Sunday, December 28, 2014

Arrivideci Italia

Though this post will be a very late post about my trip back to Italy from Spain, for the sake of my memories and the nice photos that I took, I'll be writing it here. This would be my last post from my Italy-Spain-Italy tour. #quickpost

 MILAN. Me with my relatives went to Milan to attend a singing contest. We left Rome at 2am and got to Milan at 7am, I guess we're the earliest to arrive. There's a lot of time to kill before the final stage rehearsal will start so before going to the event proper we took a little walk in the second biggest city in Italy.  Milan is nice but I like it better at Rome. ;)



 Duomo


Shopping and dining place. The structures were very luxurious.



Streets in Milan


Don't you just love this vintage tram? thought every tram in Europe was like this but there's none of this in Rome. Sad thing I didn't get to ride in it.


PISA. I always thought that it would really be so tall! But when I get off the car and saw the tower from afar, I was a bit disappointed. My friend expects the same thing too. So if you also thought that the Leaning tower of Pisa is so high then you better accept that it is not. But just on the first look. Because when you really look or come closer, you'll notice that it is really a bit high. It is so cool to see a lot of people taking the coolest selfie around the tower! People are everywhere in this place.






FIRENZE. My hands are numb and shaking. It was so cold when we arrived in Firenze. I guess we're at the high grounds where we had an amazing view of the city! I'm freezing and some of the kids start to get sick. 




After two days of touring around Milan, Lucca(didn't get a pic of this place), Pisa and Firenze, I am back to Rome...touring again. Though I stayed in Rome for so many days, there were just too many places to visit in Rome that I wan't able to visit because of the lack of time. There's almost a hundred places!!! So I guess, I should definitely go back to Italy to see the sights I miss. And I think Sicily would be  a perfect destination too!

Arrividerci Italia!


On my flight back home I saw that another plane wants a race. lol




Thursday, December 18, 2014

Madrid, Spain

Most of the buildings around in Italy looks ancient, while in Barcelona, it look more like a city here in the Philippines because of the architectures and tall buildings, just much cleaner. In Madrid, ancient and modern buildings are present. But I noticed that all the ancient buildings have a statue, if not on the sides then it'll be on the top. I don't know what it represents though. Maybe they were the powerful people of the past. 

We stayed in Madrid for 2 nights and 2 days only. It was short but full of fun. I never got bored. Still with ate Marinette with me, we made a lot of new friends there. Sometimes I find it a little funny that  they made a schedule who will be spending the tour with us for the rest of the day. I can't actually believe that they planned it really well. From breakfast up to midnight we had our friends with us. Just for one day I met a lot of beautiful people, literally beautiful, in and out. 

If I would go back to Madrid, I'll go back because of my new friends. They're awesome! Their bond is so tight, I envy them.

A view from the top of a shopping mall. There's this window where you will see the busy street, Gran Via. I think it would be really cool if I photograph it at night, but sad we're not able to go back because there's still a lot for me to see in Madrid.






They say Spanish couples are so showy when they're in love. Okay, I get it. It's okay for me to see a young couple kissing in front of me, but seeing oldies who have been in their 60's already, kissing in the middle of this street, passionately in slow mo. I can't take that anymore. That's gross. 


I am not sure if she's a former queen.



The side building of the Royal Palace



Royal Palace(front). 

Almudena Cathedral, where only the Royals got married there.



I felt like I'm in Alice in Wonderland! The garden is so wonderful. 


There are so many people who did this for a living. I still wonder how they were able to float or remain like that in mid-air. 








 Plaza de Cibeles. My friend told me that this building was once buried when an another country invade the Spain. Yes, they covered it with soil because, just like what my friend said, it was Spain's treasure. I find it weird tho. Covering this nice structure with soil. That looks like a hill in my mind. 


Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum


Museo del Prado


Look at that tree then look for a man. Now, Do you realize how tall it is? 




Templo of Debod. A temple that is originally built by the Egyptians and been moved to Spain. They say there is something cool about this temple. About how the sun rays passes through the tunnels up to that temple, maybe. lol. I can't remember it too well.


  Back of the temple.


Best view I've seen




Thursday, December 11, 2014

Barcelona, Spain

After a week of staying at Rome, I  grabbed the chance to fly to Spain with my cousin (ate) Marinette. Actually, our trip should be Greece and Spain but because of the flight schedules we wasn't able to go Greece, so we just go ROME-BCN-MRD-ROME instead. (next blogpost will be Madrid) Sometimes I find myself a burden to ate Marinette because she always worry about our flight, like what if we didn't check in on time or miss the flight, the size and weight of our luggages, etc., while I was very very calm and always eating or just checking the place and people. 

We landed at Barcelona at 5 PM. It was so hot there unlike Rome that that time we're already got jackets. It was so sad that I brought a lot of winter clothes not knowing that in Barcelona the climate is the same as the Philippines. Good thing the shops there comes in a cheap prices, even the branded like Primark and Zara! I'm not a fan of bags but there's these 2.50euro clutch from Primark that I bought, because that's a steal!! Other than shops, in Spain they have KFC and Dunkin' Donuts that Italy doesn't have--at the time I was there. Because Italy doesn't have those fastfood chains my cousins wanted to eat there badly, so right after our friends welcomed us at Barcelona ate Marinette already asked to eat at KFC! (A week after my departure a KFC opened in Rome) 

I met a lot of friends here than Rome. Maybe that's why I like Spain better than Rome. I love the people, but maybe not the language. I'm really not familiar with it, imagine, I came from Philippines where our language is tagalog and english, fly to Rome, my birthplace where I can understand a little of Italian(because my parents used the language at home sometimes and i find it easy to learn too. And then after a week, I'm in a new country with a different language that I never try to learn before. Sometimes I feel out of place because I'm the only one can't relate.
Good thing they know tagalog. 

At Spain, we always commute. Most filipinos there don't own a car because the mode of transportation there is very well provided and there were so many lines of trains. Every time we rode the bus, before we reach the next station I always hear "propera parada", i guess the meaning of the phrase is "next stop". I am so absorbed when I hear the propera parada phrase at the bus. lol. So one time, tired me and my tired friends surrounded by Spanish peoples were waiting for the bus, and me, out of nowhere, say propera parada propera parada propera parada propera parada hundred times! That was so childish and so embarrassing, people were staring at me like I'm an idiot. But we just laugh at myself nalang. lol Another thing that I find cool when you're in a country with a different language from yours is that you can say whatever you want to say, even the bad comments, like my ate who talked loudly at the bus saying "ang lakas naman ng anghit nitong katabi ko!". I was shocked when she say that, though I find it really awesome. loooool!

We stayed at Barcelona for 3 nights and 3 days, I don't get to take a lot of pictures with my cam because I was busy chatting and making friends. Here are some of the places I've been. 

Barcelona baby!!!



Lots of walk. If you can see the bridge on the right side of the big bridge, we walked from where I stand to there. My friends told me "its so near, we can just walk" I'm like, "really? its so hot and we'll walk up to there?!?!?!?! OKAYYYY"




A hundred years roots


A cactus place. I feel like I'm in Mexico. HAHA!





It looks like a skeleton of a rocket ship or a cactus from afar. 



Colombus Monument







Sagrada Familia by Antonio Gaudi. A building that is full of art and mystery. Why don't they just finish it? Really.






Another by Gaudi, Casa Batllo. This is my favorite building in Barcelona. I love how magical(for me) this building is! There's a half mask on every window, i love it that i bought a miniature of this building before leaving barcelona. ;)


beside Casa Batllo is Casa Amatller. I wonder who lived here before.  


Our last destination before leaving to Madrid is Park Guell, a public park composed of gardens and architectures made by Gaudi. The place is so awesome! A place of art. 


How did they put all the stones or whatever it is together? well, ate Carol told me that they put it all together with their salivas. lol. Just kidding! If that was true, I wonder how thirsty they was at those times of work! HAHA! 












No, its not a gingerbread house. But it really looks like one right?




Next post will be about Madrid. 
Again, thank you Barcelona friends especially to my besties! Haha. I wish to see you all soon again in the Philippines naman.

One thing I can't forget about my trip here is we came home very late every night, like 1AM then get up early in the morning for church. That made me sleep at the public transpo, my favorite is the Metro.