The Giralda of Seville Cathedral in Spain

I miss this place. I had so much fun and enjoyment with my friend while walking around in this city. Seville is truly a must-see when visiting Andalusia, one of the regions in Spain.

The tower you see below is called the Giralda. It is a is a former minaret that was converted to a bell tower for the Cathedral of Seville in Seville. The tower is 104.5 m (343 ft) in height and it was one of the most important symbols in the medieval city.

When visiting Seville, don't miss to go inside its Cathedral. You will be amazed by its arts and architecture. Spain still hunts me and wish to visit it again next year!

The Giralda, a famous tower in Seville's Cathedral. I am happy to be there last December 7, 2011.

The tower was begun under the architect Ahmad Ben Baso in 1184. After Ben Baso's death, other architects continued work on the tower. An architect named Jabir (or Geber) is also often credited with the tower's design. The tower was completed March 10, 1198 with the installation of copper spheres on the tower's top.

Visit to the Christmas Market in Strasbourg, France

I had the chance to visit one of the beautiful Christmas market in Europe last December 2010. The market in Strasbourg, the capital of the Alsace region in France is also a worth to visit. This city is just located near the border of Germany.

The main Christmas market is located near the Strasbourg Cathedral but there are other areas in the city center where you can also find little markets. I guess the pictures I have below will explain a bit about the Christmas market in Strasbourg.

the market at the Cathedral square in Strasbourg.

some stalls at the market.

Remembering Windsor Castle in England

It was three years ago since I visited this medieval castle in the English country of Berkshire. Windsor Castle is noted for its architecture and the association with the British Royal family. This castle is considered to be the largest inhabited castle in the world since more than five hundred are living and working here. It is in essence a Georgian and Victorian design based on a medieval structure, with Gothic features reinvented in a modern style.

I remember during our visit, I told myself not to go inside because I will surely pay for an entrance. Upon seeing the castle November 2008, I decided to go and had a look of it. Sad to say, taking pictures inside the castle rooms is forbidden.

My visit to Windsor castle was so far one of the highlights during my three weeks vacation in England.

Windsor Castle during our visit last Nov. 2011

Plaza de España in Seville, Spain

Visiting Spain is so far the most highlight of my trips this year. It was another dream come true. One of the places we visited in Spain was Seville, known as Sevilla in Spanish. The Plaza de España or "Spain Square" is one of sights we saw and experienced.

I was amazed by the beauty and the architecture of this square. There was a very memorable experience that happened here. It is better not to say it. If I have the courage later I might share it. It was not really bad just something exciting and shameful..lol! It just happened due to the call of nature. I guess you have an idea now.

Below is an image of this beautiful square in Seville, Spain. I love this place! I love Spain!

1929 Exposition Building at the Plaza, during our visit last Dec. 7, 2011.

It is a plaza located in the Parque de María Luisa (Maria Luisa Park), in Seville It was built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. It is a landmark example of the Renaissance Revival style in Spanish architecture.

Fort San Pedro, Cebu, Philippines

How I wish I am in the Philippines right now. The reason is, to escape the cold winter time in Europe. It was a wonderful time vacation I had last year in my home country. More on that, it was so far the longest vacation I had, almost three months in the Philippines.

Although I am busy with a project that time, I still managed to have little trips especially in Cebu Province. One of the sights we visited in Cebu City was Fort San Pedro. Called as Fuerza de San Pedro in Spanish, this structure was used a a military defense during the Spanish era in the Philippines. It is located in Plaza Indepedencia, in the Pier Area of Cebu City.

inside the compound of Fort San Pedro. taken during our visit last January 2010.

Fuerza San Pedro, the fort is described as built of stone mortar with a terraplein where guns are mounted. The fort contains the necessary buildings. The largest of these buildings was the "Cuerpo de Guardia" where the personnel that manned the fort lived. Adjacent to it was the "Vivende del Teniente" which was the living quarters of the lieutenant of the Fort. In between the aforementioned buildings is a well. At one corner attached to the walls of the bastion San Miguel (NE) was the "Alamazaros del Rivera" (powder magazine where the fort's supply or arms and gunpowder from Manila were stored).

the main entrance of the Fortress.

A Visit to Landshut, Germany

I am trying to remember the exact date when we visited Landshut. While browsing my images and looking for the date when it was taken, I found out that we visited this city last July 4, 2009. It was a wonderful trip we had because we were able to witness its famous festival called the Landshuter Hochzeit or Landshut Wedding. This festival only takes place every four years. It means that the next festival will take place on July 2013.

Landshut, a city in the state of Bavaria is located in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. It is situated on the banks of Isar River. This city is famous for its Gothic architecture located in its historic city center. Most of it were not destroyed during the World War II attacks.

I want to visit again the next Landshuter Hochzeit festival in 2013.

you can participants of the Landshut Wedding wearing Medieval costumes.

the Church of Saint Martin featuring the world's tallest brick tower.

Another Weekend Trip to Poland and Czech Republic

I should not be going but I cannot say no to friends especially when it is about travel and trips..lol! I will finally be seeing Poland for the second time and will be stepping the soil of Czech Republic for the fifth time. My first visit was last May 2011 in Poland. It was a pottery shopping in its so-called "ceramic city", Boleslawiec. This time I will not go for shopping but more on sightseeing. I also want to see this time the old city or city center of Boleslawiec.

On our second day, we will be visiting Karlovy Vary, known in English as Charles Bath or Karlsbad in German. This is the famous spa town in Czech Republic. I hope we can also stop-by at Marienbad, also known as Mariánské Lázně, also a famous spa town near Karlovy Vary.

I guess that's all for now folks. I am quite sleepy now. I will be waking up very early tomorrow. Praying for our safe and sound trip to these places.

Happy weekend everyone. Stay safe too!

pottery decors in one of the stores we visited in Boleslawiec, Poland last May 2011.

The Liberty Bridge Accross Danube River in Budapest

Time truly runs so fast. It's been almost a month now since we visited Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. It was only a short trip but we had seen and experienced a lot of sights. The highlight of our visit was the fireworks during the National Holiday in Hungary.

The image you see below is the Liberty Bridge, called in Hungarian as Szabadság híd. It is sometimes Freedom Bridge. It connects Buda and Pest across the River Danube. It is the third southernmost public road bridge in Budapest, located at the southern end of the City Centre.

Szabadság híd or Liberty Bridge during our visit last Aug. 20, 2011

Cruising in Danube- From Spitz to Krems in Austria

It was only some hours cruise trip but a very fascinating and memorable one. I was with a friend Jean during that cruise. After we traveled from Gyor, Hungary to Wachau in Austria, we did had this wonderful cruise. It started in the Spitz, a wine town and ended in Krems, a riverside town in the Danube's Wachau Valley in Austria. These towns are famous tourist spots in Lower Austria.

The landscapes and scenery that we saw around are priceless. It was truly a wonderful trip last August 2011.

Spitz, this is where our cruise started.

Krems is where the cruise ended.

a castle that we passed-by during our trip.

Hohensalzburg Castle in Salzburg, Austria

It was during my third visit in Salzburg, Austria when I had the chance to go inside the Hohensalzburg Castle. The Festung Hohensalzburg which literally means "High Salzburg Fortress" is located on top of the Festungsberg mountain. It is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe with a a length of 250 m (820 ft) and a width of 150 m (490 ft).

From the you can have breath-taking views of Salzburg and the Alps. Inside the fortress is a museum of medieval weapons, life on the fortress, and torture instruments. Since we don't have so much time to hike up to the Fortress, we took the funicular. A family ticket cost 24.30 Euros.

Festung Hohensalzburg during my third visit last July 2011.
Construction of the fortress began in 1077 under Archbishop Gebhard von Helfenstein.

panorama of Salzburg from the Hohensalzburg Castle..taken last July 2011.

Winter in Neuschwanstein Castle

Neuschwanstein Castle is one of the most famous castles in Germany. It was commissioned by the so-called Bavarian mad king named King Ludwig II. This castle was the inspiration of Disneyland' Sleeping Beauty castle.

Neuschwanstein Castle is located on a hill in Hohenschwangau near Fuessen (written as Füssen in German). I had been to this castle thrice and I always love it.

image taken during my second visit last November 2010. This is what you see upon entering the main entrance of the castle.

Weekend Trip To Italy

It seems that I was not able to update this blog for some days now. I am finally back and hope to give you more updates. I had a weekend trip to Italy last weekend with friends. It was a nice trip especially after all the shopping and sightseeing we had in some of the cities in Italy.

As we arrived last Saturday, we did some capodimonte shopping first. After that we proceeded to Verona, a city in the Veneto region in northern Italy. We spend the whole day last Sunday in Venice, one of the most visited cities in Italy.

The Bell tower in Saint Mark's Basilica..You can also see the Saint Mark's Basilica in the background at the left side. This is the so-called St. Mark's square or Piazza San Marco.

Verona Arena the famous sight in Verona, Italy.

Was in Bellagio Las Vegas

I had been to some places in Italy but never been to the municipality of Bellagio. But I am very happy because I had the chance to visit Bellagio in Las Vegas. It is a luxury hotel in Las Vegas Strip, Paradise in Nevada. I love especially watching the Water Dancing Show here, also known as the Fountains of Bellagio.

I am happy to know that Bellagio Las Vegas was inspired by the Lake Como resort of Bellagio in Italy. Here is Bellagio Las Vegas during my 2008 vacation there.

I love watching the Fountains of Bellagio!

Beautiful Winter in Bavaria

The sun is shining outside.
But I still remember the last beautiful winter,
When the surroundings were all white and snowy.
But I am very glad and thankful,
That spring time finally came,
And soon lovely summer too!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

-Ruby Benz.

taken on our way to Neuschwanstein castle in Schwangau, Bavaria, Germany last January 2011. I love this scenery but but happy that we are having sunshine at the moment.

A Visit to Vatican City

It was summer 2010 when I had the chance to visit Rome. Together with Nonna, a friend from the U.S., we also visited Vatican City and landed in St. Peter's Square, the famous square in Vatican. Piazza San Pietro, as it is called in Italian, is located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica.

We also had the chance to climb to the cupola of the Basilica. To reach the cupola, one must to climb 320 steps after taking the elevator. People especially the elderly who have ailments and heart problems must be aware of this. We had a great experience as we visited this part of Rome.

St. Peter's Square and the St. Peter's Basilica in the background. taken last August 2010.

I Love My Dolce & Gabbana from KaDeWe

I really did not plan to go shopping when I had a trip to Berlin last month. Since I had the chance to go around KeDeWe, one of the famous department store in Berlin, I ended up shopping. Actually they had a winter sale that time and most of their branded items are on sale. I had a good deal with a Dolce & Gabbana bag. I love the bag because it is perfect for a traveler like me. I can put all the stuffs that I need when traveling. It cost me a little fortune but I am happy and contented with it.

the famous KaDeWe in Berlin. It stands for Kaufhaus des Westens, called in English as "Department Store of the West". I was there!

Shopping and Sightseeing in Würzburg

I would say, it was only a window shopping. Me and my friend from the United States had a sightseeing in Würzburg (Wuerzburg), a city in Bavaria, Germany. It was during her three weeks vacation in Europe last year. It was quite a nice trip we had in this city.

I forgot to mentioned that my friend had a very good deal of a yellow benetton umbrella. She bought it and bring it with her to the U.S.

a shopping street in Würzburg, Germany. taken last August 2010.

I Love King Ludwig's Castle, The Neuschwanstein Castle

Schloss Neuschwanstein or simply Neuschwanstein Castle was commissioned by Kind Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, Germany. It is also said that this castle was the inspiration of Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. It is one of the beautiful castles I visited in Europe.

Literally, Neuschwanstein is composed of three German words; Neu, Schwan and Stein which consecutively mean New, Swan and Stone. I guess my German translation to English is correct.

the main entrance to Neuschwanstein Castle. It was so foggy during our visit last November 2010.

taken during my second visit last November 2010. I had been to this thrice already..and yes, if given the chance, I will still keep on coming back....simply because I love this castle.

Visit to the Colosseum in Rome, Italy

I once visited Rome in Italy. Me and my friend Nonna had a great time seeing the amazing wonders of architecture in Rome last summer 2010. One of the sights we visited was the Colosseum, an Amphitheater in this city.

The Colosseum's original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium, often anglicized as Flavian Amphitheater. The building was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty, hence its original name, after the reign of Emperor Nero.

Beautiful Sunday!

I am just thankful that I had a very wonderful weekend. Last Saturday, I had the chance to visit again for the third time the famous Neuschwanstein castle of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. Thanks to my friends for the invitation to go with them. Yesterday, I had a relaxing and nice day too. I had a walk with hubby in the winter wonderland. It was simply a beautiful Sunday. Thanks God for everything!

the tower of the Castle ruins in Hohenfels. It seems that the snow is slowly melting. I love the blue sky here. This was taken during our walk yesterday.