Europe Travel to Zurich, Switzerland

I found a deal to Zurich, Switzerland last December 2010. It was really a very cheap trip considering that the transportation, overnight in Hilton Hotel Airport and breakfast were already included during that deal. I immediately booked it because I also want to witness the Christmas market in this Swiss city.

To give you some overview of this city, Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is also the financial center of this country.

We had some hours walk around the Altstadt or old city of Zurich. I am happy with what I saw but I would be very satisfied if we have more time seeing more of its sights. At least, I was able to witness the biggest covered Christmas market in Europe and maybe in the whole world to.

Here are some of the images I took during our visit last December 2010.

Zurich by night. You can see the buildings along the Limmat River in this city.

winter in Zurich. You can see the towers of some of the churches in this city. One of it is the Fraumünster. I guess the one on the right side.

I Love Alhambra in Granada, Spain

This beautiful city which is located at the foot of Sierra Nevada in the region of Andalusia, Spain is truly marvelous. I feel in love with its beauty adding to the fact that we visited lot of interesting and historical sights there including the famous Alhambra.

The Alhambra is considered to be the most striking, best preserved Arabian palace in the whole world.This is the monument that still gleams bright considering much of Moorish Granada. Alhambra an Arabic word which literally means the "red one" was constructed during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada in al-Andalus. It is occupying the top of the hill of the Assabica on the southeastern border of the city of Granada.

If you are visiting Granada, be sure not to miss Alhambra. Our tour guide told us that you must book your ticket months before especially during peak summer season. Alhambra is truly a must to see.

view of the Alhambra from teh garden of Generalife. I am glad to visit it once in my life. I was there with my friend Joy last December 8, 2011. It was a very memorable trip in this Andalusian city of Spain.

The Patio de los Arrayanes with the Comares tower, a crenellated fortress 45 meters high. I wish to go back again in this city and explore more about Alhambra. For some reason, I just love this place.

Skywatch Friday
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Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France

This is one of the famous landmarks in Paris, the capital city of France. It is called in French as Notre Dame de Paris (Our Lady of Paris), also commonly called as Notre Dame Cathedral. It has a Gothic architecture and very famous for its flying buttress. Until Catholic masses are held every Sunday in this Catholic cathedral.

I am so happy to visit one of the notable historical monuments in Paris. In fact, I already visited it twice. During my first visit, I was able to go inside the Cathedral. It is truly an amazing work of human architecture.

The beautiful and historical Notre Dame Cathedral is located on a small island called the Ile de la Cite in the middle of river Seine.

the interior of the Cathedral taken during my first visit last March 2009.

This is my first entry for these wonderful memes: Special thanks to the Authors for hosting it.

Tuesday Travels

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a bust of Our Lady inside the Louvre Museum in Paris

My second entry for
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Cruising in Cinque Terre, Italy

Happy New Year 2012! I hope you are having a wonderful start of the year. I can't complain until now but still hoping for a very great 2012 with more travels. I am happy to share my first entry for 2012. Let me share to you about one of the most beautiful trip I had last year. This was in Cinque Terre, the five coastal villages in the Italian region of Liguria. These five villages include Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso which belong to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

After our short sightseeing in Monterosso (I love the beautiful white beaches here), we boarded a boat for a short cruise going to Riomaggiore. We also a short sightseeing in this lovely village. On the main street of Riomaggiore, you can find an assortment of cafes, bars, restaurants, and of course, gelaterie. There are also alimentari shops selling the typical yummy Italian fare: fresh fruit (strawberries, cherries, and nespole), an assortment of salumi (salami, mortadella and the like), cheeses, olives, etc.

We proceeded to Vernazza after Riomaggiore boarding a train. This is where we spent the rest of the day. It was so far a lovely trip seeing some of the beautiful coastal areas in Liguria, Italy. I hope I can have more travels for this year.

the boat where we had a short cruise from Monterosso to Riomaggiore last spring 2011.

the beautiful beach in Monterosso, one of the Cinque Terre in Luguria, Italy.

some buildings in Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy.

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The Fountain in Monte Carlo

My friend's daughter who was with us during our trip to Monaco last spring time told me that if ever she has a choice, she wants to live in Monaco. She was amazed by the beauty of the place especially that it is located along the waters. If I have the choice and the chance, I want to live there too..lol!

Here is the fountain situated in front of the famous casino in Monte Carlo. It is a privileged to visit and see this place. I wish to go inside the casino in my next visit.


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Another Visit to Salzburg, Austria

The first time I visited Salzburg was in June 2007. I was there again last November 2008. My third visit was in July this year. A day's visit in this Austrian city is not always enough to see all of its main sights. If I have the chance to visit it again, for sure I will surely do.

Salzburg is an Austrian city located near the border of Bavaria, Germany. This city is not only famous because it is the birthplace of Mozart but also due to its notable sights. The Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom), the famous shopping street called Getreidegasse, the Residenz Palace, Siegmundstor (or Neutor), the Hohensalzburg Castle, St Peter's Abbey with the Petersfriedhof are only some of its famous sights.

view of the Old Town of Salzburg while we were riding the cable car going up to Hohensalzburg, a castle in this city. The Old Town with its world famous baroque architecture is now included in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996. You can also see the towers of the Salzburg cathedral in this image.

Brussels Town Hall in Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium

I miss this place and wish to visit it sometime in the future. I have some good friends and kababayans' in there. That visit and stay in Brussels was a very memorable one for me. I truly had a lot of fun and good memories. Thanks to Ching and the whole family for everything.

Below is an image of Brussels Town Hall. It is located in Grand Place in the city center of Brussels in Belgium.

photo taken during our visit last August 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 Würzburg Residence in Bavaria, Germany

I had been in Würzburg (written in English as Wuerzburg) for a lot of times already. I had seen the Würzburg Residence but did not had the chance to go inside of it. Hopefully in my next visit, I can already go inside this beautiful and historical palace.

Front of the Residenz and Cour d'honneur. taken during our visit last August 2011.

The Würzburg Residence with its Court Gardens and Residence Square was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981. According to the Advisory Body Evaluation, the inclusion in the List was a "measure... so clearly desirable that the proposal of the Federal Republic of Germany does not require lengthy justification... The Residence is at once the most homogeneous and the most extraordinary of the Baroque palaces... It represents a unique artistic realization by virtue of its ambitious program, the originality of creative spirit and the international character of its workshop." more about this palace

Europe Travel in Nuremberg, Germany

I am slowly getting back in my Europe travel. I am sharing a bit about Nuremberg today. It is a city in Bavaria, one of the states in Germany. If you travel by regional express train from this city to Munich, it might take around three hours. Nuremberg is the largest city in Franconia.

This city is historical and you can find it especially if you visit the Altstadt of the Old City of Nuremberg. There, you will find some interesting sights like the St. Lorenz Church (St. Lawrence Church), Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), the Schöner Brunnen (beautiful fountain), Heilig-Geist-Spital (Hospice of the Holy Spirit), the Imperial Castle of Nuremberg and a lot more.

This city is famous for its Bratwurst, a kind of sausage and Lebkuchen, a ginger bread. Don't miss it when visiting Nuremberg.

at the Hauptmarkt or Main market where the famous Christkindlesmarkt (English: Christmas market) is held every year. You can see at the background the towers of St. Sebaldus Church and the the Schöner Brunnen (beautiful fountain).

a miniature of of Nuremberg's sights in the underground train station.
These images were taken during our visit on May 8, 2011.

Europe Travel in Dinant, Belgium

Dinant is a city in Namur, Belgium. We had some hours sightseeing there during our trip from Brussels to Luxembourg last summer 2010. The city is not so big but I found it very interesting. The main tourist sites are within walking distance so you need to take a public transport.

The city's landmark is the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame. It was rebuilt in Gothic style on its old foundations after falling rocks from the adjacent cliff partially destroyed the former Romanesque style church in 1227.

the fortified Citadel of Dinant on top of a hill. It was first built in the 11th century to control the Meuse valley. I rode a cable car to reach its top and had a bit sightseeing.

The city of Dinant taken from the fortress of Citadel. A spectacular views of the town and countryside in Citadel. I love this scenery.

Europe Travel in Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Frankfurt am Main is a city in the state of Hesse, Germany. It is simply called as Frankfurt. This city is the financial center of Germany and the the largest financial center in continental Europe. It is home to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the Frankfurt Trade Fair, the European Central Bank, the German Federal Bank and the many large commercial banks.

The images you see below were taken in Römerberg (written in English as Roemerberg), a famous square in Frankfurt.

a fountain in the middle of Römerberg. I also love the interesting and historical buildings in the background. These images were taken during my second visit last November 2010.

The Römer, a medieval building in Frankfurt am Main and also a famous landmark of this city. This historical building has been a Rathaus or city hall of Frankfurt.

Frankfurt is Germany’s second most expensive city, and the 48th most expensive in the world. It is also named as a world city.

The Windmill in Amsterdam, Netherlands

I believed most of you are very familiar about windmills and its purposes. Visiting Netherlands without seeing any windmill seems like you did not visit it. Today, there are around 1000 mills left compared to 9000 in the past. These are the words I heard clearly from our tourist guide as we visited Amsterdam, Netherlands. These mills contributed to the history of this country until today.

One of the windmills we saw during our visit last summer 2010.

This Dutch windmill in Amsterdam was built in 1757 and is identified as De 1100 Roe. It is a smock mill of the type called by the Dutch a grondzeiler ("ground sailer"), since the sails almost reach the ground.

A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational motion by means of adjustable vanes called sails. The main use is for a grinding mill powered by the wind, reducing a solid or coarse substance into pulp or minute grains, by crushing, grinding, or pressing. Windmills have also provided energy to sawmills, paper mills, hammermills, and windpumps for obtaining fresh water from underground or for drainage (especially of land below sea level). wikipedia.

Eiffel Tower in Paris, France

This is the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France climbing to the cloudy and misty skies of the city. It is considered to be the famous landmark of Paris. I took this image as we were in Trocadero during my second visit in August 2010. You can also find the fountain in Trocadero in my image below. For me, Eiffel Tower is an amazing work of art and architecture.
The Eiffel Tower (French: La Tour Eiffel, nickname La dame de fer, the iron lady) is an 1889 iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris that has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tallest building in Paris,[10] it is the most-visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year. Named for its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.

The tower stands 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building. It was the tallest man-made structure in the world from its completion until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930. Not including broadcast antennas, it is the second-tallest structure in France after the 2004 Millau Viaduct.
more here

The Seine River in Paris, France

I did had the chance to visit Paris, France for the second time last month. It was again a very interesting and worth- remembering trip despite the rainy and cold weather. It was supposed to be summer in August but the weather was so unfriendly. You can see the famous river in Paris which named Seine. Here is the image I took during our visit last month.
The Seine (French: La Seine, pronounced:) is a major river and commercial waterway within the regions of the Île-de-France and Haute-Normandie in France. It is 776 km (486 miles) long, rising at Saint-Seine near Dijon in eastern France near the Swiss Alps, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre. It is navigable by ocean-going vessels for about ten percent of its length, as far as Rouen, 120 km (75 miles) from the sea. Over sixty percent of its length, as far as Burgundy, is negotiable by commercial riverboats and nearly its whole length is available for recreational boating - Excursion boats offer sightseeing tours of the Rive Droite and Rive Gauche within the city of Paris. more here

The Mountains in Austria

I guess it is time to slowly share images of Europe in this blog. I just made a random choice in my external hard disk . The photo below is the first one where I landed. This was taken last 2008 as we were on our way to Salzburg, Austria. If I am not mistaken, this might be the Alps mountains. Sorry folks, I can't exactly remember now where exactly in Austria I did took this image. More images to come next time!

taken during our bus trip to Salzburg last 2008..see embedded date on the picture.