Revisit Greek History

Well, this time is Athens, the visit which i made back-to-back with my Santorini trip. Way back 800 - 146BC, Greece saw the rise of a new civilization that transformed the ancient world and its influence has lasted to the present day. You must have heard of Zeus, Sparta, Athens, the first olympic, democracy, Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, to name a few. Nowadays, the major site left to see the great civilzation is located on the Acropolis hill, where the Parthenon was built. Parthenon is the main structure on the Acropolis hill, which was the temple of Athena (greek goddes) and Treasury of Delian League. Apart from Parthenon, other ruins were the Theatre of Dionysos, Propylaia, the Temple of Athena Nike and Erechtheion. The ruins are now under major restoration and renovation work by the Greek government. Next to Acropolis, there is a museum that displays the sculptures and artifacts during the greek empire. For details, go Wiki guys ... enjoy the pics.

Above: Theatre of Dionysos

The Odeon of Herodes Atricus - stone theatre structure / amphitheatre

The Odeon of Herodes Atticus

The restoration work at Propylaia, the main entrance to Acropolis

The Parthenon

Erechtheum

Part of Athens as seen from Acropolis

and ...... some tips. Bring comfortable shoes since u need to walk on restoration side and some areas are quite slippery. Try to be there in the morning to avoid long queue especially during summer period. Sight seeing may take around 1-2 hours and more if u are so keen in Greek history.

The Majestic Budapest

An evening in Budapest

Budapest is definitely worth to visit. Though it may not be as famous as other imperial capitals like Paris and London, Budapest has its own charm and beauty. Below some of the snapshots while strolling the city and braving the cold. the Palace

The famous chain bridge

Some of the pictures taken from the hilltop of Citadella

The Danube river, cutting across the city, separating one side called Buda and the other side known as Pest ....

Time Travel

Snapshots taken at the Constitution Square, Bucharest during the 550th anniversary celebration of the Capital. It was a commendable effort and an interesting idea to have people in traditioal costumes wandering in the main square, which created the surrounding as if u were living in the 18th century.

up, close and personal with madonna

There have been lots of mixed reactions about her show this year - sweet and sticky tour. Some said it was not appealing enough, others commented it was not as good as the Confession tour, the rest said her outfits were not as great as in the previous years and etc .. Perhaps Madonna already set her standard too high for her concert, thus she cant simply satisfy all personal preference and expectations. Personally, i enjoyed a lot, and by far, she is still the best performer on stage ive even seen and known. Paying EUR XXX in order to be 5 metres from the stage was worth it. Anyway, shame on Romanians who booed her when she asked them not to discriminate the gypsies and homosexuals in the country. U cant just jeer someone for promoting a good course even though u dont like it.

most of the songs from the 80s and 90s were shortened and remixed. Well ... i suppose she cant just be singing the same old songs every year ....

with this kind of outfit and move, she can never perform in Malaysia. So guys, am sorry for u. lol

at 51, she is still divine ....

the stage backdrop, lighting and special effects were astonishing ...

her opening act .....

and part of the opening act ....

and ..... i know guys that u missed the hottie back up dancers ... hahaha .... disclaimer : the photos were taken by a friend of mine, Istvan. Somebody scared me out of shit that the camera would be seized. Stupid me for trusting the person.