Chandelier inside the St. Vitus Cathedral at the Prague Castle

Hanging lamps provide a quiet atmosphere mood for contemplation at the church of Sts. Peter and Paul at the Vysehrad Castle

Chandeliers and other stylish lighting fixtures lend an artistic touch to a room, aside from providing mood lighting. They’re even considered as art centerpieces to hotels and some homes. Finding one for your home can’t be that easy though since they should complement the room’s look.
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Here are some of the tourist attractions in Beijing that I wish to visit someday:

1. Forbidden City - a UNESCO World Heritage site, which served as the Chinese imperial palace and home of the Emperor and his family during the Ming and Qing Dynasty. It would be nice to tour around its courts, walls, gates, gardens and other surroundings and drop by the Palace Museum where ancient artifacts and other collections are kept.

photo by ehnmark

2. Great Wall of China - one of China’s famous landmarks and another UNESCO World Heritage site. A section of the wall can be accessed at Badaling, northwest of Beijing.

photo by ehnmark

3. Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception – referred to as Nantang or the South Cathedral, the oldest Catholic Church in Beijing.

photo of the Cathedral interior from wikipedia

4. Temple of Heaven - another must-see for me, since it is described as a “masterpiece of architecture and landscape design” being chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998.

photo by ehnmark

5. Summer Palace - another UNESCO World Heritage site, with scenic parks, gardens and lakes.

photo by Asten

These are just few of the places to visit in Beijing, with its many historic buildings, temples, churches, parks, gardens, shopping and business districts.

I’ve been browsing over some stylish eyewear at Zenni Optical. They offer discounted deals on prescription eyeglasses and their products are even recommended by The Clark Howard Show, a consumer advocate radio program. To order from the website, be sure to have your prescription information on hand such as your eye grade, spherical correction, astigmatism and other important details.

Here’s one of their featured fashion eyeglasses:

Tailored Fashion Acetate Full-Rim Frame with Spring Hinge

There are two color options for this model, and the burgundy outside clear pink inside is a good choice for that girly look. When ordering for a specific pair, you have the option of using anti reflection coating for the lens which for me is a must. Adding tint to your pair is also possible with lens tint colors from gray, green, amber to blue, purple, pink and yellow and tint choices ranging from 10%, 50% to 80%.

Recently, I cooked Tom Yum which is a Thai spicy sour soup with shrimp (or any seafood), mushrooms, lemongrass and lime. Too bad the fish was not fresh (it was fish fillet bought straight from the frozen food section) and not as tasty as the fresh catch we usually buy from the wet market back home.

Seafood is quite pricey here in Europe so I’ll just content myself with the photos of some of the food we ordered during cutie sis’ birthday celebration at Enteng’s of Sagay in Lacson Street, Bacolod City few months ago:

Crispy Shrimps

Kinilaw (raw Tanguigue or Spanish mackerel in vinegar with chopped onions, ginger, tomato, and red chilies)

Grilled Squid

Some schools include educational tours in their curriculum,  such as a study visit to industrial companies to learn about the production process, or visit museums and art galleries to know more about a place’s history and culture. Travel companies such as Hemisphere Educational Travel provide student travel service for educational tours worldwide which are really intended for the needs of students. These educational tours are a different learning experience for the students outside their classrooms. It’s even more fun since the students travel with their classmates, thus giving them not just an educational experience but a memorable trip as well.

We stopped first at the famous Cemetery Chapel with Ossuary (a place to keep the bones of the dead) which was built during the late 14th century. The unique interior of the cemetery chapel contrasts its simple exterior design. Inside the chapel, you can see bones intricately made into a massive chandelier, as wall moldings and other decorations. These bones were estimated to come from the 40,000 people who died during the epidemic in the 14th century and during the Hussite wars early in the 15th century.

Inside the Ossuary, tourists inspecting the details of the bone decorations

One of the Baroque candelabras (candle holders) at the middle of the chapel, decorated with skulls and with an angel sitting on top

The intricate arrangement of skulls and bones as ceiling decorations

The main altar

The Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms with the pyramid of bones behind

The simple chapel exterior

Stepping inside gave me a bit of a creepy feeling especially seeing the piles of bones, though I can’t help but admire the creativity of the artist, Czech wood carver František Rint, with the skeletal art work and arrangement particularly the elaborate Schwarzenberg coat-of-arms.

One of my dream destinations in southeastern Europe is Greece, a place which abounds in history and charm. How nice it would be to visit the Acropolis and climb until its summit where the ancient ruins of sacred buildings and especially the Parthenon is located. It would be such an experience to be walking over such historical site. The Greek Islands are interesting destinations as well. These top tourist destinations can be visited via Greek island cruises, where you get to be onboard a luxury vessel with all the amenities of a hotel while enjoying a nice view of the sea and islands from afar.

The Greek Islands are made up of over 6,000 islands and are grouped into the Saronic islands, the Northern Sporades, the Ionian islands, the Dodecanese islands, Aegean islands, the Cyclades, Crete and surrounding islands, Euboea and surrounding islands, and some islets near the mainland. For instance, Santorini which is part of the Cyclades group is famous for its beaches – the Perissa, Kamari black pebble beach, the white beach and red beach. This volcanic island boasts of natural and scenic beauty and has been the usual choice as TV and video location for Greek and Brazilian shows. Even some Hollywood movies such as Tomb Raider II were filmed in Santorini. Another island worth visiting is Crete, which is a unique mixture of modern and ancient buildings and architecture.

Going on a cruise is like staying on a floating resort. Cruise lovers can also check out other destinations (ports of call) such as the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Florida and more from Carnival Cruise Lines. Travel bugs who would like an Eastern Caribbean or South America cruise can have it via Celebrity Cruise Line which is a premium cruise line for couples, families and bigger groups.

Photo credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:192869736_c3090f211d_o-1-.jpg

It’s best to stay longer though and consider San Diego weekly rentals to make the most out of your vacation. There’s Mission Bay in San Diego for all sorts of water activities, and tourists can visit nearby reef breaks of La Jolla, Sunset Cliffs, Bird Rock and others. For those who would like to go on shopping spree, there are many shops and boutiques at Belmont Park, Garnet Avenue and more. Those who would like to consider living here can check out San Diego beach real estate and choose among the many properties available.

Thailand Land of Smiles (26)
Toltec Insights with Dr. Susan Gregg (25)
My Trips (24)
rainydazeee (23)
Travel Guides ( 23)
Angels on Your Shoulder (22)
Pastel Corner (19)
Travel Asia (17)
Hollywood Star (17)

Thanks to my July advertisers as well… is there a way to track previous advertisers on Entrecard?

One more thing… special thanks to Beadalicious for the Arte Y Pico award… sorry I decided not to post my own list of blogs for this award since it would take lots of time for me to browse through all these inspiring blogs I’ve enjoyed reading via Entrecard.

Have a great Sunday ahead!  :)

My stay here has added more to my travel memories such as having a picnic at the Kirjurinluoto Park and walking by the Kokemäenjoki River, dropping by the Central Pori Church (Keski-Porin kirkko), checking out the Jazz Street during the recently concluded Pori Jazz 43rd Festival, learning about Pori’s history at the Satakunta Museum, enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon at Yyteri Beach and shopping around some of the department stores and shops in the city center.

With niece Az and nephew Rj at the Satakunta Museum

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Bringing with us picnic food and supplies, we went in two groups – mom, dad, cutie sis, baby C, and sis’ hubby in one car and big sis, the three kids, me and their family friend (who’s gracious enough to drive us there with his car) as the other group. Arriving at the parking area, I noticed the many vehicles lined up and most of them were campers. There’s a wide camping ground nearby where you can see many tents pitched.

On our way…who would have thought that there’s a beach waiting behind those thick trees?

Ahhh… I see it now… the blue waters are calling!

Still more walking… on foot on a long wooden plank through the dunes to reach the beach.

We’re finally here!  :)

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As my Mom would always tell me, the more you can accommodate new food for your taste buds, the more adaptable you are as a person. So, am I that adventurous when it comes to trying out new food? Well, not that much I guess! Anyway, I do am open to trying out new dishes especially if they look yummy.
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With the ongoing Pori Jazz Festival, most shops are on sale with big discounts even up to 70%. There’s the ‘buy two take one’, the ‘buy three get one for free’ and other enticing promos. Luckily big sis and I were able to do some shopping as well. Recently, we found some ‘treasures’ of clothes at a nearby department store and we bought them at really reasonable price.
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One thing that Pori is famous for is its annual international jazz festival which started in the year 1966 and since then is known throughout Europe as a prestigious music festival. This year is the 43rd festival which kicked off last July 12 and will end until the 20th. Various concerts are held simultaneously in different locations within Pori, with the main stage and arena at Kirjurinluoto Park, and more concerts held daily at the JazzStreet along the Kokemäenjoki river, the Radio Nova stage, Klubi, Theatre, Otava Factory and other venues.

Being an international music festival, it has drawn many notable performers such as Miles Davis, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Sting and lots more. This year’s event highlights performances by Santana, Bob Geldof, Shaggy and Mary J Blige and tickets are already sold out.
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Visiting castles would always be on the travel itinerary of tourists when going to Europe. It’s like stepping into the days of kings and queens, or imagining you’re part of a fairy tale. Getting inside the medieval castle of Turku acquaints the visitor of Finland’s rich culture and history, each stair or doorway leading to more interesting rooms and displays.

The Renaissance castle exterior (or bailey) was constructed during the 15th to 16th centuries, while its main building (or keep) dates back to the early 14th century. The castle was subjected to some damage during World War II, but was gradually restored to its original grandeur through the years, afterwhich its ownership was entrusted to the Finnish state and presently managed by the City of Turku.
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Baby C at the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport

Anyway, touring around with a baby can be a challenge especially when we have to bring her stroller, assembling and disassembling it, carrying it up some steps or during times when she doesn’t want to sit on it and just want to be carried by us. There’s also the law of using baby car seats for safety reasons. it’s just nice though that the baby also enjoys the views as much as the grown-ups do and sometimes she just claps her hand at the birds or whatever sights that interest her.
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Along the Aura River

It was late in the afternoon when we arrived, so we lost no time in dropping by one of its famous landmarks, the Turku Castle. Being the oldest city of Finland and one of its former capital, Turku (Abo in Swedish) boasts of a rich history particularly in the Middle Ages as well as being designated as one of the future European Capitals of Culture (2011).
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The Rauma Biennale Balticum 2008 art festival is currently ongoing at the Rauma Art Museum in Old Rauma, Finland. The exhibition, which started last June 14 and will end on September 21, features prominent Biennale artists such as Aija Zarina, Krista Leesi, Lutz Mommartz, Malgorzata Markiewicz and many others with this year’s theme ‘Flower Power’ which showcases a blend of contemporary art and tropical inspiration.
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Situated in the Satakunta Province, in the western part of Finland, Old Rauma is a UNESCO World Heritage site since it represents the history of Scandinavia’s early towns constructed in wood. Notable buildings/sites are the Old Town Hall, Marela Museum, Kirsti Museum, Rauma Art Museum, Church of the Holy Cross and the Ruins of the Church of the Holy Trinity.
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