WATCH: Bratislava, Slovakia


Here is the video of my short trip to Bratislava.


For more blogposts on Bratislava, click the link below.

Bratislava

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Gothenburg, Sweden Amidst Wind and Rain - Day 1

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Situated in the largest port of the Scandinavian peninsula lies the second largest Swedish city of Gothenburg. This city has deepen my understanding on the Nordic history, culture and tradition through a short vacation. Given that Gothenburg is maritime-oriented fortress city along the Gothia river, many ancient empires had interest on strategically-located area, as well as group of people aiming to reap benefits after gaining authority in the city. In fact, Gothenburg was heavily influenced by the Dutch, Germans and the Scots, who were tasked to develop the city given the swampy terrain of the area. Moreover, Gothenburg, located along the western Swedish coast, so in history has been a harbour for trade and emigration for Swedes bound for United States. All of these have made me interested on this city, so in this blogpost, I will enumerate and describe the various places I have seen within my two-day visit on the Swedish urban center.
Click here for the second day. 1. Nordstan and Cen…
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Berlin, Germany: A Glimpse of a Divided Past Part 2

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Berlin is associated with the Cold War. The ideological schism between democracy and socialism has caused this city to be literally divided into West and East Berlin. Interestingly, the landscape of the German capital being crisscrossed by the canals of the river Spree aided in this physical separation. Furthermore, the city's history reminds of the disunity among Roman Catholics and Protestants during the Protestant Reformation during the Renaissance Period, and the alienation or annihilation of the Jews by the Nazis during the First and Second World War. These facts are sufficient reasons to embark into a historical adventure the German nations capital, Berlin.


This is the Part 2. Click here for Part 1.


1.Kath. Kirchengemeinde St. Laurentius

This is the Catholic parish dedicated for Saint Lawrence, which is almost sixty years old. It has a significantly historical architecture and is centrally located at Hansaplatz.
2.Europlatz

This is the space north of the Berlin Central Station. T…
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Stockholm, Sweden: The Charm of a Multi-Cultural Metropolis - Day 2

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Accounting almost one-third of the entire GDP of the Swedish nation, Stockholm has became an important headquarters of major companies in the Scandinavian peninsula. This is the reason why immigrants have streamed in the Swedish metropolis in seek of better opportunities.  Due to this multicultural characteristic, Stockholm is unique in its own from other Nordic countries. This has led me to embark into a visit on the Swedish capital for two days.
Click for the first day of the Stockholm visit.
1. Adolf Fredriks Kyrka

This church is named after Adolf Frederick, who was controversial for failing to reacquire the Baltic provinces in favor of Sweden. The cemetery surrounding the church is where Rene Descartes, the mathematician who introduced the Cartesian coordinate system was buried.
2. St. Johannes kykogård

This church is one of the two experiment parishes of the Swedish diocese of Stockholm. Interestingly, the aim of the church is lessen the number of people who feel lonely. This somehow …
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Copenhagen, Denmark: 15 Places Visited By Foot

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After exploring the third largest city in Sweden, we went directly to Copenhagen, Denmark; which is just about 30 minutes by train. We arrived in the Danish capital at night, so decided to rent out the cheapest decent place we can find, just for us to relax and sleep.
Initially, I planned the tour to be so relaxed given that we have plenty of time in the area. However, due to a very bad morning weather, we ended up seeking shelter in the beautiful churches in the area, while attending masses and being amazed by the architecture of the structures we visited. In spite of these travelling challenges, we got to explore Copenhagen as much as possible within a single day.
I forgot to mention that we did explore Copenhagen WITHOUT using the train and bus. I did not intend to do this, just to save money; but the circumstances lead me to choose that way. As we seek shelter from the cold, windy weather, I realized most of the attractions were closely-located. There were times, I wanted to take th…
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Kiel, Germany: The Wedge Maritime Port

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Kiel is a the capital of the Schleswig-Holstein German province, near the northern border with Denmark. Today, this is an important maritime port and cruise ship stopover towards the Baltic region, Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. However, aside from being a booming shopping district as it is today, Kiel has a colorful maritime past that reflected the history and culture of the German nation. Interestingly, the city's name was derived from the word describing the shape of the port of Kiel. These are something hidden by the streets and modern commercial establishments in the city.

Before, Kiel is considered a unique city being ruled by a Danish King, but under the former German confederation. It was during this time that Denmark and Germany have made an cooperative agreement in ruling their dominions. It was until a war broke between the two countries that transferred the power from the Danish king to Germany, with the aid of Austria. Germany completely took over the area during …
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Prague, Czechia: The Former Seat of Holy Roman Empire Part 1

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Being a born Catholic myself, the Holy Roman Empire has always caught my interest. So, it is natural for me to be fascinated by Rome and perhaps other cities that had been the capital of Roman Catholicism, including Prague. Furthermore, Central and Eastern Europe has become so interesting for me, especially how these countries where shaped by the Cold War and the two World Wars affecting Europe. These two reasons are the primary reason why I opted to visit the Czech Republic. Czech Republic is composed of the historic territories of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. The Bohemian capital is Prague. This has become the capital of the Czech republic after the Great Moravian Empire lost power to the dynasties running Bohemia. Both Bohemia and Moravia have been in one or another subject to influence of the Germans and the Austrians, after the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. As a result, the unique cultural blend has made Prague one of the most popular tourist destination in Europe. And so …
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Skagen, Denmark: Sun, Sand and Snow

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Being the Danish nation’s northernmost town, Skagen is known for the Skagen Odde peninsula located in the North Jutland Island. The town also houses the world largest fish oil factory. The sand and fish port factors make vacations to Skagen peninsula a very unique experience. This has been made more special during my visit in the winter season in February when spring pauses occur. Thus, my short trip became a combination of sun, snow and sand in Skagen.
Skagen Fyr


 The Skagen Lighthouse was a reconstruction of the White Lighthouse, which is primarily used for exhibitions nowadays. This lighthouse has been useful in preventing invasion of the Danish capital Copenhagen by Western countries like the Great Britain.
Grenen



This is Denmark’s northernmost tip where the North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet. Grenen literally means the branch, showcases a very beautiful landscape and sea horizon.

Sandormen


It is a wagon pulled by a tractor carrying people who want to visit Grenen in Skagen from the parki…
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Gothenburg, Sweden and Oslo, Norway: The Short Trip with my Cousins

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Not so long ago, my cousins from the United Kingdom expressed their intention to visit us in Norway. It has been almost over a decade we have seen each other, and they think it would also be an opportunity for them to bond with each other and meet us as well. These cousins are from my paternal side, who used to live in the Philippines and migrated in Great Britain almost a decade ago, with my aunt. So, since Norway and UK seem not to far from each other, it would be natural to spend time with them either of the two countries. I planned to visit them later this year, so it their turn to appreciate the beauty and the uniqueness of Norway, as part of Scandinavia.

Being task as the primary responsible for deciding where to go, I opted to have a short tour in Gothenburg, Sweden, a place I had been few months ago. Click here for my Gothenburg adventures. It was raining that time, so I was really eager to come back again. Furthermore, my sister also has not visited the Swedish city before, as…
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Amsterdam, Netherlands: Amalgamation of the Past and Present - Day 1

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Located along the Amstel River, the largest Dutch city, Amsterdam is one of the most important European port and cultural hub since ancient times when the city became diamond and financial center. Aside from its magnificent canals, Amsterdam is proud of its unique blend of conservatism and freedom, which attracts almost five million tourists every year. Being the center of commerce during the Dutch Golden Age and their colonial past, Amsterdam certainly has a rich history to present for visitors around the world could relate and associate from where they come from.


The beautiful Dutch city is a dream city for me to visit so when I got the opportunity to fulfill this, I did not hesitate, especially during the Yuletide season. I get to celebrate Christmas while learning how the Dutch city emerged as a global city from its rich historic past to where it is now.

Click here for the second day of my adventure in Amsterdam.
1.Vondelpark


This 45-hectare land piece is Amsterdam’s largest park and …
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Vigelandsparken, Oslo Norway: Celebrating Human Spirit

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The world's largest collection of sculptures in a park is attracting one million people every year. The art pieces, which were made from bronze, granite and iron features the appreciation of the human spirit of Norway's most renowned sculptor Gustav Vigeland.

Click the link below:
http://vimeo.com/65900073

Visiting Vigelandsparken makes one realize things in life, inspired from the different sections of the park: the Main Gate, the Bridge, the Fountain, the Monolith and the Wheel of life.

The main gate is very simple but elegant. It features a long pathway towards the main section of the park. It gives the visitor the feeling that life requires a pathway and direction where one should follow through. That direction is the person's purpose in his or her life, that will guide all his or her actions, no matter what situations the person will be experiencing and whoever the person will be meeting.

The bridge is one of the most dramatic part of the park, which traverses a body …
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