We had another escapades last Saturday weekend. I would say that we had again a very wonderful weekend. We visited this time the Bishop City of Germany named Eichstätt. It is written in English as Eichstaett. It is located in the state of Bavaria. It is also the capital of the district of Eichstätt and is located along the Altmühl River. This place is full of history and very rich in culture and tradition. For now, I am just sharing some photos because it seems that my eyes are getting very tired now. More updates tomorrow.
The fountain in the Residence Square which has a 19 meter high-column. Sad to say you cannot see the three meter high gilt statue of the Virgin Mary on top of this column. My husband was not able to include it. You can also see the towers of the famous baroque Cathedral on the background.
this photo was taken at the Market Square where you can also see the Willibaldsbrunnen or Willibald's Fountain. The old but nice and beautiful buildings add attractions to this city.

Hurrah! Before we proceeded to the famous Oktoberfest in Theresienswiese in Munich, Germany last year, we ate first our lunch at the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München or the so-called State Court-brewery in Munich. This brewery is owned by the state government of Bavaria. We had fun inside this building because there was also a band playing German music that time. The food was not very expensive and probably the beer too! Sorry guys but I don't drink beer or any alcohol when I travel. Occasionally when there are parties or special celebrations which only happen maybe twice or thrice a year.

We also had the chance to go around the old city of Munich. As usual when I go somewhere I always buy some memorabilias for my travel. What I had from Munich last year are some travel books, postcards and of course some pictures of the city.

Oktoberfest is almost here again. I hope my sister from the Philippines can come during this festival. I know for sure she will have a lot of fun there. You can also see the beautifully painted ceiling of this brewery in the photo below. This place is full of history especially during Hitler's time. I hope to give you more updates of this famous and historical brewery next time. Enjoy viewing the photos in this site! have a great day too!

Hello everyone! Just a short update for today. We visited last Sunday the Altstadfest or Old City festival in Beilngries, a town in the district of Eichstätt, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Altmühl and the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal, 30 km north of Ingolstadt. This town attracts more tourists because of these canals where boat cruises are available.

We had the chance to look around the town last time. As usual, I always noticed the old but beautiful and colourful buildings in this area. We also had the chance to go inside their beautiful Parish Church named St. Walburga. There were a lot of people who visited the festival. It was again another great Sunday for me.

copyright photo by: Ruby Benz

Good morning everyone! Not really a good morning for me because I did not have a good sleep last night. I have pain in my shoulder again until now. I will be off today to visit my doctor again. Anyway talking about my title in this post... Until now this idea is still confusing me. Whether to study again or open a grocery business in our place. I always have the interest to study IT courses. At this time, financial aspect hinders it. It's been a while since I had a plan to study online but it is just too expensive here in Germany. I stumbled this morning at Lewis University Online especially on their masters information security course. How I wish I can attend to it. As I browse further, I found out that they offer financial aid to qualifying students and individuals. If this is not for me, who knows for anybody out there who is looking for online degrees. Which is which for me? Study or business? I'll think about this after my vacation back home. Good luck to me! I'll see you later guys..I need to get ready to go to the doctor.

sightseeing in Velburg, a town in Bavaria, Germany

I heard over the radio while cooking that the famous Landshuter Hochzeit or Landshut Wedding festival is finally ending today. Estimated around 600,000 tourist and visitors came to this city to witness this famous celebration. I guess I am lucky to visit this place and see some of its events last July 4, 2009. I love this city not only its history but its friendly people as well.


HISTORY OF LANDSHUT WEDDING FESTIVAL

The festival is held in memory of the wedding between George of Bavaria, the son of the Bavarian duke, and Jadwiga Jagiellon, daughter of King Casimir IV Jagiellon of Poland, in 1475.

The wedding was negotiated in 1474 in Cracow through legations. The marriage was of importance, because it was seen as a strong alliance against the Ottoman Turks. At the time, most royal marriages were not entered into because of love, but because of political motivations. It took the bride two months to travel to Landshut, where she was received by princes and bishops.

The bridal pair were married in St. Martin's Church, and the service was officiated by Salzburg's Archbishop Bernhard von Rohr. Afterwards the bridal procession proceeded through the Old Town to the Town Hall. Ten thousand people are said to have attended the affair and they were provided food and drink by the young duke's father.

Livestock eaten at the original festival

* 320 bullocks
* 1,500 sheep
* 1,300 lambs
* 500 calves
* 40,000 chickens

The historic event is notable for its detailed records yielding a complete chronicle of the wedding days. In 1902 a society called "Die Förderer" (the sponsors) was founded to re-animate the Landshuter Hochzeit, one year later the first bridal procession took place. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landshut_Wedding

There are a lot of reasons why I fell in love with Germany. I can't tell everything but I know that I found a new home in this country. A lot of people from all over the world still don't know how beautiful this country is. That is also one of the reason why I created this site to show to all people around the world how interesting and diverse this country is.

I have been to some cities and countries in Europe like England, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, France, United States and some other more but Germany is unique and different. The culture and tradition of this country, its history, the different festivals, food, the people are only some of the reasons why I say, "this is the place where I want to stay". There might be a lot of sites or German country page that features Germany. I just found one today and I thought of sharing my travel and adventure to this site. I believed dodo.com will be an interesting site to share my travel experiences to the people around the globe. Here are also some photos I am sharing from Germany. Have fun viewing!

What else can I say "Germany is truly beautiful". Cheers!

Are you ready to party? Oktoberfest is almost here! One of the world's greatest and biggest beer festival will take place this year from September 19 to October 4 in Munich, Germany. I can't wait to see again the spectacular entertainment and fun during this festival! sharing a picture from last year's feast.

On July 17, 2009, that is tomorrow, Angela Merkel, the Bundeskanzlerin or Chancellor of Germany will be visiting Bionorica in Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate, Bavaria. This city is just around one hour drive from where we live. I am planning to drive there tomorrow when possible. I also want to go a bit shopping because Summer sale is beginning now. I will see...


Below is a little info about Angela Merke, courtesy of Wikipedia.

Angela Dorothea Merkel , born Angela Dorothea Kasner, 17 July 1954, in Hamburg, West Germany) is the current Chancellor of Germany. Merkel, elected to the German Parliament from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 10 April 2000, and Chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary party group from 2002 to 2005. She leads a Grand coalition with the Christian Social Union (CSU), its Bavarian sister party, and the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), formed after the 2005 federal election on 22 November 2005.

In 2007, Merkel was also President of the European Council and chair of the G8. She played a central role in the negotiation of the Treaty of Lisbon and the Berlin Declaration. In domestic policy, health care reform and problems concerning future energy development have thus far been the major issues of her tenure.

Merkel is the first female Chancellor of Germany. From 2006 to 2008, Forbes Magazine has named her the most powerful woman in the world. In 2007 she became the second woman to chair the G8, after Margaret Thatcher.

Chancellor Merkel is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders, an International network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.

In 2008 Merkel received the Charlemagne Prize "for her work to reform the European Union". The prize was presented by Nicolas Sarkozy.

I am talking about personal experiences and things that I see over the television and heard on the news. A lot of German people are telling that since the opening of the borders around Germany, the criminality in this country are getting higher now. I even watch a TV program entitled XY last month that most criminals who do these are from outside of Germany. This XY TV program re-enacts criminal happenings like robbery, killing, hold-ups, rape and the like to let the public be aware and if ever they know or have an idea of the persons who are doing this criminal act. One situation I saw this month was a robbery of a jewelry shop. One of the owners of this shop is still in coma until now because he was beat to death by the robbers. There are also bank robberies that they featured. I believed that businesses like these are using wireless alarms but sometimes, help just came too late.

What else I can say? there is really no safe place to live in this earth. Germany might not be the safest country to live-in but it is better that any other countries in the world where war and prevalent criminality happen. As citizen of every country, we just need to be very careful and be aware of what is going on around us! Peace!

There are friends from the Philippines who have been asking me of what they need when they want to visit Germany or the Schengen States. We also want some members of our family from the Philippines to visit us here in Germany. The first thing we did was get an Original Affidavit of support or the so-called “Verpflichtungserklärung” in German. Anyone from Germany who want to invite any members of their family in the Philippines need to go to the nearest Landratsamt or City Hall in Germany which we also did. For this paper, you need to pay 25 Euros for each person that you are inviting. Before you go to the Landratsamt, be sure to bring with you your passport or ID Card and your latest 3 months salary print-outs. Don't forget to get the information of the person you are inviting like the complete name, address, contact infos, passport number, birthday, possible departure from the Phils. because you need it when you fill-up the application for the Affidavit of support or the so-called “Verpflichtungserklärung”.

The second thing I just did last week was ordered a health insurance for my sister who will be visiting us here in Germany this year..hopefully! The health insurance for 3 months cost 97.00 Euros by ADAC here in Germany. Of course, we already booked a ticket for my sister because the Embassy need it too.

Below are some of the Visa Requirements to enter into Germany and the Schengen States as well.

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, Switzerland

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 travel 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 if 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; one picture glued to the form, one loosely attached)
(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 €60,- (or equivalent) per day.
Round-trip confirmed flight reservation and complete itinerary (NOT airline ticket)

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 € 60,- (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 € 30.000 in case of illness, repatriation and/or accidents and accredited by the Schengen-Embassies in Manila (please check accreditation with insurance provider or with Embassy)
(6) Security questionnaire (can be obtained at the Embassy reception area and from the website)
(7) Previous passports (if available)

If you want to know all the important information and visa requirements, I suggest that you visit this site, German Embassy Manila. Here you can get all the relevant information with regards to the above topic.

Before, I forgot I also want to share a story regarding this subject. A friend of mine also want to invite her cousin from the Philippines. Sad to say, the Visa was denied during the interview in Manila because there were not enough proofs to show that my friend and her cousin are really relatives..The rest of the story, I did not ask anymore because it is really none of my business. You better complete all the requirements but it is still up to the Embassy whether they will issue a visa or not. Good luck! I hope to see my sister and brother visiting me here in Germany.

Lastly for those who are not from the Philippines and want to know about Visa requirements to enter into Germany, I suggest that you visit or search the German Embassy site in the country where your visitor comes from. If you need help about the Embassy sites, just let me know by leaving a comment or message in my tag board and I might help you find it!

Ich liebe Deutschland! I Love Germany!

Good evening everyone! I hope you had a great weekend just like me. I was surprised this morning as we were taking our breakfast. My hubby said that we will go out for sightseeing. I am not really in the mood to go out because we had been going out every weekend anywhere. I am also quite tired. The weather was not really sunny but it did not rain.

Today we visited the Landesgartenschau or City Garden in Neumartk and also the Castle ruins of Wolfstein. I have already seen this castle for more than hundred times but we seldom go up to the hill. This is my second time to go up and look around inside the ruins of Wolfstein Castle. We noticed that the Neumarkt government slowly renovates the castle. It was a good thing and I really admire how the Germans preserve their history and culture. I am just sharing this picture for you to have an idea about the this castle..more updates this coming week..Have a great week ahead!

I can't forget that day as we watched the Fasching or Carnival in Velburg, an interesting town in Bavaria, Germany. It was snowing so hard at that time and later it was raining too. That was really fun watching participants of the parade in different attires and costumes. You can also see in the background the Rathaus or Municipal Hall of Velburg with the big watch. This building has nice architecture and I also love the color combination. I guess the snow also add beauty to this picture..I love Fasching festivals in Germany!

I can't forget this day that I first stepped on this beautiful country of Germany. Today is my 6 years in Germany. I am happy to live in this country. At first, it really made me feel sad because I was away from home and my family. But now, I am already use to it and considered this country my new home. It was difficult the first time because I don't know a single word in German. In fact, I just learned the language after more than three years of living here. Late in 2006, I attended the so called Integration course. I have to go to school to learn German language including its history, culture and tradition, its people, politics and most of the things in Germany. After some months of learning German language, every participants are required to take the final exam. I am proud that I did not!

I also learned that health insurance is a must in Germany. There are also different kinds of insurances here. I guess there are private companies that offers cheap term life insurance quotes here. I also have life insurance and other insurances like Accident, liability. This is a good way of investing money too.

I am a German citizen now and I did not regret for being one. For six years of living in this country, I can say that Germany is truly beautiful. I love it here!

Some people might think that Germans are boring people! Not really guys! German people love to have fun also. In fact they have different festivals and celebrations every month in any parts or cities in Germany. Whether it is a Fasching, Volksfest, Sommerfest, Trachtenfest, etc. or the famous of all the Oktoberfest, Germany is a great country full of fun and excitement. That is the reason why I love it here! Here is picture taken during the Fasching Festival in Velburg.

This is already my third visit in the so-called Parthenon in Germany named Walhalla. It is like a Hall of Fame where famous German people like scientists, politicians, martyrs, artists and a lot more are housed inside this neo-classical building. It is located in Donaustauf, a town near Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany. As of now there are around 130 busts of people here.

I know that I don't have the chance to be included here guys..wink! Beside that I might find now the best wrinkle cream to wash away the fine lines that are slowly building on my forehead. I am not growing younger anymore. Anyway enough with this beauty thing. I wish to share more photos next time. Have a wonderful afternoon!

Here is another picture of Kallmuenz. It is a small but beautiful town near our place. That small building in the middle is a memorial for those who died during WW II in this place. Their names were also encrypted inside this memorial. That red building is the old Municipal Hall of this town. Sometimes we go here for grocery shopping but most of the time go walking. It is around 15-20 minutes drive from us.

Today is a very amazing and fantastic day for me. We had the chance to visit one of Europe's biggest festival which is the Landshuter Hochzeit or Landshut wedding. We had a great time going around the place, seeing people dancing on the street wearing the medieval costumes and depicting the early scene in 1475. It was truly a great day today. I will give you more update tomorrow guys ..It's midnight again! have fun viewing the photos here!


the historical medieval costumes wear only every 4 years during the celebration of the Landshut Hochzeit...I got photo with them..I'm so happy! a lot of people were so nice and friendly today.

there were a lot of people from different places in Germany and from other countries too who witnessed the Landshut wedding!! background are the colorful, old but historical buildings in Landshut.

i wish to wear their nice costumes one day...wink!

I need help from the experts about some information of this historical Stone Bridge in Regensburg, Germany. As I searched in the net, I came across the official site of Regensburg and also sharing the information about this great architecture. You can also visit their site for more information.

The bridge's construction was financed by Regensburg's merchants and began in 1136. In 1142, its patronage transferred from the Duke of Bavaria to the King (or Emperor) of Germany. His successors from the Babenberg dynasty, Duke Leopold IV(1139-41) and Duke Heinrich Jasomirgott(1143-56), continued to support the bridge-building project.

It is also an accepted fact that King Konrad III influenced the continuing construction. And last but not least, the residents of Regensburg, foremostly the merchants, were highly interested in the new traffic connection and certainly contributed to its costs. Later, the Free Imperial City of Regensburg was registered as the owner of the bridge, and this is perhaps a indication of the large share held by the residents in its construction. read more here.