Review: Himeji Castle is beautiful ~ but be prepared!

Yes, this is either a good review or not-so-good situation to any tourist. Himeji Castle is a castle in its own right. There are so much to see and explore. You will spend so much time going around depending on your curiosity and interest. Prepare yourself for a minimum of an hour and a half to complete your tour. You need to walk a lot and climb the stairs. Not a single elevator is installed within the castle as almost everything you will see are preserved and original.

Moreover, as I mentioned above, it takes more than an hour to spend in the castle. You will spend another one and a half hours wandering around the vicinity like the Nishioyashiki
Garden, Shirotopia Memorial Park, and the three museums namely, Literature, History and Art.

Marysia of Warsaw POLAND

20. Featured Traveller 

Marysia 

Traveller  

(Warsaw, Poland)

                               

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living” ~ Maria Bean

I am glad to feature Marysia who has been travelling most of her life. Literally, she has travelled the world and more often than not, she is out of town discovering the countries that comes to her mind.  She has explored Austria, Belgium, Benin, Cambodia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Laos, Lebanon, Luxumbourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and Vatican City.  She reveals that she will continue her journey to the rest of the world without much planning.

When asked about her favourite country and city of destination, she hesitated at first but eventually revealed that it was Spain and Tel-Aviv.

Safety Tips for Children While on a Cruise

Cruising is more often luxurious with awesome onboard activities, delicious dining choices, nightlife, and the chance to explore one destination to another.  We hope you will keep your cruise pleasurable with lots of unforgettable memories. 

While on a cruise, parents cannot rely solely on the security measures that is implemented on the cruise ship.  They should be vigilant especially to their children's safety so as to fully enjoy their vacation.

Cescille Tuazon of Glasgow SCOTLAND

19. Featured Traveller 

Cescille Tuazon

Singer : Traveller  

(Glasgow, Scotland)

                               

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”

~ Saint Augustine 

Ces as she is fondly called,  is a native of Pampanga in the Philippines. She has been residing permanently in Scotland with her family for more than fifteen years now.

I am so thankful that she agreed to be featured in our blog to highlight some of her travels and to give tips that will be of help to fellow travellers. Ces is not new to travelling as she has been to Dubai, Muscat, Bahrain, Rome, United Kingdom, Spain, Gibraltar, France, United States, Canada, and Thailand. Her future travel line up are Japan, South Africa, Greece and Australia to name a few.

Enjoying 'chocolat chaud' in Nice

Scotland Flag

I will let Ces tell her story as I believe she can give justice to her travelling spree in spite of the fact that she is going through a lot of personal issues lately.

Well, that is a story that I cannot share with you in this column. If you insist and you are still interested to know more about her life story and what she is going through, I will be giving you a hint at the end of this blog on where to find more information about her. In the meantime, here is her travel story....

* * * * *

Gibraltar

I do a lot of research before I head off to a foreign country especially if my destination is of different culture than where I am at.

I've lived in the Middle East for many years so I am aware how conservative the people of these countries are, and how they strictly follow the laws of the land.

It is here where I learned to practice the old sayings, "When in Rome, do what the Romans do". Oh yes, my life in Saudi Arabia is the total opposite of my life here in Scotland.

Apart from essentials like shoes and clothes, I always carry sufficient medicines when I am on a journey. Do not be stingy with your travel insurance; make sure you always have one, because you do not know what can possibly happen. I always purchase insurance; an advice that I believe is very important when you travel.

My passion in travelling started when I joined a musical band as a singer.  I go with the group of musician to cities and towns and from one country to another. This is one thing that I always like to do - entertaining people through music and at the same time travelling for free.

Waiting for the train in Bangkok

Being a single parent and a working mom, I am saving some cash to go on holiday after an exhausting, but very rewarding job.

I recently went on a 7-day Mediterranean Medley cruise via Thomson Dream Liner where I had the chance to explore Italy's Corsica, Livorno, Pisa, Nice and Antibes, after which our cruise ship headed to France's Toulon and Barcelona, Spain.

Mediterranean Cruiseship

Mediterranean Medley ~ Is it my Dream Cruise?  This is the question I asked in my blog. Whether it is a dream come true, or not, I still can say that going solo on a trip  is all I want to do in my present situation.

Did I enjoy the cruise? Yes, I did!  I am trying my best to move on with my personal life. It is not easy to ignore those jolly Filipino crews on the ship.  They are a bunch of very respectful hosts and good singers in their own right.  These young men serenaded me with beautiful Philippine music that brought back memories of my happy days in the Philippines.  

Aboard the Thomson Liner Cruiseship

I had a hard time communicating while in Nice, France.

Though I attempted to talk clearly in English, not even one staff in the snack bar understood what I was trying to say.

There is a serious language barrier here. All of them don't speak English. The only French words that I could speak and understand are Bonjour, merci, au revoir and je' taime.  Not even one of these words could be used in ordering what I wanted.  I almost gave up.

But wait, a customer close by who understood both languages came to my rescue.  He told them, "this lady want the chocolat chaud". So, I got my chocolat chaud.  Very easy!

I should learn how to use my fingers to do the talking.  I think it would help.  It was truly a learning experience.

For details of my Mediterranean cruise, I invite you to visit my blog, FliPinay Wee Blether. It is not only my journey that you will be reading here. I also shared my thoughts as a single parent and how I struggle to raise my two kids.  I've tried my best to put some humour on the personal side of my story to make it lighter and easier to accept the realities.

Below you will see some of my photos during my recent trip. I'd been alone and cannot pose to have my pictures taken but managed to shoot some beautiful views by myself.

Comment if you like. That will make me feel better! To connect with me, you may also visit my Facebook page, KwentongSingleMom.

From the desk of: 

Freddie Miranda

A blogger and a Canada-based freelance writer. He shares the value of his travel experiences and discoveries with his friends and fellow travellers. Share your passion, join and visit him. Send a message @ fromatravellersdesk(at)gmail(dot)com.

Seaside in Corsica ITALY

Ancient town of Antibes FRANCE

Taken from my cruiseship ~ Toulon FRANCE

Spanish Village ~ Barcelona SPAIN

Costa del Sol ~ Barcelona SPAIN

 

Cathedral ~ Barcelona SPAIN

Leaning Tower ~ Pisa ITALY

Are you a traveller who would like to share your travel story with our blog and our readers?  Then, I'd love to hear from you! 
Please email me at fromatravellersdesk@gmail.com

Related Blogs:
Featured Traveller #1 Norman from Phoenix Arizona USA
Featured Traveller #2 Macit from Istanbul TURKEY
Featured Traveller #3 Aida from Manila PHILIPPINES
Featured Traveller #4 MichaelW from Brooklyn New York USA
Featured Traveller #5 Marie from Sydney AUSTRALIA
Featured Traveller #6 ChrisKo from Vienna AUSTRIA 
Featured Traveller #7 Jeff from Winnipeg Manitoba CANADA  
Featured Traveller #8 Noreen from Cologne GERMANY 
Featured Traveller #9 Armie from Manila PHILIPPINES 
Featured Traveller #10 Nelieta from Cordoba ARGENTINA
Featured Traveller #11 Bojo from Quezon City PHILIPPINES

Featured Traveller #12 Esmat from Kabul AGHANISTAN

Featured Traveller #13 Cris from Valenzuela City PHILIPPINES
Featured Traveller #14 Jeroen from Hoogeveen The NETHERLANDS

Featured Traveller #15 Angel from Iloilo City PHILIPPINES
Featured Traveller #16 Zara from Kuala Lumpur MALAYSIA
Featured Traveller #17 Kwan of Bangkok THAILAND
Featured Traveller #18 Jorn Eriksson of Oslo NORWAY
Featured Traveller #20 Marysia from Warsaw POLAND 
Featured Traveller #21 Sharon from Geneva SWITZERLAND   
Featured Traveller #22 Wesam from Baghdad IRAQ
Featured Traveller #23 MoeAmine from Algiers ALGERIA  
Featured Traveller #24 Ruxandra Ioana from Brussels BELGIUM
Featured Traveller #25 Darwin from Rizal PHILIPPINES
Featured Travellers #26 HiOporto from Oporto PORTUGAL
Featured Traveller #27 Drew from Seoul SOUTH KOREA
Featured Traveller #28 Steven from Lowestoft ENGLAND
Featured Traveller #29 Anje from Knysna SOUTH AFRICA  

Featured Traveller #30 MichaelJ from California USA

Featured Traveller #31 Phebe from Singapore City SINGAPORE

Featured Traveller #32 Brad from Georgia USA

Featured Traveller #33 Antonis from Athens GREECE

Featured Traveller #34 Julio from California USA

Featured Traveller #35 Himanshu from New Delhi INDIA

Featured Traveller #36 Jessica from Oregon USA
Featured Traveller #37 Michael Angelo from Cavite PHILIPPINES
Featured Traveller #38 Omar from Casablanca MOROCCO

Featured Traveller #39 Keith from Singapore SINGAPORE

Featured Traveller #40 Kellen from Shanghai CHINA

Featured Traveller #41 Hanne from Cochabamba BOLIVIA

  

Watch for these blogs! 
They all have been travelling for many years and I can guarantee that all of them have travel tips that all of us can learn and benefit from.  I have to thank all other fellow travellers who have responded to my invite.  I will definitely publish your stories as soon as I have completed the details.

 

Top 10 Most Livable Cities

Toronto City Hall - Old Building

Very recently, The Economist released the most livable cities in the world.  Melbourne in Australia got the top spot.  Canada commanded three of the top 10 spots; Vancouver in British Columbia in Canada claimed the 3rd, Toronto 4th, and Calgary 5th, tied with Adelaide in Australia.  

While it is true that no place is perfect, I am proud that I lived in Toronto half of my life and will be living for the rest of it.

The Top 10 Most-Livable Cities in the World are......

1st          MELBOURNE, Australia

2nd         VIENNA, Austria

3rd         VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada

4th         TORONTO, Ontario, Canada

5th         CALGARY, Alberta, Canada & ADELAIDE, Australia

7th         SYDNEY, Australia

8th         HELSINKI, Finland

9th         PERTH, Australia

10th       AUCKLAND, New Zealand

Read the full story written by Lesley Ciarula Taylor of Toronto Star.  Photo provided by From A Traveller's Desk.