WATCH: Amsterdam, Netherlands


Here is the video of my short trip to Amsterdam.


For more blogposts on Amsterdam, click the links below:

Amsterdam Part 1
Amsterdam Part 2

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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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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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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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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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Berlin, Germany: The World Symbol of Historical Victory Part 1

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The German nation has always caught my interest on culture and world heritage. Aside from the German language, Germany as one of the largest European economies has taken the limelight and as served as a role model for developing countries. The role of the nation in shaping world history especially during the World War 2 and ideological Cold War between democracy and communism. With all of these reasons, I have traveled to the German capital, Berlin for leisure, history and culture. 

There are several places I went to. This is the Part 1 of the Berlin adventure. Click here for Part 2.



1.Theodor Heuss Platz

This large city square is located in the Westend of the city of Berlin. This was laid out in the beginning of 19th century. It was formerly named as the Chancellor Place before the Nazi seized power in the German nation. From that time on, it was called the Adolf Hitler Place until the loss in the World War 2, when it was renamed Chancellor Place, then to Theodor Heuss Platz, the first …
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Gothenburg, Sweden: The Historic Significance - Day 2

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Many people, who are not living in Scandinavian countries probably have not been to Gothenburg, or even heard of the city. However, the city has a rich heritage dating back the Viking age to the present times. Gothenburg has evolved itself from fortified city to an industrial area and tourist destination as it is today. One of the landmarks of Gothenburg is The Lipstick, a building near the port has been one of my last stop in my two-day short stay in the historic city. The Lipstick or Skanskaskrapan located near the Gothenburg Central Station is a symbol of the city's progress. In this blogpost, I will run through the twelve sites I have visited on the second day of my visit and explain their respective historic contribution in Nordic tradition and perhaps world history.

Click here for the first day.
1.Domkyrkan Göteborg
Considered as an oasis in the middle of a commercial district, the Gothenburg Cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in the city. The current structure is already…
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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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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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7 Reflections on Places in Oslo, Norway

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February 27, 2015. After a long night at work, I planned to assume the role of a tourist guide in Oslo for one of the closest friend of my sister, who is working in UAE. I just thought of making a simple trip to few of the places I have been to in Oslo, the city where I am living for almost 17 months.
Since our guest had been to Austria and Italy before coming to Norway, I was quite worried what can I show to her that makes Oslo unique and beautiful. Given that winter is just ending and spring has just started, the task of showing the best aspects of Oslo could be a challenging task. However, more than I expected, I got to realize that Oslo is a place, where I can truly call now as my home.
These are my reflections as I travelled through the different famous places in Oslo we visited on that day.
Fram Polar Ship Museum
The success of a journey is not dependent on how good the ship was made, or how experience and strong the people on board, it solely lies on the courage to go beyond lim…
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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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