UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Cinque Terre

Posted on by Laughingnomad

k08zEG1a840cNznVAe7p30-2006172142756225.gif

Took a train to the Cinque Terre (Five Lands..or villages) area on the northern Italian Riviera.

The Ligurian coast between Cinque Terre and Portovenere is a cultural landscape of great scenic and cultural value. The layout and disposition of the small towns and the shaping of the surrounding landscape, overcoming the disadvantages of a steep, uneven terrain, encapsulate the continuous history of human settlement in this region over the past millennium. The area is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The towns, jutting out into the Mediterranean and straight up the hills on the coast are connected by walking trails through eighteen kilometers of sheer rocky coastline with terraced hills and vineyards sloping steeply down to the sea. The five little villages are built into the rocks between the beach and the hills. You can hike, swim, drink red wine, and watch blazing Mediterranean sunsets far away from the tourist throngs in the Italian cities and the French Riviera. Centuries old footpaths and mule tracks wind about 500 to 1,000 feet above the sea, leading through olive groves and vineyards, orchards and chestnut woods.

Each village has its own character, they are a few minutes apart by train. The main railway between Rome and Paris runs along the coast, mainly in tunnels. Bob compares the trail to the Nepali Trail on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. Extremely picturesque and very charming.

Vernazza is many peoples favorite village, dominated by the Round Tower and by the ruins of the medieval fortifications. It has a small harbor next to the village square.

Monterosso is pretty split into two by the tunnel and the mountains. If you are walking down from Vernazza, the old town is the first beached section and is well worth a walk around as it is loaded with lots of small, character-filled streets.

Famous for its vineyards and olive groves, Corniglia stands on the principal road over a rocky cliff dropping to the sea; it is the only village far from the sea but it can be reached by some steps.

Founded during the 12th century, Manarola probably is the most characteristic village of the Cinque Terre; the old church of San Lorenzo is in baroque style.

From Manarola starts the picturesque trail called ” Via dell’ Amore “, carved out of the rock above the sea, that joins Manarola to Riomaggiore. We stayed in Riomaggiore…the least touristed of the towns. Bob keeps calling it Rigamoroni!

The local internet was owned by a family that also rents out rooms. The woman was an American married to an Italian whose family has lived in the town for over a hundred years. I asked her how these towns supported
themselves before tourism. She said that tourism has actually been pretty good for about 30 years but not to the extent that it is now (especially since Rick Steves has reported that it is one of the off-the-beaten-track areas of Europe!!)

Years ago the men would leave on ships for months at a time-dealing in contraband-which they apparently could get away with due to its geographic isolation from the rest of the country. We continued talking-about my trip to Europe in 1965 and that the countries were very poor-even found dirt floors in rural France. She said that yes, after WWII the US pumped a lot of money into the Marshall Plan to reconstruct Europe but it took another 20-30 years for it all to trickle down and affect the living standards of the people generally.

We stayed in a private apartment owned by a nice old gentleman who “selected” us at the train station. The apartment hung on the side of a hill about 600 feet above the Mediterranean-couldn’t take your eyes off the view!

Avignon France

Posted on by Laughingnomad

knQlFSdvbI6pWFyrlGKiaM-2006172135618873.gif

Took the train from Barcelona to Avignon in the Provence area in the south of France. Stayed at Hotel Mignon on rue Joseph-Vernet. Cute little French hotel room but the smallest loo yet! Sitting on the stool, you find your knees sticking out the door!

We tried to eat at Christian Etienne’s famous restaurant so I could report to Josh but they were full up. They referred us to another restaurant with a respected chef, the Piedoie where we had a wonderful dinner at half the price.

At another fine restaurant a woman had her dog sitting on her lap during the meal. Must be acceptable in France.

Avignon is an old Roman city with narrow winding streets and is entirely enclosed by ancient Roman walls. The highlight is the Palace of the Popes-so called because the Vatican moved it’s center from Rome to Avignon for a time. Attached to the Palace is the Church of Notre Dame. Bob went to Easter mass there the morning we left. Capturing some of the incredible music on the camcorder, he reported that the chief celebrant was a cardinal…if a big red hat means anything.

In the 14th century, this city in the South of France was the seat of the papacy. The Palais des Papes, an austere-looking fortress lavishly decorated by Simone Martini and Matteo Giovanetti, dominates the city, the surrounding ramparts and the remains of a 12th-century bridge over the Rhone. Beneath this outstanding example of Gothic architecture, the Petit Palais and the Romanesque Cathedral of Notre-Dame-des-Doms complete an exceptional group of monuments that testify to the leading role played by Avignon in 14th-century Christian Europe. Avignon is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Barri Gotic Barcelona

Posted on by Laughingnomad

In Barcelona we stayed in the Lower Barri Gotic area at Hotel Peninsular at Carrer Sant Pau, 34. Two single beds; sink; window opens into central court; very clean and nice bathroom and shower down the hall; towels, soap, toilet paper even. The hotel was on a narrow side street off the Rhumba or main promenade; full of Middle Eastern and Indian businesses. Down the street away from the Rhumba and couple blocks toward the water was a pretty rough area with prostitutes standing facing the street always with one foot up flat against the wall. Excellent cafe around the corner toward Rhumba; internet about three blocks down the Rhumba toward a statue of Columbus pointing the way West.

Bob came back late to the hotel one night about midnight. Right in front of the
hotel doors three guys walked up by him. One of them asked for the time and as Bob tried to show him his watch the guy tried to trip him. The hotel proprietor, who was on the job and alert, came running out of the hotel with a club. The men run off leaving Bob rather shaken and leery.

Big Deal
The architect Gaudi has left some remarkably wonderful work including the cathedral called the Temple Expiatiori de la Sagrada Familia. It won’t be completed before 2020. I want to come back to see it even if someone has to wheel me in here! The Gaudi Park, originally built as a planned living community, failed and was taken over by the city.

Seven properties built by the architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926) in or near Barcelona testify to Gaudí’s exceptional creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Parque Güell, Palacio Büell, Casa Mila, Casa Vicens, Gaudí’s work on the Nativity façade and Crypt of the Sagrada Familia cathedral, Casa Batlló, and the Crypt in Colonia Güell represent an eclectic, as well as a very personal, style which was given free reign in the design of gardens, sculpture and all decorative arts, as well as architecture.

The work of Antoni Gaudí represents an exceptional and outstanding creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Gaudí’s work exhibits an important interchange of values closely associated with the cultural and artistic currents of his time, as represented in el Modernisme of Catalonia. It anticipated and influenced many of the forms and techniques that were relevant to the development of modern construction in the 20th century.

Gaudí’s work represents a series of outstanding examples of the building typology in the architecture of the early 20th century, residential as well as public, to the development of which he made a significant and creative contribution. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Small things
How to feel stupid in another country: buy a Metro Pass and then stand there like a dummy because you cannot figure out how to get it into the intake slot where you walk through the stiles. Finally we both figured it out at once-take the paper pass out of it’s tight clear plastic cover! If you hate feeling out of control and disoriented be sure to travel-it’ll make you flexible and tolerant!

News
The International Herald Tribune co-produces a pull-out section with whatever country it is distributed in, so for example, in Spain, the paper co-produces the pull out with El Pais, the major Spanish daily. The chairmanship of the European Union changes every six months and Spain is taking its turn so the papers are covering the EU and Basque terrorism.

Pink And Tent-like Marrakech

Posted on by Laughingnomad

Founded in 1070–72 by the Almoravids, the Medina of Marrakesh remained a political, economic and cultural centre for a long period. Its influence was felt throughout the western Muslim world, from North Africa to Andalusia. It has several impressive monuments dating from that period: the Koutoubiya Mosque, the Kasbah, the battlements, monumental doors, gardens, etc. Later architectural jewels include the Bandiâ Palace, the Ben Youssef Madrasa, the Saadian Tombs, several great residences and Place Jamaâ El Fna, a veritable open-air theatre. The area is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There is no chance of an American avoiding his/her cultural filters in a country like Morocco-just as I suspected! “Lets Go” travel guide describes Marrakech as a city of immense beauty, low, pink and tent-like before a great shaft of mountains and the book is right on. Its an immediately exciting place especially around the central square, Djemaa el Fna, the stage for shifting circles of onlookers who gather around groups of acrobats, drummers, pipe musicians, dancers, story-tellers, snake charmers and comedians.
Read More

Seville Spain

Posted on by Laughingnomad

pjSwKsKjPzr5gOYYAx9PKM-2006172115844514.gif

In Seville, found a charming pension-the Hospedaje Monreal at Calle Rodrigo Caro, in Barria de Santa Cruz-about a block from the cathedral right in the middle of maze-like Barrio Santa Cruz with its hundreds of tapas bars on narrow windy streets. The room was three flights up-no lift.

In European hotels, btw, the first floor starts on the second floor-the first foor being, I guess, the zero floor. The room was huge (relatively) with sink and french doors opening out onto a small patio overlooking the street action below-which was ok until early morning when young giggling girls, the bread delivery man and the cathedral bells all went off at once producing a cacaphony of early morning wake-up. The WC was across the hall and the shower was next to that-an interesting little cubbyhole where it took some maneuvering to figure out where to put your old clothes and your new clothes and the towel relative to your body and the water! All this on top of the fact that once you closed the door to the shower there was no light bulb/electricity.

The next day, I fired the tour guide in Seville and walked off…having a wonderful afternoon by myself…wanted to have my own experiences. (He will undoubedtly have his own version of this story but I am writing it so I get to give you my version!)

The Alcazar and the Cathedral
But we did finally get together the next day for a self guided tour with a cassette tape through the Alcazar. I want to go into some detail because it provides a backdrop for the discovery of America and because of what is happening in the world today. Sevilla was one of the earliest Moorish conquests of the Christians in 712AD. In the eleventh century it was the most powerful of the independent states to emerge and became the capitol of the last real Moorish empire in Spain from 1170 to 1212, according to Lonely Planet guidebook. The Almohads rebuilt the Alcazar, enlarged the principal mosque as an observatory so venerated that they wanted to destroy it before the Christian conquest of the city. Instead, when the Christians kicked the Moors out, the Giralda became the bell tower of what is now the Christian Cathedral. Originally the mosque was reconsecrated as the cathedral but in 1402 the cathedral was rebuilt as a new monument to Christian glory: �a building on so magnificent a scale that posterity will believe we were mad� said Pedro the Cruel. The cathedral was completed in just over a century and is the largest Gothic church in the world by cubic capacity-even the side chapels are tall enough to contain an ordinary church (that showed the Moors didn�t it!)

The Alcazar itself, used as an enormous citadel forming the heart of the town�s fortifications, was rebuilt in the Christian period by Pedro the Cruel in 1350 employing workmen from Granada (where our son Josh lived for a summer when he was in the 7th grade and where you can see other grand Moorish
structures) and utilizing fragments of earlier Moorish buildings! That work forms the nucleus of the Alcazar today-a combination of Moorish and Christian architectural elements (called Mudajar) that takes your breath away when you consider the political tenor of the world today.

A later addition includes a wing in which early expeditions to the Americas were planned. Gives you goose bumps! Seeing all this brought to memory our visit several years to Istanbul where the Blue Mosque and Saint Sophia Mosque were originally cathedrals built by Constantine before the conquest of the Christians by the Muslim Turks-even the stained glass windows with Christian motifs are still in place!

Together these three buildings form a remarkable monumental complex in the heart of Seville. The cathedral and the Alcázar – dating from the Reconquest of 1248 to the 16th century and imbued with Moorish influences – are an exceptional testimony to the civilization of the Almohads as well as that of Christian Andalusia. The Giralda minaret is the masterpiece of Almohad architecture. It stands next to the cathedral with its five naves; the largest Gothic building in Europe, it houses the tomb of Christopher Columbus. The ancient Lonja, which became the Archivo de Indias, contains valuable documents from the archives of the colonies in the Americas. The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today in Spain you can take an about right from the Alcazar and see thousands of the best jambones (hams) in the world hanging defiantly from the ceilings of the meat shops up and down the streets.

We left the city just before the Santa Semana (Holy Week) festivities when the streets become full of thousands of revelers! This phenomenon happens all over Spain but nowhere like Sevilla. Later we saw news reports of concerns about �hippies� (per the Herald Tribune) taking drugs and causing trouble. These kids seem to just roam Europe from one festival to another…hippie wannabes.

Salamanca Spain

Posted on by Laughingnomad

I just walked out of the jaw-dropping Cathedral in the beautiful old city of Salamanca a few minutes ago. Made Notre Dame in Paris look pretty tame. And there are several cathedrals in Salamanca! The city, named Cultural City of Europe, feels like you woke up one morning in the medieval age. There is hardly a sign of the 21st century-no neon signs-few cars…mostly foot traffic. Got to remember to eat before 1:00pm in Spain otherwise everything is shut down until 4:00pm and you could starve to death before the restaurants opened again at 8pm.

During the medieval age the University of Salamanca, established in 1218, was grouped with those of Bologne, Paris and Oxford as one of the four “leading lights of the world.” The University, only one of hundreds of medieval buildings lining both sides of narrow winding cobbled streets, dominates the city. The old lecture halls are open to the public. Entering the cool stone foyer where a cough echoes through the building and the outdoor noise disappears, feels like stepping into another era. The 15th century classroom has been left in more or less in its original state;students in medieval times considered the hard benches too luxurious, so most students sat on the floor.

This ancient university town north-west of Madrid was first conquered by the Carthaginians in the 3rd century B.C. It then became a Roman settlement before being ruled by the Moors until the 11th century. The university, one of the oldest in Europe, reached its high point during Salamanca’s golden age. The city’s historic centre has important Romanesque, Gothic, Moorish, Renaissance and Baroque monuments. The Plaza Mayor, with its galleries and arcades, is particularly impressive. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Today, however, Salamanca harbors a modern student scene with over 60 internet cafes… a vibrant environment with a lot happening. I could live here…but our train to Lisbon leaves tomorrow morning at 4:30am.

Paris

Posted on by Laughingnomad

From the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, from the Place de la Concorde to the Grand and Petit Palais, the evolution of Paris and its history can be seen from the River Seine. The Cathedral of Notre-Dame and the Sainte Chapelle are architectural masterpieces while Haussmann’s wide squares and boulevards influenced late 19th- and 20th-century town planning the world over. The banks of the Seine is designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The outstanding handling of new architectural techniques in the 13th century, and the harmonious marriage of sculptural decoration with architecture, has made Notre-Dame in Reims one of the masterpieces of Gothic art. The former abbey still has its beautiful 9th-century nave, in which lie the remains of Archbishop St Rémi (440–533), who instituted the Holy Anointing of the kings of France. The former archiepiscopal palace known as the Tau Palace, which played an important role in religious ceremonies, was almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th century. Notre Dame is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We have been in Paris less than 24 hours and have had many adventures already!

We found a cute little Basque restaurant last night-Bob had squid in its own ink and I had cassoulet. Soon many French men started arriving-all of them gorgeous and interesting looking-place was dripping with testosterone and Bob laughed at what he called “my flushed face.”

We sat next to two young girls from Boston who were going to the Univ of Paris. When I asked them if they were going to marry a Frenchman they pulled faces and said-No, they definitely were not! They were going to go home and marry an American! I told them I had read that in the 60’s the feminist movement was strong but that it had virtually died out. They agreed and said that the men won the feminist war in France!

This morning we set out to find an internet cafe. I walked into a book store and asked for internet. The guy pulled a face and kind of spit-more like a big “poof” out of the side of his mouth and held up both hands flat out toward me. So we walked down the street and asked a younger guy at a news stand. He did the same thing!!! “Poof” out of the side of his mouth. I laughed and pointed at the face he was making-he laughed back-he had a little English-he said the internet was for the “young.” Don’t know what he considered himself-he looked to be late 20’s. Then he said France was small and didn’t need the internet and that the post was better. I think he was pulling my leg so to speak. So we laughed and walked away, eventually finding our treasure.

Bob is amazed at all the little green maintenance men with green brooms riding in green little trucks and on green motorcycles!

We had asked the manager at the hotel we were in in London what advice he had for us in France since he had worked here for 2 years and was going to Nice to work soon. He said that in rural France to try to pronounce French with a sarcastic tone and “they will like you better!” He said that people in rural France regard Parisian French as “snooty.” What do we know. We still have to find out how to get on the train!

Climbing In Nepal

Posted on by Laughingnomad

Bob climbs mountains in Nepal, including Everest base camp, on two different occasions…in 1998 and in 2000. I’m waiting for him to tell his own story. He likes
layovers in Bangkok especially.

The cultural heritage of the Kathmandu Valley is illustrated by seven groups of monuments and buildings which display the full range of historic and artistic achievements for which the Kathmandu Valley is world famous. The seven include the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu), Patan and Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu and Bauddhanath, and the Hindu temples of Pashupati and Changu Narayan. The valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Istanbul Turkey

Posted on by Laughingnomad

According to political geograpy Turkey is half in Europe and half in Asia. But since it is ethnically and culturally closer to the Middle East I have categorized as such. With its strategic location on the Bosphorus peninsula between the Balkans and Anatolia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, Istanbul has been associated with major political, religious and artistic events for more than 2,000 years. Its masterpieces include the ancient Hippodrome of Constantine, the 6th-century Hagia Sophia and the 16th-century Süleymaniye Mosque and other historical sites. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the way back from the Kyrgyzstan trek we stayed over a week in Istanbul before taking the plane back to the states.

Staying in a little guesthouse in the Sultanahmet area, we were within walking distance to the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the Old Bazaar. I enjoyed a traditional Turkish Bath in a beautiful huge centuries old bath house with stained glass ceiling letting muted sun filter below. I was scrubbed clean by a lady…and then led to lie nude along with other women on a huge slab of marble that was heated from below. Lovely.

An older gentleman from the trek was laying over in Istanbul too and staying in the same guesthouse. We planned on meeting him for a breakfast out but when the time came and went we became concerned. The next day he told us of his “adventure.” He had woken early and decided to walk down to the wharf to watch the fishermen bring in their haul. Unfortunately he met up with a couple guys who decided he was good for a few dollars. They forced him into a car, drove around for a couple hours all the while demanding his wallet. But this old guy was indomitable and stubbornly refused to give it up. Finally, his captors let him out. But he had no idea where he was. It took the better part of the rest of the day for him to find his way back. At least he was left in one piece!

The underground cistern was particularly interesting. No longer used for water, a walkway led past a statue of a head of Medusa…turned upside down and placed under a supporting pillar. Quite the Turk comment on a historical dispute with Greece.

The food was glorious…complex flavors of aubergine, tomato and spices blended perfectly together. Ummmmmm.

But a week in Istanbul…let alone in Turkey…was far too short. I will return.

A Dacha In Samarkand

Posted on by Laughingnomad

7Z3XBdt3hLmJjqkmk2I6k0-2006190121351559.gif

After coming off the Kyrgyzstan trek, Peter, our trip leader, had arranged for us to go to Samarkand in Uzbekistan before continuing on up to Tashkent for the flight home via a week in Istanbul Turkey.

Beautiful…magical Samarkand…with more history than you can imagine. The population (412,300 in 2005) is the third-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of Samarkand Province. The city is most noted for it’s central position on the Asian Silk Road between China and the west.

We stayed at an old Russian “dacha” (summer home) used by Communist party members before the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Everyone was excited about a real shower, a real sit-down toilet and real beds. You line up there for toilet paper…someone said…pointing to a heavy babushka (old woman) sitting officiously behind a small table in the entry way. “No! No! Not tonight,” she grumbled loudly. “Tomorrow morning…toilet paper!” We were incredulous! But the sit-down toilets have no paper….we groaned. “No, No, Not tonight” she repeated. Someone else’s room didn’t have electric lights so an old guy was sent off to investigate…never did find out if light was discovered. Some rooms had tv’s with snowy reception of Russian programs…we were hoping to get some news but there was nothing we could decipher.

So gratefully, we all sat down on real sit-down benches at a real table in the garden outside the dacha for a feast after 18 days and nights eating on the ground. There was a smattering of Russians who joined us that were not on the trek…police…Peter said. One, who had too much too drink, bragged menacingly about how much power he used to have and now he was nobody. “Don’t answer him,” Peter advises.

Despite its status as the second city of Uzbekistan, the majority of the city’s inhabitants are Tajik-speaking. In 2001, after several abortive attempts, UNESCO inscribed the 2700-year-old city on the World Heritage List as Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures.