A Pilgrim to Calaruega

July 29 is the feast of St. Martha and it's also my birthday. July 29, 2007 fell on a Sunday so we had the chance to escape Manila.

We had the chance to go to Tagaytay (about 70kms from Manila), had a sumptous lunch in Josephine's-- sizzling gambas, seafood boullabaise soup, crispy pata, sarisaring sinugba (sinugba is a Visayan dialect for grilled) or grilled chicken, pork, fish and squid, and of course, not missing the crispy tawilis.

Afterwhich, we headed to Calaruega (my last trip here was back in 1998), located in the boundary of Tagaytay and Batangas. It is situated on the hillside of Batangas I guess. The structure was built by the Dominicans, old brick house, classic architecture, and the place is very peaceful. The place is a retreat house and can also be a venue for weddings or special conferences.


But what is nice about Calaruega is the peace, the closeness to nature, and the nearness of the sky. I feel for awhile I'm close to God. And I'm so glad to be with my family on this visit.

My brother in Dubai called to greet me. My sister in Texas also called to greet me..
And I'm glad I requested my husband to go to this place. I feel renewed just being in this place..

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Unique flora and fauna such as these add to the serene ambiance of Calaruega.