Going On a Road Trip

 "Sponsored post. All opinions are mine."

Good morning in this part of the globe! Not really a good weather when I woke-up. I   looked outside of the window this morning and looks like it is a gray weather. It is quite stormy outside and the heaven is crying until now. I still wish for a s summer weather but hey, this is nature and we can't do anything about it.

Well, it is a perfect time to slowly pack my luggage and finish some offline and online tasks. I am really very busy the past days and weeks and I will be very happy if I will be hitting the road again. Yes, one more week to go and I am ready for a road trip again. It is less than a month since I came back from vacation in Romania and that was really nice.

One of these days, I will be rolling the road often if I already have the perfect car for a road trip. I am driving a regular car right now which is just perfect for going to work and doing errands like grocery shopping, driving to doctor's appointment, visiting friends and other  personal errands.

Groupons Things to Do in Seattle

 This is a sponsored post. All opinions are mine.

Traveling is always my favorite topic! Since I was bitten by this travel bug called wanderlust, it never stops anymore. I miss those years when I travel full time and I hope I win millions of  lottery to continue to finance my travel.  Sad to say, I have to go back to work again to save money to cure my sickness.  Having been to many countries and I would say 46 so far for now and to 4 continents, this travel virus still continue to attack me all the time.

This is also the reason why I just booked my next trip and just received my travel confirmation! I am feeling great now despite not feeling good.

Back to the main topic about visiting Seattle, Washington. I have been to this city exactly four years ago. Wow, time flies so fast! Thanks to facebook for sharing  travels and memories from the past.  There are still a lot of  things that I need to experience in this beautiful city. I am thankful for  Groupon Things To Do for sharing a lot of travel tips about Seattle.  They also sell discounted tickets for shows and entertainment, sporting events, movie tickets, museums' entrances  and more.

I miss a lot of things in Seattle. What can you do when you only have limited time during your visit? Hopefully in my second visit, I can see and experience more of  the city.  I will surely check Groupon for travel deals and other offers. I already know that this site offers big discounts and savings for a cheap traveler like me.

If you are a shopper and at the same time a traveler like me, let's us check together Groupon. For sure, we will be happy of the great deals and discounts they offer!

I Miss the Entertainment During that Cruise in Scandinavia

It was indeed a luxury cruise and I miss it. I also miss my travel buddies who are in the other side of the planet now. I also miss those times when I can travel anytime and anywhere I want to. I am still hoping that I can still do it in the future. With the current job I have now, I can no longer do the many escapades I did before.

That memorable and luxurious trip with Aidabella last spring 2013.

 That  luxury cruise in Scandinavia was an awesome experience. I did not only have fun but I also had a wonderful time with a friend. She is now back in the United States and I am hoping one day, we can travel together again.

What I also miss are the live entertainments  on board especially  the live bands and the live performances on stage.For sure those singers, guitarists, drummers together  with their musical instruments  use  fender stratocaster tremolo  all the time. One night while watching a live band on board, one thing that touched  me was the song that was performed so beautifully  with that female singer.  It  was one of my favorite songs by Mariah Carey and I can listen to it all the time.

I wish,  I can  suill do another  cruise this year and hoping that it will be in the Caribbean.  Crossing my fingers! Have a wonderful one folks!

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!

Accommodation In Regency Hotel Boracay, Philippines

I am actually a frugal traveller.  I always find the cheapest travels that  fits my budget, or else I won't be able to travel to over 30 countries now. Sometimes, I am  lucky to find cheap travel packages  with great inclusions in it from  accommodation to sightseeing tours, transportation and food.  Since  siblings will be sponsoring most of my trips in the Philippines this time, I cannot really convince them to find affordable travel offers especially on accommodation. It is their decision and I am not really happy with it because it seems that they are only trying to waste money. I just hope that they will realize  the value of money instead of just  like throwing it outside the window.  We will see what will be the next episode  of this suppose  to be  travel in Boracay.

The beautiful fine white sand beach in Boracay.   

Remembering the Happy Moments in Bamberg, Germany

Bamberg is a lovely town in the Upper part of Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. I visited this town five times already. My first visit was in 2008. It was followed when a friend live there, whose husband was stationed  in the U.S. Base in this area. Sad to say, they already left last year because they went back to the United States.

Chirstmas market in Bamberg, Germany.

I and a friend visited her for the last time in December 2012. It was holiday season and there was a Christmas market going on during our visit. We actually attended a Christmas party hosted by this good friend in Bamberg. She prepared some foods and we even had an overnight in their house. I cannot forget the happy moments  we had that night inspite of the heavy snow. That was a snowy winter. We did some karaoke singing, cracking jokes with each other, shared the delicious foods and simply had fun and enjoy laughing.

Since nobody knows how to play a musical instrument during that Christmas party, we just enjoyed singing karaoke. Talking about musical instruments, I am wondering if you ever heard about cheap seagull the original s6 acoustic guitar? I believed some of you especially those who love to play the guitar have ideas about this musical instrument. It was indeed a fun night and we also had an exchange of gifts.

The next day, we went to the Christmas market in Bamberg. It was still snowing very hard when we were walking around. We also did a sightseeing around  the town seeing some of its historic sights. That was my last visit in Bamberg and I still hope to visit it again this  summer.

Please be informed that Bamberg's historic city center is a listed UNESCO world heritage site.

Waiting for my Travel Confirmation for Christmas Market Trips

Hello everyone! Hello October! It seems that the holiday season is almost coming! This is the best time of the year to experience Christmas markets in Europe. How about that?

I have a friend in facebook who has been asking me about Christmas markets in this continent. She is planning to visit Europe this holiday season and want to experience Christmas markets. It will be very cold since it is winter already but if you are a travel geek, no matter what season of the year it is, rain or shine or snow, you still want to travel. And that is like me! I love this season too and I love visiting Christmas markets like the ones I visited before.

The Cathedral of Budapest during my second visit last summer 2012.

I have been to many of these events in Europe. Most of it is in Germany. I also visited the ones in Zurich and Basel in Switzerland. I also found the Christmas market in Strasbourg very interesting, the reason why I visited it twice already. I cannot forget the ones I encountered in Birmingham, Leeds and York in England. The ones in Madrid and Granada in Spain were also great but we don't have enough time to go around.

Christmas Market in Plaza Mayor, Madrid. How I miss this city! Glad to be there twice!

This coming holiday season, I already booked some Christmas market trips to Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. It will be my first time in Slovakia's capital city, Bratislava. I have been to Vienna and Budapest twice but have not experience yet Christmas markets there.

For now, I am still waiting for my travel confirmation. I booked this Christmas trips last weekend of September but the travel company forgot to send me the confirmation. I wrote them an email yesterday and they replied today,  saying that they are sending now the travel confirmation.

This will be another adventure for me because I am travelling alone again. I know HE will protect and HE always will!

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.

Cruising in Oslofjord, Norway

It seems like yesterday when we had an awesome cruise in Scandinavia. It was only a 5-days cruise trip but I am already happy and contented with it. One of the areas we passed by during our cruise was Oslofjord. It was around 8:00 in the evening when we passed this area of Norway. The was slowly setting down that time and you can see some of the of the hills around.

That was so far a very memorable and wonderful cruise trip we had in Scandinavia visiting  Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen, Denmark.

We boarded Aidabella cruise ship during our  cruise trip in Scandinavia recently.

Each of the islands in the innermost part of the fjord has its own identity and distinguishing history. Among them are Hovedøya, Lindøya, Nakholmen, Bleikøya, Gressholmen, and Langøyene. These islands can easily be reached with the Oslo-boats from Vippetangen. Hovedøya is most famous for its monastery ruins, Gressholmen for its rabbits, Nakholmen, Bleikøya, Lindøya for their cosy cabins at the water’s edge, and finally Langøyene for its camping possibilities and pleasant beach.

You can find many summer houses in Oslofjord.  There are also boats on the little port of Oslofjord.

The Oslofjord (Norwegian: Oslofjorden) is an inlet in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the Torbjørnskjær and Færder lighthouses and down to Langesund in the south to Oslo in the north. It is part of the Skagerrak strait, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.

To Southeast Europe This Time

Still not done with packing. I am partially done and will have to finish it tonight. I am already charging all my gadgets including my cameras, cellphones and other stuffs I need for my travel to the Balkan part of Europe.

The trip will start tomorrow. This time I am heading to the  Balkans, or the Balkan Peninsula, also referred to as Southeast Europe. We will be visiting 4 countries including Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and  Albania. I would 5 countries because we will have a short stop over in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A map of the Balkans or Southeast Europe powered by Google maps.

We will be visiting a lot of sights in these countries including Maribor, Zagreb, Zadar, Dubrovnik, Budva, Cetinje, Njegusi, Kotor, Krka National Park, Rastoke and many more.

The one you can see in the google map here will be our route to those four countries in the Balkans.

The Balkans 

The term "The Balkans" covers not only those countries which lie within the boundaries of the Balkan Peninsula, but may also include Slovenia and Romania.  Prior to 1991 the whole of Yugoslavia was considered to be part of the Balkans. The term "The Balkans" is sometimes used to describe only the areas in the Balkan peninsula: Moesia, Macedonia, Thrace, Kosovo, Šumadija, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Dalmatia, Thessaly, Epirus, Peloponnese and others, but more often it includes the rest of former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia) and Romania, namely the provinces of: Vojvodina, Slavonia, Banat, Wallachia, Moldavia, Transylvania, and others. Italy as a totality, is generally accepted as part of Western Europe and the Apennines. The term "the Balkans" was coined by August Zeune in 1808. wikipedia.

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!

A Night at Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas

I am still in Las Vegas! Some more days and I will be backed to Europe.  Touring and sightseeing around can be tiresome sometimes.  This is also the reason why I was not able to update my  blogs from time to time. Las Vegas weather is still very hot but very better compared to my first days here last August.

I  just want to share some images from this city. After some escapades we had that night we proceeded to Fremont Street Experience. This pedestrian mall is one of the most famous  attractions in downtown Las Vegas. We strolled from one end to the other end of this pedestrian mall. On its one end,  a group of live band were still playing. We also entered some casinos for personal needs. I guess you know what I mean.  I remembered one friend who played casino and won some bucks.

There are shops and stores, casinos and restaurants you can find in Fremont Street Experience or FSE. One of the famous sight is the barrel vault canopy which  is 90 ft (27 m) high at the peak and four blocks, or approximately 1,500 ft (460 m), in length.

It was so far a fun-filled evening we had during our visit in this area of Las Vegas.

The famous barrel vault canopy in Fremont Street Experience, Las Vegas.

Travelling from U.S. To Europe

Most of the time  planning  our trip ahead of time  to  any destinations  around the world  will surely save  us time and  money. We also avoid stress and hassles in searching for cheap flights and accommodation.  Taking for example my friends who were  looking for Cheap flights from Florida to Italy, they had a hard time looking for cheap trips  because they  made their  bookings  too late.   Always remember not all last minute travels are cheap especially going to Europe.

The St. Mark's Basilica in the middle and the Ducal Palace on the right side. This was taken as we toured a friend from the U.S.  last summer 2011.  This was already my third time in Venice, Italy and I always love to visit  this beautiful city.

I  had a friend who toured  Europe last 2010. She already informed me  starting late  2009 that she will be visiting Europe.  I told her that she can avail of cheap travels if she will plan it ahead of time. I helped her in trying to find Cheap flights from New York City to Paris including cheap accommodations. She visited Europe last August 2010  but she bought  her plane ticket in February of the same year.  Imagine that  is almost 6 months advance  of buying her ticket  and she  truly found a cheap flight to Europe.

I accompanied her in her travels during that time.   I also helped her in finding cheap hotels and accommodations, plane tickets from one European city to another and  train tickets as well. We visited  6 countries in Europe including Italy,  France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.  Imagine spending only around 1,500.00 Euros for three weeks in these 6 countries  with everything in it.  We really had some good travel deals during that Europe tour we had last summer 2010.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Seine River that flows in this city. This was taken during  my  second visit in France capital  together  with a friend from the U.S.

This is what I have been telling to some friends who wish to make a tour in Europe, always plan it ahead of time and for sure they can save time, money and effort. If you are travelling from U.S. or any parts  of the globe  to Europe, always remember to  plan everything ahead  of  time.

Bag a Bargain Break at a Cheap Hotel in Barking

Whether you are visiting family or looking for a bargain base to enjoy this year’s London festivities, book online for a cheap hotel in Barking.

Located just outside the city centre, Barking is within Zone 4 of the London Underground. Perfectly accessible by the Hammersmith & City and District lines, Barking is directly linked to popular tourist destinations.

Whether you wish to explore Westminster and Kensington Park or Baker Street (the home of Sherlock Holmes and Danger Mouse) both can be reached quickly and conveniently, directly from Barking.
The 2012 London Olympics promises to attract thousands of sport fanatics from across the globe to our capital. The brand new multi-million pound stadium is located near to Stratford Rail and Tube connections.
A cheap hotel in Barking would put any Olympics fan in a premium position for attending many of the tournament’s ceremonies or events.

Simply five miles away from Barking, Stratford can be reached by a short tube journey to West Ham and a quick train ride by Docklands Light Railway.

Buckingham Palace in England

This year’s Olympics run from Friday 27 July with the closing ceremony on Sunday 12 August marking a celebrative end to the games.

England could not have won the Olympic bid for a more patriotic year. The Olympics months will follow a sensational start to the summer season as the Queen and her country celebrate her Diamond Jubilee.
Whether your game of choice is swimming, athletics or any of the Olympic sports, be sure to use your tickets and book a cheap hotel in Barking as early as possible, before they book up.

This handy location, slightly out of central London,makes a cheap hotel in Barking the perfect bargain break for all, whatever your reasons for travel.

All Inclusive Holidays to Tunisia with the Kids

Tunisia is one of the up and coming holiday hot spots. Lined with beautiful beaches and perfected with its charming whitewash-walled towns, all inclusive holidays to Tunisia are the perfect place to kick back and relax with the brood.

Searching online can bring up some of the best deals for cheap holidays in Tunisia. While travelling with children can be expensive, all inclusive holidays to Tunisia can really take the punch out of the package deal. With food, drink and ice-cream covered, simply concentrate on hitting the beach and exploring your destination.

Summers in Tunisia can hit highs of up to 38 degrees C. If travelling with small children, try to avoid July and August when the heat may be unbearable. Instead opt for May or June, when the sun is still beaming but temperatures average between 25 to 28 degrees C.

Hammamet is an ideal location for all inclusive holidays to Tunisia for the family. For soft sands and crystal clear waters, look no further than Hammamet’s very own beach. While the children play in the tranquil waters, unwind and enjoy a cocktail and a chapter of your holiday paperback.

Friguia Park, a superb wildlife attraction, is conveniently located in Hammamet. The whole family will enjoy getting up close to Friguia’s 62 species of animal including baboons, lemurs and black swans.

In addition, the park puts on a fantastic evening show suitable for all the family in an African themed hut. Dolphin shows run daily, with the opportunity to swim with the magnificent mammals at 11:45hrs local time, each day.

Adrenaline fuelled kicks can be found at Hammamet’s theme park, Carthage Land. Whether your children are just starting school or are school leavers, Carthage Land has rides to keep the whole family happy.

Look online for the best deals for your all inclusive holidays to Tunisia. Don’t stress about the small stuff and keep your cash for fun family days out in Hammamet.

Watching The Sunset in Sarimrakli, Turkey

It was a nice afternoon as arrived in our hotel in Sarimsakli, Turkey. The weather was friendly with a temperature of around 27 degrees Celsius. We stayed in Berk hotel and resorts which is some meters away from the beach. We took the chance to go a bit walking on the beach while watching the beauty of the sunset. It was so far a wonderful afternoon.

The sun setting in Sarimsakli. The beach in Sarimsakli, Turkey.

The beach in Sarimsakli, Turkey while watching the beauty of nature, the sunset.

Sarimsakli is a town in the Ayvalik District of Balikesir Province in Western Turkey, Turkey. The town's name means "land of garlic" in reference to the region's considerable production of the Alliaceae plant.

Velburg's 600th Foundation Anniversary

It was an awesome festival we witnessed last 2010 in Velburg. That time the town had its 600th foundation anniversary. The festival was not so big but they had group of participants which were very interesting especially on how they performed street dancing. I am happy to witnessed that event which I believed would only happen once in a lifetime.

This town is located in Neumarkt district in Bavaria, Germany. Here are some images I took last June 2010.

some of the participants of the festival parade.

the beautiful Town Hall of Velburg with its clock.

The Town Hall of Győr, Hungary

It was a very memorable trip we had in Hungary last summer of this year. We did not only visited a lot of places but we did also experience a lot of things which are always worth remembering. Probably, that is one treasure that we can keep after seeing or visiting a certain place, the fun, experiences and most of all the memories.

Győr, called in German as Raab is located halfway between Budapest and Vienna. This is where our hotel is located during our five days trip to Hungary. Gyor is also one of the old towns in this country.

I have below a photograph of the Town Hall of Győr.

The Városháza or Town Hall at night. One of the images I took as we had a night stroll in Gyor last August 2011.

The Town Hall called as Városháza in Hungarian, has a Neo-Baroque architecture. It boasts a 190 ft or 58 meter- high tower. It has a U-shaped form and was built in 1896-98. Concerts and other programs are often performed in its magnificent festival hall.

Wonderful Trip to Ephesus, Turkey

Hubby was asking tonight if Ephesus was once a Greek city. He said that he read somewhere that it is. He finally found the travel flyer that says, Ephesus was once an ancient Greek city.

It was truly a wonderful and interesting trip we had in Ephesus. It is on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province in Turkey. No wonder an online friend told me that there are more ruins in Ephesus as in Greek today. The ruins in Ephesus are truly amazing. The architecture during those times are truly a work of engineering considering that they still don't have the modern machinery and equipments like what we are using now.

the library of Celsus in Ephesus..We visited this historical site last September 23, 2011.

There were a lot of international and local tourists at the time we visited Ephesus last September 2011. Partly owing to its easy access from Adnan Menderes Airport and via the port of Kuşadasi, this archaeological site is now a favorite destination of both local and international tourists.

striking a pose in Ephesus. In my background is the Theater of Ephesus. It was like taking a journey back in the past..a must-visit place when visiting Turkey.

Ephesus was one of the seven churches of Asia that are cited in the Book of Revelation. The Gospel of John may have been written here. The city was the site of several 5th century Christian Councils, see Council of Ephesus. It is also the site of a large gladiators' graveyard.