Fasching, Carnival in the Oberpfalz, Germany

Yes, it is Fasching time in Germany. This is one of the best time of the year to visit this country and to witness its carnival celebration. This festival has been a custom and tradition in Germany. Each and every village, town or city has its own way of presenting and celebrating it. Fasching is also called as Fastnacht, Fastnet, Karneval, the "fifth season of the year" and many other names, depending on what place you are in Germany. The celebration usually begins every November 11 at exactly 11:11 a.m.

Among the cities in Germany that are famous for their Fasching festivals are Cologne, Mainz and Düsseldorf. Of course you can still witness other interesting carnivals in any towns and cities in this country.

Fasching in Dietfurt, Bavaria, Germany during our visit last 2007.

Last week I received an invitation from a Brazilian friend to attend their Faschingsball (carnival ball) in their Gasthaus or restaurant. Sad to say we have to go somewhere to visit a friend. I also received some messages from friends asking me to share to them the Faschingszug or the Carnival parade (considered to be the highlight of the festival) in some villages and towns in the Oberpfalz or the Upper Palatinate part of Bavaria, Germany.

Here are the good ones I can recommend.

Chinese Fasching in Dietfurt- parade on Feb. 16, 2012 at 2:00 p.m.

Here are other Faschings nearby but I am not sure what time does the parade takes place. I guess some starts at 12:00 noon time some starts at 2:00 p.m.

Fasching parade in Berching- Feb. 19, 2012
Fasching parade in Lupburg- Feb. 19, 2012
Fasching parade in Deining- Feb. 19, 2012
Fasching parade in Velburg- Feb. 19, 2012
Fasching parade in Töging- Feb. 19, 2012

Fasching or carnival parade in Velburg last 2009.

Fasching in Hemau last 2011. We were there!

Go Travel and See Budapest, Hungary

It took me for awhile to finish this post. My laptop is working very slow again. I know there is something wrong with it. Meanwhile, I was searching for some postcards in my collection to be sent to an online blogger friend. I finally found some good ones. I hope to send it anytime to her this week to the United States.

Back to the main topic..The images you see below were taken in Budapest. This is the largest and capital city of Hungary. It is cited as one of the most beautiful The name "Budapest" is the composition of the city names "Buda" and "Pest"cities in Europe. This historical city is also known as one of the liveliest city in Europe. No wonder it is visited by millions of tourists each year.

A day of visit in this city is not enough to see and experience everything but I am happy that I was able to step on it last year in summer. I did experienced a lot of wonderful sights during that trip. I hope to visit it again in the future.

the Parliament of Hungary located along the River of Danube in Budapest. This was taken during our trip last August 2011.

a fountain in the Buda part of Budapest. You can also see the Matthias Church aka Church of Our Lady.

Special thanks to the Authors for hosting these memes. Feel free to click the links below for more entries; Tuesday Travels, Orange Tuesday, 366 Blog Photo Challenge, Black and White Wednesday, WEDNESDAY WHITES, Watery and Wordless Wednesday.

Go Travel and See Cordoba, Spain

Spain is still hunting me up to now. We've been there for over a month now and I love love love this country. Of all the places and countries I visited particularly in Europe, Spain is so far the number one for me. I love most especially the region of Andalusia. No doubts a lot of Germans always take their vacations and even a lot of them wanted to live in this country. Sad to say, Spain at the moment is not standing good speaking of economic and financial situations. This country is currently in crisis.

Spain has still its positive side. It is a country worth visiting and experiencing especially for tourists. It is a country that has a lot to offer to all its guests and visitors. It has a lot of interesting and historical sites to see. This is one of the reasons why I feel in love with this country.

Let's visit this time Cordoba, a beautiful city in the region of Andalusia. This city has become the capital of Islamic caliphate during the Middle Ages. No wonder you can see and witness here different arts and architecture left by the Moors during their stay.

Here are of the images I took during our visit last December 2011. The first image above is a collection in the museum inside the Cathedral of Cordoba known as Mezquita.

the building in the right side is the back part of the famous Mezquita, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba.

the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir River. It it has a length of about 250 meters and consists of 16 arches. You can seethe city of Cordoba in the background.

This blog is joining for the first time these wonderful memes: Special thanks to the Authors for hosting it. Feel free to click the links below for more entries.
Tuesday Travels
Orange Tuesday
366 Blog Photo Challenge
Black and White Wednesday
WEDNESDAY WHITES
Skywatch Friday

Go Travel and See Toledo, Spain

It was exactly a month ago when our trip to Spain went to an end. I still want to stay but our 8-days trip was over. We had a lot of beautiful experience especially seeing some of the interesting and historical cities in Andalusia region, Madrid and the beautiful old own of Toledo. It is located around 70 km south of Madrid, the capital city of Spain. Toledo is the capital of the province of Toledo. It is also the capital of autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha.

After seeing and exploring most of the historical sights in this town, I find our visit to Toledo a very enticing one. This charming old town is really worth to see.

Here are some of the snapshots I took during our visit last December 2011. Lastly, you have to remember that Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986.

Exposición Compendio, en el Museo de Santa Cruz. The Hospital de Santa Cruz.

This is one of the more notable museums in Toledo, located directly behind the Alcazar. Note the outstanding Renaissance architectural features, such as the main doorway, the staircase, and the cloister. The museum is notable for its medieval and Renaissance tapestries, paintings, and sculptures, as well as several classic works by El Greco including 'The Assumption', one of his last works.

Puerta del reloj (Portal of the Clock) of the Gothic Cathedral The Primate Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo (Spanish: Catedral Primada Santa María de Toledo). It is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Toledo, Spain dating from the thirteenth century.

Go Travel and See Wülzburg Fortress in Bavaria, Germany

Let's go travel and see the world again! Since this is my first entry for this year 2012 in this travel blog, let me greet everyone a happy and blessed New Year! I just hope that this year will bring more blessings, good health, contentment, love, peace and happiness to each and every one of us.

It was freezing cold when we visited Wülzburg last January 4, 2011. This is my first day trip for this year. I just see to it that during the first week of the year 2012, I already started to travel even it was just a day trip.

From Weissenburg (written in German as Weißenburg), we drove to Wülzburg which is about 2 km east of the center of this town. It is located on a hill 200 m above Weißenburg, at an elevation of 630.5 meters. This historical fortress was originally a Benedictine monastery dating from the 11th century. It was converted into a fortress from 1588 to 1605. It is considered to be one of the best-preserved Renaissance fortresses in Germany. Today Wülzburg is part of the city of Weißenburg.

the main gate or entrance to the fortress compound.

the walls of Wülzburg look like Roman Aqueducts..it was freezing cold here plus the wind was blowing so strong.

Happy New Year and More Travels for 2012

I am very thankful for this blissful year 2011. It was so far a wonderful year for me. I am thankful for all the opportunities during this year where I was given the chance to travel more countries especially in Europe. Thank you Lord for everything and hoping for more travels in 2012.

I WISH EVERYONE
A HAPPY AND MORE PROSPEROUS
NEW YEAR 2012!!
Good health always, love, peace and happiness
are all my wishes to all!
GOD BLESS US!

taken in Madrid, Spain. This was so far the highlight of all my travels this year, an 8-days vacation to Spain from Dec. 5-12, 2011. Spain is simply amazing and I am hoping for more travels in 2012.

Last Minute Holidays

Booking a holiday well in advance gives people something special to look forward to and savour in their imaginations for weeks and months before finally setting off, but some of us are rather more impulsive. Last minute holidays are a great way to beat the winter blues and there are often some incredible deals to choose from.

If it's sun, sea and relaxation you're after then there are dozens of great holiday packages available at very short notice. You could be sunning yourself with your feet up in a matter of days at a price you can afford. Places like Turkey and Egypt, as well as the classic Canary Island hotspots like Tenerife and Gran Canaria are accessible at low-cost all year round and while no-one can guarantee good weather the chances are you'll need your sunscreen whatever time you travel.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque during our Turkey vacation last September 2011.

Not every iconic Mediterranean holiday destination can boast a great chance of sun even in the winter months but there are last minute holiday deals to places like Majorca, Menorca, Cyprus and southern France being offered throughout the year. Some people can't abide spontaneity of course but for those with the sudden urge to get themselves away for a while the last minute holiday can be exactly what they need to brighten up or top off their year.

Family holidays are to be savoured and for many it is the highlight of the year, but household finances are being squeezed in countries across Europe. Last minute deals make it possible for families to take themselves off somewhere terribly sunny and beautiful even if circumstances have left them unable to book their breaks well in advance. And there's every chance that a last minute holiday will last a little longer in the memory as well because you wont have had time to live the experience in mind before you get there.

For the very busiest Britons, a week in the sun is a distant dream but a few days in a city of note can be more readily accommodated and a really enjoyable way to spend a long weekend. Europe has some of the most interesting and enigmatic cities in the world and there are a dizzying array of potential destinations for city breaks if you're setting off from the UK. Last minute deals give couples, travel enthusiasts, and travelling companions the chance to take-off on a whim and while the few days away might fly by, the memories could be well worth keeping.

The Roman Bridge in Cordoba, Spain

Let's go travel and see the world again! For sure, I will never forget my visit to Cordoba lately. First and foremost, I have a classmate in college whose family name is Cordoba. I also worked with him for some years in one of the top 3 banks in my home country. Second, I am deeply in-love with all the things I saw and experienced in Spain. There is just something in this country that truly mesmerized and amazed me. It might be or probably because the Spaniards had stayed and influenced Philippines for almost 400 years? I have to review my Philippine history for this. It seems that I feel like at home when I stepped on Spanish land especially in the region of Andalusia.

One of the cities we visited during our Spain trip was Cordoba. It is a city in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. An Iberian and Roman city in ancient times, in the Middle Ages it became the capital of an Islamic caliphate.

One of the sights we visited is the Roman bridge. Visiting Cordoba for a day to experience everything is not enough. It simply means that I might visit this city again in the future.

Please be informed that the Historic Center of Cordoba belongs to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This is such a lovely city.

I am happy to see and to visit this city last December 7, 2011.

A Roman-style bridge over the shallow Guadalquivir River that was once the main crossing over the river, securing Cordoba's importance to the region.

Casino Royale, Las Vegas, Nevada

When I went to London last October 2008, I guessed it was also the premier of the movie Casino Royale. I believed most of you know this movie. It is a James Bond film series starred by Daniel Craig. Since I am also a fan of James Bond movies, I also watched this one.

On the other hand, the image you see below is the Casino Royale in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a small hotel in Las Vegas strip and at the same time a casino too. You can see and read it by its name. I like the neon signs in front of it.

taken during my Las Vegas vacation last 2008.

Go Travel and See Manchester, England

Let's go travel and see part of the world again! This time I am bringing you to one of I am trying to reminisce that quite adventurous and memorable trip we had in Manchester. This city is known by many as the "capital" of the north of England, the second city of the United Kingdom and is home to the UK's largest airport outside London. Others cities in the north of England like Birmingham and Leeds also claimed to be the capital but Manchester is the one that perfectly fits for the this title. It doesn't really matter for me as long as I visited this city once in my life.

There was something I can't forget during our trip to Manchester. From my friend's home in Northfield, we have to ride a bus going to Birmingham train station. At that time, there was a traffic on the street because it was the beginning of the first day of classes. In short, the bus arrived late in the train station. In other words, the ticket which we bought in advance was already void because we did not catch up the train.

We ran to the nearest coach station where we can ride a bus going Manchester. Of course we paid again for that bus trip but at least we were able to visit Manchester.

The lesson that I learned from this experience. Better go earlier because no train or plane will wait for you. From that time on, I always think of this when I travel. It is better for me to wait than I will be left behind. Goodnight folks. It is time for me to sign-off.

I wish you all a wonderful day or evening!

the map of the city of Manchester during our visit last November 2008.

the City Hall of Manchester, England.