Photo of the Week – A Marathon in Vienna

28 June 2012 by 4 Comments

A few years ago, I went to Vienna as part of a series of offices visits for a client. Vienna meetings were conveniently scheduled for a Friday so the weekend could be enjoyed in the former Imperial capital.

As the Peachtree Road Race approaches in my hometown, a race I ran for 10 yrs before deciding the 1 mile walk from home to be a spectator was more fun, I think of the happy coincidence: it was the weekend of the Vienna Marathon. I have such luck sometimes. The same happened when I visited Florence.

Marathons, or any road race for that matter, offer great opportunities for photos of the human effort. However, one of my favorite pictures captures one of the most important spots along a marathon route: the water stops… This is the aftermath after one such stop…

Runners and paper cups on the Vienna marathon

(Photo taken with Canon EOS Rebel)

Filed Under: Europe, Special Photos Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Photo of the Week – Walking Home into the Sunset

14 June 2012 by 3 Comments

In 2006, I visited Oslo for work. As usual, I like going to a place where I can see the locals in their day-to-day. This plaza gave me a great view of folks headed home at the end of a work day…

Couple headed home at sunset in Oslo, Norway

 

(Picture taken with Canon EOS Rebel)

Filed Under: Europe, Norway, Special Photos Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Photo of the Week – A Beer Goes to Rome

7 June 2012 by 13 Comments

I came to Rome in a barrel.  Ready to see the eternal city.  It was dark all the way.  I was in good company.   Then we felt a tapping sound.  Just twice.  Then it went quiet.  A day later, I felt pulled away.  I saw light!!!  I decided to sit and bask in the light.  Since I was in Rome, I HAD to have my picture taken.  Hope I looked alright after all that travel.  I didn’t feel refreshed but I felt refreshing, if that makes sense.

A glass of beer, a Peroni, in Rome's Campo de Fiore

 

(Picture taken with Canon EOS Rebel T1I)

Filed Under: Europe, Italy, Special Photos Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Discovering Santiago de Chile – Highlights

9 July 2011 by 10 Comments

Santiago de Chile may be, as Chileans themselves could be thought to be, understated; but the city -again like Chileans- has a wealth and depth that you may miss initially if you don’t look for it!

Santiago likely offers many places to stay in every budget range so I will leave that part to other websites.  What is harder to get from a hotel/accommodation website is the various parts of town.  Life is very different in Santiago depending on which sector you stay at.  The closer to the mountains, the less traditional things get and the more U.S.-like (if that is a fair comparison which it may not be).  For example, the eastern suburbs sport the fancier and more standard malls, like Parque Arauco (expensive but an interesting place to hang out on weekend afternoons people-watching!).  I stayed next to Parque Arauco at the Santiago Marriott which offered incredible views of the Andes.  My favorite rooms were high up (earthquakes aside!) and facing the Andes.  But I never said no to a corner suite facing elsewhere 😉

View of the Andes Mountains near Santiago, Chile from the Marriott hotel

Office buildings near Parque Arauco in Santiago, Chile

Office buildings near Parque Arauco

The Centro – The Old Heart of Santiago

The closer to the centro, the more colorful and traditional the city becomes.  The centro will tend to be of more interest to someone wanting to explore and get to understand how Chile is unique and how Santiago evolved over time.  No matter which end of town you enjoy more (notice “north” and “south” did not enter this discussion), one thing you can be certain of is that the majestic Andes will be your faithful compass as you move around the city…

The centro is the only area in Santiago that suffered to any significant extent during the February 2010 earthquake (which I missed by one and a half days, something I am VERY thankful about!).  The structures in the centro are old and pre-date, by a good bit, the great building code currently in place (which likely saved countless lives in this earthquake – following rules pays off; other countries need to learn from Chile…).

Earthquake damage in Santiago, Chile from February 2010

Earthquake damage in Santiago, Chile from February 2010

Santiago offers some really interesting sights, starting from the imposing like Cerro San Cristóbal which one can visit by taking a funicular or by hiking it.  The views of the city from there are unparalleled.  But, to me, the best part of Santiago is the part that you walk around and discover on your own.  West of the centro but still in the centro are very picturesque neighborhoods like Concha y Toro (yes, named like the winery) with old buildings with architecture of the period and also some still bearing the marks of the February 2010 earthquake.  Walk around early in the morning when the light is best and bring your camera if you want some really neat shots.

Driving around Santiago’s Interesting Neighborhoods

One Saturday morning, I hired a taxi to drive me around to whatever the driver thought was worth seeing.  It was a great way to view Santiago from a local resident’s eyes and gave me many great photo opportunities!

A picturesque neighborhood I discovered this way was Barrio Patronato.  An older part of Santiago with lots of life and charm, normally overlooked probably due to being close to the more popular Barrio Bellavista.

Sample architecture in Barrio Patronato in Santiago de Chile

Barrio Patronato architecture

Church near Barrio Patronato in Santiago, Chile

Church near Barrio Patronato

Street scene in Santiago de Chile

Street scene near Barrio Patronato

Another discovery was the Cementerio General de Santiago, one of the largest in Latin America with over 2M burials and many former presidents!

Statues in front of the Cementario General de Santiago in Chile

Statues in front of the Cementario General de Santiago

Mausoleum in the Cementerio General de Santiago in Chile

Mausoleum in the Cementerio General de Santiago

Other parts near the centro, like near the university, are great areas to walk around during the day.  Sit down somewhere and watch life go by.  Perhaps even chat up a local – I have never been disappointed at the thoughtfulness of their opinions be them political, cultural, or otherwise.  In fact, taxi drivers in Chile have helped me understand the events of 1973 much better than any history book as they lived that history.

The Mercado Central

Near the centro is the Mercado Central.  This is a place to be observed and discovered with just about all senses.

The Mercado Central in Santiago, Chile

Walk around the seafood stalls and marvel at the freshness and color of the catch.  Stop at one of the local places and have lunch and perhaps a pisco.  An experience!

The Mercado Central in Santiago, Chile

 

The Mercado Central in Santiago, Chile

The Mercado Central in Santiago, Chile

Some unlucky fellas…

Parque de los Dominicos

El Parque de los Domínicos is an arts and crafts market in Santiago on the east side of the city where many artisans still make their crafts and then sell them.  It is a historic site and worth seeing (the metro drops you right there on its last stop) even if you can find better bargains elsewhere.

Barrio Bellavista

The Barrio Bellavista district is the home of Pablo Neruda’s home, many artistic murals, nice architecture, and some good eateries.  It is also home to Patio Bellavista which felt too forced for me but it may be to your liking as it has a good amount of open dining areas and shops.  I prefer to spend the time outside of Patio Bellavista in the neighborhood proper (Santiago Colonial was a good choice for dining).

Barrio Bellavista in Santiago, Chile

Barrio Bellavista in Santiago, Chile

Barrio Bellavista in Santiago, Chile

Food!!!

And that gets me to dining… I had plenty a good meal in Santiago, whether Japón or Osaka for sushi; Cuero Vaca, Don Carlos or Ox for beef; Tiramisu for pizza, etc.   I have a whole list and if you are interested, just drop me a note and I can send.  Again, lots of local input in building the list and I greatly enjoyed hitting as many of them as possible.  Rarely disappointed and plenty of repeat-visits to the ones listed above!

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The question for someone coming to Chile to explore the entire country is how much to spend in Santiago.  Yes, it has some very good dining but so do many other cities, so is that what makes it special enough for you to linger longer?

(Photos taken with Canon EOS Rebel)

Filed Under: Chile, Good Eats and Drinks, South America Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Meeting the Past and Present South Africa in Johannesburg

3 January 2009 by 3 Comments

Johannesburg is one of the most important cities in Africa (Cairo, Lagos and Nairobi come to mind as competitors for the top spot…).  It is a city of contrasts and, for me, a place where the past and the current South Africa came together – I ended up with a much better understanding of the challenges of the past and present with this short visit.

I went to Joburg to attend 2 conferences for work.  I preceded that with a weekend in the Cape region center on Cape Town (read about visiting Cape Town  here, the Cape of Good Hope region  here and of visiting Stellenbosch wine country here!).

The conferences I went to were internal gatherings of the organization I was a part of and it was neat to meet so many colleagues from around the world.  And, in the second conference, Archbishop Desmond Tutu addressed us and I got to shake his hand!  It was a great speech and a once in a lifetime opportunity to shake his hand – a man of courage and principles!  We also were addressed by other important figures in the humanitarian sector and it was all a call for action and uplifting at the same time.

My Short and Limited View of Joburg…

For the first conference, I stayed in the Rosebank area, a very nice area of town.  We were even able to walk outside at night (as long as we were not on our own).  The Rosebank Mall was nearby which was very convenient as there were restaurants there as well as a market for African arts and crafts.  The second conference took us to a hotel by the airport.  And I mean, BY the airport… planes would fly over us as they were landing and they were at most 300 ft above the street next to the hotel grounds.  Incredible!

Soweto

We did manage to squeeze in some important short trips in between conferences and after the second conference.  The first place we visited was Soweto (SOuth WEstern TOwnship, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soweto ), the township which was the epicenter of a series of riots that perhaps was the beginning of the end of the apartheid regime starting in 1976 and through the 1980s.  We started at a shantytown in Soweto and that matched, I suppose, what I expected to see.  A shantytown in Soweto, South Africa is not different in some ways than one in Chinandega, Nicaragua.

One of the poorest streets in Soweto, South Africa

One of the poorest streets in Soweto

But the moment we left the shantytown we started seeing middle class and upper class neighborhoods leading us to ask if we had left Soweto (which has slightly less than a million residents).  Well, we had not.  It is incredible to see the mix of levels of income in such a small area.  Winnie Mandela’s house is in a very nice neighborhood close to the street where Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela had lived when younger.

Kids in the streets of Soweto, South Africa

Kids being kids in Soweto

Learning about Apartheid

We also visited the Regina Mundi Catholic Church that shielded protesters from the police during demonstrations in the apartheid era; the choir was practicing when we went which made the visit much more colorful.  Finally, we visited the Hector Pieterson Museum which tells the story of how this boy was killed; the image of this boy’s dead or dying body being carried by a stranger as Hector’s teenage sister ran along crying is a famous image of the period.

Picture of Hector Pieterson's body being carried by a stranger

Picture of Hector’s body being carried by a stranger

The museum is small enough to be easily visited.  It is an eye opener for someone like me who knew only superficially the struggle against apartheid (I only remember the sanctions and images of riots as I was growing up).

The Hector Pieterson Museum was a good start to learn about the history of the country but it was the Apartheid Museum that really taught me what it was all about and how South Africa was able to come out of such a horrible regime without becoming a ground of ashes from vented anger.  It is a testament to the contributions of ANC leaders of the kind that Nelson Mandela represented that prevented violence as revenge and the pragmatism of others such as DeKlerk who understood things had to change whether they wanted the change or not.  That may be oversimplifying (for example, not all ANC leaders would have proceeded as Mandela did) but I am only describing what I took away – not trying to write a dissertation!  I highly recommend this as the most important stop for anyone visiting Joburg.  It is not only a record of the history of modern South Africa but a testament to the human spirit.

Safari!

Finally, we did not have time to go out to Kruger National Park but did manage to visit a nearby park at Pilanesberg.  We enjoyed the drive from Joburg (about 3 hours each way) and got to see most animals except that we did not see any felines (bummer).  We did have a near hit by an adult male rhino but our experienced driver knew how to read the rhino and know by when we really needed to get going as the rhino was getting testy with our presence.

Rhino about to charge our van in Pilanesberg, South Africa

Rhino about to charge our van!

(Photos taken by Canon EOS Rebel)

Filed Under: Africa, South Africa Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Sampling South African Wine in Stellenbosch

29 December 2008 by 5 Comments

Ready to hit a new wine region? How about Stellenbosch in South Africa, a short drive east of Cape Town?

The Wineries

So, we finally hit the road east from our hotel to get to Stellenbosch.  We made a few stops in the wine region hitting some wineries pretty much randomly.

Vine against a perfect blue sky in Stellenbosch, South Africa

The vine of happiness!

We did apply enough intelligence to the itinerary to make sure the first one we hit was one that had a place to eat since we were getting there around lunch time.  The winery we chose (Vergelegen) had very large fields and gardens and a café where you could eat lunch in the shade of trees overlooking a rose garden.  We then proceeded to the wine tasting area where for a fee (on top of the R10 we paid to enter the property…), we could sample 6 wines.  Not getting into details, the wines generally were refreshing and quite drinkable.  It was a blue-sky day and we faced a mountain range so the setting was perfect to sit back and enjoy life.

View of the gardens and backdrop of the Vergelegen winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa near Cape Town

View from the Vergelegen winery garden

After the initial winery, since wineries began closing after 4 PM, we chose a road where there were a few wineries back to back to minimize driving time (did I say we both studied engineering??).  The first winery was in an old building and the wine was quite nice.  In this winery, the person who served us stood there by us and happily answered our questions but the conversation was nothing special.  In a later winery (Peter Falke, not to be confused with the actor; the owner, if I remember correctly, was a German who owned a socks company in Germany) that seemed a little bigger (but not as big as the first one we went to), the only employee in that afternoon was the winemaker himself who was quite willing to sit outside with us and sample the wine on the backyard as we overlooked the fields and the nearby mountains.  You can tell this winery is new but the setting is perfect to be rented out for events as it has the right lay out in the patio, has great outdoor furniture, etc.  He was quite willing to discuss winemaking and generally answer our questions so I think this winery was my favorite .  The wine was also quite nice.

In Stellenbosch Town

As the wineries closed, we headed into town to check in and have dinner.  Our hotel was a local small hotel (the Eendracht) right in town.  The architecture of the town as in much of the Cape region, is Cape Dutch.  I, not being a student of architecture, have to admit I was clueless about it.  I really found it quite charming.  I will make a note to someday google it and learn something about it…

Typical construction in Cape Dutch architecture style in the Stellenbosch wine region of South Africa

Example of the Cape Dutch architecture

The town was very nice and we quickly ran into the shops and restaurant area of the town.  We also hit a wine store where we were given samples of wine without any pressure to buy.  The store had a long wooden table that indicated frequent wine tastings took place.  If I lived there, I would likely frequent it :).  That night we decided we were done with seafood so we smelled our way around the various restaurants until we found one that seemed right for a good meal.  I don’t have the name handy but I think we did well.  The place was full of locals and the meal was great.  I ate springbok (a type of deer) in a brown sauce – it was delicious!So with that ended my weekend escape to the Cape region and I proceeded to the less magnificent Johannesburg area (but with interesting history) (read about it here).  I also learned quickly in my trip to South Africa how cheap things are given the exchange rate!

Big thumbs up for the Cape region and here is to hoping to go back!

Does anyone have any recommendations for other wineries in Stellenbosch?

(Photos taken with Canon EOS Rebel)

Filed Under: Africa, Good Eats and Drinks, South Africa, Wine Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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