A Series of Beautiful and Unfortunate Events

It was a nice fine Saturday. We wanted to go hiking again before it gets too cold for our little girl so we decided to go mountain hiking up in Nebelhorn in Oberstdorf. The drive from where we live normally takes just two hours but we got stuck in traffic due to the high volume of vehicles who also wanted to do a "last day out" before the summer break ends.  The long drive got the husband irritable. We got to our destination at around two in the afternoon. We only have at least two and half hours left for our hike before the cable cars stop running. Of course we could always hike on the way down from the peak but we also had to consider the temperature and the terrain. It is okay if it were only me and my husband... but if you are with a little girl who likes to complain if she doesn't feel like doing something, then that is another story.

The cable car of the Nebelhornbahn leaving the Gipfelstation (peak station)

We reached the peak of Nebelhorn via cable car and then hiked our way down to the next station of Höfatsblick. It was only a kilometer stretch but with the steepness and the loose stones along the trail, it took us over an hour to hike as we stopped here and there for some photos. There was also a lot to see: alpine flowers in purple, yellow and white, and the  The hike down from the peak also saw us discovering the home of marmots. We spied four marmots in total and the little went nearer the rocky formations to get a closer look.

As we were moving on towards the Bergstation, I then noticed that my sunglasses were missing.. And that's when tempers flared... It's unfortunate really so my husband had to hurry and climb back up, tracing our tracks. It was nowhere to be found. I just hope it went to better hands.

Although the trip didn't turn out as wonderful as we expected it to be, I am still thankful. For the beauty of nature that we were able to behold. For the time given to spend with one another. For the memories albeit not so good....

 

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A Friend-ly Gathering

It has been four years (or maybe more!) since I last saw my beautiful friends from the university and so when the chance came for us to meet, we didn't let the chance pass us by. I also wanted to hand over the shoe box of pens and pencils I have collected from my friends and classmates at graduate school in Germany for our little project Pens of Hope in Davao, so it was just the perfect timing.

© Photo by Mervz Mosqueda via Facebook

The little girl decided to lie down while waiting for my friends to arrive.

It was a Saturday and we decided to meet at Yellow Hauz, a quaint coffee shop in Davao City. While waiting, me and little girl ordered some refreshments. After a few minutes, Kikit and her hubby Dan, arrived carrying snorkel gear... They just came from a day of snorkeling at Paradise Beach Resort at the Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS). It must have been very nice to be with schools of fish, I so envy them.. Hehehe! 

A smile and a shoe box full of hope!
© Photo by Claire Apigo Guillano via Pens of Hope Page on Facebook

Anyway, before we forgot, we handed over our shoe box of pens and pencils and Kikit asked to make a souvenir shot with my little girl as the model.

After three pots of hot tea, two other girl friends, Ate Tess and Shugar (along with Sweet, her little girl) arrived. It was almost time for dinner to we transfered to Matina Town Square and opted to dine at Kanto bar and restaurant.

THANK YOU for the wonderful time! Until next time...
© Photo by Claire Apigo Guillano via Facebook

Indeed, it was a wonderful evening filled with sensible talk, laughter and wonderful company. It may have been years but it is heartwarming to know that the friendship remains. Even if we grow in numbers (family members are always welcome in the group) and we live far apart, it makes me smile to know that when we come home again, we have another family to come home to... our SICO family. :)

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Glass Nail FIles and Other Souvenirs from Prague

The capital of Prague in the Czech Republic is one of the most charming and interesting European cities I have visited so far. I loved the charm of the old architecture and the history behind them, even the eerie and scary ones. There is just something magical about Prague, perhaps because it is home to the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague, who is believed to have protected the city even to this day. 

I enjoyed going to the open market taking place in the weekend, which was lined up with porcelain dolls, wood items, and glassware among others. If you want to take a piece of the Czech Republic with you, there is much to choose from. The main streets where there is high tourist traffic are lined with stores a variety of items like simple marionette puppets and porcelain dolls,  to interesting matryoshka dolls, which are I think of Russian origin but are made and sold in Prague anyway to useful items like glass foot files or luxurious glass accessories from Mont Bleu. Czech glass is also a very famous souvenir item. But because we have a child who loves to play all over the house, we opted to buy other items instead.

We stayed for three days and two nights in this beautiful city and went on a sightseeing tour. Famous landmarks that we visited included the Prague Castle, the Jewish quarter, the New Town with the Wenceslas Square at its heart, the charming Old Town and the picturesque Lesser Town (Mala Strana) and went on a stroll across Charles Bridge to enjoy yet more wonderful panoramic views of the city. 

Our visit to Prague was of course not complete without visiting the church of the Infant Jesus of Prague. Guided with a map, we managed to find our way. It was actually not difficult to find. There I brought an Infant Jesus dressed in white to place in our altar here at home. We also bought a book about the story of how the Infant Jesus of Prague came to be. 

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CC: Lost In The Black Forest

It has been a while since I made an update and a CC entry for this blog. It's high time that I start blogging again, don't you think? Yesterday's theme for Couple's Corner is just the right timing and although late, here I am typing my entry away.

 

Us before we got lost in the middle of the Black Forest.

It was June, the summer of 2009 when we went for a drive and visited Baden-Baden, near the Black Forest. Because we had a navigation system, it was quite easy to get to our destination even if it was our first time to go there. We went sightseeing the entire day and booked for an overnight stay at a Gasthaus (local hotel) near Freudenstadt, a small town south of the Black Forest. And because it was summer, the sun would usually set at around 9:00 PM so we had ample time to drive through the forest for our hotel.

 

The hotel where we stayed for the night. 

We were finally able to check in at around 11:00PM. Whew!

We were almost near our destination when we made a wrong turn. Perhaps the GPS can no longer recognize the dirt road that was leading up the mountains so it just kept saying, "Please follow the arrows on the display." And followed it, we did. We saw a billboard showing the vicinity map of the area and that was when we knew that we were lost. And it was in the middle of the forest! It was getting dark so we still continued to drive. I started to panic when it was already really dark and all we could see are the logs piled at the side of the road and the trees and the road that were made visible by the car head lights. We went back on our way and luckily found a local restaurant in the middle of the forest. Strange, huh? Good thing the staff can speak English and told us which road to take. They also told us to come back if we still can't find our way so that they can call a taxi that we can follow.

It was really a very scary experience. Hubby and I could only look at each other's eyes as if in agreement that we had an invisible passenger that night who wanted to be dropped off in that area. Thinking about that incident still gives me goosebumps.

And that is my share for this week's Couple's Corner.

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Milan's Duomo

You must all be wondering where I have gone the last week. I know you haven't heard from me in a while and that's because we went out of town, sightseeing with my parents in law in Italy and France. No, it's not an extravagant vacation. We packed our meals, went from one city to another in our car, and booked promo hotel rooms.

The morning sun slowly peeking at us as we drove through Switzerland down to Italy.

So where did we go first? To the fashion and business capital of Italy of course! We were already on the road at 3:30AM and arrived at our hotel in Milan in the afternoon. After a little rest, we decided to go to the city center by public transport (metro) because most cities in Italy have a crazy traffic regulation. Surprisingly, we found Milan to be packed with Filipinos! Yes, anywhere we turn, we can see Filipinos. We have been to Venice and then to Rome but nothing compares to the number of Filipinos that we found in Milan.

Milan's Duomo in all its splendor and beauty.

When we got off the subway, the first thing that met our eyes was the beautiful view of the giant Duomo, Milan's hallmark and one of the largest Gothic churches in the world. What makes this church extraordinary is that it is crowned with 135 spires and innumerable statues and gargoyles.

The other side of the Duomo. Can you see the gargoyles?

We heard mass at 5:30PM and although it was said in Italian, it was very solemn. Only a few people attended the service though as most of the crowd were just there as tourists. I think in many grand Catholic churches in Europe, it is sad to note that most people come only to take photos and see the beauty of the mosaics and stained glass windows and the architecture and never really to go there to pray. I am not judging them though because these churches are indeed a sight to behold.

And of course, a souvenir family photo right in front of the Duomo.

So that was Day 1 of our trip. More stories to come in the coming days.

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