Me At The Sinulog

I promised to post a little bit more about the Sinulog celebration that we had here in Germany last January 15, right? Well, here is more about it. Sorry for the late post though since I just recovered from colds. I have been sick for almost a week but thankfully, I am feeling better now. Anyway, back to Sinulog.

Long before the Itik-Itik Dance, more exciting and meaningful things took place.

First off was the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the cathedral in Rottenburg. A religious feast will not be complete without a thanksgiving mass. The Holy Infant Jesus is after all the reason for the celebration. Everyone brought their Sto. Ninos with them, including me. And Fr. Simon blessed us all after the mass.

The procession and Sinulog streetdancing followed right after the mass. My Mommy and Daddy had to go ahead because they were participating in the street dancing which led the procession. They left me in the care of my Auntie Lola Judy who taught me how to do the Sinulog dance too and patiently took some photos of me at the procession.

Then we arrived at the Festhalle or the venue where the Sinulog dancing continued. It is more than a dance... it is a form of prayer, of worship and thanksgiving. And we were all happy. Happy for the gift of childhood, of innocence and of wonder that is innate in every child like me.

Photo credits: Judy Schlaak, Frevrey Noel

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Heidelberg and Me

We went to Heidelberg last September 4th for some sightseeing. It was a very fine day and although the air was a bit cold, it didn't bother us so much. Our first stop: the place where our national hero wrote the last chapters of his novel Noli Me Tangere. It was quite a long from Heidelberg city center, but it didn't matter because we drove all the way there. We were directed by our navigation to a residential area. There was nothing special though except for the fact that a street name was named after our national hero. And that is something that any Filipino would be proud of. 

After our brief visit, we went back to Heidelberg city center and visited the Heidelberg Castle. We got up though the Bergbahn (mountain train). History tells us that the castle was burned down three times and that plans to restore everything to its original grandeur were never carried out. There are a few areas of the castle though that have been restored and used as museums, shops and restaurant. 

From the castle, one can get a breathtaking view of the Altstadt below, with the Alte Brücke and the other old structures that make Heidelberg a very romantic and charming city.

I immensely enjoyed Heidelberg castle especially the bergbahn ride and the grounds. There was so much space to run around at the gardens and grounds without fearing of breaking anything.The giant wine barrel was also an interesting piece.

There was also a fireworks display that evening and we waited for night to come. We sat on the bank of the River Neckar and while waiting, enjoyed some of the picnic food that we brought with us. It was a very dramatic and awesome fireworks display. Before the actual fireworks, there was a re-enactment of the burning down of the castle and one would think that it was really on fire.

I wish we could visit Heidelberg this Autumn for the fall foliage. We saw lots of greenery when we visited and it would be interesting to see them in various shades of reds, orangers and yellows.

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A Boating Adventure

I haven't experienced going on a camping trip yet nor have I gone on a fishing trip but I surely would love to experience them both. Perhaps when I am a bit older, me and my family could go on an outdoor trip: camping, hiking, fishing and doing other outdoor stuff. For now, I am happy and delighted to be sitting on a small boat pedalled by my Dad while eating ice cream and doing a little cruise around a lake. 

I have tried doing the scenario mentioned above and it was indeed lots of fun. I couldn't even wait to get on the small boat so that I insisted on sitting on a defective boat that was docked on the port while waiting for our turn to board the boat. I was able to ride one when we were driving through the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse along the Black Forest in July.

This was one of my summer adventures with my family and I was really happy to be out in the great outdoors. I got some more photos to show and more stories to tell but those are for some other blog entries. Hope you all stay tuned. 

Thanks for the visit!

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Trip To Bamberg

June 12 was Independence Day in the Philippines. What did this little girl do? Gone on a trip to Bamberg with my Mommy and Daddy and other Filipino friends of course! Yes, we were off to Bamberg to join our new Filipino friends for their 3rd Santacruzan.

We left Stuttgart at 9:15am and the almost four-hour drive was smooth. We rented a small tourbus, one that accommodated 20 persons. I was the youngest and only child passenger but it doesn't matter if I didn't have a playmate because all the attention was on me. Hihi! I also had my very own seat beside my Mommy because there were still extra seats. I was comfortable and didn't even fuss. Yes, I love to travel especially if it isn't hot inside the vehicle.

We arrived Bamberg at around 1pm. We were greeted by the organizers of the event and were shown our seats. Then we had lunch. Since the Santacruzan won't start until 4PM, we decided to take a walk around the town. I enjoyed walking on the cobblestones, watching the ducks by the riverbank, playing at the mini-park and sitting on top of my Daddy's shoulders.

The festivities haven't even started yet and I was already enjoying myself immensely!

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Visiting Insel Mainau

Two weeks ago, we went on a spur-of-the-moment road trip to Bodensee or Lake Constance. Daddy had two days off work and he was in the mood for a drive. Since we haven't been to Bodensee yet, Mom & Dad decided that we visit and stay for the night. It was only about 2 hours and 30 minutes drive from where we live so that at around 4pm, we arrived in Insel Mainau, our first stop.

Me... just after taking a good look at the turtles.

Insel Mainau is popularly known as The Flower Island. It is open year-round and has different seasonal flowers blooming all year round. It is just a tiny island but has a lot to offer. There's a butterfly house, a palm house with orchids in it, a playground for the children, a chapel, a castle, the Italian steps, docks and shops and restaurants too.

I enjoyed the butterfly house a lot. Mommy got the chance to photograph some of the butterflies.

Here they are:

Can you find the two butterflies mating?

If you know the name of the butterfly, please let me know by leaving a comment. Mommy forgot to take note of the names. Besides, they are all written in their scientific names and German names so that they are very difficult to remember.

Thanks and I hope you enjoyed the butterflies. More of Insel Mainau in my upcoming posts!

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A Reminder of A Grim Past

Behind me is one of the former guard towers guarding the concentration camp. Prisoners attempting to escape were executed in more ways than one.

Our vacation last July took us to many places. One of which is Germany's Dachau Memorial Site which used to be a concentration camp during the Third Reich period. It is a place of memory, of pilgrimage, and of education. The visit was quite a challenge, especially for my Daddy, but it was overall a deeply moving and memorable experience for my parents. I was too young to understand all about it though. Anyway, here are some of our photos:

Please click on photo to view the larger size.

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Among The Ruins

June 1st saw us in Baden-Baden. Our first stop was a visit to the castle ruins of Altes Schloss. I had lots of fun exploring the castle grounds and all it's earth, grass, and huge stones.

Exploring the castle grounds in all its ruined grandeur.

The stone walls do have an old charm to it.
Hmm... I wonder the Lord of the slept...

Daddy was trying to scare Mommy off... There's a well behind us. I guess the scene looked pretty familiar to them. But I am not scared. I am one brave little girl.

At the higher parts of the castle. Mommy's and Daddy's legs were shaking because we were already high up. It's enough that the castle sits on a mountain. And it's more tormenting to be surrounded with ancient stone walls on one side and an open space on the other. I was too eager to get off Mommy's arms but she wouldn't let me for fear that I would fall off the ledge.

Finally, getting out of the castle on the other side and walking on some good old cobblestone path.

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Munich Day Tour

This was my little adventure during our day tour in Munich. The weather was undecided... it was raining at first then sunny the next and then rainy again so that I didn't get to run around too much and explore.

Are we getting off here? The palace looks grand!


A flying kiss for Dad.

We passed by lots of old buildings with great architecture but I was too young to care. Maybe when I am older, I will appreciate it better. But it was indeed fun to ride on the bus and spend the day with my family!

Inside the tour bus with Mommy.


Sitting pretty at the BMW World Shop.


At the overpass on our way to BMW World.

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