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Showing posts with the label museum

The British Museum - Of Mummies and Rosetta Stones

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Pretty much every great city in the world has an equally  great museum . And in all my travels, I have been fortunate enough to have seen a few REALLY awesome ones;  Paris ,  New York ,  Chicago ,  Jerusalem  and  Rome  come to mind. So when I realized that I had a few hours to kill, I knew that I HAD to check out the  British Museum ,  one of the largest and most comprehensive museums in the world! I am happy to rank this as my  UNDISPUTED FAVORITE museum  ever ; with collections originating from practically every continent. Best of all,  admission is FREE ; with the rationale being that all objects found therein belong to all of humanity. God bless them Brits! * Accessed via the  Holborn or Tottenham Court Road Tube Station , the British Museum was established in  1753  and has a neo-classical exterior. Originally, the collections found therein were all originally owned and thereafter donated by the physician and scientist   Sir Hans Sloane .  

Laying Siege to the Tower of London

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Of all the sights in London, only one place can claim to be as  historically significant as it is significantly haunted . Built in  1078  by the Norman King,  William the Conqueror , the  Tower of London  has served as a  royal palace, armory, treasury, zoo  and most famously, a  prison  where some of the most famous characters in English history have been imprisoned, tortured and executed. Today, the fortress is one of London's most famous tourists spots, as it also  houses the Crown Jewels  of the UK. * After getting of the  Tower Hill Tube Station , expect to take a 15 minute pleasant stroll towards the main entrance of the Tower.

Westminster Abbey - Burial Place of Legends

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One cannot go to London and NOT SEE Westminster Abbey !  To do so would be a grand disservice to your trip. I mean how can you not experience the  most important (and heck, oldest) church in London :  site of coronations, burials, memorials, and lookalike to every Citadel in our dreams?! Yeah, I'm a big fan of this place. So big that I purposely and happily went here thrice in the two times that I've visited London! *  Taking the tube  to Westminster and  getting off Westminster Station , short and sweet!! While I greatly appreciated the presence of English all around (compared to everywhere else in Europe), I must say that  I found the Paris Metro to be more navigable compared to the London Tube . Must be because the Metro uses a numbering system (Get off the 6, Hop on the 9) compared to the system of the Tube which uses named lines (Jubilee Line... Jubilee Line.. Wait, what I am doing on the Metropolitan Line?!)

A Day with the Oracle and Leonidas

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After spending much time admiring the hustle and bustle of  Athens , and before flying off to enjoy the enchanting beauty of the  Cyclades   (Greek islands in the Aegean) , we set off to tour the  Greek countryside  to gain a further understanding and appreciation for the link between Greek history and the mythological and legendary stories found within her culture. On Day 1 of our tour, we visited the renowned  Oracle of Delphi  and the  Battlefield of Thermopylae . * What’s a tour without  tourist traps ? Fortunately here in Greece, they come with excellent  Greek coffee ,  gelato  and  Paprika-flavored Pringles . Add the very fresh Greek countryside air to the mix and you have a hell of a great time!

Separated! The Tale of the Acropolis in Athens, and London

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This is a story of two cities: Athens and London . Two cities separated by over 3000 kilometers but united culturally because of their great contributions to our study and understanding of Greek culture. Wait what, London?! Yes, London. For when the Ottoman Turks had the whole of Greece under their rule, an enterprising Brit with the title of Lord of Elgin fell in love with the Parthenon upon seeing it and decided to use his official title, as British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire , to legally purchase almost ALL the sculptures in the Parthenon, of which can now be found in the British Museum of London . But first things first, let’s take a look at the Acropolis in Athens! 1. The Acropolis in Athens. * The Propylaea serves as the main entrance to the Acropolis. Meaning monumental gateway , the Propylaea’s design has been copied numerous times; from the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to the Propylaea in Munich .

10 Amazing Things To See In Athens

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Having already written about the Plaka area of Athens (including Monastiraki Square, Ermou Street, the Ancient Agora and the Metropolitan Cathedral) and wanting to save the Acropolis for its own post, I decided to give you this Top Ten list of other places to see in Athens!! 1. Temple of Olympian Zeus * The colossal and enormous Temple of Olympian Zeus , dedicated to the King of all Olympian gods , was once the largest temple in all of Greece. While the building of the temple started in the 6th Century BC , it wasn’t finished until 638 years later , in the 2nd Century AD . Talk about procrastination!!  

Visiting King Louis at the Chateau de Versailles

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Being a fan of the 90’s  Three Musketeer films (which starred Chris O’Donnel , a sober Charlie Sheen , and Jack Bauer himself, Kiefer Sutherland ; and later on Leonardo DiCaprio ), I always wanted to see where the Musketeers had faithfully served the King and fought against the forces of the evil Cardinal Richelieu , as masterfully played by Tim Curry . That being said, I was thrilled at the chance to visit the Chateau de Versailles , one of the most beautiful and famous palaces in history. * A statue of Louis XIV on horseback can be found on the very front of the castle grounds, looking all gangsta and victorious . Louis XIV, known as the Sun King and Louis the Great , was the King of France and Navarre for 72 years:  the record for longest reign ever! He was so old when he died, that his great-grandson inherited the throne as Louis’ son and two grandsons were already dead! Having won three major wars (against Germany, Spain and the Dutch) , Louis was king during Fra

Tribute to Warfare - Musee de I'Armee and Napoleon's Tomb

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One of the most overlooked attractions in Paris is the Musee de I’Armee . Located in Les Invalides , this museum has one subject and one subject alone, WARFARE . Originally, I wanted to see the place only because it contains Napoleon’s Tomb , which is something I had wanted to see ever since I saw the episode of GI Joe where the Joes battled Cobra because Cobra needed Napoleon’s DNA to build Serpentor . (Geek talk) But this place turned out to be so much more. Containing weapons, armor and artifacts from antiquity, the dark ages, the Renaissance, all the way to the two World Wars, this Museum is as awesome as it gets, it being one of the largest and most complete military museums in the world. So fellows, when all that your ladies want to do is shop along Champs Elysees , do yourself a favor; HEAD HERE ! And feel the manliness coursing through your veins. * After getting off the Varenne metro stop , one must take a very pleasant walk towards the Museum. I would highly

Historic Paris - Ile de la Cite with Notra Dame and Saint-Chapelle

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Ile de la Cite (or Lutetia to us Asterix fans) is a small island located in the very center of Paris . Consequently, it is where the city of Paris was founded and contains its most ancient buildings. * The Palais de Justice (Palace of Justice) is where the justice of the state has been administered since medieval times. It was also the seat of the French Parliament from the 16th Century to the French Revolution.

Two Grand Museums: Palais du Louvre & Musee d'Orsay

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Right after the morning in the Catacombs, we made our way to the Louvre for a half-day of sculpture appreciation and pretend-reflection  on the various paintings, mumbling things like, "This painting.. it moves me.." Being a lifelong fan of sculptures (which is the reason why I’m a huge stickler for playing with clay, plaster and action figures; but that’s a different story) , I was excited to see all the beautiful works-of-art hand-made by various masters throughout the centuries. May it be Greek, Egyptian or Renaissance , I wanted to see them all. What surprised me though, was how I came out much more appreciative of paintings, especially the huge-ass ones depicting key moments in French history. * One of the funniest posters that I saw on the Paris Metro on the way to the Louvre. Wonder what it’s about..

Good Friday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - Jerusalem

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A year ago, I was blessed to be able to celebrate Good Friday at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem . It is thus only fitting that I look back and reflect on what is undoubtedly the holiest place in all of Christianity , and my pick as the most beautiful church in the world  (Italy, France and UK included) in terms of ambiance , history and sheer spiritual weight . * View of the Holy Sepulcher from the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) . The beautiful blue dome definitely complements Islam’s Golden Dome of The Rock  and helps give Jerusalem its ethereal vibe.

The Ruins of Pompeii

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The final stop on our week-long Mediterranean Cruise was the ancient Roman City of Pompeii. Partially destroyed and buried under 20 feet of ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, Pompeii was rediscovered 1500 years later and is hailed for giving us a detailed glimpse of what life was like during Roman Times. Having seen Rome with its majestic arcs, temples and forums, I was very excited to see the other side of the coin, that of the quaint, provincial town far away from the capital. Maybe it’s the Cebuano in me talking, but being here made me feel nostalgic for the good ol’ days before Manila, when the pace of life was more steady and chill. * One of the many courtyards in town. The Romans sure loved their open-areas! You can feel how much they must have appreciated the fresh air and cool breeze.

Rome - In The Footsteps of The Pilgrim

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Visiting the Vatican just a few months after Jerusalem was such an awesome experience. While Jerusalem shall always be the spiritual center of Christianity which it shares with Judaism and Islam, the Vatican serves as the center of Roman Catholicism and contains the most beautiful churches and works of art in tribute to Christianity. Thanks to our awesome tour guide, we were able to navigate around the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and Square with ease. In this album; however, there are no pictures of the Sistine Chapel due to its sensitivity to being photographed. A lot of times, my cousins and I found ourselves making up our own Gregorian Chants as we were walking around the grounds.  The place is definitely conducive to coming up with “religious” sounding chants that don’t actually make sense. If I have but one complaint about St. Peter’s is that though it is the most iconic church in Roman Catholicism, you hardly see anyone praying inside.  People are

Rome - Trevi Fountain and Pantheon

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After the Colosseum and Roman Forum , we went straight to the Trevi Fountain , which is not only one of Rome’s more iconic tourist spots, but also is apparently, a favorite of pickpockets and snatchers . Upon arriving, I could see why, as tourists were cramped like sardines all over the place! * The beautiful Trevi Fountain which I assume is even more glorious at night when all the lights are turned on. For some reason, I kept on thinking bout that fountain stage in Tekken Tag Tournament 2 .

Florence - Birthplace of the Renaissance

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Since I had my cousin’s wedding for majority of the day in Florence , we only actually had about two hours to explore the city center. This resulted in the “ spot-point-click-run " shots below as I was literally running from one part of Florence to another, not stopping to truly appreciate what I think is the most beautiful city in this whole Euro trip. Everything about Florence just screams art , and no wonder this is so as Florence is where the Renaissance was born with the works of Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci dotting the “city of the Medici’s " and where the likes of Dante Alighieri and Niccolo Machiavelli  circulated their literary masterpieces.  Two hours is definitely not enough to spend in Florence and I immediately resolved to return someday and to stay for at least a week! * The Basilica Santa Maria del Fiore , better known as the Duomo , has in my opinion the most impressive outdoor facade of any church that I ha