Explore Manila, the Philippines and the World!

We were invited to a wedding in Fernbrook Gardens in Alabang last Saturday. I must admit I was very impress with the place. It was huge! Too bad it was raining that we weren’t able to take that much photos outside. And besides, it was already dark when we got there. The only downside is that it was too far. We left Manila around 5PM. The traffic was sooo bad we arrived before 7PM.

I noticed that the place was so much like Fernwood Gardens. Do they have the same owner? I really don’t know. Everything was the same. Except that Fernbrook is bigger, has more space and lovelier than Fernwood. Check out the photos I grabbed from Philweddings.blogspot.com.

Being on that place made me want to get married again! I just love that feeling during the “big day”. The wonderful feeling that you are marrying the person you are going to be with for the rest of your life.

Fernbrook Gardens
Portofino South, Daang Reyna, Las Piñas
7108608, 7108545, 3873740, 3836865, 9278392
www.FernBrookGardens.com

I have noticed that in Manila, constructions were everywhere. Like in our area there are two constructions of houses. One is located in front and the other is at our back. It seems like everyone is building their homes. I remember when our house was still under construction we had to devote our time to review the Home Plans every now and then. We used to talked to the architect at least twice a week to ask for updates and see if there are changes that need to be done.

We opted for a lot of designs from Contemporary house plans, A-Frame House plans, French Country House Plans, Bungalow House Plans, and a minimalist. But we chose to go for the minimalist design since both Hubby and I don’t like clutter so much.

At HousePlansAndMore.com there are actually tons of choices to choose from! There is a photo gallery there where you can view all the houses that they can make for you. Most of the houses are my type of houses actually – simple yet elegant. A house that you will definitely be proud of!

From LonelyPlanet.com: The Plaza de Roma was a bloody bullring until it was converted into a plaza. On one side lies the Ayuntamiento, and on the other is the Palacio del Gobernador; the Manila Cathedral fronts the square.

Fronting Palacio Del Gobernador

Formerly called Plaza Mayor. Converted into park in 1797. Renamed Plaza McKinley after U.S. President William McKinley in 1901. Renamed Plaza de Roma in 1961 to honor Sacred College of Cardinals in Rome following elevation of first Filipino Cardinals, Rufino J. Santos.

Bronze Monument to Carlos IV of Spain erected in 1824 as a tribute for the introduction of smallpox vaccine in the Philippines. Fountain built in 1886. Statue replaced by Gomburza monument in the 1950s. Statue returned in 1981.

Hubby and I were able to drop by at the Manila Central Post Office last month after our shopping at Divisoria. It’s been awhile since I last seen this building but everytime I would see it, I would always be proud of it. It has been in Manila for YEARS already. The Manila Central Post Office is the main postal center of the Philippines. Check out what I got from City Guide…

Grand or grandiose, depending on how you look at it, the Central Post Office is an ideal embodiment of the Greco-Roman revival that characterized Western architecture between the World Wars. Not surprisingly, this imposing, perfectly proportioned structure has influenced and inspired generations of Filipino architectural students. The stately building, however, is more impressive from the outside, as the interior is a little shabby. Stamp collectors can obtain the latest issues from a philatelic section inside.

This building is one of the nice buildings that was restored in Manila. I haven’t been able to go inside though since it was a Saturday but I’m sure that they were able to preserve it’s beauty. I hope it’s clean though knowing that people all over the Philippines would come to this place to drop off their mails.

Manila Central Post Office
Liwasang Bonifacio
Manila, 1000
Phone: +63 2 527 0069

* Details from City Guide.

Yes, Jody was right. The photo shared last week was at Intramuros, Manila! I loved that building so much and in that the frontage makes me feel that I’m not in Manila anymore.

Here’s something that I found from an Intramuros website about Palacio Del Gobernador.

Residence and office of the governor general. Although the site for the governor’s palace facing the Plaza Mayor had been determined early on, no structure was built on it until the late 17th century. In the beginning, the governor’s residence was apparently built nearer Fort Santiago, facing Plaza Militar.

The palace was rebuilt at its present site by Gov. Gen. Fausto Cruzat y Góngora (1690-1701) following an atrial plan, divided by a wing that bisected the open atrium. The southern half housed the governor’s residence on the superior floor and the Secretaría de Gobierno on the lower floor, while the northern half housed the Real Audiencia or Supreme Court. The Audiencia occupied the northern wing until it acquired a building of its own in 1788.

In 1850, Gov. Gen. Narciso Claveria gave the palace a new façade in the Neoclassical idiom. The earthquake of 1863 damaged the palace. Plans to restore it were abandoned when another earthquake in 1880 struck Manila. By then the governor had transferred residence to Malacañang in the San Miguel district, upstream of the Pasig.

The building was in ruins until its remaining walls were integrated into 14-story building, called Palacio del Gobernador. The structure houses government offices and the Intramuros Administration.

I loved how they preserved this building. And I just hope that they get to preserve this in the next couple of years!

Palacio Del Gobernador
Plaza de Roma, Intramuros

*Source: Intramuros blog.