Picos de Europa - Asturias (Spain)

I LOVE OUTDOORS to capture the uniqueness and borderless nature of our Mother Earth. I don't know but walking in a rugged terrain or slippery flat grasses gives me a different feeling - the adrenalin to explore Nature and able to understand its origin, shape, color, texture and composition.

My first visit to Spain was overwhelming considering that the country had a historical significance to the Philippines. I am lucky to have a Spanish friend who is hospitable enough to accommodate me and two of my other friends and toured us around Madrid and the northern part of the country, Asturias. Just a quick trivia, our Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal did pursue his study in medicine and learned fencing as a sport in Madrid.

Asturias is one of the provinces that Picos de Europa (Peaks of Europe) is situated. Considered as the Spanish Alps, it is almost 5 hours to reach this place (by car) from Madrid. The main attraction of these summits is accessible by cable cars from the foot of Fuente de. Fuente de is located 1.5 hours away from where we stayed in Cangas de Onis.

Picos de Europa's attraction is not comparable to other mountain treks that I have done in the past. It has different appeal to me which I love to go back again and be at the middle of these white granite rock mountains. The scissors-blade-like peaks provide an illusion that they touch the limitless blue sky.

There are several trails to choose from and there is a hotel at the middle of the wilderness if anyone prefers to stay overnight or for a few days and explore other long walk trails. From the landing area (viewing deck and restaurant) of the cable cars at the top of the mountain provides an excellent panoramic view (landscape) of the neighbouring lowlands of Fuente de.

Summer Break in Italy: Day 1 - Arrival

After a final check of the important things to be brought during my 6-day trip, I was relaxed and not harassed thinking that I might forget something valuable which jeopardise my trip. Having 16 kg check-in bag and one hand carry for my laptop, I was ready to go and looking forward to meeting the Pope in Vatican and David in Florence! My friend was accommodating enough to drive me to the airport, almost 45 minutes drive from the university. My Aer Lingus flight was on time (1530 departure time) and after 2.5 hours on air, the plane finally landed at the Da Vinci Airport. It was not a busy Friday night (past 7pm, 2 hours advance from UK time)) and the waiting time in the immigration area was tolerable. Not impressed with the existing condition of the airport, especially the dim effect of the lighting to the old floorings.

The airport security was helpful enough to give me the direction to the train station. It took me 5-7 minutes to reach the Leonardo Express service – one hour trip to the city centre of Rome via Roma Termini for 11 Euros (almost £10) per trip. The ticket express expires 90 minutes after validation. I did buy my return ticket as well just to save time from queuing in the central rail station.

In few minutes time, the train arrived and I managed to settle inside the carriage after a 28 degrees C exposure and the feeling of disorientation from being a non-Italian speaking tourist. The train is quite long and have enough space for the luggage with average air conditioning system. The seats were fine and comfortable for the short journey to the city comparable to local journeys in Northern Ireland or going to Dublin from Belfast. The landscape along the railway is a typical European setting with open green fields and few structures. It is noticeable however that there are high rise residential buildings along the railway and not to ignore the interesting graffitis on the concrete barrier walls.

The train finally reached its destination, the main central bus/train/metro station, Roma Termini. It is a huge station which also accommodates regional travels in the major European cities, including the city's mass transport, Metro which occupies the lowest floor of the station. The station looks like a shopping centre with major retail shops and restaurants accessible for locals and tourists.

As soon I stepped out from the train, my left hand was busy clicking my Sony digital camera for souvenir shots of the station. It was almost past 9pm but it was still bright to find my way out for Hostel Beautiful 2.

Honestly, I was not impressed with the surroundings. Not much of running cars, but there is a significant number of scooters/bicycles and cars everywhere – both sides of the narrow streets. The air is clean (as I could not find black particles settled inside my nose) but frankly, I could compare the Rome's atmosphere to some parts of the Philippine cities, except for the architecture of the buildings and its overall urban form – its historical significance to early civilisation. I felt at home really considering that the road orientation is similar to the Philippines, left hand driving. I was disoriented for a little while in crossing the streets adjusting from Northern Ireland/UK's right-handed driving.

I have all the printed materials for the hostel direction, but it took me more than 30 minutes of walking to find the hostel location. I am an Urban/city Planner and love maps but I hate to think that I am not expert in navigation and maybe I have to carry a GPS gadget or the popular "tomtom"unit used in driving in my future trips (hehehe). I might be a good idea in my next Europe trip!

I did ask directions for several people along the way and it was strange to imagine that the local people were not good navigators too which added to my frustrations. The other reasons why it was difficult to find the hostel was that, it does not have a big billboard or street sign of its own, aside from the odd-even street number arrangement. The hostel is located within the row of residential-shop buildings. In other words, the hostel is an ordinary tenant sharing a the main entrance door (including intercom) with other occupiers of the building.

Anyway, I found it after a tiring walk. The staff on-duty was happy enough to get my personal details which will be reported to the Italian police for security/safety reason. He also talked about the facilities available in the hostel, including possible siteseeing directions using the metro and bus. Frankly, the hostel is strategically located in the city – accessible for all types of transport, shopping and dining. After the documentation, I finally settled to my room, ready for my second day in Rome!

Summer Break in Italy: Pre-departure

This is my first trip in 2008 after my Xmas vacation in Canada and the US.

As a prelude of my diary, just briefly explain my university life. I really need this break after so many things happening in my work and personal life, including my health condition – suffering from a shoulder pain which forced me to attend physiotherapy session for several occasions. I am struggling to move on with my research after several revisions of the techniques to be employed in my PhD research. After working on it for more than 2 years, it seems that it is endless negotiations with my supervisors on what to do for the rest of the remaining months of my program which is due in October. Hopefully, I will be approved for extension for 6 months, so I can submit my thesis by April 2009. With this 6-day trip to Italy could somehow unwind and revitalise my enthusiasm to write, have direct focus on what to do and move on to completion of my PhD program.

As a preparation for this trip, I have to secure the necessary requirements for the Italian visa or the Schengen visa (entry to EU members, except UK and Ireland). Generally, for non-EU citizens and living in Northern Ireland, the visa is issued in Edinburgh which takes 3 weeks to process via the Consulate General in Belfast. An appointment with the Consulate General to assess the application and will be forwarded to Edinburgh office.

The supporting documents for the visa applications are follows: valid passport, ID photo, confirmed flight and accommodation details, letter from the university and current bank statement.

There several choices to book the flight on-line from Belfast to Rome. The flights are offered by Easyjet, Ryanair, Bmi and Aer lengus. I chose Aer Lengus (Irish carrier) having a direct flight to Rome from Belfast International Airport. Ryanair is much cheaper but needs to depart from Dublin and it will requires me to have an Irish visa! Aer Lengus started their new hub (central office) in Belfast late last year after so many years of operation in Dublin. In terms of accommodation, I decided to book with Hostelworld.com and luckily I got affordable places to stay (both in Rome and Florence) for the whole duration of the trip. My flights and accommodations were sorted out prior to my visa application. Finally, I got my visa 2 days prior to my departure, after calling the Embassy for updates to ensure that I have it a day before my departure and granted with one entry and limited days to stay.

A memorable North American's holiday

At last I finally posted the final journal of my recent trip to Canada and the US.

I started packing up as early as possible to find out how much weight my bags could accommodate. This is not my first trip from abroad where I could carry back personal stuffs from my shopping spree and somewhat brings anxiety for paying the extra loads at the airport. Anyway, without using a weighing scale I am now experienced to assess my bag for not exceeding 25 kg. Surprisingly, as expected it is exceeded, but Im still optimistic that I could fit them all and pay nothing.

Basing from my past travels, I know that every passenger is allowed up to 50 pounds or up to 25 kg especially travelling from Asia to elsewhere. To have a peace of mind, I decided to call the Continental customer service and to verify the charges for excess. Amazingly, I found out that I am allowed two bags and 50 pounds each!

It was an emotional moment to say goodbye to my cousin's family particularly her two kids. I left the house 2 hours before my scheduled departure time from Pearson Airport and catch my connecting flight at Newark (Liberty airport). The day was cold dry and traces of snow are still visible along the roads. My cousin stayed for a while until I successfully checked-in my bags. It was a relief while carrying my hand carries and successfully passed the US immigration.

My flight arrive on-time at Newark and waited for less than two hours for my next flight for Belfast. To make my stay meaningful at the airport, I roamed around and took some photos of the airport and continued reading my Xmas bookcrossing exchange gift – Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters.

Quickly, I boarded the plane with the rest of Irish passengers which majority of them were come from their Florida's holiday. The flight was shaky and bumpy which brought my heart to beat faster! Thank God, the plane finally touched down at the International Airport of Belfast few minutes early as expected. While queuing in the immigration section, I was anxious to go home and sleep! But as soon as I handed my passport to the immigration officer, she searched all my visa stamps and I was surprised to hear from her "if I have encountered problems with the immigration". Well, I remember that I had one when I and my Indonesian friends went to Dublin last Sept 2006 and the bus that we were riding was stopped and unfortunately, we don’t have the Irish visa, we were not allowed to cross the border. I don’t want to explain what happened that day but, it was recorded in the system that I did something wrong which will be a problem every time I will travel in Europe. Anyway, I told her what happened and she finally handed my passport and let me to go!

Before meeting my friend outside the arrival area, I went to the Exchange money counter and asked to exchanged my Canadian dollars to English notes with the same rate when I left the airport three weeks ago which was good because the rate that day is lower than that of my departure. So, it was a good deal!

I met my friend outside the airport with smiling - recharged to face again my university work with new hope and enthusiasm to finish my PhD on time this year.

Oooh, it was a wonderful vacation I had in Canada and the US. I already miss my relatives and friends there! Visiting North Carolina, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal is something I will treasure while I am alive and kicking!

Day 17, 18 and 19: Montreal and Ottawa City Trips

On the 17th day, we went to Square One mall. I felt like I was shopping inside the Galleria (Makati). Well the configuration is similar to Galleria Malls and even some of the lay-outs of the tenants and parking area. My cousin's kids had their haircuts!

We left Mississuaga for Montreal at 730pm on the same day and arrived Quebec at 1:30am. We stayed at Holiday Inn (Express) at suite accommodation. My cousin managed to get ½ price of the second night stay and fair enough the place is excellent for families. I slept in the sofa bed and I really enjoyed my stay considering that the hotel has as free wireless internet connection. I had the chance to finalise my report and sent it to my supervisors by email.

Well, on our first day, after we took our free breakfast at the hotel, we immediately proceeded to St Joseph Oratory. It was easy to find it using the newly purchased GPS gadget. The place is really interesting and well-recommended for people who have devotion to St Joseph, the father of Jesus. Later on, we went to the popular bakery for "Bagel". Believe it or not, a long line of people waiting to be served for delicious bagels! I love the chocolate ones, including the salmon filling. My cousin was telling me that, without tasting the bagel, it means you did not visit Quebec!

By the way, everybody speaks French in Quebec, even traffic signs and posts are in French! Generally, the city centre is not busy because of the weather, and it seems that the streets are bumpy most of the time. Houses are painted in bright colours with winding steel staircases in the front leading to the second floor of the houses. Maybe, a replica of French architecture!

After that, we had a quick tour to the Olympic Stadium of Montreal – the place where 1976 summer games took place. I was really excited to get in the stadium and grab some souvenirs, but we can not find a good parking area and besides side streets were covered with snow! From a distance, my first impression to this huge sports complex is like a space ship.

Later on, we had a quick shopping in Costco and proceeded to the hotel for a rest. After taking a short break, we decided to go out and had the last evening French mass at Notre-Dame Basilica. This church is stunning especially the altar area. We did buy some souvenirs in the nearby shops and again it is expensive for T-shirts!

Early in the evening, we had our dinner just near the hotel and again we tasted the "Smoked Tuna sandwich" which another food to taste while in Montreal. It was a lovely dinner and the owner and the waitress of the restaurant were kind to serve us at the last costumer.

That night, I had a bad condition – running nose and sneezing! Frankly, I don’t drink tablets to stop, but since I can not bear anymore of it and not to spoil my sleep and to contain it to myself (considering that there are two kids which are vulnerable for colds), I took a tablet of Claritin and took one after 12 hours.

The following day (19th day), we woke early, packed our things and had our breakfast. We checked out and using the GPS gadget, we left Quebec and after two hours, we arrived our next destination, Ottawa. The roads were ok and not much of traffic along the way.

By the way, everybody speaks French in Quebec, even traffic signs and posts are in French! Generally, the city centre is not busy because of the weather, and it seems that the streets are bumpy most of the time. Houses are painted in bright colours with winding steel staircases in the front leading to the second floor of the houses. Maybe, a replica of French architecture!

After that, we had a quick tour to the Olympic Stadium of Montreal – the place where 1976 summer games took place. I was really excited to get in the stadium and grab some souvenirs, but we can not find a good parking area and besides side streets were covered with snow! From a distance, my first impression to this huge sports complex is like a space ship.

Later on, we had a quick shopping in Costco and proceeded to the hotel for a rest. After taking a short break, we decided to go out and had the last evening French mass at Notre-Dame Basilica. This church is stunning especially the altar area. We did buy some souvenirs in the nearby shops and again it is expensive for T-shirts!

Early in the evening, we had our dinner just near the hotel and again we tasted the "Smoked Tuna sandwich" which another food to taste while in Montreal. It was a lovely dinner and the owner and the waitress of the restaurant were kind to serve us at the last costumer.

That night, I had a bad condition – running nose and sneezing! Frankly, I don’t drink tablets to stop, but since I can not bear anymore of it and not to spoil my sleep and to contain it to myself (considering that there are two kids which are vulnerable for colds), I took a tablet of Claritin and took one after 12 hours.

The following day (19th day), we woke early, packed our things and had our breakfast. We checked out and using the GPS gadget, we left Quebec and after two hours, we arrived our next destination, Ottawa. The roads were ok and not much of traffic along the way.

We did not stay long in Ottawa – the capital city of Canada. We immediately proceeded to the Parliament Hill and climbed to the chamber where the bells are housed. The main building's interior is impressive and well-maintained. Highly- recommended to visit the place in summer. Took some photographs and left the city centre back to Toronto. It took us another 4.5 hours to finally reach our destination, but this time to attend a b-day party. It was a foggy late afternoon and I met some of my hometown friends and exchanged stories about our lives. We did not stay long and we finally drove back to my cousin's house after long hours of driving from Ottawa.

Day 15, and 16: Snowy (negative degrees) in Mississuaga, Toronto

On Day 15, my cousin's sister and I woke up early and immediately drove to Sherway Garden – a shopping mall, 20-minutes away from the house. Fortunately, I was able to buy my favourite shirts in Abercrombie without any fuss. I had the chance to have a one-hour swim at the River grove Community Centre after weeks of not having a regular exercise. Frankly, I gained weight and I feel that my tummy is noticeable this time of the season.

After my swim, I joined my cousin's brother and sister-in-law to visit CN Tower in the downtown area of Toronto. It was a wonderful quick visit to the tallest tower in the world. It is a magnificent structure that provides a panoramic view of the metropolitan Toronto area. Viewing the area at night provides a different perspective of the city where you could only see different lights below the ground.

On Day 16, I joined again my cousin for a ride train going to the city centre. I did a quick tour of the subway area, instead of walking the main streets. When I had my first visit of the city, I noticed that only few people were walking and I thought that maybe because it was early in the morning. But on the second visit, I found out that everybody is walking below the ground – where basements of the buildings are interconnected to each other and where the sub train stations are also connected. All the major shops and restaurants are located few feet below the grounds and well-heated. The concourses are confusing but I managed to remember the colour codes: North – Blue; South – Red; East – Yellow and West – Orange. I was lost for several times but luckily I managed to find my way back where I have to meet again my cousin.

Half of the day, I spent much time at the Uni of Toronto main library in Robarts Building and did some revision of my university research which I successfully sent it by email to my supervisors two days after while in Montreal.

On the evening of Day 16, we celebrated two birthdays: my cousin's husband and her father (my grandfather). It was a simple celebration for family members only with a big cake, a big bowl of fruit salad, including fried chickens and native pasta.

Day 14: New Year's Day

It was snowing at 1 degree C! I helped shovelling the snow in front of the house. My cousin's husband used the snow blower for easy removal of the snow.

After that, I proceeded to the backyard to make my first ever snow man! With my excitement, I easily shaped the snow man, including his orange eyes, nose and mouth with matching blue hat!

Having a snowman outside the house is my dream came true. While growing up and brainwashed with American films, I always think that Xmas celebration is not complete without snow man. Anyway, at least I managed to have it and being enjoyed by my cousin's kids which later on the head of the snowman was cut-off!

I also met my former officemate and his family in the afternoon. I also met his four kids and the eldest is already a beautiful 19 year old lady. My friend and family left the Philippines when the eldest was only 7 years old.

Day 12 & 13: Shopping in Mississuaga

We just toured around the Mississuaga area and visited some shopping areas. We went to Sherway Garden and just to find out the people were queuing in front of Abercrombie store. So we decided to take our lunch and decided to come back after New Year's day. The mall is quite similar to shopping centres in the Philippines but it has only two floors. Well, it is expensive to shop in Canada compare to the US especially for signature items.

Our lunch meal was really good and we went home open-handed because too many people inside the mall and it was not really advisable to wait to queue for paying or even getting in the shops.

Mississuaga area is a thriving community which is now becoming a catchment area for people who don’t want to stay in the city centre of Toronto. I observed that most of the houses are big, at least 4-5 bedrooms, including a basement, quite similar to American houses.

Day 11: Back to Toronto

It was cold, windy day and snowing in the early afternoon. In the morning, I was busy uploading my photos from my 3 cameras to my websites. Later in the afternoon, my cousin's family and I attended a 5-year old boy b-day party in Bounce n Play. Again, kids were my models during the entire celebration.

After the party, I accompanied my cousin's husband to shop in Costco – a warehouse store, and I did just a window shopping of books, electronics and men's wares. Later in the night, I stayed home and chatted with my friends thru YM.

Nothing planned yet for the next day, except that my cousin's sister planned to accompany me to go shopping and visit Abercrombie store. My cousin was also planning to visit Montreal and Ottawa, after New Year.

Day 9 and 10: Departure for Niagara Falls

Day 9 was raining and supposedly we have to leave for Niagara, instead we left the following day. We went shopping again in Victoria secret and Macy's…I bought gifts for my friends and my supervisors in the university.

Day 10, we left 2:30pm from Durham. We had different route coming back to Buffalo using the new GPS gadget of my cousin's husband. It was a long way but the motorways were easier to follow without any deep curves in West Virginia area. We arrived Buffalo at two in the morning and stayed Summit Inn along Niagara Falls Blvd. We went shopping at Target and went to the Fatima Shrine.

We went to Niagara Falls and roamed around… After that, we exited the US border. Fortunately, we were not inspected of the items bought in the US. There is a maximum amount of products to be brought in to Canada and it is dependent to the number of days spent in the US. I was worried since I bought my Olympus camera and a complete set of Series 1 of Heroes which amounted to 350 dollars, excluding other items that I bought from Abercrombie. Niagara Falls at the side of Ontario was a busy area compare to the US side.

On the same day, we arrived Toronto and back to my cousin's house in Mississauga. It was a tiring day and unpacking of our gifts and some other belongings. I slept early after I uploaded some of my photos taken during my 5 nights stay in the US territory.

Day 8: Boxing Day

It was raining! We suppose to leave North Carolina for Toronto but my friend advised us to stay one more day due to the bad weather. As soon as I took my breakfast, my cousin's husband drove to the shopping centre where we went the other day and I finally bought the latest camera model of Olympus, the Stylus 790SW! I got this orange gadget from Best Buy for $349.99+tax. I tested it and frankly, it is worth having it as my back-up camera. The camera is designed for extreme temperature, and for underwater use up to 5 feet depth. When I checked my credit card billing, I found out that I only paid £180 pounds which is £20 more if I bought in the UK. From the Best Buy store, I also grabbed the Season 1 of Heroes which was also for 50% sale. I was desperate to buy it back in Belfast at £39.99, but I was optimistic that I can have it at a lower price. Well, I got it for only $24.99+tax, almost £13 only!

We went home and had our lunch. In the afternoon we visited the Museum of life and Science where kids enjoyed the exhibits – from spacecrafts to live insects!

Day 7: Christmas Day

It was a sunny but chilly day. After a late night celebration, we were not able to wake up early for the first mass in the church near my friend's house. Instead, we travel few miles away and went to St Tomas More church at Chapel Hill near Uni of North Carolina campus.

The homily revolved in the importance of Xmas and the priest emphasised the word, "kindness". Reflecting the priest's sermon, I am glad that my parents instilled in my mind the importance of being kind to others. Extending help not only to relatives but also to strangers is a virtue and always brings joy to our hearts. Pure kindness does not require something in return or a favour from others in exchange of whatever help being extended. It is something that purely coming from our hearts and it is not an "obligation" or an responsibility to offer for everyone. Sometimes, it is ironic that kindness is over-used and abused by others. To some extent we become "opportunists" and dependents from others' generosity. Well, being generous to others needs open mind and don’t expect much from the people who need help. And at the same way, with people who are fortunate to receive assistance, help or favour, have to be patient and be humble to acknowledge any generosity from others.

We went home after the mass and my friend prepared some food for the guests coming in the late afternoon. I stayed home and did some updates of my travel blog. It was quiet day and not much things to do since shopping malls and outlets were closed! Later part of the evening, the guests arrived with their families; all of them were Pinoys who have already migrated in the US. We did karaoke as well using the popular magic mic from the Philippines.

Days 5, 6 and 7: Shopping and Xmas Eve Celebration

We arrived Durham past 6am after we lost our way for almost an hour. We were really tired and we had a quick breakfast and went for a nap.

My friend is my former primary teacher's daughter and she is now married with 2 wonderful kids. She is a nurse and her husband as well. It was a reunion as well and meeting her and the family, including her youngest sister who also works as a nurse was a delight. We talked alot and shared stories about simple things that happened in our lives during the past years, even our high school days.

As usual, we went shopping in the Southpoint mall, 20 minutes away from my friend's house. I immediately proceeded to Abercrombie for sale times. I was lucky to get a polo shirt at $12.90+tax at boys section of the store! I also grabbed an X-large jogging pants at $34+tax which is less 50% from the adults pants. Sometimes it is cheaper to have a slimmer built to shop in boys/teens store. I cant find a XX-large in the boys section, I went to the older sizes and grabbed 3 shirts (£25+tax), including 2 pairs of discounted slippers at £13+tax. Abercrombie is always my fav store every time I visit the US.

Later on, we went to another outlet and we bought some toys for the kids at the Toys R Us store. The shop is really a joy for kids where you could different shapes, sizes, bright colours of toys! More shopping bags when we left the outlet!

On the 24th Dec, we attended the mass in the morning and we had short trip in some part of the town, including the popular Duke University. I joined my friend's sister to pick-up her husband from the airport in the early evening. Santa Claus was there to distribute the gifts for the kids! Unknowingly, after the kids were requested to stay inside their bedrooms, the parents were busy sorting out the gifts and placed it outside the main door of the house, pretending that Santa Claus dropped it for the kids... As usual, after the kids opened their presence, the older ones also exchanged gifts. Eventually, we had our group pictures and of course the Noche Buena - full of Pinoy delicacies on the table!

It was a busy day but full of fun and merry making...