Monday, October 13, 2008

Austria, France & Italy Trip 2008



Hello friends and family.... more pictures from our trip to Austria, France and Italy. It was really a big trp. We are tired after these last few weeks. We saw Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck in Austria, Colmar in France and Venice, Pisa, Florence, Rome in Italy. The view was stunning and the air were crisp. The autumn leaves were stunning as it blends with the various fall colors. It was really beautiful. We had a splendid time.

We leave tomorrow for Vienna to catch our flight to Abu Dhabi where we will spend 1.5 weeks there. It will be a nice adventure for us to see desert, camels and safaris... :P more news to come later.

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Saturday, October 04, 2008

Eastern Europe Tour- Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary



Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Its official name is Hlavní město Praha, meaning Prague, the Capital City. Situated on the River Vltava in central Bohemia, Prague has been the political, cultural, and economic centre of the Czech state for over 1100 years. The city proper is home to more than 1.2 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 1.9 million.

Bratislava the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 427,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two countries. It and Vienna are also two of Europe's closest national capitals, at less than 60 kilometres (37 mi) apart. Bratislava is the political, cultural and economic centre of Slovakia. It is the seat of the Slovak president, the parliament, and the executive branch of the government. It is home to several universities, museums, theatres, galleries and other important economic, cultural, and educational institutions. The headquarters of many of Slovakia's large businesses and financial institutions are in Bratislava as well.

Budapest is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation center and is considered an important hub in Central Europe. In 2008, Budapest had 1,702,297 inhabitants with an official agglomeration of 2,451,418, down from a mid-1980s peak of 2.1 million. The city covers an area of 525 square kilometres (202.7 sq mi) within the city limits. Budapest became a single city occupying both banks of the river Danube with the unification on 17 November 1873, of right-bank (west) Buda and Óbuda (Old Buda) together with Pest on the left (east) bank It has beautiful sights and its beauty reflects differently from day to night. A place worth visiting. It is always crowded with tourists from all over the world. Their rich history and heritage shows much for all of us to appreciate.

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Germany in Europe



Our vacation started with a 3 hours flight from Guam to Taipei, 16 hours of transit before we catch our 13 hours flight to Frankfurt. Yes.... it is very long and tiring. We were surprised how well Kevin adapted to the time change. The weather was really nice and cooling. We visited many places in Germany before starting our tour to see Eastern Europe and Italy. Some places in Germany included drive to Heidelburg, Karlshure, Titisee, Rastatt, Baden Baden & Munich. Along the way we drove through some nice wineyards to see different colors of grapes and color changes of the autumn leaves. The scenary were breathtaking.

One of the highlights in Germany was too experience the world famous Octoberfest in Munich. There were thousands of people from everywhere attending the festival. It was so cold there but the locals were dressed in their bavarian costumes drinking, laughing and playing. There were also lots of rides for both the adults and children. If you like crowd, this is the place to be. More places in Germany to go... we are still planning to head to Sturtgatt, Bonn, Cologne etc... watch out for more pictures...

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