Ski-t at St Moritz

St Moritz - night trekking

We arrived St. Moritz at dark (1800)

Randolin Backpackers is where we are staying.

The person in the information center is so kind to help us called the hotel

Our options are go there by ourselves or they will pick us up after an hour.

We are s in a hurry that we decided to go there by ourselves

It turned out that we arrived later than we expected.

First, we took the wrong bus going on opposite direction

Second, the trek UP the hotel is really exhausting due to the thick snow along the way and my stupid strolling luggage.

It was dark, cold, endless and no body along the TREK

We are so hopeless and desperate that we called the hotel at some point

We met this person who looked so much like Willnow

With somebody guaranteeing the direction and showing us how close it is from where we are positioned;

It feels more secure and motivated.

At last we arrived 2230.

What a night.

At least we met nice , kind and helpful people along this race around St Moritz.

St. Moritz is good place to ski

No doubt about it

But for beginners like me

It is best to get an instructor

Which I did not

So basically

What happened to me

I glide

I flip

I slip

I slide

I roll

Struggling with extreme effort in each and every SKI

Baby ski as I name this experience

I might try it again next time but with proper instruction, please

Glazing view in Glacier Express

Initially, I cannot imagine inside the train for around 8 hours

Strolling from one mountain to another

Rolling from one city to another city

Gliding from one tunnel to the other

But the structure of the train is so good

That you feel like living in the world of snow

Striking sunlight from the open space windows

It is the warmest winter wonderland one can ever have

If there is such thing as 3D movies

Glacier express is definitely an n-dimensional panoramic scene experience

Even though we have camera to catch these wonderful scenery

But it is definitely incomparable to experience them yourself

Eight hours glacier trip is more like a picnic trip

Eating fine food,

drinking fine wine,

tasting fine cheese,

meeting interesting people,

and enjoying the glacier landscapes.

If there is one thing one need not to miss in their Switzerland trip

It is definitely the White Mountains and Cold River

If there is four season in one’s life

I say I had the winter of my LIFE.

Zermatt

Zermatt is almost 4 hours away from Geneva.

The landscape makes you forget the time

Inside the train,

You feel like you are in a mobile museum of paintings

whose theme is Pure White

Along the trip

We crossed within a mountain

Like the model trains I saw in a museum

When I was still a child

White is one of my favorite color

Just seeing almost everything in white makes my day!

Zermatt, ski resort

Indeed it is a world class resort

Making use of the natural environment

Tourism provide income in this town

Without ski resort,

Zermatt will be a deserted area.

Zermatt provides cozy environment.

Making it tourist friendly and relaxing

For people who love to ski, it is no doubt the best place to be

It feels cool living in between these gracious glazing mountains

United @ Geneva

Geneva housed United Nations and Red Cross

City where people of all nations come for

PEACE and HARMONY

What surprised me in Geneva is to see my favorite sculpture

…

I saw the imitated version in Berlin

It was love at first sight

I posted it in this blog few months ago

I was so excited to see the original

It will be perfect if either my best friend or my sister is there with me

in front of the statue to witness this sisterhood BOND.

Interlaken: winer wonderland

Dropped by

Old town Bern

it is open this Sunday

Specially for people who are going for Christmas shopping

The smell and color of the old town is really antique in its own

You can still visualize the busy street as it is in old days

Simple town with everything you need

Interlaken ost

Move further to Jungfrau

It is said to be the top of Europe

Denied by the weather

We settled at …

Around Interlaken

The view is breathtaking

The mountain sprinkled with (white sugar)

The lake neutralize the serious mountain

Well,

it is something like

dad for the mountain and

mom for the lake.

Like their child

embraced by the

cold mountain and quiet lake.

Even I did not reach top of Europe

But I felt like on top of the world

Snow angel at white mountains.

Cheezy Windmills

Amsterdam Central station -> Koog Zaandjik station

It is a small village
The air is flavoured with cheeze
No kidding
It seems like the windmills are the one
responsible for spreading the smell...

Delicious~
This must attract a lot of happy mouse
Does the people get fat by breathing cheeze?
Do they suffocate to the air outside their village?

Wooden shoes factory can also be found here
It reminds me of Philippines' bakya
It is interesting to see these wooden shoe skill
survive throughout the years...

There are several windmills in this village alone
For these days,
they are big achitecture with small purposes
But back then,
they are something needed to earn for a living
Nevertheless,
the idea behind it is BRILLIANT

green - yellow - red LIGHT DISTRICT

Green light district: On the GO

Friday nights from Germany,
Quer-Durchs-Land ticket to Hannover
Berlin linen from Hannover to Amsterdam: 2300-0430
Took the metro to the central station
with 24-hr ticket
Tickets for metro and tram can be avail at the metro platz itself
Patient wait until 0600
From central station to hotel Slotania,
we took bus 21
Drop our luggage and off to explore the city of Amsterdam!

Yellow light district: Sightseeing

Fist stop, Anne Frank's "house"
It is more like a hide-out/prison than a house/home
They are prison of their own
for being JEWS

Exceptional people are mold on extraordinary circumstances
Child's innocent view of what is happening around
makes it more striking and painful
for the readers...

Invisible violence and colorless blood

Then,
to tulips flower market, Van Gogh museum, diamond museum...


RED light district: the Original

Around the "Dam" area,
there you find the original red light district
unlike in Hamburg,
ladies are welcome to visit and
have some WINDOW shopping
Although I did not see any male prostitute
But definitely,
there are quite a variety in terms of
sizes, colors and shapes
It reflects the "need" and "taste" of the Market

SBI's Ozeaneum Stralsund

Wonders of living creatures
keep surprising us...
How small creatures can swallow
something bigger than its size;
how they adapt and make flexible changes
in accordance to the natural environment/surroundings.

Good understanding of how they behave
inspire new and interesting stuffs...

Looking through the acquarium
we see the school of fish...
Within the acquarium,
we (SBI peeps) are the "school of fish".

Angie meets Angela

beyond the walls

SKY proof

fallen ANGEL(yn)

Angel,
on her way
down to earth for an important mission...

Angel landed without wings...

30 on 30th

Living each day as if it is the LAST...

Dressden (miss-in action)

A place close to Budapest and Praga
making them similar to one another
just that it is better
because I am with my friends
good company always make trips fun and interesting

Baroque architecture is SUPER and WOW
The Zwinger is the best
it is the place I enjoyed most
specially the sculptures on the top of Cathedral
they are gorgeous

Walking along with the story wall
makes you feel connected to the story

The old town is full of entertainment
amateur and professional street artists
here and there
performing and showcasing
It is the best place to spend your Sundays

Sculptures and music around the old town are two things
I thought to be the highlights of the city

its just that
most of the sculptures
that are naturally outside the walls
are mostly hiding under some roof...
funny thing to say really

Romeo ROME Romeo

I like Rome for its culture and history.
The city keeps its historic touch.
Thousand years of history adopted "moderness"
and did not allow modernity to dominate the city...

The smell of historic breath
Rome did it better than Paris
In Paris, my impression is that the historic spot is swallowed by the modern world
It is the modern city that allow the historic existence

All these amazing sculptures and achitechtures around Europe
they keeps me wondering
How these artists who created them
show influence and power to the society
up to this day...
Eternal life they earned from ARTS

Holy Vatican

I like Rome for its culture and history.
The city keeps its historic touch.
Thousand years of history adopted "moderness"
and did not allow modernity to dominate the city...

The smell of historic breath
Rome did it better than Paris
In Paris, my impression is that the historic spot is swallowed by the modern world
It is the modern city that allow the historic existence

All these amazing sculptures and achitechtures around Europe
they keeps me wondering
How these artists who created them
show influence and power to the society
up to this day...
Eternal life they earned from ARTS

Ganola Venice row your boat

I had been to Xi Tang, Zhou Zhuang and Li Ziang of China
they call themselves Venice of China
but I will not say so
although they are special in theri own way...

If you just take the ganola around Venice
it's fine...
but you definitely missed the excitement and point of ganola ride.
There is so many stories
in every hidden corners
behind closed windows...
That is why make sure to ask your ganola guy
secrets beyond those walls...

I learned from this trip that
Murano is a special glass from Venice.

Greates experience we had was
a lunch along the creek,
in front of a classic church...
relaxing and cozy

Paris in Pyramids

Each attraction is grande with signature.
If there is something that touched me in this place called Paris,
then its definitely Virgin with Child dedicated to “Notre-Dame de Paris”.
Although St. Peter of Vatican is bigger than Notre Dame,
but I felt something more in Notre Dame...
the presence of the holy spirit...
St. Peter feels more of a tourist spot to me.

We experienced the touch of an angel.
We lost the direction around Galde de Norde,
an angel came to touch our shoulders and
lead us to the light of path...

As for French bread, we had enough.

Me, a friend and my mom

I remebered when I first arrived Rostock, I always thought of saving these pictures scenary with my family...

And finally, here they are ....

Sisterhood

First impression:
Expression of TRUST to each other
One lean all her weight to the other
One does her best to carry the other

Different personalities
binded together by "friendship"

I see
confident and shy;
fighter and assistant.
One completes the other...

What touches me most
is the back view of the sculpture
the way they held on each other...
perfect representation of sisterhood

Closeness and trust
of deep friendship;
Bond that cannot be cut off easily...

Neighborhood in Nearby Schwerin

Revisited Schwerin
not anymore alone
but with companies from IBZ
they are people I stayed with on one of University's guest house
old and new faces
enjoying the sunshine in the garden exhibit

Szczecin: steps closer to Pope John Paul II

Copenhagen with copemates

Traveling is always about meeting friends along the trip and feeling the culture the place has to offer. I get to know more about my friends who joined me in this journey. We established special bond along the tour.

By sea and land we crossed
Copenhagen--park city
good place to
stroll, boat, and bike.
Exhibiting its artistic and colorful furnitures, textiles, arts and designs.
Impressive yet expensive.
My kind of taste
not my kind of budget.

Prague Prag Praha Czeck it out!

Kind people from Thailand

When I arrived Prague, I needed czeck money which I do not have. And there is no place to change money since the shops are already close. To my surprise, I found a pair of Filipino look a like overseas workers who are from Thailand. I helped them take their pictures. Taking my chances, I asked them if they know somewhere near where I can change money. But actually, I was thinking at the back of my mind whether they will be willing to change money with me. Well, they were more than willing to change money with me for the fact that they are going back to Germany from few days vocation in Prague. They even give me their one day bus and tram ticket good until next day 10am. I have the tram ticket and I have some cash to spend.

I manage to meet great people at the right time...

Secret of Princess Sisi @ Vienna

Vienna...
Vienna sausage is the first thing pop in my mind
thought there is not much to see
but surprise by how much the city has to offer
shopping, museum and architecture
there is too much to see

How I wish I had more time to spend
wondering around the architectures and sculptures
hopping from one shop to another store
feeling the arts and culture among museums
unveiling more secrets beneath the castle walls

Princess Sisi
fantasize by films
this trip brings me
to facts of her life
brings her to meeting point with Princess Diana

Mozart's Salzburg Symphony

Due to economic crisis
around the world
even the great Mozart
can't help but to have a shift of career
from being the musician
to a salesman
selling chocolates, perfumes
and
his past

By my side

In salzburg, I met an old lady who escort me all the way to the youth hostel. I just asked her where it is and even though she also had no idea where it was. She insisted to escort me and did the favor of asking people we met along the way on how to reach that place. She won't leave me until she made sure I found the place. She reminds me of "san hu li ma" and my late grandmother. It keeps me thinking that my granny's spririt might be with her, that is why she can't leave me alone wondering in the streets.

Tracing Pope Benedict @ Traunstein

Pope Benedict surprises me in Traunstein
the place of his becoming

Beautiful sunrise starts my day in Kloster Seeon
I always thought they can only be seen in movies
How inspiring to start a day like this...

Hamburg revisited

We take the first regional train available for Länder ticket to Hamburg. The ticket was bought in the train station. It is cheaper since we got it from the machines. Otherwise, we have to pay service charge if we bought it through the counter. One Länder ticket is good for 5 persons. It took us 2.5 hours to reach Hamburg. There is a Mc Donalds in the train station. It is a good place to set as meeting place for friends coming from different directions.

We
walked around the lake,
passed through Rathaus( municipal office),
floated over the lake to their mini aritificial look beach (by public ferry),
dropped by a Enrico's favorite Portugese restaurant,
crossed the myterious tunnel (open for walk only on Weekends),
watched the city in different angles,
felt the cry at the ruined church, and
enjoyed hot drinks for the rest of the day(restaurants and coffee shops are open on Sunday).

We thought we loose our legs after walking and trekking like forever.

To the west most part of Europe

A journey to the end of the world...

Castles in the Cloud

There are castles in the cloud.
I walked through the clouds
and by the castles.
Footprints over the clouds
gone when I looked back...
can't stop it
keep disappearing.
But
have to keep walking.
Kings and Queens I visited.
Finding my very own castle...
Where is the castle I belong?

Good Start New Beginning

New year starts
when one
promises to oneself
a fresh start;
when one
sets new goals;
when one
decides to achieve some dreams;
when one
determines to reach planned objectives;
and when one
is going BIG TIME change and improvement!

Christmas Pilgrimage

I left my footprints...
They kept their momories...
Each part is unique on its own way.
Their ESSENTIAL beauty depends on how you interpret them.
They are ALIVE by the way you put LIFE and make meaning on your stories.