Category Archives: Travel

Aug25

Hong Kong by night

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Hong KongEnglish 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

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Aug11

Prizren – waiting for a rainbow

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Prizren

“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 →

Aug4

If you’re going to San Francisco…

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Golden Gate Bridge where I got my tan

…be sure to wear some flowers in your hair, sings Scott McKenzie (I would add a jacket and sunscreen – see below). San Francisco, the Golden City…First impression: love it! Second thought: I still love it but why is it foggy every day until noon and lows drop into the 50s in August?? That fairly typical reaction to SF’s unique coastal climate was well summed up by a statement often attributed to Mark Twain, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” Apparently Twain never actually said it but whoever did clearly shared my experience from a last year’s trip. Another highlight of that trip in a similar vein: a facial sunburn acquired on a cloudy day while freezing on a boat to Alcatraz. But even if the weather is not always LA-style “California dreamin” you really barely notice. So much to do, see, taste! Plus, because of SF’s topography it has many different microclimates. If it’s cloudy where you are it may be sunny just over the hill – that is if you manage to climb it, they are steep =) Read the rest of this entry →

Jul28

Addicted to Ararat

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Noah’s Ark – 14th c. stained glass window at the church of St Paul’s at Brandenburg an der Havel (Image: http://vidimus.org)

“1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;

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 →

Jul14

Let Sopot surprise you

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Krzywy Domek in Sopot

This article about buildings that wheeze, squeeze and dance made me think of a picturesque Polish seaside resort Sopot and especially about one of its unique and unusual sights:

“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 →

Jul1

Euro 2012 capitals: Kyiv

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Eviva España! That’s the cheer to which the world is celebrating today after the final game of the Euro 2012 in which Spain destroyed Italy 4:0 – the biggest margin ever in the history of European Championship finals. The international feast of football that started in Warsaw on June 8 ends today in Kyiv with a great game and I only wish I could have been there! I’ve traveled to Kyiv twice before – once in March, once October – and unfortunately both times I didn’t see much sun, which is a clear indication I should go back the third time, but maybe around this time of year =) Still, regardless of the weather, there are places in Kyiv I always want to go back to. And now, thanks to the Euro games, hopefully many of the fans who visited Ukraine will also want to come back. Read the rest of this entry →

Jun23

Euro 2012 capitals: Warsaw

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(Image: worldcupblog.org)

Let me start by saying that I’m really not a soccer fan. But Euro 2012 is as much about the game itself as about the location: it is the first time since the fall of communism that this prestigious European Championship is held in Eastern Europe, jointly hosted by Poland and Ukraine. Incidentally, UEFA Euro 1976 took place in Yugoslavia – a state that is no more – and the final game featured two countries that no longer exist: Czechoslovakia and West Germany. Sadly, by now both current host countries are out of the game, with Germany and Portugal qualified for the semi-finals against yet unknown rivals. But as I said this tournament has been about much more then sports. For Poland and Ukraine, it’s also about gaining a new space in the consciousness of fellow Europeans and soccer fans around the world as real places – places worth visiting, learning more about, and exploring. Read the rest of this entry →

Jun17

The Galapagos of Peru

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Inhabitants of Islas Ballestas

After almost four hours of a dusty ride across largely barren landscape that stretches south of Lima along Peru’s Pacific coast I was ready for a break and I found a perfect spot to do so. Paracas National Reserve may not be as famous as Machu Picchu or Nazca Lines but it is a very special place. For one, it’s the only marine reservation of Peru, where amazing abundance of sea life meets the country’s rugged coast. Only in a few places on earth the desert touches the ocean in such a spectacular way.

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 →

Jun2

Hallo Heppenheim!

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Heppenheim Market Square

Just a short distance south of Frankfurt near the border between the German states of Hessen and Baden-Württemberg lies charming town of Heppenheim, population 26,000. The town is picture perfect with its medieval street layout, impeccably preserved fachwerk (half-timbered) houses, and romantic ruins of an 11th century castle. It is also a renowned stop on Hessische Bergstraße – the Hessian Mountain Road – a wine region famous for its Riesling grape. The city center, Großer Markt, despite its name (Big Market) is compact and cozy. The 18th century Town Hall and old chemist’s shop Liebig-Apotheke overlook the square, which is anchored by a beautiful fountain topped with a historic sandstone statue of the Virgin Mary. But looking up offers an even more rewarding view: high on the hill green with vineyards sits ancient Starkenbug castle. Simply a delightful setting to sit back, relax, and enjoy a glass or two (or three =) of Heppenheimer Stemmler, great local wine.

Walking through the town’s narrow streets further reveals its medieval character. Schunkengasse, leading west from the Main Square, is a collection of gorgeous 17th and 18th century houses and connects to a parallel Kirchgasse through a steep set of stairs dating back to 1888. After a short climb up, massive Catholic church of St. Peter appears, also called Dom der Bergstraße or the Bergstraße Cathedral. The first documented mention of Heppenheim references the predecessor of this church already in 755, during the Frankish era. Read the rest of this entry →

May27

Memorial Day in Manila

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Manila American Cemetery

Memorial Day is almost here. I initially wanted to write something about the Arlington National Cemetery given that this is probably number one association most people make with commemorating this day. But there is another special place I want to talk about – a place I didn’t know existed until recently – the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. The Cemetery is located in Taguig, Metro Manila, and occupies 152 meticulously landscaped acres on a high plateau overlooking the city. It contains the graves of over 17,200 soldiers who died in WWII fighting in the Philippines and New Guinea, which makes it the largest U.S. military burial site of that war. The horrors of the bloody 1941-42 Battle of the Philippines and the triumph of the eventual Allied recapture of the islands from the Japanese come together in this place like nowhere else. General MacArthur said “I shall return” when, defeated, he was fleeing Bataan. He kept his word but it took enormous sacrifice of American and Filipino troops to fulfill that promise.

For anyone who has been to the Arlington Cemetery this place looks oddly familiar. Same gleaming white headstones stretching in long, even rows. Same manicured, lush lawns. Same serenity and silence. But tropical trees and flowers break the spell, with sweet plumeria scent in the air. Read the rest of this entry →