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.

Day Trip to Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany

I consider Würzburg (written as Wuerzburg in English) as one of the most beautiful cities in Bavaria, Germany. I always feel like visiting Prague in Czech Republic everytime I visit there. This is because the Alte Mainbrücke or Würzburg's Old Main Bridge looks very similar to the Charles Bridge in Prague.

I can't exactly remember how many times I was there already. I guess five or six times. There are a lot of sights to see in this city. The travel snapshots I have below are only some of it.

the Main River that flows in Würzburg. You can see one of the statues on the Old Main Bridge of Würzburg. The building you see on top of the hill is the Marienberg, a castle in this city across the Old Main Bridge.

the Marienkapelle with its Gothic architecture. You can also see the obelisk on its square.

We took the Deutsche Bahn or German a train from Bamberg to Würzburg during our recent visit last month. We were lucky during our visit last month because there was no snow in Wuerzburg but it was still very cold.

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Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany

Let's go travel in Europe again! This time I am bringing you back to Deutschland or Germany in English. I am featuring one of the most beautiful castles not only in Germany but in whole of Europe as well. The Schloss Neuschwanstein as it is called in German, is considered to be the most photograph architecture in Germany. It is also famous not only because it appeared in several movies but due to the fact that this castle was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.

I had been to this castle four times already and I always love it there. It is located on a hill in the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in Bavaria, Germany. I remember during fist visit where we stayed in one of the hotels in Füssen. From there, Neuschwanstein is only less an hour drive.

The castle was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria from his own fortune and from extensive borrowing of funds. It is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace. Its construction started in 1869.

I read in a German newspaper last year that the Bavarian government would like to apply it to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here are some images I took from this castle.

the beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle during my fourth visit with friends last July 2011.

view of the front of the castle with its towers. There is now a platform being made to see this scene.

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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.

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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.

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a bust of Our Lady inside the Louvre Museum in Paris

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Visit To Kallmünz and Its Castle in Bavaria, Germany

A friend called me yesterday and asked me if I want to go with them a bit sightseeing to some places in Bavaria, Germany. I told her, "sure why not, just leave a message in my facebook and let me know what time are we leaving." And so the story goes...

From my friend's house, the way going to Kallmünz (written in English as Kallmuenz) will be passing to our home, she decided to just pick me up. We left today around 11:10 am. We don't have snow this winter time (and I am glad about it) but still wearing a good winter jacket is a must because it is still cold outside.

To make the story shorter, we climbed the castle ruins in Kallmünz since it is located on top of the hill. From there you will have a fantastic view of the whole town and its surroundings. Here are some of the images I took today.

view of Kallmünz town and the Naab river during our visit today.
You can also see the medieval old stone bridge over the river Naab at the middle of the image here.

Kallmünz is a municipality located in the district of Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany.

the imposing tower of Kallmünz Castle's

the Ruins of the Castle's Chapel located near the castle's tower.

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I Miss Nice, France

The name itself already says the beauty of this French city. Nice is truly nice and I love it there! It is almost a year now since we visited this city. It is called Nice la Belle or Nissa La Bella in Niçard, which also means Nice the Beautiful. It is also the title of the unofficial anthem of Nice, written by Menica Rondelly in 1912.

The seafront of the city is a must to go walking or spending sometime relaxing on its beach is a nice experience too. I remember going inside a souvenir shop in Nice and telling the cashier that his place is very beautiful. I was pronouncing Nice as nice in English but I was mistaken and he was not able to understand me. Nice is actually pronounced like the English word "niece". Be careful when talking to someone from Nice. They might not understand you.

It was only a short visit we had in Nice but it was worth seeing the place. If you are visiting French Riviera in the future, don't miss to include Nice in your list.

the seafront in Nice, France during our spring trip last April 2011.

The city’s main seaside promenade, the Promenade des Anglais (‘the Walkway of the English’) owes its name to the earliest visitors to the resort.

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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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