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Austria - Vienna and Salzburg

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Day 6 - We drove from Budapest to Vienna. Vienna was once the center of the mighty Hapsburg Empire. Upon arrival, we went on a city tour with a drive along the elegant Ringstrasse . Vienna's Ringstrasse or The Ring Road is 5.3 kilometers long, where the Vienna State Opera, the Parliament, City Hall, and many more buildings built in the second half of the 19th century that were mostly architectural masterpieces.  We went down from the bus to walk from Hofburg Palace (wish we went inside the palace), which used to be inhabited by the imperial family, and today houses the office of the President of Austria. We walk through Heldenplatz or the Heroes Square, the name is based on the two magnificent horseman monuments created in 1860 nad 1865. The last stop of our city tour is St. Stephen's Cathedral or in German, Stephansdom. It is the mother churh of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and is one of the most important Gothic structures in Austria today. The roof i
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Slovakia and Hungary

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Day 4 - We left Prague through Moravia, where Napoleon established his headquarters during the Battle of Austerlitz and arrive in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Bratislava borders Austria and Hungary, and is the political, cultural and economic center, and also the largest city in Slovakia. We had a short city walk and after having our lunch, we're on our way to Budapest.  After dinner that night, we joined the Illumination Drive around the city's landmarks beautifully illuminated in the night sky. Budapest used to be two separate cities with Buda on the west and Pest on the east bank of the river Danube . We drove around the places listed as UNESCO World Heritage site. The view of Danube embankments including the Chain Bridge, Gellert Hill, Citadel, and Buda Castle are all part of the World Heritage today. First stop for the night is Vajdahunyad Castle which was built in 1896 as part if the Millenial Exhibition to celebrate the 1,000 years of Hungary. It house
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Prague, Czech Republic

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Day 2 -  After that, we head to the Czech border in the Bohemian Forest and travel to Prague.  We arrived at our hotel, Andel's, which is very near a shopping mall so we got to shop a little before dinner.  At night, we joined the Prague by Night excursion where we had a guided walking tour.  We went to Strahov Monastery at a hilltop where you can have a fantastic view of the city.  Next we stopped by a local tavern to have some drinks and listen to traditional music.  And finally, the evening highlight is the walk accross Charles Bridge that crosses the Vltava river and connects Prague Castle to the Old Town.  At the end of the bridge is a gothic tower called the Old Town Bridge Tower which opens to the Old Town.  You can get a nice view of Prague Castle from the square right in front of St. Salvator Church, which is considered to be one of the most valuable example of early Baroque architecture in Prague. Day 3 - It's the day to visit the Hradcany Castle grou
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Munich, Germany

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It's our 4th time to Europe, and this time, we visited Central and Eastern Europe, with Globus again.  5 of us this time with my cousin and her husband.  The tour includes countries like Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Austria.  This is the shortest Europe trip we've ever had, only 12 days.  But maybe because I'm getting old now, I'm missing my family more every time I travel, so this short trip is just perfect for me. Day 1 - We arrived at Munich International Airport past noon and were met by our Italian tour director, Anthony and our Italian coach driver, Sergio. After check-in at Le Meridien Munchen, we still have some time before our welcome dinner so we decided to walk around the area of our hotel.  Just accross the street of our hotel is the main train station or Munchen Hauptbahnhof .  Inside are lots of different food stalls, shops, and mini convenience stores.  Dinner that night to meet our tourmates. Day 2 - In the morning, we had a short
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Wales and England ^^

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Day 15 - That morning, we boarded the ferry to Wales but the ship this time is smaller I guess, because we can all feel it swaying and it made me feel so dizzy most of the trip.  In Wales, we drove to Cardiff for an evening of Welsh entertainment.  Cardiff Castle is nice with the guide giving us a short tour before the dinner.  The dinner would've been nice as well but I think they overbooked the night we were there.  The place was packed and the servers who are also performers can't serve everyone fast enough. Day 16 - Crossing the border again to England, we went to one of my favorites in this trip, the Roman Baths .  The place is simply amazing, we spent hours there but still can't get enough.  For lunch we stopped by Glastonbury , notable for it's myths about King Arthur then head to Exeter .  We got a chance to walk around the city before it's time for us to meet the group again for dinner at a very nice place in Dartmoor called The Old Inn, and the fo
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Ireland ♫

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Day 9 - We crossed the border to North Wales and through Snowdonia National Park .  We had a lunch stop at Llanfair­pwllgwyn­gyllgo­gery­chwyrn­drobwll­llanty­silio­gogo­goch (no, I can't pronounce that word no matter how hard I try, I listened to it multiple times and i can only hear gogogo, LOL! =P) where we also stamped our passports as souvenirs. ^^  Then we went to Holyhead to board our ferry to Dublin.  It was a pretty smooth 4 hours (I think) ferry ride to Dublin.  Upon arrival, we went straight to the our Irish Night experience with more music and drinks. Day 10 - It's a short city tour day with a photo stop at the largest church in Ireland, St. Patrick's Cathedral .  We were then dropped at Trinity College to go in The Old Library and view the 1,200 year old Book of Kells .  Sadly we weren't allowed to take any pictures inside.  We went shopping after, where my friend bought a bag worth EUR2,000++ at Brown Thomas. @_@  That night, we went on a tour aro
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Scotland =)

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Day 4 - Our first stop for the day is Hadrian's Wall , a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and after a few pictures, we crossed the England-Scotland border, and took more pictures there as well. =P  Our first stop in Scotland is Jedburgh where the Jedburgh Abbey and Mary Queen of Scots' House are.  It's also our lunch stop, my friend tried the Haggis, while I tried their scones.  Then we went on a guided tour to Sir Walter Scott's Abbotsford House .  After the tour, we're on our way to Edinburgh where we checked-in at Radisson Blu, a very nice hotel at the center of the city, then had a little walk around before it's time for our Scottish evening experience.  The Scottish evening includes dinner with some Scottish music and dancing, not that great but at least the Haggis is good. =) Day 5 - We went on a sightseeing tour with our local guide, wearing a kilt, around the city then stop at Holyrood Palace , the official residence of the British monarch in Scotla
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