Taal Heritage Town: Anniversary Date

Another Aniversario Especial! This is a long due post btw. XD 

Last year, we spent our anniversary at Cafeno (by my request) and we had a lovely date! 
For this year, we spent it in the nearer-in-Manila Vigan: Taal! 

Welcome to Taal - the balisong and barong capital of the Philippines!

BASILICA DE SAN MARTIN DE TOURS (TAAL)
Our first stop was the biggest church in Asia - Basilica de San Martin de Tours - aka Taal church.

J posing with the majestic church

It was grand outside. I applaud the management for not painting it with horrid colors (Basilica in Batangas looks horrid with the paint). Inside, I felt it was just like every other church in Batangas, but wider. THOUGH, you can really feel that it is managed better.

Inside

Back of the prayer room

The picture below is adjacent to the comfort rooms. Sad to say, it's smelly near it. Maybe they should put many sampaguitas around the CR or fix the pipes or whatever that is causing the stench. 

 

Look how huge this structure is!

Colored version

Antique-looking building adjacent the prayer room

The church is famous for weddings, of course. Perfect metaphor with that structure to say vows to.

Posing time again!

Photo of me and the church. Grand, it is.

Left side angle of the church. 

The magnificent church

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We also walked around near the area. 

Saw a not-so-maintained Jose Rizal statue. Please, if anyone with power in Taal is reading this, please please repaint this statue. Jose Rizal, being our national hero, should have a more dignified statue. It partially reflects on how we view our culture. 

Buntong-hininga. Going back... The town is filled with ancestral houses. 

Interesting old houses nearby

The common two-storey house type during the Spanish colonial period.

Marina Oyster Seafood Grill - Good for Family Dining

Our family revived one of our past traditions: to dine outside the house once every month. For the month of April, we went to Marina Oyster Seafood Grill! 

The restaurant is located at National Highway, Pallocan West, adjacent to the Holy Trinity Church beside SM City Batangas. It's not really easy to see because from the road, but there's a sign at the entrance. 

It's our first time to dine there, so we took our time to order. 

Meanwhile, here's the complimentary shrimp cracklings

 After placing our orders, it's picture time! 

We didn't have to be shy to take pictures because we're the only ones eating there at that time. :)

 The dining area is spacious and regal-looking, so it would be perfect for business meetings, family gatherings and other formal events.