Travel The World

From Minsk, we're on our way to Warsaw, Poland! ^^  It's a pretty long travel so it was late afternoon already when we reached Warsaw.  Not to waste the day, we decided to walk around the city with a map and a very nice weather. =)  Most of the shops are closing so there's not much to see, until we saw the Palace of Culture and Science .  We took some pictures even if it's dark already, we went back the next day to take pictures again but it looks better at night. =) The next morning, we made a short stop at the Royal Lazienki Park (Royal Baths Park) to take our group picture at the famous monument of Fryderyk Chopin .  Too bad we don't have enough time that we can't explore the place, they said it's huge and had lots to see. We went straight to the Old Town .  The entrance to the Old Town is the Castle Square where the Royal Castle (but we didn't enter though =S) and King Zygmunt III Waza Column are located.  With a local guide, we walked thr

From Moscow, we drove passed Borodino, the site of Napoleon's (French) invasion of Russia, known as the Battle of Borodino.  We stopped by Smolensk for lunch before we continue our drive to Minsk, the capital of Belarus.  Before finally reaching the city, we passed by the Hill of Glory along the Minsk-Moscow Highway.  The memorial complex was built in honor of the victory in the Great Patriotic War and the soil for the hill were collected from different cities and fields where the most fierce battles were. We entered Minsk through it's main street, the Independence Avenue and had a short stop at Victory Square for some pictures.  At the center of the square is the granite Victory Monument with a replica of the Order of Victory on top.  Next stop is our hotel, Minsk Hotel, to check-in then dinner. Just a corner away from our hotel is the Independence Square .  Before dinner, we were able to walk around Independence Square and see the Cathedral of St. Simeon and St. H

From Novgorod, we arrived in Moscow late afternoon already, so after checking-in the hotel and dinner, we went straight to the famous Moscow Metro .  Our tour director picked a number of stations that we stopped at and they all have different architectural designs and all are amazing!  It's like walking along an underground palace in one station, then to a museum the next, etc.  The metro is bustling with people so we can't spend too much time admiring the designs and taking pictures, but it's really worth the visit. =) The last station we got out from leads to the Red Square .  The Red Square is really beautiful at night, with St. Basil's Cathedral and the Spasskaya Tower lighted, and the GUM Department Store so bright with all the light bulbs.  We've also seen the Red Square by day when we went back the following day, the place showed a different charm by day than seeing it at night. On our 2nd day in Moscow, we traveled to the town of Sergiyev Posad (f

On our 3rd day in St. Petersburg, we enjoyed walking along the canal where they offer a cruise for those who wants to tour the city through the canal.  Then we're off to The State Hermitage Museum , one of the largest and oldest museums in the world.  The museum has a huge collection of paintings and other art and culture pieces.  The whole museum is so enormous that it's easy to get lost inside.  We saw the Peacock Clock, then entered via the council staircase, and the rooms like the Large Italian Skylight Room, Gallery of the History of Ancient Paintings, The Great Imperial Throne, St. George Hall, The War Gallery of 1812, etc.  The place is huge and there's just so much to see but we don't have much time so we had a quick lunch and we're on the road again to our next destination, Novgorod. Novgorod is in the middle of St. Petersburg and Moscow, so before going to Moscow, we stayed one night in Novgorod to appreciate the city.  We stopped at the Novgorod

We left our hotel earlier than usual because we'll be crossing the border to Russia.  Our first stop in St. Petersburg is the Peter and Paul Fortress where the Peter and Paul Cathedral is located.  We were able to go inside the cathedral where the remains of Russian Emperors and Empresses were buried. On our way to our next destination, we passed by St. Isaac's Cathedral and the statue of Peter the Great called the Bronze Horseman .  We arrived at the Moika Palace , also called the Yusupov Palace because it belonged to the House of Yusupov, a wealthy Russian noble family.  The building is also the site of Grigori Rasputin's (a.k.a. the "mad monk") murder, and they also have a wax figure exhibit of the murder scene in the exact rooms where it happened.  The whole palace is amazing!  Starting from the marble grand staircase with intricate ceiling designs, and each room has it's own theme, there's a music room, Blue Bedroom, Ballroom, Red Drawing Roo

On our way to Helsinki, we boarded Silja Line cruise ship for an overnight trip.  Just like the usual cruise ships, they take your picture as you board, and you'll see them on sale later on in the gallery. ^^  Our tour director picked an early dinner buffet reservation since there are many guests on board. After dinner, we went to the upper deck to enjoy the sunset.  The wind was so strong that we had to hold on to our jackets, lol! XD  We walked around the lobby and checked out the shops before we finally decided to hit the sack to prepare for another day. =) The next day after breakfast, we finally arrived at Helsinki, Finland! =)  We went straight for a city tour passing by Finlandia Hall , Senate Square , Market Square , and the Uspenski Cathedral .  Next we stopped at Sibelius Park to take some photos of the Sibelius Monument before we head to our hotel for check-in. That afternoon, we head to the city on our own to check out the places we passed by on the tour and

Leaving Copenhagen, we traveled north-east across Oresund to Smaland .  We had a short stop for lunch and saw a couple of preserved moose, they're huge!  We don't have moose in our country so even if they're preserved, it's my first time to see a life-size moose.  We continue the journey past Lake Vattern and viewed the Brahehus Castle towards Stockholm. Upon arrival in Stockholm, we checked-in our hotel, a few minutes rest and we leave again experience a panoramic view of Stockholm.  We went to the Kaknas Tower , it's a TV tower that allows visitor to go up it's viewing deck and see the city of Stockholm.  We end our day with a dinner at Solnadals Vardshus , it's a really pretty small old fashioned restaurant with servers in aprons. =) The next day, we had a guided tour inside the Stockholm City Hall .  We entered the Blue Hall where the Nobel Banquet is held every year.  Just above is the Gold Room where the guests dance after the banquet.  The

In the morning after breakfast, we drove to Rostock to board our ferry to Denmark. =)  The ferry ride took about 2 hours so we had enough time to have lunch and check out the duty free shopping on board. ^^  Upon arrival, we took our coach again and drive to Copenhagen.  We checked-in our hotel, my favorite hotel in this whole tour, Marriott Copenhagen! With a map in hand, we walk from the hotel to explore the city.  We stopped by the Copenhagen Central Station to change some money, it's an old style train station that reminds me of Harry Potter. ^^  Walking further, we reached the Tivoli Gardens , one of the oldest amusement parks in the world.  Just across the street is the Copenhagen City Hall situated at The City Hall Square.  Walking further is the Stroget , the world's longest pedestrian shopping street, truly a shopping heaven from expensive luxury brands to cheap bargains. ^^ Stroget is not all shopping though, as we walk along the different streets, we p

It's another wish come true, God blessed me with the chance to travel again to the other side of the world, Europe!  Thank You, Lord! ^_^  My first time to Europe was in 2008 (you can read about it here >> Europe ) where we mostly visited the most popular tourist spots in different countries.  So for our 2nd time, we decided to choose a more unique experience, we joined Trafalgar's " Scandinavia Russia and Independent States 2012 " First Class Tour. =) My post is actually a bit late already because I've been too caught up with work.  After my 3 weeks vacation, I have to catch up with so much backlogs when I got back.  We joined the tour last May, it's the end of spring so the weather is really nice. =)  Our first stop is Berlin, Germany.  I've been to Germany on my first Europe trip but I've never been to Berlin so it's an all new experience for me. ^^ We arrived before noon, went to the hotel, rest a little, then walked around the c