Fab Weekend Cote DÁzure

This post is long overdue. Two years ago or so i gave myself a birthday gift. September 28 a friend called and said “won’t you join me for the weekend in Cap D’Antibes? I am off and could show you around”. Answered:  sure with a bat of an eyelid. Where is it exactly so i can plan my trip? I know it is in France but for my ignorance i have to be sure which direction i have to take…hahaha! Cote D’Azure ..ahhh Costa Azzurra so immediately i checked possible ways of arriving by air or by land well then it best turned out immediately the best option was by train, took bookings impronto Florence-Genova-Nice-Antibes more or less 6-7 hours by train.

For a while  i left my green environment and traded it with the blue of the coast.

What best could i offer to myself to cap my celebrations? Was so excited,  the  night before departure i had dinner with my friends to celebrate my birthday  then at  2 am still unable to finish packing!!

Ughh women never know what and how much to bring along!!

Est voila´finally the trip..ahh.. i have never been in France and my first time to travel alone long distance by train, well i was so confident …hehehe…chatted a lot and have exchanged even address with one lady i met on the train she too is heading Antibes and she too came from Florence.. coincidence huh??

The train ride was very panoramic and entertaining, rather long but i think is the best way to gain insights on characteristics and changes on each cities and towns each mile we passed!After we passed Ventimiglia the French authorities boarded the train for passport control and of course i caught their attention being and asked a question or 2 and made comments in French which i answered back kindly to their surpise in the same language…winks! Nizza once Italian but now  French soil then i headed forth to Antibes by taxi as my friend generously offered since she couldn´t meet me at the train station in Nice. My beautiful  friend Shalimar greeted me at the dock…know where i stayed? In a yacht….yes you heard right!!!

YACHT….fantastic! Then she showed me the whole place, WOW i never stopped saying! I will lead the life of the rich and famous …only for a weekend!! We visited Cannes (of course i did my walk in the famous RED CARPET) then the following day MONTE CARLO. I am a fan of Formula 1 so i immediately recognized the old gas station bend…i laughed..it was a strange feeling…you always see it on tv but being there gives you a special attachment!

It was just the most fantastic weekend i ever had in the last years.Thank you Sha for being with me and showing me all these beautiful places, this is surely an experience i will remember for a long time!

And of course as beautiful experiences and vacations never lasts, i am back home!!! But the memories of this trip will linger for a much.. muchos….mooolto tempo!!! Here are some more pics for all of you to enjoy..!

September Treat: Portofino

I should impose myself at least a post every 3 months…but i seem not to go about it. Anyway i want to share a very recent trip i did this month. Ain´t she a beauty..Portofino???

I was in Rome for a 2 days seminar and hubby said once i returned home if i could accompany him to a job interview in Santa Margherita di Ligure..i said where is that?? Do you know Portofino?? Yes..i said..it is a famous tourist place..well it is near. So off we went and had a splendid day splurging under the Ligure sun and sea.

A lovely place worthy to be revisited with pleasant pace…not of course in a 3 hour one. We had a nice lunch of fish and lasagne with pesto (the original) at Osteria N7 highly recommended by the locals at Santa Margherita Ligure then took a bus to Portofino and had our icecream admiring the busy little port still brimming with tourists…speaking of which I am.

As i always say…i´ll be back soon!

Talking With The Gods-Acropolis

What i remember most when speaking of Greece is its myths and legends. The unending disputes of the Gods and humans on the other. Endless hours of so much absorbing stories that brought me to this far flung places of adventures. Dreams do come true … this is one of my top ten in the list.

This is the second year i gave myself a travel birthday gift and the second i spent with my friend Shalimar … this time though instead of the trendy chic Cote D´Azure i went to historical and mythical Athens.

However in a packed 3 day visit you can´t have it all but i guess i have had the feel of the dynamic city and metropolis it has become. The old and the new, ancient and modern, vibrant yet it has that non hurried feeling of relax of the people.

I went to the old wet market, the Plaka, Monastiraki, waited for hours for the change of guards infront of the Parliament building, Syntagma Square, Benaki Museum, the National Garden, Stadium, Lykavitos, did i mention it all?? Guess not , you can see some here, ahh i have to add all on foot, in fact after  the first day of visit i soaked my feet in hot water with salt and a soothing oil.

But the height of my visit is The Acropolis, spectacular and majestic. Being there gave me that feeling of belongingness…a brief magical contact as if talking with the Gods. Hey lady… wake up! Huh? I was dreaming?? Sunny hot Sunday, weather perfect, the climb was long coz Sha and Boni my Athenian guides are passionate of long walks so we made it the longer way…hahaha.. of course i was already more than prepared with  better shoes.

The view says it all though words aren´t necessary. From the top of the hill lies Athens under the very bright light of the day, so intensely bright. Then downhill awaits us two other friends to join us for a hearty lunch in a resto mostly frequented by Athenians themselves. Fed with charcoal grilled lamb chops and real Greek salads we decided to take coffee in the new Acropolis Museum. Packed with tourists we invited into this ultra modern building that showcases the treasures found in the site and ended our tour sitting in the terrace of the museum facing the hill of the Acropolis and a bit down the Temple of Zeus.

This may be just the sight i want to remember with my visit in Athens…a cup of coffee with wonderful friends and a view so breathtakingly beautiful of the Acropolis.

I will surely return for more, a promise.

Sassi di Matera – Visiting Sara

Pronto..si d’accordo arrivo allora..a presto! Off i go.. vacation..yehhey! That’s how i plan my escapades…at the spur of the moment.

I am going to meet Sara…the two month old baby of my neighbor in Tripoli…they live a flight of stairs above our flat. My friend Cinzia left Tripoli when she was almost due so i did not see her baby. Back in Italy for the usual renew of visa i got the opportunity to go and visit the newborn.

My contact of the South of Italy is ’till Rome..further than that…nada..niente! So i was eager to see my friends but am eager to see too their place. Travel info Florence-Rome-Salerno-Potenza by train. They have booked me to this beautiful bed & breakfast for two days in Matera right at the heart of another UNESCO Heritage site Sassi di Matera.

A very big plus to this visit… never heard of it…googled the place and surprised it is famous worldwide..unknowingly even have seen it on the screen The Passion of Christ by Mel Gibson. Armed with enthusiasm and this time my camera (i always forget it) i travelled many hours by train specially the regional one from Salerno to Potenza…at every small station we stopped but gladly i made conversation with a nice lady from Milan returning home for the May 1st holiday helping me improve my geography…hahaha. Now i can cite you all the stops from Salerno to Potenza..wink!

Finally i arrived in the Station and voila’ Sara, Cinzia and Michele…how wonderful to have friends around the globe and thanks to these people i experienced a real and grand…SOUTHERN hospitality!

My ignorance hasn’t prepared me…i thought we are close by the sea instead we are in the mountainous area and that day it was cold. We arrived a bit dark already the owner consigned me the keys and showed me my lodgings… B&B IL CORTILE wow i am inside centuries old house carved on the rocks.

Early morning though the view that greeted me from my table breakfast which was laid out lovingly by the charming owner was worth all the many hours of travel. The good thing of staying too in the b&b is for the informality but warm atmosphere homely yet very comfortable accommodations.  For the rest of my stay along the narrow streets, nique and corners a leap to the past so vividly real. A very unique experience i will truly remember…never have i walked and climbed stairs in my whole life in two days time…hahaha!Thank you Sara for giving me this opportunity to know and meet your family…this i will truly treasure…till next visit!

My Place Guizo

I was supposed to be back in Libya right after Christmas vacation…but then plans changed due to some bureucratic inconveniences as usual so i ended myself instead back home to Cebu. HOME is quite confusing for me coz now more or less..i got three…so to say. But my house in Guizo…will always be the ORIGINAL…lol!

So i get this chance to live my life Guizohanon-Mandauehanon-Cebuano a whole month…wow and i promised myself to relive as much as i can the way i have always known my place.

A lot has changed of course not the Guizo i know of my childhood days but the spirit of it still remains at the hearts of the people i know! Family is always family and it warms the heart thinking and be with them specially as we stay rarely together.>
Neighbors are considered extended family and part of your day to day..they pass by and greet..asks how you are..tell you their worries..their lucks, their life. Everything is shared and for these exchanges we always have place we call “istambayan” a meeting place. Nabor’s store is the perfect spot..it is actually my old’s house spot..where we were born..but this is just only a detail. If you want the news of the day..just bring your cup of coffee…pick from the sari-sari store your breakfast and the news of the day will arrive via radio ba-ba..street news..hahaha! We cannot compare this to chic cafes in Europe but there is nothing like it as we are used. Jokes, the hot gossips, free and unsollicited counselling, politics, everything just like the store..pick your choice of topic. Going around my place brings back a lot of memories.

I can see a world around on this small corner! A part of me, a part of my past..relived with much pleasure and with a little twist of the heart. There’s no place like home!

Among Pharaohs

From the background i can hear the voice of Mrs. Gopo…centuries ago in the land far from us great kings called Pharoahs reigned the people of Egypt leaving us a vast legacy…

Dreaming? No..dream come true. i just remembered my dear high school teacher when she passionately describes us all these marvelous places and stories. I AM here.. Among Pharoahs…my teacher would be proud of me, i thought. To my beloved teacher, this is dedicated for you.

I felt great, i felt big…i am with KINGS!! Whew, this cruise along the Nile River really gave me this opportunity to live the pages of history i lovely listened to from the benches at school. I and two travel companions decided to book us a weeks cruise along the Nile and see on its course Abu Simbel, Aswan, The Kings Valley then coming to Cairo for the Pyramids..this was the etinerary.

The Nile.. it emotes way back in time..a story of a boy in a basket found along its banks..sound familiar?? The Pyramids with its mysteries, tombs, treasures, mummies, enormous statues, the land and its people. How can one describe centuries of incredible history a country full of magical mysteries in a weeks visit?? Impossible and not even my competency, for that there are myriads of books from real experts.

In my small way i would only be able to describe my personal feelings and appreciations. I can never forget this trip. I want to share to you by photos here… my perspectives of this great Land of Pharoahs.

Souvenirs

Always in a trip inevitably we search for something and bring it home to remind us of the places visited…souvenirs. At home i have scattered objects here and there some hung, some on shelves, on tables and others who knows where! Friends ask where you got them and you tell them instead a tale, episodes..emotions. It doesn’t limit to the buying itself, is it not?

It is actually a culture shop. You trying in a short period of stay be a part of the culture, the people and their ways practiced since the beginning of times in the most practical exchange created..buying it! Then you either keep it or give it away spreading like a bushfire the passion of the moment and the many happy events that goes with it.

Here in my trips of Libya i have had these several occassions…you haggle, exchange jokes with the merchants. Souks are splendid examples or the roadside tents or the slowly growing shops on the sites of visits…you cannot miss them. Colorful, noisy, busy as bees in full activity. You immerse fully in it bathing and soaking your soul! Enriching the mind and spirit..for me this is travelling!

Leptis Magna-The Roman Empire in Africa

Again!! It is not a complaint but an expression of awe. This is the second time i visited the site in two years time yet i never stop to be impressed of its grandeur. Places i’ve been ’til now traces of the Roman Empire can be found and Libya is full of sites rich of these wonderful cultural heritage…Leptis Magna is not just any!

The museum in the site is oozing with priceless treasures, sculptures,various artifacts of daily living found during excavation one more beautiful than the other…vases, coins, knives, units of measurements and every possible gadget one wonders what for. Then we went outside for the vast spread the archaeological site extends.

Leptis Magna as the word suggests itself is magnificent rivaling even that of Alexandria became one of the three most important cities of the Roman Empire in Africa. Manifesting its grandeur one is welcomed by the impressive triumphal arch, the paved colonnaded streets, temples, the amphitheater, the baths, market places and everywhere you turn your gaze one never stops to be impressed.

With this visit i accompanied willingly two friends as their “guide” so to speak……Al Khums 130 km from Tripoli lies Leptis Magna…it took us an hour and a half to arrive but worth every minute.

A beautiful day to relive the past!

Ghost Town Ghadames

Palm tree trunks, mud and lime this what makes up this UNESCO World Heritage. We arrived mid-day and entered the old town…an errie feeling of silence, an abrupt change of light and temperature, our voices echoing. Yet a unique place of its kind. An oasis from the desert’s harsh reality, protection of its people from the extent heat and most of all an integral showcase of a culture etched in the arhitecture and in the homes so lovingly created with grace, beauty and art despite the adverse environmental conditions.

I imagine it a bustling place with animals, merchants with their trades, people of various aspects…a picturesque scene vivid with colors instead now of a Ghost Town echoing of memories.

Present Ghadames population lives outside the old town with modern houses although during hot summer days they do return to their now well restored homes.

A marvelous place to be…!

Qasr Nalut

Although winter is well in advance in Europe, here seems late summer, our bus with the aircon running full blast saves us from the heat. It is actually crawling up hairpin bends up the slopes to Nalut.

Our local guide told us that it is worthwhile to stop in Nalut before we proceed to Ghadames and stretch our legs.

Worthwhile???See for yourself….

Qasr is arabic for “castle” but Qasr Nalut is not meant for defense but as “grainary storage”. Yes grains, oil and other agricultural stock, deposited inside cubicles closed by palm doors so important for the community`s survival that it needs protection.

Storage

Marami our guide explained to us that it works like a modern savings bank even for the owners own protection from excessive consumption and waste. The taxes collected in form of cereals and other goods are distributed to help the poor,, some are sold to finance the school and maintenance of the qasr itself. Old Mosque