TravelswithCharie

Miagao Church or Santo Tomas de Villanueva Parish Church The Miag-ao Church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with three other colonial Baroque churches under the collective title, Baroque Churches of the Philippines. Please follow this link for my article on Miagao Church:  https://travelswithcharie.blogspot.com/2014/03/miag-ao-church.html Fortress Towers of Miagao Church The two belltowers are of unequal height and served as watchtowers following Islamic invasions in 1741 and 1754. Main Altar, Miagao Church The gold-plated retablo is the original altar used in the late 1700s and was found during excavations in 1982. A fire had ravaged the church in 1910 and it was believed the retablo had been razed as well.  Guimbal Church or San Nicolas de Tolentino Guimbal Church is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines. It was built in 1774 and restored twice, once after World War II and after the earthquake of 1948 which also destroyed the Jaro Cath

Tour Eiffel If winter is about grey skies, showers and chilling temperatures, then there's all that in Paris in January. So why go at such an inhospitable time? Because Paris in winter is moody (great for photo ops), less frantic, the bi-annual store sales are irresistible, and you don't have to fight with the swarm of selfie indulgent tourists. There is no absence of color beneath the threatening cloud cover. Rue Cremieux These pastel painted houses were my neighbors during my stay in Paris. I counted five visitors here, myself included.  Cathedral of Notre Dame I was at once elated, captivated and saddened to see Notre-Dame de Paris again. Elated that I could behold her in festive finery, captivated by her timeless beauty but saddened by the reality of the threat of terrorism.  For a moment I felt fear when I saw policemen dressed in combat gear with high powered rifles patrolling the cathedral. We shouldn't have to accept this as the new norm. But

This trip to Islas de Gigantes sat long on the planning stage. But one fine day in October, we finally made it there. And it was everything I had heard and read about. The image above shows our approach to Cabugao Gamay Island. Cabugao Gamay This is the iconic photo of Islas de Gigantes. We scrambled up a hill to get this unobstructed view of Cabugao Gamay and the Visayan Sea. It's a good thing we arrived early in the morning before the selfie crowd got in. This is the hue of the sea taken from Cabugao Gamay. How it nurtures the blue mind! Cabugao Gamay The white sand beach of Cabugao Gamay is free from debris.   Bantigue Island Bantigue Island and its sandbar rises from the sea like a mirage. We stopped here for lunch of rice and fish. Saltwater Lagoon The Tangke Saltwater Lagoon on Gigantes Sur is surrounded by towering limestone cliffs. It was still low tide when we got there. Carles Port Scallops are only one peso each. But at Bancal Port in Carl

Slow buds the pink dawn like a rose From out night's gray and cloudy sheath; Softly and still it grows and grows, Petal by petal, leaf by leaf; Each sleep-imprisoned creature breaks Its dreamy fetters, one by one, And love awakes, and labor wakes, The morning comes before the sun. What is the message from the light So fairier than light can be? Youth stands a-tiptoe, eager, bright, In haste the risen sun to see; Ah! check thy lunging, restless heart, Count the charmed moments as they run, It is life's best and fairest part, This morning hour before the sun. When once thy day shall burst to flower, When once the sun shall climb the sky, And busy hour by busy hour, The urgent noontide draws anigh; When the long shadows creep abreast, To dim the happy task half done, Thou wilt recall this pause of rest, This morning hush before the sun. To each, one dawning and one dew, One fresh young hour is given by fate, One rose flu

"My past, O Lord, to Your mercy; my present, to Your love; my future, to Your providence."  Padre Pio Sanctuary of Saint Pio at twilight* Padre Pio entered the Capuchin Order in 1903 and was ordained in 1910. He was assigned to San Giovanni Rotondo in 1916 where he remained until his death in 1968 when he was 81 years of age. In 1918, Padre Pio received the grace of the stigmata (wounds of Christ) which remained with him for fifty years. His bleeding hands were kept bandaged and covered with mittens. Pope John Paul II canonized Padre Pio in 2002.  Padre Pio initiated the construction of the hospital, Home for the Relief of Suffering, in San Giovanni Rotondo. The hospital has over 1,000 inpatient beds and is widely respected in Italy and around the world for its modern and state-of-the-art facility, medical services and clinical research in genetics and hereditary and familial diseases. *The Sanctuary was designed by Renzo Piano, the foremost Italian architect. It se

Alberobello The trulli of Alberobello are truly extraordinary. It's the main reason for my visit to Puglia. Matera Matera in Basilicata is one of the oldest continuously inhabited towns in the world. It is also known as La Citta Sotterranea (Underground City). It has been the setting for biblical films like The Passion of Christ and The Nativity Story and not surprisingly so. Walking around the sassi is like walking into a time machine and waking up in the first century A.D.  Basilica di San Nicola Bari was my base of exploration for Puglia and Basilicata. Trains to all the places I wanted to explore departed from Bari several times a day. But Bari has also many attractions including the Basilica of San Nicola from the 12th century and is a place of pilgrimage for the relics of Saint Nicholas. Ostuni This white washed, hilltop village was a bit of a challenge to photograph in its entirety but many surprises are to be found within its walls, like the

Happy New Year! The beginning of the year is the best time to plan for our next getaway. That's because planning something we look forward to always uplifts our spirit, especially during the cold, winter months when we're burrowed under heavy blankets. But the winter months also present the best time to travel when airfares are lower, the tourists and travelers are at home and are back to work/school and therefore, most destinations are free of crowds. You don't have to fight the crowds. Absolutely Elysian. Our favorite guidebooks and travel magazines have a list of places to explore in 2018 to help our decision making. Here are some of the links to visit: Afar Magazine 18 Places to go in 2018 https://www.afar.com/magazine/18-places-to-go-in-2018 Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea* Condé Nast Traveler 18 Best Places to Travel in 2018 https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/best-places-to-travel-in-2018 Fodor's Go List 2018 https://www.f