PARK GUELL

The Park Guell is a very huge garden complex  designed by famous the  Spanish architech Antoni Gaudi. It is situated on the hill of El Carmel in   Barcelona, Spain. The park which measures 17.18 hectares is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 The central  point of interest of  the park is the main terrace.It is surrounded by a long bench in the form of a sea serpent.The serpent benchs' curves form numerous enclaves.  There is a  large cross at the high-point of the Park wherein visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of the city.

 

 

Gaudi incorporates natural structures into its design. The columns were made to look like tree trunks. He also uses stones.

 

 

 

The park is so huge , allot at least a half day to visit this park especially if you are planning to hike  and see the large cross.

 

 

 

 

 

A sample of Guell's famous mosaic can also be found in Singapore, particularly at the Sentosa.

IRUN, SPAIN

Irun is one of the biggest town in Gipuzkoa, Spain. Its name means  'fortified town'. The town  is located on the border between Spain and France.

 I was able visit Irun when i joined a group of Filipinos from Paris for a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lords. It is part of the itinerary together with a visit to Biarritz, also a border city between Spain and France.

 

The main purpose of our visit here is for my companions to buy tax free goods. Most of them bought boxes wines and liquors, prices here is so much cheaper than in Paris.  

 

The low prices of goods here makes it a tourist attraction itself.Proof is the numbers of tourist buses park accross the market. 

This quiet town is of Basque origin as manifested by some of its  buildings. 

 

BARCELONA - BEAUTIFUL SPANISH CITY ON THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST

Barcelona, the Spanish city   located on the Mediterranean coast is one  of world's leader in terms of tourism. Almost all Mediterranean cruises docks here.

The city takes pride  for the works of the famous Spanish architecture Antoni Gaudi. His works includes:
Park Guell  -  enormous park with the impressive works of Gaudi.
Sagrada Familia -This Basilica's construction begun some 200 years ago yet it is still unfinished up to this day.

Barcelona's skyline photo taken from one of the Sagrada Familia's tower

Barcelona's own version of Arc de Triomphe

my former classmate in High School with her friend

 

Aside from the impressive arts courtesy of Gaudi, the city also offer great food most famous is the paella. What better way to taste the famous Spanish cuisine than devouring it right at the heart of the city, on Las Ramblas that is. This pedestrianised  street is very famous to tourists. It is where where you can find cheap hotels, restaurants, bars,  shopping and all kinds of entertainment to attract tourists.

Spain's famous cuisine.. Paella

al fresco dining at Las Ramblas

at Las Ramblas

At  the south end of the Las Ramblas is the Port Vell. Going further is the L' Aquarium and a shopping mall by the bay. 

On its northern end is the  Placa Catalunya Square. Just across the square is the huge seven floor department store,  Corte Ingles. 

There are lots to see in this Spanish city but with only 2 days(less actually) here I only got to visit the sites mentioned above. I am planning to visit Barcelona again and hopefully the Sagrada Familia would already be fully constructed. 

Placa Catalunya

 

 

 

 

TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE:MY FIRST INTERNATIONAL SOLO ADVENTURE

It was a lazy-rainy-winter-day when I decided to organize my photos and  came across to this album taken way back in 2009. It dawned on me that this is my first ever international solo backpacking adventure. It is a two- week summer get away in France and a side trip to  Spain.

At that time, I was not yet fluent in Italian and I don't speak French nor Spanish but I researched and found out that English is widely spoken in those said countries.To my surprise, some French and Spanish words are somewhat similar to Italy's language. For clarification, I only got to understand a French or Spanish word when it is written,pronunciation  is so much different  especially  French.

Anyway, I initially planned to go to Paris where I will meet my friend, Myra. We have known each other way back  in the Philippines. Later on, I decided to go to Barcelona as a side trip for 2 days(including my travel time), thus I booked a flight with the main purpose of visiting the Sagrada Familia . Lucky me, I was able to book a promo ticket for 50Euro round trip. Through Friendster( Facebook was not yet popular at that time ) I contacted a former High school classmates who is based in Barcelona. The power of internet!.

 My trip became more memorable when suddenly a group of Filipinos organized  a pilgrimage tour  to the Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine on the  day after my arrival from Barcelona. I immediately reserved my slot even though I didn't know anyone in the group. All my companions were   all Ilonggos( Iloilo, Ph) except me but I never felt out of place rather I gained new friends. For 150 Euro everything were all free, from transportation, food and accommodation plus a side trip to Biarritz and Irun. There was never a dull moment even when we were on the road.We played Bingo in the bus and well, I won 24euro...talking about lucky huh!

Between Barcelona and Paris in terms of nightlife, I would go for Barcelona. The Catalonia's city is more vibrant and alive compared to Paris. Some of my friends and acquaintances  who had already visited Paris   agreed with me that the French capital is overrated. Well, we all have different perspectives and for me that's how I see the two famous cities.

HOTEL HOMS - ROME

Hotel Homs is a four(4) star hotel, according to the hotel's website, in Rome. It is strategically located very near the Spanish Steps.Just opposite the reception area is the Vuda Bar, where guests can have their breakfast.

I had the chance to stay here just for a night before my 9-day trip to Thailand last year. The hotel is beautiful outside but the room where i stayed  smelled awful apart from its small size.For a 4 star hotel, my room especially my bed don't fit in that category. 

 

There's just one thing i like about the room, its the bathroom. The glass sink/lavatory made the bathroom looked modern. Even the shower door is in glass. Above all the toilet bowl was sealed. I've never seen a sealed toilet bowl before.  

 

 

To sum it up, the hotel have a very good location but the room was too small and smelled bad( I'm speaking on the  room where I stayed only I don't know if its the same case with the other rooms)