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With only 2 places left on the bluelist, I was determined to see Moscow and stand in Red Square.Problem was, its expensive and none of my friends fancied going. Adventure Company don’t run trips there, so I signed up with a company called On The Go tours.They didn’t do just a trip to Moscow, it was called the Vodka shot tour, and included 2 days in St Petersburg and an overnight train to Moscow as well as the ubiquitous 2 days in Moscow.Id never been struck by St Petersburg, so looked at the trip there as a bonus.
Here I stand at Eternal flame, on the Fields of Mars. |
| It was Russia after all, and after 90 minutes getting through passport control, where the staff on the gate simply walked away and left us helpless, I realised this was the start of things to come.My bag wasn’t there when I got through, our guide Artem spoke to them. Although they treated us with indifference, the procedure was explained.I had to fill in 2 forms for the administrator (as a matter of routine), once checked I had to fill in 2 forms for the security team (in case my bag had been impounded.Once these forms had been filled in, I was permitted to speak to the lost luggage official, who had 2 further forms for me to fill in.
This process took more than 45 minutes. On one occasion, I had filled in 2 very detailed forms, and a full stop on one, wasn’t duplicated on the other, which they flagged up to my annoyance. After all of this, the lost luggage official had a quick look at the computer and pointed out that my bag was still in Paris. It would be 40 hours before I would be re-united with my bag. Nobody at the airport looked concerned if I ever saw it again, and I believe that without Artem, I wouldn’t have. Never mind, we all leave the airport, jump on a coach, and we are off to our hotel. |
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There were some pretty cool people on the trip although I was surprised at just how many there were (I think there were something like 24 all together). |
| We were all taken to a briefing room in the hotel for some advise and also shown loads of optional excursions that we could sign up for.I thought charging admission to the Hermitage was a bit unreasonable on a pre-paid tour, but there was a trip to the Ballet, that was only 40 quid, so these sort of balanced out.Artem took us all to a bar across the road. It was pretty good inside and they had their own micro brewery. |  |
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The next day, we are up for breakfast, then jump in the coach for a morning tour of St Petersburg.Several times, our coach was stopped by the police, for a routine inspection of “papers” (basically, they saw it was full of tourists and stopped our driver for a bribe).Artem said simply “The police are not here to help you”.We stop of at St Isaac’s square.
The square features 3 interesting sight’s all in the same square. This statue of Tsar Nicholas I has pictures on the pedestal, said to be of his wife and daughters. It also has scenes from his life (2 of the scenes show suppression of rebellions). |
| St Isaac’s Cathedral.Thousands of wooden piles were sunk into the marshy ground to act as foundations for the building.St Petersburg suffers sever flooding, and although beautiful to look at, you have to wonder why it was built there (its said after only 3 months of construction, everything Tsar Peter had built was washed away, but he carried on regardless).During the soviet era, the Cathedral was designated as a museum and is still technically one now. |  |
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The Astoria hotel.American write John Ree author of the famous eyewitness account of the revolution Ten Days that Shook the World, was staying here when the Bolsheviks seized power.Hitler had famously arranged a banquet here to celebrate his conquest of the city. A victory, which never came.Whilst I found some of the Russians I met (most of them in fact) to be obnoxious and offensive, there was little doubt that they were a proud people.
Artem talked proudly about the siege of Leningrad and the courage of the ordinary people who had stood against the Nazis. |
| Artem was very modern and enthusiastic. Standing in the square he gives an impromptu talk on Modern Russia.The trip was a real whirlwind, and I don’t think I ever got to thank him for his enthusiasm throughout the week. |  |
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St Nicholas Cathedral.Founded by Sailors and Admiralty employees, it took its name after the patron saint of Sailors where it later became know as the “Sailors church”.The 4 tiered bell tower opposite has an unusual folklore tale attached.Its said that a local man, climbed to the top, to fix it, and was awarded a certificate of free beer for life.
He repeatedly (and quite understandably) lost the certificate many times, and in the end, the award was tattooed onto his neck. Today, if a St Petersburg ‘er is in the mood for drinking and offered one, they will sometimes point at their neck, in the place where the free beer tattoo was located. |
| The old war dog of the soviet Union.No, not the people in the picture, they were a really nice couple from London (The chap on the left acted as camera man for my Red Square podcast).The ubiquitous Lada. Simple DIY mechanics and un-pretentious functionality have made this the international symbol of Russia and a success all over the the world (it is the only car brand, to exist on every continent).In line with its un-pretentiousness, Lada UK, sponsor Aldershot football team. |  |
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Field of Mars, a swamp which was drained, and used for practicing military manoeuvres takes its name from Mars, the Roman god of war.The Eternal flame nearby (built in 1957) commemorates the victims of the Revolution and the Civil war.I was awed by how seriously the Russians treated the passing of their war dead.Whatever criticism could be laid at the Russian people, a lack of appreciation of the sacrifice of others in war, isn’t one of them. |
| We stop of at Vasilevskiy Island.The famous Rostral columns were originally designed for use as light houses (they are 32m high).The ridiculous looking boat features, are inspired from Italy, where it was common to decorate castles and the like with the remnants of defeated ships. |  |
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As we drive around, we park up to take some pictures, and across the waterways is the impressive image of the Hermitage. |
| Millionaires street, takes its name from the expensive properties located on it.The house at no 12 Millionaires street, witnessed the end of the Romanov dynasty.It was here that Grand Duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich, Nicholas II’s brother, signed the decree of abdication in March 1917. |  |
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Alexander Column in palace square built to commemorate victory over Napoleonic France.It was, rather ironically, created by Auguste de Montferrand,the same architect who built St Isaac’s Cathedral, who was French.The column itself is made from a single piece of granite, 83 feet long. |
| Palace square taken from the Winter palace.The scene of massive protests during the 1991 Coup.General staff building, the headquarters for the Russian army. Carlo Rossi demolished an entire row of houses to build it.It was near here, that I went into a bank to change some money.
The 3 security guards there, though heavily armed, were quite friendly. I asked one of them where the money exchange was, as he turned around to speak to me, I had a scorpion machine pistol pointed at my face. It was good natured, and he gestured with the automatic weapon, towards the exchange. Not an every day occurrence in my life. |
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The Hermitage. Incorporating the breathtaking staterooms of the Winter Palace, the world famous Hermitage holds nearly three million exhibits ranging from fine arts to archaeological finds.As we enter the Hermitage, we climb Rastrelli’s masterly staircase and are met with this scene at the top.The overall splendour of the building of almost impossible to capture. |
| This was one of the many state rooms in the Palace, it actually featured solid gold paint throughout.Our guide Tanya mentioned that a popular dish cooked for visitors was bears paw.It sounded horrendous to me.When you imagine that the Royal family lived like this and millions of people were freezing and starving, its not hard to see why there was a revolution. |  |
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Only officially registered guides are allowed to give tours of the Hermitage.Tanya, the operations manager of our tour company had taken up the reigns from Artem.This famous peacock clock was designed and built by the London jewell’er and goldsmith James Cox.His fertile imagination generated ideas that were then turned into reality by the craftsmen and mechanics of his company.
Its the largest automaton clock of its kind in the world, and features 4 mechanisms. 3 animate the birds and animals, and the 4th actually keeps the time. It works like this: 1. At the end of each hour the owl begins working. Its cage rotates, little bells ring, the owl turns its head to right and left, blinking its eyes and tapping its right foot. The cage makes twelve rotations and stops. 2. Roughly ninety seconds after the owl starts moving its mechanism starts up the peacock. It spreads its tail, stretches its neck, turns and throws back its head, opening its beak. When its tail is fully spread, the bird freezes for a second. Then it smoothly turns its tail to the viewers, again freezes for a moment, returns to its starting position, folds its tail and lowers its head. 3. At the end of its cycle the peacock mechanism starts the cockerel. After shaking its head several times, it crows. It was a gift from Grigori Alexandrovich Potemkin (secretly her husband) to Catherine the Great. |
| Another of the elaborate rooms in the palace.I’ve seen some pretty amazing things while I’ve been travelling, but I have really never seen a palace as elaborate as this, it was astounding.It must have also taken hundreds or thousands of people to maintain it.The palace even had its own theatre, but it was closed when we arrived. |  |
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Other parts of the Hermitage, are museums of various kinds.Here in the classical arts section, is one of 2 pictures painted by Leonardo Divinci, The Litta Madonna. |
| The Royal family, even had their own ancient Egypt museum. |  |
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In the contemporary arts section, was Ea Haere Ia Oe (where are you going), painted by Paul Gauguin. |
Year: 2004
Visiting Gibraltar on the way to Morocco.
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I decided to attend a Desert survival course, run by Survival school.
We flew Luton to Gibraltar in order to get the ferry across to Africa. |
| The plane comes in quite low over water, during the landing.
I don’t fly very well, and was a little unnerved by this, although the view was excellent. |
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Because Gibraltar is quite small, the runway isn’t permanent.
A road running through Gibraltar has to be closed each time a plane comes in to Land. |
| A Picture of the famous Rock.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get time to walk to the top (well we did on the way back, but after 10 days in Africa we chose to have fish and chips and a few pints instead). |
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I really liked Gibraltar.
It was like being in Britain, but with Spanish weather. The people there, were also extremely patriotic, the main street in Gibraltar is named after Britain’s greatest “son”. |
| On the way out, we walk from Gibraltar in Spain.
It was weird landing in one country, then walking only 200 metres to the customs and emigration of another. |
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Long weekend in Paris with a long awaited trip to the Louvre.
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A friend and I went to visit Paris for a few days.
Off we travelled at the hospitality of those orange uniformed people at Easyjet. I booked our accommodation on hostelworld.com I unfortunately, didn’t realize it was right in the middle of the red light district. Still, the tackiness of the venue made the trip exciting. Here, Frances stands in front of the Eiffel tower. I know that the tower and tourism are a bit of a cliché, but as anyone who has ever stood in front of it will tell you, it is spectacular. |
| To complete the Cliché theme, I am photographed under the Arc de Triomphe.
There is a roundabout right near here, which is terrifying to look at, as it has something like 9 lanes. The Weather was fantastic the whole time we were there. |
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Although I have been to Paris before, I have never visited the Louvre, so we made straight for it.
We sat outside in the sun next to the controversial pyramid. We spent most of our evening, having dinner on river boat restaurants, and we also managed to find an Irish pub that sold pints, so I was sorted. |
| I am not much into art, so I don’t know the names or the details of the pictures on this page (apart from Mona Lisa obviously).
I just took pictures and enjoyed the things that I found inspiring. Here, a Chandelier, which is around 20 feet wide. I wonder how long it took to make. |
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In this picture, my friend stands next to the biggest picture I have ever seen.
The Louvre had a section on interiors, on pictures and on sculptures to name but a few. The guidebook we had said a full appreciation of the Louvre would take a minimum of 4 days !. There were thousands upon thousands of pictures like this. |
| Been to Paris before, but never seen it, and ALWAYS wanted to.
What must easily be the most famous picture of all time. This was the closest I could get to it, as the crowd around it didn’t wane in the 3 hours that I was there. It was everything I thought it would be. |
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Part of the sculpture section.
The light and ambience in this room had to be experienced to be believed. it was like sitting in the heavens. As I said in the Gaudi section about Barcelona, I am not really what you would call cultured, but this was almost a spiritual moment for me !. |
Frank’s birthday weekend in Dublin.
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The Celebrate Franks Birthday, we went to Dublin for 3 days.It was a smart trip, here we recline in the Airport Lounge, shortly after arriving in Dublin. |
| Here Frank poses in our simple yet comfortable b+b.It was a bit white, but made a good base for the many drinking sessions and shopping trips we did throughout the break. |  |
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Frank and I went with a friend Andy and his girlfriend.Here we relax in our hotel lobby, and not surprisingly we had a few drinks. |
| The famous Library.It’s several hundred years old, and its practically impossible to describe the atmosphere in this room. |  |
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Franks x and a few hangers on, met up with us, for a night of debauchery. |
| This picture is taken inside the temple bar.A really famous bar that lends its name to one of the most popular districts in Dublin.
These Chaps singing are called fiddlers three. They seemed quite honest to me ! |
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Meet an old friend from Brussels, a wandering “Fin” and visit Athens, the birthplace of democracy (2/2).
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The hotel foyer was pretty lively in the evening, had free internet, and since you could bring your own drinks, was a pretty cheap/excellent venue for the evening.
All the backpackers looked so young, I wondered if I really was getting old. The following day, Mia found out that they were on a school trip, and actually they were 12-13 🙂 |
| Back to the Polish bar, for a couple of drinks.
At one point, Paul decides he doesn’t want to be photographed, and does his famous “kung fu arms”. A large figure at the bar kept looking over his shoulder at us. We later realized (when he got up to break up a fight !) that he was the owner, and as his best customers, he was just looking after us. The bar staff seemed very surprised to be tipped. |
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Back to my room to relax and watch some programs on my playstation portable and backup the days photos.
It had a double bed, a “proper” desk and chair and a TV, with the BBC world service (and loads of other programs in Greek). It also had a balcony, although that wasn’t a great deal of use in winter. |
| The following morning, we head out exploring again. The archaeological museum was only 500 meters away.
After an earthquake in 1999 the museum was closed for 3 years whilst many of the artefacts were repaired. |
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Two beautifully made bronze cups.
The glass in the museum was amazing, it looked like it wasn’t actually there, and I had to take this shot especially to show it. |
| In addition to the exotic artefacts, the museum also featured practical exhibits like this baking dish, used for making bread. |  |
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The museum has the largest collection of Bronze statues in the world.
This internationally famous sculpture the Youth from Antikythera. Seven feet tall, it was found in the area of a Roman shipwreck. apparently, the phrase larger than life, comes from statues like this, which were designed to be about 12 inches taller than the subject. |
| Horse and Jockey of Artemision.
A horse racing at full gallop, with its young rider clinging to the back. Sculpture isn’t normally my thing, but these to statues were really atmospheric, and you felt like an emotional and physical snapshot of the moment, had been taken by the sculpture. |
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Mia wanted to go and see the Monastiraki flea market.Normally, the area is considered seedy, but on a Sunday morning, it comes alive.
There are a number of small jewellery shops in the area, and I notice a lot of Army surplus shops. |
| This was the most fascinating market I have ever visited.
They had 100 year old working telephones, machine guns left behind by the Nazis after the occupation and just about every kind of useful and useless artefact you could think off. |
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The Roman Agora.
This took over many of the business functions of the Greek Agora, once the Romans had invaded and settled in. |
| The Tower of winds.
There are different symbols on each side, so the direction of the wind will for example position a pointer of an icon of a sailor, signifying good sailing wind. On top, is a fairly complex water clock, and a series of sundials. |
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Hadrian’s library.
Built in the first century, it was actually a temple and philosophical center. |
| Theatre of Herodes Atticus.
Although it looked spectacular, all of the seating that you can see, is modern, and only the back wall is authentic. Also, due to some lacklustre placement of fencing, it was practically impossible to get a good shot of it, I was sat on a friends back while taking this !. |
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Theatre of Dionysos on the slopes of the Acropolis.When first built, it could seat 15,000 people on simple stone benches.
I was delighted that it hadn’t been cordoned off, and that I could sit in it, and be photographed. |
| The new Acropolis museum.
This will replace the rather small museum at the top of the acropolis. It sits bellow the acropolis, but the acropolis above can be seen through a glass wall. Wasn’t completed when I was there, but during construction a Christian village was found on the site of the foundations. The builders have actually raised the museum above it, with a glass floor, to create a sort of living museum effect. Its intended that the “British” will return the Marbles, now that a suitable museum is available (fine chance !). |
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Temple of Olympian zeus.
Of the original 104 columns, only 15 remain. This picture was taken through the fence, as the staff, closed the exhibit half an hourly early. |
| For town planners, it must have presented a nightmare, as the 2 goals of keeping the city authentic, but also developing it with a modern infrastructure would have appeared to conflict.
This picture shows one of the solutions they had found, where a busy walkway is positioned around an ancient village beneath. |
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The Grande Bretagne hotel.Arguably the best hotel in Athens, it was used as the German headquarters for 3 and a half years, where Hitler was a regular guest. |
| The Greek parliament building in Syntagma Square.
Evzone Presidential guards. Serving in this regiment of only 200 men, is the highest honour a Greek soldier can hold. Shame then, that he has to dress like an idiot, but I wouldn’t want to mess with him !. |
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After an amazing weekend, we head for the airport I bed farewell to my old friend Paul and my new found friend, Mia, wandering Fin. |
| Paul and Mia’s flight was earlier than mine, so I had a few hours to kill on my own.
Its the first airport I have been to, which has a museum inside. I spent more than an hour in here, its a shame more airports don’t do something similar. |
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Meet an old friend from Brussels, a wandering “Fin” and visit Athens, the birthplace of democracy (1/2).
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An old friend from the Firkin, Paul Nightingale moved away to Brussels with his job (I dont mean he put it under his arm and took it with him, he was asked to relocate by his employer !).
We usually meet up to visit different places in Europe. Last year we went to Krakow, this time it was the birthplace of Democracy – Athens. A picture of me standing in front of the Parthenon. |
| It wasn’t possible to get a direct flight from Liverpool or Manchester, so I flew via Heathrow, and had the pleasure of BA.
The problem with this, was that door to door, the journey took 12 hours, a lot longer than your normal Easyjet/Europ weekend combination. The good news was that being BA, the flight and hospitality made for a much more pleasant trip. I got to the airport and decided to get a taxi (its not smart to wander around a country you have just arrived in, when its dark). I arrived at our budget hotel, and was delighted to find the proprietor, very friendly, and my room spotlessly clean. |
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I met up with Paul, and we decided to go out for the evening and unwind, with a quick pint, to “take the edge of us”.
A Polish bar right near the hotel was atmospheric and efficiently run, so we got settled there. Paul introduced me to his friend Mia from Finland, a charming girl, who like me has a written down list of countries she wants to visit. |
| In the Polish bar, I meet a Pole, wearing a Man City shirt.
My brother and my friend Frank are big fans of City’s so I couldn’t resist a picture. I find Poles amazing people. Although immensely hard working and friendly, they don’t seem smile very often. On the way home, we stopped of for a Kebab, and then got an early night in advance of the following days adventuring. |
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The following morning, we get up early for breakfast. There is nothing worse than leaving breakfast, getting out and about in a city, being struck by hunger pangs and then eating rubbish at the nearest restaurant.
Far better, to fill up early, and then plan for a 2pm stop off for lunch, at a recommended eatery, which is usually cheaper and much better. We pass the Kerameikos, the classical cemetery of Athens with its symbol, a marble bull. |
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It was amazing to walk around the Agora, it was just like any ordinary relaxing park, but had artefacts going back thousands of years, all around it.
This is me standing next to Tholos the site of the 50 member executive committee of the first parliament. |
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The temple of Hephaestus.
It is said that Athenian pillars have had the greatest architectural influence in history. |
| At the back, showing the insides of the temple of Hephaestus.
The area was cordoned of, so you couldn’t walk around in there. |
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Walking around the monument of the eponymous heroes.
Not much remains, but originally, Citizens were divided into 10 tribes, each represented by a different Atican hero. |
| Drains aren’t something I would normally go out of my way to see, but there are some of the first man made drains, ever created.
When there is a sever downpour in the park, they still actually work, and clear the excess water, thousand of years after they were created. |
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The Odeon of Agrippa.
Built in the 1st Century as a theatre, it was destroyed in 267 by the Herulians. In the 5th Century a sprawling palace was built, and the pillars formed a spectacular entrance. |
| Standing outside the Agora museum. The outside pillared wall, made for a superb photo opportunity, in the way that it “led the eye”
Unfortunately, several attempts at using the timer on my camera failed, and we eventually relied on a passing tourist to take this picture. |
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We visited several museums, throughout the week
This museum, featured only artefacts that had been removed from the Agora. |
| There were some pretty innovative things on display.
This stone, had special runs, so balls could be inserted, and they would randomly select Athenian citizens for Jury service. |
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The Panathenaic way, leads form the gate of the Agora, to the Acropolis above.
It was used centuries ago for processions, to honor the worthy. |
| The Christian Saint, Paul used to pray on a rock high above Athens.
These century old steps led to the spot. |
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Me sitting on Paul’s prayer spot, high above Athens.
Many Christians make a pilgrimage to this rock. It certainly has spectacular views of the city. |
| We went for the usual trick, of choosing somewhere to eat, based on the number of local people that were already eating there.
We weren’t disappointed. I don’t think I have ever eaten so much superb grilled meat in a single weekend. |
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| We head up to the Acropolis.
This is the Propylaea which only Athenian citizens were allowed to work through, to enter the Acropolis. |
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A better picture of the Parthenon, without me standing in front of it. |
| The calf bearer, one of the famous symbols of Athens (and one of the few interesting things worth looking at in the museum).
Created in 570 BC. |
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The pine-covered slopes of Filopappos Hill, seen from the top of the Acropolis.
It was pretty cold at the top, you can probably guess this from the expression of my 2 photographic subjects. |
| To the left of the Acropolis, is the Temple of Athena Nike.
Her, our home grown Athena, the wandering Fin, gets there first. |
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Long Weekend in Venice (2/2).
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A river taxi travelling along the Grand Canal, near the Rialto Bridge. |
| Venice is served by two airports.Treviso where we flew with Ryanair, and Marco Polo, normally serviced by Easyjet.
Marco Polo Airport, is actually “on the water” and in the case of hotels like this one, that have moorings, its possible to get a water taxi direct from the airport to your hotel. |
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The Rialto bridge, in the centre of the business district of Venice.Unlike places like Portmerion in Wales (which I like a lot) Venice is not an “experimental village” but a fully functioning City, with all the usual kind of facilities and trade, you might find in any other City throughout the world. |
| The view from the Rialto Bridge, one of the amazing sights of Venice. |  |
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Venice was originally designed by Leonardo Da Vinci.It was constructed from Wooden posts, hammered into the surface. Because they are hammered in so tightly, there is no oxygen there, no algie can grow, and the Wood never rots.
Once it was built, the lagoon floodgates were opened, and canals filled the City. This is one of the buildings, and shows how the Buildings seem to “float” on the water. |
| Ponte degli Scalzi, which replaced a previous Austrian built Iron bridge in 1934. |  |
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Venice train station.I remember Lee and I sitting on these steps, more than a decade ago eating slices of Pizza, that cost the equivalent of 50p each.
Inside, the station hasn’t changed much at all. |
| The Ghetto district.Like Capital in Rome, its local district name, became generic throughout the world.
This was the first Ghetto in the world. |
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The Giardinetti Reali (Royal Gardens).Just as the guidebook had said, most people visit the City during the day and go home early evening.
The place was very quiet and serene after about 7pm. |
| I wanted to visit the famous “Harry’s Bar” on the waterfront, facing the Lagoon.In times gone by, Ernest Hemingway and other famous writers and adventurers used to drink here.
I thought it would a pretty authentic place to write up my notes, and prepare the wording of these web pages. |
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The reality was quite different.The staff were Italian, Sarah and I are British, and EVERYONE else was American.
None of the guests looked much like writers, and I think the only reason they let us in, was because of Sarah’s pretty dress. I got Sarah a Belini (a famous Venetian drink, originally invented in Harry’s) and asked for a Beer. They sanctimoniously told me, that they didn’t sell Beer. I ended up paying £6.50 for a glass of coke. Overall, a fiasco, but on the plus side, Sarah quite liked the place, so it wasn’t a complete waste of time. |
| Another shot of the beautiful waterways of Venice.The famous explorer Marco Polo, came from this part of Venice. |  |
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The statue of Daniele Manin, a statesman who fought tirelessly for the freedom of Venice.Leader of the 1848 uprising, he stands on Campo Manin staring towards the house where he once lived. |
| In the evening, as we walk back to our hotel, on the 2nd night, I notice this picture, painted on the wall. |  |
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In the morning, we rise early, have breakfast, and then head out for a relaxing walk along the waterfront next to the Lagoon.We arrive at the famous Arsenal.
This was the first naval shipyard in Europe. For the first time, weapons and munitions were created using a production line. The shipyard became so effective, that a visitor described it as an Arsenal (meaning “house of industry” in Arabic) and the name stuck. |
| Wandering around the back streets, I see one of these tiny alleyways, that interconnect the houses and courtyards. |  |
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Palazzo Contarini del BovoloHidden in a maze of alleyways, it took ages to find. Navigation wasn’t helped massively by a complete lack of signs and the photo in the guidebook, that made it look like the building was on the waterfront (its actually contained in a courtyard).
Bovolo means snail shell in Venetian and and this is meant to describe the “fairytale” staircase of the building, constructed in the 1500’s. |
| We had sit down meals, for each of our lunches and dinners during the trip, and the feed could only be called excellent.We decided to buy some street food, and eat on the move, as we explored with the last few hours available on our trip.
This just shows the sort of take away food you can get in Venice. Its a shame nobody has a shop like that in Chester. |
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Destroyed by fire 1836 the opera house, gained its name La Fenice (The Phoenix) after it was rebuilt.It burned down again in 1996 and was re-opened in 2004.
I would have loved to watch a performance there, but this was a budget trip after all. |
| The Peggy Guggenheim gallery in Venice.High brow art, isn’t really my thing, but there are 2 interesting (well I think so) things about this gallery.
1. Jackson Pollock, has an entire room set aside to his work in this Gallery. Pollock was a discovery of Peggy Guggenheim. 2. If like me, you watch the L Word, and wondered who the inspiration for the character Peggy Peabody was, it was Peggy Guggenheim (although she doesn’t have a daughter called Helena). |
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Sadly, nothing lasts forever (although cricket sometimes feels like it will never end!) and we get the water bus to the coach station and begin our trip home.Venice is a great short break City since its not on a lot of “stag do” destination lists.
I decided to re-visit the interailing destinations I enjoyed in my youth. That means Paris, Munich and Amsterdam have been added to the blue list. |
Long Weekend in Venice (1/2).
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It’s more than a decade, since I visited Venice, while interailing around Europe.
We decided on a return visit, with a hotel, rather than sleeping overnight on a train. |
| Our first sight of Venice, is this amazing view, as the road on stilts heads out across an enormous Lagoon, that houses the Canals and buildings of Venice. |  |
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Our 2nd sight of Venice isn’t so inspiring.
The Bus station, was a bit drab. Just above the tops of the buses, is the roof of the newest bridge, the Ponte di Calatrava (due for completion December 07) Traditionally there have only been 3 bridges that cross the “reverse s”). |
| Its possible to get a boat direct from the bus station, to St Marks square where we were staying, but we decided to get out and enjoy the weather.
We wander along, next to the Canal, looking at the amazing buildings and Gondola’s for hire. |
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Our hotel was right next to St Marks square, and one side of it, was next to the main Gondola Taxi rank. |
| Inside, the hotel was lovely, and the staff very polite and helpful (which reassured me about using expedia, after my experiences in Beijing).
After the stress of travelling, we unpacked our bags, got showered and changed, and headed out to see the sights. |
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After a quick wander around the square, we decided to get something to eat.
We found a restaurant next to the academia bridge (built in the 1930’s out of wood, as a temporary solution, it remains there to this day). Two superb Pizzas and an exquisite bottle of wine follow. |
| As we enjoyed our evening meal, we could see Gondola’s sailing along the Grand Canal.
A common misconception (probably due to Cornetto ice-cream adverts) is that the Gondola pilot, will immediately break into song, as you set of on your journey. In reality, this doesn’t happen at all. In this picture however, a couple had hired a Gondola, pilot and a professional opera singer to serenade them on their journey. |
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As it begins to get dark, we walk back towards Saint Marks square.
Hundreds of restaurant tables were placed out in the square for dinning (we decided not to eat here, as we had been told it was very expensive). A Jazz band had a stage set up, and the square filled with music. |
| Probably the best technical picture I have taken so far.
Having finally worked out how to keep the shutter open on my camera, and holding the camera really steady, I was able to take this shot of the square at night, with the moon in the background. |
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Torre dell’Orologio.
The famous 15th Century astronomical clock. |
| I took this shot of Campanile, sitting on my back.
As stated before, one of the problems with short breaks, is the lack of time to queue. A shame really, I would have loved to see the view from the top of the clock tower. Originally built in 1172 as a lighthouse, to aid navigation across the lagoon. It collapsed with little warning on the 14th of July 1902, and had to be rebuilt. |
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The Basilica of Saint Mark. |
| Photographed up close, on the Basilica, is the symbol of Venice, the Bronze Lion of St Mark (The Winged Lion). |  |
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A closed shot from the side, shows the stupendous architecture and its Byzantine influences. |
| One of the famous Facade Mosaics.
This shows the smuggling out of Alexandria of St Marks body, reputedly under slices of port to deter prying Muslims. |
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Next to the Basilica, the Doge’s palace.
I found out that the famous adventurer and seducer Casanova, was one of the few people ever to escape from the Palace Prison. |
| Photo showing the walkway next to the doges palace.
An account of Casanova’s escape, taken from the official Venice website: Casanova left the Piombi on the night between 31 October and 1 November 1756. Digging up the wooden planks with a makeshift tool he climbed out of his cell onto the roof and then down into an attic. Crossing the whole palace he reached the golden staircase where he was seen by a guard who mistook him for a politician who’d been locked in and let him out. A legend says he stopped for a coffee in San Marco square before fleeing by sea on a gondola. |
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Columns of San Marco and San Teodoro.
When the sacking of Constantinople was completed 2 huge columns of granite were removed and erected in the square in 1172. They marked the entrance to the City of Venice, in the days when the City could only be reached by Ship from the Lagoon. At one time, criminals were executed there, and even today, superstitious Venetians will not walk between the Columns. |
| Beyond the columns, A view out across the Lagoon, from the docks at St Marks Square. |  |
A visit to Borneo, beautiful islands, amazing culture and kadazan headhunters (3/3).
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Our final destination that day, the Kota Kinabalu Zoo.The Zoo was quite new. It was an excellent attraction ,so I was surprised how empty it was.
Our guide said it hadn’t caught on yet, but by the same time next year it would be full every weekend. |
| The layout of the Zoo, gave the animals plenty of room to move around, unlike the Zoo I saw in Beijing.It was also obvious that the Sabah climate was more suited to the Tiger’s than say the UK. |  |
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As we wander around, we see baby elephants. |
| This animal is called a brown bear, which is a bit daft, considering its obviously black. |  |
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A few days earlier, some of the people on the trip, had flown to Sepilok Island, to see the Orang Utan’s.This is a picture of a 23 foot python, taken at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in 1999. |
| The bird house was enormous, and had fine wire mesh around the outside, and netting across the top.The birds were very friendly and accommodating, and as you can see, this Crane, hardly notice we were there. |  |
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The thing I really wanted to see. Orang Utan’s.Roughly translated from Malaysian, Orang Utan, means literally Wild Man.
They are some of the friendliest creatures I have ever seen. If you visit Sepilok, you actually get to hold them, and stuff like that, which we didn’t get to do in the Zoo. On the other hand, that requires a flight to Sepilok Island, and the Zoo is just a taxi ride away. |
| As I saw this, I was reminded of my bushcraft training.The things that separates humans from most of the animal kingdom, is a posable thumb (which Orang Utan’s have) and the ability to fashion tools as needed.
Here the Orang Utan uses a carefully selected sharp piece of rock, to break open this piece of bamboo. |
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Much less talked about, and unique to the Island, are proboscis Monkeys.They have quite a unique shaped nose.
After I returned from the day out, I spent a couple of days relaxing around the town, getting sunburned, sitting by the ocean etc. |
| I wasn’t massively looking forward to half a day of climbing, but I wanted to get back into the adventure stuff, after a few days of r and r.These excellent guys from Mountain TORQ were the same company that run the highest Via Ferrata in the world on Kota Kinabalu. |  |
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I had decided a few weeks before heading to Borneo that I would give up climbing (the truth is, I was never very good at it anyway).I was booked on the climbing anyway, and I hate to waste an opportunity.
I had a quick go that morning, and reconfirmed, that I really don’t enjoy climbing at all, and that it does nothing for me. There was a superb waterfall nearby. |
| While enjoying the waterfall, I shouted encouragement to my friends still climbing.The waterfall, was raised up from the jungle floor, so I was able to get this superb picture of Gill climbing.
Gill was virtually never at the hotel, and spent every available moment, either in the jungle, or doing some other activity. She worked as a chemist, and joked that when she went to see the Dr, she was always able to tell him what medication she needed, rather than what was wrong with here 🙂 |
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I was running out of free days, and I really wanted to have an intro diving session.I got the mini bus to drop me at Jesselton harbour on the way back from climbing, hopped on a boat, and headed out to the island. |
| I had a bad experience on the barrier reef some years ago, and ended up being rushed into my first dive.I found the experience extremely frightening, and decided not continue.
Considering that not every outdoor pursuit is for me (I don’t like Skiing for example) I had always wondered if I would have enjoyed the dive, given a little more time. I met up with Richard from down bellow divers. He gave me a 40 minute brief on theory, we had lunch and then I got suited up. Intro dives, are a bit more expensive in Borneo, than they are in say Wales, but I think the background of this pictures, shows you why. |
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Richard showed me how all the equipment worked.He really was excellent at teaching.
We got into the water, and I had a go at holding my breath under the water and breathing. Unfortunately, after 40 minutes, it was obvious, that I wasn’t going to be able to do it. Each time, I could hold my head under, until my breath ran out, I couldn’t get used to breathing, and ended up panicking each time. I was slightly disappointed, but as Richard reasonably pointed out, you came here to find out if you could do it, and now you know. Diving isn’t for everyone. Its definitely not for me. |
| On the subject of things that are for me, during the evening, I talked a couple of the lads into joining me for some fusion food.We went to the internationally renowned Secret Recipe restaurant.
Their Irish Lamb Stew (which combines the traditional Irish meal, with Malaysian sauces) is one of their signature dishes and has won several awards internationally. Without realising it, I was sat in front of a picture of the same meal I was eating !. The following day, Richard and I, along with Dan and JK, headed of to the Salt Route. |
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When I returned from the Jungle, I was exhausted.I got showered, and had a bit of an early night
The following morning, I decided not to go White water rafting as I had planned, and instead spend the day relaxing on my own. I was spending 2 days in Kuala Lumpur on the way home, and Its important to make time for yourself when travelling. I’ve found if you don’t, you can burn yourself out and end up going home more exhausted than when you set off. As I wandered around the shopping centre, I saw some unusual sights. A cash machine was being re-filled, and a shotgun armed security officer stood guarding it. Also, this extremely “cheesy” Kenny Rogers Roasters restaurant chain, are a rave industry in Borneo. |
| As I crossed the road, I saw this sign, and was reminded of Singapore (which like Borneo and Kuala Lumpur is part of Malaysia).Life without vandalism is pleasant.
I suppose to some of the chattering classes, this would seem like propaganda and brain washing. If any of them are reading this, I’d like to ask a question ?. Isn’t life without vandalism pleasant, or do you think it isn’t ?. |
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I continue pottering around the shops, buy a few bits and pieces, like a picture of Mount Kinabalu and some new trainers.Because it was daytime, the Irish bar was much quieter and I had something to eat, and a few drinks, by the ocean. |
| The Menara Tun Mustapha.On the last night of the trip, we had a superb Steak at a restaurant frequented by the locals (forgotten camera so no photo’s unfortunately).
The evening before that, I decided to collect up some volunteers and have dinner at the Atmosphere, revolving restaurant at the top. |
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Gill and Sarah came along, and the excellent Johnny Crocket.It was dark outside, so the view didn’t really work that well.
The service and food were superb (they even did mashed potatoes). One memory of the evening that will stay with me, is the floor. Although the outer floor moves, the inner floor doesn’t. After only a few minutes, the bar we were sat next to started to drift away, and it was 20 minutes before we were re-united with it. Equally, a visit to the bathroom involved deciding which way round was quickest, at that moment in time 1. |
| What a fantastic trip and what an amazing place.I just wanted to take a moment, to say thanks to all the people who helped to make this trip so good.
Mr Micky and his gang, our guide on Kota Kinabalu Johan, and the excellent JK for putting it all together. Of special mention, are Ms Jumaina (pictured) and all the staff at our hotel. |
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A visit to Borneo, beautiful islands, amazing culture and kadazan headhunters (2/3).
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Continuing my exploration of Kota Kinabalu, and the local culture there, I saw the famous Jesselton hotel.The hotel was first founded in 1954.
Kota Kinabalu had originally been called Jesselton after Sir Charles Jessel, Vice Chairman of the British North Borneo Company. |
| Other famous sights, were this area.Although a modern back packer district, it was historically called Australia District, after the Australian soldiers, who were billeted here during the war. |  |
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Building a colony like this, came at a personal cost.Francis George Atkinson, the First District Officer of Jesselton, died of Malaria aged 28, shortly after being stationed here.
His mother Mary Edith Atkinson sent money to Jesselton for the construction of this clock, dedicated to his memory. It stands proudly next to Signal Hill Road, near the Police Station. |
| Sabah tourist board building.It is, along with the clock, one of only 3 buildings that survived the bombing of the area whilst occupied by the Japanese army. |  |
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This memorial was to the Australian soldiers, who died during the war.My mate Dan had, like me, arranged several different activities, but saved a few free days for spontaneous adventure.
After a quick chat with a member of the hotels excellent staff, we booked transportation and a guide, to see a few more things the following day. |
| Our first stop, was Sabah museum.This is us photographed outside. |  |
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It wasn’t possible to take pictures inside the museum (I’m always disappointed when I hear that). Even more frustrating, the 3rd floor was closed to the public.The collection at the museum told of the history of Sabah, its independence and various sections about village living.
Some of the artefacts were a little more eccentric, and here, a selection of old cars is on display. |
| This Rolls Royce stood out from the crowd (although there was no indication who had owned it, why it was special etc). |  |
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As we wandered around the car park looking for a cafe, we noticed this outdoor section of the museum.I couldn’t contain my excitement. Shelter building is my favourite area of bushcraft, and here was a dozen different kinds of traditional long-houses.
As you can see from this side view, an entire village can live in just one of these things. |
| Inside the long houses, it was cool and airy.Due to the design of the bamboo beds, they were springy and very comfortable.
The poles above were used for hanging out clothes to dry, if it was raining outside. |
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Another type of long house. |
| Inside another hut you can see the length inside, and that the walls are slanted in this design. |  |
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I’m always inspired by the connection between past and present.Nearby is a modern hospital. Some health care professionals, had wandered over to the museum to relax in the shade and eat their lunch.
They were kind enough to allow me to photograph them. |
| As we leave the museum, we pass the Kota Kinabalu state Mosque.Our next destination, was the Monosopiad Kadazan cultural village. |  |
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Its name, Monosopiad, comes from the name of the original tribal leader.Before the SAS became involved in counter insurgency in Malaysia and the country became independent, the British government paid head hunters a bounty to hunt the communist insurgents.
Its said that they would pay head hunters for each ear they brought back. I wasn’t so interested in that, but I wanted to see how these people would have lived in the jungle. The centre is both a museum, and a working example of a traditional Kadazan village. |
| As we arrived at the village we were given a complimentary drink of traditional rice wine.Our driver wandered around with us, and we were assigned a Kadazan guide, to show us around the village.
The first stop on our tour, was music and dance. Not really our sort of thing, so we progressed on. |
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As we continued around, we found 2 superb examples of Kadazan architecture.A traditional Kadazan long house, similar to the ones I had seen earlier in the morning… |
| And a much smaller house, where either the chief or spiritual leader would live. |  |
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Although our guide and the other people there, don’t actually live in the village, they are all from the Kadazan tribe.Here our guide shows us some of the farming and harvesting tools used by the Kadazan, including this hand mill.
He was extremely professional, and his English was better than mine. |
| An interactive section of our tour allowed us to take part in some hunting games.Here Dan has a go with a traditional blow pipe.
Made of Ironwood, they really were superb, and I was most impressed with their accuracy. |
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We were actually shown around the head room. Hanging from the ceiling above Dan, are the skulls of several people.It seemed barbaric, but like so many times on my travels, a closer look at the facts, reveal the complete opposite.
The basic idea, is that when 2 tribes were heading towards war, the Kadazan would organise a simple dual to the death. That would mean that only one person would die, instead of several hundred. Our guide stated proudly, that his tribe very seldom lost. Once the head was brought back to the head room, it was prepared over the following 7 days and nights, during which time, the chief of the tribe would not sleep or eat. In effect, the ceremony, praised the head, as the dead man, had effectively given his life for the peace of both tribes. |
| Before heading off, we rest on the beautiful veranda, overlooking the the river (with more rice wine !). |  |