Posts

Fort Santiago and the Last Days of Jose Rizal

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Aside from San Agustin Church, no other place in the ancient walled city of Intramuros holds as much historical significance as  Fort Santiago . Due to its location at the  mouth of the Pasig River , Fort Santiago was the  chief fortress , barracks and dungeon of the   Spanish Government  during its rule of the Philippines. It also became a main fort for the spice trade between Asia-America-Europe via the  Galleon Trade to Acapulco . * Originally used by  Rajah Sulaiman , the most powerful chieftain of pre-Hispanic Manila, the Fort in its current form was ordered built by  Miguel Lopez de Legazpi   to protect the newly established city of Manila. And for the price of   $1.50 , this place can be toured by all!

The Pleasure of Getting Lost in London

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Here are some snapshots of  other places of interest in London . It was a pleasure to explore her streets; marveling at the fabulous mix of history, modernity and pop culture located at almost every corner. In fact more so than New York or Paris but equal to Chicago (still my favorite city outside of Manila and Cebu), I could actually see myself living here, maybe as a student, possibly as an expatriate. Time will tell. * It seems that almost every corner in the city has a story to tell, a tale of heroism, tragedy, travesty or oddity, what with the thousands of random things you can find; such as this  Memorial to the Royal Artillery  located randomly in the middle of a park.

Saying Hello To Will, Kate and George at Kensington Palace

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Continuing on my tour of British Royal Residences, I was able to spend a couple of hours in  Kensington Palace . While the Queen certainly favors Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace as her official residences, Kensington Palace was the l ong-time home of  Princess Diana  and currently serves as home to the  Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate) and their son, George . * Some nice and quaint-looking buildings greeted us upon exiting the  High Street Kensington tube station . It soon became apparent that we were walking along a more affluent side of town!

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 .  

Hanging Out at Trafalgar Square and Chinese Food at Chinatown

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* Originally built to commemorate the  British naval victory  at the  Battle of Trafalgar  over the forces of Napoleon during the  Napoleonic Wars ,  Trafalgar Square  is today a bustling public space full of tourists, relaxed Londoners and the occasional protesters. It is also London's  main venue for rallies and public celebrations  such as the countdown to New Year's Eve. * At the head of the Square stands the neo-classical  National Gallery , the  fifth most visited art museum in the world,  showcasing a collection of paintings dating back to the  13th Century . Among the  two thousand paintings  featured here, are among those done by the masters:  Leonardo da Vinci, Monet, and Van Gogh .