Belgium in April: Get Me to the Nunnery by Cecilia Manguerra Brainard in Positively Filipino

 

I'm sharing the link to my recent article in Positively Filipino "Belgium in April: Get Me to the Nunnery." It is a travel article that involves my my search for the roots of my Belgian nuns at St. Theresa's College Cebu and Manila. Mother Marie Louise De Meester, the foundress of the ICM sisters, was born in Roesalare, Belgium and who became a nun at Ypres, Belgium, which I visited.

http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/belgium-in-april-get-me-to-the-nunnery

"In April, when the weather was cold, I found myself in Belgium. We were there on a Netherlands-Belgium river cruise because my husband wanted to catch the tulip bulbs in full bloom in Amsterdam. The bulbs are in bloom only for a few weeks from late March to early May. Our river cruise included stops in the Netherlands and Belgium, with a grand finale at the Keukenhof tulip garden in Lisse, southwest of Amsterdam..." Please read on in the PF site. 

#tags: travel, Europe, Belgium, low countries, ICM nuns. STC sister, religious nuns, Philippine education 

Mississippi River Cruise - Nottaway 2

 

I continue blogging about our recent Mississippi River Cruise.

Here are some facts about the Mississippi River. The Mississippi is 2,340 miles long, the longest river of North America; it starts at Lake Itasca in Minnesota and ends in the Gulf Stream. If the length of Missouri is added to the Mississippi's main stem, the river would be the fourth longest river, after the Amazon, and Yangtze.  If the Missouri and Ohio rivers are added, it would be the third longest in the world. 

Our cruise started in New Orleans, Louisiana and ended in Memphis Tennessee.

From New Orleans, we sailed to Nottaway, Louisiana where we visited the Nottaway antebellum mansion, said to be the largest extant antebellum plantation house in the South. This had been home to the Randoph and later the Landry families, and had witnessed Civil War days.

 

Travel Challenge - Vietnam

My own Travel challenge - to post a favorite travel photo daily, to send out something beautiful to this world.
This was taken in Vietnam.

Tags: #travel #Travelpictures #Vietnam #Asia #photographs #photos 

Travel Challenge, Inle Lake, Burma

My own Travel challenge - to post a favorite travel photo daily, to send out something beautiful to this world.
(I don't know how PC this picture is, but the Long Neck Karen women did not mind being the attraction in a shop in Inle Lake, Burma.)

Tags: travel, Burma, Myanmar, photos 

Travel California: Cambria Pictures and Guest Journal Entries

(Zebra in the field behind us)

 We keep a Guest Book in our Cambria place. It's more of a Journal where guests can write or scribble or draw in it as they please.  I'm quoting  some entries. I'm also posting pictures taken at Cambria and North of San Simeon (where the seals are). The pictures above show the zebra of San Simeon in the field behind.

Travel Cambria California - Painting by Clarence Weiss

Things that Surround Me #3

We have an acrylic painting of a peacock on a barn-house by Clarence Weiss who does Plein Air Painting.

We had been admiring his work of local Cambria scenes at the Moonstone Grill. Finally we contacted him to look at his other paintings. We acquired this peacock, which is a depiction of a real peacock and barn in the area.

Whenever I see this painting all of Cambria and the surrounding area of the Central Coast of California come to life.

Travel, Mexico: Night Cafe, Version by Mexican Ceramic Artist

Things that Surround Me #2

We have this ceramic art that Jessica Vasquez Castro created; it's based on Van Gogh's Starry Starry Night. We got this in San Miguel Allende, Mexico, and every time I see it, I am reminded of the good times we had in San Miguel Allende.

Travel: Walk in Marina del Rey, Venice, California

Sunday was a a perfect day for a walk at the Marina del Rey in Venice, California.

Spring is here!

Travel - Masai necklaces from Kenya Africa

Things that Surround Me #1

I have two Masai women's necklaces hanging on a wall in our house. The memories behind these items are rich -- of our 2010 safari to Kenya,when one could still visit Kenya without worrying.

Here are some pictures taken during that safari.  These were taken in a Masai village. I bought the neck decorations at the grounds of a hotel where some Masai were selling their handicraft.

A Weekend Retreat at the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa

This weekend I'm enjoying what the 5-star Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Mactan has to offer: sun, sea, fresh air, fine hotel accomodations and food, excellent spa treatments, and the company of my cousin Manny Gonzalez and his friends. 

Pictures of Bethlehem where Christ Was Born

I took these pictures of Bethlehem in 2008.

The top pictures show the Church of the Nativity.

Support #ParisWeLoveYou #Paris

It's fun and easy to support the #ParisWeLoveYou project.

Tweet your favorite Paris pictures and add your profile picture in www.ParisWeLoveYou.com

Here are some of my favorite Paris pictures:

Our European Cruise: Low Water Level of the Danube and Refugee Crisis #travel

Nuremberg, Germany

We have just returned from a "Romantic Danube" Viking river cruise, which encompassed Germany, Austria, and Hungary.  The cruise began in Nuremberg, Germany and ended in Budapest, Hungary, with stops in Regensburg and Kelheim, Passau, Melk, and Vienna. Before taking the cruise, we had spent six days travelling on our own to Nuremberg, Munich, and Salzburg. 

Travel: Cruising the Danube on Viking Tor - Nuremberg

Salzburg is an entry point of the Syrian and other refugees to get into Germany, and because of border control, we could not buy our train tickets ahead of time. We were told to show up on the day of our departure, which was Friday. That morning, the hotel receptionist told us a train scheduled from Salzburg to Munich was cancelled but we could catch the 10:15 a.m. train. We hurried to the train station and bought our tickets. Before boarding, some officials checked our passports with a declaration of, “No passports, no train.”  A group of three, who could have been refugees, did not have passports and the train doors were closed on them.  Later, they were allowed on board, and I assume they had the necessary transit papers.

Travel: Old Town and the Hohensalzburg Castle in Salzburg, Austria

 

Old Town in Salzburg is compact and the place seems small, however it's packed full of many sites to see.  Here are some of the tour sites that we saw today, on foot:

• Baroque architecture, including many churches
• Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom)
• Franciscan Church (Franziskanerkirche)
• St Peter's Abbey with the Petersfriedhof
• Nonnberg Abbey, a Benedictine monastery
• Salzburg Residenz, the magnificent former residence of the Prince-Archbishops
• Residenzgalerie, an art museum in the Salzburg Residenz
• Mozart's Birthplace (yellow building)
• Mozart's Residence
• University Church
• Siegmundstor (or Neutor)
• Getreidegasse
• Sphaera, a sculpture of a man on a golden sphere (Stephan Balkenhol, 2007)

Travel: In Salzburg, Austria Where the Sound of Music Still Reigns

We are in Salzburg, Austria, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and where the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born. This was where the Sound of Music was filmed, so you can imagine the Alpine mountains around and rushing river at the edge of the Old Town.

Haunting Scenes of Refugees in Munich, Germany #refugeecrisis, #Syrian, #middleeast, #munich, #syrianwar

We are in Munich, Germany during the refugee crisis -- referring to the rush of Syrians, Iraqis, Afghans, and others fleeing conflict areas to find asylum in this city of 1.4 million. In September, the refugees were met by locals with enthusiasm, which quickly dampened with fears of a clash between the newcomers and Oktoberfest revellers. The borders between Germany and other countries were closed, slowing down the entry of refugees.

Paying for Tap Water in German Restaurants #travel #Germany

In the US, it is customary to tip from 15-20% in restaurants. Another American custom is that water is served liberally, for free. 


In Germany, we learned that the customary tip is from 5-10% in restaurants, and tap water is not free. Aside from ordering drinks, we have been asking for glasses of water, and waiters seemed puzzled at our request, although eventually they did give us our glasses of water. Last night, at the Sheraton where we stayed and had dinner, the waitress also appeared confused when we requested glasses of water . She did give us an entire pitcher of iced cold water and, to our surprise, charged us Eu 4 for “wasser.” We paid but I was planning on asking the hotel desk people about what I considered an unnecessary charge. Before I did, I fortunately checked the internet and stumbled upon a lot of discussion about the matter. 

Travel Nuremberg Castle or Kaiserburg #Travel #Germany

 Today we visited the ancient Imperial Castle of Nuremberg, (Kaiserburg) recorded as existing as early as 1105. Located in the northern end of the walled city of Nuremberg, the Castle sits atop a hill and is said to be one of the best fortified medieval fortification.

I love travelling because those names that I'd learned in my history books become real as I see evidence of their existence. This castle, for instance, had been occupied by the Hohenstaufens, Hohensollers, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, and the Habsburgs.

What I found most interesting was that early on there had been a system of selecting the emperor by seven kings. I was also reminded that the Lutheran religion became dominant around 1521 - I should not have forgotten since I'd written a paper in high school on Martin Luther, one quite supportive of Luther, for which I earned an A.

Travel City Center Nuremberg, #Germany

We made it to Nuremberg, Germany. Travel time was 11 hours from LAX to Frankfurt, plus another 2 hours for layover and flight to Nuremberg.  It's gray and chilly here, but thankfully dry.