Saturday, March 2, 2024
Ueno, Tokyo
Ueno is located at the north-east of the city center in the Taito district, also famous for being the Tokyo's gateway to the north.
How to get to Ueno Tokyo?
Access Ueno station by taking the Metro Ginza and Hibiya lines. You can also get here by train thru Keisei line and by JR Shinkansen trains.
Ueno is famous for its museums like the Tokyo National Museum, National Museum for Western Art, Tokyo Metropolitan Art and the National Science Museum. It is also Tokyos' most popular leisure district. Ueno is also home to Ueno Zoo, a 14.3 hectare zoo, Japan's oldest zoo that opened in 1882.
We got our authentic and legit Adidas and Reebok shoes from 2400 yen to 4800 yen (Php900 to Php1800) and our adidas cap for 1600 yen and NY cap for 4200 yen less 10% and another less 20% for following their instagram page and another less 10% if you meet their promo of buying 5 items in one transaction. How cool is that?
Ueno is an easy access to Akihabara. You can walk here by foot in just ten (10) minutes. We rented a place in Asakusa, and we went to Ueno three times just by walking. Ueno is also an easy access to Shibuya, Shinjuku, Hibiya park, Ginza, Sensoji temple, and Nakamise Street
Saturday, February 24, 2024
The Centraal Station in Antwerpen, Belgium
The Centraal Station is named as the most beautiful not just in Europe but in the whole world. The Centraal Station is designed by Architect Louis Delacenserie and constructed from 1895-1905. Architect Delacenseria took his inspiration from the Pantheon of Rome and also from the Swiss station of Lucerne. It was known also as the Railway Cathedral and inaugurated on August 11, 1905.
The station has been renovated and was led by Architect Jacques Voncke, and commissioned by Eurostation in 2009 still preserving its architectural treasure while drastically increasing capacity and modernization of passenger facilities.
Top routes in Antwerpen Centraal are Antwerp to Brussels airport, Antwerp to Amsterdam Schipol airport, Antwerp to Brussels Midi, Antwerp to Rotterdam, Netherlands, Antwerp to Amsterdam Centraal and Antwerp to Charleroi Sud.
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| Julia with Tito Raymond |
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
7. Grote Markt
8. Plantin Moretus Museum
9. Red Star Line Museum
10. St. Paul's Church
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.
