TRAVEL DIARY: PORTO 4 Due to the persistent rain in the morning and looking like the same for the following days, we opted for a two-day hop-on-hop-off bus tour, conveniently stopping near our airbnb. From the top seats of the double decker bus we saw some amazing misty sceneries and public art. By the time…
Category: TRAVEL DIARY
Still wandering in Porto
TRAVEL DIARY: PORTO 3 BACK STORY: This is a continuation of my previous blog and this day, as I’ve said, it was pouring rain. While exploring, we stopped for lunch at a unique McDonald’s in downtown Porto, Portugal. Surprisingly, this restaurant, known as the McDonald’s Imperial, is housed in a historic café adorned with stunning…
Wandering in Porto
TRAVEL DIARY: PORTO 2 Since we were in Porto, we started our day with, you guessed it right, Portuguese tarts. Had it in the cafe right in front of the Livraria Lello. Livraria Lello is celebrated for its stunning blend of Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau styles, making it a must-visit. Established in 1906, it’s among…
First impressions of Porto
TRAVEL DIARY: PORTO 1 After a brisk journey aboard the Alfa Pendular, Portugal’s flagship Pendolinoa high-speed train, we arrived in Porto just past midday, so we were starving from the trip. Near our Airbnb, we stumbled upon a nearby restaurant where, unsure of what to choose, we trusted the owner’s recommendations for our meal. Francesinha…
Around town on our last day
TRAVEL DIARY: LISBON 4 Did you know that Uber fares are incredibly cheap in Portugal? We stumbled upon this discovery during our visit to Sintra when we opted for a taxi. Glad we found out because since then, Uber has become our go-to mode of transportation. So this was our last day in Lisbon and…
Discovering the charm of Obidos
TRAVEL DIARY: OBIDOS The next stop on our day trip is Obidos. This is one place not to be missed when in Lisbon … a gorgeous medieval town perched on top of a hill. As we entered the town through Porta da Vila, the main gate, we were greeted by a stunning balcony adorned with…
Exploring Portugal’s Coastal Gem
TRAVEL DIARY: NAZARE As we were leaving Fatima, the rain started again. We resumed our journey toward Nazare approximately an hour’s drive ahead. Glad to see the blue skies as we were approaching town. Nazare is one of the most picturesque seaside towns in Portugal Proceeded to the market stalls. Legend has it that nobleman…
Fatima then and now
TRAVEL DIARY: FATIMA The story begins in the village of Fatima, Portugal, on May 13, 1917. On that fateful day near that tiny village, The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, appeared to three young peasant children: Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia; ages 10, 9 and 7… As Catholics, hubby and I were interested to visit…
A morning at Quinta da Regaleira
TAVEL DIARY: SINTRA 1 The Quinta da Regaleira is located near the historic centre of Sintra, Portugal. It is protected within the UNESCO World Heritage site and is a mix of Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance architecture. It is an enchanting estate about half an hour from Lisbon. It was built by an eccentric Free…
Through the Tram 28 Window
TRAVEL DIARY: LISBON 3 Because of the wet weather, we opted for a tram ride to explore the significant sights of Lisbon rather than staying indoors. Went on the TRAM 28, one of the famous Lisbon icons. It passes through the popular tourist districts for about a 40-minute journey. It took us winding up (or…
Navigating Lisbon’s Stairways and Alleys
TRAVEL DIARY: LISBON 1 Jack and I reached Lisbon from Barcelona via Vuelling airlines in approximately 2 hours. Upon arrival, we met up with Tim and Leigh, who had traveled from London. We took an Uber to our Airbnb and true to the forecast it rained the whole day. After putting our luggage down and…
Embracing Barcelona’s Charm: on Our Last Day
TRAVEL DIARY BARCELONA 4: We had no precise plan for our last day in Barcelona except for the Banksy Museum. We headed off from our hotel and went on the direction of the Arc de Triomf which is a memorial arch in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was built by architect Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas as…
A walk through Dali’s Mind in Figueres
TRAVEL DIARY: FIGUERES About a 40 minute bus ride from Girona took us to Figueres, the home town of Salvador Dali. “I want my museum to be a single block, a labyrinth, a great surrealist object. It will be [a] totally theatrical museum. The people who come to see it will leave with the sensation…
Park Guell: a fairytale-like experience
TRAVEL DIARY BARCELONA 3: Another place not to be missed when visiting Barcelona is Park Güell: it’s a fairytale-like experience featuring whimsical architecture, vibrant mosaics, and lush gardens meticulously crafted by Antoni Gaudí. Took an Uber to the Carretera del Carmel entrance of Park Güell. We chose the earliest available slot, I factored in my…
A walk through Casa Batllo
TRAVEL DIARY BARCELONA 1: After tiring our legs out in Paris for four days, hubby and I opted for a more leisurely pace in Barcelona. Our plan: two key attractions at the most daily, with the rest of the time dedicated to leisurely strolls around the city. Walked approximately 25 minutes from our hotel to…
Parisian Art Exploration
TRAVEL DIARY: PARIS 3 On our final day in Paris, October 11th, we aimed to explore as many Art attractions as we could before leaving. Initially, our plan was to visit Sainte Chapelle, but without a prebooking, the lengthy queue stalled our progress for 30 minutes. We opted to change course and explore another destination…
Strolling Through the City: A Parisian Adventure
TRAVEL DIARY: PARIS 2 On October 10th, we embarked on the Batobus, eager to explore multiple stops with the flexibility of hopping on and off. Linked to Jo’s Monday Walk First stop: Jardin des Plantes. Walked by without going in—hubby and I weren’t too interested. Went past the Botanical Gardens… This is the stop where…
A day in Montmartre
TRAVEL DIARY: MONTMARTRE 9th of October, our day started off early with breakfast at our hotel at 8 am. It wasn’t the usual buffet breakfast but wow was it so yum and healthy-ish. Great start of the day. Went on the metro just a 1 minute walk from our hotel. Emerged from this Metro station…
Paris, here we come…
TRAVEL DIARY: PARIS 1 We took the Eurostar from London to Paris on the 8th of October. The moment we emerged from the bustling Gare du Nord station in Paris we were greeted by a spectacular view and sunshine. The hotel we reserved on Belleville turned out to be small, but it wasn’t as tiny…
Finsbury Park doors
TRAVEL DIARY: LONDON Departed Melbourne on October 4th, I endured a challenging 25-hour flight (including stopovers and layovers), finally reaching Heathrow Airport in the early morning. Upon our early arrival in London at my son’s place, I resisted the urge to nap, aiming to maintain my sleep schedule. Instead, I took a stroll around my…
Back in Ilocos Sur
(Road Trip Part 4) TRAVEL DIARY: VIGAN The last time we were here was in October of 2016. This is the UNESCO World Heritage City of Vigan, Established in the 16th century, this is the best-preserved Spanish colonial town in Asia. Calle Crisologo, the main street that is only open to pedestrians and horse drawn…
Last Day in Santiago
(Road Trip Part 3) TRAVEL DIARY: SANTIAGO 3 It is our last day in Santiago, Ilocos Sur so I wanted to have a time all to myself for a change. I wandered off around the grounds of Vitalis Villas before breakfast and savoured the sun, the wind and the sky. I didn’t realise it but…
Along the Seaside
(Road Trip part 2) TRAVEL DIARY: SANTIAGO 2 On our second day in Ilocos Sur, only three of us went for our walk bright and early to catch the sunrise, while the others were still fast asleep. The ambiance of the place may be very different from my previous post but it is owned by…
Santorini of the North
(Road Trip part 1) TRAVEL DIARY: SANTIAGO 1 I haven’t been to Greece so when my sister and nephew suggested that we go for a few days in this place said to be the Santorini of the North, then I didn’t hesitate on agreeing to go. This is quite a new experience for all of…
BGC Mural Walk
TRAVEL DIARY: BGC Bonifacio Global City also known as BGC is known for its stunning skyscrapers, its many restaurants catering to all types if cuisines, its colourful surroundings, and now for its many instagrammable murals dotting the city. BGC is a financial district in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. It is located 11 km south-east of…
Museum Street in Angono
TRAVEL DIARY: ANGONO 2 Our Art road trip to Angono continues to Doña Aurora Street in Barangay Poblacion Itaas. It is home to the late National Artist Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco.. As a tribute, murals made of cement were installed on the walls that lined the street. These concrete murals were based on the actual…
The Orlina Museum in Tagaytay
TRAVEL DIARY: TAGAYTAY Modern indoor and outdoor museum featuring the works of internationally-acclaimed glass sculptor Ramon Orlina. The museum has four levels of exhibit area. The plus factor is that there’s some spectacular view of the famous Taal Lake from most window views of the museum. I really enjoyed the sculpture garden and the roof…
Road Trip to Angono
TRAVEL DIARY: ANGONO 1 Angono, Rizal is said to be the art capital of the Philippines. It is about an hours drive from Makati CBD (depending on the traffic… which I know is very unpredictable). The town traces its artistic roots to Angono Petroglyphs in Binangonan, the oldest rock art in the Philippines, with over…
Philippines Diary
And as a Filipino OPM (Original Pilipino Music) by Hotdog song goes: ManilaI keep coming back to ManilaSimply no place like ManilaManila I’m coming home TRAVEL DIARY: PHILIPPINES I should say that there are things that I don’t miss in the Philippines… the corrupt government is on top of my list. The sticky feeling that…
A rainy day in Budapest
“I told them they’d see me walking in the rain in Budapest.” – Mary Chapin Carpenter’ TRAVEL DIARY: BUDAPEST 2 Our fifth and last day in Budapest was very cold and wet but that didn’t stop hubby and I to make the most of our day. We decided to go back to those places that…