http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/travelwithMARIA/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from travelwithMARIA en-us Sun, 27 Dec 2009 06:48:00 +0000 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 06:48:00 +0000 Slovenia is beginning to be a popular destination in Europe despite its tumultuous history it has bounce back economically.Bled is one of the country's beautiful city. It has caught my attention because of its proximity to the Alps and its unique Lakes surrounding the Upper Carniola. The best way to describe Bled is that its picturesque the best adjective I can think of. Totally worth going there http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Slovenia/Upper-Carniola/Bled/blog-424346.html Has anyone heard of the famous beer called Pilsner Urquell Of course in Czech Republic Beer is the national drink. We have heard so many brands of beer being brewed there like Staropramen Pivovar Radegast and etc. I am not a beer drinker but somehow a part of me wants to understand how this famous beer is being brewed. I travelled west from Prague to a city called Plzen to get a better under http://www.travelblog.org//Plzen-Region/Plzen/blog-378308.html I said to myself that the great way to start the year is to visit Prague. Why The city is just so beautiful its almost a sin not to see it. Most of the time a lot of people compares Prague as the Paris of the East but base on my experience its not. There is a more uniquely European feel in Prague. The aura that emanates within the old walls and medieval architecture is very much like traveling b http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Czech-Republic/Prague/blog-365551.html It was a nice weather when we arrived in Amsterdam. Yes it's not summer but the sun is shining and its good enough for me. The city is vibrant and the people seem happy. The city provides a certain happy feeling that you wanted to stay longer and indulge on that feeling. The thing that i have observe is the people's politeness and they are seriously smiling. Smile brings you to a comfort level th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Netherlands/North-Holland/Amsterdam/blog-350624.html Theme... relax unwind loosen up destress slow down hang loose take it easy. This place is called the Farm located in San Benito Batangas Philippines. It's actually a health Spa. The place offers programs for wellness and health and mainly to entice the people from the metropolitan area to adhere to health programs that the resort offers and find the relaxing benefits of being in close prox http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Batangas/San-Benito/blog-318872.html My trip to Subic bay was intended to watch the famous dolphin show in OceanAdventure Park. I am not a big fan of animals in confinement for the pleasure of viewing them for fun but in the Philippines it's better that they are confined than being out there in the vast ocean waiting to be poached or be caught in the net. At least here the lucky ones get to survive longer in a sheltered environment http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Luzon/Zambales/blog-315624.html Macau is a must see destination. Amazing city The influence of the Europeans can be felt minimally and the chinese life is more vivid. The historical vibe of the city is just a remnants from the past much like the St. Paul's Cathedral ruins. Only the facade remains. Nevertheless the chinese quality of the city made it more colorful and enjoyable to observe. The very idea of the Portuguese presen http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Macau/Macau/blog-263437.html Hongkong Island is great. Its vibrant full of life and it never sleeps. It has a way with people some sort of a magnetic pull. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Hong-Kong-Island/blog-263434.html Davao del Norte is located in the south part of the Philippines in the island of Mindanao. Its one of the major tourism hub in the country offering many sights to visit including its beaches and seasides. The weather is just amazing quite sunny with a little bit of rain in the evening. I visited Pearl Farm beach resort located in the Samal Islands. It feels like being far away from everything. Al http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Davao/blog-263222.html Places around Luzon. The largest and the most important island in the Philippines. Taal is located 50 kilometers from Manila and an active volcano located in the picturesque area called Tagaytay that gives the spectacular view of the crater lake and the Taal volcano.Mount Pinatubo is an active Volcano that erupted in June 1991 that affected the global temperature. Now the area is open for ecotour http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Luzon/blog-263226.html The Island of Boracay in the Philippines is the most popular tourist destination. I think Boracay is the best Island if we travel back in the 70's. The good thing about visiting the Island is no matter how commercial it had become you can still make beautiful pictures at any given time of the day. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Boracay/blog-263215.html The Island of Siquijor is a province of Visayas region in the Philippines. It was indeed a nice time visiting this part of the region. It feels like an adventure waiting to unfold. Being in an Island has this vibe of being isolated. Well my trip has proven otherwise. First we arrived there as a team and we are all excited and loud. The first thing we checked is not the accommodation not the fo http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Visayas/blog-263210.html The Island of Cebu Philippines. Cebu is a very significant Island in the country this is an important landmark historically speaking because the portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu putting a marked that the world is round and paved the way for Spain to colonized the largest country that Spain attempted to subdued using religion as its power to unite different ethnic groups. In http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Cebu/blog-263205.html The Island of Bohol Philippines.Diving in Bohol is great. The water is calm currents is not so heavy plenty of fish colorful reefs visiblity is amazing and the temperature is just right. Start the day by scheduling the dive with a certified PADI dive shops and booked the entire day at least making 24 dives. Going around the Island by renting a motorbike is also fun. Going to the very famous http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Bohol/Panglao/blog-262970.html The Island Province of the Philippines Palawan. It never occurred to me that Palawan would be so beautiful. The Island just stretches for miles. The landscape is captivating and the ocean is unbelievably pristine. It's definitely worth a trip. The beach is amazing. The sky is so blue that it gives the entire area its glow. The marine life is so diverse and the surrounding emits a kind of unique http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Philippines/Palawan/Puerto-Princesa/blog-262673.html Gera is situated in the eastern part of Thueringia State on the river Elster with a population of more than a hundred thousand. In 1945 it was heavily bombed and destroyed a huge portion of the city's historical buildings. It was once part of the German Democratic Republic or East Germany until 1990. This city is very close to my heart. I often visited this place and pretty much enjoyed it. Alth http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Thuringia/blog-256233.html What can I say This is overrated. Paris is beautiful. Celebrating New year in Paris was so romantic. Gazing into the Eiffel Tower and waiting for the new year to come. Along comes the fireworks the lights and the noise embracing 2008. The kisses the greetings the opening of champagne and the toast with all the best greeting exchanges for the new year. Their are many things to see in Paris. I http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/France/Ile-de-France/Paris/blog-234649.html What's with the entry title Simply Singapore. It's a very small country. You can drive around the country for at least half a day and you can say you have seen it all. It never gets any simpler than that. My brief stay in Singapore constitutes roaming around the city and taking snapshots of almost all the places I went to. It was interesting indeed. Shopping seems to be a major hobby in the count http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Singapore/Sentosa-Island/Siloso-Beach/blog-227818.html Malaysia is a very beautiful and unique country. Culturally and Historically rich with a blend of diverse traditions driven by modern and booming economy. The City Kuala Lumpur has many things to offer some are the great beaches dense tropical forest chinatown shophouses modern shopping malls towering skyscrapers modern transport system modern architectural designs and the diversity of its p http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Malaysia/Wilayah-Persekutuan/Kuala-Lumpur/blog-227796.html The Reformation. This is the Wartburg Castle in Thueringia State and located in Eisenach. This was the place were Martin Luther translated the Bible from Latin to German. It was indeed a very educational and interesting trip. Here are the pictures. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Germany/Thuringia/Eisenach/blog-227791.html