Downtown Tampa
Tampa is not necessarily on Florida’s A-list of destinations. It doesn’t have the vibrancy of Miami, history and natural charm of Pensacola, or Orlando’s Disney World (ok it has Busch Gardens but it doesn’t quite measure up). When I was there is also felt in a large part under construction with street closures and cranes dotting the landscape. So to me the highlights were a few special, memorable places rather than the city as a whole. Read the rest of this entry
English speakers aplenty, great public transportation system AND metered taxis. What else can you ask for when exploring a new city? That’s Hong Kong, which I dubbed “user-friendly Asia” because of the qualities that make it so easy to get around and enjoy. A crowded place of seven million people squeezed on slightly more than 400 square miles feels like New York in more ways than one. Busy streets, stunning sky scrapers, great restaurants on each city corner… Tsim Sha Tsui (or TST) on the southern edge of Kowloon Peninsula, and Central just across Victoria Harbour on Hong Kong Island are the two major hubs of activity, day and night. And it’s at night in particular when the city pulsates with the special rhythm of a metropolis that never sleeps. Exploring Hong Kong by night is…
“… a fine way to capture a piece of the magic of a unique city. The drama, the charm and the beauty of Hong Kong is all here ― just as is its breathless energy.”
― Nury Vittachi, Hong Kong: The City of Dreams
“March snow swirled across the ancient city of Prizren. Churches and mosques blend here in perfect harmony against a backdrop of narrow hill-climbing alleys, tiny coffee shops, barbers, old-style draper’s shops and jewelers specializing in the delicate filigree work that Albanians love so much. In his office a prosperous Albanian businessman said that if people would just get on with producing things and making money then ‘we would not be in the situation we are now.’”
That was Prizren seen through the eyes of journalist Tim Judah who witnessed first-hand the upheavals of the war he described in his great book Kosovo: War and Revenge. When I was there it was April rain rather than March snow drizzling upon the ancient city. But otherwise the landscape looked the same. Read the rest of this entry
Golden Gate Bridge where I got my tan
Noah’s Ark – 14th c. stained glass window at the church of St Paul’s at Brandenburg an der Havel (Image: http://vidimus.org)
2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.
4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made” (Genesis 8)
The Biblical story of Noah and the flood is a story of destruction and renewal, a story of perseverance and hope, a story of finding home after a hard journey. Mount Ararat, where the ark supposedly landed after the deluge, is revered in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Read the rest of this entry
Krzywy Domek in Sopot
“Imagine wandering along Monte Cassino Street in Sopot, Poland (I know, I know, you imagine this all the time), and you bump into this: the Krzywy Domek, a local shopping center built in 2004 that looks like a child’s drawing that got squished. (Or, as some Poles have said, it seems to be melting.) Bugs Bunny could move in here with Elmer Fudd and live happily ever after.”
Indeed, I imagine wandering along Sopot’s Heros of Monte Cassino Street all the time ever since I was there about a year ago. Affectionately called “Monciak” by the locals, it’s the city’s main pedestrian drag buzzing with tourists, diners, and shoppers. Read the rest of this entry
This acknowledgment has been long overdue: many thanks to campervan adventurer Vicky and travel-loving Sunshine for nominating me to receive the Versatile Blogger Award, and to Sheila from Cape Cod for nominating me for the Awesome Blog Content (ABC) Award! It’s a very gratifying feeling to know that when you post something on your blog somebody out there is actually reading – and enjoying – what you write =)
About the Versatile Blogger’s Award
The Versatile Blogger’s Award is a way for bloggers to support each other and recognize interesting and inspiring blogs. There rules to accept this award are:
(Image: http://ukrainetrek.com)
(Image: worldcupblog.org)
Inhabitants of Islas Ballestas
Islas Ballestas – the Ballestas Islands – are rocky outcrops just off the Paracas Peninsula. They can only be reached by boat from Paracas or Pisco (yes, as in pisco sour). And due to benevolence of the nutrient-rich Humboldt Current that washes the Peruvian coast, they are blessed with an amazing abundance of sea and bird wildlife. As the boat moves swiftly toward the islands, it becomes clear that they have no inhabitants other than sea lions, porpoises, and birds – LOTS of birds. Read the rest of this entry
Sandstone and amber 
