" We do not remember days, we remember moments. That awesome moment when you listen to old songs & they remind you of the Good Old Days "
" Getting to Know You " - a musical number sung by Deborah Kerr in "The King & I " movie !
Getting to know you. Ahh ! Getting to know all about you
Getting to like you. Getting to hope you like me
Getting to know you. Putting it my way, but nicely
You are precisely .... my cup of tea
Getting to know you. Getting to feel free & easy
When I'm with you, getting to know what to say
Haven't you noticed, suddenly I'm bright & breezy
Because of all the beautiful & new things I'm learning about you day by day
I enjoyed listening to this song & since I was passionate about travelling immediately after my retirement in 2006, I just re-phrased a few of the original words (short & sweet) to that of mine to reflect my thinking about my love for travelling till today .....
Getting to know travelling. Ahh ! Getting to know all about travelling
Getting to like travelling. Getting to hope the world likes me
Getting to know travelling. Traveling it my way, but nicely
You are precisely .... my cup of tea
Getting to know travelling. Getting to feel free & easy
When I am travelling, getting to know what to see
Haven't you noticed, suddenly I'am bright & breezy
Because of all the beautiful & new things I'm learning about travelling day by day
Childhood dreams, big dreams or small dreams, if you still have not yet accomplished, try your best to fulfill them after your retirement ! Time flies ! LIFE is short !
Part 2 of " The Palace & I " .... continuing my Arabic tales, the story of an "Ali Baba" traveler & his visits to 50 palaces of the world !
24) Russia - The Winter Palace (UNESCO), St Petersburg (my solo visit to Russia in 2006) - the official residence of the Russian Emperors from 1732 to 1917; as of 2021, the palace & its precincts form the Heritage Museum, a museum of art & culture, priceless treasures & exhibits, one of the most impressive museums in the world !
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25) Russia - Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow (my solo visit to Europe, Russia, Mongolia & China in May 2009) - also known as Great Kremlin Palace, built from 1837 to 1849 in Moscow, the site of the estate of the Grand Prince, which had been established in the 14th century on Borovitsky Hill
26) China - The Forbidden City Palace Museum (UNESCO), Beijing - once the Chinese imperial palace of the Ming & Qing Dynasties (1368-1911), the largest & best preserved ancient timber-built palace complex in the world, the palace museum is a national museum, was established in 1925 after the last Emperor of China was evicted from his palace & opened its doors to the public, constructed from 1406 to 1420, the museum consists of 980 buildings & covers 72 hectares; so far had made 5 visits to the Forbidden City Palace Museum ie 1997, 2002, 2009, 2010 & 2015 ! To-date, I had made a total of 22 visits to all the provinces in China except Tibet !
China - Forbidden City Palace Museum (my solo visit to China in July 2015)
China - Forbidden City Palace Museum (free & easy visit with my brother to China in May 2010)
China - Forbidden City Palace Museum (My solo visit to Europe, Russia, Mongolia & China in June 2009)
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China - Forbidden City Palace Museum (package tour with my family & father & brother in law family to China in Nov 2002)
China - Forbidden City Palace Museum (my first package tour visit with an office colleague to China in Sept 1997) - my 1st package tour to China (Beijing, Chengde & Tianjin) in 1997
27) China - The Summer Palace (UNESCO), Beijing (my solo visit to China in Aug 2015) - a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens & palaces in Beijing, it was an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty, dominated by Longevity Hill & Kunming Lake, covers an area of 2.9 sq kilometres, three-quarters of which is water; so far had made 4 visits to Summer Palace ie 1997, 2002, 2010 & 2015
28) China - The Old Summer Palace (my solo visit to China in June 2009 & Aug 2015) - also known as Yuanming Yuan, originally called the imperial gardens & sometimes call the Winter Palace, a complex of palaces & gardens in Haidan District, Beijing, constructed during the 18th & 19th century, the palace was razed to the ground by foreign troops in 1860 during the Second Opium War, a sad ending indeed ....
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| Yuanming Yuan (2009) |
29) China - Shenyang Imperial Palace (UNESCO), Shenyang, Liaoning (my solo visit to Northen China in Sept 2011) - the only existing royal palace in China outside of the Forbidden City in Beijing, built in 1625 & completed in 1636 by the founding emperors of Qing Dynasty
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| Shenyang Imperial Palace, Shenyang, Liaoling, China |
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| Shenyang Imperial Palace, Liaoning, China |
30) China - Imperial Summer Palace of Mountain Resort, Chengde (package tour with my colleague to China in Sept 1997) - a large complex of imperial palaces & garden in the Shuangqiao district of Chengde in northeastern Hebei, 225km northeast of Beijing, frequently used as a summer palace during the Qing dynasty
31) France - The Palace of Versailles (UNESCO), Paris (my 4th visit to Europe in May 2012 & my wife first visit) - the principal royal residence of France from 1682 under Louis XIV until the start of the French Revolution in 1789 under Louis XVI, located in the department of Yvelines, in the region of lle-de-France, 20km southwest of the centre of Paris, my second visit to this magnificent palace - a must see when you are in Paris ! To-date, I had done 7 visits to Europe, of which 5 were free & easy, 2 were package tours !
32) Turkey - Tokapi Palace Museum (UNESCO), Istanbul (my 1st solo visit to Turkey, Jordan, Egypt & Syria in 2007 & my 2nd visit to Turkey with my wife in 2018) - also known as Seraglio, is a large museum in the east of the Faith district in Turkey, in the 15th & 16th century, it served as the main residence & administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans
Turkey - Tokapi Palace, Istanbul (my solo visit to Turkey, Jordan, Syria & Egypt in Sept 2008)
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33) Austria - Schonbrun Palace (UNESCO), Vienna (package tour with my wife to Eastern Europe in June 2017) - the main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers, located in Hietzing, Vienna, the name Schonbrun has its roots in an artesian well from which water was consumed by the court, the Rococo palace has 1,441 rooms & is one of the most important architectural, cultural & historical monuments in Austria, with a history spanning over 300 years, a major tourist attraction since the mid-1950s
34) England - Buckingham Palace, London (my 4th visit to Europe in May 2012) - originally known as Buckingham House built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham, the London residence & administrative headquarter of the monarch of the United Kingdom, located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions & royal hospitality, also a focal point for the British people at times of national rejoicing & mourning
England - Buckingham Palace, London (my solo visit to Europe in May 2009)
35) Poland - Presidential Palace, Warsaw (package tour with my wife & sister to Eastern Europe in June 2017) - the official residence of the Polish Head of State & President alongside the Belweder Palace, located in Warsaw, originally constructed in 1643 as an aristocratic mansion but was rebuilt & remodelled several times during the last centuries
36) Poland - Wawel Royal Palace (UNESCO), Krakow (package tour with my wife & sister to Eastern Europe in June 2017) - a castle residency located in central Krakow, built by the King Casimir 111 the Great, consists of a number of structures from different periods situated around the Italian-styled main courtyard
37) Romania - Palace of the Parliament, Bucharest (package tour with my wife & sister to Balkans in March 2019) - also known as the Republic's House or People's House, the seat of the Parliament of Romania, located atop Dealul Spirii in Bucharest (national capital), completed in 1997, the heaviest building in the world, weighing 4.10 million tonnes !
38) Bulgaria - The Presidency Building, Sofia (package tour with my wife & sister to Balkans in March 2019)
39) Croatia - Diocletian's Palace, Split, Croatia (package tour with my wife & sister to Balkans in March 2019) - an ancient palace built for the Roman Emperor Diocletian at the turn of the 4th century AD which today forms about half the old town of Split, Croatia
40) Hungary - Sandor Palace, Budapest (package tour with my wife & sister to Eastern Europe in June 2017)
41) Lithuania - Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vilnius (my solo visit to Europe in May 2011) - originally constructed in the 15th century for the rulers of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania & the future Kings of Poland
42) Sweden - The Royal Palace, Stockholm (my solo visit to Scandinavian countries in May 2010) - the official residence & major royal palace of the Swedish monarch, located on Stadsholmen in Gamia Stan in the capital, Stockholm, it neighbours the Riksdag building
43) Spain, Royal Palace, Madrid (my solo visit to Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar & Morocco in May 2012) - the official residence of the Spanish royal family, now used only for state ceremonies, the palace has 135,000 of floor space & contains 3,418 rooms, it is the largest functioning royal palace & is the largest by floor space in Europe
44) Spain - Royal Alcazar (UNESCO), Seville (my solo visit to Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar & Morocco in May 2012) - historically known as al-Qasr al-Muriq, a royal palace built for the Christian king, Peter of Castile
45) Spain - Alhambra (UNESCO), Granada (my solo visit to Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar & Morocco) - a palace & fortress complex, originally constructed as a small fortress in 889 CE on the remains of Roman fortifications & then largely ignored until its ruins were renovated & rebuilt in the mid-13th century by the Arab Nasrid emir Mohd bin Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada, it was converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I Sultan of Granada ....
46) Portugal - Sintra National Palace (UNESCO), Sintra (my solo visit to Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar & Morocco in May 2012)
47) Belgium - Royal Palace of Brussels (my first solo visit to Europe in April 2009) - the official palace of the King & Queen of the Belgians, it is not used as a royal residence as the King & his family live in the Royal Palace of Laeken on the outskirts of Brussels
48) San Marino - Palazzo Pubblico (Public Palace), City of San Marino (my solo visit to Europe & Balkans in May 2014) - it is also the town hall where official State ceremonies take place, the seat of the Republic's main institutional & administrative bodies
49) Germany - The Palaces & Parks of Potsdam (UNESCO), Berlin (my solo visit to Europe in May 2010) - located on the western side of the Sanssouci park in Potsdam, built in 1763 after the end of the Seven Years' War under King Friedrich 11 & was completed in 1769, considered to be the last great Prussian Baroque palace
50) Vatican City - Apostolic Palace (my solo visit to Europe in May 2010) - the official residence of the Pope, the Head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City, also known as Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican & the Vatican Palace
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