I'm going to write today about this beautiful red flower, the dahlia. I was not entirely sure of the exact name; as there are various types of this perennial plant.  I searched on Google and ended up on the Wikipedia, where I found out that it's actually called "Bishop of Llandaff".  Strange name.  I wonder why.

These colourful pictures are of Bremen Freimarkt.  It is an enormous funfair that includes live music, drinking, eating and street entertainment. Also parts of the attractions are rides like huge roller coasters, wild water rides and the largest mobile ferris wheel in Germany. The annual Bremen Freimarkt started almost 1000 years ago in 1035 and has about 4 million visitors.

Wandering around these attractions and watching what's going on was so much fun .

This is the Birgittenkloster, built in 2002, which makes it the first convent to be built in Bremen since the Middle Ages. Within the grounds there is a separate chapel which can seat about thirty people. It is open to the public from 9:00 to 6:00 pm everyday. From the outside, the building is a good mix of traditional and modern architecture. The strong colour makes it really stand out if you are walking along the street nearby. The rooms inside the Birgittenkloster, with their lovely high ceilings, are nicely painted.

The Birgittenkloster is in a part of Bremen called the Schnoor, an absolutely beautiful place where people wander around the small cobbled stone streets. If you fancy going to the souvenir shops, cafes and restaurants, they're all here for locals and tourists as they always buy little something to take back home.

Looking at the the structure of the buildings, the city streets and the way they're all built is just fantastic.  It's very interesting place to be. Being here was so much fun; it's cold though. We  coming to Bremen to see our friends.

I was lucky enough to be able to get to GamesCom in Cologne to see possibly the largest electronic games exhibitions in Europe. I was astounded by the size of it and the amount of money that the game studios spend on their enormous sets. All of the Cologne Exhibition Centre was full. All the large companies were there like Nintendo, Sony, EA, Blizzard, Ubisoft, Activision, Sega, Microsoft, and many others.

This is a houseboat used as a dwelling that is moored along the canal. I’m not entirely sure if I would feel comfortable living here. Some people think it’s cool. 

This bird looks enormous and they have stubby wings. If you thought that all birds fly then you will find this bird very strange. Ostriches are one of the few bird species that cannot fly, which also includes penguins, emus, rheas, kiwis, and the extinct dodo. It’s a shame that they can’t fly; flying looks like it must be fun.

Just outside the city centre of Bury St. Edmunds lies this grand Clarice House. It’s a residential spa as you are staying in a hotel complete with luxurious rooms and beautiful facilities for relaxation. The body massage I had was so relaxing. I think that the whole atmosphere during our stay was just splendid.

This beautiful view is of the hills of Heidelberg, looking across the river Neckar from the castle. This river is 367 km long and joins the Rhine, the longest river in Europe.

One of the things I really like about Heidelberg is the design of the period houses. Many of the important buildings in the city centre were beautifully built several hundred years ago and still have a lot of character. I really like Heidelberg.

This is the tomb of Pope Paul VI who died in Rome three decades ago. Soon after that, he was buried in the crypt beneath St. Peter’s Basilica. Upon seeing the various Popes who were also buried with their names written on the gravestone, surprisingly, it was the name of Pope Paul VI that caught my attention.

At the time of his death, I clearly remember him as the head of the catholic church. I can’t quite believe that I was able to see his resting place right there. People were really quiet and at the same time their eyes were full of amazement while they were looking around. Most of the gravestones were made from marble like the whole building as well. It was obscenely rich.

We had a wonderful experience in St Peter’s Basilica, something that we will never forget. Instead we are looking forward to go back there.

This is an impressive view of Heidelberg Castle in Germany, one of the famous landmarks, which was built in various stages, starting in the middle ages. As you can see large parts of the castle have been badly damaged and left in ruins. Now, this castle is still one of the attractions in the hills of the city.

Wandering around the centre of Heidelberg is just fascinating. The whole city has a nice character. There is a good selection of restaurants and cafes in the centre including some great places for drinking beer in the sunshine, which is good because Germans like beer. A nice cold beer or white wine is very refreshing in the summer when the days are warm.

Heidelberg is a really nice place to visit. It really helps if you speak some German. Some basic language will do and they do appreciate it a lot if you try to speak.

Dr. Jose Rizal attended the University of Heidelberg, which is one of Europe’s oldest universities, as part of his academic studies.