Bantog Backpackers

Sunday, September 10, 2023

The Netherlands, more commonly known as Holland, is a country located in Northeastern Europe. The Netherlands is a small country bordered by Belgium and Germany.

The Netherlands is known otherwise as Kingdom of the Netherlands, Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, and Nederland.

The language used in the Netherlands is Dutch (Netherlandic), also spoken in Belgium (where it is called Flemish).

From Antwerp, Belgium to Rotterdam, Netherlands is 100.5 kilometers away and is only an hour and 8 minutes drive. I always wonder why my brother and his wife would usually go to market from Belgium to Netherlands. It is easier to go here than from Balanga, Bataan to Divisoria, haha!

Rotterdam is the second largest city in The Netherlands. We can find here the Port of Rotterdam, Europe's largest seaport. It has a surface area of 12,600 hectares.

Because it is Saturday, my brother and sister in-law brought us to Rotterdam from Antwerp, Belgium to shop. the Binnenrotte market is a place to do buying from fruits, to veggies, seeds, plants, clothes, bags, and everything you need during Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Dutch cheeses made from raw milk, which is more expensive to produce than pasteurized milk. Gouda cheese is the most famous and most produced. Free taste lang kami, haha!

The Binnenrotte market leads to Rotterdam's famous tourist attraction - The Cube Houses. It was designed by Piet Blom. The Cube has 38 small cubes and two super cubes attached to each other. The cube houses are liveable. One of the owners decided to open a "show cube" so that tourists can see what's inside for a small fee. A cube house has three floors - first floor with living room and kitchen, second floor with two bedrooms and bathrooms and the third floor is often used as a small garden. The walls and windows are angled at 54.7 degrees

Walking a little further from the Cube Houses shows us to Markthal, a residential and office building with markethall underneath. The building has glass facade on both sides. It is the largest glass window cable structure in Europe. The overwhelming artwork inside Markthal is called " Hoorn des Overvloeds" or Horn of Plenty by Arno and Iris Coenen.

Horn of Plenty - an artwork inside Markthal

Dutch have worn wooden shoes in the 13th century. They are otherwise known as klompen. It is more commonly used now by farmers but most of the wooden shoes now are in souvenir shops.

One of the sex shops along streets of Rotterdam

A lot of street art are also abundant along the streets of Rotterdam

Monday, September 4, 2023

From Antwerp, Belgium, our itinerary for this day was to explore Luzern, Switzerland. Going Switzerland, I was fortunate enough that my brother would give me a glimpse of Luxembourg, the richest country in the world.

Luxembourg is the wealthiest country in the European Union, per capita. This country is encircled by France, Germany and Belgium - also the country's main trading partners. From Antwerp, it took us 3 hours and 10 minutes to travel by car. Luxembourg is 252 kilometers from Antwerp.

Constitution Square

Monument of Remembrance

The mode of transportation at Luxembourg is through buses, trains and trams. Traveling throughout the country is free and Luxembourg is the first country to offer free transportation nationwide. Since February 29, 2020, all forms of public transport have been free for residents and tourists. The passenger will only need to buy ticket if they want to travel first class or if your journey will cross the border of France, Belgium and Germany.

The top 15 best things to do and visit in Luxembourg are the following:

1. Notre Dame Cathedral
2. Neumunster Abbey/Cathedral
3. City History Museum
4. Place Guillaume II
5. Constitution Square
6. Adolphe Bridge
7. Avenue de la Liberte
8. Grand Ducal Palace
9. Museum Drai Eechelen
10. Am Tunnel
11. Monument of Remembrance
12. Bock Casemates
13. Grand Ducal Palace
14. National Museum of Art and History
15. Luxembourg American Cemetery

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Namsan Tower or N Seoul Tower was first established as a broadcast tower in 1969. It is used to send out radio and TV signals. Now, it is one of the most touristic attraction in South Korea and a favorite K-drama locations such as True Beauty, Boys Over Flowers and Legend of the Blue Sea. It's exact location is 105 Namsangongwon-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

How to get to Namsan Tower?

* Ride Subway lane 4 to Myeongdong Station. Then go out of Exit 4. From there walk for around 8-10 minutes and find the slanted elevator (Namsan Oreumi). Get to the elevator going to Namsan cable car. Travel time is 15 minutes.The distance from Myeongdong to Namsan is one kilometer.

* The nearest subway station, Hoeyeon, is a 5 minute walk to Namsan Park Baekbeom Square entrance and another 6-8 minutes walk to Seoul Education Research and Information Institute.

* From Myeongdong take bus number 5 going to Namsan Tower.

The towers sits at 236.7 meters high. The top of the tower is 479.7 meters above sea level.

Namsan Tower is also famous for its love locks. The gift shops at Seoul Tower also sells different kinds, shapes and color of love locks.

love locks <3

Monday, May 22, 2023

Namiseom or Nami Island is one of the best tourist attractions near Seoul. Nami is located in the city of Chuncheon, northeast of Seoul, one a half hour ride from Seoul.

Nami Island is officially called the Namirara, an island nation that has its own flag and currency.

You can get to Nami Island by riding an ITX train. There are two train stations from Seoul that can reach Nami. These are Cheongnyangni if coming from Myeongdong or Dongdaemun and Yongsan station if coming from Hongdae or Seoul Station.

There are also four seasons to visit in Nami. Spring is from March to May - cherry blossoms usually appears at the end of March to mid-April. Summer is from July to August - but the weather here is a mixture of warmth and breeze. Autumn or Fall is from September to November. And winter is from December to February. Dress for the harsh weather. It is negative sixteen when we came here in December 23, 2022. Campfires are also placed to keep your hands warm but we also brought hand warmers.