[BAYERN] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: 26 March 2023

RE90 (Stuttgart - Nuremberg) - 17.90

A&O (2 Nights) - 55.60

EUR73.50

[MUNICH] But I Don't Drink Beer

Munich has always been a plan never realized. For some reason, it never really figured as a venue in my German refresher courses, maybe because I’ve always felt that it would be more expensive to live there. Now that I am back in Europe after half a decade, I thought perhaps it is time for Bavaria. Why wait, right? And so I drafted an itinerary with Nuremberg and Munich serving as stops on my way down south to Austria. Boarding a train from Nuremberg, I finally arrived in cloudy and rainy Munich.

Tár

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EGOT winner Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) has everything she could ask for career-wise, blazing a trail as a renowned conductor and touring various Philharmonic orchestras around the world before settling in Berlin as its chief conductor. She is living with her wife, violinist Sharon Goodnow (Nina Hoss), with whom she is raising a daughter named Petra (Mila Bogojevic). When young Russian cellist Olga Metkina (Sophie Kauer) joins the group, feelings and urges that are hard to shake off overwhelm Lydia, which causes grave concern among her orchestra who seem to know about some past misbehavior on her part. The suicide of a young conductor accusing her of intentionally tanking her career after she refuses her sexual advances puts Tár’s career and family life in a standstill. Is she innocent or guilty? If she were, will she commit the same mistakes again? Will she get out of this new challenge unscathed?

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

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Model-influencer couple Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean) quarrel over petty issues all the time but this doesn’t mean that they are giving up on capitalizing on their Insta-perfect relationship. Invited to a cruise on a luxury yacht, the two end up rubbing elbows with colorful personalities from the upper echelons of society. The ship’s Captain (Woody Harrelson) is perpetually drunk, with overall management of the yacht’s day-to-day activities falling on head-of-staff Paula’s (Vicki Berlin) shoulders, who does her best to keep the high profile guests satisfied with the help of her army of dedicated personnel, which includes toilet cleaner Abigail (Dolly de Leon). An unexpected disaster shakes up the dynamics of power among the passengers of the ship and immediately becomes a game of survival of the fittest. Will money and status play a vital role when the main predicament of day-to-day life becomes a question of back to basics?

[BADEN-WURTTEMBERG] Budget and Itinerary (2)

SATURDAY: 25 March 2023

Vueling (Barcelona - Stuttgart) - 84.99

SSB (EinzelTicket) - 2.90

A&O (1 Night) - 25.55

Norma (Groceries) - 2.59

EUR116.03

[STUTTGART] The Stuttgart Side Trip

I’ve already been to Baden Württemberg. Remember that one month in 2017 when I did an intensive summer German course in Freiburg? But Freiburg is more or less a small university town. THE city in this state is Stuttgart, which I really had no intention of visiting. In the end, it became more like a means to an end, a cheap way to get from Barcelona to southern Germany without giving in to Lufthansa’s abusive pricing for Munich flights. And so we land in Stuttgart, train to Nuremberg, and then another to Munich.

[ANDORRA LA VELLA] Budget and Itinerary

WEDNESDAY: 22 March 2023

Direct Bus (Barcelona Sants - Andorra La Vella) - 30.50

Hotel Pyrenees (3 Nights) - 137.00

EUR167.50

[ANDORRA LA VELLA] The Meat in the Spain and France Sandwich

And then time came to finish all the European microstates. Now that we’ve visited Andorra, only Monaco is left! Since Andorra does not have its own airport, your most popular choice for entry will be Barcelona’s El Prat airport. Directbus can take you from Barcelona T1, T2 or Sants bus station to either Sant Julia de Loria or Andorra La Vella. Travel time can take between three and four hours. Cost one way is around EUR 30 (~PHP1,800). Updated timetables can be found here: https://www.andorradirectbus.es/en.

Scream VI

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Distancing themselves from the trauma of what happened in Woodsboro, sisters Tara (Jenna Ortega) and Sam (Melissa Barrera) move to the Big Apple to start anew, although they seem to have different ways of coping. When ghost face attacks suddenly rock New York, the two end up being back in square one, brainstorming on who the new killer(s) might be. Can it be their sex-positive roomie Quinn (Liana Liberato)? Chad’s (Mason Gooding) roommate Ethan (Jack Champion)? Mindy’s (Jasmin Savoy Brown) girlfriend Anika (Devyn Nekoda)? With the help of detective and Quinn’s father, Wayne (Dermot Mulroney), they all try to decipher the identity of the murderer. Help from old frenemies also arrive as Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere) enter the picture as an investigative journalist and an FBI agent, respectively. Is this just a string of copycat murderer wannabes or are the new faces under the ghost face masks somehow related to their past?

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

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The superhero life seems to have finally sunk in, leading to some doubts. While Billy Batson (Asher Angel) enjoys being Shazam (Zachary Levi), he feels like his foster siblings are now getting too busy doing their own thing and resulting in their superhero team effort falling apart. Things start to go farther south with the arrival of the daughters of Atlas: Hespera (Helen Mirren); Kalypso (Lucy Liu); and Anthea (Rachel Zegler), who have come to retrieve their birthright that the Wizard (Djimon Hounsou) stole from their father. Dealing with random issues like aging out of the foster care system and now a trio of angry goddesses who want to strip them of their powers, Billy must find a way not just to save his family, but also the world as the trio’s sinister plans spell doom to humanity’s very existence.

[CATALONIA] Budget and Itinerary (2)

MONDAY: 20 March 2023

Vueling (Valletta - Barcelona) - 82.99

A1/N0 (Aeroport T1 - Pl Espanya - Colom/La Rambla) - 7.65

Pension Portugal (2 Nights) - 120.00

EUR210.64

[BARCELONA] On Today's Gaudí Menu

Spain, my dear, it’s been nine years since our last meeting! Since I was in a reminiscing mood prior to flying to Barcelona, I tried digging for a blog entry of Catalonia but I didn’t find anything other than a budget and itinerary post. This, for me, is strange because when I try to recall what I did in Barcelona nine years ago, there is actually a vivid string of audiovisual memories in my brain: from the donut I bought and ate at Las Ramblas all the way to my efforts met in vain trying to capture my face and the Sagrada Familia in one frame. Perhaps that’s why there was no blog entry, because the memories are so lucid anyway?

[SOUTHERN HARBOUR] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 18 March 2023

Ryanair (Bologna - Valletta) - 60.57

X1/22 (Airport - Sptar 2 - Leyland) - 2.00

Azur Hotel (2 Nights) - 90.00

Orient Market (Groceries) - 9.04

13 (Ponsonby - Valletta) - 2.00

Embassy Cinemas (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) - 9.00

Embassy Cinemas (Popcorn + Water) - 4.00

N13 (Valletta A1 - Ponsonby) - 3.00

EUR179.61

[EMILIA-ROMAGNA] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: 12 March 2023

Italo AV 8959 (Verona Porta Nuova - Bologna Centrale) - 19.90

Residenza Due Torri (2 Nights) - 133.00

EUR152.90

[SAN MARINO] Budget and Itinerary

WEDNESDAY: 15 March 2023

Benedittini Bus (Rimini - San Marino - Rimini) - 12.00

Giulietti (Chicken Wings + Fries + Coke) - 12.00

Tourist Center (Passport Stamp) - 5.00

EUR29.00

[SAN MARINO] The World's Oldest Republic

San Marino has always been on the list. With Vanuatu and Moldova both canceled, San Marino suddenly became country #103 and almost immediately ceased to be. After landing in Italy I thought my travel-related problems had finally gone. But life isn’t done with me yet. You don’t want travel-related problems? Let’s give you work-related problems. Laptop died. In the end the hot chocolate damaged the motherboard and the video card after all. 15 days to repair. Dilemma. To make matters simple, I bought a new laptop and transplanted the hard disk there, after which I boarded a bus to San Marino to unwind.

[RIMINI] Your Gateway to San Marino

I highly recommend doing Rimini and San Marino in tandem. While a day trip to the microstate from Bologna is possible, Rimini offers a more relaxing base right in front of the beach. Not sold on the idea yet? Well, the bus ride from Rimini to San Marino will take you just an hour, so that’s not a hassle at all. Once you are done with San Marino’s mountains, expect the Adriatic Coast to be waiting for you once you get back to Rimini. Mountains and beaches. Sounds like fun!

[BOLOGNA] UNIBO and Neptune's Ass

The original Bologna itinerary was not affected. The only difference with the detour that happened was the morning tour of Verona. In short, all good. I was surprised that Italy has those red bullet trains that can shuttle you from one city to another in less than an hour. Perhaps it’s because I’ve always associated that with Japan and whenever I’m in Europe I rely on the mercy of cheapo airlines all the time. The 55 minute train ride from Verona to Bologna was not bad and only cost EUR 20 (~PHP1,200) last minute.

[VENETO] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: 12 March 2023

FlyOne (Chisinau - Verona) - 158.00

199 (Aeroporto Catullo - Verona Porta Nuova) - 6.00

Kipband (Luggage Storage 4 hrs) - 6.00

Convenience Store (Water .5 L x2) - 2.40

McDonalds (Breakfast) - 6.70

EUR179.10

[VERONA] The Juliet Detour

It was my first airport to airport experience, and I didn’t think it was going to be Moldova. But I guess in hindsight I have to thank them after all, because I really enjoyed this Verona detour. As the plane landed in Italy and the white people on the plane clapped like they won Bingo or something, I just felt relieved to be back in the Schengen zone. No more hassles this time around, perhaps? Let’s hope so. For now, I have a few hours to spend in Verona before I hop on a train to Bologna, which should have been the original point of entry.

[HESSE] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: 9 March 2023

Singapore Airlines (Kuala Lumpur - Singapore - Frankfurt) - 428.00

RMV (Einzelfahrt Airport) - 5.80

A&O Galluswarte (2 Nights) - 53.00

Convenience Store (Groceries) - 9.00

EUR495.80

[FRANKFURT] Quick Altstadt Stroll

I’ve already been to Frankfurt twice, I believe, but always just en route going somewhere else so while I count it as a visited city, I still have to do the requisite sightseeing. In searching for intercontinental flights that won’t require sleeping on a plane, I found Singapore Airlines’ SIN-FRA as well as Thai Airways’ BKK-FRA, both leaving late in the morning and landing in Germany in the afternoon. Now that I’ve tried it, this will probably be my default flight of choice whenever I need to go to Europe from Asia. No need for a Business class booking and sleep pattern is not disrupted as long as you sleep well the night before.

[BA/NADROGA-NAVOSA] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: 25 February 2023

Fiji Airways (Christchurch - Nadi) - 450.00

Airbnb (3 Nights) - 211.50

FJD661.50

[NADROGA-NAVOSA] South Sea Island

My trip down under was just supposed to be a revisiting of Australia and New Zealand, at least not until I stumbled upon info online that Fiji and Vanuatu are visa-free for Philippine passport holders. Since flights are available, I thought why not. It was a matter of dividing an entire week between the two island chains which seemed really doable. And then two typhoons struck Vanuatu. But let’s dwell on that some other time. For this blog entry, let’s talk about Fiji. How do you get there?