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austin-in-taiwan · 6 months ago

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August 2 - Kaohsiung - Science/Tech museum, Din Tai Fung, Hakka Museum, TSG Hawks Baseball Game

Today, our first stop was the Kaohsiung National Science and Technology Museum. Like the Science Education Museum I visited for my independent excursion in Taipei, this museum was more tailored to children. However, there were still plenty of fascinating exhibits for anyone, young or old. First, a group of us went to the space exploration exhibit. There were excellent interactive exhibits, models from TASA and Taiwan, and even models of Rockets from the USA. Next, I got to experience the earthquake simulator. I got into a room for 30 NTD, was taught what to do in case of an earthquake (Drop, Cover, Hold), and shook around to simulate an earthquake. Finally, I spent the rest of my time in the telecommunications exhibit. Although I didn't get to finish walking through the timeline, I learned all about the advancement of telecommunication in Taiwan, from when they didn't have a single phone, up to the installation of 5G networks.

After the museum, we got treated to Din Tai Fung! If you don't know what Din Tai Fung is, it's a restaurant that started in Taipei, specializes in Xiao Long Bao, and now has restaurants worldwide. I had gotten it once when we were in Taipei, but this time, it was free, and we got to sample several more dishes I had the first time. Of course, the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) was my favorite, but I also enjoyed the vegetables and the fried rice.

Our last group activity of the day was the Hakka Museum. The Hakka (meaning "Guest People") are a group of people who migrated from northern China to Taiwan starting in the 1600s. We got to explore a Hakka museum and a street that sold different items the Hakka made, such as the oil paper umbrellas. The museum was interesting, and I'm glad that it was on our list of places to visit so I could learn about this very different culture. I found it interesting that Taiwan wasn't their native land, but how they migrated here in the 1600s and created their own Hakka culture.

After the group dispersed at the hotel, Jack, Andy and I decided to go to the TSG Hawks game at ChengQing Lake Stadium against the Tainan U-lions. We were initially supposed to go with more people, but several bailed at the last minute. We decided to go anyway to experience Taiwan's national sport, and I am glad we did. I would compare the baseball culture here to European soccer (football). The crowd sang and chanted the entire game, and even the smaller away team crowd had synchronized dances and chants. This was the TSG Hawks' first year in the major league, so I can imagine the larger and more established teams' environments are even bigger than the game I went to. Overall, I am super glad I went and recommend that anyone visiting Taiwan watch a baseball game.

(Note: I believe I am going to write my "Independent Excursions Reflection" on this baseball game and Taiwanese baseball culture, so be on the lookout for that post.)

Academic Reflection

Today, my favorite exhibit I learned from inside the Science and Technology Museum was the Telecom@Taiwan exhibit. Not only did I see many artifacts in Telecom's history, but I also learned about its development in Taiwan. The first telecom machine was an American Model 15 Tele-type, installed by the order of President Chiang Kai-shek in 1949. After the war in 1950, the FM radio communication system for Taipei and Taitung was built. In addition, payphones were installed in some railway stations, but they were American and took American coins, so Taiwanese people would have to go to a clerk's desk and exchange currency. Eventually, in the 1950s, tons of people flocked to get their own phone numbers. In 1956, when Taipei was accepting applications for 2000 numbers, there were over 18000 applications, and those who won could sell that number for over 30000 NTD! Another interesting fact I learned about Taiwan Telecom is that After WWII, the United States gave Taiwan over 450 million NTD to help Taiwan rebuild, and about 17.6% of it went to the Directorate of Telecommunications! Overall, throughout this exhibit and the telecom timeline, it was super interesting to learn about the overall technology advancements of Telecom and how it was built in Taiwan.

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rsfannan6 · 8 months ago

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Our walk has ended.

Alas, we have completed traversing The Peddars Way. For Diane and me, this makes the fifth walk we have completed here in The U.K. At some point, we will probably be searching The Let’s Go Walking UK website for our next adventure.

But, this expedition is not over.

A morning bus from Hunstanton got us to King’s Lynn where we boarded the train for Cambridge for a five night stay. This town will be the base of operations as we explore Cambridge itself, as well as side trips to Ely and Bury St. Edmunds, two small towns not too far away. Rather than a chronological log of our exploits, the next posts on this blog of sorts will be geographical in nature, pointing out our favorite activities and points of interest at each locale.

Cambridge.

Diane had booked us into The Centennial Hotel, just a ten minute walk from the train station. It was the most upscale of our lodgings. Quite modern furnishings in an old building. This family run hotel was bought fifty years ago when the building itself, an eight room inn turned 100 years old. Hence the name Centennial. Since then, it has extended down the block and has about fifty rooms. A delightful walk has us in the middle of the old town in about 15 minutes.

Cambridge is located on the River Cam, 55 miles north of London. It became an important trading center during the Roman and Vikings ages, and there is archaeological evidence of a settlement in the area as early as the Bronze Age. The city is best known for the University of Cambridge, which was founded in 1209. Thirty one colleges, each rather distinct, make up the University of Cambridge system. Each is housed in old and beautiful buildings all around the town. A few of the most popular are the King’s College Chapel, the Cavendish Laboratory, and the Cambridge University Library, one of the largest libraries in the world. The skyline is dominated by several large buildings like The Fitzwilliam Museum along with the spire of the Our Lady and The English Martyrs Church, reaching what seems to be halfway to heaven.

Pretty much smack dab in the middle of town is Parker’s Piece, a 25 acre flat square green common. Named for Edward Parker who leased the land and used it for grazing, it is now used for picnics, games of futbol and cricket, as well as the occasional town fairs. It was here on Parker’s Piece (piece is just an old name for a tract of land) that in 1848, a group of University students agreed on a single set of rules by which to play futbol on this green. This first set of rules was adopted fly the Football Association in 1863.

On our first day, it was raining pretty good, so we ended up in the first bar/pub we encountered in the old part of town to get a bite to eat, an adult beverage and shelter from the storm. Luck was on our side once again, as we found ourselves in The Eagle. The Eagle is one of Cambridge’s oldest inns, dating back to the 14th century. This tavern was frequented by the staff of the Cavendish Laboratory, located just down the lane for 100 years from 1874-1974. The patrons included Francis Crick and James Watson, who on February 28, 1953, walked into The Eagle and announced “we have discovered the secret of life”, referring to, of course, to their discovery of the double helix structure of DNA. Throughout their lives, they dined here six days a week! Aside from this monumental announcement, The Eagle is best known for being an RAF bar. The walls are rich with WWII memorabilia, and the ceiling is covered in the graffiti of British and American pilots who burned their names and squadrons numbers using cigarette lighters, candles, and lipstick. What seems like a small place is actually a very cool labyrinth of hallways, small rooms, cubby holes, and of course, bars. It was packed but we found a table for eight and had a lovely lunch. Terrific pub fare.

On one of our outings in Cambridge, we were joined by two Cambridge students, Alex and Adam, who guided us to The Fitzwilliam Museum, where Alex and a group of students were in charge of putting on the exhibit, “Botticelli in Cambridge”. Alex’s grandmother is our very own Carol Murdock. Listening to these two simply brilliant young people gave me hope that the next generations may have a good chance at returning some sanity into this absolutely insane world that we have bequeathed to them.

Besides just walking around this fair city, there are two touristy things that you really should do if you are ever in the area. Take a ride on the hop on-hop bus. The double decker bus (we, of course, opted for the open air top level) takes you on a tour of the city with a terrific history lesson included. We caught it on a sunny day and it was marvelous. The other excursion is punting on the River Cam. A punt is a flat bottomed small boat that is navigated down this river that cuts through Cambridge using a long pole. You have a choice of poling your own punt or having an experienced guide do it for you while giving a history lesson along the way. We chose the latter, which was great and afforded us the opportunity of watching those who had chosen the former flail at the task. Win-win. Once again, the weather was perfect for this 90 minutes of glorious relaxation.

We had but two full days here in Cambridge, but it certainly deserves another visit, as we barely scratched the surface of things to see.

More to come…..

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dsandrvk · 2 years ago

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Friday, May 26 - Tokyo

We had a fairly quick breakfast overlooking our little canal and neighborhood, packed up and left our bags with our hotel and headed out for the Imperial Palace grounds. Our train passes were still valid, so it was just as easy to hop on the commuter train (rather than the metro), and we were down at the main Tokyo station within minutes. The station itself seems sort of bland until you get to the northwest entrance and then there is a beautiful domed room leading out to the street, and a very nice period facade. The station opened in 1914, survived the great earthquake of 1923, but the domes and much of the top floor were destroyed during WWII. The facade was rebuilt shortly afterwards, but the rebuilding the station to its former glory, including the fines, was only completed in 2012.

The Imperial Palace grounds are only a few blocks west, and we did a complete circumnavigation, which took us to various viewpoints of the well-guarded interior grounds, as well as buildings like the Supreme Court, the National Theatre, the Art museum and lots of other tall buildings that surround this large park. There was even a lovely public garden on the north edge, but unfortunately the official palace garden was closed on Fridays.

By the time we got back to the train station, it was after 2PM, so we took the train back to Akihabara, got our bags, and took the same line south again, this time to a link with a metro train that stopped at the cruise port. We were expecting a subway, but instead it was a "sky train" with great views of the bay. It made a loop to gain enough altitude to cross the bay on the rainbow bridge, before making a loop around this relatively new neighborhood of amusement parks and ultra-modern buildings.

It was then a short walk to the cruise terminal, where our little ship was dwarfed by the facilities. It turns out we only have around 85 people on board for the crossing to Seward, and close to 200 crew. Windstar has a sail-away on their sail ships where they unfurl the sails as they leave port to triumphant music, but on the motor yachts they raise a flag instead. We all stood on the decks and watched and applauded, and with that we started our sail out of Tokyo Bay (which took until bedtime).

Posts will be few and far between in the next few weeks as the internet on the ship is not good enough to send photos. We will be in Hakodate on Sunday, but after that we will have seven sea days until Dutch Harbor, so I may send a text only update (or not). Until Hakodate...

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theorangelifeofriley · 4 years ago

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Honolulu: Pearl Harbor, Punchbowl

July 24, 2021

We were to meet our driver at 8am this morning for our day at Pearl Harbor and the Punchbowl. There was much confusion about what to pack, since Pearl Harbor doesn’t allow bags at all – except maybe a small clear sandwich bag. I brought my home made wristlet – made out of a clear sandwich bag and some duck tape. We all packed things in my little wristlet for the day.

We got down to the little sitting area next to the pull-through driveway and our group was congregated with our guide for the day, Olav. Olav told us that we didn’t actually have anywhere to be until 1:30pm, so we had some time to make sure that we all had what we needed. And also that he would be with us all day and we’d be in the same car all day. He also strongly recommended hats and water bottles. We made several trips back up to the room to grab things. We also learned that Olav is unvaccinated, doesn’t believe in COVID-19, and is a staunch Republican who believes in his “Constitutional rights.” He is also an incredible font of knowledge about Pearl Harbor, and only occasionally threw in some of his slanted views. There is no way I’m going to be able to capture, or remember, all the information he told us – it was a continuous stream of knowledge for about 8 hours.

Eventually, we had all of our stuff, and we walked to the 15-passenger van, parked on the street behind the hotel. After we got settled, Olav took off through the city to the Punchbowl. The Punchbowl is a volcanic crater in the hills surrounding Honolulu. The center is a bowl – the crater – and they punched a hole through one of the crater’s rims to allow entry into the bowl. Hence the name – Punchbowl. Inside the Punchbowl is a national cemetery. There’s a monument at the end of it, and on the steps up to the monument is where Hawai’i holds memorial services for Veteran’s Day and Dec. 7. We’re not allowed to get out inside the Punchbowl, but we can drive through. Lining the driveway in the Punchbowl are Banyan trees donated to the US from China. China was our ally during World War II, and we helped to defeat the Japanese who had invaded and were conquering China. There are 48 trees, which represent the 48 states at the time of World War II. They’re beautiful trees that have been groomed to prevent additional roots from taking root.

The area is quiet and calm, and beautiful. There are no traditional white headstones like in Arlington. Instead, the headstones are flat. They used to be white wooden crosses but were changed to flat stone headstones to respect other religions – and allow for easier maintenance.

From the Punchbowl, we drove to Pearl Harbor, and to the USS Missouri BB 63, which is now a museum. As we drove through the city, Olav pointed out a neighborhood that burned when a bomb went astray on Dec. 7, 1941. He also described in detail what happened on Dec. 7, 1941 – the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. We learned about the SS Cynthia Olson which was sank en route from the mainland and Honolulu by a Japanese submarine on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. The passenger ship was carrying two soldiers to Honolulu but was a passenger ship. There’s a photo of the Cynthia Olson as it was sinking taken by a Japanese soldier on the submarine. The Cynthia Olson got a may day call out, and another passenger ship heard the call. That second passenger ship confiscated all the passenger’s binoculars and assigned watch duty to the passengers. When that ship landed, the USA government confiscated all of their radio records and logs. Olav believes the records were confiscated because they show the time of the Cynthia Olson’s may day call. If that call happened before the bombing at Pearl Harbor, but was ignored, it would look very bad for the US military command.

As we entered the Pearl Harbor base, we drove to a parking lot and Olav left us to get an officer who cam back and searched our van for bags. Once that was done, we drove over the bridge to Ford Island and the USS Missouri BB-63. BB-63 stands for Battle Boat 63 – the 63rd battleship the US built. This is necessary because there have been four USS Missouri’s. The current USS Missouri is a submarine that was also docked at Pearl Harbor today. Of course you can’t call it BS-63 (battleship 63) – so battle boat 63 it is. The BB-63 was the last battleship built in the world, the most powerful, and the last one to retire. It was launched during World War II, saw battle in the Battle of Okinawa, was where the Instrument of Surrender was signed by the Japanese to officially end World War II, served in the Korean War, was decommissioned in the 60s, then refitted in the 80s, saw duty in Desert Storm, before finally being retired in the early 90s, then being made into a museum. Its parked in Battleship Row – where all the Battleships were anchored on Dec. 7.

Olav told us a lot about how the Pacific Fleet came to be in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7 – but then he seemed to contradict himself. The first story was that FDR ordered the Pacific Fleet to all be at Pearl Harbor as a “show of strength” to deter the Japanese. The Admiral of the Pacific Fleet thought this was stupid, because normally the Pacific Fleet rotated between several locations, and there was not enough of a supply chain, let alone docking berths, to allow the entire fleet to be in Pearl Harbor. He resisted, basically told FDR he was dumb, and lost his job. He had worked on the supply line, though, and worked on the docking situation too – which is how Battleship Row came to be.

As he told this story, I gathered that the next Admiral did as FDR wished and assembled the entire Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor. Olav made a point to say that FDR ignored the military advisors, and his Admiral, and all their knowledge to demand the fleet be in Pearl Harbor. Later, he told us that every year, the Admiral of the Pacific Fleet was required to inspect the fleet in Pearl Harbor. This always occurred on the Monday after the first Sunday in December. In 1941, that was Dec. 8. The Fleet was required to report to Pearl Harbor 24 -48 hours in advance of the inspection. Which then means that the fleet was assembled in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7 in preparation for the inspection on Dec. 8 – which doesn’t seem to have a lot to do with FDR.

The deck of the Mighty Mo is covered in teak, which they did to preserve the steel deck, to lower the temperature inside the boat, and to provide a natural nonslip surface. The teak on the deck has been replaced three times, all using different processes. One time they messed up trying to save money by putting 1 inch of Douglas Fir below 1 inch of team (instead of 2 inches of teak) – not realizing that Douglas Fir rots faster than teak.

During WWII, the Missouri was attacked by a Kamikaze, which was captured perfectly on camera. We saw the place where the Kamikaze’s wing impacted with the Missouri. We also saw footprints on the deck where our personnel stood as they buried the Kamikaze pilot at sea as directed by the Missouri’s captain.

We toured the inside of the ship, which was interesting. They had several displays with stuff from the Missouri, the history of the Missouri, remnants from the Kamikaze attack, etc. We walked through the galley, the kitchens, the offices – including the dental office – the food lines, including the donut shop, the fast food line, and the Truman line, so called because the Truman family visited and used that food line. There were crew quarters everywhere – berths stacked 3 high, and each sailor’s locker. The kitchens were crazy – the appliances were huge, and they had everything you could want! Well, all the kitchen toys you could want. The Missouri was the first ship to have a network of interconnected computers which they called MO-Net. This was all before the internet was created. The inside of the Missouri was extensive – it seemed to go on and on. We saw throughout the ship ammunition chutes. And a couple of places that would be vulnerable to armor piercing rounds which can pierce through 16” of steel – so these areas were outfitted with 17” think steel. The guns on the ship were huge and could take out a target 25 miles away. The guns had to be fired over the water, because the rounds were fired at twice the speed of sound, and the concussion would tear the ship apart if the guns were fired over the ship. Missouri, the state, was responsible for providing the fancy silverware and place settings – which is interesting. There was a great map that showed where all of the different USS Missouris served. We saw the Chief’s lounge, and the Captain’s lounge, which was also used as a war room, and the tables can be used as operating tables in a pinch. It was a great insight into what the ship would have looked like while it was in service.

When we were finished touring the inside of the boat, we went to the deck, and then to the Quarter Deck. On the Mighty Mo, the Quarter Deck has been renamed the Surrender Deck, because it was where the Japanese surrendered to the Allied Forces to end World War II. Olav told a story about how MacArthur stepped out of the navigation bridge to walk down to the Quarter Deck but noticed that the Japanese contingent hadn’t arrived yet. So he went back inside, saying, “I’m not going to wait for them. They will wait for me.” He also told us that the British brought a fancy table they wanted to use for the signing, but the papers they were signing were too large to fit on the table. The Missouri’s Captain ordered a seaman to grab a folding table from the ship, and they used that. One of the Japanese had a false leg, and as he was coming up to sign the papers, he stumbled and hit one of the legs of the folding table. The crew, who knew it was a folding table, held their breath for the rest of the ceremony – hoping that the table didn’t collapse. (It didn’t.)

On the Surrender Deck, there is a plaque where the table was and the documents were signed. There’s also a display with replicas of the documents. On the replicas, you can see that the Canadian representative signed on the wrong line on the first document. There’s a picture of someone making sure that he signed on the correct line on the second copy!

They’ve positioned the Missouri so that the bow of the battleship points to the bow of the USS Arizona. The ship that started the US involvement in WWII and the ship where WWII ended pointing to each other.

We finished on the Missouri, went to the gift shop, got some Dole Whip, and then drove to the Pearl Harbor Memorial area for lunch. Lunch was at a permanent food truck outside, and was decent, although Meg and Marie didn’t like their nachos or hot dog. After lunch, we went to watch a 20-minute movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor, before making our way to the ferry to the USS Arizona Memorial.

Olav detailed how the attack happened but of course I’m not going to remember everything. There were three waves of attacks – the dive bombers, the torpedoes, and the other type of bombers. Eek. They came from different directions, and in two separate waves. There were about… or over?... 300 planes in total. The battle lasted for 2 hours. Most all of the ships that were sunk were eventually retrieved and put back into service, except for the Arizona, the Oklahoma, and the Utah. The Japanese adjusted bombs? Or torpedoes? With an additional fin that allowed them to fun in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor and hit Battleship row. I think Olav also indicated that the aerial bombers were not the ones that caused the most damage, generally – it was the torpedoes.

The ride out to the memorial was quick – the warnings about not misbehaving on an active Navy boat were almost as long as the ride itself. Once the ferry docks, we disembarked, and headed back to the back room. The memorial itself is a white concrete building. The architect was a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps and wanted to build the memorial to remember the lives that were spent to save and free so many across the world, including in the concentration camps. The structure is a loose U-shape. The low point in the middle represents initial defeat at Pearl Harbor. The inclines on either side represent the slow climb to victory in Europe and the slow climb to victory in the Pacific. There are seven cut outs along either side and the top, which were for structural integrity, but have later been said to represent a 21-gun salute. The structure is situated across the middle of the sunken USS Arizona – the ship heaviest hit by the attack on Dec. 7. 1,177 seamen were lost with the Arizona and never recovered. Another 41 of the survivors, or relatives of those lost, have chosen to be interred in the Arizona.

As soon as I set foot on the dock, I smelled the oil or gasoline from the wreck. You could see it on the water, too. There is oil still leaking from the ship and will continue to leak for decades more. There were a lot of people at the memorial, but it was mostly quiet, as is fitting. We walked right back to the room where the names of those buried here are displayed. It’s made of the same marble as the headstones in Arlington. The room is beautiful but somber.

Just outside of that room is a hole in the floor of the structure that is situated over a part of the ship. I didn’t see much there. Outside, on either end of the structure, there are two white buoys that represent where the bow and the stern of the ship are. There are also pieces of the ship, like the gun turrets, and the flag staff, that are still sticking out above the water. It was a moving experience.

After the ferry back to the main site, we went and toured the USS Bowfin – a retired submarine that is only 27’ in circumference. It was tiny, and holy cow does it seem miserable to have served on it. They call it the Silent Service – the work of the submarines. The Bowfin was launched on Dec. 7, 1942, and was therefore nicknamed The Pearl Harbor Avenger. The kitchen was tiny, and only had minimal toys. Olav tells us that the food was cooked on the mainland, frozen, and placed in the submarine’s freezers.

The worst thing was hot bunking. There were only 36 bunks on board the submarine, but about 86 sailors on board. So they rotated beds – multiple people shared a bed. With the temperatures on the submarine running in the 90s or 100s, the beds were wet with the other guy’s sweat. Yuck.

The doorways between the areas of the ship were so small and short too! It was a workout to squat and contort myself through the doorways.

After the Bowfin, we drove back to the city Olav was kind enough to drive us to Costco. This Costco is the busiest on in America. I didn’t go in, but the parking lot was crazy! Anne, Aimee, and Marie went in to get food for the next few days, and they did a great job! Then, it was back to the hotel, and our time with Olav was over. He is a knowledgeable, talkative tour guide to be sure!

Back in the room, some of us split up for naps and downtime until dinner at 6:30. Rileys, Drew, and Todd stayed at our place to watch the Olympics and drink the 5th of rum we bought the night before. Todd made us a whole series of frozen drinks that were great, and did the job! We had a raucous good time watching Men’s Street Skateboarding, where the athletes wiped out more than they landed tricks. It was brutal!

We had tacos for dinner, and continued watching the Olympics, and the activity on the ocean. From our view from the living room and our balcony, we can see all the hundreds of surfers always hanging out on the water, and the couple that actually make surfing runs. There’s a lot of boat traffic, including a lot of boats that go out to watch the sunset. There’s also a surprising number of large cargo ships that travel pretty close to this beach. It was a great time tonight!

#alohabeaches #july24 #2021 #hawaii #honolulu #pearl harbor #punchbowl

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tuscanwalker · 3 years ago

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August 29, 2021: That Most German of German Cities

Greetings from Nuremberg. Caught the train around 10 this morning after a hotel breakfast that brought back memories. Kim and I always load up on fuel at breakfast as we rarely have a place to buy lunch. Today I had the typical walking breakfast of breads, deli meat, cheese, a boiled egg (or two), muesli with yogurt (never milk), juice, fruit, some raw veggies and coffee. If I don’t start walking soon, I will be rolling down the trail.

I arrived in Nuremberg to find my hotel (Victoria) was right beside a major gate through the old city wall (most of which is intact). Built in 1898, the Hotel Victoria is unspeakably old and beautiful outside, yet sleek and modern inside. All of this for about the same price as Air Canada charged me to choose an exit row seat on my flight here.

After dropping off my luggage, I headed out to explore, orient myself and grab some lunch. I spent about 5 hours simply wandering about, with a bit of little guidance from Rick Steves and Larry Bailer. It was interesting to me that, as the old town was almost totally destroyed by bombing in WWII, the residents have restored only those buildings that were realistically salvageable while replacing the rest with modern but architectural sympathetic structures. All in all, this has created an almost Disneyesque, but still very attractive, ambiance. It was also interesting that, for a clearly tourist oriented town, it seemed very quiet today. I don’t know whether this is because of COVID or because many things are closed on Sunday.

For lunch, Mark Lisac (who knew that so many people I knew had been to Nuremberg?) recommended that I try a “3 im weckle” (3 finger sized nuremberger sausages on a bun). Locals swear by them and I must admit that they are mighty tasty, but I only hope that I don’t have a coronary from all the cholesterol.

While there is no Cathedral in Nuremberg (no Bishop), there were several churches that were suitably impressive. Like all the churches and many public buildings here, the sculpture is breathtaking but instead of marble like Italy or France, here they are carved from wood.

The 15th Century Church of St Lawrence was one of the first churches to renounce Catholicism during the Reformstion. When it was decided, the city fathers (who paid for most of them) made it conditional on retaining its beautiful Catholic artworks. In other churches, they were destroyed for being icons (graven images that “thou shalt not worship”).

The 13th Century St. Sebaldus is named for the patron saint of the city and is a Romanesque Basilica style church (no transept) that was later modified to include Gothic elements.

Next I visited the Imperial Castle (the Kaiserberg) which was LGB’s very good advice. This was one of the homes of the Holy Roman Emperor who moved among a string of Castles keeping his eye on the Empire and his nobles. He kept his Imperial Regalia (crown, orb, lance etc) in Nuremberg for over 350 years, but the original is now in Vienna with only a copy here. Unfortunately, while it is large and impressive, one can only visit a very limited numbers of rooms and, as his furniture travelled with him, it is unfurnished and somehow less Imperial as a result.

Along the way, I saw a lot of other interesting things like the Chain Link Bridge, great public art, the Holy Ghost Hospital and the home of Albrecht Durer (Renaissance Artist and native son). For me, the most fun was the aptly named Schoner Brunei (Beautiful Fountain). Fun because pulling one down on one of the gun barrel-like tubes diverts water from the spray and creates a drinking fountain. I even had my picture taken beside it to counter my wife’s frequent complaint that I never appear in the blog or our photo albums.

Anyway, I have bored you enough today, so I will leave you with a little teaser. Tomorrow is museum day and I know how much all my friends love it when I hit the geek button and wax lyrical about some obscure historical event or artifact🥱. I hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am😂.

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ironwoman18 · 4 years ago

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We Found Love in a Hopeless Place part 21

Chapter 21: A Change did you good

Ethan's wedding was a week away and Spencer was really excited about it. The couple bought their clothes for that event together and the present for them.

Max picked a Christmas dinnerware set since it was that month and she thought someone could already give them an everyday set.

On Friday they decorate her apartment and at night lay on the couch with Tai food and a movie on.

She made him promise to watch a Christmas movie until the end of the month. And since she accepted the Halloween one, he accepted hers.

Then they fell asleep cuddling on the couch and spend the weekend making plans for New Orleans. They will have a whole week to check places.

Spencer was tempted to call Will but he knew JJ would ask and he did not wanted her to. So they decided to go to the art and WWII museum, do a turn around the Mississippi River, go to the French Quarter, Garden District and the Jackson Square.

"Max you know we will be there just for a week right?" Asked Spencer as he handed her a cup of coffee and sitting next to her.

"I know but there's a lot of things to see and according to this page we can walk the French Quarter and check the Jackson Square the same day since it's in the Quarter" she took a sip of coffee "and the other places we can select a day for each one"

"Ok... I hope we can do everything"

"We can always go back any other time" she smirked.

"I bet you would say that" he laughed and after they finished he left to his apartment to get everything ready because they will leave on Monday.

On Monday JJ walked in Emily's office "do you know where is Spence?" Asked the blonde woman sitting in front of her boss and best friend.

"He asked for a week off" said her with her eyes on a piece of paper.

"It's interesting how someone can change"

"What do you mean?" Emily looked up at her."

"Since Spencer joined the BAU he only took days off when Maeve was kill and during those months he was going to New Mexico to get the medicine for his mom and now he's asking for a week off?"

"He learned that he needs a life out of this... World we have to deal with"

"I'm happy for him but at the same time I'm worry because the last time he didn't tell us what's going on he ended up in jail"

"I know where he is, he had to"

"Really? Where?"

"I can't tell you. It's personal information and if he wants to tell you he will"

"Oh come on Em!" JJ used her puppy eyes on her knowing it will melt her heart.

"No JJ I can't. But all you need to know is that he is at a friend's wedding and he won't be doing anything against the rules" she laughed "now let's go, we have a case"

Back to Spencer and Max. They were arriving to the New Orleans' national terminal and walked to get their suitcases.

They were holding hands as he told her somethings he learned about the city thanks to Will, Henry and JJ.

"Why didn't you ask Will or JJ?" Asked Max.

"I know if I ask Will he will tell her and I still dont want JJ to know about us"

"And why is that?"

"Because since I got back to work she keeps treating me like a kid. She's worry because I made myself vulnerable to this crazy woman and it was easy for her to send me to jail' he sighed and Max squeezed his hand gently.

"I know its annoying to have someone like that. I have a friend who was like it after my ex and when I told her about you, she freaked out and started to say that you will hurt me and if that happen she won't be by my side" she rolled her eyes "but after I told her more about you, your personality and the things that we have in common she relaxed, so maybe you just need to talk to her and she will see that she's not your mom and she needs to relax about you"

He smiled and kisses her forehead "you are wonderful, do you know that?" He smiled at her.

"I do but I like when you say it" they laughed as they arrived to the baggage claim area, they had the dinnerware set as carry-on bag so they just need the baggage with their clothes.

The couple waited with the rest of the passengers until they machine started to work and once they had everything they left. Outside was a man with a piece of paper with their names so it most be their transportation.

"Hey I'm Spencer Reid and this is Max Brenner"

The young man nodded "welcome to New Orleans, I'm Brandon and I hope you enjoy the city while you are here" he smiled at them "I'm waiting for another couple that just arrived from New York so we will have to wait, is that ok?" They nodded.

"Yeah, I will get some coffee, do you want Spence?" Asked Max Max looking at him.

"Sure, and Brandon do you want one?"

"Yeah please, I need some. I couldn't sleep well. Ethan kept me up until midnight telling me who I will pick up today and tomorrow" he looked at Spencer "I'm his cousin by the way " he laughed.

Max nodded and went to a coffee shop and brought three coffees then she paid for them and returned to the two men.

"Here is your favorite Spence and I ordered an standard for you Brandon" he nodded and smiled.

"Thank you" he drank a sip "ok as I was telling you, you can visit a restaurant in the French Quarter were you can have the best creole meal ever"

"Really? I think when we visit the French Quarter we can stop by" said Max looking at Spencer.

"I was thinking that, and its perfect because it's close to the Jackson Square"

"Perfect" she smiled and after a couple of minutes later the other family arrived and they left the airport to go to the hotel.

They talked about themselves and what they wanted to see around the city.

When they arrived to the hotel they were in awe with the architecture of it. It looked like a old house from the south during civil war but inside it was modern with old fashioned stuffs. On the center they have a Christmas tree decorated with pictures of the city and images of their teams.

They check in and went to leave their baggage in the room then went down because Ethan wanted to see them.

"Hey Spencer!" He smiled as he saw his friend and hugged him "long time since we saw each other" then his eyes moved to Max "and you must be Max, they woman who won this man's heart" she laughed and blushed softly "nice to meet you" he said smiling.

"Nice to meet you" she said and they held hands "Spencer told me about you and said that you were really talented with the saxophone"

This time it was his turn to blushed "not as good as you could think but enough to pay the rent" he laughed "my future wife is the talent one. I met her in a bar. She has an amazing voice that can send you to heaven... she is a blues singer and right now she is working on an album. She asked me to play the saxophone in it"

"Well that's amazing. And it will be also your album" Ethan smiled "where is she?"

"Her mother took her to have lunch together so I'm on my own. So let's go to eat something and Max could tell me how you guys met and what she saw in you" they laughed and walked to the restaurant of the hotel.

They talked about everything he asked and what they asked him. Max told him about her job and Spencer said just to basic information of his job. He learned a long time ago to keep it simple when it comes to his job.

Then the future wife arrived and joined the conversation. They had a wonderful afternoon until night when both couples left to rest.

"He's really nice" said Max when they were in bed "why did you stop talking to him?"

"We were both busy. He was busy with his music and I was busy with my job at the FBI. I wished to stay in contact but it wasn't easy" he looked at her "he helped me when I was considering to leave the FBI on my second year. I was returning from a tough situation for a 24 years old" she nodded "I always will regret not keeping in contact with him"

She nodded and lays her head on his chest "I understand and I hate that life gets in the way of a good friendship" he nodded and hugged her. Then they felt asleep.

The next day they had breakfast and decided to go to the museums because that night will be the bachelor and bachelorette parties so they left early to have time.

The art museum was amazing for Max because of all the French art, they were also American and African art but she was mesmerized by the French ones.

She even brought some souvenirs for herself and to some of her family members. Then they ate something and visit the WWII museum where Spencer had fun giving facts to her and she was less excited but loved to hear him talking excited.

After that the couple arrives in time to take a shower and get ready for both parties. She left with the bride and her friends and he left with groom and his friends.

The parties were at two different bars on Bourbon street. The women danced and had fun drinking and the man had fun and drink watching a concert of a jazz band.

At almost 5AM both groups returned home. The only sober was Spencer since he did not drink alcohol, at least not a lot and the mother of the bride.

They went to their room and slept until midday. Max was slightly hungover but nothing three cups of coffee and tylenol could not cure. They were invited for a New Orleans brunch by the hotel and they spent the rest of the day in the hotel.

The next day will be the wedding so they needed to be fresh.

When the next day arrived Max left to the salon to get ready while Spencer went to cut his hair just a little to not look to messy and he shaved his little facial hair.

When Max arrived they changed and he was drooling over how beautiful that dress looked on her. She picked it with her sister so he just saw it in her suitcase but did not imagine her wearing it.

"I love seeing you with normal clothes but you plus a suit it's like a match made in heaven" she smiled at him fixing his tie a little.

"And you look amazing with that dress" he said to her, making her blush. He just need to say a few words to make her blush and feel special. That's the magic of the doctor Spencer Reid "let's go" he whispered after kissed her softly.

The couple left with their present to the wedding which will be in that hotel. The wedding was beautiful, the bride walked to her soon to be husband with My Endless Love by Lionel Richie. All women were in tears and some men too. Spencer held Max closer to him the whole song.

Their vows were even more beautiful because they were poems written by them.

After the kiss everyone moved to the reception area were they left their presents and sat down. The could danced their first dance has husband and wife and after the food everyone started to dance and have fun. Spencer danced with Max a few songs, he was not the best dancer but he did his best for her then they rested and drank water.

Later at night they newlyweds couple left after she threw the bouquet and fell in Max hands. Spencer and Max blushed and Ethan could not held a laugh before patting softly his shoulder "be prepared man" he laughed more and left.

The rest of the night was calmer for them. She made him dance a few more songs, slow ones they they left the their room and finished it making love.

The rest of the days were as they planned. They do the tours they planned and had fun in the city. He was happy to finally enjoying a city he was in instead of staying in the police station or around awful places looking for crazy men or women killing or kidnapping someone else.

They returned to Washington to get ready for Christmas which will be in a few days.

OOooOOooOO

I'm back and I want to apologize because it took me so much to post this. I had troubles finding places for them to visit and I had planned some others things that I decided to not include.

I hope you liked it and if you did leave a comment and if you didn't also leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

If you read my Garvez Moments story, I'm having a writer block with their honeymoon to Peru so I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting.

Next chapter will begins with Christmas and we will move forward to the Linda Barnes plot. Read you soon.

#criminal mind #spencer reid #maxine brenner #maxcer #fanfiction

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flyingcarpettours · 4 years ago

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Siwa Tours From Cairo

Experience our gorgeous Siwa Tours From Cairo, which allow you to visit all the famous relics of the Ancient Egyptian civilization. Explore the captivating city of Siwa, discover the rich history of Siwa, feast your eyes with the magical beauty of Siwa oasis, unleash your inner visiting Siwa with its outstanding monuments, entertain yourself and experience relaxationin Siwa Tours From Cairo. After a long drive through the barren landscape of the Western Desert, you won’t believe your eyes when you reach Siwa for the first time. See an edenic island full of mineral springs, salt lakes and endless Olive and Palm groves. The best paintings are in the Tomb of Si Amun, where beautifully coloured reliefs portray the dead man – thought to be a wealthy Greek landowner or merchant – making offerings and praying to Egyptian gods. Also interesting are the unfinished Tomb of Mesu-Isis, with a beautiful depiction of cobras in red and blue above the entrance; the Tomb of Niperpathot, with inscriptions and crude drawings in the same reddish ink you can see on modern Siwan pottery; and finally the Tomb of the Crocodile, whose badly deteriorating wall paintings include a yellow crocodile representing the god Sobek. Next walk along sandy paths to find the Temple of the Oracle, once visited by Alexander the Great himself to consult the Oracle of Siwa. Finish your day by taking a dip at Cleopatra's Pool, where the legendary queen herself is believed to have once swum. Don’t forget to buy some Siwan Crafts on your way. Explore Gebel Al Mawta with Siwa Tours From Cairo, This small hill, at the northern end of Siwa Town, is honeycombed with rock tombs peppered with wall paintings. Its name, Gebel Al Mawta, means 'Mountain of the Dead' and most of the tombs here date back to the 26th dynasty, Ptolemaic and Roman times. Only 1km from the centre of town, the tombs were used by the Siwans as shelters when the Italians bombed the oasis during WWII. Get Amazed with Cleopatra’s Bath, possibly the most beautiful piece of coastline in the area, Cleopatra’s Beach sits about a 14km drive north-west of Marsa Matruh around the bay’s thin tentacle of land. The sea here is an exquisite hue, and the rock formations are worth a look. You can wade to Cleopatra’s Bath, a natural pool where legend has imagined the queen and Mark Antony enjoying a dip, but you can't actually swim because of the waves and rocks just offshore. Then visit the Temple of Alexander, southwest of Bawiti, is one of the few places in Egypt where Alexander the Great’s cartouche has been found. Despite this fame, the site itself is small and unimpressive. Try Siwa Tours From Cairo Day 01:

Flying Carpet Tours guide will escort you to an amazing Excursion to Siwa, by air-conditioned van to El Alamein, it takes approx. 259 km., Your first stop will be at El-Alamein War Museum which includes displays of weapons, military garb and tanks, Descriptions of the actions of Montgomery, Rommel and the others participated in the battle are also on display, continue to the World War II Cemeteries, which located on the west of the town, on a small peninsula overlooking the sea, The cemeteries is the final resting place for Commonwealth, Greek, Italian and German soldiers, then drive to Marsa Matrouh, Lunch will be served at local restaurant in Marsa Matrouh, continue driving to Siwa oasis, overnight at Siwa Oasis.

Day 02:

Taste the flavor of your breakfast at hotel, Start your tour to explore the Temple of Alexander the great Temple, it is known as well with the name of Oracle Temple, Next Excursion to Cleopatra's bath, watch the glory of Amun temple, your next destination will be Gebel Al Mawta, visit Shali, realx by having Lunch at Siwan Restaurant, have your tea at famous Fatnas lake, then drive by Jeep 4x4 to the Great Sand Sea, Explore the amazing hot and Cold spring Bir Waheed, finally enjoy drinking traditional Bedouin Tea while enjoying the sunset, Dinner and Overnight at your Hotel in Siwa.

Day 03: Today is the valediction day, taste the flavor of your breakfast at hotel, then Flying Carpet Tours guide will escort you by air-conditioned vehicle to Marsa Matrouh, relax by having Lunch at local restaurant, then drive back to your hotel in Cairo. Included • Pick up and drop off to your hotel in Cairo • Excursion to visit the above mentioned sites • Egyptologist tour guide included • Entrance fees to the above mentioned sites if needed • Accommodation for Two Nights at Siwa on a Half Board basis • 03 Lunches at Local Restaurants or Picnic Lunch • One Bottle of Mineral Water Every Day • All Taxes and Service charges • All transfers by air-conditioned Vehicle Excluded • Visa to Egypt • Any optional tours required • Any Personal expenses or extras at your hotel or during tours • Alcoholic drinks • Tipping

For more info about Siwa Tours From Cairo: E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.flyingcarpettours.com Tel.: +201099906242

#siwa tours #siwa trip #siwa oasis from cairo #siwa from cairo #cairo to siwa #siwa egypt #cleopatras bath #temple of alexander the great #cairo siwa bus

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kindabigbear · 4 years ago

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Eastern European Pilgrimage – Slovakia & Budapest, Hungary

We woke up early again this morning to head out for Budapest, Hungary. Our first stop for the day was for mass. We drove to this small town called Gaj where the Kosciot Narodzenia was located. It was a cute little church. They had one bathroom and apparently it had no toilet paper. Luckily, mom and I had bought some travel kind to bring with us. It looked like there were redoing the grounds around the church and maybe fixing up the church itself. After mass, we traveled farther down the road to Orawka to the Parish St John the Baptist. It was an incredibly old church made of wood that had amazing paintings all over it. It also had a number of graves outside. A couple of them looked like they were from WWI or II and were probably pilots. There was a little building next door that had bathrooms. They also had the cutest cat wandering around. He was so friendly and cute. We got back in the bus and headed south. At the border to Slovakia, we stopped to use a bathroom but they ended up not being open. It was kind of disappointing. Plus, I think Sebastian needed to take his break. We continued on though and eventually stopped at Donovaly. It was a ski area and had food places, bathrooms, apartments and hotels. We had lunch and did a little souvenir shopping. I think we should have had lunch with Father Robert as he had pizza and we had some weird stuff with LaVern and her husband. Slovakia is a pretty country. I enjoyed looking at the scenery as we drove along. There was what looked like a ruined castle of sorts on a hill and a freeway that was either being built or was abandoned.

We arrived in Budapest toward evening. Before we even went to the hotel, we went to dinner. It was an interesting place…… you go through one door and then leave out another. We ate out on a terrace like area which was good since it was really hot. The bathrooms were downstairs though. The food here was the worst. A very dry looking piece of tuna on some kind of rice stuff. I had a roll and ate some of my crackers and jerky when we got to the hotel later. I’ve been google-mapping like crazy trying to find the name of it but I can’t even find a place that even looks familiar. On to the hotel. It was called the Continental Hotel Budapest. We were on the sixth floor which was maybe two from the roof. Nice little room.

The next morning, we met up with everyone and our guide for the day in the lobby. We walked down the street to the Raoul Wallenberg Holocaust Memorial Park. It has a huge weeping willow tree sculpture commemorating the Hungarian Jews who died in the Holocaust. Their names are inscribed on the leaves of it and it’s called the Emanuel Tree. It was pretty impressive looking. Next to this was the Dohany Street Synagogue and the Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives. We continued down the road and through the Varoshaza Park and to Elizabeth Square where they have a Ferris wheel called the Budapest Eye. Here we turned off onto a small side street and walked down to St Stephen’s Basilica. It was very pretty. Old European churches like this are always pretty. We had a little time to look at a souvenir shop outside before we had to get on the bus to go to our next place. The shop had bathrooms too. We went over to the City Market where we could find something for lunch. There was a Burger King across the street so mom and I went there. Nice and quick. Meeting up with everyone again, we got on the bus and headed out of Budapest to the north. Our next stop was in the town of Esztergom. It was right on the Danube and the border of Slovakia. We were having mass at the Basilica of Esztergom. It was on a hill overlooking the river. Very pretty views and a nice area where you could look off from. Mass was in this side area. There was a picture in there that looked like a demented goat or something. It was really creepy looking. We drove back to Budapest and had dinner at this place that looked like a wine cellar. They had a big barrel full of corks in it in the entrance. After dinner, Sebastian drove us back to the hotel.

Day two sort of. We had a city tour of sorts. We went out to the Millennium Monument in Heroes Square and by the Museum of Fine Arts and the Kunsthalle. It was also near the Budapest Zoo and Vajdahunyad Castle. There was a little lake that had peddle boats that you could rent. We drove by the Shoes on the Danube Bank which was a memorial for people killed by fascist during WWII. We also went by Hungarian Parliament building. Very impressive looking and even better at night with the lights all lit up. After this, a number of us went off on our own while the rest went on a tour of the Parliament building. Mom and I got lunch at KFC and did a bit of shopping. Then we took a taxi back to the hotel. For dinner tonight, we went across the river to a restaurant called Borkatakomba. The inside was like a wine cellar with huge barrels you could sit in and have dinner. We sat at a long table. There was another section of long tables behind us and on either side. I think one group was from the UK and another from China maybe. At the end of the tables was a little stage area where some people were playing instruments. That was also where a couple of them danced and stuff. It was entertaining. The food wasn’t that bad either.

Today I stayed at the hotel while everyone went off to the top of Gellert Hill. There was a Citadella there and you could see Fisherman’s Bastion. I ended up seeing most of this later when mom and I went on a hop on hop off bus tour of sorts. We were supposed to have the whole day to ourselves but the leader had planned too many things for the time we had. I think. So much happened I might be mixing up the things we did each day. Anyway. Last full day, we took a hop on hop off bus out to the zoo. Well kind of. We went the wrong way but got there eventually. I adore zoos. I try to go to one everywhere I go. The giraffes were cute and I love the tiger. He was sleeping. The lion was laying on his back. Just a big cat. We went as far as the polar bears and then went back down to do some shopping. Mom was trying to find the same place she had gone to with the other ladies but we couldn’t find it. We went back to the hotel and started packing. Our last dinner was a river cruise and folk music show. They had a menu that you could pick what you wanted. It was nice. It was fun. We went up and down the Danube a couple times and ate and listened to people sing and play. Then we went back to the hotel to sleep for a couple hours before we had to get up again and head to the airport.

For being three in the morning, the airport was pretty packed. We flew to Amsterdam where we had barely enough time to go through security and get to our next gate before they were loading. I didn’t get to use the bathroom so I used the one on the plane before we took off. We went through customs in Portland which was weird. Then we called the hotel bus to come get us. When we got to the hotel, I changed into shorts. It was so hot. We got back home by around five. My cat was happy to see me.

#travel

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traveltofrance · 5 years ago

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Travel to France

Before you go to France, use this comprehensive online France travel guide to find out all the basics about customs requirements, the culture, weather, currency and more. Also, get tips on when to go and where to go in France.

About France Travel

France is a diverse and rich nation, filled with destinations to suit every taste. The French, while often stereotyped as rude or snobbish, is actually a proud but friendly people. The key is to understand cultural differences. The food in France is among the finest in the world, and it is the largest wine-producing nation in the world.

The French value cuisine, arts, culture, and history. Each region has its own flair and uniqueness. You are about to embark on an enticing adventure, but there are certain details and rules you should know before you go.

How To Get In

All foreign visitors must have a passport. (If you don't have a current passport, start this process as early as possible. Glitches, like a missing birth certificate, can drag this out.) Americans planning to visit for 90 days or longer, or those who plan to study in France, must get a long-stay visa.

Where To Go

Think of France, and most people automatically think of Paris. But there is much more to this country, whether it be the robust stews and beer of the Alsace or the laid-back attitude and sunny beaches of the Riviera and Monaco. There are many other underrated but wonderful cities, as well as unique spa resorts and villages and lovely beaches all around the coastline from the north to the border with Italy.

France is divided into regions, and I would recommend you read up about the distinct personalities of each before deciding on a destination.

Getting There

Most major U.S. airports fly to Paris, some going non-stop, and Roissy-Charles de Gaulle in Paris is the most popular airport in France. Some airlines also fly into other major French cities, such as Lyon and Strasbourg. It takes around 7 hours to get to France from the East Coast.

Getting Around In France

There are many economical and handy ways to get around France. You need to examine where you will be going and how flexible you are.

If you plan to visit villages not accessible by train, a rental car is ideal. The French drive on the same side of the road as Americans, but there are some differences. While traffic lights are commonplace in the States, many intersections in France are traffic circles instead. These are actually much more efficient but might take getting used to. Also, it becomes far more crucial to have good maps if you will rent a car. (Try asking for directions in a foreign language. Not pretty.) Check out the advantages of long term Renault Eurodrive Buy Back Car Leasing.

If you are visiting cities with train stations, rail is convenient and can be inexpensive. The key is to determine whether you will just buy point-to-point tickets (preferable if you will be taking few trips or short trips), European rail passes (if you plan to go country to country) or a France Rail Pass (if you will travel often and long distances, all on one country).

If you plan to visit French cities that are far apart (say Strasbourg and Carcassonne), you might want to check into flying within the country. It's relatively cheap and can save you hours of train travel.

Train Travel

In addition, many cities also have their own transportation system (such as Paris' metro). Even many smaller villages have a bus system. France's transportation system is much more extensive than that of the U.S. Check with the city or region's tourism office.

Next: When to go, Cultural differences, Official holidays and French language

When To Go

Deciding when to go depends on both your temperament and that of France. Climates and the popularity of a region depend heavily on the time of year and vary dramatically from one region to the next.

The North of France is at its busiest in late spring and early summer. The weather is best, but the attractions are packed and the prices are the highest. Also, you might want to avoid the North in August, when most of the natives are on vacation in the South. If swarms of tourists aren't your thing, fall is a wonderful time to visit the north. While you are sure to have a few overcast, windy, rainy days to contend with, things are still very happening this time of year. Winter can be blustery, but there are keen benefits then as well, such as ice skating in Paris or Christmas Markets in Alsace. See Christmas In France.

The South of France is attractive almost any time of year. But remember that it is jammed in August. In May, the Cannes Film Festival packs that city and those nearby, visit city of Nice or the Monaco city-state. Even in fall, sometimes you can dip your toes in the Mediterranean. Don't be fooled, though. Provencal winters can be unexpectedly chilly. Find out more with the France Travel Monthly Calendar.

What Time/Day Is It?

France is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, and five hours ahead of New York City. The country does honor daylight savings time, so during that time, it is one more hour ahead, or six hours later than in New York. The French also celebrate several holidays, and visiting during this time can result in some good things (festivals abound and many museums and restaurants remain open) and bad things (most businesses and shops are closed). These are the holidays in 2017:

January 1 - New Year's Day

April 16/17 - Easter Sunday/Monday - Pâques

May 1 - Labor Day - Fête du Travail

May 8 - Victory in Europe Day 1945 - Fête de la Victoire 1945 (marks the end of WWII)

May 25 - Ascension

June 4/June 5 - Whit Sunday/Pentecôte

July 14 - Bastille Day - Fête Nationale

August 15 - Assumption Day - Assomption

November 1 - All Saints Day - La Toussaint

November 11 - Armistice Day (End of WWI) - Le 11 Novembre

December 25 - Christmas Day - Noël

How To Communicate

If at all possible, it is very helpful to at least learn a few basic phrases, especially ones you will use often (such as transportation and menu terms, etc.). Although the French are taught English in grade school, some do not know much English (what do YOU recall from high school Spanish, after all?). They also are more likely to reveal their ability to speak English if you at least make an attempt to speak their language first.

How To Blend In

Many times, people presume the French are being rude when it's actually just due to cultural differences. The French, for instance, always greet each other before speaking. So if you run-up to a French person looking for directions by saying, "How do you get to the Eiffel Tower?" you have just been rude by French standards. Acquaint yourself with French Culture.

Next: Euros; What to Pack; How to plug it in; Calling home and Extra Tips and information

How Much Is That?

In France, the euro is the local currency. This involves a little less math than the previous franc (although I still miss the colorful franc with interesting themes such as "La Petite Prince"). When the euro is more valuable than the dollar, just round up a little (such as, you spend 8 euros and estimate $10 in your head just to be conservative).

Even those who know a little French language may have trouble understanding shop keepers who recite prices. When you ask "Combien?" (How much?), keep a small pad handy so shop keepers can write the amount down.

What To Pack

What to pack for your French trip depends heavily on which region you will visit, where you will stay and how mobile you will need to be while visiting.

If you will be traveling all over the country, hopping the train from one destination to another, pack light. A rolling backpack is great for this, by allowing you to choose between rolling it along or popping it onto your back. If you will, say, fly into Paris and stay in one luxury hotel the entire time, you can be more flexible and pack heavier.

Don't presume you can just find it in France if you need it, however. Good English-language maps or guide books can be tough to find, and it is challenging even in a big city to get an adaptor plug designed to convert an American appliance into the French plugs. (Think about it. They have plenty that allows French appliances to be plugged in while in America because most of the shoppers IN France need that). To be sure you don't have packing regrets, check out this list of the Free France Travel Packing Checklist or these tips for packing light.

How To Plug It In

If you want to use American appliances in France, you will need an adaptor and a converter. The adaptor allows you to plug it into the wall, while a converter changes the electrical current to the French standard. For example, if you have a hairdryer that allows you to change the electrical current, you would only need the adaptor. What some visitors fail to realize is that phone plugs also need adaptors, and without them, you will not be able to connect your laptop. Be sure you also get a telephone adaptor if you plan to take a laptop.

How To Call & E-mail Home

Placing a call home from France involves certain knowledge, but once you get the hang of it, it is surprisingly affordable and relatively easy. But first, you must know the basics. For one thing, most French payphones do not take change, but instead, use "telecasts." These can be purchased at many spots, such as tobacco and convenience stores, for a few euros. You slide the card into the slot on the phone, wait for the prompt on the display, and then enter the phone number (starting with the country code, such as "1" for the U.S.). The display will show how many units you have remaining. Calling on off-hours will eat far fewer units. You can take advantage of time differences by, for instance, calling later in the night when it is late afternoon or early evening in the States.

How To Get Stuff Home

Dreaming of lugging cases of delectable French wine home with you? Think again, unless you want to pay. The U.S. government offers the following restrictions:

Most visitors are allowed to bring back $800 of French goodies without paying duty.

The duty includes up to 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars.

One liter of alcohol is also included in duty-free.

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cchmissions · 5 years ago

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Passages Israel Trip - 1/5/2020

Today is the fifth day in Israel, when we finish up in Jerusalem and head north, towards Tel Aviv. Our time here has been incredible, and we’ve gotten to learn so much about Jesus’ birth and death within the cities in which they occurred. We’ve also been so fortunate as to hear two opposite perspectives of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, both of which were incredibly valid and vastly different. However, today began with an extremely emotional experience. Yad Vashem is the Israeli Holocaust-or as the Jews refer to it, Shoah-Memorial in Jerusalem. It’s a 60-acre memorial site dedicated to telling the stories of the six-million Jews who were murdered during World War II. We were able to walk through the Historical Museum, which told the general story of how the Shoah started, the Synagogue, the Art Museum, and the Children’s Memorial. While I have been fortunate to visit several Holocaust-related sites, this one was different. This historical museum was the first that I have visited that extensively explained how and why this was happening, especially from a Jewish perspective. Our site tour guide explained that the museum holds over 7 hours of video and thousands of artifacts, pictures, notes, and more. At the end of the museum, we walked through the Hall of Names, which is a program put in place to document every person lost during WWII. The room is so overwhelming to see; it is circular with a dome-shaped ceiling filled with 600 random pictures of people who were killed. This is to represent the six million. The walls were filled with binders that contained a page for every name that has been submitted to the site for documentation. While they currently have over five million names recorded, they still have a large section of shelving open for the remaining people.* When we walked through the Children’s Memorial, I think I stopped breathing. The entire idea is so beautiful and heartbreaking, with a single candle lit in the middle of a room covered in walls full of mirrors. The final effect is a never-ending sea of candles lit to honor the one-and-a-half million children who were murdered during the Holocaust. To think about how someone can do something so inhumane is devastating, and to hear it from a Jewish perspective is eye-opening on an entirely different level. Our experience at Yad Vashem was humbling, heartbreaking, and moving. However, it wasn’t only moving us towards negative emotions, but instead I think it has pushed us towards taking our blinders off when the world is experiencing prejudice, discrimination, and injustices. During our debrief, several people came forward and stated that visiting Yad Vashem had given them a new mission, to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. After finishing at Yad Vashem, we hopped on the bus to head to Tel Aviv for lunch and to visit a market. It was a different vibe for the city, but it was so interesting to compare. It was almost as if we were visiting a miniature New York City, with the business and skyscrapers surrounding us. After lunch and some shopping, we took a walk through the city to see some monuments and comparisons of how it looked a before, during, and after settlement. Before we got on the bus, we were able to walk by the Mediterranean Sea just as the sun was setting for a wonderful photo opportunity! Seeing the beauty of the water and sun setting behind lots of amazing clouds perked everyone’s spirits before getting back on the bus for a journey north. We arrived safely this evening on the west side of the Sea of Galilee at our hotel for the next three nights. Please continue to be praying for our safety, our hearts and spiritual growth, and our health as we move into the second half of our trip. Thank you to everyone who has supported our journey this far and helped make this opportunity possible for me and my fellow students! *If you are interested in learning more about how to record/look up people at Yad Vashem, follow this link: https://yvng.yadvashem.org Choose Joy Always, Kendall Campbell

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zurichtooslo · 5 years ago

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Day 47, 6th Oct, Berlin

Clear blue skies and sunny today but very cold which I don’t mind if the suns out. Right outside my hotel near the U Bahn was a book box.

I caught the train to Bernauer Strabe. I wanted to go to a flea market, seeing it was Sunday, and Berlin has a lot but decided on this area as it also has a lot of Berlin Wall history. I have been here before but it’s five years so good to revisit the area. Next to the station you can see on the wall the famous photo of an East German soldier jumping through the barbed wire in the early days of the wall to escape. Police were waiting with a car to whisk him away to safety.

As soon as you coming out of the station there are posters about the Wall as this street seemed to be where a lot of people died and events happened more than other areas. The reason being is the wall went through people’s homes basically and at first people were fleeing out their front doors, then when they were blocked out their windows and even jumping out their windows.

The Wall cut neighbourhoods in half and even families. Before the wall got so high people would stand on ladders so see their friends and families on the other side.

Each death remembered has a sad story behind it. This lady, Olga, was a 80 year old woman. Her daughter had got out of the home but not her mother. The people below convinced her to jump. The fire bridge had catching sheets for people who jumped. Olga jumped but hurt herself and died the next day in hospital. Memorials were built at the time for those who died but now she is remembered by this stone on the footpath.

Just along on this street was a huge flea market.

Me in my element.

Lots and lots of boxes of stuff.

A few years ago it would have been a goldmine but now I’ve moved on from china. There was so much pink and white English china there. I would have been in seventh heaven.

I only ended up spending €3.50.

Back along the street to where all the Berlin Wall information was. I liked this art. I interpret it as the knife, or wall, cutting through the heart of people during 1961 to 1989. It could be something completely different.

Part of the original wall and where some is missing rusted poles are placed. The green grass was where the death strip was located as by the end there were two walls with a strip with guardhouses all the way along.

These are some of the people who lost their lives trying to escape from the East.

This area is a considerable section of wall.

An original guard house within the two walls.

I caught a tram back to Alexander Platz where some Octoberfest activities were going on.

Typical German biscuits.

Colourful stalls.

Lots of German food.

A bit later on I was joining an ‘Alternative’ free walking tour starting at the base of the communication tower.

Our first example of street art is done by a group and they put this all over the city. It’s 1UP. It’s from a Mario game. Berlin has a lot of graffiti which I’m not into but it was interesting getting the back story. I do like street art, though.

This is one of El Bocho’s work. El Bocho is a Berlin-based street artist using graphic posters to tell stories throughout the city, and across the world. One of his most recognisable series features the twisted character, Little Lucy, who became famous on the streets of Berlin as the imaginary little girl intent on killing her cat. In this one Little Lucy has a mouse to lure the cat and ‘gift’ in German is poison.

These paper cuts outs were interesting. Berlin has a huge techno dance music scene with a lot of clubs where people go. No one is allowed to take photos inside and it’s policed very thoroughly. However, this artist took some photos of just random people and put them up on walls. It could be anyone and in these clubs anything goes.

This was our guide who was very knowledgeable and full of information. These cards were done by a French artist and this type of art takes a long time and is fairly unique. It’s in the vain of Banksy. It is Angela Merkle as the Queen of Hearts.

We turned off the street where there were some ‘stumbling stones’. This used to be a Jewish area. This family all died in Auschwitz.

Immediately as you turned into the courtyard it was a great space. I like that rustic look. Now there are bars and cafes in where people used to live.

This man used to have a workshop here during WWII. He was able to hide some Jews with the help of a friend who was a prostitute and knew people in the underworld who could get more ration cards to feed those who were hiding. Another museum to visit next time,

Looking back out to the street. Along the wall is street art that changes frequently. There is someone who oks what is to be on the walls.

Another quaint area.

I like this whole courtyard and nooks and crannies. Not sure who the painting is of.

There was a museum about Anne Franks and other Jewish stories. That will have to wait for another time. The portrait of her was good.

Also in the courtyards were a couple of other Little Lucy. This one she has made a swing out of the cat.

Little Lucy has a gun here for the cat. All a bit warped but interesting to find as you are walking the streets.

Next we caught the S bahn to Kottbusser which now is quite close to the centre of Berlin but in the 70′s it was fairly empty and on the outskirts. At that time Germany was in need of workers so they put the word out to countries and the biggest number of men came from Turkey. They settled in this area. They were only supposed to come for a year or two earn some good money then go back to Turkey. That didn’t happen and they stayed and bought their families over. Now this area has Turkish shops, bank, travel agent and mosque. However, the area is going through a gentrification process which is changing the area again. Germans are a country of renters and there are strict rules about rents etc so it’s difficult to force people to move. With shops it’s easier as rents can be put up.

This area has always been fairly politically active and to the Left so different changes have been fought over and stopped.

The Cosmonaut Mural was painted in 2007 by Victor Ash and is considered to be the largest stencil drawing in the world. Like much of Ash’s work the Cosmonaut explores contrasts between the subject matter and the environment that it inhabits. The unexpected sight of an unmissable, massive, weightless astronaut immediately leaves a lasting impression on pedestrians. Ash was born in Portugal in 1968 and raised in France. He currently lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The red and blue symbols are done by another group in Berlin more recently who abseil down buildings to do their paintings. They film themselves and put it on utube.

This used to be a hospital but when built the Emperor at the time was very much into liking church architecture. Now it’s a cultural centre.

This green strip,now park area, was once the ‘‘death Strip’ in the middle of the Berlin Wall. All over the city you can see where the wall was built.

We walked back to the river. All the way along you can see new buildings been built. Unlike Germany Berlin is not a wealthy city as it doesn’t have industry like the west of Germany does. As one gay Mayor said ’we might be poor but Berlin is sexy’. The city has a slightly alternative feel to it but like everywhere more money is coming in and new buildings built changing the scene. Below the construction is an area called YAMM which was built on a disused area. It’s full of bars and has an African lean. There are other places like this further along the river and in other disused train sheds etc but eventually development will push them out.

The tour finished at this point. A fabulous wander through the streets of Berlin.

I called in to have a look at YAMM. It was a pretty friendly place

The music was good and you could get up and dance if you wanted to. I declined but was happy to watch.

It had been a long day and getting very cold so that was pretty much me done. Ready for more adventures tomorrow.

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janchriseurope · 6 years ago

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Hello/ bonjour Strasbourg

We walked out of the station and about 200 m to our hotel. It's a bit bigger than the last one but the bathroom is smaller and a lot older. First thing on the agenda was washing.. We have been fairly good at keeping up, but with the temps we are getting through clothes at a great rate. ...should have kept that other pair of leggings and top! We wandered off into the I site about 2 ish. Everything is very close here so you can get around really well. Strasbourg is as beautiful as we remembered. The buildings are fascinating and now that we have done the guided tour, we understand their features much better.. We bought a 3 day pass for €19. It isn't as good as the Lyon one but should still save us on what we want to do. Unfortunately, the WWII museum we had wanted to visit is too hard to get to without a car. Never mind we have other places we can see. First up was a beautiful church of St Peter. It was wonderful and cool inside so doubly enjoyed the visit.. Next was the Cathedral. We had seen it last time but it was still very worth while... Will go back for the guided tour tomorrow. As well as seeing the clock chiming at 12.00.. We wandered aimlessly rubbernecking...gosh five stories high starts getting to your neck muscles.. Chris decided he needed a new hat.. The black one was too hot! We found a thin beige baseball cap which was just the thing. Further down the street we had a 'simple' Cree freeze.. A small come with about one scoop of cream. Just enough to fill holes and cool us down. We headed towards petite France... Very old buildings, cooling down in the oldest Protestant church. This church became Protestant in 1524 and has been consistently Protestant ever since.. There was the most amazing carving behind the altar as well as stain glass and carvings. One of the reasons for coming back here was the Christmas shop with its beautiful lace decorations.. Had to keep reminding ourselves that we still have three weeks to go and don't want to over load the bags but could have spent a fortune. Such pretty decorations.. By this time it was nearly 5 pm so we headed to the tavern we had been to last time.. Sitting in the shade, drinking blonde beer and eating a platter, was heaven. The platter had Munster cheese, compte a soft cheese, hummus, smoked ham, the most Devine chorizo and a home made terrine, along with a basket of crusty bread. After a while a couple of elderly Aussies sat next to us, so we wiled away another hour. They come from Melbourne where he has his own olive grove. We wandered towards home, stopping at the express supermarket for supplies. It wasn't until we got home that we discovered the dine needed a cork screw... Oh well I didn't actually need a dine tonight, just lots of water. As we arrived at our hotel we saw another gay pride parade at the station. Much smaller and quieter than Lyon, thank God

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the-canary · 6 years ago

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Mausoleum - B.B (3/7)

Summary: Well, this was certainly one way to go about a museum date with your historical crush. (Reader/Bucky Barnes).

Masterlist

A/N: This is for @jaamesbbarnes. welcome to me struggling to keep this 6 chapters, but we’ll see. also, reference to an old show somewhere >>;;

Part 1 | Part 2

Everett Ross is a smart man and while once he would have fallen under all the pressure placed on him by his superiors and all who looked to him for the next step, he didn’t do so now -- years of experience in both war and diplomacy have cooled him down. But underneath the veneer of civility, Ross is still a man that trust his instinct most of the all, that gut that has saved him a million times before even if he might play it off as something else. However, like any normal person, Everett Ross has flaws as well.

A certain soft, in the name of friendship and their shared past, towards a former lieutenant is one of them. Ross knows that it was stupid and downright dangerous to send a semi-suicidal person and a potential suicide mission, but he knew you. During your time in the Air Force, you read up on any book you could find on the Howling Commandos, specially Bucky Barnes -- you carried them around like a safety net and when your time was up, you used your resources to get degree after degree in American Military History with a honed focus on WWII.

The two of you were slowly becoming leading experts in your respective fields, but while Ross had overcome in his own ways the horrors of the Gulf and other missions (certainly a lie on some days), you hadn’t. The scars still burned and you had dropped out of your programs and jobs more than once because of the nightmares they caused, but that didn’t stop you -- the museum in New York being the latest gig and Everett wanted to believe that.

But, this was also an opportunity that he couldn’t miss, especially with the Winter Soldier, and you were his ace in the hole. However, as he watches the little red symbol showing him your location in Europe flash and disappear on the screen all of a sudden, he can’t help but let out a frustrated groan -- unsure of what happens next.

He just hopes, so unlike him, that he hasn’t killed you a second time.

It’s simple questions, he never talks more than necessary. Who are you? Who are you working for? What are the exacts details of your mission?

A long time ago, you would have fought tooth and nail to not give the answers to those questions, you would die before they knew what rattled in your head. However, now all that your head safeguarded was nightmares and regrets and you gladly hand them over to Bucky Barnes with those dark blue eyes and guarded expression. A haunted version of himself that you had idealized back as a teen, but after the Winter Soldier incident and looking at him now, he reminded you of Monty Clift after the car crash, barely hanging in there. He keeps asking, and you keep answering everything with completely honestly -- Ross would surely hate you.

“Air Force? What position?” his voice is rusty and breaks near the end once more, as he takes a bite out of his sandwich. Look normal, like a wandering and dirty American couple simply playing tourists and snuggling in to each other while eating.

“Yes, first lieutenant,” you smile bitterly behind your tea cup. Your eyes flicker between looking at his gloved hands and the dirty brown hair hiding his face, so completely different from the pictures and engravings that you had seen over the years. It’s shattering to see your idol like this, but at the same time you can’t blame him.

“How long?” he questions, glancing around the cafe to see who might be watching the two of you and memorizing all the exits for the 4th time, it eases him just a little to know he could escape at a moment’s notice.

“A couple of months,” you answer, as Bucky takes mental note of where he could have gone wrong that he could have been tracked down, knowing that he won’t make the same mistakes again -- not like this was any better though, “Since Scotland.”

“And you?”

“Search, nothing more than that,” you shrug, rolling your shoulder back in momentary pain, “Though, I was honestly expecting a fight.”

“I don’t do that anymore,” he says so softly that your heart breaks, as he wringes his two gloved hands together.

“I see that now, and I am sorry for expecting the worst,” you lament, as blue eyes widen by only a fraction at your declaration, making him wonder how long it had been since he had heard such words, wondering how they could be given so easily, and whether he even deserved them. However, in a quick second, he shakes all those thoughts away.

“Go home,” is all he says, as he begins to get up. Putting some change together to leave on the table before hanging his backpack on his shoulders once more.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that,” you manage to answer back, before blue eyes turn to look at you, resolute in getting his words across, in having a say in what happens in his own life after so many years of being the first of HYDRA against his will.

“Don’t follow me,” is all he says before disappearing through the crowd, as you frown.

Bucky Barnes knows that you are connected some powerful people, maybe not HYDRA but someone else looking to bring him in and he knows the moment that something happened to you -- they were going to come after him first. And while blue eyes linger at the person he has actually had a long conversation with in more than 70 years, self-preservation got the better of him as he disappeared into the Belgium streets.

You’re short on time, knowing that with his location known, Bucky Barnes would mostly like be out of Antwerp by the end of the day, if not the hour so instead of going back to your shady hotel room -- you move forward. You decide to go into the shopping district, trying to best to get some travel gear and a decent set of clothes. Your phone has stop pinging, no sign of Bucky, but with your limited knowledge of where he is going and how to get into said country, you head to the closest train station. You know that this is stupid idea, that you are essentially running from a mission given to you by Ross (but not really) in order to follow an former assassin that could have you (but wouldn’t) disappear without a trace. This is all so ridiculous, but taking a deep breath and heading towards the ticket station and getting on the one that moved through the Belgium-France border.

“It leaves in a few minutes,” the station attendant manages to tell you and you’re off, running to catch an unsure train that might or might not be carrying Bucky Barnes to his next destination. There are too many uncertainties right now that a past version of yourself would be angered by the lack of control in your hands, but for now...you were okay with that, and that was saying a lot.

You sat down near the back, as you tried to stay calm for the moment but you couldn’t stop the rush of adrenaline at the flash of blue a few seats away, though you weren’t going to get up just because of one little incident. You were going to be on the train for a few hours, so you could scope everything out later. Fpr now, you took a deep breathe and settled in.

“Rett’s gonna freak out,” you giggle a bit, before cuddling your new backpack closer and watching as the train slowly starts to makes its way out of the station.

You were alive and you were going to be fine (maybe), even if that mean playing Ishmael for awhile.

Part 4

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fan fic #bucky barnes fic #james buchanan barnes x reader #james bucky barnes x reader #series: graves and dates #fabiola trying to write

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