PhotoHunt: Dark

Let the light shine in  . . . 

Inspired by fellow Slow Traveler and blogging friend, AnnieNC (Churches in Venice), while in Venice, Italy I visited several of their beautiful Churches.  This is a photo I took in the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari (Wikipedia) in Venice, Italy. There are so many beautiful works of art in this church like Giovanni Bellini's, Madonna and Child with SS Nicholas of Bari or Titian's Assumption altarpiece . . .

Visitors are allowed to take photos but with no flash, so many of my photos came out pretty dark.  When I saw this photo while searching for this week's theme, the image reminded me of a beautiful photo taken in the Church of Santo Spirito (Florence, Italy) by fellow Slow Traveler and blogging friend, Menehune (Synchronicity).  

Remember to VOTE on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 & make your voice count.

Berlin Wall: What Goes Up, Must Come down . . . .

"Imagine all the people living life in peace" ~ unknown author

When I think of Berlin, Germany, the first two things that comes to my mind is the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall and the Holocaust, which was "the genocide of approximately six million European Jews during World War II"~ Wikipedia. 

On August 13, 1961 the communist German Democratic Republic (GDR) started to build the Berlin Wall in order to stop the massive numbers of East German citizens fleeing into the west which was occupied by Americans, British and French. There were 5,000 people that escaped and 100 people killed trying to escape.  

Twenty eight years later after the Iron curtain cracked, reunification of Germany occurred and the wall finally came down.  The above quote was taken from this video that I found. It was written by an unknown author on a teared down section of the Berlin Wall.  After 28 years, Germany celebrated swiftly and celebrated jubilantly  . . . . and I can't blame them.  It's wonderful when something so wrong is made right again and I envy anyone who was in Berlin to witness and experience this historic moment.  In my Trekcapri's 2010 Vibrant Europe Adventures post, blogging friend, Maya, (The Many Walks of Maya) commented "We were in Berlin right as the wall was coming down. It was a very exciting time." I remember being moved by the images of people celebrating.  What an amazing first hand experience to have Maya. Thanks so much for sharing that with me.  

Today, most of the wall is gone, replaced by a two layer row of paving stones.  During my trip, high on my must see list is to visit some remaining sections of the wall, starting with the Eastside Gallery, which is the longest section remaining.  The gallery contains 100 paintings from artists from all over the world.  Weather permitting, I hope to see all of them.

In addition to the Fernsehturm (TV tower), the Reichstag Building and the Eastside Gallery here are other must see's on my list . . . Brandenburg Gate, Alexanderplatz, Kunsthaus Tacheles, Checkpoint Charlie and the Museum of Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall Memorial, Jewish Museum, Holocaust Memorial, Gendarmenmarkt (and Christmas Market),

I remember in 2006 when I went to visit Prague in the Czech Republic, I made a visit to the Old Jewish Cemetery and Museum in the old Jewish Quarter.  To this day, I can still remember my experience walking through the cemetery and visiting the children's museum in the Pinkas Synagogue.  I have vivid memories of this one painting and of the photograph of a group of children who perished, at one of the concentration camps.  It was very disturbing for me to see these images as I imagine it will be for me to see the Holocaust Memorial. 

It was a challenge for me to write this final pre-trip post on Berlin because honestly I was torn between writing about Berlin's dark past as opposed to the vibrant Berlin of today.  In the end, I decided that I couldn't talk about the present without remembering the past.  And I could not plan my trip to Berlin without including sights where I will see awful reminders of the Holocaust. 

With that said, I do love how Berlin has emerged into this very vibrant and artistic city since it's reunification.  It took 28 years for the Berlin wall to come down which is a very long time.  But it did come down.  And maybe seeing Berlin in it's present state will inspire hope.  A hope that the other "wrongs" in this world no matter how long it may take can also be made right again.  Imagine how wonderful it would be . . . 

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one

And here's a video I think my blogging friend and song sister, Anne would also like.  Her wonderful blog title . . . Light is Sweet . . . 

PhotoHunt: Orange

Last time I gave you an Orange Life Saver (nope, not the candy), and before that I introduced you to Mr. Orange Face Man.  This week, I give you the very orange  "Tiki Love Truck". :)

I've posted this photo before (I think).  It is a photo of one of the participants in the Edinburgh's Christmas Art Car Parade.  I thought it was worthy of a re post, because of all the funky things Orange happening here.

The orange hat of the person riding in the back cab :), the orange hub caps :), the orange skulls around the hub caps :) and what I think is the coolest thing on there, the name, Tiki Love Truck, on the license plate. LOL! I think it goes without saying that I enjoyed my visit to Scotland a lot. :)

Berlin: A vibrant city, once divided . . .

I had originally toyed with the idea of a very long day trip to Berlin from Amsterdam because I had heard so much about it.  So when my supervisor encouraged me to take a third week off, there was no question where I wanted to spend it.

Berlin, today is a thriving, young, artistic and vibrant city that is distinguished not between East and West with a wall and an ocean of ideology dividing it but by these different boroughs (also known as districts) that have their own unique vibe and characteristics.

I chose to stay in an apartment in a neighborhood in the district called Mitte (of former East Berlin) based on its proximity to some of the sights I wanted to see on my visit. But truth be told, a part of me also wanted to stay in a district which was a part of former East Berlin simply because I could.  Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia: 

Between 1961 and 1990, Mitte was a part of East Berlin and was surrounded by the Berlin Wall at its north, south and west. There were some border control points, the most famous of which was Checkpoint Charlie between Kreuzberg and Mitte, which was operated by the U.S. Army and its allies and was open to foreigners and diplomats

On my visit I want to have a good mix of exploring both Berlin's past and the Berlin of today which to me seems to be continually evolving.  I find it fascinating how a city like Berlin where horrible things took place has managed to redefine itself and become this very vibrant, artistic and cool city. This transformation is a tribute to Berliners and to Germany. 

Fellow Slow Traveler Shannon spent two weeks in Berlin a few years ago and wrote about her experiences on her Poptarticus blog.  She gave me some fabulous recommendations, which I blogged about on this post:  Berlin: I think I'm in love . Another fellow Slow Traveler Sandra also commented how much she enjoyed her visit to Berlin.  She visited two places on my must see list, Checkpoint Charlie and the Reichstag, and found the City fascinating.

The train ride from Amsterdam to Berlin will be about 6 hours so I plan to leave early enough to arrive in Berlin with enough day light to make my way to the TV Tower (Berliner Fernsehturm).  The tower stands at 670 feet high (207 meters) and provides a 360 degree view of the city below. Shannon said that I will get a good sense of the City's layout from the top of the tower.  Cool! 

I am very excited to visit Berlin. I hope to do a couple more posts on Berlin in the next week which should conclude my pre trip planning posts and then it's the dreaded pre packing logistics and final preparations. eek!  :)

Belgium: If it's Tuesday, I'll be in Bruges . . .

Located between Germany, France and Britain the country of Belgium is known for being one of Europe's best-kept secrets. Belgium is split between Wallonia in the South, where they speak French and Flanders in the north where they speak Flemish, a dialect of Dutch.

During the first week I plan to travel by train from Amsterdam to the town of Bruges in Belgium. I will spend a longer two night day trip in Bruges because I have read how beautiful this town is and I wanted to make sure that I had a little more time than just an overnight day trip to explore around.

Bruges is a well-preserved Gothic City that has most of it's interesting sights within the city centre which is itself a prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO.

The first on my must see list is to visit the Church of Our Lady where I will find the very famous Madonna and Child by Michelangelo. It's said to be the only Michelangelo statue to leave Italy in the famous artist's lifetime. The white marble statue is brilliant and I can't wait to see it in person.

I want to also see the Basilica of the Holy Blood. Originally the Chapel of Saint Basil, this church is famous for its relic of the blood of Christ, which, according to tradition, was brought to Bruges in 1150 after the Second Crusade.

The Market Square is the heart of the city and certain days of the week are market days. And lucky me, I will be there on one of those days. Yay! For some reason this square reminds me of Old Town Square in Prague. Very beautiful.

Also located in the Market Square is the Bell Tower (Belfort). This Gothic bell tower is 83 meters (272 ft) high and is 366 steps to the top. An amazing view of the city is promised to all those who make the climb. I shall think of that thought as I make the climb up. :)

Weather permitting, I hope to take a nice boat tour of this beautiful city, which was highly recommended by fellow blogger and Slow Traveler, Girasoli (Shave Ice & Gelato). I'll probably just check with my hotel for a recommendation on which tour company to go with.

And last but not least, arrival time in beautiful Bruges will be early enough to have some of those famously delicious Belgium Waffles for breakfast. :)

Next up, Berlin . . .

Amsterdam: A bend that's golden, something hidden and something old . . . .

On July 31, 2010, the 17th century canal ring and surrounding area in Amsterdam was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, because as they put it "the canals are a cultural heritage of  outstanding universal value”.

The half-moon shaped canals of Amsterdam plus the surrounding canal houses are: Herengracht (Gentlemen's Canal), Keizergracht (Emperor's Canal) and the Prinsengracht (Prince's Canal).   There is one section known as Gouden Bocht ("Golden Bend") (Wikipedia), which runs from Leidsestraat to Vijzelstraat that I am really looking forward to seeing.  Here, the most beautiful of all canal houses are located in this bend of the canal.  The name was given because of the great wealth of shipbuilders, merchants and politicians who originally lived along here.  Today, most of the mansions have been converted into offices or banks, but the their former elegance remains.  For example, at No. 497, I will find one of the few houses on the Golden Bend which is accessible to the Public.  The Kattenkabinet (Cat Museum) was recommended to me by Marta in one of her comments and I think it will be cool to visit. Marta also recommended the next two must see's in her comments too.  

On this trip, I'll be visiting a delightful hidden courtyard called the Begijnhof.  The Begijnhof was originally built in 1346 as a sanctuary for the Begijntjes, a lay Catholic sisterhood who lived like nuns.  In return for lodgings within the complex these women undertook to educate the poor and look after the sick.  The rows of houses that overlooks it's well-kept green include Amsterdam's oldest surviving house (no. 34).  The Southern fringe of the square is dominated by the Engelse Kerk (English Church), which dates back to 15th century.  Directly west stands the Begijnhof Chapel, a clandestine church in which the Begijntjes and other catholics worshipped in secret until religious tolerance was restored in 1795.  It once housed relics of the Miracle of Amsterdam.  

Highly influenced by AnnieNC's blog on the Churches in Venice I have really become fond of learning about and visiting the wonderful churches found in the places that I travel to.  So next I'll be visiting the Oude Kerk  which is the oldest church in Amsterdam.  It is said that Rembrandt was a frequent visitor here.  The old church is surrounded by shops, cafes and houses but it remains a calm and peaceful place at the heart of the busy Red Light District.   

Here's a few more things on my must see list, but with only 24 days left to go, I'll have to speed up my pre-trip blogging by posting the reference links here. 

Haarlem Day Trip - Haarlem (Wikipedia) is a small and quaint town recommended to me by Marta. Among the sites here is Market Square, Grote Kerk (Great Church), Frans Hals Museum.

Shopping  - I absolutely love the idea of window shopping.  Marta wrote an impressive and very helpful post covering the many shops to see in Amsterdam called Window Shopping in Amsterdam (Postcards from the Trail)

Biking (Well I gotta do it)  - Amsterdam on Two Wheels Post

Food - Indonnesian food comes highly recommended by AnnieNC, Jane, Marta & Girasoli, so I'll be sampling a dish (recommended by AnnieNC) called Rijsttafel (Rice Table) - I blogged more about it here, Amsterdam: My Food Adventures

And to whet my appetite . . .

Many thanks and appreciation to my blogging friends and fellow slow travelers, AnnieNC, Marta, Jane and Girasoli for all the helpful tips for this leg of my trip in Amsterdam. And many thanks also to Menehune, Barb, Sandra, Nancy, Anne and Maya for all the support. I can't wait to see all of these places during my time in Amsterdam.

Next up, Bruges and Berlin . . . .

Music Monday: Amsterdam Acoustics . . .

So what's a girl to do when she's nursing a bad cold, 24 days before a trip?

Well, she calls in sick from work then goes on her computer with a tissue box at her side and watches Youtube videos. :)

In my past trips especially to Spain and Italy, it was so easy to connect with the music scene, because I love Italian and Spanish music. And on some level I also thought the music in Scotland was pretty cool. But for my Vibrant Europe trip I'm having a difficult time connecting with the music.

This morning I found these cool series of videos from Amsterdam Acoustics.  They basically go around filming acoustic performances from a variety of musicians with beautiful scenes of Amsterdam in the background.  I'm still not sure that I'm connecting with the music as much as I do with Italy and Spain, but this performance brings it a lot closer for me.  I love the miniature pink piano. Very cool.

PhotoHunt: Miniature

Say it with a miniature . . .

This is a photo I took at the breakfast room in my hotel in Salzburg (2006). I thought it was so creative that the hotel staff placed a miniature cow, goat and sheep to indicate the different kinds of cheeses to choose from. 

No matter what language we all spoke, we had no problems identifying which cheeses came from what animal.  I picked from the miniature cow tray.  :)


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Amsterdam: Windmills are on my mind . . .

"Holland is a place where the broad ocean leans against the land." ~ Oliver Goldsmith

There are 1,000 windmills located across the Dutch country side.  Beginning in the 12th century Windmills became the chief source of power. With windmills farmers could harness wind power to crush seeds and grind grain, but their main purpose was to drain the land of water (half of Holland is below sea level). By draining the water farmers created fertile farmland and helped in Holland's long battle against flooding. 

While in Amsterdam I want to be able to visit a few windmills. I was surprised to learn that there are 8 working windmills located just in the outskirts of the city (Google Maps of all 8 Windmills).   The De Gooyer and Riekermolen windmills are at the top of my list.  At the De Gooyer Windmill there's a cool Brewery.  I wonder if they serve root beer?  And did you know that Rembrandt himself was said to have sat and sketched at the Rikermolen windmill.  Cool!

Further afield there is a delightful dutch village called The Zaanse Schans. This village is located on the banks of the river Zaan and is a replica of a typical Zaanse village of the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Here I will find these charming green wooden houses, with gardens, small bridges, cute little shops and historic windmills. It is only a 20 minute (4 stop) train ride from Centraal Station in Amsterdam.  Very cool!

A circle in a spiral

A wheel within a wheel

Never ending or beginning

On an ever spinning wheel

As the images unwind

Like the circle that you find

In the windmills of your mind

~ from "Windmills in your Mind"
Alan and Marilyn Bergman (lyrics)
Michael Lengrand (music)

Amsterdam: Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank's House . . .

The Van Gogh Museum which opened in 1973 holds an amazing collection of 200 paintings, 500 drawings and 500 letters written by Vincent Van Gogh. A dutch post-impressionist painter, Van Gogh was a super talented artist. His unmistakable tumultuous style of swirling brush strokes and vivid use of color is full of passion and emotion.

Sadly, Van Gogh although full of talent was a tormented soul suffering from bouts of mental illness. And at the age of only 37, Van Gogh committed suicide. In his short life Van Gogh produced some amazing artwork and it's sad to me that he died before his work could be recognized and appreciated.

The Van Gogh Museum is open daily and at the top of my must see list is: Bedroom in Arles, Wheatfield and Crows and Sunflowers . . . To have an insight into the artist behind the paintings the Van Gogh Blog posts entries of his letters to describe his own thought process as he painted.

The Rijksmuseum in its neo Renaissance style was highly recommended by Fellow Slow Traveler, AnnieNC (Churches in Venice), and so it is on my must see museum list as well. The Rijksmuseum contains the world's largest collection of paintings by Dutch masters to include Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Frans Hals. One painting that is on my must see list here is Rembrandt's "The NightWatch". Rembrandt is famous for his use of light and movement in his paintings and I'm excited to see his work in person. The museum is currently undergoing refurbishment, but a nice collection of their most famous Masterpieces will be open for viewing in their Phillips Wing Saturday (until 6 pm) through Friday (until 8:30 pm). Many thanks to Annie for putting the Rijksmuseum on my radar.

And finally, not necessarily a museum of art, but a very important must see on my list, is the Anne Frank House. For two years, Anne Frank and seven others hid from Nazi persecution. They hid in a secrete annex behind a swinging bookcase. The 13-year old Anne, who began her now famous diary in July 1942, provides a unique account of growing up under persecution and of a life in confinement. Fellow Slow Traveler, Jane (Casey, Italy and Other Good Stuff), who visited earlier in the year recommend that I purchase my tickets on-line to avoid the long queue. Many thanks to Jane for the very helpful tip.

There are 50 museums currently listed in the City of Amsterdam but with only two weeks I will not be able to see most of them. These three are on my must see list but if time permits there are others that I would also be interested in seeing: Houseboat Museum, Madame Tussauds, Stedelijk Museum and I may even hit the Sex Museum just for fun. Just kidding! I had not heard of this museum until fellow Slow Traveler, Girasoli (Shave Ice & Gelato) mentioned it to me in one of her comments. I'm too embarrassed to go in there but if I happen to pass it by, I might snap a photo.  :D  Edited to add: Girasoli who also kindly recommended visiting my top three must see's on my museum list said that she and her friend visited the Sex Museum as a joke and ended up having a blast. So on second thought maybe this might be worth a visit for me too.  :) Thanks Girasoli, maybe I'll visit it after all.

Music Monday: La Solitudine . . .

Laura Pausini and Lara Fabian sing La Solitudine live on the Spanish Steps in Rome . . . 

PhotoHunt: Stripes

Rule of thumb in fashion is always go with Vertical rather than Horizontal stripes to elongate your figure . . .

I took this photo at a 10K race this year. These contestants and others had to run 6.1 miles in their costumes. Kudos to them. :)

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Netherlands: Amsterdam and beyond . . .

Did you know that Holland and the Netherlands is the same place? Or that one quarter of the Netherlands is actually below Sea Level?

Did you know that Holland still has around 1,000 working windmills?  Or that it has the highest concentration of museums in the world, with 42 in Amsterdam alone? I'll be visiting two of their most well known. 

Did you know that Amsterdam has 1,281 bridges and that Holland has more than 4,400 km of navigable rivers, canals and lakes and 15,000 km of cycle paths?

And finally did you know that the Dutch are considered to be the tallest people in Europe?  Now at 5’2” I’m going to stick out like a sore thumb.  :)

I've been reading my guidebooks and various websites chronicling the history of the Netherlands (Wikipedia) through the years which is all very interesting, but I am also finding these additional tidbits of information about the Netherlands very unique and interesting as well.  Pre-Trip blogging is a wonderful trip planning technique I learned from fellow blogger, Sandrac, to help me focus on what I want to see and do on my trips and it has definitely helped me a lot for the past two trips to Spain and Scotland. I'm leaving in 35 days (eek!) and in the next few weeks, I hope to write a few blog entries about some of the highlights of what I hope to see and experience on my 2010 Vibrant Europe Trip. 

Many thanks and appreciation to all of my blogging friends (AnnieNC, Marta, Menehune, Barb, Nancy, Maya, Jane, Sandra, Girasoli, Shannon and Anne) who have been so supportive and helpful in providing some very helpful tips on food, art, museums, weather, shops, history and transportation.  Upon hearing about my trip to Amsterdam, fellow Slow Traveler and blogging friend, Marta, wrote two very cool entries on her Postcards from the Trail Blog, Amsterdam and Window Shopping in Amsterdam. Marta spent several months living and working in the Netherlands and posted some of her beautiful photos and wrote about her experiences there which I really enjoyed reading a lot.  I am especially excited about seeing as Marta put it, the “whimsical” side of Amsterdam in addition to their amazing museums, shops, flower market, canals and architecture. 

I have two weeks in Amsterdam with a two night day trip to Bruges in Belgium, before I head to Berlin, Germany. I'm staying in an apartment near a beautiful canal called Prinsengracht (Wikipedia) and from there I will be able to explore and venture around the city by using their very efficient trams or doing as the locals do by renting a typical dutch bike to ride along on some of those 15 km of bike paths (Amsterdam Bicycles).   Did I mention the beautiful canal?  :D

People keep referring to Amsterdam as the "Venice of the North" but I would be hard pressed to compare it to Venice.  I think Venice is simply in a league all to herself.   But from what I have seen in Marta's photos and in my research, I do believe that Amsterdam with it's many canals, bridges and quaint Dutch architecture is without a doubt a very beautiful city too. 

I will have Wi-Fi in my apartment and will be able to post while there so for those of you who have already been, I hope to stir up some fond memories and for those of you who have not been I hope to be able to let you see Amsterdam through my eyes.

Next up the food, the museums, the canals, the architecture, the interesting shops and more . . . .

PhotoHunt: Letters

A very special place to mail your letters in  . . .

. . . a mail box located in Piazza San Pietro in the Vatican City in Rome, Italy.

I thought it would be so cool to get something in the mail from Vatican City, so I mailed myself this postcard. 

I had to giggle at the comments I wrote to myself.  :) 

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