Driving to Poland

It was so far the most adventurous trip I had this year. Together with some friends, we planned to drive to Poland for a pottery shopping and sightseeing trip as well. I admire my friend's courage in driving there. I can drive too but not that far like that. Besides I am not comfortable driving around 500 km away from home. I am not use to it. Thanks to our gps truck tracking, we were able to arrive to Poland and nearby places in Czech Republic. It was a very exciting and interesting trip we had last October 2011.

I have a shield here as we were driving in Poland last time.

My Top 5 Favorite Hotels in Las Vegas

It is nice to always remember the past vacations we had. One of the most exciting and longest vacation I spent was in Las Vegas. Could you imagine all the fun you will have when visiting the so-called, "Entertainment Capital of the World" and for two months period? Isn't it a real great time? Some people say that if you want to visit different places around the world, go to Las Vegas! I believed I agree with it now.

Special thanks to my sister and her hubby for sponsoring my vacation especially the plane tickets they booked for me at Delta Air Lines Flights online. It was so far the cheapest one they can find in the internet. I truly had a wonderful and fun holiday in this fabulous city of Las Vegas.

Let me introduce to you my Top 5 Fave Hotels in this city.

Caesars Palace- Not really 100% Rome but at least you feel like you are in Rome, Italy because the theme of this luxury hotel is based on Roman Empire. It has five towers, the Augustus, Centurion, Roman, Palace, and Forum and has total of 3,349 rooms.

the lobby of Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas strip during my vacation last 2008.

I love gallivanting in this hotel from time to time. This was also my favorite shopping venue with its Forum Shops. This is where I spent most of my shopping escapades when I was in Vegas. I also loved dining here. The highlight of my visit in this hotel was when I witnessed the show of Elton John called, The Red Piano. It was wonderful.

Bally's- This is also one of my favorite hang-outs in Las Vegas. My cousin who is a singer used to perform in a band in this hotel. Everytime their band plays in Bally's, I was also there. I guessed, I only missed their play once.

the adjacent hotels, Paris and Bally's.

One of the signature features of the hotel is the neon lighting wrapped around the covered moving sidewalk that brings guests from Las Vegas Boulevard to the entrance of the casino. It is also noted for its large shopping area. I bought some souvenirs in one of their shops in Ballys. It is also famous for its Jubilee show.

Paris Las Vegas- At the time I spent my vacation in Las Vegas, I haven't been to Paris, France yet. In fact my vacation in Las Vegas is one of my inspirations why I really wanted to travel. Now it is one of my passions.

You can see the replicas of the Eiffel Tower and a two-thirds size Arc de Triomphe, a replica of La Fontaine des Mers, and a 1,200-seat theatre called Le Théâtre des Arts in this luxury hotel. Paris Las Vegas is linked by a promenade to its sister property, the Bally's Las Vegas.

Bellagio- When I think of this hotel, I also think of the amazing Fountains of Bellagio, a large dancing water fountain synchronized to music. It was a very fantastic show and free of charge. Bellagio is home to Cirque du Soleil's aquatic production "O".

dancing water fountain in front of Bellagio. I love this show!

One thing that I love to visit in Bellagio is its Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. I was amazed by the beauty of its flower collections inside. There are five seasonal themes that the Conservatory undergoes: Chinese New Year, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. I experienced the spring display last 2008.

Luxor Las Vegas- I might not be able to visit Luxor in Egypt yet but I am happy to see and to experience Luxor in Las Vegas. I just felt like being in Luxor, Egypt too. I was amazed by the architecture of this luxury hotel. It is highly modernized and has contemporary design.

the interior of Luxor with a Sphinx inside.

Luxor Las Vegas has a lot of facilities and attractions. Among the few are, four swimming pools and whirlpool, 29 retail stores, shows like Carrot Top, "Criss Angel - Believe", "Fantasy" and "Menopause the Musical.

I wish to visit Las Vegas again in the future. I want to board with any American Airlines flights in my next visit there. I just want to have an experience flying with this airline company. This time, I will won't only visit Las Vegas but also other cities in the U.S. like New York, Chicago or Phoenix. Someone promised me to witness and to attend their wedding next year.

I also hope in my next visit I can already spend some overnights in any of these hotels.

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.

Cold Winter in Germany

Hello folks! Just giving you some updates before I slowly start packing my stuffs. It seems November is also ending. We will be welcoming another wonderful month of December. This also means the start of winter season in Germany. Since October until now, the weather is getting really cold. That is also the reason why I already put-out my winter clothes and other winter accessories. I am planning to buy a heated clothing to keep me warm especially during cold cold nights. Our heater is also running since October. We are using an electric heater and pellet oven as well. The latter is running 24-hours a day to keep the whole house warm. I am quite use with very cold winter weather in Germany. As long as you are using the right winter clothes, you will never get frozen outside.

Here is an image taken somewhere in Schwarzwald or Black Forest in Germany.

Spain Trip Coming Soon

I believed this is one good way of ending the year, a trip to Spain. Two weeks ago, I finally have the confirmation for our trip after being fully paid. A week from now, me and friend will be finally spending a short holiday to one of the famous tourist destinations in Europe. I am thankful that another travel wishlist is soon to materialize.

The Alhambra in Granada, Andalucia in Spain. We will be visiting this palace and fortress during our trip. Thanks to my friend Claudia for this image.

The trip is not so expensive compared to the ones I see on travel catalogs and in the internet. I have been browsing for cheap airline tickets to Spain the past months but I always find expensive ones. The cheapest I found the past few months is around 400.00 Euros and this is only for plan ticket. With the one we booked last time, an 8-day trip cost only 608.00 Euros. Included in this price are the return plane ticket, hotels for 7 nights, 7 breakfasts, 7 dinners and the trips to the different places and cities everyday for the duration of the trip.

I need to slowly pack this week. Seven night from now, we will be flying. Thank you dear Lord for this trip. See you soon Spain.

More on itineraries and updates of the places that we will be visiting in my Euro Travel blog.

Wish to Go Camping

I am back online and ready to share a little update. Its all about planning for trips again. I know it is very impossible to go camping at the moment. It is just so cold outside that sometimes I am lazy to go out for a walk. Hopefully in summer next year, we can plan and do some outdoor activities like camping and hiking. I would love to try one of those eureka tents from RockyMountainTrail.com. Hubby has an old camping tent but it is not so good anymore. When everything will turn out better next year, we could do some little trips and outings again. That would be quite interesting. Goodnight folks! I guess I am quite sleepy now after waking-up so early in the morning.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Thanksgiving is nothing
if not a glad and reverent lifting of the heart
to God in honor and praise for His goodness."

Robert Casper Lintner.

Have a happy and wonderful Thanksgiving to everyone
especially to all my American friends around the world!