photo by: EuroangelThe Fachwerkhaueser in Trier, Germany...

I visited this considered to be the oldest city in Germany last January 2008 with friends.

photo by: Euroangel

This photos were taken during the Volksfest in Neumarkt. See that huge Ferris wheel, that is the Royal Bavarian Wheel...cool!!

photo by: Euroangel
A photo I took in a small lake in Neumarkt where I go walking. I was attending a Finanzbuchfuerung, a Financial Accounting class in German at this time. To be exact that was in Sept. until Dec. 2008. Before the class starts I usually go walking around the city and took some pictures...The shadow of the trees in the lake is just so wonderful that I cannot stop my camera from clicking!! isn't it beautiful!!

photo by: Euroangel

Burg zur Laaber, as this is called in German. This is the Castle ruin in Laaber, around 40 minutes drive from our place.. Sorry guys, I got here a wrong cam date. I took this pix last November 2007 during an appointment with my Gynecologist. Germany is known for its Castles and Museums. I have not been to a lot yet...I am only sharing the places where I was, so that you will have some ideas about Germany. It is a beautiful country and each little town has something to offer!!

photo by: Euroangel
This is our beautiful Church in Hohenfels, the St. Ullrich Church..Everytime I go inside here, I can't stop taking some photos when I have my camera with me..I just find it very beautiful especially the fresco on the ceiling...very amazing how the painter did this painting!!

Pope Benedict XVI visited Regensburg, Germany Last September 12, 2006. I was there. That was a great experience celebrating the holy mass with the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church. Can you imagine hundreds of thousands of people gathered together in order to attend and to witness this Holy Celebration of the mass.

Here is a little info about the Pope..courtesy of Wikipedia..if you want to know more about Him, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI

Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: Benedictus PP. XVI; Italian: Benedetto XVI; German: Benedikt XVI; born Joseph Alois Ratzinger on 16 April 1927) is the 265th and reigning Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the spiritual head of the Roman Catholic Church and, as such, Sovereign of the Vatican City State. He was elected on 19 April 2005 in a papal conclave, celebrated his Papal Inauguration Mass on 24 April 2005, and took possession of his cathedral, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, on 7 May 2005. Pope Benedict XVI has both German and Vatican citizenship. He succeeded Pope John Paul II.

Wolsftein Castle (nearly our family name..wink) in Neumarkt in die Oberpfalz (i.d. Opf) is just some minutes drive away from us..If you are driving in the motorway, it is probably around 45 minutes to one hour depending on the traffic. Driving on the back road is also quite the same..The castle is located on top of the hill where you can see the city of Neumarkt and its surroundings. Neumarkt is where I also go shopping sometimes. This is where I also studied German language. This is a cool city!! I have to sign-off now...have a great evening!!

photos by: Euroangel

I had been to Kaiserslautern for a lot of times already..Thanks to a friend named Liway where we always stay during our visit. She's a good friend and one of a kind. Thanks for everything Way..hope to see you again soon!!


Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern Local theatre Pfalztheater employs more than 300 people and features plays, operas, ballets, concerts, and musicals. The first German performance of West Side Story took place there. As the arts in Germany are significantly subsidized by the government, its ticket prices are reasonably low. Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern hosts the Else-Lasker-Schüler-Preis awards for German literature.


courtesy of Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiserslautern

Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland State of Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz) at the edge of the Palatinate forest (Pfälzer Wald). The historic centre dates to the 9th century and is within easy reach of Paris (459 kilometres) and Luxembourg (159 kilometres). Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people. In the city and its surrounding district (Landkreis Kaiserslautern) live an additional approximately 50,000 NATO military personnel members (mainly American), who often call the city K-Town, and contribute approximately $1 billion annually to the Kaiserslautern economy.

photos by: Euroangel

Walhalla which is located in Donaustauf, Regensburg is known to be the Parthenon in Germany. Actually it is modelled from Parthenon in Greece. It is also called the Hall of fame and Honor which was built by King Ludwig I of Bavaria. I had been to this place twice already and I like it there since you will be seeing the view of Danube River..I have a little info about Walhalla from Wikipedia..enjoy!!

The Walhalla Hall of Fame and Honor is a neo-classical hall of fame located on the Danube River 10 km east of Regensburg, in Bavaria, Germany.

It was the idea of 20-year-old Crown Prince Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1807, at a time when the German states were defeated and occupied by Napoleon. It was meant as a place for the commemoration of great figures and events in ethnic German history, at the time covering 1,800 years, beginning with the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest (9 AD).

Whereas the Valhalla of Norse mythology was home to those gloriously slain in battle, Ludwig's Walhalla was intended not only for warriors but also for scientists, writers, clerics and specifically also for women.

Decades before the German Empire was founded in 1871, "German" was understood as "Germanic," since Gothic, Langobardic, Anglo-Saxon, Dutch and Swiss German figures were included, as well as persons who had gained fame mainly in other countries or for non-German governments.

By the time of King Ludwig I's coronation in 1825, 60 busts had already been completed. In 1826, he commissioned a temple above the Danube near Regensburg, modeled after the Parthenon in Athens. The northern frieze features personifications of German states; the southern a battle scene.

On the Walhalla's inauguration on October 18, 1842, there were 96 busts, plus 64 plaques for persons or events of which no portrait was available on which to model a sculpture. As being "of the German tongue" was the main selection criterion for the original 160 persons representing the 1,800 years, the King included persons from modern-day Sweden, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Russia, Switzerland and the Baltic States.

The following dictum by King Ludwig I, embedded into the marble floor, commemorates the occasion of the construction of the Befreiungshalle:

MOECHTEN

DIE TEUTSCHEN

NIE VERGESSEN WAS

DEN BEFREIUNGSKAMPF

NOTHWENDIG MACHTE

UND WODURCH SIE

GESIEGT.

(May the Germans

never forget what made necessary the

Struggle for Freedom and by what means they won.)

We visited this place last year in April. This is an amazing work of art. I just admired how Germans really preserved their history and historical buildings like this. Very amazing..Please read a little history about the Befreiungshalle or the Hall of Freedom, also called as The Hall of Liberation in Kelheim.

photos by: Euroangel
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Befreiungshalle

The Befreiungshalle ("Hall of Liberation") is an historical classical monument upon Mount Michelsberg above the city of Kelheim in Bavaria, Germany. It stands upstream of Regensburg on the river Danube at the confluence of the Danube and the Altmühl, i.e. the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal.

HISTORY

King Ludwig I of Bavaria ordered the Befreiungshalle to be built in order to commemorate the victories against Napoleon during the Wars of Liberation that lasted from 1813 to 1815.

The construction was started in 1842 by Friedrich von Gärtner in a mixture of classical and Christian styles. At the behest of the King, Leo von Klenze altered the plans and completed the building in 1863. The ceremonial opening took place on October 18, 1863 - the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Nations (Völkerschlacht) near Leipzig.

This inscription of dedication is to be found above the ornamented door frame of the entrance portal:

DEN TEUTSCHEN

BEFREIUNGSKAEMPFERN

LUDWIG I

KOENIG VON BAYERN

(To the German

Liberation Fighters

Ludwig I

King of Bavaria)

photo by: Euroangel
This photo was from last year's autumn time in Germany..I love the colorful surroundings during this season of the year...I have to sign-off now!! see you tomorrow again!! promise to share photos from this year's autumn time!!

photo by: Euroangel

It is autumn time now which also means that winter time is the next season to come..before that season comes let me share to you first a photo from last year's winter time!! You want snow, there's always a lot in our place especially in winter..(sarap gawin etong halo-halo...joke..very fine snow kasi).. I guess it's all for today..I still need to update more blogs!! take care always guys!! thanks for visiting me here all the time!!

all photos by: Euroangel

Beautiful Hohenfels, this is how I call this small but interesting town. I live in this place and I really love it here. There are a lot of Hohenfels in Germany. The Hohenfels I am talking here is located in Bavaria, Germany. This is where one of the US Bases in Germany is located. Hohenfels Training Area which is named now as Joint Multinational Readiness Center is one of the biggest training area in terms of Combat training. This is also where the NATO and U.S. Allied forces have their trainings.

I visited a site long time ago, I guess the author was a US soldier who was assigned in Hohenfels before . He mentioned in his site that Hohenfels is a cold, muddy and miserable place. I understand him. Having a training out there might be very cold and muddy especially in the autumn and winter time. Hohenfels is really cold and and be ready to expect for a snowy winter time. Despite of this, Hohenfels is still a beautiful place for me. I already consider this my second home.

I am sharing to you some photos from Hohenfels..enjoy viewing!!

Germany was officially reunified at 00:00 CET on 3 October 1990, when the five re-established federal states (Bundesländer) of East Germany - Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia - formally joined the Federal Republic of Germany, along with the city-state Berlin which formally came into being at the same time, created out of the still formally occupied West Berlin and East Berlin, and admitted to the federation. In practice however, West Berlin had already acted as an 11th state for most purposes, so Berlin is generally not included in the list of "New Länder".

The process chosen was one of two options implemented in the West German constitution (Grundgesetz). As these five newly-founded German states formally joined the Federal Republic in accordance with (the then-existing) Article 23, the area in which the constitution served as the constitution was simply extended to include them. The alternative would have been for East Germany to join as a whole along the lines of a formal union between two German states that then would have had to, amongst other things, create a new constitution for the newly established country.

To facilitate this process and to reassure other countries, some changes were made to the "Basic Law" (constitution). Article 146 was amended so that Article 23 of the current constitution could be used for reunification. After the five "New Länder" of East Germany had joined, the constitution was amended again to indicate that all parts of Germany are now unified. Article 23 was rewritten as keeping it could be understood as an invitation to e.g. Austria to join. However, the constitution can be amended again at some future date and it still permits the adoption of another constitution by the German people at some time in the future.

On 14 November 1990, the German government signed a treaty with Poland, finalising Germany's boundaries as permanent along the Oder-Neisse line, and thus, renouncing any claims to Silesia, East Brandenburg, Farther Pomerania, Gdańsk (Danzig), and territories of the former province of East Prussia. The following month, the first all-German free elections since 1932 were held, resulting in an increased majority for the coalition government of Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

To commemorate the day that marks the official unification of the former East and West Germany in 1990, 3rd October has since then been the official German national holiday, the Day of German Unity (Tag der deutschen Einheit). It replaced the previous national holiday held in West Germany on 17th June commemorating the Uprising of 1953 in East Germany and the national holiday on 7th October in the GDR.

courtesy of: Wikipedia

Today is the 18 years anniversary of German unification. Since I only know a little about the history, I borrowed some articlesfrom my expert consultant Wikipedia just to give you some information about the Reunification. Enjoy your weekend guys!! It's TGIF!!

courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_reunification

German reunification (German: Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) took place twice after 1945: first in 1957, the Saarland was permitted to join the Federal Republic of Germany, and again on 3 October 1990, when the five re-established states of the German Democratic Republic (GDR / East Germany) joined the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG / West Germany), and Berlin was united into a single city-state. The start of the latter reunification process is commonly referred to as die Wende (The Turning Point.).

After the GDR's first free elections on 18 March 1990, negotiations between the GDR and FRG culminated in a Unification Treaty, whilst negotiations between the GDR and FRG and the four occupying powers produced the so-called "Two Plus Four Treaty" granting full sovereignty to a unified German state, whose two halves had previously still been bound by a number of limitations stemming from its post-WWII-status as an occupied nation.

The reunified Germany remained a member of the European Community (later the European Union) and of NATO.

How are you guys? Hope everything is fine and good!! I am doing good too I guess!! I mean I am very fine!! I forgot to share regarding the Landtagswahl or State Voting here in Bavaria, the biggest state in Germany. Last Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008, I performed the second time my freedom of suffrage being a citizen of this country. The first time I voted was during the so-called provincial election last March of this year. The voting last Sunday turn out fine and peaceful. I guess, most people are now aware of the politics in Germany. I believed, I also made the right vote.

Just to give you a brief overview about the main rule in elections here. A certain candidate of political party will only win if he gets the 50% of the votes from the burger/burgerinnen or simply the people. If he doesn't get 50% of the vote he or his party will not win at all. Unlike in my home country, whoever gets the most votes will be the one to win inspite of how many percentage he/she gets as long as she/he gets the highest votes. No particular party gets a 50% vote from the people so it means nobody really wins..I still don't know what will happen next if there will be a voting again..The CSU party who is expecting to win in the election only gets 43.4% votes. With regards to the news below, CSU won during 40 years straight but now they lose it. Per experience, after our Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel won the election being the highest authority of Germany, the tax already went-up from 16% to 19%. She belong to the CSU party. Bavaria is the biggest state and where the most population of Germany are. I believed the people here are already getting vigilant about their country and economy. I believed the Bavarian people did made the right choice and would only want to tell the Politicians....HEY WAKE-UP!! STOP MAKING THE TAXES HIGHER AND THE PRICES OF ALL GOODS AND COMMODITIES HIGHER TOO!! I believed it is true, it is getting very expensive now in Germany and the salary is also not getting higher!! I hope that this will also be a wake-up call not only for the German politicians but all to all politicians around the world!! if you understand German, you can read below the news!!! wink!! have a great evening..I will slowly sign-off now!!

Landtagswahl 2008 in Bayern: CSU verfehlt Ziel „50 plus x“ deutlich
http://de.wikinews.org

München (Deutschland), 29.09.2008 – Die CSU hat bei der Bayerischen Landtagswahl 2008 mit 43,4 Prozent der Stimmen die absolute Mehrheit unerwartet deutlich verpasst. Damit geht eine mehr als 40jährige Ära zu Ende: Erstmals hatte die CSU bei der Landtagswahl im November 1962 die absolute Mehrheit der Sitze erzielt und seit 1966 dann auch eine Alleinregierung gestellt. Auch diesmal hatte die CSU-Führung die Wahldevise „50 plus x“ ausgegeben, sich in den letzten Tagen aber schon mit der Möglichkeit eines „50 minus x“-Ergebnisses vertraut gemacht. Den nunmehr erlittenen Stimmenverlust von 17,3 Prozentpunkten zur Vorwahl und damit ein Ergebnis von fast sieben Prozentpunkten unter der „magischen“ Marke von 50 Prozent hatten aber selbst unabhängige Beobachter so nicht erwartet. Bei den Sitzen im Landtag wirkt sich der Verlust auf Grund von Überhangmandaten unterdessen weniger dramatisch aus: Von 187 Sitzen erzielt die CSU mit 92 Sitzen nur zwei weniger, als für die absolute Mehrheit nötig gewesen wäre.

Die Schwäche der CSU nicht ausnutzen konnte unterdessen die SPD: Auch sie erzielte mit 18,6 Prozent der Stimmen ein schlechteres Ergebnis als bei der Landtagswahl 2003, allerdings beläuft sich hier der Stimmenverlust nur auf einen Prozentpunkt. Profiteure der Wahl sind hingegen die „Freien Wähler Bayern“, die mit einem Ergebnis von 10,2 Prozent (2003: 4 Prozent) der Stimmen als erste Wählervereinigung überhaupt in ein Landesparlament einziehen. Auch die FDP verbesserte sich deutlich von 2,6 Prozent auf 8,0 Prozent. Die Freidemokraten ziehen somit wieder in den Landtag ein und haben der CSU bereits die Bildung einer Koalitionsregierung angeboten.

I had been asked by a friend who want to invite her sister to visit here in Germany. I was browsing the net about the Visitor's Visa Requirements to enter into Germany. Please also visit this site for more infos;
http://www.manila.diplo.de/Vertretung/manila/en/01/Visabestimmungen/Visabestimmungen.html

Here are some infos especially for Filipinos

Visa requirements

Philippine citizens require a valid visa to enter Germany. Citizens of other countries should check the list of states below. All travellers must have a valid passport when they enter/stay in Germany.
Adequate travel health insurance cover is highly recommended as the costs for medical treatment in Germany can be high.


As of March 1995 Philippine nationals and nationals of certain other countries travelling to any one or more of the Member States of the Schengen Convention on business or as tourists may receive a visa for a short stay of up to 90 days which is valid for all the following countries (Schengen Area):
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden
The implementation of the Schengen Convention constitutes a major progress towards the free movement of persons. Bona fide travellers and residents will have access to all Schengen States with a single visa or residence permit. The abolition of the internal borders of the Schengen States, however, warrants strict control at the external borders of the Schengen-Area.

Please note:
(1) An application for a visa and submission of all required documents does not confer on the applicant the right to obtain a visa.
(2) Once a visa has been issued, the purpose of the visit cannot be altered.
(3) Even where a visa has been granted, Border Control Authorities at the port of entry still have the right to deny access to the Schengen Area.
(4) The application for a Schengen Visa must be submitted to the Embassy of the country which, considering the purpose and/or the length of the traveller’s intended trip, is the main destination among the states listed above. If no such main destination can be ascertained, contact the Embassy of the country of your first entry into the Schengen area.
(5) Applications can only be accepted from residents of the administrative district of the German Embassy Manila: the Philippines, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau
(6) The Embassy reserves the right to request further documents to facilitate the visa issuance
(7) Holders of the new Philippine machine readable passport must pick up their visa personally to sign it in the Embassy as the new passport does not contain the respective holder’s signature.

Documents to be submitted (Original + 1 Xerox copy):

(1) Application form duly completed (including date and signature of applicant)
(2) 2 recent passport photographs with applicant’s full name and birth date written on the back
(see attached guidelines for photograph format)
(3) Valid passport (valid for at least 3 months after expected date of return; passport must not be damaged) and Xerox copy of the applicant’s passport (pages containing data and Schengen-Visas)
(4) for a visit (family, friends):
Original Affidavit of support (“Verpflichtungserklärung”) according to § 66-68 of the German
Residence Law, certified by the competent Aliens Authority (“Ausländerbehörde”) in Germany
Proof of relationship with relative in Germany: Birth certificate on security paper (SECPA) from the National Statistics Office (NSO) of applicant and relative in Germany; Marriage Contract of applicant’s relative in Germany (if married in the Philippines: on security paper issued by National Statistics Office (NSO); if married in Germany: Xerox copy or fax copy sufficient)
for tourism: confirmed hotel reservation and proof of funds covering a minimum amount of ¼60,- (or the equivalent) per day

for business:
Invitation letter in German language of the business partner in Germany stating complete name, date of birth and/or passport no. of applicant; by fax directly from Germany to German Embassy ,Confirmed hotel reservation stating complete name, date of birth and/or passport no. of applicant Proof of funds covering a minimum amount of ¼- (or the equivalent) per day (see also page 2)
Letter of guarantee from the company in the Philippines
(5) Proof of health insurance valid for all Schengen States (not required for Spouses and children of EU nationals) covering an amount of ¼LQFDVHRILOQHVV, repatriation and/or accidents and accredited by the Schengen-Embassies in Manila (please check accreditation with insurance provider or with Embassy)
(6) Round-trip confirmed flight reservation and complete itinerary (NOT airline ticket)
(7) Security questionnaire (can be obtained at the Embassy reception area and from the website)

I guess those are only the important ones that you need to know. I will be sharing here some more infos about Germany.