tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10245127526596294192024-03-13T04:00:29.468+00:00DragondreamsChaundra and Drake's AdventuresChaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-26545376704464877062015-04-11T07:50:00.001+01:002015-04-11T07:50:08.010+01:00First day in Morocco<div dir="ltr">
We have landed safely in Morocco, met up with our tour group and guide, and had our first taste of Moroccan street food at the Place James el-Fna (pictorial evidence attached). We're going to crash now, having left for the airport at 04:15 today, but we'll try to send an update whenever we have data.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-78717806556718975192014-03-02T22:28:00.001+00:002014-03-02T22:50:54.343+00:00Public Service Announcement - Crazy New Developments<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I can't believe that it's March already - 2014 is already a third of the way over and you guys are no doubt wondering what's going on. Don't worry, more updates on our Panama & Costa Rica trip are coming soon, but in the meantime there's something else you should know. . .<br />
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Darling husband and I have perhaps lost our minds. Why? Because <em>someone</em> had the grand idea to sign up to cycle (as in bicycle) from London to Paris.<br />
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Paris, as anyone keeping up with this blog will know, one of my favourite places on the planet. And the landscape between here and there is really quite lovely, so why not, I said? Let's do it! July is a beautiful time of year and a new goal never really goes amiss!<br />
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And then, you know, I looked at<br />
a) the distance, 480km - that's just shy of 300 miles - to be done over the course of four days. Eep<br />
b) the terrain, not too shabby once you get across the channel, but there is a little thing in England called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Downs">The South Downs</a>, which contrary to their name are really rather more "up" than "down". Double Eep.<br />
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Seems a little crazy no? Well perhaps we are, but it's going to be a great couple of days and here's the real kicker. . .<br />
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This is all going to be done for charity. And not just any charity, but the rather fabulous <a href="http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx">Macmillan Cancer Support</a>. And that's what really sold me.<br />
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I think most of you know that my immediate family has been through rather more than it's fair share of cancer fights and then there's all the family friends with their own struggles with this myriad of diseases. I know first hand how important, nay, critical solid support can be through such a difficult time. And in the UK none do it better than Macmillan. So it just seemed right that if we were going to be doing this crazy thing anyway, we might as well do it in honour something near and dear to my heart.<br />
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I'll be cycling in memory of my father, who passed away from Leukaemia in 2007, and in celebration of my mother, who survived her bout with breast cancer and is a frequent travel companion of mine to this day. Love you, mom! Miss you more than I can ever say, dad.<br />
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So if you are so inclined, feel free to support one or both of us with whatever amount you can (any and all donations welcome!). You can do this through our <a href="https://www.justgiving.com/teams/dragondream" target="_blank">just giving.com pages</a>.<br />
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I'll be updating the blog with stories as we progress in our training (let's just say that trying to ride a Boris bike up Highgate Hill was not one of my better training ideas) and some of the mini-trips we have planned to make that training a little more fun. And then of course there will be the trip itself to look forward to in July! </div>
Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-34093433807629416382013-11-23T16:40:00.001+00:002013-11-23T16:40:24.129+00:00Day 8 - The Panama CanalWe did not have our breakfast on our balcony the first morning on the <em>Silver Explorer</em>, because it was raining - so we ate in the room and watched the rain instead. Fortunately, it cleared quickly, and we were able to go outside and watch the ship come in through the breakwater that protects the port of Colón and the Bay of Limon, the entrance to the Panama Canal. While the volume of traffic through the Panama Canal has fallen in recent years (due to the worldwide reduction in shipping volume), the bay was still amazingly crowded. Because I had a fairly narrow lens on my camera, I found it difficult to capture the sheer density of shipping, but I think this picture begins to illustrate it:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/10910189563/" title="Shipping in Bahía Limón"><img alt="IMGP5523" height="332" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3763/10910189563_fb294b6632.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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As the ship manoeuvred its way through the shipping in the bay, we passed a short, artificial channel. Chaundra had been reading David McCullough's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2372.The_Path_Between_the_Seas"><em>The Path Between the Seas</em></a>, a history of the several attempts to build the Panama Canal, and identified it as the remains of the French attempt to dig a canal through to sea level: <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/10910091083/" title="Remains of the French Canal"><img alt="IMGP5539" height="213" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3776/10910091083_54ceae5d84_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The history of the two French canal companies is (with hindsight) faintly comic, and Chaundra highly recommends the book. <br />
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The Panama Canal begins (or ends, depending on your direction of travel) on the Atlantic side with the Gatun Locks. Like all of the locks currently in operation the canal, it has two parallel flights. Chaundra and I both laughed at the enormous arrow-shaped signal indicating to oncoming vessels which of the flights they should enter, but admitted that it does make the intended direction clear.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/10909787625/" title="Entering the Gatun Locks"><img alt="IMGP5549" height="332" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/10909787625_7e0cf41335.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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On either side of the pier, you can see sets of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rack_railway#Locher">Locher rack rails</a> and small unpainted locomotives. These are the so-called "electric mules" that guide ships through the canal. Four mules, two on each side, attended our ship through each of the locks, but some of the larger cargo vessels, with much less clearance on either side appeared to be guided by up to eight.<br />
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Right in front of the pier, you can see two rowboats. These are, contrary to all reasonable expectation, used in every passage through the Panama Canal to carry the tethering cables for the electric mules from the shore to the ship and back again. Yes, rowboats. <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/10909928554/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMGP5551 by drake.siard, on Flickr"><img alt="IMGP5551" height="332" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/10909928554_a1acdae81a.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Watching the antics of these antiquated craft entertained us to no end while we waited for the locks to fill and empty. In fact, it was astonishing to see how much of the process was still manual; both of us had expected that many of these tasks would have been automated to speed up the passage, given that before the Great Recession, the Canal was operating fairly close to maximum capacity.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/10909799155/" title="IMGP5603 by drake.siard, on Flickr"><img alt="IMGP5603" height="159" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/10909799155_b6ce09d3a1_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10888320814/" title="IMGP6223.jpg by oufoxy, on Flickr"><img alt="IMGP6223.jpg" height="159" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5516/10888320814_752dd90948_m.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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There are three stages to the Gatun Locks, going up from the Atlantic to the artificial Lake Gatun, formed by damming the Chagres River just 10 kilometres upstream of its outlet. From there, the canal route crosses Lake Gatun (passing by Barro Colorado Island, one of the more renowned neotropical research centers) and across the continental divide through the excavated channel known as the Culebra (formerly Gaillard) Cut. The Culebra Cut is too narrow for the larger ships to pass, so even though the locks all have two flights, the canal operates in only one direction at a time. The way through the channel is marked by buoys and countless reflectors of different heights and shapes:
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/10909806465/" title="IMGP5644 by drake.siard, on Flickr"><img alt="IMGP5644" height="332" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2876/10909806465_fefdb5d67c.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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It seemed slightly inefficient to place so many markers together, especially since the turns of the channel made it difficult to distinguish which side the markers were on. Inefficiency seemed to be rule for the operation of the canal; many of the manual operations, such as passing the ropes leading the mule cables, were delayed by inattention to detail and unpreparedness. For example, at the Pedro Miguel locks, the rope that was passed was too tangled to actually reach the ship, and had to be pulled back and untangled.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/10909847196/" title="IMGP5718 by drake.siard, on Flickr"><img alt="IMGP5718" height="159" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2830/10909847196_d8d09088cd_m.jpg" width="240" /></a>
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At the Pedro Miguel locks we also had the opportunity to see a Panamax class ship - the largest that the canal can currently handle - pass through the locks before us.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10910547126/" title="IMGP6373.jpg by oufoxy, on Flickr"><img alt="IMGP6373.jpg" height="331" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2893/10910547126_5144db1bec.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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We were told that Panamax ships have less than six inches of tolerance on either side; we did not measure for ourselves, but having seen the <i>CSAV Rio de Janeiro</i> pass through before us, could easily believe it. As a result, there are many bumpers and fenders at points of potential collision. Some of these (e.g., on the left) have clearly been more successful than others (e.g., on the right), and many of the ships do not always make it through unscathed (e.g., below).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/10909823776/" title="IMGP5565 by drake.siard, on Flickr"><img alt="IMGP5565" height="240" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5493/10909823776_9b722c8f06_m.jpg" width="159" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/10909792935/" title="IMGP5567 by drake.siard, on Flickr"><img alt="IMGP5567" height="213" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5485/10909792935_dd607ea210_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/10910126453/" title="IMGP5732 by drake.siard, on Flickr"><img alt="IMGP5732" height="332" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5478/10910126453_9e951bffc8.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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The Pedro Miguel locks lower ships down to the level of Lake Miraflores, a small artificial lake that leads only to the the Miraflores locks, the last two stages of the Canal heading towards the Pacific. After passing through the Miraflores locks and the Port of Balboa, we passed under the Bridge of the Americas out into the Pacific Ocean, and so ended our transit of the Canal just as the sun was setting.
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/10910133323/" title="IMGP5762 by drake.siard, on Flickr"><img alt="IMGP5762" height="332" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3764/10910133323_0bd0db8532.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-677651967109984322013-10-31T23:32:00.001+00:002013-10-31T23:32:00.997+00:00Quick update<p>As you guys have probably noticed, we're rather behind on blogging and photo processing from our trip so far. This you should take as evidence that we're having an absolutely <em>fantastic</em> time - so many memories accumulated, along with around 6000 pictures taken between the two of us to help jog those memories along. All plans so far gone without a hitch and we've been taking daily notes to assist with the post writing once we're back - you may even get a few days from Stephen's perspective (!!) along with his pictures to boot.</p>
<p>But before then, we have two days left to enjoy to the fullest - two more days of sun and warmth to absorb - before we go back to London and our daily life. I'm not sure quite how we're going to manage this whole "daily life" thing as it seems so very far away, but I'm sure we'll figure it out. We'll have to plan some fun things to do to help ease the way a little bit right?</p>
<p>Looking forward to sharing it all with you, but for now, we have a dinner to find in town, another volcano to see, some (more) sun to absorb, and eventually a flight to catch.</p>
<p>Adios for now! Keep an eye out for more posts to come over the next few weeks.</p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-29735499319597700602013-10-19T13:45:00.000+01:002013-10-31T23:17:32.384+00:00Day 7 - Three forts and a cruise ship (with a near miss)<p>Bright and early the next morning, we were downstairs and waiting in the brilliant sunshine for our historical tour of the other two key Spanish centres of trade - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagres_and_Fort_San_Lorenzo">San Lorenzo</a> & <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portobelo,_Colón">Portobello</a>, which together are a <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/135">UNESCO World Heritage Site</a>*. This time it was Jeff (also from <a href="http://www.barefootpanama.com">Barefoot Panama</a>) who fetched us and much to our (pleasant) surprise we were joined by Maria from Seattle who had arrived into Panama the previous day. </p>
<p>Heading out of town, we first needed to cross the canal to get to Fort San Lorenzo, our first stop of the morning. We had been warned the day before by Kevin that crossing the canal can be pretty hit and miss and can involve long waits depending on what was happening shipping wise. I should have figured out from this description that we would be getting a quite close preview of the canal. What I wasn't expecting was to be on a rather rickety retractable "bridge" a mere handful of meters above the low water point of the first set of the <a href="http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html?cam=Gatun">Gatun Locks</a>. Talk about amazing! And even better we got there right in the nick of time and drove straight through. . .with our mouths wide open. </p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5979.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484613864"><img title="IMGP5979.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3730/10484613864_eed45e7ca4.jpg" alt="IMGP5979.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Approaching the locks.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5983.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484609416"><img title="IMGP5983.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3693/10484609416_a74f0b0048.jpg" alt="IMGP5983.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Coming out from under the arch, and there is a ship getting ready to transit through.</p>
<p>After a beautiful drive through <a href="http://www.virtualpanama.com/chagres-national-park.asp">Chagres National Park</a> (which protects one of the important watersheds for the canal) and spotting quite a few interesting birds including a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-headed_Caracara">yellow headed caracara</a> carrying off a rather large frog, we came to an unexpected (for us, Jeff clearly knew what was going on) military checkpoint that was the former entrance to the ex US base of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Sherman">Fort Sherman</a>. The Panamanian military obviously still uses it as a training ground (they were doing some sort of amphibious manoeuvres while we passed through), but most of the buildings have been completely left to rot.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5959.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484660773"><img title="IMGP5959.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3808/10484660773_cd8da4e8bd.jpg" alt="IMGP5959.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>One of the old apartments for servicemen and their families.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5964.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484521295"><img title="IMGP5964.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5495/10484521295_ebf9f01c1e.jpg" alt="IMGP5964.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>It was a really striking contrast, but you could see the strategic importance with the shipping of the canal clearly visible in the background (see above).</p>
<p>A short drive through later, we arrived at Fort San Lorenzo. . .completely alone. It was quite surreal having the whole area to ourselves, but also a wonderful luxury and allowed us to explore almost completely unencumbered.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5864.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484106596"><img title="IMGP5864.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3806/10484106596_582a93d012.jpg" alt="IMGP5864.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>The entrance to the old fort</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5866.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484128134"><img title="IMGP5866.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3798/10484128134_b7f6f108f1.jpg" alt="IMGP5866.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>All the old canons, lined up. Unclear if these are originals for this location or if they were brought in from somewhere else. </p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5868.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484142344"><img title="IMGP5868.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7399/10484142344_6344f46326.jpg" alt="IMGP5868.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Looking over at the area just beyond the canons, you can see the mouth of the Chagres River as it empties into the Caribbean Sea. In the glory days of the Spanish empire, this was one of the primary routes for bringing gold and silver from the Pacific to the Atlantic and so onward to Spain. </p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5895.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484228976"><img title="IMGP5895.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3792/10484228976_4c1e2832d3.jpg" alt="IMGP5895.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Looking back at the ruins from the Caribbean side.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5908.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484263776"><img title="IMGP5908.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5528/10484263776_2806ac60ab.jpg" alt="IMGP5908.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Part of the pseudo still free standing guard rooms.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5951.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484403495"><img title="IMGP5951.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5529/10484403495_ed14100242.jpg" alt="IMGP5951.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Another view from on top of the eastern fortification wall.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5954.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484418206"><img title="IMGP5954.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7403/10484418206_dbf802bf0a.jpg" alt="IMGP5954.jpg" width="364" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>evidence we were, in fact, there, plus a peek at my new haircut for those of you who haven't seen it yet.</p>
<p>It was eerily beautiful and in the bright morning sun hard to imagine why more people didn't make the trip, but then again, I'm not sure how many visitors it could handle without additional damage being done. As you can see, there were virtually no restrictions to our access and no evidence of any sort of preservation activity. It's rather obvious why they've been designated as being "<a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/892">in danger</a>".</p>
<p>After basking in the beauty and poking around to our hearts' content, it was back in the van and retracing our steps, back through Fort Sherman (where we got to chase after a military vehicle that didn't listen to their compatriots at the check point - kind of awesome), across the locks and over to the other side of Colon for yet another picturesque drive towards Portobello along the coast.</p>
<p>Arriving in Portobello we parked just outside the main square, and Jeff remarked how much more active the town was. Apparently it was a few days before one of the major local festivals - <a href="http://africandiasporatourism.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=825:black-christ-festival-in-panama-a-celebration-of-miracles-or-a-spectacle-&catid=72:features">the pilgrimage and festival of the Christo Negro</a> or Black Christ, so named for a very emotive statue of Christ carved from dark wood that resides in the local church. And indeed all through town the market stalls were beginning to set up and music was played from various corners.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6000.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484627345"><img title="IMGP6000.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7353/10484627345_54de1be9af.jpg" alt="IMGP6000.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>the "unusually busy" town square</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6005.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484688346"><img title="IMGP6005.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7292/10484688346_cecb9b2f59.jpg" alt="IMGP6005.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And turning around behind me, the old customs house where the gold and silver would be stored before being shipped to Spain once a year.</p>
<p>We walked through the big arches to the other side where we would also enter the main fortifications of the town, but first, we had to stop for a refreshment - a lady was serving fresh, green coconuts to all comers. I hadn't had coconuts like this since our trip to Singapore <a href="http://www.dragondream.org/2004/01/honeymoon-day-2-chinatown.html">all those years ago</a>.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6003.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484672784"><img title="IMGP6003.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/10484672784_4f876fa901.jpg" alt="IMGP6003.jpg" width="367" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>hack off the top</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6004.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484673776"><img title="IMGP6004.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5550/10484673776_b2a47de78c.jpg" alt="IMGP6004.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>add a straw - yum!</p>
<p>Suitably refreshed, it was time to explore the ruins of the old fort.</p>
<p><img title="IMGP6007.jpg" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2843/10484882773_b32f1df2f8.jpg" alt="IMGP6007.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" />The lintel showing the date the town was founded - 1758</p>
<p>Shortly after passing through the main "gate", Jeff pulled us aside to show us the construction of the walls itself. Not only was it made of the usual brick and stone, but they had also included bits of coral. Talk about using whatever had come to hand! Below is one example, but we spotted others as we looked around.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6016.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484918233"><img title="IMGP6016.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5529/10484918233_6b18365fc6.jpg" alt="IMGP6016.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6025.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484798146"><img title="IMGP6025.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5479/10484798146_c6bf182ab8.jpg" alt="IMGP6025.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Nothing more threatening these days than fishing boats.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6030.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484833754"><img title="IMGP6030.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5484/10484833754_03604d6b8c.jpg" alt="IMGP6030.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>What they think may have been the old powder store. Now more or less underwater.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6032.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484825605"><img title="IMGP6032.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5472/10484825605_f99cc8070a.jpg" alt="IMGP6032.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Adventurer extraordinaire (also you can see other examples of the different kinds of coral used for building the walls)</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6022.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484798384"><img title="IMGP6022.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5493/10484798384_3892f41e38.jpg" alt="IMGP6022.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Standing on the far side, looking back towards the customs house.</p>
<p>After poking about the ruined fort for a bit, we walked through the increasingly busy town to have a look at what remains of the old town. </p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6049.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484894544"><img title="IMGP6049.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3800/10484894544_fc79b2b8a4.jpg" alt="IMGP6049.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>The previous incarnation of the cathedral and hospital. Now it serves as a museum, which was closed the day we were there.</p>
<p>Then crossing over to visit the church that currently houses El Christo Negro, <a href="http://www.coloncity.com/blackchrist.html">Iglesia de San Felipe</a>.</p>
<p>It is quite a plain little church, but quite airy and with plenty of room<a title="View 'IMGP6053.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10485090273"><img title="IMGP6053.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5473/10485090273_9fdc9e4331.jpg" alt="IMGP6053.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And the queues were already forming, even though it was still 3 days to the festival.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6056.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10485126713"><img title="IMGP6056.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3753/10485126713_26edcc96a4.jpg" alt="IMGP6056.jpg" width="392" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>On the other side of the altar is a statue to our lady of mercy. You can just see that on the rosary between her hands are a pair of handcuffs. She's considered to particularly be concerned for convicts. While not paraded like the Black Christ, apparently families of those in jail or prison will come for miles to pray for their loved ones rehabilitation and safety.</p>
<p>We didn't stay long, while most people were praying, others were busy about the church getting it ready for the up coming festivities.</p>
<p>From there we walked through the rapidly expanding market back towards the customs house where we would go through the little museum and have a look at the gift shop which was also the old reception room and the only room refurbished to look as it would have in the 18th century.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP6058.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10484975436"><img title="IMGP6058.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/10484975436_0075ebc36c.jpg" alt="IMGP6058.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Voila - that's Jeff off to the right. Realised later that I never g to a proper picture of him! Shame. Anyway, the part that was fenced off in the middle (and which I couldn't get a decent picture of due to the funky lighting) was a portion of the original floor under plexiglass.</p>
<p>After poking about it was time for lunch. Jeff took us down the road to a little placed called "Los Canones" just on the water's edge. A stunning setting for some really fantastic seafood. I had a selection of ceviches (sea bass & octopus) and a starter portion of their queen clam in cocunt sauce. S had some of their grilled sea bass on a bed of rice with fried plantains (patacones). Everything was cooked perfectly and very flavourful. Combined with a glass of the local beer it was pure bliss.</p>
<p>After lunch it was just back to Colon, more specifically to the port, for us to pick up our ship. Let's just say that the drive through town thoroughly convinced us that all the advice we'd read about Colon was absolutely true. A rougher more shabby looking town I'm not sure I had ever seen. Kind of a shame as there were quite a few buildings that despite their advanced stage of dilapidation had some lovely details.</p>
<p>We said good-bye to Jeff and Maria and headed off through what looked more like a shopping mall than a cruise port to find our ship. Unusually, there wasn't anyone to check our tickets or any other documentation and we weren't stopped until about 100 meters from the ship by a guy who spoke no English and who then reverted to gestures, ignoring our attempts at getting an explanation in Spanish. This is what is colloquially referred to as Not. Good.</p>
<p>He gestured for us to go off to the side and (through more gestures) we understood he wanted to take our luggage. This we patently refused. Cue a very frustrating exchange for some minutes including calling over one of his friends. I could see the ship from the area where we were and so figured if things got difficult (they almost did when he tried to take my handbag off my shoulder) we could make a dash for it or at least a lot of noise and surely one of the staff members would come over to help (I hoped). Right as things were getting quite heated (us not understanding what they wanted, them not explaining anything), another guy came out with what was obviously a drug dog. At that stage we finally understood what was going on and set the bags aside for a thorough sniffing. Disaster averted. On the way over the last hundred meters, Stephen finally got one of the guys to actually talk to us and he tried to say that it we would have complied right away had we known that all they wanted was to have the dog look at our bags. Instead of courtesy back instead we got chastised (in Spanish) for not telling them sooner we spoke Spanish! </p>
<p>From there it was a snip to check in (it seemed that we were the absolute last guests on board, even with two and a half hours still to go), and off to our suite to get cleaned up and unpacked before the muster drill and introductory talks. It was at this moment that Stephen and I started to think that perhaps our definition of "adventure travel" might be somewhat different than Silversea's. But, the suite was beautiful (with a very spacious verandah that would come in very handy indeed), the staff very kind, some of the other guests pretty interesting, and we were committed to having fun regardless. </p>
<p><em>(as always, these are only a selection of the pictures I took on the day. For the rest of the set, head over to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157636907058586/">my flickr page</a>. You can also see Stephen's pictures too <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/sets/72157636520024665/with/10257361725/">here</a>.)</em></p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-61013808924808749032013-10-18T13:45:00.000+01:002013-10-31T23:12:23.506+00:00Day 6 - transfer to Colon via Lake Gamboa<p>Quite literally getting up with the birds, we had our last breakfast at Canopy Lodge and spent our last remaining early morning watching the feeders and enjoying the sunrising over the mountains.</p>
<p> <img title="IMGP5718.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-2KjnAUM7z28/Umrfwwfe4qI/AAAAAAAAADU/a5EXM3nUXKU/IMGP5718.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMGP5718" width="600" height="397" border="0" /></p>
<p>Light coming through the valley</p>
<p><img title="IMGP5738.jpg" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-TO98axhqmUc/Umrfx0xTb4I/AAAAAAAAADc/vtD6-UZNJR8/IMGP5738.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMGP5738" width="600" height="397" border="0" /></p>
<p>A toucanete!</p>
<p><img title="IMGP5752.jpg" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-AWgTRuJM6Xc/Umrfyt4xs4I/AAAAAAAAADk/mvzhvtPBkxo/IMGP5752.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMGP5752" width="442" height="600" border="0" /></p>
<p>A rufus tailed hummingbird - we watched this guy bounce around in the bush (related to a lantana) for probably a good twenty minutes. Love hummingbirds, even if getting photos of them is super tricksy.</p>
<p> An absolutely stunning location and one that although we knew there was plenty more adventure to come, we were a little reluctant to leave.</p>
<p>But, leave we eventually must and when Kevin from <a href="http://www.barefootpanama.com">Barefoot Panama</a> came down the path to meet us, we knew it was going to be interesting. An American who has made Panama his home, he had a lot of insight to share as we drove back down towards the coast and then across over to Soberenia National Park and Gamboa Lake. He was also shared with us an enormous amount of knowledge about the area - so if my narrative sounds even remotely informed, it's all due to him!</p>
<p>Soberenia is a huge national park spanning almost the entirety of the old American controlled Canal Zone and in the middle is Gamboa Lake created as part of the canal. However, of course, it flooded much more than was needed and all the old mountain tops became islands, the most famous of which is Barro Colorado Island where the Smithsonian has one of their most important research sites. This was not our destination for today (next time), instead we were headed for another little island and a community of the Wounan tribe. They had originally come from the Darien region at the turn of the century when Gamboa Lake was first flooded for the better access that the new location would provide while still maintaining their traditions. </p>
<p> <img title="IMGP5784.jpg" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-QeaTulkZ5Ec/UmrfzSCzEVI/AAAAAAAAADs/TjOr0UhyhOw/IMGP5784.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMGP5784" width="600" height="397" border="0" /></p>
<p>And it is a rather lovely location no? Plenty of wildlife around too.</p>
<p><img title="IMGP5797.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-HRWGPXVMCpg/Umrf0fUk23I/AAAAAAAAAD0/gIBcu2fABCk/IMGP5797.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMGP5797" width="600" height="397" border="0" /> </p>
<p>A flycatcher in some plants in the middle of the lake.</p>
<p><img title="IMGP5839.jpg" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-uRvYEDL_lMM/Umrf4EAbNPI/AAAAAAAAAEU/fFENX_T801M/IMGP5839.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMGP5839" width="600" height="397" border="0" /></p>
<p>The village</p>
<p>As this was a normal working village, most of the villagers were off at work and so there were only a few women and young children around to greet us. They seemed to know Kevin quite well and were full of smiles and kind words for him. Kevin gave us a summary of their history and way of life, and took us on a walk through the forest near the village showing us the various plants they put to use and what they were for (medicines or dyes or other handicrafts). In the process we saw a goodly amount of wildlife including some leaf frogs (! so hard to spot in the wild, each one is such a treasure), an enormous leaf cutter ant colony and of course plenty of birds.</p>
<p> <img title="IMGP5801.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-kmVkjSuewjE/Umrf1LW1p2I/AAAAAAAAAD8/5Lqd6Xxkafc/IMGP5801.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMGP5801" width="600" height="397" border="0" /></p>
<p>Kevin showing us the flaking bark of the "sunburned tourist tree" which some tribes use also for body paint and as a natural depilatory.</p>
<p><img title="IMGP5822.jpg" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-liIJZe6DvKE/Umrf2A5IWuI/AAAAAAAAAEE/0PaTCH_uELY/IMGP5822.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMGP5822" width="397" height="600" border="0" /></p>
<p>Monkey's staircase, no real use, but is a major element of many forests.</p>
<p><img title="IMGP5834.jpg" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-EXQhUL9GhS8/Umrf3FpVW9I/AAAAAAAAAEM/P9GcRhjqUJY/IMGP5834.jpg?imgmax=800" alt="IMGP5834" width="525" height="600" border="0" /></p>
<p>Leaf frog! Complete with leaf.</p>
<p>From there it was back to the village where we perused their handicrafts, Kevin explained that the men do the carving, either in rosewood (forbidden to cut down, but the indigenous tribes can use it if it falls naturally) or a type of nut (the name having escaped me) from the Darien. The women weave or do the beadwork. Kevin also explained that while they used to weave their own fabric from local palms, the availability of ready made cloth meant that this was only rarely practiced anymore. The baskets on the other hand, were very much still made locally and all dyes used were the natural ones we had seen on our walk. I purchased a lovely black/blue and white basked with a rolled rim and Stephen bought a rosewood carving of a turtle.</p>
<p>From there it was good-bye to the kind Wounan and then back across the lake, down the highway and over to Colon to our hotel. With many thanks, we parted ways with Kevin and then decided to have an easy afternoon catching up on things. Our hotel, while decidedly not fantastic, was clean and had a good view over the port. We had a full schedule for the next day, and so we felt fully justified in doing not a whole lot.</p>
<p>Bed early again, because at 07:30 sharp our next adventure would begin.</p>
<p><em>(as always, these are only a selection of the pictures I took on the day. For the rest of the set, head over to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157636907058586/">my flickr page</a>. You can also see Stephen's pictures too <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/sets/72157636520024665/with/10257361725/">here</a>.)</em></p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-49889991720871373102013-10-17T12:30:00.000+01:002013-10-23T19:03:45.191+01:00Day 5 - more birds and an easy afternoon<p><em>(apologies for the slight delay in getting the posts out to you, internet access has been intermittent, but we're having an amazing time. We'll keep the posts going up as and when we get the chance, but know the delay is due to technological challenges and overly full days rather than anything more sinister)</em></p>
<p>Needless to say, we slept incredibly well that night, after a great meal and our hike.</p>
<p>The next morning, we were up and at it again with our trusty guide Elicier for more birds. This time we headed over to Valle Chiquito, just over the next smallest mountain to El Valle. A little further out than we had yet been, but it was worth the small drive. Almost immediately after getting out of the van we started spotting birds.</p>
<p> <a title="View 'IMGP5452.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343785636"><img title="IMGP5452.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3767/10343785636_9988cda4b0.jpg" alt="IMGP5452.jpg" width="349" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>A red legged honeycreeper in the heliconia</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5519.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343779345"><img title="IMGP5519.jpg" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2838/10343779345_e971cd70d9.jpg" alt="IMGP5519.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And a toddy motmot! My photography friends I hope will forgive the less than stellar technical execution.</p>
<p>And it wasn't just birds we spotted (as per usual)</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5528.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343982643"><img title="IMGP5528.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7412/10343982643_acdef6276f.jpg" alt="IMGP5528.jpg" width="360" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>If you look towards the centre of the photo, the thing that looks like a rather ratty looking piece of brown shag carpet, that's a sleeping two-toed sloth! Which, with the two toed sloth we saw the first day, completes the set of sloths that inhabit Panama. Quite cool. The two-toed sloths are nocturnal, so to see one any more active than that would be highly unlikely. </p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5534.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343806336"><img title="IMGP5534.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3783/10343806336_6fd7f8c126.jpg" alt="IMGP5534.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Wild bananas - our first view, and certainly not the last. Apparently, there is no way to tell a banana plant from a plantain plant until they start to fruit. </p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5543.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343794665"><img title="IMGP5543.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5547/10343794665_dc8373c1c7.jpg" alt="IMGP5543.jpg" width="373" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Whooping motmot aka the blue crested motmot - and this with the two motmots we saw on our first day, we have see the complete set of four that live in this region. Pretty exciting no? We sat and watched this little guy for quite a while. He had a way of swinging his tail almost exactly like a clock pendulum. Not entirely sure why, but it was an interesting behavioural tick.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5556.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343804814"><img title="IMGP5556.jpg" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2832/10343804814_f988d663e9.jpg" alt="IMGP5556.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>a termite nest - about the size of two basketballs put together. Another first that is not to be the last.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5645.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343837414"><img title="IMGP5645.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5472/10343837414_8e7b74d20b.jpg" alt="IMGP5645.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Looking back across the valley where we spent our day. Beautiful. As we were packing up to head back to the lodge, Elicier's ears all of a sudden perked up and he was over to the side of the road with the scope, saying he could hear tamarind monkeys in the distance. And sure enough! He got one in scope just long enough for me to see it's back and tail disappear into the foliage. We soon learned what had them so agitated when a grey lined hawk swooped down and across the valley from where they were over to us. My camera by this point was in the car, but Stephen still had his out, so look out for when he posts his photos! Also, by this point it was becoming very obvious that Stephen is developing quite the knack for wildlife photography. Should bode well for the remainder of our trip!</p>
<p>After so much late morning excitement, it was back to the lodge for another tasty lunch. A quick break and then we actually headed into town for the afternoon. The goal was to check out the rather famous Amphibian Centre and then hit the hot springs.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://amphibianrescue.org/tag/el-valle-amphibian-conservation-center/">Amphibian Centre</a> is being run by the Smithsonian Instutute and is partnered with a number of world class research centres. It's known primarily for it's conservation efforts for the Panamanian Golden Frog, which may or may not be extinct in the wild. It also does research and has a breeding programme for many other rare frogs. Seeing as frogs are either a)tiny or b)mostly nocturnal we figured this would be the better place to see some of Panama's more elusive yet famous denizens.</p>
<p>As a result we were expecting rather more than what there was. It's housed in what can only be very loosely called a zoo, and a rather sad one at that. But we made a beeline for the Amphibian Centre, which is a small greenish building towards the back of the site. Coming in was a strong smell of bleach (considering most of the frogs on display are threatened at least in part due to the chytrid fungus, it shouldn't have been a surprise) and then a large glassed in habitat in the centre, with the famous Panamanian Golden Tree Frog and then smaller terrariums around the perimeter with other very interesting denizens. Elicier again turned out the be a font of knowledge, which was great considering that there wasn't really much in terms of information posted.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5654.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343845335"><img title="IMGP5654.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7328/10343845335_0419be6e4d.jpg" alt="IMGP5654.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>The harlequin frog.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5655.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343846895"><img title="IMGP5655.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/10343846895_001074ce83.jpg" alt="IMGP5655.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>The smooth sided toad - apparently this was the one that we spotted along the trail on our way down the day before. Nice to see one in slightly better conditions!</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5658.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343866866"><img title="IMGP5658.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/10343866866_c97d14cf40.jpg" alt="IMGP5658.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>"Green" and Black poison dart frogs. Mate, she's not interested. </p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5665.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343861914"><img title="IMGP5665.jpg" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2808/10343861914_3a11462110.jpg" alt="IMGP5665.jpg" width="341" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And the star of the show - the Panamanian golden tree frog. Apparently, they do come in other colouration than all gold/yellow, like this one.</p>
<p>It was great to see the frogs close up, but the lack of information about the conservation efforts or more details on the habits & habitats of these beautiful creatures was very disappointing. It also meant we were finished with as much as there was to see after about 30 minutes.</p>
<p>So then it was off to the hot springs for a good soak and to let some of what we have seen so far on our trip soak in per se. It was a fairly primitive set-up but a nice experience regardless. We got to chatting with a few of the others there, travellers like us from various parts of the world, making do in our little Spanish and their little English.</p>
<p>After a good soak it was back to the lodge for an early supper and quiet evening (it was our last full day, so alas we needed time to pack). The next day would take us to a very different environment indeed. Needless to say, we had an amazing time at Canopy Lodge and would highly recommend a stay for at least a few days if you find yourself in Panama. </p>
<p><em>(as always, these are only a selection of the pictures I took on the day. For the rest of the set, head over to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157636517341456/">my flickr page</a>. You can also see Stephen's pictures too <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/sets/72157636520024665/with/10257361725/">here</a>.)</em></p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-26539703513179499992013-10-16T12:20:00.000+01:002013-10-23T19:03:23.422+01:00Day 4 - birds, beasts and a hike<p>Still jet lagged and after an early night, our 5:30 alarm was easy as pie and we lay in bed for a while listening as the night sounds gave way to the daylight ones. Then it was up, dressed and down to breakfast before discovering what Eliecer had in store for us today.</p>
<p>Our morning outing took us over to La Mesa which was a combination of secondary rainforest, cleared pasture and land starting to be reclaimed by the rainforest yet again. This mix of terrain made it particularly good for spotting a wide variety of birds and animals.</p>
<p>We started off in rainforest similar to what we'd been in the day before (second growth), and almost immediately we started spotting small birds.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5099.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343615306"><img title="IMGP5099.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3737/10343615306_daa637ae62.jpg" alt="IMGP5099.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And butterflies</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5111.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343803123"><img title="IMGP5111.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7415/10343803123_c113913dd6.jpg" alt="IMGP5111.jpg" width="344" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Then all of a sudden, we came out into an area that had been cleared and was now mostly pasture.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5143.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343638284"><img title="IMGP5143.jpg" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2846/10343638284_929f1e57cf.jpg" alt="IMGP5143.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Things still had a tendency to grow, whether you liked it or not. Like fence posts</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5161.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343656276"><img title="IMGP5161.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7373/10343656276_c6dfa3204b.jpg" alt="IMGP5161.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>It was here that we saw a number of the birds of prey, including a tree full of vultures.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5182.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343843853"><img title="IMGP5182.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3781/10343843853_79bd28a74e.jpg" alt="IMGP5182.jpg" width="404" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And more butterflies than you could shake a stick at</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5239.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343660165"><img title="IMGP5239.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3678/10343660165_ca25269474.jpg" alt="IMGP5239.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>After that we got back into the forest proper, and spotted more hummingbirds</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5281.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343700476"><img title="IMGP5281.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3833/10343700476_884f5c1d45.jpg" alt="IMGP5281.jpg" width="356" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Then it was back to the Lodge for lunch and a bit of a rest before our afternoon outing. Rather than something strictly dedicated to bird/wildlife spotting, we asked for a hike, and Eliecer recommended a relatively short trail that would take us up to the rim overlooking the valley. We thought this sounded a treat so it was off through town to the trail head leading to La India Dormida (The Sleeping Indian Woman), named for the outline of what the locals think looks like a sleeping woman. </p>
<p>Over and through secondary rainforest, it was quite steep at times (including a decent bit of scrambling), but worth it, not only for the waterfalls that we came across intermittently on our way up,</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5324.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343905393"><img title="IMGP5324.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7355/10343905393_35ba5ca262.jpg" alt="IMGP5324.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And even some pre-historical petrogyphs</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5348.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343928793"><img title="IMGP5348.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5495/10343928793_ebd0a4aa6d.jpg" alt="IMGP5348.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>but also for the stunning views from the top that indeed showed us the entire valley almost at a glance.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5365.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343759616"><img title="IMGP5365.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3817/10343759616_a86c6de568.jpg" alt="IMGP5365.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>It was particularly picturesque as the clouds started rolling across the hills.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5423.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10343762364"><img title="IMGP5423.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5541/10343762364_d7f2159fe9.jpg" alt="IMGP5423.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a>Aside from being beautiful to look at, we soon learned that this also meant that some of those clouds were bringing rain, and given the hour we also needed to get <em>off </em>the mountain before dark. So with one last glance at the </p>
<p>We made it about half way down before the heavens opened and our ponchos got their second use of the trip. Still, in the twilight under the canopy with the rain bucketing down, it was rather a more challenging descent than we anticipated, but we made it with a good 15 minutes of light to spare. Just in the nick of time. We even managed to spot a frog (smooth sided toad) by the side of the path that we would never have seen had it not been for the rain. And after all there is something rather fitting about ending a hike in the tropics being soaked by warm rain.</p>
<p>It helped that we didn't have to be wet all that long either, since it was a quick ride back to the Lodge for dry clothes and another tasty dinner awaiting us. </p>
<p>In our discussion with Eliecer on our hike, we had learned that Panama was playing the US in the regional World Cup finals that night. Having seen a sports bar on our way through town, we made plans to head down there and watch the match with the locals, thinking that would be rather fun. Unfortunately, the sports bar didn't appear to be open. Something to do with the fact they closed when the weather was bad (?!?). So while it was a good idea in theory, didn't quite pan out in practice. </p>
<p>It turned out to be just as well, because being well fed, well exercised and with the sound of rain, we found our eyelids drooping sooner than expected. Not having anything else pressing to do, we figured if we were sleepy, it must be bedtime regardless of what the clock said - after all, that's the luxury of being on holiday. This time, the night sounds didn't even register.</p>
<p><em>(as always, these are only a selection of the pictures I took on the day. For the rest of the set, head over to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157636517341456/">my flickr page</a>. You can also see Stephen's pictures too <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/sets/72157636520024665/with/10257361725/">here</a>.)</em></p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-53529481749013410642013-10-15T12:30:00.000+01:002013-11-23T14:56:43.601+00:00Day 3 - Transfer inland<p>One of the best things about being jet lagged, is that all of a sudden I know what it feels like to be a morning person. Stephen, of course, is super pleased by this.</p>
<p>So on Monday, we were quite literally up with the birds and decided that a it would be fun to go and watch the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean - Panama City being one of the few places in the Western Hemisphere where that's possible.</p>
<p>As it was, we didn't <em>quite </em>see it come up over the Pacific, because part of downtown was in the way. But it was still quite beautiful in its own way, with the buildings silhouetted against the lightening sky and seeing the dawn rays reflected off other surfaces. </p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4730.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10335779726"><img title="IMGP4730.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3685/10335779726_a960845869.jpg" alt="IMGP4730.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4757.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10335791854"><img title="IMGP4757.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5493/10335791854_d3318faa3b.jpg" alt="IMGP4757.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4776.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10335838265"><img title="IMGP4776.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7355/10335838265_15fecccd4b.jpg" alt="IMGP4776.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Then back to the hotel for breakfast and getting ready to head off to our next base - Canopy Lodge in El Valle.</p>
<p>The driver from the Lodge picked us up mid-morning and then it was off on a drive through the countryside to reach El Valle. While we love seeing cities, it was a very interesting contrast the drive through the countryside and see quite literally how the other half live. </p>
<p>First though, we got to drive over the famous Bridge of the Americas, this time it was clear and provided us the first proper view of the canal itself. Suitably busy with plenty of shipping at various stages of loading, unloading, departing and arriving. A bit of a taste of what is to come later in the week.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4803.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10335903974"><img title="IMGP4803.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5518/10335903974_988c1a4427.jpg" alt="IMGP4803.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Then through the countryside proper. There were quite a few villages and fair sized towns, some obviously quite prosperous, others less so. Building materials were obviously different than what we were used to (what with the rampant termites and very high humidity), but still I have a sneaking suspicion that the Gini coefficient is rather high. It was rather incongruous to see luxury oceanside villas advertised on billboards situated above what looked to be just one stage above a slum. </p>
<p>The countryside, however, was still beautiful and transitioned several times from standard tropical, to somewhat seemingly arid and deciduous and back to montane forests before we dipped back into the tropical valley where the lodge is housed.</p>
<p>The lodge might as well be a slice of heaven. Set back from the main road and designed in a very open, airy way with plenty of places to view the local wildlife.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4822.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10333855266"><img title="IMGP4822.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3823/10333855266_884fa1d3af.jpg" alt="IMGP4822.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>The front of the main "living areas"</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4828.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10333907754"><img title="IMGP4828.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7303/10333907754_19b457b11b.jpg" alt="IMGP4828.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>One of the viewing areas - overlooking the feeders (or as I misheard originally, the "cheater" area)</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4820.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10333816216"><img title="IMGP4820.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5520/10333816216_375fe1074f.jpg" alt="IMGP4820.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>One of the banks of rooms - each with its own balcony.</p>
<p>And we arrived just in time for lunch. The first taste of what would be many lovely meals - nothing complex or contrived, but very wholesome, seasonal food cooked simply and served family style. After lunch we had a little bit to take it easy and were told someone would be with us around 3. So we unpacked quickly and headed back to the "cheater" area to watch the birds - we kept this eggcorn because it was totally cheating. So many beautiful birds in very close proximity to the viewing area.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4886.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10334310853"><img title="IMGP4886.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7295/10334310853_9f23e60d56.jpg" alt="IMGP4886.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>See? Totally cheating.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4918.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10334418423"><img title="IMGP4918.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7309/10334418423_8177a41828.jpg" alt="IMGP4918.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Still cheating.</p>
<p>Promptly at 3pm, a guide introduced himself and told us that he would be taking us out for our first birding walk! I had been fully expecting to have the afternoon "off", but this was quite a treat to hear we would be started on the wildlife viewing right away.</p>
<p>So we quickly dashed to the room to get booted, camera-ed and ready to go. Excited for what we might see. Our guide for the day (and indeed for the rest of our stay) was the lovely Eliecer. A better guide for a pair of complete newbies couldn't be imagined - he was very patient and did a great job of explaining exactly which direction we needed to be looking when. And our first day yielded some wonderful first viewings.</p>
<p>Before we were even out of the grounds, he had already pointed out a pair of basilisk lizards sunning themselves by the stream.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4949.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10334340346"><img title="IMGP4949.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7424/10334340346_faf7dd8a25.jpg" alt="IMGP4949.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a><a title="View 'IMGP4947.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10334491753"><img title="IMGP4947.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3824/10334491753_f18f8ef2dd.jpg" alt="IMGP4947.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Walking down the road a little bit, spotting lots of birds here and there (many of which sadly I did not get good pictures of, but Stephen will soon do a recap of some of those), then up in the top of a tree, was our first sighting of a sloth!! A real live sloth!!</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4961.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10334379036"><img title="IMGP4961.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/10334379036_2252be2e9a.jpg" alt="IMGP4961.jpg" width="369" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>In motion no less!</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4978.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10334390464"><img title="IMGP4978.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7370/10334390464_9197541634.jpg" alt="IMGP4978.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Although not for very long.</p>
<p>After, we headed back into the waterfall area to see what we could see, crossing bridges over the waterfalls.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4991.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10334446196"><img title="IMGP4991.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/10334446196_d0daee6fa2.jpg" alt="IMGP4991.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Bridge</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4996.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10334484766"><img title="IMGP4996.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7385/10334484766_1570008038.jpg" alt="IMGP4996.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Waterfall</p>
<p>And then, Elicier quietly told us to look to the left, having set us his scope while we were ogling the waterfall. . .through it we saw an owl!</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP5004.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10334563366"><img title="IMGP5004.jpg" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2868/10334563366_008d463a99.jpg" alt="IMGP5004.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>A mottled owl to be exact.</p>
<p>After exploring the waterfall area a little longer, he took us a bit further up the mountain to an area where he knew a certain kind of bird, tended to be - motmots. And we got to see two of the four resident in the area! </p>
<p>Before we knew it, it was starting to grow dark and then started to rain, so back to the lodge we headed, giving our new ponchos their first outing as well. Like most rain storms in the tropics, it went from sprinkles to all out downpour in a few minutes. Fortunately, we didn't have far to go.</p>
<p>Then Eliecer handed us our official Canopy Lodge checklist and walked us through officially marking off the birds and animals we'd seen. We were very grateful at this point for Eliecier's good memory because in all our excitement we hadn't really taken any notes while out. This was something we would start doing, though, just to help ground some of the birds in our memory.</p>
<p>After another tasty meal and getting to know some of the other guests (all quite serious birders), we were rather more tired than we realised and so made it an early bedtime. Our cabin was well apportioned with screened windows and doors allowing for the sweet night breeze to keep things cool.</p>
<p>It was at this point we realised that there is no such thing as quiet in the tropical evenings. Between the steady rush of the stream to the chirping of frogs, birds and insects, it took a little getting used to before we finally drifted off.</p>
<p><em>(as always, these are only a selection of the pictures I took on the day. For the rest of the set, head over to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157636517341456/">my flickr page</a>. You can also see Stephen's pictures too <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/sets/72157636520024665/with/10257361725/">here</a>.)</em></p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-80066215423011064602013-10-14T23:00:00.000+01:002013-11-23T15:08:09.941+00:00Day 2 - The dinner adventure<p>So after a nice afternoon rest, we started flipping through the guidebook for a place to have dinner. One of the highest recommended restaurants ("possibly the best Chinese food outside of China") also happened to be located close to our hotel - Madam Chang's. So after getting cleaned up and with the location firmly fixed in mind, off we headed on foot.</p>
<p>We were assured that downtown Panama City where we were staying was perfectly safe to walk around in even at night. This proved to be perfectly true - at least safe from the dangers presented by other people. The sidewalks were rather intermittent and at times had the pedestrian equivalent of potholes in random places (which of course were full of water seeing as how it had rained for a good two hours that afternoon). So as we picked our way to the restaurant, we were walking under a series of low hanging ornamental trees when I felt something brush the back of my neck and felt a huge whoosh of air go past my head. I probably jumped 10 feet at the same moment that Stephen said "hey, look! A bat!". Yes, I had been clipped by a bat walking in the middle of the city. Welcome to the tropics.</p>
<p>After that little bit of excitement, we started getting close to where we thought the restaurant must be, made the turn on what we thought was the right street (Panama City is not well endowed with street signs, we discovered) and after walking a good 4 blocks, found no restaurant. Hmmm maybe it was a block too early.</p>
<p>So we turned around, went back to where we turned off, and turned at the following block. This time we asked a security guard for the street name (Calle 49) and were told it was the next street over - keep going and turn right.</p>
<p>So we did and found quite a few other restaurants - including another recommended Lebanse place and the French fusion place - but no Madam Chang's. So we stopped into Le Meridien and asked their concierge. Our first hint that we might be on the wrong trail was when she didn't know the name and so had to look it up - but she found the address in Master Google and sent us off back the way we came. Just two more blocks over.</p>
<p>This continued on for the better part of an hour, giving us a path that looked something like this. . .</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And still no Madam Chang's. By this time properly hungry and having exhausted all possible locations for it with the address provided, we called it a loss and instead went over and had Lebanese at Habib's. A shared mezzo plate and two local lagers (not outstanding, not terrible, perfectly serviceable) set us up for the night. But what happened to Madam Chang's? Our guidebook isn't that old and I found references to it in several places online including check-ins as recently as September on foursquare. Asking the desk staff at our hotel, however, also yielded blank stares. So the rational explanation is that it must have closed . . .or perhaps it's the Chinese restaurant that can only be found by those who already know where it is.</p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0Panama City8.9942689 -79.5187919999999628.7433499 -79.841515499999957 9.2451879 -79.196068499999967tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-75224967312422038512013-10-14T15:04:00.001+01:002013-11-23T15:07:32.720+00:00Day 2 - Exploring Panama, old & older<p>After a great night's sleep, we were up with the dawn and just in time to hear the church bells greeting the new day. From inside our hotel room, it wasn't so much a ringing of bells, but more a roll of gentle sound much like waves on a beach. A wonderful way to start the day.</p>
<p>So we had a leisurely morning with a perfectly serviceable breakfast (the smell of the coffee was fantastic, Stephen assured me it tasted as nice as it smelled), before meeting our guide in the lobby for our tour. I didn't really know quite what to expect, but we were in for a quite a treat as it turns out. Our guide was the charming and extremely knowledgeable <a href="http://www.hernanarauz.com/panamas-guide-of-choice/">Hernan Arauz</a>. </p>
<p>The first stop was to the ruins of the original Panama City - <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/790">Panama Viejo </a>. I think someone should have warned Hernan that Stephen and I can spend literally hours at ruins, but he kept us very well to time despite our innate tendency to poke around every stone still standing and many which aren't. Part of his success in this line was keeping us regaled with as many facts and stories as we could wish.</p>
<p>The first stop was to the visitors center and associated museum for an overview of the historical context and some of the archeological artefacts (and it was looking at these that we learned of Hernan's <a href="http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reina_Torres_de_Araúz">mother's work</a> in brief - looking her up later it is hardly any surprise that he has the love of history he does). </p>
<p>One of the later fortifications was literally right outside the visitors centre and gave a taste of what was to come.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4564.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10257768516"><img title="IMGP4564.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7454/10257768516_f1f880c1c2.jpg" alt="IMGP4564.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>From there it was around the corner to the ruins themselves - we didn't really have time to explore all of them, but we did get to about 1/3 of what was visible, including the old tower of the cathedral. </p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4573.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10257984523"><img title="IMGP4573.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5339/10257984523_0145675cef.jpg" alt="IMGP4573.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>ruins - it was really interesting all the different kinds of stone were used. Some of it was clearly part of the restoration efforts, but others was original</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4578.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10257898556"><img title="IMGP4578.jpg" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8418/10257898556_1e8c53f83f.jpg" alt="IMGP4578.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Not too far from the modern city</p>
<p><img title="" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3697/10257283136_728f7a0238.jpg" alt="" width="" height="" border="0" /></p>
<p>The old cathedral tower. Photo courtesy of Stephen.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4584.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10257829164"><img title="IMGP4584.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3714/10257829164_87838ceb3a.jpg" alt="IMGP4584.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Looking down on the ruins.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4587.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10257942676"><img title="IMGP4587.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7320/10257942676_9b15c73046.jpg" alt="IMGP4587.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And then out across the valley, the direction from which Henry Morgan would have come.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4590.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255704736"><img title="IMGP4590.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5462/10255704736_619a115a03.jpg" alt="IMGP4590.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Looking out back towards modern Panama City from the top of the old tower</p>
<p>From there it was back across town to the other old Panama City - this time the one that was founded after the sacking of the original. Colloquially known as "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casco_Viejo,_Panama">Casca Viejo</a>" or "Casca Antigua", it's actually continuous with the modern city (where we're staying), but is situated mostly on the promontory around the curve of the bay from the original settlement. Hernan warned us that it is currently under going renovation, and so not all buildings were looking their best. We assured him that this didn't really bother us (indeed, we said to ourselves, a little contrast often makes for interesting pictures). We weren't quite prepared for how stark the contrast was however. Some of the buildings looked nearly brand new, while others you wandered if they would fall down right in front of your eyes. </p>
<p>Our first stop was the Church of St. Joseph, or Inglesia de San Jose where the golden altar from the original church was taken. Apparently the church was constructed around the altar. It seem the original intent was for the church to be a place holder until the main cathedral was built, but it ended up staying. It was beautiful and very hard to believe that it dates to nearly 500 years ago.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4600.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255710415"><img title="IMGP4600.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5490/10255710415_5f8d7004e3.jpg" alt="IMGP4600.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Stephen and Hernan go into the church. You can see the date above the lentil - 1675.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4602.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255616944"><img title="IMGP4602.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5497/10255616944_e7131b75b4.jpg" alt="IMGP4602.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>The altar in situ.</p>
<p>After exploring the church for a little bit (very quiet), we continued on our way, walking to the main central square to see the Cathedral Square (also called Independence Square). Unfortunately the Cathedral itself wasn't open, but it was an interesting mix of styles</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4636.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255903143"><img title="IMGP4636.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5328/10255903143_807a80168c.jpg" alt="IMGP4636.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And then Hernan pointed out the tops of the bell towers, inlaid with mother of pearl. Beautiful.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4634.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255790765"><img title="IMGP4634.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5458/10255790765_c56d19f788.jpg" alt="IMGP4634.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>I almost wish that it had been more sunny to see them sparkle, but it wasn't to be.</p>
<p>From there we went into the <a href="http://www.panama-museums.com/en/canal_interoceanico.aspx">old canal museum</a>, held in the original headquarters of the <em>French</em> efforts to build a canal (highly recommend reading <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2372.The_Path_Between_the_Seas"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Path Between the Seas</span></a> for anyone interested in the full history of how the canal came to be built in Panama).</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4625.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255876533"><img title="IMGP4625.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3780/10255876533_1b3a34e502.jpg" alt="IMGP4625.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Alas, they didnt allow us to take any pictures inside, which was rather a shame, as the architecture inside is quite beautiful. Very classically french.</p>
<p>We spent most of our time going through a new exhibit on Balboa (the city is celebrating <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_Núñez_de_Balboa#European_discovery_of_the_Pacific_Ocean">500 years of the European discovery of the Pacific Ocean</a>) and then a quick walk through of the permanent exhibition on the history of the canal. </p>
<p>By then, our time with Hernan was at and end and we had the rest of the afternoon to explore the old city. The recommended restaurant, unfortunately, was closed, so we headed down to the waterfront, which afforded some really lovely views of the modern city.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4640.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255802016"><img title="IMGP4640.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/10255802016_d31d9a9faf.jpg" alt="IMGP4640.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>See what I mean about the contrast? No idea what's planned for that building in the middle ground (or even properly what it is).</p>
<p>We even managed to see our first hummingbird! Quite big for a hummingbird actually, but it was very exciting regardless. I hadn't ever seen one sit so quietly on a branch before.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4648.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255922423"><img title="IMGP4648.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/10255922423_b042fbf3f0.jpg" alt="IMGP4648.jpg" width="349" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>As you can see, the storm clouds were gathering for the afternoon rain. And we found a little cafe around the corner for our lunch. </p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4655.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255823195"><img title="IMGP4655.jpg" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5481/10255823195_774bca8f12.jpg" alt="IMGP4655.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Nothing spectacular, but tasty in its own simple way - Stephen had a local version of chicken pot pie and I had a tortilla with sausage (the tortillas are thick like spanish tortillas but with coarse cornmeal instead of potatoes and egg). But we had a fresh breeze from outside and cover while it rained.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4662.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255837075"><img title="IMGP4662.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/10255837075_f294bd9269.jpg" alt="IMGP4662.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>One of the charming murals across the street.</p>
<p>After the sun came back out, so did we, walking along the old waterfront back towards the Plaza Francia.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4665.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255741084"><img title="IMGP4665.jpg" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/10255741084_e888e11624.jpg" alt="IMGP4665.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>Our first view of the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_of_the_Americas">Bridge of the Americas</a>, shrouded in misty rain.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4673.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255854166"><img title="IMGP4673.jpg" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8543/10255854166_ccaf36dd5e.jpg" alt="IMGP4673.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>The memorial to the original French engineers and leadership team who tried to build the first canal.</p>
<p>As you can see, it was only a matter of time until it started to rain again, and this time quite hard. So we took shelter under the balcony of the buildings to wait it out.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4694.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255785664"><img title="IMGP4694.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/10255785664_ce2c5e28c2.jpg" alt="IMGP4694.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And we waited</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4695.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255889565"><img title="IMGP4695.jpg" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2819/10255889565_53b31d89c0.jpg" alt="IMGP4695.jpg" width="356" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And waited</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4699.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255793454"><img title="IMGP4699.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3804/10255793454_29a3f4c789.jpg" alt="IMGP4699.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>and waited some more. Finally we got to a lull long enough to make a dash for one of the most famous ice cream shops - Granclement. <a title="View 'IMGP4711.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10255919165"><img title="IMGP4711.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7325/10255919165_282150a733.jpg" alt="IMGP4711.jpg" width="500" height="331" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>And it was just as tasty as its reputation held it to be. Beautifully smooth and creamy and in a huge array of flavours. I had lavender and Stephen had "pan d'epices". </p>
<p>By then it had stopped raining again, and so we wandered over to the Plaza Bolivar, for another look around. On the way, we saw our first vulture, a much more common sight than I expected.</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4718.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10256031133"><img title="IMGP4718.jpg" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7328/10256031133_0afb36886b.jpg" alt="IMGP4718.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP4723.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/10256045523"><img title="IMGP4723.jpg" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3694/10256045523_d9ea482820.jpg" alt="IMGP4723.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>So common in fact (and not at all sinister to them), they even put it on their monuments.</p>
<p>From there it began to rain, again (it is the rainy season after all), and so we decided to call it a day and hopped a cab back to our hotel to relax of the rest of the afternoon.</p>
<p>But our day wasn't quite over yet - dinner would turn out to be an adventure in and of itself.</p>
<p><em>(as always, these are only a selection of the pictures I took on the day. For the rest of the set, head over to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157636517341456/">my flickr page</a>. You can also see Stephen's pictures too <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/105289029@N03/sets/72157636520024665/with/10257361725/">here</a>.)</em></p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-37964008709328418912013-10-13T03:31:00.001+01:002013-10-13T03:31:39.897+01:00Day 1 - Arrival in Panama<p>I think today has possibly been the easiest travel day in recent memory. From the mini-cab picking us up being right on time, and a very smooth drive through London to the airport (it being 4:30 in the morning helped), to the easy transfer in Madrid, super pleasant flight over (being in business class made such an amazing difference) and then the shortest time through the airport ever - from wheels down to walking into our hotel room was exactly 1 hour hour. It would have possibly been even faster had we not gotten into a little traffic <em>balagan </em>on the way. Yes, very glad that we will not be trying to drive ourselves around on this trip. </p>
<p>We're staying at <a href="http://www.thebristol.com/">The Bristol</a> and while I knew it had a stellar reputation, the reality has been really quite lovely indeed. We booked in on a special package which includes two nights bed and breakfast and a half day tour of the old town, which we'll have tomorrow. </p>
<p>After getting settled in the room (rather enormous with possibly the best bathroom I've yet come across in a hotel), we had a little bit of time to kill before dinner, so we had a bit of a swim and a stretch to ease out the few kinks remaining from the flight. Though it was overcast most of the afternoon, the temperature is still really quite pleasant and the movement felt great. </p>
<p>Then we took it easy getting ready for our evening, had some cocktails in the bar (called 8'58", the latitude of Panama City) and then down to the main restaurant for dinner. I must say that one of the things that excited me about the hotel was the restaurant it hosts. Called <a href="http://www.thebristol.com/restaurant-panama-city-en.html">Salsipuedes</a>, it was founded and is overseen by one of Panama's most famous chefs Cuquita Arias de Calvo. She specialised in modern Panamanian food, which sounded like just the thing for our first evening.</p>
<p>While I won't say it turned out to be a disappointment, it wasn't quite what we had hoped. The dishes were certainly interesting and the ingredients were top notch, but they were often combined in ways that didn't quite work. For example, Stephen had a starter that he described as "General Tsao's Crocodile" which though very flavourful, he said that because of the preparation (itty bitty pieces deep fried then coated in sauce) he didn't really taste much difference than if it had been chicken. My starter of lobster medallions in a five herb sauce with truffled lentils and a candied fig, was excellent in isolation, but together it didn't <em>quite </em>work very well. All were beautifully presented, however. </p>
<p>The theme (beautifully presented, excellently cooked, superb ingredients, bizarre in combination) continued into our mains - lobster ravioli in a brown curry type sauce for Stephen and jerked veal for me with rice & lentils and fried plantain fritters. All very good, but the spices often completely overpowered the ingredients used and the combination of the different aspects of each dish was rather jarring at times.</p>
<p>We opted not to have wine, partially because we were already a little tired from our long day and didn't want to overdo it, but also because the prices were rather insane ($40 for a glass of Chilean Merlot). This was much the same as what we had noticed in the bar earlier. We are starting to have a sneaking suspicion that wine might be a status symbol and the more normal choice of alcoholic beverage is probably beer. No doubt we'll have a good time testing this theory over the course of the next couple of days.</p>
<p>After mains, we were both rather tired and freezing (we are clearly not acclimatised to air conditioning any more), so we opted out of dessert and headed back up to the room for an early night. The guide comes to fetch us from the hotel for our tour at 9am! And so the real sightseeing will begin. </p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-38619864974811828032013-10-11T14:30:00.000+01:002013-10-11T14:30:03.558+01:00Next trip - Panama & Costa Rica!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Finally - the trip that we've been waiting all year to take! Tomorrow, we are off on our first trip to Central America, visiting the countries of Panama and Costa Rica for an unprecedented (for us) three weeks! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's a little embarassing that despite growing up within relatively easy reach of Mexico, I've never been any further South in the Western Hemisphere than Corpus Christi, Texas. It's not that we haven't <em>wanted</em> to explore this corner of the world, more that we just hadn't gotten around to it yet. The remedy for this came about last year, when my cruise travel agent called to tell me about a rather unique itinerary that he thought he might enjoy - one week "explorer" cruise, that goes through the canal (in and of itself very exciting) but then spends the rest of the week hopping around different nature preserves on the Pacific coast of both Panama and Costa Rica. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Exciting no? And honestly, too good to miss! So we booked it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And then, I started doing my research. I couldn't help but think that since we would already in that corner of the world, it was rather a no brainer to spend at least a few days in Panama before hand. And a few days here and there soon enough added up to a full week. Ah well, 2 weeks is doable and it is rather a long way. . . but oh wow look at all these amazing sites in Costa Rica! It looks incredible! And then we had to have another week there (although narrowing it down to just a week was hard enough). So before I knew it, we were looking at a 3 week trip. And why not, after all? We'd consider it an early 10 year wedding anniversary gift. Perhaps what was even more of a surprise was that both our jobs signed us off for exactly what we asked for. The planning process was grand fun, although I think there was a part of me that wasn't quite convinced we would actually be doing this. But here we are and with boarding passes in hand, it finally feels real.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The general outline of our trip looks like:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 1 - fly to Panama, overnight in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_City"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Panama City</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 2 - explore </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casco_Viejo,_Panama"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">old Panama City</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> and have </span><a href="http://www.panama-museums.com/en/canal_interoceanico.aspx"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">an introduction to the canal</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 3 to 6 - bird watching and hiking in </span><a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/El_Valle"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">El Valle</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 7 - transfer to </span><a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Colon_(Panama)"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Colon</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, with a visit to one of the indigenous villages still located in the canal zone on the way</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 8 - in the morning, visit </span><a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Portobelo"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Portobello</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">; in the afternoon, board our ship for the cruise!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 9 - transit the Panama Canal</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 10 and 11 - Fuerto Amador for the nearby </span><a href="http://www.stri.si.edu/english/visit_us/culebra/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Punta Culebra Nature Centre</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> and </span><a href="http://www.focuspublicationsint.com/focuspanama/en/arti-causeway.htm"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">the Amador Causeway</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 12 - a stop to explore the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dari%C3%A9n_National_Park"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Darien National Park</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> by zodiac</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 13 - the </span><a href="http://www.coibanationalpark.com/isla-coiba.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Isla De Coiba</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> (snorkeling! perhaps some kayaking? probably a hike)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 14 - Golfito for the </span><a href="http://www.govisitcostarica.com/region/city.asp?cID=397"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> and the mangrove forests by zodiac</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 15 - Puerto Quepos for the </span><a href="http://www.govisitcostarica.com/region/city.asp?cID=426"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 16 - Puntarenas where we disembark the ship and make our transfer to Arenal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 17 to 19 exploring the Arenal Volcano, hiking in </span><a href="http://www.govisitcostarica.com/region/city.asp?cID=454"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Arenal National Park</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, kayaking on </span><a href="http://www.arenal.net/lake-arenal.htm"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Arenal lake</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> hiking </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chato_Volcano"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cerro Chato</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> with a visit to swim in the La Fortuna Waterfall among others.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 20 - transfer to Sarapiquis with a tour of a </span><a href="http://www.tirimbina.org/ecotourism/chocolate-tour.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">chocolate plantation</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> on the way</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 21 - </span><a href="http://www.ots.ac.cr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=163&Itemid=348"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">La Selva Biological Station</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">(to say Stephen is excited about this is beyond understatement)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 22 - Whitewater rafting on the Sarapiqui river</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 23 - hiking the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Po%C3%A1s_Volcano"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Poas Volcano</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> and transfer to San Jose</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 24 - flight back to London</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Holy cow I have butterflies just writing all that out. In addition to our usual trusty guidebooks* We've worked with a travel agent for the Costa Rica portion, and so I'm keen to see if that comes together as smoothly as the planning process has been. It's rare that we use travel agents, but for this trip it has been helpful to at least to help narrow down the options and locate trust-worthy tour providers. Fingers crossed that all goes to plan!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm really hoping to have enough of an internet connection to be able to blog from time to time, so do keep an eye out for that. Also for the first time you very well may get to hear some of the trip from Stephen's perspective and perhaps even see some of his first pictures!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For now though, we need to get ourselves squared away to actually leave on said trip. 2 days and counting. . .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">* we've predominantly used </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11424163-explorer-s-guide-panama"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Explorer's Guide to Panama</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> and the usual </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16193942-dk-eyewitness-travel-guide"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Eyewitness Guide to Costa Rica</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. Also hugely helpful for background information has been </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/695669.A_Neotropical_Companion"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The Neotropical Companion</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. It's a few years out of date, but still has excellent background information and is a particularly good primer for non-specialists. For the full list of what we've read in preparation for the trip, have a look </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/123663-chaundra?shelf=panama-costa-rica"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">.</span></div>
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Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-59734992185081432812013-09-30T20:48:00.003+01:002013-10-02T07:25:09.962+01:00Sunday in Paris - dinner at Au Petit Marguery<p>Tonight's restaurant was one of my choices, having done quite a bit of research on a place that would be most likely to have game on the menu *and* be in walking distance of our hotel. This was one of our rare forays outside of our trusty Clotilde, but one that came recommended from a few of the Paris foodie blogs I follow. So with some confidence we arrived almost spot on time for our 7:30 reservation and the dining room was still mostly empty. This meant that the service, at least at the start of our meal, was attentive and prompt.</p>
<p>Aperatifs ordered (kir royale for me, an "americano" for Stephen) we settled down to review the menu - which was enormous for a prix fixe. At least 15 different options for mains, a good dozen for starters and around 10 desserts. I have no idea how the kitchen manages. But! I was pleased to see several different offerings of game, both of the bird (grouse, partridge) and beast (wild boar) varieties. Naturally, I chose the boar in the form of ribs (though with a good chunk of belly meat also attached) with roasted girolles (remembering the ones I spotted in the market the day before) in a fig-pomegranate-red wine reduction. Yum! if slightly overcooked for what I expected. The girlies were the star of the meal however, deep rich, intensely flavoured with just a little bit of caramelisation. I was super glad that I had them both with my main and with my starter of artichoke hearts (which tasted rather like it had come out of a generic tin - disappointing) and radiccio.</p>
<p>Stephen opted not to have a starter, still being a little full from lunch, and was quite pleased with his main of duck breast with mashed potatoes (truffled, I believe) although he said it could have done with another veg on the side. Again his meat was slightly over done and just a little on the tough side. For a restaurant of this caliber it was rather odd. We wondered if it had something to do with the very large American and British clientele (we were one of the only tables in our corner of the dining room speaking French) who generally prefer their meat cooked rather more thoroughly than the French typically do. </p>
<p>The other star of our meal was a brilliant half bottle of Saint Emillion (2008 Chateau Robin des Moines). I was very sad when Stephen poured out the last drops into my glass. If I had to drink no other wine for the rest of my life, this one would be an excellent candidate for that spot.</p>
<p>The desserts came a little bit late, the dining room by now being completely full, but they were worth the wait. Stephen had a dish of poached pears with almond milk ice cream and I had a crumble of Reine Claude plums with classic vanilla ice cream. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, with our very early train the next morning (and the increasingly slow service) we opted not to have coffee or tea and instead got our bill and headed off into the damp (it having rained while we were at diner) Parisian evening.</p>
<p>Overall, It was still a very good value for money and certainly an excellent meal, but not quite as well executed as the dinner we had the evening before. Still I'd say it is worth a visit if you're in the area, but perhaps not worth making a detour for. </p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-12202880903206009912013-09-30T20:48:00.001+01:002013-10-01T08:23:45.267+01:00Saturday in Paris - dinner at L'Avant Gout<p>So after resting and Stephen's adventure to go find a functioning iron and ironing board at the hotel, we got ready and headed out into the mild Parisian evening for dinner.</p>
<p>We almost always try and choose restaurants which are both interesting or slightly unusual and within walking distance of whatever hotel we've chosen, the former because we like a good meal and interesting cooking and the latter because we find that a walk after such a dinner is almost always a good plan.</p>
<p>Having only had an ice-cream in the 8 hours since lunch, we were properly hungry by the time we arrived for our reservation. Fortunately, we were seated almost right away in a smallish dining room. We ordered the aperitif a la maison to start - a blend of vouvray, cointreu and a dash of homemade bitters. Stunning and set us right up for our meal. Naturally, we chose from their "menu du mois" (almost always a good plan).</p>
<p>Stephen had: </p>
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<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em 0.5em; padding: 0px; outline: 0px;">a terrine of chicken and snails with a balsamic reduction and greens paired with a glass of Muscadet</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em 0.5em; padding: 0px; outline: 0px;">Red mullet with zucchini & eggplant in a turmeric tomato root vegetable sauce paired with a glass of <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitou_AOC">Fitou</a></li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em 0.5em; padding: 0px; outline: 0px;">baked fig stuffed with crispy vermicelli in a custard with vanilla-mint (spearmint) ice cream followed by an espresso</li>
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<p>I had: </p>
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<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em 0.5em; padding: 0px; outline: 0px;">razor clams in a white wine broth with diced root vegetables paired with a glass of plain vouvray (the same that made up our aperitif)</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em 0.5em; padding: 0px; outline: 0px;">veal onglet in a pistou with carrots, snap peas and fennel, crispy dauphinoise potatoes paired with a glass of the same Fitou</li>
<li style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 0.3em 0.5em; padding: 0px; outline: 0px;">the same dessert as Stephen followed by a cup of very nice Earl Grey tea - one of the only times in Paris that I've found a restaurant serving good whole leaf tea. </li>
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<p>I was extremely pleased with my meal - the flavours were all fresh and beautifully paired with a wonderful eye toward complimentary textures as well. A thoroughly delightful meal with very gracious staff (although I did run out of words in French with the sommelier trying to explain which glass of wine I wanted with which course - fortunately Stephen came to my rescue but not without the grumpy sommelier being rather put out by the exchange). We were quite surprised to hear plenty of other languages being spoken in the dining room with the staff coping at various levels of graciousness. That corresponds overall to our impressions of the 13th - much more diverse than what we had seen to date. We were probably slightly overdressed than was necessary (when we arrived many of the patrons were in jeans - unusual in our experience of Parisian dining), but it didn't seem to make any difference. </p>
<p>So very pleased we made the walk back to our hotel, arriving back just before the thunderstorm broke. A wonderful end to another delightful day in Paris</p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-59744683373653511392013-09-29T18:30:00.000+01:002013-10-01T22:22:14.454+01:00Sunday in Paris<p>After the thunderstorms over night, we awoke on Sunday to a very fresh aired, if rather cloudy, Paris. Knowing that even fewer things would be open on a Sunday morning, we took our time getting ready and out the door.</p>
<p>Again we decided to take advantage of our location and walk over to the Bibliotheque Nationale. It was quite controversial when it first opened and we were keen to see the space for ourselves. The first surprise was how open the plaza was - the enormous four towers dominated, of course (shaped like open books), but they were at least several hundred meters apart and built up from the river, it almost made you feel like you were floating slightly above Paris.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, most of the non-reader areas were closed on Sunday, so after some poking around we headed over to the footpath on the edge of the Seine for a bit of a meander back towards the centre of Paris. We passed through a funky artist/restaurant/club district all housed on barges, none of which were open for lunch (despite signage to the contrary). So we walked on. The trendy artists colony rather quickly gave way to a somewhat less salubrious area, which fortunately for us was just as dead on a Sunday morning as the rest of Paris. </p>
<p>After passing a rather bizarre pod advertising "space for new design" which we couldn't determine if that meant it was a museum or some kind of sponsored "creative" business park. Being neon green it was rather conspicuous and had the air of being some bureaucrat's idea of "trendy". </p>
<p>From there we passed into the <em>Musée de Sculpture en Plein Air </em>which was rather neat although the sculpture was rather overshadowed by the graffiti, which was kind of a shame. Still it was landscaped well and some thought had been given to the contrast/complimentary effects<em> </em>of the landscaping with the art work. It was obviously also much used by locals for outdoor sports.</p>
<p>By this point, we were rather hungry and were nearing the more well trodden areas of Paris. So after a quick consult with our copy of Clotilde, we set off for the Latin Quarter to give Da Rosa a try. It was rather more pricy than we anticipated, and much more of the space was given over to the cafe portion than for the epicerie than perhaps the book was written, but the food was very good indeed. I had a gorgeous burrata salad paired with perfectly quffable rose and Stephen chose a series of "tapas" plates: olives, fermented capers, focacia and chorizo as well as helping me devour the too good to be left burrata. The waiter recommended a Portuguese red to go with Stephen's meal, and he enjoyed it so much he had a second glass while I finished my meal off with a delightful cup of tea. I must say that the quality of tea generally available in Paris seems to have improved rather significantly over the past year. Something for which I am extremely grateful. </p>
<p>After such an indulgent lunch, we started casting around for our afternoon amusements and realised that the carmelier shop that we enjoyed so much on our last visit was quite literally around the corner, so of course that was a required stop to s stock up on sweet treats. For me a selection of caramels and fruit pastilles and for Stephen some chocolates with rather delightful and creative ganache fillings. And then a quick stop into Le Dernier Goute wine shop for a hello (quickly becoming one of our favourite parisian wine shops) and an impromptu wine purchase. </p>
<p>Stowing our treats, we decided to take the long route back to our hotel through the Jardin de Luxembourg, and got about half way there, when I detoured us over to a church that I thought looked interesting (after all, it's not a trip to Paris without stopping into at least one church, right?). The church turned out to be none other than St. Sulpice! And for an added bonus, it was about 10 minutes to an organ concert. Win! Especially as we had missed the concert at Notre Dame the evening before*.</p>
<p>The organist was one Kalevi Kiiniemi, a Finnish organist who we gathered from the programme was a regular soloist at St. Sulpice. In theory, he had chosen works he thought particularly suitable to their organ - I'm not sure that Stephen and I would entirely agree (in our totally unprofessional opinion), but we enjoyed the sound of the instrument very much (excellent clarity even at the lower registers and very sweet toned reeds). I particularly enjoyed the Lizt Etude du concert No. 3 (I had no idea that Lizt could be so delicate particularly on such a large instrument) and the 2 works by a certain Charles-Marie Widor, a composer before which I was completely unfamiliar. </p>
<p>With that music still reverberating through our minds, it was time that we took a much more direct route back to our hotel to get ready for dinner and so left the Jardins de Luxembourg for another day.</p>
<p>*regular readers will know that one of our favourite activities in Paris are the organ concerts which used to be on Sunday afternoons at 4pm. Unfortunately sometime in the last year they've been rescheduled for Saturday evenings at 8pm. Rather less convenient since it would either require us to have dinner reservations much too early (6pm) or much too late (9:30pm) for our digestive comfort. </p>
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<p> </p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-68247457474033129192013-09-28T18:53:00.000+01:002013-09-30T21:12:47.841+01:00Saturday in Paris<p>The train journey on Saturday night was uneventful and we arrived at our hotel before 11pm. All in good time and we pretty much went straight to bed. . .</p>
<p>Then slept until we woke up on Saturday morning. One of the beautiful things about Paris is that there is not a whole lot of reason to be up and around before, oh say, 10am. So by the time we were up and around and out the door at 10:30 it was perfect timing. We grabbed a pastry and coffee from a little nearby place (nothing to write home about, merely good enough) and then headed over to the rue Moufftard. </p>
<p>Our guidebook described it as one of the oldest open air markets in Paris. I have no idea if this is remotely true, but a delightful open air market it was. More types of plums than I had ever truly appreciated as well as a selection of mushrooms and seafood that kind of made me wish we had a place to cook (not necessarily in the same dish, mind). We also ran into another jazz ensemble playing to the crowds that reminded us of another random jazz group, if not in style than in the same method of discovery.</p>
<p>It also seemed to be the the savoyard district, with more fondue/raclette restaurants than you could shake a stick at. There was also a very intriguing Iranian-Armenian restaurant, unfortunately closed, but which went on "the list" of places worth trying.</p>
<p>Along the rue, we grabbed a quick lunch of gallettes (buckwheat crepes) and a soda before walking over to the Jardins des Plantes for the afternoon. We wandered through the cabinet d'histoire before having a meander through the gardens themselves. The mineral exhibit was unfortunately closed (and if not closed, then with an entrance that was not obvious) so we spent the rest of our time exploring the gardens, including a surprising "exhibit" of dahlias, all the while playing spot the bee. We also took the time to sample some of the iced treats available - I had a lemon-basil sorbet (stunning in its freshness and intensity) and Stephen had an almond milk ice cream (marzipan ice cream, he declared it).</p>
<p>All in all a really delightful, if not particularly story filled afternoon.</p>
<p>After the gardens, we still had a few hours to kill and so decided to head over to the honey shop mentioned in Clotilde's guide. Seeing as we were in the same arrondissement, it seemed a shame not to take advantage. On the way, we passed by the restaurant (L'avant gout) where we would be having dinner and had a bit of an ogle of the menu. </p>
<p>Then we walked through the delightful Rue de la Butte aux Cailles. One of the things I love about Paris is you can be in a neighbourhood one minute, which looks a bit dull (shops closed for the weekend, chain supermarkets) and then you turn a corner to find a quartier filled with life - sidewalk cafes doing a brisk business, local florists calling their wares to the passing public, cute little shops all open for business. </p>
<p>Les Abeilles (literally The Bees) is on one of these streets and the proprietors were as unique as their surroundings. The shop in part sells honey (and all things derivative of honey) and in part also sells whatever you might need to keep bees yourself. But it was the honey that we were mostly interested in and they had more kinds than I ever knew existed. Most of it was from various places in France, but some was from as far afield as Tasmania, Chile, and China. We tasted several different kinds and after coming to terms with being unable to bring it all home with us, settled on one from Vienne, just south of Lyons (mostly sourced from buckwheat flowers, it is a dark chestnut colour that crystallises almost golden), and two from the south of France sourced from "lavande maritime" or lavender near the sea and the "<a href="http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrigue">garrigue</a>". We chose the garrigue honey not only because it was very tasty, but also because one of our favourite French wines also comes from that region.</p>
<p>Throughly satisfied, we headed out of the shop and looking left we saw the little local square filled to the brim with people and with signs declaring "Viva La Commune!", so naturally we had to check it out. Turns out it was the "Fete de la <a href="http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Commune">Commune 1871</a>" complete with wood organ, accordion and appropriately stereotypical frenchmen singing communist ballads to the crowd. "Let's also not forget the communards had political views" the main singer announced before getting started. They also had literature, t-shirts, bandanas and other appropriately populist movement accoutrements on sale. Unfortunately they didn't have a t-shirt anywhere near my size, but Stephen may have found one he liked. . .</p>
<p>After spending a bit singing along and watching the crowds, we headed back to one of the little sidewalk cafes further up the street for a glass of something tasty (vin aux noix for me and something chosen at random for Stephen) to rest our feet and reflect on the day. Not sure that the day had any particular themes that we could draw out, but we felt quite satisfied with ourselves and had a pretty good set of memories we felt gathered for the day.</p>
<p>So with that we headed back to our hotel for a wee nap before getting ready for dinner.</p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-36822469724344411152013-09-26T13:30:00.000+01:002013-09-26T13:30:00.915+01:00Next trip: Paris! (yes, again)<p>Despite not quite catching you guys up on our mini-trips over the summer, I thought you might like to go back to the old format of "blogging as we go" at least briefly. Teach me to get behind and try to do it after the fact!</p>
<p>And anyway, our next little foray is to one of my favourite places on the planet. . .Paris!</p>
<p><a title="View 'IMGP7242.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/8565529276"><img title="IMGP7242.jpg" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8242/8565529276_59fcaf00b4.jpg" alt="IMGP7242.jpg" width="331" height="500" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>We haven't been as often this year as we have in years past, in fact this is just our second trip and about time. In fact it's <em>just</em> in time, because the excuse we're using to go is that Monday is my birthday and where better to celebrate than the city of light? Ok, so we'll actually be coming back to London on Monday itself, but still, its a good enough reason, right?</p>
<p><a title="View 'P1090485.jpg' on Flickr.com" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/6021652938"><img style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; border-width: 0px;" title="P1090485.jpg" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6030/6021652938_781cafd580.jpg" alt="P1090485.jpg" width="500" height="375" border="0" /></a></p>
<p>This time we will be staying on the <em>rive gauche </em>a first for us, and one of the few times that the majority of the planning has been done by Stephen. I'm looking forward very much to seeing where he has us lodged and what delightful and tasty things are in the works. Since we're staying on Sunday night it means that we get not one but TWO goes at French dinners. I have managed to sneak in my own preference and have Stephen book us in to a restaurant specialising in game. Should be an amazing treat. </p>
<p>Even better, it looks like the organ concerts are back on at Notre Dame! We missed those very much on our last visit. Other than that and some vague collections of different possible routines, we don't have any firm plans. You shall just have to stay tuned to see what it is we get up to. </p>
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<p> </p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-23337927697350007482013-09-07T23:11:00.001+01:002013-09-07T23:11:24.263+01:00Guilty pleasures, or, excuses to visit friends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everybody has a guilty pleasure - that one thing that is perhaps a little incongruous with their character otherwise, and perhaps just a little bit embarrassing or silly, but they indulge in anyway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For me, one of those things is Eurovision. I stumbled upon it rather by accident way back in 2002 on my study abroad in St. Petersburg and then rediscovered it after moving back to London in 2004. It's really impossible to explain rationally, but really it's an excuse for each country in Europe (plus some) to put on unabashedly cheesy pop tunes staged with ridiculous back-up dancers and excessive pyrotechnics. Then via a rather <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_at_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest">complicated voting system</a>, a winner is chosen who then hosts the next year's contest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Did I mention cheesy? Sometimes cheesy doesn't <em>quite </em>cover it and as far as I can tell the point isn't really to take it seriously, but for each country to compete in a state of self-conscious ridiculousness. Don't believe me? Do a search on youtube for Eurovision and you'll see what I mean.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, yes it's grand fun and since the advent of twitter the European twitter verse lights up like a Christmas tree for the event. In 2012, Sweden won the contest with actually <a href="http://youtu.be/Pfo-8z86x80">a pretty cool song</a> and I had quite a lot of fun tweeting back and forth with my fellow US expat friend <a href="http://shazzerspeak.com/">Shazzer</a> in Sweden on the night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then a few months later the Swedes announced that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malm%C3%B6">Malmö</a>, not Stockholm, would be the host city for 2013.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Malmö is where Shazzer lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Eurovision is usually at the end of May. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There was a 95% chance that Stephen would have exams at the end of May.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">!!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I booked a cheap flight to Copenhagen (right across the bay and less than an hour's train ride from Malmö). And so off to Eurovision I went! Granted, we didn't manage tickets to the event itself, but I figured it would be fun to enjoy the atmosphere in one of Europe's coolest and lesser known cities and with a good friend who enjoyed the show as much as I would. And grand fun it was!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On that Saturday, the weather dawned sunny, bright and beautiful. The perfect atmosphere for a festival and Malmö had gone all out to make everyone welcome and foster an atmosphere of friendly competition.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1024512752659629419&pli=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After a brief rest and quick sushi supper, we, Shazzer, her lovely wife Dr. Darling and a few local friends, <a href="http://shazzerspeak.com/2013/05/19/eurovision-song-contest-2013-one-tweet-at-a-time/">settled in to watch the Grand Final</a> with Shazzer and I live tweeting the event side by side. At which point I learned the hard way that apparently twitter has a daily limit on the number of tweets you can send. . . which I kind of managed to hit with three songs left to go. Oops. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Despite my personal technological challenges (and suitable warned for next year) we had a wonderfully fun time. Neither of our favourites won, but the winning song takes the contest literally just across the bridge to Copenhagen. Probably the shortest distance between two successive host countries ever. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Huge thanks to Shazzer for hosting me and letting me tweet alongside her for the evening! And thanks also to Dr. Darling for putting up with our craziness late into the night. Maybe next year?</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(As always, the above are only a selection of the photos from the day. You can see the rest over on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157635424739376/">flickr</a>. Thanks to Shazzer for taking the last picture of me in the square! Not often you guys get photos of me in front of the camera)</span></em></div>
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Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0Malmö, Sweden55.604981 13.00382200000001455.4614015 12.681098500000013 55.7485605 13.326545500000014tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-91419598892791062792013-04-29T23:30:00.000+01:002013-09-07T23:12:11.632+01:00Sunday in Germany<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next day was an almost equally late morning, followed by another extremely tasty breakfast, which set us up perfectly for our walk around the local area.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That's one thing that I really like about where Bobby and Erica live - a very short walk away and you're in wooded glens, with castles, remote chapels and the odd folly. And being early spring (despite still feeling a bit like winter) the colours were clear and crisp.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's our route for people who are curious. . .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="400px" src="http://snippets.mapmycdn.com/routes/view/embedded/199473398?width=600&height=400&&line_color=E6d9280d&rgbhex=0d28d9&distance_markers=0&unit_type=imperial&map_mode=HYBRID&last_updated=2013-04-28T14:19:21+01:00" width="100%"></iframe></span><br />
<div style="padding-right: 20px; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://mapmyhike.com/routes/create/" target="_blank">Create Maps</a> or <a href="http://mapmyhike.com/routes/" target="_blank">search</a> from 80 million at <a href="http://mapmyhike.com/">MapMyHike</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was also pleased (and not totally unsurprised) to see that the Germans have very clear markings for all their trails in a very similar way to what we had gotten used to in Israel.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9429696773" title="View 'IMGP1055.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1055.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3818/9429696773_550157065f.jpg" title="IMGP1055.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Trail markings on a tree. And see what I mean by those colours? Vibrant green!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our first stop was the nearby castle, <a href="http://artmarketservices.com/index.php?title=Landstuhl_-_Nanstein_Castle_Ruin">Nanstein</a>. Mostly ruined it is clearly more of a fortified affair rather than anything fanciful, but it did have some wonderful views over the town and valley - imagine that!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9432470590" title="View 'IMGP1064.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1064.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/9432470590_0127d50e4d.jpg" title="IMGP1064.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ruined castle</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9429701299" title="View 'IMGP1081.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1081.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7292/9429701299_a7838bb98c.jpg" title="IMGP1081.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Still quite well cared for</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9429700075" title="View 'IMGP1070.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1070.jpg" border="0" height="331" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2822/9429700075_4166b6873d.jpg" title="IMGP1070.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">View over the town</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We didn't go into the castle itself, instead continuing our walk back into the woods. Not too far from the castle we came across some really quirky and quite intricate wood carvings. They seemed to be some kind of celebration of local craftsmanship. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9432473832" title="View 'IMGP1094.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1094.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2870/9432473832_541c359eb1.jpg" title="IMGP1094.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Old Man in the Tree</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9432475752" title="View 'IMGP1104.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1104.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5452/9432475752_ee38f76551.jpg" title="IMGP1104.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The name of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhineland-Palatinate">state</a> we were in</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9432476274" title="View 'IMGP1107.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1107.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7404/9432476274_f88ebbfe9b.jpg" title="IMGP1107.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And of course walking through the forest, in addition to the green, some trees were attempting to flower.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not too much further on and we came to a small chapel dedicated to Mary and again overlooking the town. Unfortunately, it was closed and my German wasn't quite good enough to tell me when it might be open. Considering how well kept it was, it wouldn't surprise me if there weren't services in it from time to time.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9429706447" title="View 'IMGP1119.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1119.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3786/9429706447_d831a6484a.jpg" title="IMGP1119.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9432481204" title="View 'IMGP1130.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1130.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/9432481204_14ef4ca7c0.jpg" title="IMGP1130.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9429708331" title="View 'IMGP1127.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1127.jpg" border="0" height="331" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7310/9429708331_078e0ec149.jpg" title="IMGP1127.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Looking out over town</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Up over and around another ridge we came to a local <a href="http://www.bismarcktuerme.de/ebene3/laender/rheinl.html">Bismark Tower</a>. I sat admiring the view (and resting my legs a little) while the other 3 went up to the top. Yet again it afforded us lovely views out over the town. I think we might be developing a theme. . .</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9432484366" title="View 'IMGP1159.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1159.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/9432484366_3b5fa3265a.jpg" title="IMGP1159.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rheinland-Pfalz's Bismark Tower</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9429713727" title="View 'IMGP1164.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1164.jpg" border="0" height="331" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5529/9429713727_795aabd07c.jpg" title="IMGP1164.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another pretty view</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9429715751" title="View 'IMGP1168.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1168.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3793/9429715751_127d2b625b.jpg" title="IMGP1168.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and a giant snail! Bigger than my thumb!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After marvelling at the view and the giant snails, it was time to wind our way back into town, passing by the two rival churches, the town square. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9432488310" title="View 'IMGP1178.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1178.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5454/9432488310_5922f96f90.jpg" title="IMGP1178.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Catholic Church.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And over the road was. . .</span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9432488914" title="View 'IMGP1180.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1180.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7381/9432488914_1bd6104fab.jpg" title="IMGP1180.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Protestant one. </span><br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1024512752659629419&pli=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9429718367" title="View 'IMGP1200.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1200.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2832/9429718367_93e6ba32d8.jpg" title="IMGP1200.jpg" width="331" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Playing in the fountains in the city square.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By this point we all realised that we'd missed lunch, but it wasn't quite late enough for dinner. Fortunately, Bobby and Erica knew of this charming little local Thai place that was open through the afternoon (unusual in Germany on a Sunday). So we stopped there for "linner" and super tasty it was! I don't recall everything we had, but it was definitely enough for a feast and they were doing a brisk business not only with the tables in the small dining room, but a steady flow of take-away orders too. Know we know why!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Very sated and extremely happy it was time for us to say good-bye and head off to the airport. Always too short, still it was good to see our dear friends and explore a little of the place they've made home for the past few years. The nature of their expatriacy means that it is limited, perhaps only until the end of the year. So we really must make the most of it while we can!</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">originally posted on 14 August 2013, backdated to the time of the original trip. As usual, the photos above are only a selection. To see all the photos from the weekend, head over to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157634920756652/" target="_blank">my flickr set</a></span></i></div>
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Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0Kaiserslautern, Germany49.4400657 7.749126499999988549.2748212 7.4264029999999881 49.6053102 8.0718499999999889tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-41540745775885658132013-04-27T23:00:00.000+01:002013-08-14T23:26:57.460+01:00Saturday in Germany<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After landing rather late and of course staying up chatting even later, Saturday morning was pretty relaxed. I think everyone got up later than usual (except perhaps for me, but then I'll gladly sleep in every day) and had a leisurely breakfast. The weather was looking pretty grim, so we postponed our original plans for a hike and instead bundled into the car and headed off to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speyer">Speyer</a>. Despite the rain, it was a drive through some beautiful countryside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Arriving in Speyer the first stop was, of course, their world renown <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speyer_Cathedral">cathedral</a> and it certainly didn't disappoint. There is something really lovely about Romanesque architecture that is both very comforting and impressive. Towering without being standoffish.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9286085559" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP0746.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0746.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7395/9286085559_ba3a978d26.jpg" style="float: left;" title="IMGP0746.jpg" width="331" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The outside of the cathedral. </span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9286086461" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP0751.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0751.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7304/9286086461_732f47a141.jpg" style="float: left;" title="IMGP0751.jpg" width="331" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Henry V who completed the cathedral is memorialised</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The whole cathedral is done in these rose and cream striped bands that reminded a little of the architecture at OU. It was also one of the cleanest buildings I have seen. Either it was cleaned recently or the Germans have some magic dust for keeping the grime of big cities from sticking to their monuments.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Due to its popularity, we stayed in the entrance for a while. The original plan was to go up into the tower and then back into the main cathedral itself. It will probably not be any surprise to those who know me to learn that I didn't make it. I was doing quite well up until we got to the exposed part of the tower with the wind and the rain coming in through the (very much lacking in glass) window slits. Pass. So I went back down and let the others continue to explore the tower.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Fortunately, in the sanctuary there was some kind of youth celebration going on, which was a remarkable contrast to the stateliness of the church itself and also gave it a very homelike feel.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9288867158" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP0773.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0773.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3829/9288867158_7ba41abe56.jpg" title="IMGP0773.jpg" width="331" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Playing in the sanctuary</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9286092533" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP0792.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0792.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2846/9286092533_e239199861.jpg" title="IMGP0792.jpg" width="331" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No, I don't know what the octapus was about, but I liked the contrast</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9288870124" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP0794.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0794.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5533/9288870124_fb023c2401.jpg" title="IMGP0794.jpg" width="331" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Looking back down the south vaulted bay.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Before too long, Bobby, Erica and Stephen found me again at which point we all decided to head down into the crypt where no fewer than three Holy Roman emperors are buried. At the time, Stephen and I were reading a <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14762015-the-popes">history of the papacy</a> and so it was pretty cool to see the final resting place of some of the influential and charismatic leaders we'd been reading about.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9288873692" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP0819.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0819.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5543/9288873692_70e22667e0.jpg" title="IMGP0819.jpg" width="331" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Henry IV, looking rather glum</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9288875330" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP0833.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0833.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3719/9288875330_f70744368e.jpg" title="IMGP0833.jpg" width="333" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">looking through the grating to the graves of the early Holy Roman Emperors</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Coming back up from the crypt we were surprised to find a chapel dedicated to one of the newer local saints, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Stein">Edith Stein</a>. A surprise to me to be sure as I had no idea that Edith Stein had been associated with Speyer.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9286103417" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP0869.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0869.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7458/9286103417_8155f6fdf0.jpg" title="IMGP0869.jpg" width="331" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A small but very moving memorial to a great woman.</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Putting us in a rather pensive mood, we headed out of the cathedral and realised that if we were going to eat lunch we probably ought to do it soon. Fortunately, there was a brewery-restaurant quite literally right across the road. And seeing as we were in Germany, a brewery restaurant seemed most fitting.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9288883764" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP0892.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0892.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7379/9288883764_30919f3e7b.jpg" title="IMGP0892.jpg" width="331" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Brau Haus</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And tasty it was! We all tried a different beer, but my favourite by far was their seasonal spring brew, which was just the right combination of light and flavourful without being bitter. It was a perfect match with the skewered roast pork I had as a main. Unfortunately, I forgot to take notes on what everyone else had, but I do remember everything being extremely tasty (there was a local version of macaroni and cheese that I do recall, which was to die for).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9286108331" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP0897.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0897.jpg" border="0" height="331" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2832/9286108331_bc047fe878.jpg" title="IMGP0897.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Looking back across cathedral square to the brewery/restaurant in the background</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After lunch, we took the short walk over to the <a href="http://speyer.technik-museum.de/en">Technik Museum</a>. I was expecting something like a science museum, instead it was more like a giant transport museum, with a few random large player organs thrown in for good measure. Really rather amazing.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9288886546" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP0916.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0916.jpg" border="0" height="331" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/9288886546_cf8011d5de.jpg" title="IMGP0916.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The entrance to the museum</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And then once inside it was a airplane and automobile aficionado's dream. 3 points for anyone who can name the various bits of moving vehicles in the pictures, because did I take notes? No I did not and despite growing up going to all these sorts of museums, I never managed to really absorb anything other than enjoying the "neat" factor of it all. And this was very, very neat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9288888458" title="View 'IMGP0933.jpg' on Flickr.com"><img alt="IMGP0933.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/9288888458_aa435c0bdd.jpg" title="IMGP0933.jpg" width="331" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9288896260" title="View 'IMGP0999.jpg' on Flickr.com"><img alt="IMGP0999.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2860/9288896260_e8b069730e.jpg" title="IMGP0999.jpg" width="331" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9286115593" title="View 'IMGP0965.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP0965.jpg" border="0" height="331" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2866/9286115593_9abcf15ebf.jpg" title="IMGP0965.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9286120431" title="View 'IMGP1010.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1010.jpg" border="0" height="331" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/9286120431_3b59055018.jpg" title="IMGP1010.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9288897886" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP1011.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1011.jpg" border="0" height="331" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7350/9288897886_ecf76c9e5b.jpg" title="IMGP1011.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Looking back over the main hall</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9288898788" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP1025.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1025.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5507/9288898788_e7f194ae10.jpg" title="IMGP1025.jpg" width="331" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Off to one side there was even a model railroad</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And that was only in the main building. Not only was there another whole building dedicated to space vehicles (including both a Soviet and an American landing capsule), but the courtyard in between also had the larger airplane and boat specimens, most of which you could go up inside.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9286123257" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP1028.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1028.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5491/9286123257_1807de4ae6.jpg" title="IMGP1028.jpg" width="349" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The square in the back of the museum</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By this point, Erica and I were a little technologied out, so we opted to spend some time in the museum cafe chatting and generally catching up while the boys continued to explore. And we were quite literally the last few people to leave. A quick stop by the gift shop, and then it was back to the car and back to Landshtuhl for dinner.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/9286124153" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="View 'IMGP1033.jpg' on Flickr.com"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img alt="IMGP1033.jpg" border="0" height="500" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5510/9286124153_a05bf6eb93.jpg" title="IMGP1033.jpg" width="331" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">looking back towards the cathedral through the trees.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Dinner was at one of Bobby and Erica's favourite local restaurants where I finally got my helping of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%A4tzle" target="_blank">spaetzle</a> for the trip as well as another super tasty beer. After that it was an evening at Bobby and Erica's again chatting long into the night. Needless to say it didn't look like Sunday would be a terribly early start either, but perhaps more important was the chance to catch up and reconnect. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>originally posted on 08 August 2013, back dated to the actual date of the trip. As usual, the photos here are only a selection. To see all the photos, go to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157634920756652/" target="_blank">my flickr set</a></i></span></div>
Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0Speyer, Germany49.3204789 8.436216999999942349.2376924 8.2748554999999424 49.403265399999995 8.5975784999999423tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-11575782831511318162013-04-26T12:30:00.000+01:002013-04-26T12:30:00.808+01:00Next trip! Germany<p>You would be forgiven for thinking that we've only just recently gotten back from Israel, but in fairness with all the activity I didn't manage to get the final set of posts done until much after our return to London. Don't worry, the pictures and a proper retrospective are coming, but in the meantime. . .</p>
<p>We're off to Germany! We'll be visiting our good friends Bobby & Erica (with whom <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157627383901702/">we've</a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/oufoxy/sets/72157627368450054/">already</a> <a href="http://www.dragondream.org/2012/04/friday-in-paris-on-verge-of-spring.html">done</a> <a href="http://www.dragondream.org/2012/04/saturday-in-paris-market-more-art.html">a</a> <a href="http://www.dragondream.org/2012/04/sunday-in-versailles.html">little</a> <a href="http://www.dragondream.org/2013/03/brussels-on-whim-day-1.html">travel</a> <a href="http://www.dragondream.org/2013/03/belgium-on-whim-day-2.html">already</a>) and are looking forward to exploring their newfound home.</p>
<p>One of the beautiful things about having friends who are fellow expats is that you get to benefit from having your own dedicated tour guides to interesting places that you might not otherwise get to see. We don't have any firm plans set yet, so you'll just have to wait and see what we get up to!</p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-21033595194119600402013-04-24T19:30:00.000+01:002013-04-24T22:04:20.756+01:00Israel Take 2 - Day 11 (last day)<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr">After our last breakfast in the hotel (and my last of halva, porridge and silan), we checked out, but left our luggage so that we had our hands free for one last adventure. The goal was to try and see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopian_Orthodox_Tewahedo_Church">Ethiopian Orthodox Church</a> currently set in the modern city.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr"> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr">On our way, the air raid sirens brought the whole city to a stop for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_HaShoah">a moment of silence in memory of the holocaust</a>. It was eerie and extremely touching to see absolutely everyone stop where they were and be still, some with tears in their eyes. Poignant to say the least.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr"> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr">After coming out of the collective reverie, Branson had us homed in on the church and much to our surprise it was open! After removing our shoes (as per custom) in we went and aside from two old gentlemen praying (napping?) it was just us. It was an interesting space, very different from any other church I'd been in and yet still very familiar. It is certainly less prosperous than many of the others we had seen on our trip, but still kept up with lots of love. I was particularly intrigued by the different drums that were haphazardly stacked in various corners and alcoves and wonder what their services are like. A few signs in English gave us a sense of some of the more unusual iconography though I wish I had more knowledge of their beliefs before going.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr"> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr">Meandering back through the modern city to our hotel, the dust storm which had been predicted for the past few days finally started to blow in and the sky took on the eerie yellowish-rusty brown of desert sand. After a few minutes, even my lungs were protesting. I suppose it was a sign that even in the most beautiful climates, there are down sides. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr"> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr">After arriving back at our hotel there was nothing left after a brief rest and stowing of gear but to head off to the airport. We took mostly the public transport route, Branson going with us very kindly to ensure that we made it (in total fairness, it's not the most straight forward of systems to figure out!). And another tearful goodbye that was the end of another wonderful trip.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr"> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr">And to be honest, we're still processing it. Going through pictures, absorbing all the things we saw and trying to square the different sides of the country that we saw and frankly speculating about what we didn't see. I can't thank Branson enough for having us and being such a fabulous guide. It's been interesting to see him go through his own expat experience while we've had ours and to experience a little of that world for ourselves. Had he not been there, I'm not sure we would have gone at all, let alone twice! It's a complex place full of passionate people and more history than you can shake a stick at. I have a feeling that it won't be our last trip, although next time perhaps we'll be less complacent and learn a bit of Hebrew and Arabic for ourselves! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr"> </div>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-45491631939898346192013-04-23T20:00:00.000+01:002013-04-23T20:00:05.839+01:00Israel Take 2 - Day 10<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em>In hindsight, I think this post will make more sense once I get the pictures processed. So look out for those soon! In the meantime, the text of the day is below.</em><br />
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Our <a href="http://www.dragondream.org/2013/03/next-trip-israel-take-2.html">original plans</a> for Sunday were to go into Ramallah, however, since deciding that <a href="http://www.dragondream.org/2013/04/israel-take-2-quick-update-on-our-plans.html">was a bad plan</a> upon arrival, we'd been batting around what to do with our "extra" day. I remembered the enchanting description of three very different walks through Jerusalem at dawn in the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9477628-jerusalem?ac=1">Jerusalem biography</a> - putting that together with my <a href="http://www.dragondream.org/2013/04/israel-take-2-day-7.html">previous experience</a> at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre a few days previously, the best idea seemed to be to spend a few hours at dawn in the Church.<br />
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So, it was that I found myself walking through the Jaffa Gate at the seriously uncomfortable hour of 5:00am. The boys headed off to watch the Jewish community great dawn at the Western Wall and I headed inside the church for a few hours contemplation and worship. It was a very magical time with the different services all going on at once and in not so subtle competition with each other. The keen faith was palpable and very special indeed.<br />
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Stepping out in the full light of day around 7:15, I was not a little unchanged for the experience. However, at that hour not a lot was open so it was back to the hotel for another super tasty breakfast and decide what it was we wanted to do with the rest of the day.<br />
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Seeing as how we hadn't yet seen any of the Muslim holy places, the next obvious place to go was the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount">Temple Mount</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_rock" target="_blank">Dome of the Rock</a>. It was at this point we were very glad indeed to not be part of a tour group, because security limits the number of non-believers who are able to enter at any given time. A party of three, we were put into the "fast track" line away from the larger groups, who were then turned away for a few hours - the quota having been filled.<br />
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From the check point it was a short walk over a wooden bridge, past the Western Wall, over the top of many extremely interesting looking <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/What-is-Beneath-the-Temple-Mount.html">archeological excavations </a>and then into the Temple Mount complex itself.<br />
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I was surprised at how little was open for visiting - none of the mosques (either <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Aqsa_Mosque" target="_blank">Al-Aqsa</a> or the stunning Dome of the Rock) were open for tourists; the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Museum,_Jerusalem" target="_blank">Islamic Museum</a> was likewise very firmly closed.<br />
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The other surprise was the very lively study groups which had all set themselves up in the plaza. Some fairly large (20-30), some small (2-3), but definitely segregated by gender and all deep in discussion. A good reminder that this is still very much the centre of faith for a vibrant community.<br />
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On the other side of the Dome of the Rock was a lovely little grotto of olive trees where school children would play on their breaks.<br />
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Come full circle, we headed out of the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gates_of_the_Temple_Mount#Cotton_Merchant.27s_Gate">Cotton Merchant's Gate</a>" and found a cute little market where we finished off the majority of our souvenir shopping.<br />
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Shopping complete, we headed back through the market and over to the Citadel - that was finally open! It's rather misleadingly known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_David">Tower of David</a>, the name wasn't the only misleading piece of information. Still it surrounds some pretty neat ruins and from the walls you could get some great views out over the old city.<br />
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After several hours wandering about, it was definitely time for lunch and so we decided to pair lunch with another sightseeing expedition. So it was back into the modern city and around the corner from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahane_Yehuda_Market">Mahane Yehuda</a> market at a little hole in the wall called <a href="http://www.gojerusalem.com/discover/item_39/Rachmo">Rachmo</a>. Definitely one of our better lunches in Jerusalem! Enormous portions (Stephen and I split a plate) but all homemade. We had a stuffed eggplant dish, with rice/lentils/onions mix, the ubiquitous tomato/cucumber salad and a plate of pickles that went way too quickly.<br />
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Sated, it was through the market to wander about relishing all the lovely fresh fruits & vegetables, pick up some last minute snacks (mmmm halva) before heading back into the Old City to continue our plans for the day.<br />
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On the agenda for our final afternoon was to pick up where we left off at the Citadel and do the Eastern edge of the "<a href="http://www.jerusalem-insiders-guide.com/ramparts-walk.html#sthash.h3K5umbL.dpbs">Ramparts Walk</a>" where we met a very cheerful and yet a little bizarre ticket taker (all of our answers to his very routine questions got turned into song). When I saw the not too terribly stable, nearly free standing spiral staircase, I was wondering what in the world I'd let myself in for. Fortunately, once actually up on the walls, it was firm stone under my feet. A much happier camper, I could then relax and enjoy the view. And the views were wonderful, on the one hand back over the old city, on the other back across the new city. Because everything is built higgledy-piggledy we got to peer into some very non-public areas, including watching some of the police horses get a cool down in the stables that according to the sign were used by Crusaders and later the Sultanate. Kind of amazing when you think about it. I really enjoyed getting a birds eye view of the daily life of the city as well as the more traditional panoramic vistas. <br />
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The walk eventually dropped us off at the <a href="http://www.biblewalks.com/Sites/ZionGate.html" target="_blank">Zion gate</a> (so called because it leads to the Mount Zion, yes <em>that</em> <a href="http://www.openbible.info/topics/mount_zion" target="_blank">Mount Zion</a>), just a short walk from our next stop, <a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-dormition-abbey.htm">the Abbey of the Dormition</a>. Looked after by a German Benedictine community it was yet another stunning example of modern architecture built around much older ruins. It also housed some of the more beautiful mosaics we'd seen outside of the Orthodox churches with a beautiful crypt. Blessedly we were able to pace ourselves to fit neatly inbetween the tour groups and so got periods of being in the church on our own.<br />
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Around the corner and above a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeshiva" target="_blank">Jewish religious school</a> (which explained the groups of young Jewish adults - some carrying their AK47s alarmingly nonchalantly - hanging out in the church courtyard), was the <a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-last-supper-room">Room of the Last Supper</a>. Very plain, but with some original features, including scraps of what were probably once frescos.<br />
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By that point it was already late afternoon and we were all getting a little droopy from our early start (or at least, I was). So we took the scenic route back to the hotel, through the historic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemin_Moshe">Yemin Moshe</a> neighbourhood. Very quiet and peaceful (living up to its name) with some really lovely gardens. One of the few places in Jerusalem that felt like real people lived there.<br />
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Back in the room ,where I took a nap and the boys caught up on the world happenings, we realised that evening was the start of the <a href="http://history1900s.about.com/cs/holocaust/a/yomhashoah.htm" target="_blank">Holocaust Remembrance Day</a> and so none of the usual restaurants would be open. So we decided to be totally unambitious and give our hotel restaurant a try . . which was exactly the same thing as everyone else did. Service was slow and the food was mediocre - not good, not bad, just ok. But it was dinner and it furnished us with wine glasses and a bottle opener for us to toast our last evening in Jerusalem (oh, and pack).<br />
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Luckily for us, there was one last surprise in store before getting on the plane.</div>
Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com0Jerusalem, Israel31.768319 35.21370999999999231.552388 34.89098649999999 31.984250000000003 35.536433499999994tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1024512752659629419.post-79803149167989850772013-04-14T22:00:00.000+01:002013-04-14T22:00:01.211+01:00Israel Take 2 - Day 9<p>After another immensely tasty breakfast, we were off on perhaps our most ambitious sightseeing day <em>ever</em>. The plan was to head over to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_of_Olives">Mount of Olives</a> before returning to the Old City along the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Dolorosa">Via Dolorosa</a> and take in as many of the churches on the way that we could.</p>
<p>Fortunately, the weather was looking up with the day dawning bright and clear with a forecast of pleasantly warm, but not scalding weather. Perfect! </p>
<p>Instead of passing through the Old City, we opted to walk around the eastern walls that brought us to our first surprise church of the day, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_St._Peter_in_Gallicantu"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">St. Peter in Gallicantu</span></a>. Not sure what it was, we headed down the short drive and onto the edge of Mount Zion and around the convent to the main church which it turned out to have been the site of <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+22%3A54-62&version=NIV"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Peter's betrayal of Christ</span></a>. Not unlike most churches in the area, it sat on top of what were suspected to be ruins of prison cells. Both the architecture and interior decor were an interesting fusion of Byzantine and traditional Catholic.</p>
<p>Walking back up to the ridge and then across the <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_Josaphat">Valley of Jehosepha</a>t</span> we came to church number 2, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_All_Nations"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Basilica of the Agony</span> or the Church of All Nations</a> set next to the garden of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gethsemane"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Gethsemane</span></a>, with it's beautiful old olive trees. While none date to precisely the time of Christ, some come close at around 1,300 years old. Mind boggling.</p>
<p>The Basilica itself was hard to appreciate properly having lots of scaffolding up (not sure what was going on and surprised that it would be under renovation so soon after Easter) and positively teeming with tour groups all jostling for space <em>and </em>having a mass being said (in Italian) at the same time. Not really an environment conducive to lingering even if we had been so inclined. </p>
<p>From there we headed across the street to the third church - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomb_of_the_Virgin_Mary"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Tomb of the Virgin</span></a>. Set down into one of the caves and decorated more in the Orthodox style, it was (again) quite the squeeze, but this time many alcoves and niches let us stand a bit out of the crush and appreciate the rather ornate lanterns draped in many rows throughout, the icons covering the several altars and the general rather unique architecture of the place. Still, it was extremely crowded and so rather than elbow our way through through the different groups, we took our leave, sitting on the steps briefly before heading back into the daylight.</p>
<p>From there it was already getting on toward lunch time and the noon closures of all the churches for masses to be said by the various religious orders who maintain them. So we headed up the hill and stumbled upon a rather mundane looking place that turned out to have an outside seating area on the roof and looked to be quite tasty, if standard fare. It was the perfect place to linger over our falafel and salads (yes, again) and enjoy the view back over the Jehosephat Valley & the Old City with the Dome of the Rock featuring prominently.</p>
<p>Even despite our lingering lunch, it was still a little too early for the churches to be open again. So, we headed over to another little look-out area to discuss what we'd seen to date, doze a little and plan our afternoon.</p>
<p>As soon as 2pm rolled around, we were off again, this time to the <a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-church-of-pater-noster">Church of Pater Noster</a>, said to be on the place where Christ taught his disciples the "Our Father" prayer. Though simple architecturally, what made it such a striking place were the large tiled translations of the "Our Father" into a myriad of different languages from across the globe. The little pamphlet said there were over 60. Everything from Italian, Greek, and Coptic to Tuvulu, Javanese and []. It gave the sense of commonality, a way for people to connect over a very simple, yet profound text. It was also fun to watch the different groups of pilgrims come into the courtyard, see the different languages and immediately head off to try and find theirs. We found it wonderful to wander about, looking at the myriad different scripts and alphabets knowing that they all expressed the same glory and humility. </p>
<p>After that it was just own the road to the church of <a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-dominus-flevit-church.htm">Dominus Flevit</a> - the place where Jesus wept. The last church on the Mount of Olives that was on our list. Said to be built on the place where Jesus wept upon seeing Jerusalem in the pilgrimage leading up to the cruxifiction. It had it's own stunning view across the valley and into the Old City. What was a particularly nice touch is that instead of having a solid wall behind the altar, they instead put in panels of clear glass so that you saw the Old City out behind whoever was saying mass. This wasn't a church that could be plonked down just anywhere, the mere addition of adding the clear glass kept you rooted in the specifics of where you were. They also had some really beautiful and what looked like very old mosaics on the floor.</p>
<p>So with one last glance across the valley and the lovely garden of the church, it was back down the Mount of Olives, across the valley and back into the City through the Lion's gate.</p>
<p>We were headed for the Via Dolorosa, but got sidetracked, when, in order to let a car pass, I stepped into what I thought was an ordinary doorway and was surprised to find it led onto an open courtyard. Stepping in for just a moment, I was surprised to find myself standing just outside the <a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-st-anne-church.htm">Church of St. Ann</a>e & the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pool_of_Bethesda">Betheseda pools</a>! The boys by this time had come looking for me (being ahead on the street when the car passed), wondering where I had managed to disappear to. they too were delighted at my find. The Church of St. Anne is said to be the place where Mary was born and is dedicated to her mother, St. Anne. Done in the Romanesque style, it was a much more "traditional" looking church than many others we had seen that day and a welcome change. There is something very elegant in the lines of Romanesque architecture I find and despite its evident age, it still had access to the crypt where they believed that this early holy family lived with a rather lovely series of alcoves and altars.</p>
<p>Just outside the church is the site of the old Beheseda pools (now dry), which many throughout history believed had curative powers. In fact, it is on this place that it was said that <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%205:01-14&version=NIV">Christ healed a lame man</a>. Though the more dangerous bits were cordoned off, there was still quite a lot to wander about freely, poking our heads into cisterns and under arches. The wild poppies were still blooming and their little blobs of red provided a beautiful contrast to the cream sandstone and green grass.</p>
<p>Delighted with our 2nd surprise church of the day, we headed back to the start of the Via Dolorosa and the original stations of the cross. Stations I & II are at the twin churches of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Condemnation_and_Imposition_of_the_Cross">Condemnation</a> & <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Flagellation">Flagellation</a>, also set back in a little courtyard (with attendant monastery). The stained glass in the Church of the Flagellation were spectacular. Both were quite small churches and one wonders how often that masses are said in them. They felt a bit more "passed over" than many of the others we had seen that day, but still very tender spots in their own right.</p>
<p>From there, we continued down the <em>Dolorosa</em>, which had the feel of a bazaar rather than any place sacred with the usual hustle and bustle of shopping and residents on their way. I'm not sure if it was our own fatigue or the difficulty in focusing on the spiritual in the middle of the daily grind of residents, but we were definitely starting to flag. Still, close to our goal, we pressed on.</p>
<p>Our next (brief) stop was to peer into the, sadly closed, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecce_Homo_(church)">Ecce Homo Church</a>, through which you could see remnants of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aelia_Capitolina">triumphal arch built by Emperor Hadrian</a>. It seemed a bit of a bizarre place for a church, particularly given the Roman link to the Christian passion, but in Jerusalem you quickly learn that logic has very little to do with it. However, since the church was closed, really the only thing we could do was peer through the glass doors.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for us, many of the small chapels at the various stations were closed, but we did get a chance to explore the rather bizarre, yet fascinating Orthodox chapel set on top of another early Roman prison. They allege this is where the two thieves crucified alongside Christ were held the night before their execution. </p>
<p>The only other two churches that were open that day were at the site of station 4 (where Christ met his mother, run by an order of Armenian sisters) and station 6 (where Veronica wiped the face of Jesus, run by the sisters). Both were very simple affairs, mere chapels really, more places of contemplation and silent prayer than a centre of systemic community worship. </p>
<p>After running up against another dead end at station 9 and knowing the remainder were in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we decided that 14 churches were more than enough for one day and so we wound our way back through the alleys and back to the Jaffa gate. We sat just outside the walls, watching the crowds pass and sipping pomegranate juice (yes, out of season, but still tasty!) and wondering what we would do for dinner. Delving back into the guidebook for ideas, we chose <a href="http://www.gojerusalem.com/discover/item_93/Barood">Barood</a>, which was billed as specialising in Sephardic cuisine. Given, the menu, that looked unlikely, but still it was extremely tasty with Branson pronouncing his main of "ossu buco" (braised, bone-in pork shank) to be one of his favourite moments of the whole trip. My paprikash main was also excellent and matched beautifully with a glass of a local wine, "Adom" blend (<span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">40% Syrah, 40% Carignan, 10% Malbec and 10%</span><span style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 20px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Mourvèdre, <a href="http://israeladventure.tumblr.com/post/31211804984/somek-winery">if this website can be trusted</a>)</span> from the Somek winery near <a href="http://www.dragondream.org/2012/02/israel-jordan-day-10-last-day.html">Zikhron Ya'akov</a>. </p>
<p>Well fed and watered, we took a leisurely stroll back to our hotel and made an early night of it, considering the next morning would be very early indeed.</p>Chaundrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00862069128885744138noreply@blogger.com1