Countryside Trip

This one of the beautiful churches in Würzburg (Wuerzburg) in the Franconian  region in Bavaria, Germany. The Marienkappelle (Mary’s Chapel in English)  has a Gothic architecture. Although it is a big, it is still called as a chapel. I was able to visit the interior of this chapel twice. I am always amazed by architecture like this. There are a lot of historical monuments inside. If I am not mistaken there is a silver crucifix located somewhere inside.

This chapel was built in the 14th century.  It is located in Unteren Markt (lower market) in the Old Town part of Würzburg. You can find very interesting arts and  statues inside including the Adam and Eve,   fiure of  Jesus, the 12 Apostles and many others.

Here is the interior of the chapel during our visit last January 2012.

The beautiful interior of Marienkapelle or Mary’s Chapel in Würzburg, Germany.
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You might be thinking that you will just see it only  in films or movies when  seeing such a beautiful castle like Neuschwanstein.   I believed I am so lucky to see this castle   many times. I am trying to remember now  how many  times did I visited it. My first visit was in 2006. It was  my birthday when we went there.  Our hotel was somewhere in Fuessen and we did a day trip  to Neuschwanstein.

You will feel like a princess when you ride on the horse carriage going up to Neuschwanstein castle. I experienced it many times.
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Another visit was followed  last  November in 2010,  January and July in 2011 and  May,  2012.  See how lucky I am!   I am hired as travel escort (for free)  when my friends have visitors from the  United States. I guess  I  can already work as a  tour guide  considering all the places I visited in Europe. Oh well, I am doing  it sometimes for my friends (again for free..hehe). I am happy everytime I do it especially when the persons I  toured are also happy.

I am always happy when I visit historical places like this.

The Fairytale Castle of Neuschwanstein.
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Just a little information about Neuschwanstein Castle.

• Known as Schloss Neuschwanstein in German, it was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner.

• It was the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.
• It is located on a rugged hill  above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen (Fuessen) in Bavaria, Germany.
• It has a Romanesque revival architecture.

My friends in Spain have been asking me when I will be visiting that country again. I told them, if I have the budget I will probably visit them again in Madrid. I had a wonderful three weeks  stay last March 2012 in Spain. Despite of a bad experience, I am still loving it.

The Roman Aqueduct of Segovia.
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One of the cities I visited during  my   sidetrips from Madrid   was Segovia. I took the train from Chamartin station in Madrid   boarding the AVE (high speed train) to Segovia. I guess I paid around 30.00 Euros for the return ticket. There are a lot of  plastic bins used for  trash you can inside the train. With that 30 minutes journey, I never found it boring because I love to look outside  the window  for some sightseeing.

One of the sights I experience in Segovia is its famous Roman  aqueduct.   It  was built by the Romans around the late 1st Century AD to supply water to the roman military fort on the hill. The Aqueduct’s highest point is 28 meters in Azoguejo Square.

I have here an image how this aqueduct look like.

The weather is getting colder and colder now. Sometimes, we are already reaching sub-zero temperature.   Our temperature is getting up to  -5 deg Celsius. This is not really so bad compared to other parts in Europe. Last week was  milder because we  had around 2 to 8 degrees Celsius.

Last December 2010 was my first  sight of the Black Forest. We did not had a trip there but  we only passed this part of wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. Germans called it Schwarzwald in  which  “Schwarz”  means  black  and  “Wald”  means forest.   I am not quite sure if our driver made a detour  as we were on our way to Strasbourg from Zurich,  Switzerland.  I tried to look on google maps and from Zurich to Strasbourg  will only take around two and  a half  hours. I guessed it us over three hours  to reach our destination that time.

Have you also  heard about Black forest cake? I am not quite sure if this is related to this place in Germany. It is said that it is called Black Forest because the
Romans who referred to the thickly forested mountains there as Silva Nigra or Silva Carbonara (Latin for “Black Forest”). It is  because of  the dense growth of conifers in the forest which   blocked out most of the light inside the forest. (more…)

This infographic shows the main holiday expenses: food, alcohol, trips, gifts, duty free, travel & transport, holiday decorations, clothes, sports, and accessories. New Year is a great opportunity to spend a vacation in: Nevada, New York, Colorado, and Florida. 37% of Americans even don’t think about their spending, especially when they are on vacation. Astoundingly, 63% of Americans take out payday loans to get quick cash, along with high fees. During the holiday season, it is necessary not only to control your expenses, but also to use payday loans right way, for emergencies.

Source: FastLoanTree.com

Let me greet you first a Happy New Year 2013!  I  hope that  you gladly welcome the new year. I also hope that you are all  doing good. I can’t complain until now since a lot of wonderful things happened during  the first week of the year.  There is only one not so good news and I hope that it will be  fine soon.   I am praying that one of my wishes for this year  will come true. That is, to have a vacation back in my home country.

Let me go back to my main topic.  Last 2011, I had the chance to go to the  capital city of  Hungary. I can’t imagine that I was able to visit  Budapest. It was indeed a dream came true.  I can’t imagine  that I finally stepped on this land.

We took a bus trip when  we went there last summer 2011. My dear  friend Jean was with me.  Our trip started in Regensburg, Germany which is around  525 kilometers to our hotel in Gyor, Hungary. Normally when you drive  with the car going there, it will only take  around 5-6 hours driving. Since  the maximum speed of  most buses in Europe is only around 100 kmh, it took us almost 8 hours to arrive in our hotel in Gyor. That is including the  breaks or stop-over we made along the way.

Many of my friends have been telling me that Budapest is a beautiful city. I agree with them. There are a lot of sights to see and it is not so expensive compared to other  capital cities in Europe. Among the sights we experienced   are the Chain Bridge, the Fisheman’s Bastion, the Matthias Church, the Gellert Hill, Heroes’ Square and the Parliament.  The highlight of our trip was when we  witnessed the fireworks  at the Danube River during its National Holiday  last August 2011.

It was so far a  fabulous  trip we had. Of course, I still want to visit this city again when I have the chance and  finances.  I took some  images  for you to see.

View of the  Parliament in Budapest, Hungary from the Fisherman’s Bastion. Taken last August 2011.
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St. Matthias Church in Budapest, Hungary-
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The Christmas Market in Nuremberg is held annually.  I love going to Nuremberg’s Christmas market.  If I am not mistaken,  I have been there for the fourth time already.   I was not able to visit it this year due to busy schedules. My  first visit was  in 2005 and the last one was in 2011, when I accompanied and toured some  friends  from the United States.

It is also called  Christkindlesmarkt, a German word for Christmas market.  It is one of the most famous Christmas markets  not only in Germany but also worldwide. This is also the reason why it is visited by over 2 million guests and visitors  every year.  The market is held at the Hauptmarkt or Main Market Square which is located in front of the Frauenkirche or Church of Our Lady.

For your information, Nuremberg, written in German as Nürnberg, is a city in  Bavaria (Bayern), Germany.

Here are images I took during one of my visits there.

One of the booth’s in Nuremberg’s Christmas Market. During summer festivals and events in Nuremberg, you can see a lot of tents in the festival area. Some might purchased their tents  from  Altegra, a company that sells  quality  tents and  marquees.
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The Frauenkirche in the background. Some stalls selling goods at Nuremberg’s Christmas Market.
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A tent selling the famous Lebkuchen  or Ginger Bread made in Nuremberg, Germany.

In a city known for its unrelenting fast pace, there is still a surprisingly large number of places to indulge in a bit of well-deserved downtime. Whether you’re drawn to the river, serene parks or calming cafés, you’re never too far from a relaxing haven in the Big Smoke. The Telegraph‘s In the Know feature, inspired by its partnership with American Express UK, shares insider knowledge on how to find London’s hidden gems.

Regent’s Canal stretches from Little Venice to Limehouse Basin, passing through Primrose Hill, Camden, Angel and Hackney en route. The towpath makes a pleasant and often shaded walk lined with gorgeously decorated narrow boats, passing Victorian factories, leafy parks and even London Zoo. Safe, secluded and popular with families, cyclists, joggers and dog walkers, you’ll find yourself exchanging nods and smiles with passers-by – a far cry from the bustling inner-city streets. There are plenty of spots along the towpath that are perfect for a picnic, a drink in one of the many waterside pubs and cafés or even a bite to eat when the canal reaches the eclectic bustle of Camden Market.

The Trafalgar Square in London. © http://www.countrysidetrip.com

Elsewhere, sunny days were made for climbing the slopes of Greenwich Park to the Royal Observatory for a stunning view across the city. Take in the glittering skyscrapers, the Millennium Dome, the iconic skyline and the beautiful curve of the river. On a hot day, kick back with a book or hide behind your sunglasses and grab a sneaky snooze.

Soho, meanwhile, is a great spot to take some time out for a laid-back afternoon of people-watching. From business tycoons to out-of-their-depth tourists, all and sundry walk the streets of Soho throughout the day and a pleasant hour can be spent sampling smoothies, nibbling paninis and sipping espresso in the area’s glut of quirky coffeehouses. Soho Square or Golden Square are perfect grassy spots for kicking back with a take-out coffee and cooling off for a while as the bustle of Soho continues around you.

Once you’ve recharged your batteries, you’ll be ready to make the most of London’s amazing cultural opportunities. American Express UK customers can use a credit card to book tickets in advance and avoid missing out on the many great shows, concerts and films on offer in the capital.

It is over two years now since  I visited Belgium.  From our 3 days trip in Paris,  France we took the train in going to Brussels.  That  actually a European tour with a friend from the US. She stayed in Europe for almost  three weeks and we toured to the different countries here including Italy, France, Netherlands,  Luxembourg and Germany. We also go for a short trip to the border of Czech Republic.

Anyway, one of the sights we visited  in Brussels was the Royal Palace. The construction of this beautiful building  started in 1783  and was completed in 1934. It has neoclassical architectural style.  It is the official palace of the King of the Belgians  but it is not used as royal residence.

Here is a shot I took during our visit.

View of  the Royal Palace of Brussels from the Brussels Park- Taken  during our trip last August 2010. ©  www.countrysidetrip.com

Many tourists worldwide  dream to go to Monaco. I might be one of those lucky ones who was able to visit this city state. It was last spring 2011 when I had a trip with some friends to this principality. It was actually a bus trip we had. During that  holiday, we also visited  some of the cities and towns in French Riviera and Italian Riviera.

From our hotel  in Pietra Ligure in Savona, it was  only over an hour  ride with the bus.  I love this city and I was overwhelmed by its location in a waterside. It was only a  short visit but we had experienced a lot. Among the sights we visited  are the Monaco-Ville, Monte Carlo, the Monaco Cathedral (had a short tour inside), the Oceanographic Museum (only from outside since our time was limited) and some others. We also had a  short tour at  the Formula 1  Grand  Prix. From the Castle hill, you can also have a nice view of it and some other parts of the city.

I love Monaco and also wishes to go back there someday.

The Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium is a world-renowned attraction.
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View of Monaco from the Castle Hill. I visited this city  state last spring 2011.
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