Vatican City: The Holy See

Visiting The Holy See is one of my childhood dreams, we are very thankful to have the chance of visiting Vatican City. Dubbed as the city within a city, The Holy See is one of the most famous tourist destination in Italy. It is also a city of rich history and magnificent architecture.

Tip1: From Rome, Italy, take subway train to Vatican City.
Tip2: Bring a map to familiarize the city including the subway train stations.
Tip3: Do travel early, subway stations are quite full during peak hours.
Tip4: Take care of your belongings, police is quite visible in the city. For any assistance, please approach the officers.
Tip5: Before entering the Vatican wall, there are cafes and food carts in the area. Paninis ( sandwiches ) are available for breakfast and snacks. 

Tip6: Sts. Peter and Paul square is a secured area, Vatican police takes care of the peace and order of the place.
Tip7: To enter the square, everyone's subjected to X-ray and metal detectors. Do not bring any prohibited substances and weapons.
Tip8: We went there to attend Papal audience, for information please see this website http://www.papalaudience.org/ . It is a wonderful experience to attend the Papal audience so please include this in your itineraries.

The tickets can be obtained in many ways, some of the churches in Rome are offering Papal audience tickets. The tickets are for free, some of the churches only ask for donations in return.

Tip9: Sts. Peter and Paul square has it's own souvenier shop, please buy your souveniers inside the square. But there are also souvenier stores outside the square.

Tip10: After the Papal audience, visit the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. It is allowed to take pictures but no flashes, you will surely admire the cathedral. I also advise to keep the solemnity of the place and refrain from making so much noise.

Tip12: Also, you can follow directions inside the cathedral to visit the underground mausoleum of the popes.
Tip 13: Visit the Vatican Museum, the popular statues of the Roman Mythology characters are in the museum. There are also incomparable treasures in the museum which are  all worth to see.

Tipl4: Do not pass the chance of visiting the Sistine Chapel. We did not take any photo in Sistine Chapel, it is not allowed to take pictures but some still chose not to follow. We decided to keep the memories in our minds and not in our camera.

Tip15: After strolling around the square, you can also visit Castel San't Angelo. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum.

Tip16: Do take note of  the train schedule to plan your trip back to Rome.

Visiting Vatican City is a fulfillment specially to Catholics like us. May God bless us all! Peace, love and light.

Amsterdam Surprise

The Netherlands is an interesting country, cannabis and prostitution is legal. The city is known for the Red Light District.

It was autumn when I surprised Angelo with a 2-day tour of Amsterdam. I am a big fan of Europe's architecture, they preserved their infrastracture quite well.

I know a little of Dutch language so I can understand some of the basics. But Angelo learned Dutch faster than me I guess.

Tip1: For trains and buses, tourists can refer from http://www.ns.nl/ for planning the trip. This website is very helpful for bus and train schedules.

Tip2: There are "promotional tickets" with discounts, of course you need to consider your itinerary to decide which tickets suit your trip.

Tip3: For violations, fines are quite high so be cautious and read the instructions at the back of the tickets. Some bus/train staffs are considerate but better not try your luck.

Tip4: Amsterdam is crowded specially the train stations, take care of your belongings. 

 We went straight to the hotel when we arrived in Amsterdam, after checking-in we started our tour.

Tip5: There are four tourist offices in Amsterdam:

• Opposite the Central Station
  A notable building marked "Tourist Info and Tickets" right to be seen when you exit the Central Station in the city direction.
• Inside Central Station
  Upstairs from the main station hall to platform 2b.
• Leidseplein
  Just off the square: corner Leidseplein and Leidsestraat.
• Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
  Holland Tourist Information at Arrivals 2 section.

They sell maps and travel booklets which are very helpful.

Tip6: If you really like going into museums, in tourist's offices there are museum passes with discounts.

Tip7: To know more about Rijks Museum, visit their website http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/. It is not allowed to take pictures inside. Enjoy the mystery and surprises of the museum, remember knowledge is power.

Don't forget to take your souvenier photo at I AMSTERDAM.

 
Tip8: Artis Zoo is like a one-stop zoo for me, a lot of animals and things to see. We really had fun in this museum, it's a must see.

Visit the friendly gorilla and the entertaining penguins and so much more, it's overwhelming.

Tip9: There are a lot of ferry tour operators in Amsterdam, we just picked by luck. Be particular of the tour schedules, most of the tour captains speak in English so tourists would understand. Ferry tours are entertaining. Holland is famous for the houseboats and in the tour you would know why. Also, their canals are intricately designed.

Tip10: Amsterdam Square is usually crowded because of tourists. There are a lot of shops, a lot of entertainment. It is common to smell cannabis and even see cannabis candies, remember this is legal in Amsterdam. There are nearby shops and restos, be adventurous and prepare for the hype of the city.

Tip11: Just adjacent the square is Madame Tussauds Museum, this musuem is very popular with tourists. It's always blockbuster, and they have a lot of human size wax statues of the famous celebrities and icons. It's a long line but it's worth the wait if you want to see Mr. and Mrs. Pitt in Amsterdam. :)

Tip12: Touring Amsterdam will not be complete if you won't visit the famous Red Light District, De Wallen. It's a long stretch of red lights. Some would call it the "heart of Amsterdam". At night it's so crowded that it's like a long procession of spectators. Different races, different ages, different sizes, all are available for all your sexual desires.

Tip13: The whole day tour can be tiring, the country is known for bicycles ( fietsen ). It's convenient to have a bicycle and cycle around the city. Lock your bike else you'll need to buy a new one.

I describe the land of windmills as the city of known secrets.