Go Travel and See the World

For antiques bargain hunters, nothing beats an antique fair or market. With a little searching, some amazing treasures can be found at rock bottom prices. While London and Paris are considered Europe’s most important antique centers, markets can be found in cities large and small as well as in the countryside.

1) PORTOBELLO ROAD MARKET

The world’s largest antique market is the Portobello Road Market. Established in 1870, this Notting Hill, London market features a staggering variety of antiques and collectibles dating from Roman times to the 1960s, from antique silver, maps, crockery and fabrics. Antique hunters can feel confident when they shop here, as many vendors are certified by the Portobello Antique Dealers Association which requires traders to follow a strict code of conduct. Opening day is Saturdays.

2) MARCHÉ AUX PUCES ST-OUEN DE CLIGNANCOURT

With between 2500 and 3000 open stalls, this Paris market is the place to find everything from second hand clothing to the finest antiques. Some searching may be required but precious and rare items can be found amongst the typical flea market goods. Shoppers at this market will have the best luck if they make it clear they know what they’re doing and chat for a while with the vendor, preferable in French. Beware of pickpockets, take a break at one of the nearby cafes, and shop till you drop! Opening days are Saturday through Monday.

3) L’ISLE-SUR-LA-SOURGE

Located in the provincial village of the same name, this market features over 300 permanent dealers with the number doubling with the visiting dealers every weekend. An international antique fair is held twice a year, in August and Easter, with dealers from around the world. L’Isle-Sur-La-Sourge is considered Europe’s third most important antiques center after London and Paris. Open every day during summer and Thursdays and Sundays during autumn, winter, and spring.

4) TONGEREN

Tongeren, the oldest town in Belgium, is also home to the largest market in the Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg region. Located near the German and Dutch border in south-eastern Belgium, this market is known for having the best prices on French antiques in all of Europe. Open Saturday from 7:00am till noon.

Photo by: googlisti

With Christmas right around the corner, it’s time to start making plans to visit a Christmas market or a UK gift fair taking place in December. With almost 180 Christmas Markets located throughout the UK, the problem isn’t finding one; it’s deciding which ones to visit!

1) LINCOLN CHRISTMAS MARKET

With over 250 stalls, a wide variety of food and drink, and excellent entertainment, the Lincoln Christmas Market is the largest in the UK as well as being the UK’s first German style market. Located in the cathedral city of Lincoln, this four day market attracts over 250,000 annual visitors. Opening days are 2nd December – 5th December, 2010.

2) BELFAST CHRISTMAS CONTINENTAL MARKET

Belfast’s City Hall gardens are transformed into an Alpine village in November and December; this market features vendors representing over 28 countries from around the world. While adults enjoy the shopping, children will love Santa’s Grotto and Magical Forest. Opening days are 20th November – 19th December.
3) BATH CHRISTMAS MARKET

Set against the backdrop of Bath’s beautiful Georgian architecture is one of the finest Christmas Markets in the UK. Visitors to this market will be spoilt for choice, with over 135 stalls selling everything from traditional food and drink to handmade cosmetics. Opening days are 25th November – 12th December.
4) FRANKFURT CHRISTMAS MARKET IN BIRMINGHAM

Visitors to the Frankfurt Christmas Market, located in Birmingham, will enjoy snacking on delicious German food and drink while shopping at 180 stalls featuring both international goods and local handmade items. Think Christmas decorations, crackers,table torpedoes, tinsel, baubles, wooden toys… the list goes on! Opening days are 18th November – 23 December.

5) GLASGOW TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS MARKET

Located in Glasgow’s St. Enoch’s Square, the Glasgow Tradition Christmas Market will feature 30 unique stalls selling Scottish handmade crafts, German food and drink, and a wide variety of international items. Visitors from all over the world attend this market, which will be entering its sixth year. Opening days are 18th November – 23rd December.

Photo by: greyhobbit

Let’s go travel and see the world again! It seems that you did not see the world for some weeks now. The authors are so busy with a lot of things. I believed that most of you are very familiar about Disneyland in Anaheim, California, USA. Here are some images taken at the Hollywood Pictures Backlot in Disneyland.

The entrance to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot in Disneyland

if you want a thrilling and exciting ride, you can experience it here at The Hollywood Tower Hotel. Have fun!

Hey folks! Let’s go travel and see the world again! How I wish I have more time to share often my travel and adventure here but it seems that life is quite busy for me. I am just sharing this post and I will be packing again for a weekend trip somewhere in Germany. How would like to see the world again? This time let’s go to North America and see Las Vegas, Nevada! Before I begin, I would like to ask if anybody out there who is looking for cheap flights to Los Angeles or maybe to Las Vegas? Please raise your hand.

If you are looking for the cheapest airfares in any destinations around the world, I would like to recommend Travel Grove site. I just found this site very helpful ans informative especially for a traveler like me who is always looking for a cheap trip. If you are also planning a trip anywhere around the globe, they can also help you with the travel guides they offer in their site which are written by unbiased travelers around the world. Don’t forget to read about Las Vegas travel guide if you are visiting this “Entertainment and Gaming Capital of the World”. For sure, you will enjoy Las Vegas if you have an idea about this city before visiting it.

I am sharing some images that I personally took from Las Vegas during my 2008 vacation. The first picture is the replica of Arch of Triumph in Paris, France which is located near Paris Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The second one below was taken inside Planet Hollywood Hotel. Finally, don’t forget to visit Travel Grove for your next budget flight and vacation. I’ll see you next week again. I have to start packing now for a weekend trip somewhere in Germany.

these pictures were taken during my 2008 vacation in Las Vegas.

Let’s go travel and see the world again. I mentioned that I will share a little bit about William Shakespeare in my previous post. I can’t really give you the full detail about his life. Therefore I need help from the experts in wikipedia. Keep reading below about William Shakespeare. I felt honored after visiting the birthplace of the most famous English poet. Feel free to also take a look of the birth house of William Shakespeare below.

William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564; died 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon”. His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.

Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the King’s Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare’s private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others. more about William Shakespeare here

the museum in honor of William Shakespeare. It is located next to his birth house.

This is John Shakespeare’s house, believed to be Shakespeare’s birthplace, in Stratford-upon-Avon. I took this photo during our visit last November 2008.

Let’s go travel and see the world again! How about visiting this time the birthplace and the graveyard of the famous poet of all times, William Shakespeare. I believed you already heard of this name. I have here some pictures of the church where William Shakespeare was baptized and buried. The Collegiate Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon, often known as Shakespeare’s Church is visited by about 200,000 tourists from all over the world every year. It is simply called Shakespeare’s Church because it is famous being the place of baptism and burial of W. Shakepeare.

I believed I am very lucky to be included in the 200,000 tourists who visited it last 2008. Here are the pictures I took last from 2008 visit. I wish to share about William Shakespeare in my next post. Watch it out!
the sign you can see at the grave of William Shakespeare located inside the church near the altar.

The window above the altar of the Holy Trinity Church from inside.

The Collegiate Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Stratford-upon-Avon is a Grade I listed parish church of the Church of England in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.

Let’s go travel and see the world again! I guess we will be visiting Germany again. This time we will visit Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz (Upper Palatinate). Its neighboring cities in Germany include Ingolstadt, Nürnberg and Regensburg. It has a population of about forty thousand. This city of Germany has a lot to offer to its visitors and tourist both young and old.

Some of the interesting sites in this place include the old city and its walls, Wolfstein Castle, St. Johannes Church and other historical churches here, the City Hall in Neumarkt where you can find a picture below and some other more. You have everything you need in this city from shopping to entertainment, outdoors, restaurants and some other more. Here are some pictures we took from this city.
taken during the 150th Anniversary of Neumarkt Fire Department celebrated last May 13-16, 2010. That white tower with the clock in the background is one of the gates of this city.

the colourful buildings in Neumarkt Upper Palatinate. That white building in the left side with the clock is the city hall of Neumarkt.

GEOGRAPHY
Neumarkt lies on the western edge of the Franconian Jura, nestled in a valley. The municipal region reaches as far as the Bavarian Jura to the east. The Neumarkt valley drains to the north through the Schwarzach River, a tributary of the Regnitz, eventually flowing into the Main, and to the south through the Sulz, a tributary of the Altmühl, which eventually flows into the Danube. The Ludwig Canal cuts through the area from North to South, bridging the European water divide. The elevation varies from 406 meters on the Beckenmühle River to the north, to 595 meters in the vicinity of Fuchsberg; as a reference, the elevation of city hall is given as 423 meters. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neumarkt_in_der_Oberpfalz

How would you like to go travel and see England this time? How would you like to visit one of the interesting castle in Europe? I am featuring Warwick Castle today. It is a medieval castle in Warwick and lies on the bend of River Avon. This castle was built in 1067 by William the Conqueror. It served as a fortification until the early 17th century when converted as a country house by Sir Fulke Greville. This 11th century castle had undergone a lot of renovations and reconstructions.

There is an entrance if you want to visit this castle. If I am not mistaken we paid around £19.95 as we visited this castle last November 2008. Here are the travel pictures we took during our visit.

The main accommodation block as as viewed from Ethelfleda’s Mound. It is in the south-east part of the castle and overlooks the River Avon. I was playing with my Canon camera, thus the result of this sepia scene
The interior of Warwick Castle as viewed from Ethelfleda’s Mound. We spend our Halloween last 2008 in this castle. Isn’t it spooky to visit here? Not I guess, because we had fun during our visit.

The photos below is the second longest river in Europe. It is called Danube or Donau in German. This river flows along the city of Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany. This was taken during our visit this Spring 2010. We have been to this city for a lot of times already.

view of the old city in Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany

the famous and historical Steinerne Bruecke or Stone Bridge in Regensburg.

The Danube is the longest river in the European Union and Europe’s second longest river after the Volga.

The river originates in the Black Forest in Germany as the much smaller Brigach and Breg rivers which join at the German town Donaueschingen, after which it is known as the Danube and flows eastwards for a distance of some 2850 km (1771 miles), passing through four Central and Eastern European capitals, before emptying into the Black Sea via the Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine.

Known to history as one of the long-standing frontiers of the Roman Empire, the river flows through—or forms a part of the borders of—ten countries: Germany (7.5%), Austria (10.3%), Slovakia (5.8%), Hungary (11.7%), Croatia (4.5%), Serbia (10.3%), Romania (28.9%), Bulgaria (5.2%), Moldova (0.017%), and Ukraine (3.8%). more infos here

Spring is here now. How would you like to see the snowy winter in Bavaria, Germany? For some it is a good scene, for some not..but we always see the beauty of winter despite the very cold freezing weather. The snow are slowly melting now. Let’s welcome spring time in Germany!

taken in Bavaria, Germany last February 2010 while we were driving somewhere.