Wish to Watch an Opera in Verona

Verona Arena during our visit in July 2011.

I am trying to find some photos in my albums from Verona. I was there in summer 2011 and had the chance to see some of its sights. I traveled with my friends and we also visited other places in Italy that time.

Since our visit was limited that day, we were not able to experience an opera show. The other week, I received a travel catalog that offers trip to Verona. Included in that trip is to watch an opera in Verona Arena. Sad to say, during travel dates, we will also be in other country. If I have extra money, I rather buy an art usb phono plus to listen to songs and maybe some opera music.

I will go back to Italy again  starting next week but Verona is not included in the places to visit. Next time, I hope to watch a live opera in Verona Arena.

Excited for my First Travel this Year in Europe

Hello March! I am finally back here! I am always a busy body and I hope I have more time to give you some updates. I would love too but sometimes, my time would just not allow. The third month of the year 2014 is greeting me with a smile on its face. I am doing the same  inspite not knowing what March would bring for me.

My escapades will actually start soon. The other day, I received my travel confirmation. This is will be my first travel for this year. It was a quite a very cheap trip considering all what is included in this holiday package.  This was booked last year in November. If you book it earlier, you will have a 200 Euros discount. Imagine that! Transportation, accommodation, trips to different places and foods are included in this package. I am indeed a happy traveler when I avail of  cheap trips.

The Zeus Statue in Plaza or Piazza Sangoria in Florence, Italy. I visited this lovely city last year.

Here is the itinerary of this travel;

First Day: Bus trip from Regensburg Germany to Rimini, Italy.

Second Day:  Trip to San Marino and Santaarcangelo di Romagna.

Third Day: Trip to the Lagoon City of  Venice. My fifth visit here but still I haven't have enough of Venice. I simply love this beautiful  city.

Fourth Day: Free or rest day. Planning to go to Ravenna.

Fifth Day: Visit to the historic cities of Assisi and Perugia.

Sixth Day: Trip to the Rennaisance City of Florence. This will be my second visit in this city.

Seventh Day: Free or Rest Day. Planning to Visit Ancona or Bologna.

Eight Day: Back to Germany. Home sweet home!

I am already starting to research especially the famous sights  and  things to do when  visiting these places.  I am happy to travel again this year! Hoping for more travels to come soon!

Shopping in Florence

That trip in Florence was awesome! Although visiting it for a day is not enough, I am still thankful that I was finally there. Florence is indeed a very beautiful and interesting city! It is so far one of the most cities I visited in Europe.

Florence, known as Firenze in Italian, is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. The city is noted for its history, culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments. It also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace, amongst others, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics. These are only some of the reasons why I always wanted to visit Florence.

The famous Ponte Vecchio on the left side. A bridge that crosses river Arno.

How about shopping in Florence? If you are a traveler who loves shopping, Florence is a perfect place for you. I love shopping too everytime I travel. Depending on my budget, I buy what I want as long as there is still money left in my wallet. I wish to buy a birthstone jewelry in the famous bridge in Florence known as Ponte Vecchio. Also known as the Old Bridge, is a Medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence. You can find many shops in this bridge including jewelry stores, sellers of souvenirs and arts.

Don't forget Florence is also a Fashion capital. There are also a lot of luxury stores in Florence. Famous brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Bvlgari, Roberto Cavalli and more also found in this city.

I wish I have more time to shop but a day-visit in this city is just not enough. I am glad that I brought home with me some travel souvenirs like postcards, fridge magnets, keychains, travel guide books and more.

Where's My Next Destination

The BER months  finally begins and  I am happily welcoming  the month of  September! Inspite the challenges I already experienced  during the first day of this month, I am  always hopeful  it  will still be great one! I love challenges and without it, my life is boring! yay!

The month of August  has been a wonderful one! With regards to my Europe travels and adventures, I visited four countries in the  Baltic region and part of Scandinavia including Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Tallinn. It was indeed  a wonderful cruise trip in this side of Europe.

I also celebrated my big day successfully. I believed,  I  had already done my part last month. I am very grateful for all the blessings and graces  I received from up above. Thanks also to good friends who made it happened especially those who helped me prepared for my thanksgiving birthday. I truly appreciate it.

So where's really the destination for this month. I should keep this secret but I guess it is time to share it now. I will be exploring Toskana or Tuscany  this month. This trip has  been planned and booked  for almost two months now.

It will be a 7-days trip in Tuscany. Among the places and cities included in the itinerary are Carrara,  Portovenere, Firenze or Florence, Lucca, Pisa and Sienna.  I believed these places are so interesting that I can't wait to visit it soon. This is quite an adventure again because  I will be travelling alone but with a   group of the the most travelled people in the world. Any idea?

I have been to many places in Italy  and even visited Venice  five times but this will be my first  time in Tuscany. I will see what will surprise me to those places. I want to find time to  gather  all the  must-see sights in these places as well. I  partly read my Europe Travel guide book and found out that these places are really worth to see!

I guess, I have to slowly sign-off now.  Thanks  Goodness for the blessings this first week of September.

Feel free to browse my other travels in Italy here. Wishing all my readers and visitors a wonderful month of September!

Shopping for Souvenirs in Orta San Giulio, Italy

cafes and shops in Orta San Giulio, Italy.

After a short ride with the ferry to Orta San Giulio, we finally arrived in this town safely. Our tour guide toured us around the city. I went together with a group of German tourists during my visit there.

After our sightseeing tour, I decided to go to some shops to buy for souvenirs. I bought some postcards and fridge magnet and did not find an anti fatigue mat. The first two are usually the common souvenirs  I collect and buy everytime I travel.

Orta San Giulio is a town and comune (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about 100 km northeast of Turin and about 40 km northwest of Novara.

That was only a short visit in this town but I enjoyed the historical sights I experienced there.

View from Our Hotel in Malosco, Italy

If my room is located  at the front front of the the hotel with balcony, I can probably see a very good view of the  surroundings around everyday. It is not really a big deal because I have  nice room at the hotel. The  bathroom  was also nice and spacious. For sure hydraulic valves were used when they built it.

We stayed in Hotel Panorama located in Malosco.  My  room is  comfortable but not  overlooking amazing scenery of the Dolomites.

We stayed  there for 2 nights and with the price we paid for that 4-days trip, I can't complain that much.

I  simply love the scenery from our hotel. accommodation

A Lovely Day in Limone sul Garda, Italy

How's everyone? I hope you are  all doing great! I can't complain with my life at the moment. Besides, there is nothing to complain especially if we are happy and contented with our lives. In short, I am doing  great  and I am so thankful about it.

It was indeed a lovely day in Limone, Italy. The weather was sunny with a temperature of 24-28 degree Celcius. It was indeed a perfect day for sightseeing.

Boats in Limone,  Lake  Garda, Italy. I love the scenery in this part of the world!

Historical buildings in Limone sul Garda during our recent  visit in Italy.

From Riva del Garda,  we took the public  boat transportation  going to Limone. I would say, it was like a mini cruise in Lake Garda, also known in German as Gardasee. I had fun walking  in this fun and truly enjoyed the scenes around.

Here are some  information about this town:

Limone sul Garda is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy (northern Italy), on the shore of Lake Garda.
It has an abundance of cafes, restaurants and shops selling all manner of souvenirs, food and clothing, and the streets in summer are thronged with tourists.
The town was popular with writers such as Goethe, Ibsen and Lawrence, and more recently was used for filming parts of the James Bond film Quantum of Solace.
Despite the presence of famous cultivations of lemons (the meaning of the city's name in Italian), the town's name is probably derived from the ancient lemos (elm) or limes (Latin: boundary, referring to the communes of Brescia and the Bishopric of Trento). In 1863-1905 the denomination was Limone San Giovanni.

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.

Euro Travel in Vernazza, Italy

I was asked many times by friends who went with me  during our spring trip to Italy,  if there will be a trip like what we had there  last year. One of the places we visited was Vernazza in Italy. First time to hear about this place? It is actually one of the 5 villages of Cinque Terre. It is the fourth town heading north...It has no car  traffic and you can go there with a train or by foot.

Vernazza is located in the province of La Spezia in Liguria, Italy. It is a famous fishing village.

With regards to my first sentence here, I told my friends that I will let them know once  I can find the same trip like what we had last year. I also want to experience the same trip again.

I took some images from  Vernazza as  proofs that I was there. Here they are!

It is very interesting to know that some house owners made their home a store. That is quite a good idea.

The Cinque Terre  signed in Vernazza, Italy.

This little village along with the other 4 Cinque Terre villages are very famous for tourists and visitors. The windows of the houses where they  hang and dry their clothes looks interesting.

All these images was taken during our visit last April 2011.

Discovering the Art in Venice

Venice is an Italian city renowned all over the world for its incomparable beauty. The city comprises of a massive group of almost 120 islands that are all connected by small bridges. One of the highlights of travelling to Venice is the beautiful art on offer. Art in Venice includes many manifestations and monuments although there are some of them that stand out more prominently than others.

The Peggy Guggenheim Museum is something not to be missed when visiting Italy. The collection of this museum bears all the personal life of Guggenheim and is dedicated to it for the amazing work done to promote art of every form. The museum comprises of art from different varieties and styles like futurism, cubism, surrealism, metaphysical painting, American abstract expressionism, avant-garde sculpture and European abstraction as well.

The Venezia  Murano store in Venice, Italy. This was taken during my third visit in Venice.

The main mode of travelling within Venice is by boat and you can use one to get to the dell’Accademia di Venezia. This place was originally founded by the state of Venetia in the year 1750. The main attractions of this place are the various works of art it houses. Most of the art pieces are from Venetian masters who lived in the 17th and 18th century. Among the artists whose works can be found in the collection of dell’Accademia di Venezia there are Leonardo Da Vinci, Carpaccio and Giovanni Bellini.

The Gondolas in Venice. I finally experienced it during my third visit last July 2011.

Among the most popular places for those on a tour of Art in Venice is the Museo del Vetro, aka the Glass Museum. The museum was established in the year 1861 on the island of Murano. The island itself is located to the north of Venice. Housing a Murano glass collection that is the largest in the world, the museum offers visitors a peak into the history of glass manufacturing apart from housing beautiful examples from great masters.

Interesting Places I Visited in Italy

Italy is one of the most interesting countries to visit in Europe. It is not only considered as the birthplace of Western culture but also home to the most numbered UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world. I love this country and I wish to have more Italy tours in the future. I just want to explore more of its historic towns and cities especially in the Tuscany region.

Here are some of the beautiful cities I visited in Italy;

Rome- I believed many tourists from around the world include the "Eternal City" in their travel wishlist. I am one of those lucky ones who was given the chance to go there. That 3-day trip we had last summer 2010 was not enough to see and explore all corners of Rome but we did experienced its famous sites including the Colosseum, Vatican City with its St. Peter's Basilica, the Pantheon, Piazza del Popolo, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona and many others.

The Spanish Steps during our visit last summer 2010.

Venice- Considered by many as one of the most beautiful and lovely places in the world including me. These are only some of the reasons why I kept on coming back to this city. I was there thrice and still want to come back when given the chance. Cruising on its narrow canals with the gondola, strolling on its historic streets or just gallivanting on St. Mark's square, I still don't have enough from this city and I wish to visit it again and again. Venice is truly interesting!

One of the narrow canals in Venice which we explored with a gondola ride last July 2011.

Cinque Terre- The famous "Five Villages" in the coastal region of Liguria, all of these villages are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I remember our walk along the lovely beach of Monterosso. From there we took a cruise passing other villages such a Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and we ended up sightseeing in Riomaggiore. It was truly a wonderful and memorable trip we had last year.

The beautiful beach of Monterosso during our visit last April 2011. I love this place!

Other places I have been to in Italy were Verona, San Remo, Pietra Liguria and Vicenza. We also passed-by other towns and cities during the previous we had there. I hope in my next trip to Italy, I can already visit the Tuscany region. So far, my Italy dream holiday is slowly happening and coming to reality. I wish to explore more of this country in the future. I just love it there!

Places to See in the Apulia Region, Italy

I had the chance to visit some cities and places in Italy. Among the few I visited include Rome, Venice, Verona, Cinque Terre, Sanremo, Pietra Ligure, Vicenza and other towns and cities we happened to pass-by during the many Italy tours I participated in the past. I know that there are a lot of interesting places to visit in Italy and there are still towns and cities I wish to visit in the future. One of it is the beautiful region of Apulia which lies in the southeastern part of Italy.

the old and historical town of Rio Maggiore in Cinque Terre, Italy during our trip last spring 2011.

There are a lot of lovely and charming towns and cities in Apulia. Here are some of the few that I wish to visit in the future.

Bari- I am happy for a friend who had a chance to take a cruise in this part of Italy. It is located on the Adriatic coast. It is the capital of Apulia and also its largest and most important city. Among the sights that I wish to visit are the Bari Vecchia,the Palazzo del Catapano, the Church of Saint Gregory, Basilica of Saint Nicholas and the Cathedral of Saint Sabino. Most of all, I would like to take a walk along its waterfront.

Foggia- Being dubbed as the "granary of Italy", I believed that this city is also a worth-to-see. I would love to see its main sights including the Church of the Crosses, the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Fovea, the Arch of Frederick II and the Palazzo Dogana. Tasting some of its local foods is also on my list.

Lecce- I haven't been to Florence yet and visiting Lecce is also a feeling that you are in Florence. You know why? Lecce with impressive baroque buildings is dubbed as the "Florence of the South". The Obelisk, the Holy Cross Church, the Piazza S. Oronzo, the Lecce Cathedral and the Porta Napoli are only some of the interesting sights I wish to see in this city.

Trajan's Forum in Rome, Italy

A friend of mine was asking me last time to mention to her if I can find a cheap trip to Rome, Italy. I found one but at the time I called the travel agency, it was already fully booked. Around two weeks ago she told me that she finally booked a trip to Rome. I am very glad for her because she can finally visit the so-called "Eternal City".

I had been to Rome last August 2010. It was only a 4-days visit including the flights and the sightseeing and I still find it too short to see everything. At least, I finally visited and experience the capital city of Italy.

One of the sights we visited was the Trajan's Forum, called in Italian as Foro di Traiano. It is an ancient structure in Rome, Italy and known as the last of the Imperial fora. It was constructed by the architect Apollodorus of Damascus.

Trajan's Column on the far left of the photo..I took it during our visit last Aug. 2010.

This forum was constructed on the order of Emperor Trajan with the spoils of war from the conquest of Dacia, which ended in 106. The Fasti Ostienses states that the Forum was inaugurated in 112, while Trajan's Column was erected and then inaugurated in 113.

To build this monumental complex, extensive excavations were required: workers eliminated the sides of the Quirinal and Capitoline (Campidoglio) Hills, which closed the valley occupied by the Imperial forums toward the Campus Martius.

the plan of Trajan's Forum.

Europe Travel in San Remo, Italy

Almost seven months had past since I stepped on this city. It is located on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. San Remo is indeed a famous tourist destination in Italian Riviera considering its location and for hosting numerous cultural events.

Our sightseeing in this city is not too long. I guess around three hours only. One thing I cannot forgot here was our lunch in one of the local Italian restaurants. I love the seafoods that I ordered in that restaurant. I am trying to find if I took some photos from the foods that I ordered. All the drinks were also included plus two bottles of wine. If you want you can drink all the 2 bottles but I know for sure if you are not a hard drinker, you will surely get tipsy like what happened to my friend. If I am not mistaken we paid 15.00 Euros each. It was worth the price because the foods were very delicious. I can't remember the name of that restaurant.

Our tour guide showed us some of the main sights in San Remo including the Villa Nobel. It is the house of Alfred Nobel where he lived the last year of his life. The building can be visited with a guided tour but since we don't have much time to go there, we just passed-by along the house.

After our short sightseeing in San Remo, we proceeded to Menton and spent the rest of the afternoon there. More updates to come soon!

the shopping center in San Remo during our visit last April 2011.

You can always see clothesline on the windows..This is how they are drying their clothes. Why not, in fact it is one way of taking care of Mother Nature instead of using a dryer.

a bakery and cafeteria in San Remo, a lovely place along the Mediterranean coast.

View from Our Holel in Pietra Ligure, Italy

This is the view that I always see in the morning. Isn't it nice? I am always reminded of my home when I see this scenery especially the view of the sea. We stayed here for 6 days last April 2011 during our trip to the Italian Riviera, French Riviera and Monaco.

Pietra Ligure is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about 60 km southwest of Genoa and about 20 km southwest of Savona.

Passing-By at Milan, Italy

April, May, June...It's been two months now since we passed-by at Milan, Italy. Last April 15, 2011, we began our 6-day holiday in some Italian places, France and Monaco. It was one of the most beautiful trip I had in Europe. Of course, I did had a travel insurance for that trip but not an SSDI. It is actually a different thing.

I wish to visit this so-called financial capital of Italy, hopefully next year. Milan is the capital of the region Lombardy. I found this city interesting because I saw some travel images of my friends who visited it before. At least, I was able to stepped on its land when we did had a short break in one of its gas station.

My Euro Travel in San Remo, Italy

San Remo, also written as Sanremo, is a city which is best known as a tourist destination in Italy. It is located in the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. The city center of San Remo is quite small that it is very easy to explore by foot. We had a memorable and enjoyable trip to this city especially when we took our lunch in one of its restaurants. The food were good and quite cheap.

Due to its location near the Mediterranean Sea, San Remo has a very nice warm weather almost all year round. It has warm days but always be prepared to wear a warmer or sweater during chilly nights. San Remo is also very famous for its production of the extra virgin grade olive oil.

It was a very nice trip we had in this city.

The San Remo casino, an architectural masterpiece right in the centre of town. It was built in 1905 and an example of liberty style building.

some of the old but historical and interesting buildings located near the church of San Siro in San Remo. These images were taken during our trip last April 2011.

First Dinner in Pietra Ligure, Italy

It was a long trip from Regensburg, Germany to Pietra Ligure in Italy. It was a bus trip to different towns and cities in France, Italy and Monaco and it was truly a wonderful one. It was around 8:00 pm when we arrived our hotel in Pietra Ligure. We proceeded to the dining room for our first dinner which is included in the vacation package. I love the foods in that hotel and I thought I will be losing weight because of too much walking during our trips. Sad to say, I feel like gaining more and was thinking about accutane that time. I love especially the fish recipes in Italy. I remember the sumptuous lunch in San Remo where different kinds of seafood being served on the plate I ordered. I was really full during that time. I love fish and when I can, I always wanted to have it as part of our daily intake.

Pietra Ligure in Italy

I cannot forget this place because this is where we stayed during our 6-day spring vacation last month. Pietra Ligure is a municipality in the Province of Savona in the Italian region of Liguria.

Our apartment is located here. Sad to say, we don't have an internet connection in there. I should have that wireless cellular booster to have good signal of my cellphone also. The image you see here is a view that I saw everyday on our small terrace. I love this scenery because it reminds me of our house in my home country.

Pietra Ligure is located around 60 km southwest of Genoa and about 20 km southwest of Savona. I love this place and wish to go back there again in the future.