Go Travel and See the World

It seems that most people especially the children want to go to Disneyland. How I also wish that my nieces and nephews and the whole family can visit this wonderful place. This is just a place where you can enjoy magical moments….a place simply to be happy and forget all the problems and worries for a while! I have been there and all I can say, it was a memorable and breath-taking experience! I had fun!

The Paradise Pier in Disneyland, California.you just see a lot of rides here..

The Hollywood Tower in Universal Studio, Disneyland, California

What’s really something good about Germany? I tell you guys there are lots of great things in Germany. This is the reason why I love it here. The beautiful sceneries around, historical buildings, its history, castles and palaces, great churches and cathedrals, food, culture and tradition, various festivals are only some of the reason why I fell in love with this country. It has also a lot of beautiful places and cities that are worthy of visiting. I have not been to some cities here but I had been to a lot of places already. Few to mention are the towns and cities of Munich, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Regensburg, Trier, Ramstein, Landstuhl, Ingolstadt, Kaiserslautern, Neumarkt i.d. Opf., Furth im Wald, Wuerzburg, Rothenburg o.d. Tauber and so many more. Each village, town, city or municipality has its own story to tell. If you want to know more about Germany, you can also visit this German country page. This is a very interesting site because you will also see a lot of photos and stories of the different cities of Germany. Not only that, they also provide you with the interesting facts and travel and trips guides about this country.

If you have some stories to tell about your travel and adventure, you might as well want to join! I might meet you there! You can also see a lot of photos around the world shared by globetrotter members.

This is Munich, the capital city of the state of Bavaria, Germany

The Euro sign in the so-called Manhattan of Germany, Frankfurt city. This city is also called the financial capital not only in Germany but in Europe as well.

the famous historical Cathedral in Cologne, Germany

More photos to come next time!

Here are some photos from the Landshuter Hochzeit or Landshut Wedding Festival taken last July 4, 2009. The celebration is truly lively and interesting. You can see a lot of people from young to old especially the participants and actors who wear the attractive and colourful Medieval costumes and attires. You can also see in some parts of the “Altstadt” or Old City participants who manifest how the life and living of the people during those times.

some street dancing and plays also take place almost everyday in the Old City of Landshut

ACTORS AND PARTICIPANTS OF THE LANDSHUTER HOCHZEIT

The real heroes of the “Landshuter Hochzeit” are the citizens who act as bishops, aristocrats, bride, and bridegroom. Without these people, the festival couldn’t take place. The actors are chosen from a commission of the association “Die Förderer”. Every person who wants to become a member of this association and who wants to take part in this big event has to live near Landshut. The “Förderer” has its beginning in 1903, when it was established by the restaurant owner Georg Trippel and the factory owner Joseph Linnbrunner. After this year, the festival took place every 4 years, with breaks during the first and second world war. So far, the members of “Die Förderer” rose from 855 to 5000 during the years 1973 to 2004.

However it is not only the actors who delve into the medieval times. It is custom among Landshut males to let the hair grow longer starting months before the event to match better with the medieval fashion. Every citizen of Landshut will dress in medieval garments during the days (even wrist wratches are frowned upon) and the city decoration will be retrofitted to a great amount. Visitors including media reporters are asked to find an outfit that remains at least a little bit close to this special time. Along with the growing fascination for the Middle Ages in the late 20. century the Landshut wedding became a well known mediaeval festival with great effects on economics in the region as well as the culture traditions and its aspects of living history. Wikipedia

Landshuter Hochzeit or Landshut Wedding takes place every four years in Landshut, a city in the state of Bavaria, Germany. This year’s celebration starts from June 27 to July 19, 2009. It means until this weekend only. If you have the chance to visit this festival, you better do so before it is too late..or else in 2013 again. I will share more photos as soon as I can from this renowned festival in Europe. Keep reading below for more information about this festival

“The Landshut Wedding (German: Landshuter Hochzeit) is one of the largest historical pageants in Europe. Countless visitors from all over the world have taken part, or have been spectators of the “Landshuter Hochzeit 1475”, a pageant held in Landshut, Bavaria (Germany). More than 2,000 participants in mediaeval costumes bring the festival to life to recreate the Late Middle Ages. It commemorates the wedding between Hedwig (Jadwiga), the Polish King’s daughter, and Georg, the son of the Duke of Landshut.

Every four years the medieval wedding is reenacted, and everyone gets carried away with medieval jousting, pageantry, feasting and wedding processions for a short period in the summer.

This is the Old City of Landshut where the festival is held every four years…A lady from this city told us that Landshut was not destroyed during the WW II that is the reason why you can still see intact old but beautiful buildings here.

These children in friont of St. martin Church are wearing the Medieval costumes during the Landshut Wedding festival

HISTORY
The festival is held in memory of the wedding between George of Bavaria, the son of the Bavarian duke, and Jadwiga Jagiellon, daughter of King Casimir IV Jagiellon of Poland, in 1475.

The wedding was negotiated in 1474 in Cracow through legations. The marriage was of importance, because it was seen as a strong alliance against the Ottoman Turks. At the time, most royal marriages were not entered into because of love, but because of political motivations. It took the bride two months to travel to Landshut, where she was received by princes and bishops.

The bridal pair were married in St. Martin’s Church, and the service was officiated by Salzburg’s Archbishop Bernhard von Rohr. Afterwards the bridal procession proceeded through the Old Town to the Town Hall. Ten thousand people are said to have attended the affair and they were provided food and drink by the young duke’s father.

Livestock eaten at the original festival

* 320 bullocks
* 1,500 sheep
* 1,300 lambs
* 500 calves
* 40,000 chickens

The historic event is notable for its detailed records yielding a complete chronicle of the wedding days. In 1902 a society called “Die Förderer” (the sponsors) was founded to re-animate the Landshuter Hochzeit, one year later the first bridal procession took place. “Wikipedia

These are some of the towers of St. Stephan’s Cathedral (Stephansdom in German) in Vienna, Austria. I visited this city last June 2007. I considered this city as a must to visit in Europe if ever you had the chance. We only had a one day sightseeing here which I think not really enough to discover this city. her are some information of this Cathedral..courtesy of Wikipedia.

“St. Stephen’s Cathedral is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP. Its current Romanesque and Gothic form seen today, situated at the heart of Vienna, Austria in the Stephansplatz, was largely initiated by Rudolf IV and stands on the ruins of two earlier churches, the first being a parish church consecrated in 1147. As the most important religious building in Austria’s capital, the cathedral has born witness to many important events in that nation’s history and has become one of the city’s most recognizable symbols.
THE TOWERS OF ST. STEPHEN’S CATHEDRAL

Standing at 136 meters tall (445 ft) and affectionately referred to by the city’s inhabitants as “Steffl” (a diminutive form of “Stephen”), St. Stephen’s Cathedral’s massive south tower is its highest point and a dominant feature of the Vienna skyline. Its construction lasted 65 years, from 1368 to 1433. During the Siege of Vienna in 1529 and again during the Battle of Vienna in 1683, it served as the main observation and command post for the defense of the walled city, and it even contains an apartment for the watchmen who, until 1955, manned the tower at night and rang the bells if a fire was spotted in the city. At the tip of the tower stands the double-eagle imperial emblem with the Habsburg-Lorraine coat of arms on its chest, surmounted by a double-armed apostolic cross, which refers to Apostolic Majesty, the imperial style of kings of Hungary.

The north tower was originally intended to mirror the south tower, but the design proved too ambitious, considering the era of Gothic cathedrals was nearing its end, and construction was halted in 1511. In 1578 the tower-stump was augmented with a renaissance cap, nicknamed the “water tower top” by the Viennese. The tower now stands at 68 meters tall (223 ft), roughly half the height of the south tower.

This is one of the towers of Manchester Town Hall. This building in Manchester, England houses Manchester City Council. I visited this city last year. Sad to say I don’t have a lot of photos from Manchester because my camera was broke for some reason. I hope I can share better photos next time.
“Manchester Town Hall is a building in Manchester, England that houses Manchester City Council. Completed by architect Alfred Waterhouse in 1877, it is a fine example of Victorian Gothic revival, featuring imposing murals by Ford Madox Brown.

As filming is forbidden in the Palace of Westminster, Manchester Town Hall is frequently used as its “body double” in British political dramatisations.

The town hall became a Grade I listed building on 25 February 1952.” mor about it here.

It seems that today is a day for England to be featured in this blog. Let’s practice a bit history about London and London Tower. I guess we all know that London is the capital city of England. This picture I have here is the Tower Bridge. Don’t get mistaken between London Bridge and Tower Bridge. They are completely different. I will share a photo next time about London Bridge for you to see. As you can see, the sky in London is always grey. You will be thankful if you visit London with sunny weather. I am still thankful when I visited London last year..rain or shine, I can still enjoy travelling! Don’t forget to bring umbrella when visiting this great city!

The bridge is 800 feet (244 m) in length with two towers each 213 feet (65 m) high, built on piers. The central span of 200 feet (61 m) between the towers is split into two equal bascules or leaves, which can be raised to an angle of 83 degrees to allow river traffic to pass. The bascules, weighing over 1,000 tons each, are counterbalanced to minimize the force required and allow raising in five minutes.

The two side-spans are suspension bridges, each 270 feet (82 m) long, with the suspension rods anchored both at the abutments and through rods contained within the bridge’s upper walkways. The pedestrian walkways are 143 feet (44 m) above the river at high tide.

I am lucky to witness the famous Lord Mayor’s Show in London, England during my vacation their last year! It was awesome seeing this parade for the first time. A friend of mine told me that this happens only once a year when a new Lord Mayor of the city of London is elected. Below are some of the photos I took during the parade.

The Lord Mayor’s Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1535. The Lord Mayor in question is that of the City of London the historic centre of London which is now the metropolis’s financial district, informally known as the Square Mile. A new Lord Mayor is appointed every year and the public parade that is made of his inauguration reflects the fact that this was once one of the most prominent offices in England. The Lord Mayor of the City of London has an administrative role in the Square Mile, but the Mayor of London is a different individual entirely, namely the elected head of the Greater London Authority.

The event is a street parade which in its modern form is a fairly light-hearted combination of traditional British pageantry and elements of carnival. On the day after being sworn in, the Lord Mayor and several others participate in a procession from the City of London to the Royal Courts of Justice in the City of Westminster, where the Lord Mayor swears his allegiance to the Crown. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Mayor%27s_Show

This photo was taken as I visited England last year. I am just sharing a photo of Canary Wharf. I also got here an info about Canary Wharf Pier. Visit this place if you happen to visit London next time.

The Canary Wharf Pier is a London River Services pier on the River Thames in London, UK. It is located to the west of the Canary Wharf district, close to Narrow Street, Limehouse.

The pier is served by two commuter oriented services, both operated by Thames Clipper under license from London River Services. The main commuter service from central London calls at Canary Wharf Pier on a regular basis. The Canary Wharf – Rotherhithe Ferry, also operated by Thames Clipper, links Canary Wharf Pier with Hilton Docklands Nelson Dock Pier at the Hilton Hotel in Rotherhithe. The service uses smaller boats than the commuter service but runs at a higher frequency of roughly every 10 minutes. The ferry can be used both by guests of the hotel as well as by passengers not staying at the hotel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_Wharf_Pier

The Universal CityWalk Hollywood opened in May 1993 adjacent to the isolated Cineplex Odeon cinema. A $1 billion, 93,000 sq ft (8,600 m2). expansion opened in 2000.

CityWalk’s central plaza is topped by a large steel-web canopy with a leaping fountain below, created by WET. A huge television monitor brought in by Panasonic, is located above the multiplex, showing upcoming Universal movie releases, music videos, and NBC Universal promotions stands next to the giant guitar towering over the Hard Rock Cafe.

Street performers (mimes, magicians, musicians) are a common sight. At Christmas time, there is a parade, carolers, and an outdoor ice skating rink near the theaters.

photos taken during our vacation in the United States last year..

copyright photos of the Authors of this blog