Roman Holiday - Timeless Thursdays 9

This Thursday, I'll bring you back to the not so distant past, just six months ago, last Winter, in Italy. Rome is such a dream, not just for me but for a lot of people who are in love with its history, its grandeur, its beauty. To be able to share this trip with my cousin Carmina is such a blessing. She has been sent by her company to Italy for half a year on a special assignment, and just as her past assignments in Japan, I have always been honored to be her constant visitor.

Oh looking back at these photos made me feel like a model with that same black coat. I only brought two coats on my three week trip. I left my leather coat at my friend's house in Paris, and I just took this black fleece one since I only had a backpack from my Milan-Rome-Brussels-Prague leg of my trip. So proud of myself for living a week with just a backpack worth of clothes, thanks to my cousin's awesome villa, I got to use her laundry machine every single day!

I won't be saying much on this post, but I will let these shots of me tell you the story of how amazing my winter in Rome was. All of these photos were taken by my awesome photographer, Ate Carmina. Grazie Mille Ate Carmina!

Piazza Navona

Piazza del Popolo

The Pantheon

Fontana de Trevi

Spanish Steps

Colosseum

Vittoriano

Never Stop Dreaming of a Roman Holiday, 

it happens!

Stevenson

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I would love to welcome and invite everyone to join this new Linky that I thought of starting - Timeless Thursdays. (Bear with me for any short-comings, this is my first link ever)

Timeless Thursdays is open for anyone who wishes to share old photos or old thoughts that you would like to share as beautiful memories with everyone. This can be from yesterday, a year ago, or something from your grandma's treasure chest.

This runs every Thursday at 12 am (Manila/Perth Time) until Sunday at 11:59 pm (Manila/Perth Time)

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Mosaics from 10 Favorite Cities

Day 35 of the Philippine's Enhanced Community Quarantine and as a home buddy, I don't really mind staying at home that much. But time to time, my mind does wander on its own and just this morning, it went far as the cities I have visited in the past decade. I have been blessed to have traveled to a total of 22 countries and territories since 2011, all of it for vacation and pleasure because I never got the chance to be sent by my company to another country for training or meetings of any kind. With that I believe that anybody can achieve their dreams, it's just a question of how much they wanted and how willing they are to make them a reality.

As a citizen of a developing country, it's quite hard for me to travel a lot not just because of our proximity to the world but also because of certain factors such as visa regulations and the power of my passport which is not so high in the passport rankings. But I really have my eyes and my mind fixed on my dream destinations ever since I was a child so there was no choice but to visit these places, it was just a matter of time. I still have a lot on my list including countries in my dream continent South America, and Africa, and of course who wouldn't want to see Australia and New Zealand? 

I may be locked inside my room right now but can you join me as we travel all the way to my favorite cities in the world that I have been to? All the photographs that you will be seeing are taken by me. I'll take you to a beautiful world where there is no need for passports and visas just us and these mosaic memories. I'll be counting down the top 10 cities in the order leading towards my most favorite! hope you guys enjoy it, the way I enjoyed going back through my old files.

Paris

From top left, clockwise: Seine River Cruise; Hôtel De Ville; Champs-Élysées; Tour Eiffel from Montparnasse; Late Night Wine at Chatelet

10th - I may have visited this city at a wrong time (December Greve happened from start to end of my trip) but the lights and the views of this city never failed. Plus I got to reunite with my two high school friends who are now living their lives in the French Capital.

Beijing

From left, clockwise: Sidewalk to Tianenmen; Mutianyu Great Wall; Temple of Heaven; Cute boy at a local Beijing Restaurant; Forbidden City.

9th - Beijing was my first city in the People's Republic of China. I did this trip last 2013 with my Dad and cousin Judy. It was also my first winter and it was an amazing experience for me. What I love about Beijing aside from its ancient wonders is the delicious food I was able to taste.

Brussels

From Left: Grand Place; Church of Our Lady of Finistère; Place des Martyrs; Manneken Pis

8th - A layover in Brussels for just 6 hours did not stop me from exploring this tiny heart of Europe. I took the bus and went to the city center, had a waffle and a stroll around the beautiful landmarks of old Brussels. The place was packed but it's grandeur was enough for everyone to share.

Seattle

From top, clockwise: Seattle Skyline from Alki; View from Public Library; Dancing Couple at Pike Place Market

7th - There's something about Seattle that no matter how crowded some attractions were that summer of 2015, there's this unexplained peace and quiet that I felt which was something I only feel from home. Seeing Seattle through my friends from school Paula and Kuya Bailey was a big reason why I wanted to see this city again soon!

Rome

From top left, clockwise: Orange Garden; San Giovanni in Laterano; Via dell'Olmata; Piazza del Popollo, Colosseum

6th - Another dream come true which was a leg on my European trip last Winter. What better way to see the glory of Roma than with family. I was blessed to have my cousin Carmina adopt me for a week in Rome where I also spent Christmas for the very first time away from home. It was beautiful, Rome truly is!

Kyoto

From top left, clockwise: Japanese couple at Gion; A young boy alone to school; Soba condiments at Honnke Owariya; Fushimi Inari Taisha; Shiba Inu at Arashiyama

5th - This old capital of the Japanese empire surely will charm you with a dense amount of sights, sounds, and tastes! It's hard to choose these shots because I have a lot more to share about this beautiful city! Another unforgettable trip with my favorite cousins in the whole world!

San Francisco

From top left, clockwise: Transamerica; Golden Gate Bridge; Emporio Armani Building; Westfield

4th - Truly one of the most colorful and cultured cities I have ever been to, San Francisco boasts of its melting pot of cultures not just about different nationalities but on all points of views! My brother lives in the Bay Area so I spent 3 months around this beautiful city. Truly one of my favorites, and the best for for me on cities in the USA so far.

Prague

Form top left, clockwise: Vltava River; Charles Bridge; Astronomical Clock; John the Baptist at Maltézské Square; Tourist at John Nepomocene Marker

3rd - This has been one of the biggest dream come trues for me. Prague was amazing both in my mind and in person. It was a great trip with my cousin Carmina and seeing it in winter gives is a cool and quiet light but my cousin said seeing it in Autumn gives it a golden filter! Someday again, hopefully.

Bangkok

From top left, clockwise: Jim Thompson House; Monk on a Train; High Schooler at Sky Train; Kind Lady and my breakfast at Hua Lamphong; Rama VIII Bridge.

2nd - Yes, Bangkok really did outplace all those grand and beautiful European cities. The main reason why it has a special place in my heart is the Thai people. Thai people have been the kindest and nicest and most polite people I have ever encountered in my travels. I always get mistaken to be Thai but once I speak they always say "Ohhhh! Philippine!". Food is amazing, Transport is a breeze - Oh I love Bangkok, I'll be heading back very soon!

***drumroll please***

Amsterdam

From top left, clockwise: Swans near Centraal; Rozengracht Bridge; Boats at Oosterdok; Hotel Kooyk near Leidesplein

From Paris, I took a long journey to the Flixbus station due to the greve, seated at a very skimpy seat, arrived at a very dark morning, but all of those en route to a city which will become my most favorite of all! I was alone in Amsterdam the whole two full days but never did I felt lonely. The beautiful winter views, the smiles of the locals, their laid-back bike rides to work at 11 am gives this little city its charm for me. Two days was short especially I only got to see one museum (Anne Frank of course) but a big piece of my heart was left there and hopefully I can get reunited with in time.

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That was a fun 3 hours to prepare all these photos, write this post, and ride on the dream train to memory lane. It's hard to choose just ten out of all those beautiful places that has their own flavor and filter to the views I have in mind. I always feel blessed to have been to all these amazing points on earth and with all my heart, praying to see more of the world and meet many more people.

Blogging has enabled me to know a lot of amazing people around the world and I hope someday aside from the views and landscapes of their cities, I can see them as well in person and greet them with all my happiness and gratefulness. 

How about you? What are your favorite cities that you have been to and why? What places would you recommend me to visit someday? Hope you had fun on my mini tour across 10 cities, I sure did!

Never Stop Travelling!

Stevenson

Holiday Dinner at Lo Zodiaco, Rome

Me with the Viniegras at Ristorante Lo Zodiaco, Rome, Italy - Christmas Day 2019

Just as most of you know through my past posts, I spent three weeks of my holiday vacation last December, which includes Christmas and New Year's in Europe on a dream trip that took me almost 3 weeks. Since I still wanted to celebrate Christmas with family, and one of my favorite cousins, Carmina, was assigned to Rome for a special project by her company, I asked her if I can spend Christmas with her. She has always been supportive of my dreams and aside from saying yes, she also brought her parents to Rome to celebrate the holidays with her!

That night of Christmas Day, we celebrated it with a delicious and romantic Italian Dinner at a special place called Monte Mario that has an amazing view of Rome since it's situated on top of the mountain. Ate Min chose this place, Ristorante Lo Zodiaco because of the amazing food and spectacular night view of the whole city. This bar and restaurant serves traditional Italian food and drinks which will color your night with vibrant flavors!

Here are some of the dishes we ordered as we celebrate the birth of Jesus with delicious food and happy smiles.

Spaghetti Cacio, Pepe, e Menta (€12)

I ordered this dish as recommended by Ate Carmina (Filipino 101 - Ate means big sister or a Filipino term added to the beginning of a name if you are talking about an older lady. Kuya is the male counterpart). Cacio e Pepe is one of the traditional roman pasta flavors simply made with pepper and different cheeses. Sounds very simple but it's the way they make it that makes it very special. Asking me about it's taste? Rich and very flavorful! I am devoted to cheese as one of the best things on earth ever been made and this one is a perfect match for me!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara Tartufati (€12)

This one was what my Aunt, Mama Vicky's ordered for herself. Carbonara is another one of the roman basics which is also famous in the Philippines. Although the Filipino version is very saucy and is actually close to Pasta Alfredo as compared to this authentic Carbonara which is not cream based but actually flavored with cheese and eggs. This was a little bit salty to my taste but of course, the cheese makes it golden!

Risotto ai Fruitti di Mare (€25)

This one was a special dish that was offered to us by the server lady which was not on their menu. It is a very colorful and flavorful seafood dish that can either be served over pasta or risotto. Ate Carmina opted for the Risotto since almost all our dishes are pasta. Not much of a fan of seafood, still I tried to taste the broth which was very flavorful, perfect for seafood lovers.

Bistecca di Manzo (gr. 300) alla Griglia (€25)

Papa Bogie, my uncle, wanted a beef dish so he opted for this sizzling grilled beef steak. It was a big slab of meat, seasoned and cooked perfectly. It looks very pretty with the colors of the sides it was served with but my camera phone was poor in low lighting conditions hahaha

Full Window View of Rome inside Ristorante Lo Zodiaco

We had an amazing meal inside the Lo Zodiaco with an amazing view of Rome. It was a very chilly evening outside since it was winter plus the fact that Monte Mario is a mountain and the restaurant is situated near its peak so make sure to bring a jacket, especially if you wish to do sightseeing outside the restaurant. I think it was 5 degrees Celsius, but of course, inside the restaurant it is heated and very cozy.

Special thanks to my cousin Ate Carmina for this hearty dinner, for my amazing Roman Holiday, and for always being a supportive sister especially to my dreams of circling the globe! I'll never forget these memories.

Photo Taken from Ristorante Lo Zodiaco Website

Ristorante Lo Zodiaco
Viale del Parco Mellini,
88/92, Rome, Italy
+39 06 35496744
info@zodiaco-roma.it
https://ristorantelozodiaco.it/

Never Stop Tasting Authentic Food!

Steve

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This post is part of Our World Tuesday that features different versions of their everydays around the world. Visit Our World Tuesday and go on a virtual tour of different places and the stories behind them. http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/