Friday, August 19, 2011

WELCOME TO CORFU GREECE!!!



Corfu (GreekΚέρκυραKérkyra[ˈcercira]Ancient GreekΚέρκυρα or ΚόρκυραLatin:CorcyraItalianCorfù) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of theIonian Islands.[2] The island is part of the Corfu peripheral unit, and is administrated as a single municipality. The municipality includes the island Corfu and the smaller islandsEreikoussaMathraki and Othonoi. The principal town of the island and seat of the municipality (pop. 33,886) is also named Corfu.[3] Corfu is home to the Ionian University.
The island is connected to the history of Greece from the beginning of Greek mythology. Its Greek nameKerkyra or Korkyra, is related to two powerful water symbols: Poseidon, god of the sea, and Asopos, an important Greek mainland river.[4] According to myth, Poseidon fell in love with the beautiful nymph Korkyra, daughter of Asopus and river nymphMetope, and abducted her.[4] Poseidon brought Korkyra to the hitherto unnamed island and, in marital bliss, offered her name to the place: Korkyra,[4] which gradually evolved toKerkyra (Doric).[5] Together, they had a child they called Phaiax, after whom the inhabitants of the island were named: Phaiakes. This term was transliterated via Latin to Phaeacians.
The island's history is laden with battles and conquests. The legacy of these struggles is visible in the form of castles punctuating strategic locations across the island. Two of these castles enclose its capital, which is the only city in Greece to be surrounded in such a way. As a result, Corfu's capital has been officially declared a Kastropolis ("castle city") by the Greek government.[5] Corfu was long controlled by Venice, which repulsed severalTurkish sieges, before falling under British rule following the Napoleonic Wars. Corfu was eventually ceded by the British Empire along with the remaining islands of the United States of the Ionian Islands, and unification with modern Greece was concluded in 1864 under the Treaty of London(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corfu)


















Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Welcome to Venezia

Venice (Italian: Venezia [veˈnɛttsja] ([Image] listen), Venetian: Venexia [veˈnɛsja]) is a city innorthern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region, with a population in the whole comune of about 270,660 (census estimate 30 April 2009). Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE) (population 1,600,000).The name is derived from the ancient Veneti people who inhabited the region by the 10th century B.C.[1][2] The city historically was the capital of the Venetian Republic. Venice has been known as the "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals". Luigi Barzini, described it in The New York Times as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man".[3]Venice has also been described by the Times Online as being one of Europe's most romantic cities.[4]The city stretches across 117 small islands in the marshy Venetian Lagoon along theAdriatic Sea in northeast Italy. The saltwater lagoon stretches along the shoreline between the mouths of the Po (south) and the Piave (north) Rivers. The population estimate of 272,000 inhabitants includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia; around 60,000[5] in the historic city of Venice (Centro storico); 176,000 in Terraferma (the Mainland), mostly in the large frazioni of Mestre and Marghera; and 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon.The Republic of Venice was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages andRenaissance, and a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, as well as a very important center of commerce (especially silk, grain and spice trade) and art in the 13th century up to the end of the 17th century. This made Venice a wealthy city throughout most of its history.[6] It is also known for its several important artistic movements, especially theRenaissance period. Venice has played an important role in the history of symphonic and operatic music, and it is the birthplace of Antonio Vivaldi.(Iformation borrowed from WIKIPEDIA)


This  video was taken from the buffet deck 9 of Costa Atlantica (Cruise Ship) entering the canal of venezia.









Let me take you through the alleys of venice, in which you will experience the first person view of the journey to san marco's square.


Some people walk ,some people ride a gondola or a water taxi.I prefer running to discover the place and conquer it at the same time.









Somebody told me a story about the Gondola and the Gondoliere(A person rowing the gondola) .Gondolas are made personally to its Gondoliere.Something like a destined wife for him that bind them together for life.
The Gondola is designed uniquely depending to its Gondeliere's personal quality, like lefthaded or righthanded by its weight etc.And there are no two Gondola alike.









Venezia is one my favorite place in Italy.Simply because of its beauty,culture,arts and most of all ,it was the place were my girlfriend and I decided to be together.Then after 2 years, we decided to get married a named our first baby Venezia. 

WELCOME ABOARD!!!


Travelling around the world is one of the   dreams   most  us would like to have.
Before, you have to be rich to support   the expenses of reaching that dream.
Nowadays, thanks to the help of the travel agencies which made that dream more possible   and less expensive than before. By buying an early bird flight and package deals in bulk, then sell them   in a lesser price at   anytime of the year, gives an opportunity for the rest of us to go and travel   around the world.
Fortunately! Working in a Cruise Ship gave me that privilege to travel around the world and enjoy   a sumptuous and international cuisine and at the end of the day I get paid tax free.
Hello! My name is Edward Delos Santos and I have been working in a luxury ship for 12 years .
Working in a Cruise Ship is a bitter sweet life to live up with. We work more than eight hours a day(11 to 14 hours to be exact) , away from our love ones ,working in a risky work place( especially when there is a storm coming, pirates under siege ,fire/leaking  onboard, terrorist attack ,etc. etc.)a  pace just like an everyday race, pressure from the big bosses and a complaining passengers. Name it , its all happening here in one floating like city.
Some of us live their lives onboard working, eating and sleeping for the rest of their contract. Sounds like a prison to me. But not me…
Work is work. But for me, it’s like a never ending learning of different country’s   culture, history, language, music, food and wine. We get to travel , shop around and Visit the historical sights and see the wonders of the world.
So without further a  do . Let me  invite you to join me as I travel around the world, taste different cuisine, know the people, their  language , culture and  music  .
So sit tight relax and enjoy!!!!!