Saturday, February 24, 2024
Louvre Museum in Paris, France
The Louvre or the Louvre Museum is one of the largest, oldest and most impressive museum in the world. It is a central landmark of Paris. Louvre is famous for its iconic pieces like the Monalisa, Winged Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo. It has an immense collection of artworks.
If you're going to use the public transportation, going by metro is one of the most recommended options. Go to line one (1) or seven (7) as both arrive at Palais Royal Musee du Louvre station.
Paris is the world's most visited destination. Paris' Eiffel Tower and The Louvre ranks first globally in 2022 and nationally in 2023. The Louvre Museum houses 380,000 objects and displays and 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial departments. Most artifacts are of French and Renaissance art masterpieces and also from Rome and Egypt. During the French Revolution of August 10, 1793, The Louvre Museum was opened with 537 paintings. Most of the displayed works came from royal family and church confiscations. There are more than eight million visitors who pass through halls of Louvre. The museum is so huge and measures 200,000 square meters. It opens from 9am to 6pm and closes every Tuesdays and important holidays. The admission ticket costs 17 euro.
1. The Eiffel Tower
2. Arc de Triomphe
3. Louvre Museum
4. Disneyland Paris
5. Notre dam cathedral
6. Montmarte and Sacre Coeur
7. Palace of Versailles
8. Luxembourg Park
9. The Pantheon
10. Moulin Rouge
Sunday, February 4, 2024
Antwerpen, Belgium
Antwerp is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. Antwerp gained fame as the center of the diamond industry and its legacy for its fine arts.
Belgium as a country is famous for its Belgian beers, Belgian waffles and Belgian chocolates.
Belgium has three (3) official languages: Dutch (Flemish), French and German. It also has three regions through Constitutional reforms in 1970s and 1980s, a compromise designed to minimize linguistic and cultural stress. The three regions are Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.
Wallonia has five provinces namely Walloon Brabant, Hainaut, Liege, Luxembourg, and Namur.
Brussels, the third region, functions as a Single capital region administration.
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| Grote Markt |
Belgium's official name is Kingdom of Belgium. Belgium is a constitutional, hereditary and known monarchy. The Kingdom of Belgium has a king and queen. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde married in 1999 and have four children namely Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eleonore.
In Belgium, the king has limited power. Parliament and Prime Minister is voted by the public since Belgium is a democratic country.
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| one of the Belgium-Netherland border, after crossing the street you have set foot to another country |
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| Park Den Brandt |
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| an underground restaurant in Antwerp |
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| MAS Museum as background |
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| biking in Grote Markt |
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| spring in Antwerp |
The top ten attractions in Antwerp are:
1. The Centraal Station
2. MAS Museum where you can see the whole of Antwerp
3. Het Steen
4. Vlaeykensgang, a hidden alley, type "Oude Kornmarkt 16" on google map and it will take you here
5. Cathedral of Our Lady and in front of it is the Nello and Patrasche statue
6. Zoo Antwerpen - just go outside the Centraal Station and you'll get here
7. Grote Markt
8. Plantin Moretus Museum
9. Red Star Line Museum
10. St. Paul's Church
Friday, December 22, 2023
Brugge, Belgium
Immediately after arriving in Brugge, we saw a shuttle bus that is offering a free ride every 20 minutes from the train station to the city center. It is more or less 1.5 kilometers in distance from the train station.
The best way to get around Brugge is on foot while biking is the second best. The city of Brugge is a small town where you can walk around easily.
Brugge is an hour and a half drive from Brussels and is listed as one of the UNESCO heritage. It is also one of Europe's best preserved cities. Once you set foot on Brugge, it won't take long to understand why it's well worth spending your day or two in this Flemish city.
Like most other historic cities in Europe, Brugge has its square. We sat in a while and listened to the band playing at that time.
My brother leads me to a chapel, the Basilica of the Holy Blood, a 12th century Catholic church. The church houses the relic of the holy blood of Jesus Christ collected by Joseph of Arimathea and brought from the Holy Land by Thierre of Alsace in 1150.
Basilica of the Holy Blood consists of lower and upper chapels. Entrance here is free but the church only opens from 10 am to 1pm in the morning and 2pm to 5pm in the afternoon from Mondays to Saturdays.
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Brugge that means "bridge" in old Dutch is a city with a number of canals. It is referred to as the "Venice of the North". The canal connects to the North Sea to the Belgian interior that also leads to other three canals and ends at the port of Zeebruge. The most beautiful canal in Brugge is the Groenerie.
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| the background is like a desktop screensaver from a computer |
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| my smile speaks on how I love Brugge |
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| Julia playing in a mini carnival at the square of Brugge |
Definitely, Brugge is famous for its beers and one of the best thing to do in Brugge is to taste a lot of variety of beers. According to google the best beers are 'T Brugs Beerje, Cafe Roast Red, De Garre, The Bauhaus, De Halve Maan, 2Be Beer Wall, Duvelorium. Brugge has the best bars, breweries and restaurants.
My sister-in-law, Ayen, asked me with all the places I've been in my 21 days of staying in Europe, on what is my favorite place or who topped as the most impressive city. I said it was Brugge. My brother and Ayen toured us in Belgium (Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Brugge), Luxembourg, Switzerland (Lucerne, Rheinfall), France (Paris), Netherlands, Germany. You have to see Brugge on why I did declare that it is on top of the places that I've been. Brugge is a place that lives and breathes history, both magical and genuine. It is like stepping into a fairytale, a nice and dreamlike location to visit.
Thursday, November 23, 2023
Brussels, Belgium
Brussels in Belgium is the first place in Europe i set my foot on. I was so excited before this trip because I just tried our luck to pass and be granted a Schengen visa.
Belgium is officially known as the Kingdom of Belgium. The Royale Palace in the first picture is home to the King and Queen of the Belgians, in the center of the nation's capital, Brussels.
The first on the list of places to visit in in Belgium is "The Atomium" in Brussels built by Engineer Andre Waterkeyn, Architects Andre and Jean Polak. It was built for the 1958 Brussel's World Fair. The Atomium is meant to be showcased for just six months, however, after six decades it is standing still for the reason that it attracts visitors and it one of the main attractions in Brussels.
The Atomium stands at 102 meters and one of the tallest structures in Belgium. Its spheres have a diameter of 18 meters, six of them can be explored. The structure is located at PI de I'Atomium 1, 1020 Brussels, Belgium.
Inside the Atomium is a Science center and museum. You'll find here educational exhibits, a restaurant, souvenir shop, and a viewpoint with panoramic view of Brussels.
After visiting "The Atomium", my brother leads us to Mont des Arts. It was built in 1910 for the Universal Exhibition. It is an urban complex that consists of the Royal Library of Belgium, The National Archives of Belgium, The Square, the equestrian statue of Albert I and the public garden.
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| Mont des Arts |
It is also in Brussels where you'll find the best shops for Belgian waffles. Look for Maison Dandoy (Galeries), Le Funambule, Waffle Factory, Los Churros and Waffles, Belgaufra, Gaufre de Bruxelles, and Galet.
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| mouth-watering Belgian waffles |
Mannequin Pis is one of the best symbols for Brussels. The statue which depicts a boy urinating into a fountain of water was in Brussels since 1618. One of the tales of the Mannequin Pis is a boy who saved Brussels from fire by peeing to the fuse of an explosive.
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| ganyan lang sya kaliit! |
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| Mannequin Pis in Brussels |
We also went to this very touristic location - The Grand Place or Grote Markt. It is Brussel's central square. The Grand Place is well known for its decorative and aesthetic wealth. It is surrounded by baroque guild houses, the city hall and the Maison du Roi.
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| in front of the Royale Palace |
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| the Royale Palace |
Unknown to many, Belgium is a hereditary parliamentary constitutional monarchy led by a King. The duties of the king are laid out by the Belgian Constitution. King Philippe or Filip is the King of the Belgians and his official palace is the Grand Royale Palace. King Philippe is the eldest child of King Albert II and Queen Paula. He succeeded his father in June 2013. He is married to Queen Mathilde d' Udekem d'Acoz in 1999. They have four children.
