ENGRAVINGWANDERLUST

Karen Flores wishes to capture moments before they are long gone, and share it with an eye that wishes to see. She is a full-time critical care nurse and is currently based in London, UK.  

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Eiffel Tower: Paris, France

My first view of Tour Eiffel, built in 1889 as a commemoration for the French Revolution, and now a symbol of France, of light, and of love. It was a good 10-minute walk from the hotel that we were staying at, so there was no other option but to see her straight away!

I had brought with me high expectations before seeing this engineering marvel. Good friends and acquaintances of mine shared their experiences visiting this icon during their personal travels, building hype in finally seeing this beauty for myself.

And. Here she is. A couple of feet away. Honestly, I wasn’t really blown away.. (apologies hehe) Well, I blame good old uncle Big Ben back in London because he has set the standards too high. Big Ben always made me feel blessed and in awe of the life I was enjoying (no matter how homesick I am or how many times I see him) because of how stunning he stood, rain or shine, night or day. But Eiffel Tower, I felt... empty? Not the most encouraging word to use in a travel blog to inspire travellers I know... but that was it. She stood high and she stood tall. She’s got loads of metal. And rust I suppose. There were loads of tourists, yes, but that was it.

We managed to enjoy the view from the top and see Paris from its highest point. Around this time, Eiffel Tower was starting to sink in to me. From my horrible first impression, she was now becoming more fascinating to me as I walked her platforms and learned about her history. Most memorable part was getting stranded on one of her lifts!

Later that day, I found myself finally being mesmerised by her..

Funny how a simple change of location converted me to a big fan! I finally understood why tourists flock towards her and why she comes out on top. And don’t get me started seeing her at night!

A stunning wonder.

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Bonjour: Paris, France

One of the most visited cities in the world and a modern day traveller’s gateway to Europe, Paris is a city filled with charisma and beauty from centuries of rich history, architecture, art, fashion, and that distinct Parisian way of life.

Travelling from St. Pancras International in London, it was incredible to ride the Eurostar and traverse the Channel Tunnel. I remember how amazed I was watching the NatGeo Channel Tunnel Mega Structure documentary as a child, and just the idea of finally witnessing it was like my geeky childhood dream coming true. No exaggerations made.

Highly recommended if you’re planning to visit Europe from the UK! You’ll be skipping the hassle of limited kgs in luggage and the dreaded sorting of liquids and electronics from your carry-on. Train (and planes) over any other mode of transportation forever.

Seeing River Seine made me think about how major cities in the world have truly flourished next to rivers and other bodies of water. For the places I’ve visited, we’ve got River Thames for London, River Seine for Paris, Vltava River for Prague, The Wien for Vienna, Spree for Berlin, Danube River for Budapest, River Avon for Bath, Singapore River for Singapore, and... (this cannot be missed) Pasig River for Manila!

Paris transport relies heavily on the Metro subway (where you’ll have the luxury of marvelling at beautiful station names and pronunciation). They’re not the cleanest trains and platforms though, but hey, they’ve got fancy double decker trains that works and takes you to places without delay. You just have to get used to (quite) heavy metal platform ticket booths and its somehow gloomy atmosphere.. otherwise you’ll be fine!

Ah. There she is. Paris’ treasure that gracefully stands. The icon that will not make you think twice that indeed, you are in the City of Lights, La Ville-Lumière.

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5 COUNTRIES, 1 CITY-STATE, 17 DAYS OF TRAVEL.

Did some serious travelling over the first half of September and it was just AMAZING. I am proud to share this video of our Europe trip and would appreciate you spending a couple of minutes to enjoy these beautiful places as much as how we enjoyed seeing them.

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April 2016

Inside the British Natural History Museum

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April 2016

Faber Peak Singapore, in and around Mount Faber Station, S.E.A. Aquarium ins Resorts World Sentosa, and watching the Wings of Time by the bay

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March 2016

Marina Bay, Downtown Core, Singapore

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Walking in the footsteps of ancestors...

Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England

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The largest and oldest occupied castle in the world, the Windsor Castle in Berkshire is now the preferred weekend home of the Queen and is a very popular tourist attraction. Inside, you will be fascinated by the state apartments-- filled with beautiful golds, ceramics, furnitures and intricate ceilings that are all amazing works of art.

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A British ship built in 1869, Cutty Sark was one of the fastest tea clippers. At present, it is permanently docked at Greenwich for public display.

Cutty Sark, Greenwich, London

November 2015

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Edinburgh, Scotland

November 2015

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Edinburgh, Scotland

November 2015

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4th January 2016

Lunch with the panoramic views of London in The Oblix Restaurant, The Shard.

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3 Years ♥

It has been 3 happy years for the bear and the bunny!

‘’Chris and Karen’’ was born through a very simple and uncomplicated work place romance way back when we were both starting our nursing careers in St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City. He was a colleague in Critical Care, a co-Thomasian graduate, a potato and BBM fanatic and my secret bus crush who I thought had high chances of becoming my personal JM De Guzman lol. Fast forward to 2016, we went through the toxic life of being novice ICU nurses, my awkward adjustment into being in a relationship (finally lol), reviewing for IELTS and going through work applications as part of our career goals, being in a short long distance relationship status (which I would get a C+ with my endless tantrums haha), and the complicated life of an overseas Filipino worker where we both needed to mature, become independent, and get a grasp of what ‘’living’’ really meant.

We had our anniversary lunch date at The Oblix Restaurant, The Shard. Chris has kept this as a surprise but I kinda had a hunch that we’re headed to the tallest building in Europe for our special day. hehe

With panoramic views of Central London, we enjoyed, if I may say, THE BEST lunch course I’ve had since I don’t know when. The food was amazing!

My anniversary gift for my God’s gift.

We waited for sunset at The View. I don’t think anyone will get tired of this city’s panoramic view no matter when or where you see it.

We then headed to Somerset House where he has kept another surprise.. apparently, we’re doing some more ice skating fun! (this I didn’t see coming)

We had our practice at the London Eye ice rink in December so we we’re definitely better this time! No longer stuck to the side rails, I tell you.

It was great to spend the whole day with the person who completes you and makes you want to become a better individual each day... I appreciate how he doesn't want to identify and enumerate reasons why he loves me... and just simply does.

I love you, Christenson.

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Holidays

How’s everyone doing? Christmas and New Year’s Holidays have ended and it is now Two Thousand Sixteen!

For the 24th and 25th of December, I have been working long days in the hospital so I never really had a choice on how the celebrate Christmas Eve. After working on the 24th, we decided to pass by the Church to pray and greet this season’s real cause a happy happy birthday! Thank you for being born, Lord Jesus.

I am very grateful for my boyfriend for choosing to stay with me on Christmas Eve. He had a ton of get-together’s and parties to go to that night but he chose to be with me so that I wouldn’t be alone as midnight sets in..

And look what he got for me! My first Pandora bracelet. ♥

He got me 3 charms, a letter K pendant, a sparkling present, and an interlocking heart pendant. But more than this sparkly gift he has given me, I have yet again been given an irreplaceable Christmas present… his unconditional love.

My Christmas was short and sweet, as my New Year was all-out and festive!

My sister arrived from Dubai to celebrate the coming of 2016 here in London with us. We had lots of fun at the Winter Wonderland, playing mini games and eyeing massive cuddly prizes. In the end, we managed to bring home a balding monkey, a minion, a small brown bear, and a blue medium-sized bear that my sister was very happy with. It was great to see her enjoying the bright and cheerful atmosphere in Hyde Park despite our typical wet and cold weather. Bah.

On New Year’s Eve, we checked-in at a hotel near Victoria Station so we can join the London New Year’s Fireworks near the London Eye.

We were in between Embankment and Temple so I can say we didn’t really enjoy the best views that night. But I have always loved fireworks.. It gives such an amazing display of colours and effortlessly brightens dark skies.. giving hope, contentment, and a year’s supply of positivity.. Though our view was intentionally or unintentionally blocked with trees, statues, street lights, unreasonably tall individuals, and a massive number of mobile phones held up high with selfiepods.. I loved New Year’s Eve. Loved even more as I spent it with people I treasure dearly.

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22 November 2015

View from The Monument, and the Tower Bridge that night.

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22 November 2015

The Millennium Bridge, or the London Millennium Footbridge, crosses the River Thames in London linking Bankside and the City.

In pop culture, as my boyfriend lovingly reminds me every time I tend to forget the slightest, this bridge was THAT BRIDGE destroyed following the attack of the Death Eaters in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince film.

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21 November 2015

A reconstruction of the burned Globe Theatre, the Shakespeare’s Globe on the south bank of the river opened in 1997 after being founded by American director Sam Wanamaker.