Europe Travel Pad

Fasching or carnival season in Germany  is over.  It ended last Ash Wednesday. The fun and enjoyment during this season has come to an end. What is left are the memories an the photographs.

We watched again to the Faschingszug  or carnival parade in Hemau. This town is situated on the Tangrintel, a ridge which runs between the rivers Altmühl and Schwarze Laaber in Upper Palatinate region of Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany.

It was another fun-filled  celebration of carnival in this town. Just see the snapshots  I have below., all these photos were taken last February  19, 2012 in Hemau

There were a lot of floats and groups with different motives, colorful costumes and dresses who participated during the carnival parade in Hemau.

Visiting the famed city of the Roman Empire was one of the awesome trips I had in Europe. I felt honored when I visited one of Europe’s and even the world’s most visited, famous and beautiful capitals last summer 2010. The trip I had in Rome was truly a memorable and marvelous one.

Rome being called as the ‘Eternal City’, is the capital and largest city of Italy. It is one of the globe’s greatest civilizations and became the center of power, culture, religion and history. The historic center of Rome with its rich historical heritage and cosmopolitan atmosphere made Rome as one of world’s most visited capitals.

Here are some of the sights not to miss when visiting Rome

The Colosseum- also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. It is so far the most famous landmarks of this city. It was capable of seating some 50,000 spectators for animal fights and gladiatorial combats.

I and my friend Nonna from the U.S. had a wonderful time taking pictures in Colosseum.

The Colosseum during our visit last August 2010.

Piazza Venezia- You can find at its centerpiece the enormous and controversial Vittorio Emanuele Monument. Piazza Venezia is located at the opposite end of Via dei Fori Imperiali to the Colosseum. Be careful with the traffic when visiting this site. Most of the times the traffic there is enormous.

The Vittorio Emanuele Monument in Piazza de Venezia.

The Arch of Constantine- this well-preserved monumental arch is just some meters walk from the Colosseum. It commemorates the victory of Constantine, the first Christian emperor, over his rival Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312.

The Roman Forum- This is one of the most interesting sites in Rome. The hallowed ruins in Foro Romamo (Italian name) were the most powerful seat of government in the world. There a lot of historical ruins to see in this area of Rome.

St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City- This is one of the main reasons why I visited Rome. It is really one of my dreams to go inside St. Peter’s Basilica. I was very happy and contented after my visit there. Another travel wish came true. We even had the chance to go up to its cupola and had a wonderful view of the city of Rome.

St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, Rome. I am so happy to be there once in my life.

The Spanish Steps- known in Italian as the Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti. The monumental stairway has 138 steps and known to be the widest staircase in Europe.

The Trevi Fountain- This is considered to be one of the famous fountains in the world. No wonder why I really wanted to see it when I visited Rome last summer of 2010. Legend says that if you throw a coin in the fountain, you will surely have a visit to Rome again. This is one thing I surely did. I just tried my luck and I feel and believed that one day I will visit the “Eternal City” again.

There are still a lot of sights to see and to experience in Rome. I would love to share it in my next post here.

If you are planning to visit Rome in the future, be sure to plan it ahead like what we did to avoid stress and hassles. I and my friend found some affordable Rome flights and hotels to stay there. We booked it immediately especially that summer is a peak season to visit Rome. Thanks to the advent of computers and internet, finding cheap flights and hotels anywhere in the world has become very easy and convenient now.

I found a deal to Zurich, Switzerland last December 2010. It was really a very cheap trip considering that the transportation, overnight in Hilton Hotel Airport and breakfast were already included during that deal. I immediately booked it because I also want to witness the Christmas market in this Swiss city.

To give you some overview of this city, Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is also the financial center of this country.

We had some hours walk around the Altstadt or old city of Zurich. I am happy with what I saw but I would be very satisfied if we have more time seeing more of its sights. At least, I was able to witness the biggest covered Christmas market in Europe and maybe in the whole world to.

Here are some of the images I took during our visit last December 2010.

I am joining again these wonderful memes: Special thanks to the Authors for hosting it;
Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Sunday Snapshot, Mellow yellow, Tuesday Travels, Orange Tuesday, WEDNESDAY WHITES, Black and White Wednesday

I consider Würzburg (written as Wuerzburg in English) as one of the most beautiful cities in Bavaria, Germany. I always feel like visiting Prague in Czech Republic everytime I visit there. This is because the Alte Mainbrücke or Würzburg’s Old Main Bridge looks very similar to the Charles Bridge in Prague.

I can’t exactly remember how many times I was there already. I guess five or six times. There are a lot of sights to see in this city. The travel snapshots I have below are only some of it.

the Main River that flows in Würzburg. You can see one of the statues on the Old Main Bridge of Würzburg. The building you see on top of the hill is the Marienberg, a castle in this city across the Old Main Bridge.

We took the Deutsche Bahn or German a train from Bamberg to Würzburg during our recent visit last month. We were lucky during our visit last month because there was no snow in Wuerzburg but it was still very cold.

I am joining again these wonderful memes: Special thanks to the Authors for hosting it;
Skywatch Friday, Scenic Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday, Sunday Snapshot
Tuesday Travels, Orange Tuesday, 366 Blog Photo Challenge, WEDNESDAY WHITES, Black and White Wednesday