Luggage is Finally Packed

I am ready to go. In less than 24 hours,  my first travel for this year will start.  I am finally done packing my luggage. I am quite tired now after doing some things at home but I know later, I will be fine. I am quite excited now and I hope, I did not forget anything. I already have all my travel gadgets  especially my digital cameras.  As usual, I bought 3 cameras again. Oh well, I  just want to make  it  sure that I have enough space to save my photos. If one camera is broken, I still have another ones.

A church  in Florence, Italy during my first visit in Autumn 2013.

This time, I am heading again to Italy and San  Marino. We will be visiting some places there. It was really a very cheap travel, the reason why I also book it. Besides, there are places  I wanted to visit again especially Venice and Florence. It will be  an 8 days trip and mostly everything  is included from accommodation, transportation, meals  (breakfast and dinner) and visit to different places. For only 298.00 Euros, I find it really very cheap. I guess, this is only enough for a return plane ticket  to Venice  or Florence, starting from Germany.

I need to wake-up very early tomorrow to go to the pick-up  area in Regensburg. I am quite excited to see new places like Assisi, Perugia, Santarcangelo di Romagna, Bologna,  Ancona and San  Marino. This will be my second time in Florence and many times in Venice.

I will just surprised myself what travel experiences awaits for me in these 8 days trip. Keep us safe and sound in this travel my Lord! Amen!

Ready for my Christmas Market Trip to Domazlice, Czech Republic

Hello December! Wow, it seems like yesterday when it was November. Time truly flies by so fast now. Holiday season is  starting on the  air right now. I can already feel its breeze!   The best time of the year is inevitable now. Some more weeks and it will be Christmas  day! I hope you are  considering  Christmas everyday!

Christmas Decors  sold on Christmas Markets in Germany.

Today seems to be a busy day for me. I was doing some offline  tasks including cooking, cleaning and  folding the clean laundry. I also prepared the stuffs I need for  my  trip to Czech  Republic. I have been to this country many times but this will be my first Christmas Market trip  there visiting  Domazlice.

Christmas season is one of the  best time to visit Europe. Christmas markets are  everywhere.  This is one thing I love in this continent.

Domazlice is a town in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. According to history, it was first recorded as a town in 1231.  This is quite a historic town and I hope I can experience interesting sights when we will visit it tomorrow.

My cameras are ready now, batteries are fully charged, snacks and drinks are already in my backpack..what else?  I need to wear good winter clothes tomorrow since I heard over the news that the temperature might drop to sub-zero.

I believed  everything is packed now. Anyway, I will be traveling with a Japanese friend this time. I am quite excited! See you soon Domazlice, Czech Republic!

It Was Cold in Oakland, California

I is almost a year now since my last vacation in the United States. I would like to thank good friends and my dear family for making it happened. I truly appreciate all and I am forever grateful for your goodness!

I was browsing some travel albums awhile ago and found some photos from Oakland. This city is a major West Coast port city and the busiest port for San Francisco Bay and all of Northern California.

Church in Oakland. Sept. 2013.

It was quite chilly when we arrived that early morning in Oakland. There was a plan that day why we landed in Oakland. My sister's sister-in-law is working in that area. She brought us with her planning to take us to the next city where we should be meeting my schoolmate. Since her training did not push through, we ended up going to the University of Berkeley. I and my sister had a walk around the university campus.

Lake Meritt during our walk.

Before that, we also did a bit sightseeing in Oakland. We also did a walk around Lake Merritt while waiting for our friend.  Some things  we plan did not happened that day but I am glad that it was still a beautiful and enjoyable one!

Visit to Mainau Island in Baden-Württemberg

I know for sure there are millions of flowers blooming again in Insel Mainau, the German name for Mainau Island. Spring flowers like tulips, narcissus and daffodils can still be found at this time of the year. Oceans of cheerful, sweet- scented, colourful spring flowers entice its outdoors again. From the end of March, more than a million tulips, narcissi and hyacinths line the Spring Avenue and fill the flowerbeds on Mainau Island.

The palace gardens at Mainau were mainly created by Lennart Bernadotte. This was taken during our visit last July  2012.

varieties of flowers can be seen in Insel Mainau especially during spring and summer season.

I always love visiting parks and garden like Mainau Island. Last summer 2012, I had the chance to go there with a bus trip. It costs 35.00 Euros per person starting in Regensburg, Germany but the boat and entrance to the island is not included in that trip. As far as I can remember, we paid almost 30.00 Euros for the entrance and boat ride going to the island.

That was a wonderful and relaxing walk we had around the island  seeing the beauty of nature.

The Bays in Croatia

It seems like yesterday when I had a trip to Croatia. I just looked at the calendar the exact date when I was there. After 2 hours of sightseeing in Maribor, Slovenia, our bus drove to our hotel in Tuhelj, Croatia. We arrived at around 8:00 PM there. We did an overnight in Terme Tuhelj, a wellness center and hotel in this place of the same name. Our tour guide said that it is the largest Sauna World in Croatia. This wellness hotel offers SPAeVITA care and beauty centre where the guests can enjoy various group air whirling programmes, thermal mud, honey or salt treatments, wide range of massages and facial and body treatments.

Some of the places located along the bay in Croatia  during our road trip with the bus from  Biograd na Moru j to Dubrovnik, Croatia. last April 1 2, 2013.

During that 9-day trip in Southeast Europe, also called as the Balkan Peninsula, we were able to visit 5 countries. Included are Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia.

That was quite a tiring trip with the bus everyday but if you see places like the bays in Croatia, your tiresome will surely be compensated.

Overall, I can say that I gained a lot of unforgettable memories during that trip. The lovely places I seen  from those 5 countries will always remain in my memory. Thanks to the digital cameras we have now  where   we can always turn back the past by simply looking at the travel photos.

A lovely town we passed-by during our trip to Croatia last April 2013.

 Some of the places we visited in Croatia  were Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Biograd na Moru, Tuhelj, the National park in Krka and Rastoke in Slunj.

These are only some of the snapshots I took from Croatia. I wish to know the exact location of  these photos.  This is the reason why I ordered a camera with GPS so that I know the exact location where a certain picture is located.

Souvenirs from Vaduz, Liechtenstein

Vaduz is not really a big city  since Liechtenstein is also a small  country. Vaduz is the capital of the principality of Liechtenstein and the seat of the national parliament. I had a short sightseeing there last month. One of things I did was buying souvenirs. Since most of the souvenirs are expensive, I only ended up buying  some postcards, a shot glasses and fridge magnet.  Imagine a postcard cost 1.00 euro..huhu! That was really expensive.  I spend a total of 25.00 euros only for souvenirs.

I am happy that finally I visited Liechtenstein and its capital city.

Souvenirs from Vaduz during my trip last March 2013.

I guess  I only bought 3 postcards from this city. That was quite expensive. lol!

I Was in Vatican City

I want to visit Vatican City again to witness the Pope Benedict XVI's last audience. After the Pope resigned on his position as the Head of the Catholic Church last week, I was saddened by the news  but I respect his decision.

I was in Rome with a friend last summer  2010. We also visited Vatican City and went inside the St. Peter's cathedral. In fact, we also climbed the dome of the cathedral. From there, you will have a great view of the city of  Rome and its surroundings. That was one of the highlights during my travels in 2010. I hope I can visit it again.

St. Peter's Cathedral during our visit last August 2010.

Remembering Madrid, Spain's Capital City

I had a quick exchange of messages from a friend  in Madrid this afternoon. She was asking me when I am going back to Madrid. I replied when I have a budget, I will immediately go back there.  I love Madrid and so far visiting Spain's capital city is history for me. You know why? this is the only capital city in Europe where I stayed for  three weeks and where I explored most of its corners. It was a long story why it happened.

Here are some images I took during my trip to Madrid almost a year ago. I believed one day, I will be visiting it again.

View of Alcala Street and Gran Via Street. This is where I walk many times in going around the city.

Street sign in Gran Via Street. I was there!

A Day Trip in Montserrat, Spain

It was so far a nice trip seeing of the famous sighs in Spain. I was invited by some friends to go with a group  trip  going to Spain. It was  bus trip and was quite  tiresome due to the very long travel time. Since I was soy eager to visit Barcelona last summer 2012, I  ended up saying yes to friends.

It was already my third visit in this country but my first time in Barcelona. That 4-day trip was fun and terrific. One of the sidetrips we made was visiting Montserrat. From our hotel in Callela, it took us over one hour to reach Montserrat.

This multi-peaked mountain located near Barcelona, Spain is truly a must to see when you are in this city. It is well known as the site of the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary and which is identified by some  with the location of the Holy Grail in Arthurian myth.

We also had the chance to go inside the Basilica.

The Abbey of Montserrat during our visit last July 2012.

Visiting Leeds, England

It's  always nice to reminisce  one of the interesting cities I visited in England.  I  am  grateful and will always  thank my good friend and  "kababayan" (a  Filipino word that can be translated as compatriots) named Ros or Arot for touring me in this city. It was in  autumn or fall 2008 when I  had the chance to visit England for 3 weeks. One of the cities  I visited was Leeds.

I  did not made it to witness the Christmas market in Leeds but I was in the area where it is held every year.  It was still did not opened when I was there.  Like any other Christmas markets in the UK, it is also a traditional German Christmas Market.  It is  saying, "A little piece of Germany in the heart of  Leeds City Center". At least,  I did experienced  the illuminated  lights on the streets  and the colourful Christmas  trees inside the famous Victoria Quarter and other shops in this city. The  festive atmosphere  of the coming holiday season can already  be  felt  at the month  of November.

The Millennium Square in Leeds, where the Christmas market is held each year.

The Christmas market market consists of over 40 wooden chalet stalls from authentic German traders providing a wide range of seasonal gift ideas for everyone including; handcrafted toys, jewellery, Christmas cards and festive decorations, speciality foods and traditional German delicacies such as gluhwein, bratwurst sausages and many more.

The illuminated  and  fully decorated  streets in Leeds when I visited it  last November 2008. Despite of the rainy weather, you can still see a lot of people on the street.

The temple of Artemis in Ephesus, Turkey

It was over a year now since we visited Turkey. It was so far a very interesting trip seeing some of the historical ruins in this country. I could not believed  that  Turkey has a lot of  impressive ruins to visit. Some of it are even included in  the Seven Wonders of the  Ancient World.

One of the historical sites we visited  was the Temple of Artemis. After our sightseeing  at the ruins of Ephesus, we proceeded to this area. It is actually located in this area but our bus drove a bit as we went there. It is located near the town of Selcuk  in today's Turkey.

The Temple of Artemis is also known as the Temple of Diana, a Greek  temple dedicated to the Greek goddess  Artemis. It is considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient   World.

That 10-day trip we had in Turkey was truly a memorable one for me. It truly made me feel like traveling back in time seeing  some of those magnificent historic ruins in this country.

I hope to be backed there again and visit more historic  sights.

The modern site of the Temple of Artemis near Selcuk, Turkey. It is an honor for me to visit such kind of  amazing ruins.

Let's go back to Madrid, Spain

I had a conversation with a friend today about traveling in Europe. She was asking me if I want to go back to Madrid..I simply answered, yes of course but it is not my priority at the moment because I already visited  that city twice. I stayed three weeks there  during  my second visit.

I still want to go back to Madrid and experience it again. Only time could tell when?  I met some good friends in this city and I want to see them again. It was such wonderful and enjoyable moments I spent with these lovely people. I am saying hello  and also sending my warm regards to them.

Of all the cities I visited in Europe,  it is only in Madrid that I  explored most. What  can you do when you stayed there for three weeks but to keep on exploring it everyday. I also had some sidetrips to the nearby cities like Avila, Guadalajara, Alcala de Henares, El Escorial, Aranjuez and Segovia.  I simply love Madrid and Spain as a whole!

Puerta del Sol during my  second visit last March 2012. You can see the Bear and the Madroño Tree, heraldic symbol of Madrid on the left side of this photo.

Prague, Czech Republic for the Second Time

I remember a friend who mentioned that she wanted to visit Prague when she travels here in Europe. She actually fulfilled her dream visiting Europe but was quite saddened when she missed to visit Prague. I guess, she don't need to regret because we let her stepped on Czech Republic.

Dreaming to visit a lot of cities and countries in Europe is really great! But we have to consider our time and budget. Agree with me folks? I am happy visiting Prague for the second time. I was actually invited by a friend to guide her mother-in-law an husband during their trip in this city. It was honor for me showing beautiful cities in Europe.

Prague is Czech Republic's capital and for me it is a beautiful city to visit and experience. It is the one of the largest cities in Central Europe has served as the capital of the historic region of Bohemia for centuries.

There are a lot of sights to see there including the Old Town, the  Prague Castle, Charles Bridge,  the New Town, Lesser Town and many more.

One of the bridges in Prague. You can see Prague Castle from afar.

Prague State Opera House.

Cruising in Bosphorus, Istanbul

It is a beautiful sunny day today. I love this weather during fall season. It is quite cold outside but I don't have to worry because I am actually inside the house now.

It was over a year now when we had a 10-days trip in Turkey, the only country that can be found  both in Asia and Europe. One of the  places we visited  was its capital city, Istanbul. I can't believed that there are also a lot of interesting historical sights in this city.  To name a few are the  Hagia Sophia, Sultan Ahmet Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern and many more.

For me the highlight of our trip in Istanbul was the short cruise we had in the Bosphorus or Bosporus. It is also called as the Istanbul Strait and form as the boundary of Asia and Europe.  There are a lot of sights you can when cruising in Bosphorus, from Mosque to historical buildings and houses and villas that are  lined-up along the strait.

I am quite contented with that trip we had in Turkey last September 2011.

A mosque  along the side of Bosphorus during our cruise last 2001.

The Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas

Are you visiting Las Vegas? I just did and just came back home in Europe two weeks ago. During my first visit in this city last 2008, I did not have the chance to go up there.  During my second visit, I finally went  up there. I was so happy and contented.

Stratosphere is a tower, a hotel and entertainment place located in Las Vegas Boulevard.  This tower is the tallest observation tower and the tallest structure in Las Vegas.  It is also the 9th tallest free standing structure in the United States. Its  current height is 1,149 ft  or 350 m.

Its attractions include The Big Shot, Insanity the Ride, and the SkyJump Las Vegas.

On top of the tower, you can have a fantastic 360 degrees view   of Las Vegas. I truly enjoyed my visit there! Cheers!

The Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas, Nevada. I finally  had the chance to go up on top of it.
I took this image as we where on our way to the Stratosphere. I love my vacation in the US for the second time!

Visit to the Valley of Fire in Nevada, USA

It was again a memorable and wonderful trip I had in the United States lately. There  are a lot of places that I visited during my second visit and one of it  is the Valley of Fire State Park. I felt honored to visit the first  State  Park  in Nevada, USA.  It was not a good weather when we went there because was still hot in Nevada that time but still I enjoyed our visit. The   rock formations are  truly  amazing in this park.

Thanks a lot sistah and hubby for bringing me there. I miss you guys and  hope to see you next time again.

It covers an area of almost 42,000 acres (17,000 ha) and was dedicated in 1935. It derives its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs. These features, which are the centerpiece of the park's attractions, often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays.

 

Valley of  Fire State Park  in Nevada, USA. I had the chance to visit there last September 2012.

Singapore In My Travel Wishlist

It is always nice to travel and travel when I only can but I need to consider some things before spending a trip or a vacation. First and foremost, I need to consider my budget. Time is not a problem for me because I am always on the go unless if there are other appointments or trips.

There are a lot of places and countries that are included in my travel wishlist. One of these is Singapore. The other day, I was exchanging messages through facebook with my friend who is currently living and working in Singapore. I told her that if I can find one of those cheap flights to Singapore in Autumn this year, I would surely book it to visit this country.

I already have a list on what to do when visiting one of the most prosperous countries in the world and that is Singapore.

I want to ride the Singapore Flyer- I can't believed that I had the pleasure to ride Europe's highest ferris wheel, the London Eye. If I will visit Singapore, I would surely love to experience the highest and the world’s largest observation wheel, the Singapore Flyer. It is 165 meters high surpassing both the Star of Nanchang (160 m) and London Eye (135 m). From there, I would love to see the beautiful cityscape of Singapore.

The Merlion in Singapore. taken by my sister during her 3-months stay in Singapore.

Visit to Singapore Botanical Gardens- This is a perfect place to go for nature-lovers like me. I love gardening and nature and seeing this sight in Singapore will truly make sense for me. I would love to see their selection and wide variety of flora and fauna. I hope a visitor or tourist is allowed to take pictures inside.

Southern Ridges Walk- I believed I can handle a nine-kilometer stroll across the hills of southern Singapore. It is not only an active and outdoor trip but I will also have the chance to see the nature around this area. I would prefer an afternoon walk there so that I can witness the stunning setting down of the sun. Some friends who visited Singapore told me that it is a very safe place to visit. Besides most of the tail in Southern Ridges Walk is lit at night until midnight or beyond. Anyone want to go walking with me there?

Singapore River Cruise- This is one thing I would surely do when visiting Singapore. If I was able to do it in Seine River in Paris or in Danube River in Germany and Austria or in Bosphorus in Turkey and even a Canal Cruise in Venice, I can surely do it in Singapore also. I guess the 60 minutes New River Experience and the 40 minutes Singapore River Experience would be perfect. I believed taking a cruise there is also one of the best ways to see some if not most of the sights in Singapore.