Fabulous Day in Helsinki, Finland

I already marked "X" Helsinki in my bucketlist. It is very simple, I finally visited Finland's capital city. It was our 5th day during our cruise trip in the Baltic region. Our ship arrived at 8:00 AM in Helsinki port. Considering around 2,000 passengers in that ship, it took us almost an hour before we went out from the ship and started our sightseeing.

Our tour guide was already waiting for us outside the port. As the the bus was already complete with tourists who booked that group trip, we started then the sightseeing. Our first stop was the famous modern architecture known as the Sibelius Monument. The tour guide was guiding our bus driver where to go next. She was also explaining about the interesting islands in Helsinki.

The Helsinki Cathedral in Senate Square in Helsinki. Aug. 3, 2013. © http://myeurotravelandadventures.blogspot.com

That tour took around two and a half hours with photos stops to some interesting sights. We were also given around two hours to explore the city on our own. We were dropped at the Senate square where most buses stop and park.

The Sibelius Monument. © http://myeurotravelandadventures.blogspot.com

Sibelius Monument in  Sibelius Park,  The world-famous composer Jean Sibelius' monument was designed by sculptress Eila Hiltunen and unveiled in 1967. It is one of the most well-known tourist attractions in Helsinki as nearly every guided tourist tour is brought to Sibelius Park to marvel at this unique work of art resembling organ pipes, welded together from 600 pipes and weighing over 24 metric tons.

The Church in the Rock (Temppeliaukion kirkko, literally "Temple Square Church").

"An atmospheric if minimalistic church, this church was literally dug out of solid rock. From above, it resembles a crashed UFO. The roof is made of 22 km of copper strips. Completed in 1969, this has become one of Helsinki's most popular attractions."

Some hours sightseeing is not enough to see and experience all the sights in Helsinki. I wish to visit it again in the future. For now, I am happy and contented that I visited  Finland's  lovely capital  and the so-called  "Daughter of the Baltic".

It was indeed a fabulous day in  Helsinki, considering the sunny weather we had that day!

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.

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

The Beautiful Town of Budva, Montenegro

 It is a month now since my  trip to the Balkan Peninsula or Southeast Europe. One of the places we visited was Budva.  It is a coastal in Montenegro and considered to be its centre of tourism.  It is the central part of Montenegrin coast, called "Budvanska Rivijera". It has developed around a small peninsula, on which the old town is situated.

A statue of a lady near our 4 star hotel Avala in Budva, Montenegro. You can also see the Old City of Budva in  the background.

Budva is famous for  its for its diverse nightlife, sandy beaches,  and examples of Mediterranean architecture.

According to our tour guide, Budva is a historical city and is 3,500 years old. No wonder it is considered as  one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic sea coast. There is also a legend  that Jelena, our tour guide explained to us. Here it is;

A legend recounts that Budva was founded by Cadmus the Phoenician, a hero exiled out of Thebes, Greece, finding a shelter in this place for him and his wife, Harmonia. Two other civilizations also left innumerable traces: the Greek and the Roman (then named Butua). Upon the fall of the Roman empire and its division into east and west, the defensive barrier which separated the two powers happened to run across this area, subsequently making a lasting impact on the history and culture of this town. In the Middle Ages, Budva was reigned by a succession of Doclean kings, as well as Serbian and Zetan aristocrats. 

View of Budva as we were on top of the hill on our way  to Cetinje, another city in Montenegro. Our tour guide gave us the chance to step down the bus to have a good view of the breath-taking  scenery and take some pictures.

I believed I am very lucky to visit this town. I traveled with the group of the the most-traveled people in this planet. We stayed in a beautiful 4-star hotel in Avala, located just near the beach. I could say that trip I had in Southeast Europe last month was all worth it considering the many places and countries I experienced.

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.

Snapshots from San Francisco, California

I seems  like yesterday  when I visited San Francisco, California. It is one of the cities I visited during my one month vacation in the United States last 2012. I believed many of you know this city. It is very famous for its Golden Gate Bridge. For some reason, I am wondering why this bridge is called "golden" when it looks like red or maroon.

I  am always grateful to all the good friends I met in this city. Brianna, Jacky  and Ate Mary, you are all awesome! I hope we will meet again someday!  I truly had  a great time with you all.

Photographs speak thousands of words, so I am only sharing for now some of the  snapshots I took from San Francisco. Have fun viewing! 

View of San Francisco as we were riding  a Ferry from Alameda-Oakland to SFO.

The Fisherman's Wharf of San Francisco..Honestly, I miss the seafoods there!

The Dewey monument  at the Union Square in San Francisco, California. I am happy to be there!

The Berlinale Palast in Berlin

It is almost two years now since my visit in Germany's capital city of Berlin.  I found a cheap bus trip there for 3-days and immediately booked it. I guess that trip only cost 129.00 Euros including the hotel, breakfast and of course the  transportation.

I also met some friends there during my visit. That was awesome because I saw a lot of sights plus the fun that I had with them. I went there last February 2011 which was normally perfect to see the Berlinale event. Sad to say, I don't have enough time to watch the movies in Berlinale Palast.

The Berlin International Film Festival, also known as Berlinale is held yearly in Germany's capital. It is said to be one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events.

This year's film festival is held from  February 7-17, 2013. 

The Berlinale Palast in Berlin. I was there last 2011.

It Was Sunny in York, England

It was autumn during my visit in York, England last 2008 but the weather was not really so cold compared to where I live in Europe. I only wore a  sweatshirt and long shirt underneath and I was already good. The weather was also sunny which is perfect for sightseeing.

A friend who lives in Harrogate toured me in this city. Thanks a lot Ross for your time and effort in touring me around. Truly appreciated!

York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England.  We visited some sights including the Shambles (a medieval street in York), the Minster (Cathedral of York), had a walk on the Stonegate, Clifford's Tower and we also had a walk around the Old City.

Ouse Bridge in York, England. The date embedded in the image was the time when I visited York.

The Statue in front of the Alcazar of Segovia

I visited Segovia once. I was in Madrid that time and made a day-trip to Segovia.  I boarded the Renfe, a fast train in Spain. If you arrive at the train station of Segovia, you still need to take the bus going to the Old Town . I guess it will take around 15 minutes for the ride. 

There were many tourists visiting this historical  city of Segovia when I was there.  The bus where I rode was  full .  That was quite an adventure for me when I was there because I was alone. I don't have any idea where to go exactly and what sights to see. Good to know that near the aqueduct of Segovia, the tourist  office can be found. I went there immediately and ask for a plan for sights to see. 

That was  quite a short visit in Segovia but at least I had seen it once in my life. 

The Alcazar of Segovia during my visit last March 2012.

 I had a walk around the Old City including the Alcazar of Segovia, the royal palace located on top of a rock between the rivers Eresma and Clamores, is documented for the first time in 1122, although it may exist in earlier time

Monument located in front of the Alcazar of Segovia.

Words encrypted  on the  monument  above.

"A LOS CAPITANES DE ARTILLERIA D. LUIS DAOIZ D.  PEDRO VELARDE LA NACION ESPANOLA."

I translated  these words using google and it  means:  
"TO MASTERS OF ARTILLERY D. Daoiz LUIS D. Pedro Velarde THE SPANISH NATION. "

Fasching, carnival Season is Almost Over in Germany

I was watching a TV program awhile ago  and found out that the famous carnival in Rio de  Janiero in Brazil is almost over as well. It is the same in Germany.  Today is called Faschingsdienstag  or Shrove Tuesday. It means that Aschermittwoch (Ash Wednesday) is about to come, thus ending the Faschingszeit or carnival time.

I already witnessed a lot of carnival celebrations  in  particularly in Bavaria, Germany. It is not really as big as in Cologne, Mainz or Dusseldorf but they are  all worth-seeing.

Here are some of the images I took in one of the Faschingszug or carnival parade in Bavaria.

A group with their colorful costumes during the carnival parade in Hemau last 2012.

The Dragon during the Chinese Fasching or carnival in  Dietfurt.

Germans wearing Chinese  carnival costumes  in Dietfurt.

Happy To Experience the Christmas Market in Birmingham, England

Bear with me when I will be sharing articles of the Christmas markets I visited in Europe. So let  me begin!

I was so happy  experiencing the Christmas Market in Birmingham, England. I had a perfect timing when I visited this city last October-November 2008 because the Christmas market was going that time. Thanks to my friend from England Dae Loy for touring me around including this city.

The Birmingham's Frankfurt Christmas Market is now running for 11 years in this city and became the center of the city's annual Christmas events calendar. Many tourists and locals from all over United Kingdom and Europe visit this famous event during the holiday season.

I enjoyed as well my visit to this city four years ago. I would say it is the highlight of my visit in Birmingham last 2008. I believe many  of you know what you can experience when visiting a Christmas market in Europe.

Here are some information about the 2012 Christmas market in Birmingham.
Venue: Victoria Square, New Street, Centenary Square & Chamberlain Square 
Date: 15th November – 22 December Time: 10am – 9pm

a stall in Victoria Square in Birmingham's Christmas Market.  You can see the embedded date when I visited this event. That was awesome!

Many people can be found walking and  roaming in front of the The Council House, headquarters of Birmingham City Council.

Snapshots from Seville Spain- The Plaza de España

I was browsing some of my photo albums in my external hard drive. I found out that it is exactly a year now since I and my friend paid a visit to the beautiful city of Seville in Spain. Known in Spanish as Sevilla, it is a beautiful capital city of Andalusia region known for its architecture, culture and many interesting sights.

One of the  sights we visited in  Seville  was the Plaza de España or the Spain Square. I never forgot one of the things we did as we were there. What can you do when nature is calling and you have nowhere to go. This square is located in the Parque de María Luisa or the Maria Luisa Park. It has a Renaissance  Revival style  in Spanish architecture.

Since our time is very limited during our visit, we ended up not going all around the Plaza de  España. I still wish to visit this city again.

The beautiful landmark of Seville, the Plaza  de España. I and my friend Joy visited this city last December 7, 2012.

A  nice reflection of the building on the water.

Summer Trip in Insel Mainau in Lake Constance

Do you love plants and flowers like me?  One of the perfect place for you to visit in Germany is Insel Mainau. This beautiful island of Mainau (Insel  means island in English word) is a paradise for me.  During  my first visit last  August 2012, I feel in love with this island. This park and garden  is  truly a great  place  for me  to visit since I really love  flowers.

Mainau is a garden island in Lake Constance, known in German as Bodensee. It is one of the major  tourists attraction in this area. It belong to the Lennart Bernadotte-Stiftung (English: the Lennart Bernadotte Foundation), created by  Prince Lennart, formerly Prince of Sweden and Duke o Smaland.

During our visit, we  had a walk around the island, seeing various  plants and flowers of all kinds including exotic ones. I was truly amazed by the beauty of nature in this island. We also went inside the butterfly garden in the island. There, you can find varieties of butterflies and  information on  the stages of their life development.

The palace in Insel Mainau. There is a church located on the right side of  the palace.

Some of the flowers in the gardens  of  Mainau.
I took all these images during our trip last summer this year.

Riga, the Paris of the Baltic States

Another wish was fulfilled when I visited Riga recently. This city is the capital of Latvia and its largest city. It is also  the second largest city in  Eastern Baltic but the largest city of the Baltic States. It is also dubbed as the "Paris of the Baltics". I believed it is because of its setting.

Not many people especially who are not from Europe are quite not familiar with the Baltic States, also known as the Baltic Countries or simply Baltics.

 Let me introduce this part of Europe first. If you have to look at the map of Europe, the Baltic States are on the boundary of Russia, Poland and Belarus. These are actually the countries, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. They are the territories east of Baltic Sea which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I.

Let's go back to Riga. Like any other cities in Europe, you can see a lot of historical old buildings in this city. Many of these have been restored and repaired. It is home to the largest concentration of Jugendstil or German Art Nouveau architecture in the world. This is one of the reasons why Riga is becoming popular to many tourists  not only in Europe but worldwide as well.

The Tower of St. Peter's Church in Riga. I was there!

Among the interesting sights you can visit in Riga  is located mostly in the Old Town. The Statue of Roland, the House of Blackheads, Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Town Hall, St. Peter's Church are among the few ones. The Riga Cathedral, Riga Castle, the House of the Three Brothers, the Freedom are also worth to see.

The Blackhead's House in Riga, Latvia. I had the chance to visit  this city  last Sept. 30- Oct. 1, 2012.

Happy To Visit Vilnius, Lithuania

I finally visited the Baltic States! One of the countries we went to  was Lithuania.  One of the cities  we visited in this country is its capital city, Vilnius.  It is the largest city in Lithuania and the second  largest city  in the Baltic States after Riga. And yes, we also visited Riga during that Baltic trip.

I have a lot of  travel stories  to tell  during our trip there but   I am still not having enough energy to share it. I guess I am still having a jetlag. That trip to the Baltic was quite tiresome for me because I just came back from  a month vacation  from  the United States.  I only have two days rest and proceeded to the  Baltic  region which  was  quite tiresome for me.

I am just sharing these photos below which were taken in Vilnius. Sorry folks, I am not done uploading my travel images yet. More to come soon.

Lastly I wouldsay  that despite that tiresome trip, I am very happy and contented to visit  some parts of the Baltic Regions.

The Presidential Palace in Vilnius, Lithuania.

An original cathedral was built here in 1251. In 1387 a Gothic style cathedral was built. Now it is a classical style cathedral build by the project of Laurynas Gucevicius. The most beautiful part of the Cathedral, the baroque chapel of St. Casimir, was built in 1623–1636. The crypt shows a cross section of Vilnius through the ages, well worth seeing.

Gelato in Rome, Italy

It was actually summer season when we visited Rome, Italy last 2010. I mean "we" because I was with a friend from the United States that time. Together we made a tour in Europe and went to the different cities here. I believed Nonna had a great time during  our Europe tour.

It was actually raining in Italy's capital but since it is not so cold, we decided to buy a gelato. What is actually the difference between a gelato and a regular or commercial ice cream? Italians use the word gelato to mean a sweet treat that is served frozen. It is made of milk, cream, sugar and fresh fruits for flavoring. The difference of factory made ice cream compared to gelato is that, the latter has lighter and lower butterfat.

What is your favorite gelato? I love the strawberry flavor. If there is a mango or avocado flavor, I would surely taste it.

A Gelaterie in Rome, Italy. This is where we bought and tasted gelato.

Neumarkt Jura Volksfest

There are a lot of festivals  going on in Bavaria, Germany. Summer time is truly festival time! Sometimes I am confuse which festival to attend first because some are  being held at the same time. One of the very famous  feast in the Oberpfalz or Upper Palatinate part of Bavaria is the Neumarkt Jura Volksfest.  It is an annual festival that takes place every month of August.

The Jura Volksfest has a long tradition in Neumarkt. The first celebration  took place in 1829 and after that, there were festivals that followed in irregular times. Since 1954, the festival was then called the Jura-Volksfest. Now, the festival is visited by over 200,000  locals and visitors. It is an eleven-day celebration. You can experience a truly Bavarian and German culture when visiting festival like this.

Colorful costumes of the participants.

There are a lot of experience during the feast from carnival rides to live bands playing various music, different German and local delicacies and other programs and shows that take place during the festival period.

Participants of the Jura Volksfest Parade last August 2010.

This year's festival takes place from August 10-20, 2012. The highlight of the program is the festival parade that takes place during the first Sunday of the event.

Passing By in Dürnstein During A Cruise in Danube River

Danube River, called in German as Donau Fluss is the second longest river  in Europe after  Volga. I already  experienced a lot of short cruises on this  river. One of the it was the cruise we had in Austria which started in Spitz. One of the towns we passed-by was Dürnstein.  This beautiful town is located in the Krems-Land district in the state of Lower Austria. It is considered to be one of the most visited town in the region of Wachau.

The town has a medieval castle  on the top of a hill. Dürnstein is a historical town which was first mentioned in 1192.

I took some snapshots during our cruise in this area last summer 2011. It was a wonderful one seeing the nature  that surrounds Danube.

View of the town from the Danube, with the castle seen on top of the hill.

The tower of a Church in Dürnstein. We really  did not had enough time to go inside because we just passed by in this area.

Some people went out from the boat to have some sightseeing. Our group  stayed.