Frequented by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Salvador Dali, Amedeo Modigliani and Piet Mondrian , Montmartre is Paris’ artistic quarter . An area bustling with poets, street performers, musicians, young lovers, philosophers and gypsies; it seems that one could come out of this place a little bit more creative and reflective just by breathing the air. Definitely a MUST for every traveller in Paris, Montmartre is where one would go not to admire buildings, works of art or masterpieces; but people and the creative spirit. * Coming out of the Abbesses Metro , one can’t help but feel cozy walking along the streets of Montmartre. So this is the real charming part of town.. no grand museums or monuments to kings, no outward displays of religious art; the most interesting part of this area is the people itself. Just charm, pure charm.

One usually thinks of the Holy Land as a place for prayer, reflection and soul-searching. However, it is also very much an entertainment mecca, historical time-capsule and religious Disney Land all-in-one; where instead of rides, you have places that you have only read about growing up. Check out these amazing activities: 1. Go boating in the Sea of Galilee. A charming wooden boat + cool and windy weather + lively Jewish music + dancing = Relaxation

One of the highlights of the cruise was getting to dock on the world-famous Amalfi Coast . Compared to the hectic, run-and-gun tours of Florence and Rome, our visit here was very relaxed and pleasant as we really got to take our time and sight-see, enjoy the food, sip some coffee and people watch; the way the Italians love to do! Easily, the Amalfi Coast is one of the most incredible locales in all of Italy . And that’s saying a lot since almost every city in Italy has it’s own character and charm! What it lacks in history (Rome), art (Florence) and majesty (Venice), the Coast makes up for with sheer breath-taking beauty! * The town of Sorrento , where many artists and poets have found love and inspiration throughout the centuries.

The second stop on our cruise was the glamorous Monaco . Known as the playground of the rich and famous, Monaco is the smallest country in the world next to the Vatican.  But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in style with almost everyone wearing something branded , including the police! Like sur Mer, this was a light, relaxed day, which really helped with my jetlag. Well that and all the cappuccinos and espresso shots that my cousins and I were taking! The only downside to this stop was that it was raining non-stop the whole day. Ergo, I couldn’t take pictures of the beautiful parks, architecture and cars to protect my camera from the elements.  And when I say cars, I mean cars like the Bugatti Veyron which is apparently a common sight in this place and NOWHERE to be found back home in Manila. * Casino de Monte Carlo  which I mistakenly thought was the setting of my favorite James Bond movie, Casino Royale (sorry Skyfall fans!!)  Too bad it was raining pretty hard;

Before I continue on the Eurotrip, I would like to write a special thank you to our cruise liner and it’s staff, Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas , for taking excellent care of us on our Mediterranean Cruise . For the whole week that we were cruisin, I was pampered, fed (A LOT) and treated very politely by everyone on board.  So Kudos to the Captain and his mates! * The Barcelona Pier is just awesome, looking a lot like an airport terminal complete with restaurants and souvenir stores, which my dad (guy on the right) took advantage of.

Definitely my FAVORITE mountain!  (This is the mountain where Christ was tempted by the devil for 40 days & nights.)