My European Vacation

I've traveled a large part of the world but I have never been to Europe.  So when the queen and I started planning for a trip to France and Italy in 2015,  I got really excited.  I knew that apart from spending a substantial amount of money for the trip,  I also had to take an extended amount of time from work.  So - it required a lot of planning - so we don't spend a fortune for the vacation - and to ensure that we maximize the trip - with the limited time I can take off from work.

Going to Europe - if you're a Filipino citizen can be tricky.  First - you need to get a visa.  Like most visa applications, we needed to compile documentation to demonstrate that a) we don't have any intention of illegally staying in Europe b) that we have the money to support our trip c) that we have a place to stay when we get there.   Documentations come in the form of bank statements,  certification from my employee that I'm actually employed,  pre-booked hotels etc.   With all of that documentation - you may even end up denied or - like in our case - we were given a very limited window for the trip.

But even through all the visa hassle - we were actually able to plan this trip without a hitch.  

For this trip,  there were things that I wanted to accomplish:  a) See the Louvre and go inside the Louvre b) Go to Florence and the region of Tuscany c) go to Provencal France d) visit Venice.   We didn't get to see Venice - and we substituted Rome for it.   I'm glad we did because Rome was a really wonderful experience. 

It had been a couple of days since we got back to the Philippines and I still have a European hangover.   Here are my favorite photos from the trip.  If you see me in the photo - the queen is the photographer.  If you don't,  I'm the photographer.  I used a point and shoot for my pictures - with post processing via the iOS apps called Enlight and Facetune ( they have the same makers ).

Looking at these photos gives me really good vibes.   Needless to say I think that this is the greatest vacation ever.