Granada, we stopped-by in this souvenir shop in La Subbetica. This district is said to have 14 towns in the south of Cordoba province in Spain. We were actually heading to Cordoba city that time.

The souvenir shop we stopped-by was selling souvenirs of all sorts from magnets to ceramics, olive oil, alcohols and spirits and many more. I already know that they are not selling Rocky Patel there. I should want to give it as present for someone who love to smoke. I only bought a bottle of olive oil, some fridge magnet and ceramic souvenirs. I am happy with what I got because they are not really so expensive.

Here are some souvenir items from La Subbetica.

nice hand made ceramics at the souvenir shop in La Subbetica.

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Passing By in Dürnstein During A Cruise in Danube River

Danube River, called in German as Donau Fluss is the second longest river  in Europe after  Volga. I already  experienced a lot of short cruises on this  river. One of the it was the cruise we had in Austria which started in Spitz. One of the towns we passed-by was Dürnstein.  This beautiful town is located in the Krems-Land district in the state of Lower Austria. It is considered to be one of the most visited town in the region of Wachau.

The town has a medieval castle  on the top of a hill. Dürnstein is a historical town which was first mentioned in 1192.

I took some snapshots during our cruise in this area last summer 2011. It was a wonderful one seeing the nature  that surrounds Danube.

View of the town from the Danube, with the castle seen on top of the hill.

The tower of a Church in Dürnstein. We really  did not had enough time to go inside because we just passed by in this area.

Some people went out from the boat to have some sightseeing. Our group  stayed.

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Listening to the Live Band in Gaubodenvolksfest in Straubing

The little brother of Oktoberfest is almost coming.  I was once  in  Gaubodenvolksfest, a famous festival held every month of August in Straubing. This city is located in lower Bavaria in the southern part of Germany.

Gaubodenvolksfest  is  considered to be the second largest fair in Bavaria, Germany.  This might  probably be the reason why it is called as the little brother of Oktoberfest. I love going to the German festivals because from there, I love listening to the live bands inside the beer tents. I love their sound systems.  One of the live bands in this festival   might be using an EV cab, a kind of powerful speaker.  I  also love tasting  German foods when I go to festivals  like these.

When you are in  Bavaria, Germany  this coming August 10-20, 2012, you might want to visit this  agricultural festival. It is truly worth to experience.

A live band playing  in one of the beer tents at the  Gaubodenvolksfest in Straubing. I once visited it last August 2009.

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London Olympics 2012 Snapshots

August is finally here! And  London Olympics 2012 is still going on.  This is truly a spectacle seeing the best  athlete in the world. I should be in the biggest sport event in history but due to other travel plans, I did not able to make it.  Besides it is not really my priority. Attending another more important  event that might happen only once in one's life is  my priority.  I am glad that my ticket to the US was already booked..yooohoo!

I was not in London but I had the chance to watch over  the television the opening of the London Olympics 2012.  Imagine staying until 2:00 am just to watch the opening ceremony. Without further adieu, let me just share the pictures I  took from the television..Thanks to zdf for covering it.

The Olympic Flame after it was all lit.

The symbol of Olympics

                                            The Olympic Stadium in London. Amazing view!

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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!

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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.

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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.

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