The Nyhavn or New Harbour in Copenhagen, Denmark

It was a dream came true when I visited all the Scandinavian capitals last 2013. Thanks to the wonderful cruise trips I experienced last year, it did finally happened seeing those lovely capital cities in Scandinavia. One of the cities we visited was Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark.

One of the sights I experienced there was the  Nyhavn, literally known as New Harbour. I could still remember,  I and my friend had a lunch in one of the restaurants and cafes in this area.

lovely colourful  historic houses in Nyhavn or New Harbour. Taken during our visit in April 2013.

 Nyhavn is literally known as New Harbour.  It is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district in Copenhagen. Here you can find a lot of  brightly coloured 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants.  The New Harbour  stretches from Kongens Nytorv to the harbour front just south of the Royal Playhouse.

It was spring season when we visited the Copenhagen. The weather was still a bit cold that time but the sun was shining so brightly. You can see it at the image I took from our visit. If you just want to relax while sipping a cup of coffee, Nyhavn is indeed a place  to go. You can sit in one of  its cafes and restaurants and also enjoy the scenery.

The Nyhavn is also  known as "heritage harbour",  where you can find many historical wooden ships at the canal.

Backed from Our Baltic Cruise Trip

Thanks God for another safe trip! And yes, I am finally backed from our recent trip in the Baltic region. I am actually back over a week ago but I was just busy with many things both online and offline. It was a combination of bus and cruise trip. It was so far a good one visiting cities in four countries including Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg and Helsinki.

We spent 6 nights in a ship, 4 nights in Princess Anastasia (St. Peters Line) and 2 nights in Stena line. It was not really a luxury cruise like what I had in Scandinavia last spring of this year. Despite of that, I am still very grateful to experience those places.

Boats along the shores of Stockholm during our cruise. © http://myeurotravelandadventures.blogspot.com

It was raining when we arrived in Stockholm. We don't have the chance to go walking in the city center due to limited time. I believed it was the fault of the bus company who picked-up us late. We only had a tour with the bus and the tour guide was telling us many things about the city. On our 6th day, we also had a mini-cruise in Stockholm.

The reception of  Princess Anatasia (St. Peters Line) where we had  4 overnights.

After Stockholm, we visited Tallinn. There are a lot of things to see in this city and a half-day sightseeing is not enough to experience all. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is ranked as a global city and has been listed among the top 10 digital cities in the world. The city was a European Capital of Culture for 2011, along with Turku in Finland. I am glad that once in my life I stepped on the ground of Tallinn. Who knows one day, I can visit it again and maybe this time, a longer visit to Estonia's capital.

Tower Gates in Tallinn. © http://myeurotravelandadventures.blogspot.com

We have to say goodbye to Tallinn, to proceed with our next destination, the beautiful city of St. Petersburg. There is only one things I can say, so far as of now, I can say that for me St. Petersburg is the most beautiful city I experience in this world. I have been to many cities in over 30 countries but I find St. Petersburg the most beautiful one. I wish I can stay there for a week or two to see and experience everything. If someone will sponsor my trip, I can probably do it again. lolz!

The next city we visited was Helsinki. Finland's capital and largest city is also very interesting. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. I love especially the Senate's Square where you can find the Helsinki Cathedral, the Government Palace, main building of the University of Helsinki, and Sederholm house (Sederholmin talo), oldest building of central Helsinki dating from 1757. The statue of Alexander II is also located at the center of this square. I had a great time walking along the harbour of Helsinki. That time there was market going on where you can find many products and items in different stalls and kiosks.

On the 6th day, we arrived again in Stockholm where we had a mini-cruise. After that, our bus drove us to Trelleborg where our next ferrycruise was waiting, the Stena line who will bring us back to Germany.

I conclude that trip was not really a perfect one since I did not really experience a perfect trip but I am verxy thankful that I had the chance to visit many cities and countries like in Baltic region and Scandinavia.

Visit to Sforza Castle in Milan, Italy

Hello Milan! That was only a day trip to Milan and might not enough to experience everything but at least I had experienced some of its sights. Milan was one of the cities included in  the itinerary during my 5-days trip  to Italy and Switzerland  last March.

It was a bus trip and  I am very contented about it. Since  our bus parked near Sforza  Castle, also known as  Castello Sforzesco in Italian, I decided  to go around  inside the castle compound. We arrived there at around 11:00 in the morning. We were given 2-hours to go around the city that day before the official tour guide  showed us some of the most important sights in Milan.

Enjoyed looking some of the images I took during my travel to this   city.

I remember Alhambra in Granada, Spain with this  architecture of   Sforza  Castle.

 The original construction on the site began in the 14th century. In 1450, Francesco Sforza began reconstruction of the castle, and it was further modified by later generations. A number of the rooms originally had elaborate internal decoration - the best known of these being the Sala Delle Asse, which contains ceiling paintings by Leonardo da Vinci.

After the French victory in the 1515 Battle of Marignano, the defeated Massimiliano Sforza, his Swiss mercenaries, and the cardinal-bishop of Sion retreated into the Castello Sforzesco. However, King Francis I of France followed them into Milan, and his sappers placed mines under the castle's foundations, whereupon the defenders capitulated.

The fountain in front of entrance of Sforza Castle. There was a wedding picture taking when I was there last March 2013. caption

Visited Three Countries in 5 Days

Hello everyone! Too many  things  in my mind to share but sometimes my busy schedules  both online and offline are just limited! Sometimes facebooking also steals my time..haha! Anyway,  I  am always glad to get  updates from  my family, relatives  and friends worldwide thru facebook. That is fine though!

I am finally back  here! I hope everyone had a  wonderful  celebration  of Easter. I am glad to have a  nice one, spending some time with family and love ones. Even thought  I really miss  home so badly, I am hoping to have a vacation to my home country soon!

So what happened last month?  I can say the month of March was a blast for me. I visited four countries that time including Ireland, Switzerland, Italy and Liechtenstein.

Let me  give you a brief summary of my travels but only to these 3 countries  in 5 days which means I am excluding Ireland and will share a separate post for it.

March 7, 2013, Day 1-   It was a bus trip and the picked-up places was in Regensburg, Germany. From there, we drove to our first stop in Vaduz, Liechtenstein. We had a two hour sightseeing in the capital city of the principality of Liechtenstein.

The Horse Statue in front of Vaduz' City Hall.  You can also see the Castle in Vaduz on top of the hill. © http://myeurotravelandadventures.blogspot.com

March 8, 2013, Day 2-  From our hotel in Baveno, Italy, our next destinations were in Stresa and Lake Orta, visíting  Orta San Giulio. These are small towns in Italy  but  they are also worth to see,  considering its historical significance.

March 9, 2013, Day 3- For me, this is so far  the highlight of  this 5-day trip. We visited Milan, Italy and this was also the reason why I booked this trip, to see and experience  the fashion capital of Italy and maybe of the whole of Europe. That  day trip in Milan was not enough to see everything but I am happy to meet once again my schoolmate whom I did not see for over 20 years.

Piazza Grande in Locarno. It is the heart of the city center and also the major shopping area. 

March 10, 2013, Day 4-   We headed to Switzerland this day and visited Ascona and Locarno, both are located along Lake Maggiore. It is the second largest lake in Italy and largest lake of the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. Lake Maggiore is the most westerly of the three great prealpine lakes of Italy, it extends for about 70 km between Locarno and Arona.

The beautiful Cathedral  of St. Gallen, Switzerland. © http://myeurotravelandadventures.blogspot.com

March 11, 2013, Day 5- The trip is almost over. On our way back home to Germany, we had a short stop-over in Sankt  Gallen or St. Gall.  It is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century.  It is a nice city  and I am glad to experience it despite the very short 2-hour visit.

Had Fun With Friends in El Escorial, Spain

I read this saying somewhere this week. It says something like this, "Travel is the only thing you can buy that will make you rich". I was struck by it and I believed I never made a mistake when I go traveling. This is one thing that makes me really happy and I have  a passion for it.  I feel  glad and contented everytime I visit a new place. It seems that it is adding days to my life.  Of course,  I  only travel  when time and finances are available. For me, this saying is indeed true! First, you will be rich with the many travel experiences you gather. Second, I find it very interesting to know the life and culture of  people in a certain  place or country.  I am very  thankful of  the many chances  and opportunities  given to me  when talking about travelling.

I guess,  it is time to begin my main topic.  I miss my friends from Spain especially in Madrid. I met good and nice people  there during my three weeks visit last year. One day, I and some of my friends decided to visit El Escorial.  Some of them already  work and live in Madrid for many years but haven't been to El Escorial yet. They were so happy when I mentioned that I want to go to this monastery. Two of my friends went with me there.

Since we already decided to go late in the afternoon  that day, the El Escorial sightseeing tour already ended. The gate going inside the  monastery where you can buy  entrance tickets  was already closed. We ended up  going around on its exterior. Even though, I  did not see its interior, I was still happy when that trip ended.

These are some pictures taken during our trip last   March 2012 to El Escorial.

The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial,  known for short as The El Escorial.

The Courtyard of the King and the Basilica.

 Here is a bit information about El Escorial:

• It is a historical residence  of the King of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
• Juan Bautista de Toledo is the architect  in the design of El Escorial.
• On November 2, 1984, UNESCO declared The Royal Site of San Lorenzo of El Escorial a World Heritage Site.
• Originally a property of the Hieronymite monks, it is now a monastery of the Order of Saint Augustine.
•   The Escorial comprises two architectural complexes of great historical and cultural significance: the royal monastery itself and La Granjilla de La Fresneda, a royal hunting lodge and monastic retreat about five kilometres away.

Visit to Riga, the Capital of Latvia

I still can't imagine that a day trip in this big city is not  really enough to see the place. It is not really a day trip but I can say a half-day sightseeing. That was quite a long drive from Klaipeda, Lithuania going to Riga, the capital city of Latvia. We had a bus trip there  and it took us quite a long time to reach  Riga due to many stop-overs  and the  highways and roads are not really good compared to other European countries like in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium or France.

The House of Blackheads in Riga's Town Square.. Taken during our visit last September 2012.

From Klaipeda, we also had a quick sightseeing in the Hills of Crosses near Siauliai.  This is not really a hill but due to the many kinds of crosses and other religious figures there, I  believed, it formed as a hill. Thus, the name Hill of Crosses. That was really  an interesting place.

In short, we arrived in Riga  very late in the afternoon and it was raining. Our tour guide who grew up in Lithuania told the bus driver  the route to go so that  she can partially introduced to us Riga. After almost an hour of going around the city with the bus, we proceeded to our hotel. We had an overnight in Maritim Hotel in Riga. If I am not mistaken this is the biggest convention hotel in the city.

The next morning, we had a sightseeing by foot and probably it only lasted for  around 3 hours. Not really enough to see the whole city.  The most important thing is, I had seen some of its sights. Among the few are  Livu Square, House of Blackheads, Statue of Roland, St. Peter's Church, Museum of the Occupation of Riga (but not inside), Riga Castle, Riga Cathedral and some other more.

That was only a short visit but at least I am happy to be there!

Livu  Square in Riga, Latvia. I was there!

Visiting Park Guell in Barcelona, Spain

When I first visited Spain last  December 2011, I told myself that I must also visit Barcelona one day.  During my first visit, we had a sightseeing in  some of the cities in Andalusian region including Cordoba, Seville and Granada. We also visited Madrid  and Toledo that time.

I visited it  again for the second time in March 2012 hoping to get a temporary job in Madrid.  That job did not materialized. It is a long story and I  will try to share it next time. While staying in  Spain's capital city for almost three weeks, I did some sidetrips to Avila, Guadalajara, Alcala de Henares, Aranjuez and  El Escorial. During my stay there, I also had the chance to visit most  corners  of the city.I will never get lost in Madrid because this is the only city in Europe  where I explored most.

My visit in Spain happened for the third time. Last summer 2012 in July, my friends invited me for a bus trip  from Germany to Catalonia's capital city.  It was a very exhausting long long trip but we  enjoyed it  a lot. To make the story short,  I finally  visited Barcelona.

Bird nests built by Gaudí in the terrace walls.© http://myeurotravelandadventures.blogspot.com

One of the sights we visited is  Park Güell. It is located on the hill of El Carmel in the Gracia district of Barcelona. The famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi designed and built it from 1900 to 1914.

We had a walk around the park.  The weather was quite hot that time  despite being cloudy. I was informed that the best time to visit Barcelona is during autumn season, in October or November.  During our walk, I saw the Gaudi House Museum, the dragon or salamander mosaic at the entrance of the park, the viaduct, colonnade partway, mosaic on the ceiling of Hypostyle Room and the pavilion at the entrance.

Park Güell or Parc Güell in Catalan is not listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites under "Works of Antoni Gaudi. I still wish to visit this park again.

More travel stories in this blogs; Europe Travel Pad, Countryside Trip and Travel Snapshots.

Buildings at the entrance of  park Güell. From the main terrace of the park, you can have a  nice view of the city of Barcelona.   © http://myeurotravelandadventures.blogspot.com

I Miss This Night Walk in Albayzin, Spain

It was quite a chilly evening but it was a lovely one. This little town of Albayzin which is located near Granada in Andalusia, Spain is truly a worth to see place.We had a night sigthseeing there and our tour guide was quite a good one.

That night, we passed thru the narrow winding streets of this Medieval Moorish town. If you are near the church of San Nicolas, you can have a spectacular view of the famous Alhambra.

Albayzin which is also known as El Albaicin is listed in the World Heritage Site since 1984 along with Alhambra.

We witnessed the Flamenco show in Albayzin that night. It was quite interesting.

A  historical Moorish Bath in Albayzin.

View of the lighted Alhambra from the  Church of San Nicolas in Albayzin..I love especially this view.

.These images were taken during our trip last December 2011.

Visit to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain

We are finally backed from our trip in Spain. It was a long and tiring trip we had but it was all worth-it. It was again another dream came true when I visited Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia region. This city is also the second largest in Spain after Madrid. This is another interesting city I visited in Europe. A day trip in this city is not enough to see everything. This is also the reason why I would love to visit it again in the future.

One of the sights we visited was the Sagrada Familia. This famous architecture  commissioned by Antonio Gaudi is now listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site since November 2010. This architecture is truly amazing. Called as Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family or Basílica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Familia in Spanish, this is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona.

I am still quite tired from our Spain trip. For now, I would just like to share some images taken from Barcelona. More travel stories and updates to come in my other travel blogs below;

See The World
Travel Euroasia
Europe Travel Pad

 

View of the Nativity façade during our day trip to Barcelona last July 14, 2012.

a detail of the  Nativity part of Sagrada Familia. 

The style of la Sagrada Familia is variously likened to Spanish Late Gothic, Catalan Modernism and to Art Nouveau or Catalan Noucentisme. While the Sagrada Família falls within the Art Nouveau period, Nikolaus Pevsner points out that, along with Charles Rennie Macintosh in Glasgow, Gaudí carried the Art Nouveau style far beyond its usual application as a surface decoration. wikipedia.

My Second Visit in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

Fourth of July 2012, I know that day was a very memorable one for our American friends. It was the same with me because during that day, I also visited for the second time Karlovy Vary. I was actually invited by some friends to go with them and I am so thankful about it. We had a wonderful time in this city and I was happy because I saw them enjoying the place. They love this city.

Karlovy Vary, also known as Carlsbad in English or Karlsbad in German is a city in Bohemia, Czech Republic. It is very famous for its spa and hot springs. Its whimsical architecture also made this city very well-known. Some famous people like Emperor Franz Josef I, Beethoven, Wagner, Tsar Peter the Great Tolstoy, and Marx visited this city for these reasons.

Karlovy Vary which also means Charles Bad was named after Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, who founded the city in 1370. Some famous people

There were quite a lot of people during our visit because  the Karlovy Vary  International Film Festival  is still going on. It started last June 29 and will last until July 7, 2012.  I guess it is the  highlight of our visit  there.

The Mill Colonnade. There were a lot of activities going on that day. Live bands, street performers and other  outdoor activities for children and persons  with disabilities  also took place.

Some colorful and nice buildings  in Karlovy Vary and the Tepla River that runs in this city.

We did not really saw everything in this city but at least  I am happy that I visited it again. Some of our time was spent shopping for Bohemian crystal. Our friends from the United States of America who were with us that day, also the reason why we went there, were so  happy about their experience in Karlovy Vary.

I believed, I will be visiting the city again in the future.

The Temple of Debod in Madrid, Spain

After around two kilometers of walking from Puerta del Sol to Paseo del Pintor Rosales, I finally reached my destination, the Temple of Debod. Thanks to the map that was given by our tour guide named Lothar during our tour in Madrid last December 2011.

We did not had the chance to visit this temple during that first trip. During my three weeks trip in Spain's capital last March 2012, I really put it in my list of sights that I will be visiting in Madrid. I am happy to be there despite the unfriendly weather that afternoon.

The Templo de Debod or Temple of Debod is an ancient Egyptian temple which was rebuilt in Madrid, Spain. The temple was built originally 15 km south of Aswan  in southern Egypt very close to the first cataract of the Nile and to the great religious center dedicated to the goddess Isis, in Philae.

The fountain at the back of the temple. You can see the  Torre de Madrid (Tower of Madrid at the center) and the Edificio España (on the right)  buildings at the background.

Address:

Temple of Debod

Paseo del Pintor Rosales, 2

28008 Madrid, Spain

The Templo de Debod  or the Temple of Debod during my sightseeing last March 2012.

The temple was rebuilt in one of Madrid's parks, the Parque del Oeste, near the Royal Palace of Madrid, and opened to the public in 1972.

In 1960, due to the construction of the Great Dam of Aswan and the consequent threat posed to several monuments and archeological sites, UNESCO made an international call to save this rich historical legacy. As a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the temples of Abu Simbel, the Egyptian state donated the temple of Debod to Spain in 1968.

St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest, Hungary

It was already my second visit to Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. The first time I visit this city was in summer 2011. During my second visit lately, I was with friends who are touring Europe. It was a lot of fun and I believed a very memorable trip for all of us.

One of the sights we visited was St. Stephen's Basilica.It is a Roman Catholic basilica in honour of Stephen, the first King of Hungary (c 975–1038), whose mummified fist is housed in the reliquary.

St. Stephen's Basilica is one of the most important tourist spots in Hungary. It is also the third highest building in Hungary.

After taking some photos of this  building, we proceeded our walk to Buda castle.

 The rear view of the Basilica taken during our trip last June 3, 2012.

St. Stephen's Basilica has a width of 55 metres (180 ft), and length of 87.4 metres (287 ft). It was completed in 1905 after 54 years of construction, according to the plans of Miklós Ybl, and was completed by József Kauser.

My Adventure in Guadalaja, Spain

I decided to travel alone to Guadalajara, not in Mexico but in Spain.  Now I forgot if I took the train from Atocha train station or Chamartin  in Madrid.   Opps, I got it. I did took the Cercania train from Chamartin train station in Madrid going to Guadalajara. Depending on the time you are leaving from the station, usually it will only take up to 40 minutes going to this city.

It was quite an adventure for me when I visited this city in the region of Castile-La Mancha in Spain. It was my first time to visit there and I don't even know anyone. When the train arrived at the station in Guadalajara, I just followed the exit and tried to find the bus going to the city. I don't really know what bus should I take. Thanks to this friendly Spanish lady who told me what bus  should I take. I am lucky because she speaks English. My travel Angel truly helped me during my adventure to this city.

Without further adieu, I strolled around Guadalajara city  and found the sights that I wanted to see.

Ayuntamiento (city hall) of Guadalajara during my visit last March 2012.

San Nicolás El Real Church in Guadalajara, Spain.

The European Parliament Building in Brussels, Belgium

It has been almost two years now since we visited Brussels, the capital city of Belgium. That time my friend from the U.S. spent her  first vacation in Europe. One of the cities we visited was Brussels.

From this city, one of the sights we visited was the European Parliament building. This is not actually the seat of the European Union but a legislative chamber. EU's official home is actually in Strasbourg, France, where I also visited last December 2010.

It is estimated that around 15,000 people visit the complex everyday. I believed I am lucky to pay  a visit there last  summer 2010. Our self-guided tour did not really last long because we only have a day-sightseeing in this city and yes, there are a lot to see and to experience  in Belgium's lovely capital.

This was taken during my visit with friend last August 2010.

One of the many buildings of the European Parliament  in Brussels, Belgium. We had a short tour around the  complex.

Barajas International Airport, Madrid

I still did not want to say goodbye to Spain  last March 31, 2012  but I have  too. Some friends accompanied me to Barajas International Airport, Madrid. I am truly thankful for their help and thoughtfulness.  In fact, I  had a great time with them  during my three weeks stay in Madrid. Even I had a long stay in Spain's capital city but I forgot to look for incredisocks. I have been to many stores there  but the power of forgetfulness  to find this stuff  always  attacked me.

While sitting down at the waiting area for  my final boarding, I had a conversation  with these German couple. They said that they had a vacation in Morocco that time and had their connecting flight in Barajas.  Since I already heard them talking German, I was also conversing with them in German. They  couple said that I can talk perfect German. Not really, but I would say I can already  talk  basic  German and of course understand and read as well . I still have difficulty with German grammar sometimes. What is important, I can already communicate in this language.  The couple were really friendly. I am always happy when I met good people everytime I travel. I met as well good friends during my three weeks stay in Madrid.

If you happen  to visit Madrid  and did  not fly there,  I suggest you  visit Barajas  International Airport. Its architecture is worth to see. It is so far the biggest and busiest airport in Spain.

Barajas Terminal 4  when I  departed Madrid last March 31, 2012. This was actually my second arrival and departure in this airport. Madrid has a lot of travel memories that are still haunting me..lol!

my flight number last march 31, 2012.

Galerie de la Reine Koninginne in Brussels, Belgium

I am trying to think what to share here today. I just browsed and browsed my photo albums in my external hard drive and found this interesting building in Brussels, Belgium. You can see the name of this building because I also took an image of it. This is the Galerie de la Reine Koninginne, also known in French as The Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert and in Dutch, it is called Koninklijke Sint-Hubertusgalerijen.

We just happened to pass-by here while looking for the travel agency where we booked our bus tour to Amsterdam, Netherlands. This building is actually a glazed shopping arcade in Brussels. I guess the shops were still not open during the time we were there. It was still so early for such shopping arcade to open at 7:00 a.m.

I guess I have to stop now because the tour guide for our bus trip to Amsterdam is already coming. Just kidding folks. We really don't have have the chance to explore the interior of this building. I would love to do it in my next visit there.

Goodnight folks and I am hoping for more travels this year. In God's will!

The Royal Galeries of Saint-Hubert during our visit last August 2010.

The gallery consists of two major sections, each more than 100 meters in length (respectively called Galerie du Roi / Koningsgalerij, meaning King's Gallery, and Galerie de la Reine / Koninginnegalerij, meaning Queen's Gallery), and a smaller side gallery (Galerie des Princes / Prinsengalerij, meaning Gallery of the Princes). The main sections (King and Queen's Gallery) are separated by a colonnade at the point where the Rue des Bouchers / Beenhouwersstraat crosses the gallery complex. wikipedia.

Visit to Strasbourg Cathedral, France

I chose randomly again the place that I will be featuring in this Europe travel blog. This time I want to introduce Strasbourg, the capital of the Alsace region of France. Some hours sightseeing is not enough to see everything in this city but I am glad that I was there and was able to experience some of its sights. One of it is the famous Strasbourg Cathedral.

Also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg and called in French as Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg, in German as Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg, is a Roman Catholic Cathedral in this city. It is considered to be one of the finest example of late Gothic architecture. Some of its parts are in Romanesque architecture. It's construction started in 1015 and was completed in 1439.

Don't miss to go inside once you are there and take a look of its 18-metre astronomical clock, one of the largest in the world.

The Strasbourg Cathedral during our visit last December 2010.

the interior of the Cathedral.

The Fisherman's Bastion in Budapest, Hungary

The Halászbástya or Fisherman's Bastion takes its name from the guild of fishermen that was responsible for defending this stretch of the city walls in the Middle Ages. It is a viewing terrace, with many stairs and walking paths in Budapest, Hungary.

Below is the snapshot I took during our visit last August 2011.

he Halászbástya or Fisherman's Bastion is a terrace in neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style situated on the Buda bank of the Danube, on the Castle hill in Budapest, around Matthias Church. It was designed and built between 1895 and 1902 on the plans of Frigyes Schulek.

From the towers and the terrace a panoramic view exists of Danube, Margaret Island, Pest to the east and the Gellért Hill. Its seven towers represent the seven Magyar tribes that settled in the Carpathian Basin in 896.

My Europe Travel in Madrid, Spain

This is one of the most beautiful and liveliest city in Europe and also in the whole world. Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. It is also the third largest city in Europe after London and Berlin. It is famous for its great cultural and artistic heritage in which the El Prado museum is a very good example.

There are just a lot of things to see and experience in this city. A day of visit in this lovely city is not enough to see everything. At least I had the chance to visit it once in my lifetime and one of these days, I will surely come back there again.

Some of the sights we saw during our trip last December 2011 were the Royal Palace, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Mercado de San Miguel, Catedral de la Almudena,Plaza de Cibeles, Puerta de Alcala and many more.

the Plaza Mayor in Madrid Spain taken last December 10, 2011.

the famous Almudena Cathedral, Catedral de la Almudena, located just in front of the Royal palace of Madrid.

The Town Hall of Birmingham, England

Thanks to the invention of digital camera where we can always easily retrieve and share photos online. I am also happy to share some travel photos with you through this blog. It been over three years now since I visited England. One of the cities where my friend showed me was Birmingham. This city is considered to the populous city in England.

What I have below is an image of Birmingham Town Hall. You might be wondering why it is lighted. It is because Christmas is almost approaching during my visit there last 2008. In fact they also a Christmas market located very near to this building.

The Town Hall is located near Victoria Square. Aside from being use as a concert hall, it is also now used as the venue for Graduation Ceremonies of Aston University every year.

The lighted Birmingham Town Hall during our visit last November 2008. You can see the embedded date in my image here.