Tag: World Travel

Stories and photos of my travels through the world

Posted in Culture, Travel

Granada 2013

Posted on by pierreo

I first came to Granada, in Andalusia, Spain, in 1999.  I only spent 2 nights there on a tour of Andalusia.

The pictures I took back then can be seen on my other site: www.twimpg.net

Bee and I stopped in Granada for 4 nights before our Eclipse Cruise – more on that later.  It was a great opportunity to see the Alhambra again, and discover more of this wonderful historical city.

We arrived just before lunch – lunch time in Spain that is, so got to the hotel around 1:30 PM.  We stayed at the Alhambra Palace, just a stone throw away from the Alhambra itself.  On the way to the restaurant for lunch, we saw our first glimpse of the outside wall of the complex and the imposing fortress.

In the afternoon, we went to visit the town and stopped at the main cathedral.  It is a very impressive building that was designed and built after the moors were chased out of Andalusia and Granada was the seat of the Spanish Royal family.

We discovered that, on week-ends, the gardens of the Generalife are opened to the public in the evening, after sunset.  We had therefore booked for going there on our first evening.

We tried to be early (I did not have to try very hard!) so that it would not be too crowded and we succeeded.  The one palace on the Generalife was almost empty and very peaceful.

It is amazing that this was built in 1400 when the rest of Europe was in the “Dark Ages”! Granada was actually a place of great learning during that time, with scholars from all over the known world visiting and lecturing thousands of ‘students’ who came there to learn.

From the Generalife, we had a good view of the Alhambra complex, but could not go there.  Actually, we probably could have walked around there too as most of the area around the Alhambra is public, but we only found that out on the next day, during our daytime visit of the palaces.

The detailed work of carving on the stone and the wood is always incredible in these buildings.  It is amazing that this survived during the last 700 years.  Notice how the patterns are different on top of each archway over the doors! Continue reading “Granada 2013” →

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Garmisch and Munich

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It has been a tradition for the last three years that Bee and I celebrate her birthday somewhere other than Brussels! This time, I did not tell her where, just that there was the castle of a princess, the nest of an eagle, a place where there is lots of beer and a place that should never be forgotten.

We flew to Munich and immediately drove south with the intention to visit Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein, two castles who belonged to Ludwig II (the mad) of Bavaria.  Hohenschwangau is not very famous and therefore not familiar to people.  However, that is where the visit starts and I had nothing to do while waiting in a long line of cars – so I took a picture of the castle behind the trees.

We were only 300-400 m away from the parking lot, but the road was completely blocked and we moved a few meters every several minutes.  Bee went ahead to see what was going on; when she came back 15 minutes later, I had moved two car lengths and she explained that the parking lot being full, one car could get in every time another one got out! She also mentioned that the line to buy tickets has several 100 people in it.

So we decided that visiting Neuschwanstein was not that important.  We stopped and took a few pictures, because that one is recognised all over the world!

It was the inspiration for Disney’s original Castle at Disney World and was the Sleeping Beauty’s castle in the movie.  It was also featured in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, another Disney movie, but not animated this time.

The castle was actually never finished and Ludwig II never lived there.  Only 1 or 2 rooms were decorated, including one with a fake grotto as an homage to Richard Wagner, who was a close friend (very close friend?) of Ludwig.

The location for the castle is great – At the edge of the mountains and on the side of a large plain.

So, we decided to move on ahead and go to Garmisch Partenkirche, where we would be spending the first night.  This is one of the first winter resorts in Germany and it hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1936, the same year the summer games were in Berlin.  In summer, like right now when we were there, it is a sleepy little town, with typical Bavarian architecture such as this Bier Garten with very nice frescoes.

The local church has the onion dome that is also typical of this region.

We were early for dinner so we kept walking around town and heard music in the distance.  We were intrigued and saw that there was a trio of young musicians setting up.  Two violins and a clarinet.  They were  very good and played classical music adapted for their instruments.  The movie below is taken with my still camera and reduced so that it can fit into my blog, but the music quality is not bad. Continue reading “Garmisch and Munich” →

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Portugal – Part 2

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After Coimbra, we spent a few more days in the area and went to the Natural Park da Serra da Estrela which includes the highest mountains in Portugal.  We stopped at the highest peak where there is a weather station and what looks like army radar installations.  The weather was good, but cold and very windy – you can still see that there is a lot of snow left on the ground and this was at the end of May.

We did some walking in the park too but no great pictures.   We stopped for lunch in Manteigas, right at the center of the Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela where we saw an old car rally but no pictures of that either.  I was not in the right mood for photos that day!

We then had to head towards Lisbon, but first we made a stop on the way in an old Roman town called Conimbriga which has some of the best preserved Roman ruins in the Iberian Peninsula.  We were very pleasantly surprised.

There is a house with exquisite floor mosaics (above) and an incredible atrium with really nice fountains (below)

We discovered that by putting a 1 euro coin in a slot, we could get the fountains to actually work.  You can see the water spays (white arcs) against the red bricks, if you look carefully.  The sound was actually better than the sight!  I wonder if they still use the original plumbing?

Continue reading “Portugal – Part 2” →

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Posted in Culture, Food, Travel

Portugal – Part 1

Posted on by pierreo

In May, Bee and I spent two weeks traveling around Portugal. I had only spent a few days in Lisbon and therefore most of it was a new discovery for me as well.

We started in Porto. A beautiful ancient city on the Douro River. Walking around town, we ended up near our first church, not a major attraction as it is not even listed in our guide-book, called the Church of the Clergy (Igreja dos Clerigos) but decided to go in and marvelled at the intricate decorations inside – baroque at its finest (for some people I guess!)

What is more remarkable, and listed in the good book, is the Torre dos Clerigos, the church’s bell tower. The view from the top is reported to be quite nice, but 225 steps on a small spiral staircase and the line to buy tickets dampened our enthusiasm…

Much more impressive is the fortress-like Igreja da Misericordia. There is a small park in front of the church from which there is a spectacular view of the Douro River and the other bank, full of storage and ageaing warehouses for the Port.

This was taken inside Igreja de Sao Francisco, one of the best and most elaborately decorated churches in Porto. It is next to the Palacio da Bolsa (the local Chamber of Commerce) and attests to the wealth of the merchants, at one time, in this city. We visited the Bolsa as well. Continue reading “Portugal – Part 1” →

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Tuscany after New Year

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After five great days in Florence, Bee and I decided to go explore the Chianti area between Florence and Siena.  We took the long way there, stopping in Pisa first.  I had not been in Pisa for a few years and the last times I was there, the Campanile, also known as the “Leaning Tower of Pisa” was leaning a little too much and under severe renovations.  That is all done now, and the view coming into the Piazza dei Miracoli is back to where it should be, to me, one of the best sights in the world …

We started by visiting the Battistero, not visible on the picture above but facing the Cathedral.  The interior was surprising to say the least.  It looked as much as a formal meeting place for political discussions as a place where young babies are introduced to the Catholic faith.

You can climb the tower again.  This is done in groups of about 20 people every 1/2 hour.  You book your ‘time’ in advance and hope the weather does not change too much just before you get to go in.  It was threatening to rain, but held off while we were in line.  The visit begins inside, at the bottom of the tower which is hollow! I forgot that.  There is an explanation of the history of the tower and the restorations, which reduced the lean by a few degrees and actually stopped it from going further.  Quite a success considering that 10-15 years ago, people thought there was nothing to do and the tower would eventually collapse.

There are instruments inside the tower which measure its position to make sure that everything remains safe.

It is a bell tower and therefore there are bells at the top.  Here is a panoramic view of the carillon.  Being so close, I Was happy it was not time to ‘ring’ the hours, or call the faithful to mass.  That would have been very painful, I bet.

The view of the Piazza dei Miracoli from the top is spectacular.  The Cathedral is in front, obviously, then the Battistero and to the right, you can see the roof of the Campo Santo.  In the distance, Marina di Pisa, now a place where beachgoers go to private beach resorts but formerly the source of the wealth of Pisa with access to the Mediterranean Sea and the spice trade.

Continue reading “Tuscany after New Year” →

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Florence at New Year

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Ok, so I am a little behind.  I have been busier than usual since this trip in Florence at the end of 2012, but I am still within almost 1/2 year…

Bee and I decided to spend a few days in Florence and then a few in Chianti right around New Year.  I had just removed my cast and so needed the exercise.

An absolute “must” if you go to Florence is the “Firenze Card”.  You can get one for one or several days and it gives access to many musea, free use of public transport, but best of all, you can cut the lines at most musea and churches as if you had pre-booked your ticket.  A huge time saver.  While visiting the Uffizi Gallery one early morning, we discovered, through a window, this great view of the Ponte Vecchio – difficult to get this vantage point anywhere else.

One evening, I took a night shot from the other side.  Without a tripod, I had to place my camera on the edge of the other bridge and use my remote control to trigger the shot – 2 second exposure!

Still in the Uffizzi Gallery, we found a terrace, with a coffee shop where we had more unusual views of Florence.  The Duomo is so crowded in the middle of other buildings that it is not easy to get an overall view of it.

The Palazzo Vecchio is a different story.  It was so close that even with my wide angle lens, I was not able to get a good shot.  This is none photos stitched together.  The tower looks even thinner and flimsier in this shot, but I really like the whole ensemble.

Continue reading “Florence at New Year” →

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Saint Petersburg – Russia

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In August Bee and I spent a long week-end in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This is a place I had heard a lot about and it was several years that I wanted to come here. I just needed a good excuse.

On the first day we had organised a walking tour of the city, very useful to get orientation and see where the major attractions are.

We started along one of the many canals, the canal which formed the original city limits called Fontanka as it originally fed fountains in the Summer Gardens. Along the way, we ran into the current main building of the Saint Petersburg University.

Impressive building – it used to be one of the many palaces belonging to people who gravitated around the Tsar and his family.

Further along, we noticed this Church with sky blue dome and golden stars

There are churches and canals everywhere. This place is called “three bridges”.

This is Nikolsky Cathedral, actually built for Peter’s wife Empress Catherine I – the bell tower is well removed from the main building as is typical in Russia.

Here is the church itself, with typical pastel colors and gold domes

This is the Mariinsky Theatre, probably the best known cultural venue in Saint Petersburg where the Kirov ballet used to perform in Soviet times – now it has reverted to its original name and is known as the Mariinsky Ballet Company, still one of the best in the world.

Continue reading “Saint Petersburg – Russia” →

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Iceland – Part 2

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On the last day in Stykkisholmur, I decided to take on a boat ride on one of the local Fjord.

We were lucky to see several puffins and I was even able to photograph them flying (yes they can fly) and swimming

On one of the islands in the bay, I caught this woolly sheep in an apparent staring contest with a sea gull – this is not a Mexican Standoff!

This is the perfect season to raise chicks – or whatever young Cormorants are called. There were several nests with young chicks in them along the cliffs.

The specialty of this particular tour is that towards the end of the tour, they trawl the bottom for whatever lives there and let you taste what comes up fresh and raw! All that with a glass of wine too. It was delicious. I particularly liked the sea urchins.

Continue reading “Iceland – Part 2” →

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Iceland – Part 1

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I do apologise – I have fallen behind (way behind) in writing these, but I will try to recover during the winter break and my forced stay at home…

In June, yes, six months ago, I went to Iceland for a week.  I had a great trip which started in the most convoluted flights I ever took.  I looked for different possibilities, but the best one was to go from Brussels to Munich then to Berlin and finally to Reykjavik, arriving around midnight local time, or about 2AM Brussels time.  The only redeeming factor for this flight was that it was cheap, and I only needed to pay 150 euros extra to fly business class!

I did check to make sure that the hotel near the airport where I was to spend the first night was still open at that time.  They assured me they were.  And I understood why – this is a veritable “rush hour” at Reykjavik Airport!  There were several other flights from Europe and the US which landed just before me, and several scheduled to land in the next hour.

I spent the first night near the airport then rented a car and drove towards Stykkisholmur, town where I was to spend the next three nights.

The road was picturesque and here is the first photo I took.

This is Hvalfjordur, a fjord – can you say that in Iceland? – near Reykjavik.  There is a shortcut via a tunnel, but I took the long way around the whole thing.

The weather is great – sunny and cool and I am just enjoying the fantastic views everywhere I drive.  The road (2 lanes, country road, but the only one going where I am going and no traffic) crosses a river, and I notice a man fishing in the rapids.

Iceland reminds me a lot of New Zealand – very wild, huge scenery, few people.  I think I am going to like this!

On the way, I stopped in Bogarnes, a small town with a famous museum about the history of Iceland.  Before going to the museum, I walked around town.  I am not quite sure what this was all about but must have been some party – there are also empty beer cans and red decorations all over.  I think it has something to do with the summer solstice as I arrived in Iceland on 23 June.

I finally make it to Stykkisholmur, where I will spend next three nights.  This is the largest town on the Northwest side of Iceland, one of the gateways to the Western Fjord area – I decided that was too far for me on this short trip.

The view from the harbour with a mountain strangely covered by a single small cloud.  I was at the view point for a while, and the cloud changed, but never moved from this positions. Strange!

A general view of Stykkisholmur with the harbour at the forefront and mountains in the back.  The strange building in the middle is the local Church – a stunning building that I will explore more fully later on.

Continue reading “Iceland – Part 1” →

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Scotland – Part 3

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This is part three of the Scotland trip – after the islands, we went to Inverness and the infamous Loch Ness, with a monster?

But first we went to Elgin and on the way stopped at an old distillery turned into a museum. Great visit, but boy was it hard to find… The Dallas Dhu Distillery was shut down about 30 years ago and has now been turned into a museum.

The nice thing about being a museum is that you can get closer to equipment, and even peer inside – this is where the hops are mixed with hot water before they are allowed to ferment.

They have restored and preserved several Fermentation tanks.

There are two stills, made of copper as always. Scotch Whiskey is double distilled to get to about 70% alcohol before it is aged. In some cases, we were told that the product of the distillation process has no flavour at all; all the flavour is gained in ageing in oak barrels. However, if this were true, why use high quality grains and water, and where does the “peaty” flavour of some whiskeys come from?

Continue reading “Scotland – Part 3” →

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