" Paris in my heart "

another sight of Paris perhaps?
and this one's along Jardin des Tuileries,
where the iconic Eiffel's
sandwiched in between two famous landmarks.

It took me awhile to be back.
Workload has just been non-stop and
how I wish I could get a decent break from it all. ^0^

See you all next year and wishing everyone Merry Christmas.
I promise to post more as soon as I get back on my feet.

* where was this *
Jardin des Tuileries
1st arrondissement
Paris

" Have you ever thought of Brazil tour ? "

What about Brazil tour ?
Have you ever been in this side of the world yet?
It is clearly its wondrous culture and amazing sights that will
captivate us (travelers) and what the city has to offer.
Unfortunately though, it is still in my bucket list,
but hopefully, my feet could carry me there soon. ^0^
I would love to see Christ the redeemer and just gazed
at this monumental figure.



While you're still unsure as where to head and how to book.
A quick tour at this helpful site the Brazil Tour will guide you and
perhaps gives us a better idea about this city, be it the backpacking kind
or traveling the luxury experience.



Both of the Photos : courtesy of Yahoo pictures.

" the majestic Notre Dame "

this is the back view of the church

My prayers have finally been answered.
Me and dear Pepperoni were looking forward to see the Notre Dame,
I, being more excited than ever, can't wait to marvel at its structure,
visit the gargoyles and
gape at the gleaming rose window.
so, that's the first thing we did when we landed.
okay, we strolled down a few blocks first before we head here.










Unfortunately,
the places i've been dreaming to see for the longest time
turned out to be the biggest disappointment.







It was 6-ish p.m. or thereabouts when we arrived.
The place, still filled with tourists,
everyone clearly wants a piece of Notre Dame as a memento.
Seeing the line to get inside made me feel tired already,
but thankfully, we don't have to wait that long.






A mass was being held during that time,
so a mixed of local churchgoers and more tourists abound inside.
The interiors looked solemn and very imposing,
It was quite dark thanks to a handful of flickering candles and incandescent lights.
a priest was in the middle of his sermon and
fragrant smell coming from the incenses.
It's hard to get a close up look without bumping someone's elbow or head,
but again, who was I to complain as i'm a tourist myself. ^0^
The crowd got thicker and the space got thinner,
and I was beginning to feel dizzy.
I had the urge to leave but couldn't because the area was
barricaded for a one way trail, thereby only for one entrance and one exit.


















I thought to myself:
why not re-visit the whole thing in the morning instead.
which was our first plan really.
to wake up early, have a great start,
But of course,
we never had that chance again.
we woke up late, thanks to sore feet and jet lag.
The next day,
our laid out plans turned out to be a different one.
Despite my ambitious drive to see everything in a jiffy,
I was still able to appreciate its glorious beauty.


here I am still flashing a big smile. ^0^

ps: photos were taken in either Canon (yellowish-orange) or Nikon ( brownish)

* where was this *
Notre Dame
Paris
4th arrondissement

" Waste bins "

I know waste segregation is common in most part of the countries,
but for someone (like me) who lives in a third world country,
where the word "segregation and being discipline" seems next to impossible.
this is a perfect example.


* where was this *
near Parc Güell
BCN

" the fairest of discords "

Because we only get to travel during the holidays,
where there are longer vacation days,
spending Christmas in Barcelona was a memorable experience for us. ^0^
But most of the time x'mas were spent in southeast asian countries.
and during that season, the streets are pretty lively and festive,
and shops even extend their closing time.






That was quite the opposite when we're in Barcelona.
Almost all of the museums are closed,
except for Casa Batlló and other Casa's by Gaudi.
even finding a place to eat was difficult.
except for tourists (like us) and a few commuters and locals.
We had Passeig de Gracía all to ourselves
and you don't even have to worry about pickpockets!
i guess, they needed a break too.
This was before lunch by the way,
so the streets were still quiet and deserted. ^0^







We highlighted our map and head to the fairest of discords =
Mansana de la Discòrdia.
We lazily walked from our hotel to Gran Via (de les corts catalanes),
all the way to Passeig the Grácia (the Eixample area)
and saw a handful of nice architecture from a whole lot of Casas here and there,
following Cadogan's handy guide book.
Now some people adore food, while others like shopping.
Me, I love gazing at different structures and they never seem to bore me.
I was enjoying capturing every moment,
There was no one blocking my view or someone popping out of nowhere,
the weather was breezy but not too cold and the street literally became our 'museum.'
yes, the tempting thought of shopping and buying a few things
did crossed my mind now and then,
but what can we do, the whole area even the biggest El Corte Ingles was also closed, so... :(



Aside from admiring the works of Gaudi's Casa Batlló's Exterior.
we didn't get the chance to see its interior.
haha, the stingy mode got the best of us. ^0^
spending 17 euros for the entrance and an hour or more inside
didn't seem a good idea at that time,
we wanted to do more sightseeing.

there was Lluís Domènech i Montaner.
his works are utterly astounding,
we were too late to discover that he's famous for designing
Palau de la Musica Catalana, which we didn't get to visit.
But at least, we got to see Casa Lleó Morera.
which isn't hard to find as the one occupying that space right now is the famous Loewe .
















Beside Casa Batlló's museum is Casa Amatller,
the façade, which is decorated with ceramic plaques of blue, pink and cream tiles,
with unending geomteric patterns are called Sgraffito.
It was designed by Puig Cadalfach, yet another remarkable artist.
I could go on with more pleonasms so for now, let the photos speak for itself. ^-^








Here is Casa Batlló's exterior.
a contrast to its next door façade.
Josep Battló was a known tycoon who got bored and commissioned Gaudi to revamped
the whole thing.





The nice flow of Trencadis, the signatured undulating curves,
bulb dome and the cross of St. George was among the many highlights of this museum.





It's already past 2 in the morning and i'm still typing,
my mind isn't sleepy yet but my eyes are seeing double already. ^0^
I'll try to post more of this walk on my next post.

" Las Ramblas vs Champs Elysées "

Las ramblas in Barcelona and Champs Elysées in Paris,

... two different yet almost the same avenues.
a bit confusing right?!








Already, I could hear you say,
how could you compare the two?! ^0^

Both avenues lined up beautifully during the winter season,
day or night, rain or shine,
They're a favorite stroll among tourists and locals alike.
a stretch of chic stores and trendy cafés.

I was initially planning to post them separately,
but couldn't decide which side is more favorable.
alas, I'll leave it for you (readers) to decide. ^0^

TOP PHOTO = Barcelona
BOTTOM PHOTO = Paris