It’s about time for me to actually write something about the trip to the Philippines, not just brag about it, right?

So my first glimpse of the country was in Cebu City, which is located on Cebu – the island – makes it easy to remember 🙂

Why is Cebu popular?

Cebu is the place where Ferdinand Magellan landed during his circumnavigation attempt. Although he was the mind behind organizing the expedition, the first man to actually complete the challenge was his naval commander Juan Sebastián Elcano. The reason behind it is the simple fact that Magellan was killed shortly after landing on the island of Cebu. Magellan was the person to bring Christianity to the archipelago. Many famous tourist spots around the city are connected with this fact. The city is also a great starting point to explore nearby islands. And if you fly here directly you avoid the crazy traffic of Manila.

The first spot is the Santo Niño Basilica. Santo Niño de Cebú is an image of the Holy Child. Magellan gave it as a present to the royal family.

The figure itself:

Another element of the altar:

Not far from the basilica is the Magellan’s Cross. This is another gift from the Portuguese explorer to the islanders. The relic is kept in this structure:

And this is the cross itself:

More about Cebu coming soon!