Valencia, where the orange trees forever Send the breeze beside the sea

Valencia is one of the most beautiful cities I have been to. Four days packed with surprises around the corner, across narrow alleys leading to hidden places, at least to the forigner. There is a point in no using maps at times.... you miss too much starring at that piece of paper instead of feeling the surroundings. Took me ages to get back to my blog, and there is no better way I can think of to re-start this project than with a brief description of what I lived in Valencia.


Narrow Alleys... getting lost in order to find oneself stands truthful to its meaning

Very often in Valencia I found out the streets lead to other places with their own themes. It is not a very big city, but still it feels its quarters can be very different from one another, and yet, that is what makes them all the same.

Something I like a lot about this city as I liked it in Barcelona is the balconies. There are lots of them almost in every building. Go to New York and try to get an appartment with a balcony and see how much they charge you. Here I can only imagine the balcony is a given. It is a great section of the flat (apartments, as they call them here in Europe). You can decorate it with plants, put a small table and two chairs for an afternoon coffee, or just take a smook outside and feel the breeze running though the cobble stone streets, sometimes smelling like orange or lemon, and at times like sea or paella.


The all and new buildings are nice too

Here is a view of El Ayuntamiento - City Hall. During the day it looks beautiful, during the night is looks amazing. The fountain was working on this particular day, so I was lucky. There are also the other buildings around the square that add to the view worth of a painting.... which in fact I saw the day after, when a local artist was just doing that in the late morning.

Around the old town there are lots of nice architecture. The Plaza de Toros next to the North Train Station looked very good at 4:49 pm, before sunset, and on the last day there was a clear sky with a quarter of the moon overlooking the city shining over these two buildings.

The medieval towers around the old town are nice too. I looked at them, and imagine knighs and kings crossing them, with large poles holding the flags of the Valencian Kingdom. And they are so old, from around the 14th century, and are still standing. The Spanish and Valencian flags now over look the city, and in a clear day, the view of the city from atop these towers is a reward after a long day of walking.


Vino Tinto y Cafe con Leche, por favor

And here is another aspect of Valencia I liked the most, the cafes. There are cafes in almost every corner, plaza, alley, and busy streets. The feeling of a small table with just enough space for a tapa, a glass of red wine and a cafe "con o sin" leche in a clear day, with moderate temperature, under a tree and the ocassional Spanish guitar player.... priceless.

I particularly prefer the cafes in the smaller plazas. Most of the ones I visited connect more than 4 streets as if it was a star with the cafe in the middle. The streets then strecth far to other parts of the city, and at times you can see a bell tower, a statue, a fountain, a another plaza or another cafe at the distance. It is nice.


Paellita Valenciana.... better and better each time

When I was in Barcelona, little that I knew paella is only good there if prepared by a Valencian family. Here, I   experienced that paella got just better and better each time. This one above was in all ways, shapes and forms  the most tastefull sample of Valencian cuisine. It was prepared for a whole group of Spanish assisting a local music event, for free, and with the chance to repeat.... tasty!!!!

This one actually has a story. We were looking for a place in the outside part of the city, where there would be a local music event. Turned out the event was cancelled because of the rain, but we only found out once we got there. After a beer and a pool game, we were ready to head back to the center, and along the way found something much better than expected.

We found a communal space for local events, and the experience was unique. Inside, there were two orchestra bands playing Spanish songs, one from Valencia and the other one from Zaragoza. They played a lot of songs I remember from childhood. The songs brought back memories, and even though I had not listened to many of them in years, since I left Costa Rica, I still remembered the lyrics and sang along.

The food and drinks were also amazing. At the entrance of the small salon, there is a small bar. There, a mother and daugther were selling coffee, beer and wine. After so much coffee during the day, beer and wine were the clear options... plus there was an incentive - glass of wine 50 cents of a Euro, and beer 1 Euro, and they both were really good, not a hint of cheap stuff at all. At the end of the event, they set up the tables for a buffet style feast, with Serrano Ham, salami, cheese, and the star of the night... Paella Velenciana, the one above, and for free. It is true, the best stuff in life is FOC!


The art took on the streets

I liked the graffiti in Valencia. There are some sections full of them, and the art is very creative. I am sure people in Brooklyn would agree with me this is of high quality. Here, there are some alleys with very nice themes, all related to social issues and about life in general. Some buildings like the one above have gigantic paitings and interesting details, that if you don't pay attention, like with every piece of art, you miss the point. Simply beautiful.

Just for comparison, this one is a sample of a graffiti from Bushwick in Brooklyn, which I also like a lot (hi Maya). In Brooklyn they tend to be full of colors and along short walls. In Valencia, they seemed to me more like sketches and you can see them in short walls and tall buildings.


Four days, and this blog is too small to type it all

Valencia is a pretty nice place. I enjoyed the food, the drinks, the lemon and mandarine trees, the medieval town, the narrow alleys and its cafes. I also liked the dancing.... there is also Salsa there, and it is quite good. Just to deviate a little bit in here, the Salsa scene was interesting. At the two best clubs we went to, there were people from all ages dancing together. I usually either see the groups dancing separately, but not here.

It was a very nice experience, and for sure I need to go back to Velencia. Thanks Petra. You made this trip much better for me.


Photo album

• Valencia

Bratislava - small? yes.... interesting? yes³!

As promised, here is a post after months of inactivity....

I almost got kidnapped in Bratislava!

Long story short - last weekend took a taxi from the bus station to the train station, 3 maybe 4-minute ride, and the not so clever skin head wanted to charge 30 euros! Seemed the only option was to jump off the car in the middle of the high way as the guy was saying with all honesty - I am going to drop you off 10 km away if you dont pay, cannot go to the police because I have problems with them. We ended up paying 10, which is still a lot, but given the situation we are glad you are not reading in the news - two bodies found 10 km away from Bratislava train station.

True story!

Next, some pics and experiences from Valencia, Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, and hopefully soon from Krakow. Chicago and New York are in the pack, too.

BTW, I have not downloaded pictures from Slovakia, so the pic above is not Bratislava. I know you know... just making sure.

Still in Prague, still traveling

Ahoj! Jak se maš?

I am still here in Prague. Now working at a Czech company programing short term academic trips. In my department, we cover the Americas, and at the moment I have three programs to North, Central and South America. Sounds good? It is!

Three weeks ago I finally started to take Czech lessons. Not easy! One thing is to have more than 30 variations of the verb in Spanish, something else is to have countless variations of the verb, noun and adjective depending on God knows what in Czech. But, so far, so so. The first sentence means "hello, how are you".


Berlin

Over a month ago I spent a weekend in Berlin, and it was awesome! I was also doing some work, so didn't get to go out that much in the four days I was there. Still, I got to explore the city a little bit. Very big... more than I had thought.

The architecture of the city is impressive. There are the old buildings with huge and very real looking sculptures, and there are the new buildings with futuristic designs. There are different points in the city where the architecture changes dramatically. I like that. Walk a few minutes and see something totally different from a few blocks away. Well, it is not exactly like that, but I felt it this way.

What I like the most about the city is the cultural diversity. There are many people from all walks of life, and many neighborhoods with distinctive characters. Recently I went back to attend a Salsa congress, and the place I stayed at was in what I think is a Turkish quarter, near the Yorckstraße metro station.

One day, seating at a cafe, I could see more foreign faces than Germans on the street in the two hours I was there. Then, on Saturday, there is a Turkish farmers market, and I was like a kid in a candy store - wide open eyes for all the goodies around me. I set my mind on buying food to cook later, and ended up with lots of food and no idea of what I was actually gonna prepare. It was  like being in a Central American market or at the Bazaar in Istanbul - sellers shouting products and prices, and people bumping into each other on the norrow alleys while walking around empty boxes and tomatoes, lettuce leaves, and papers on the floor. Awesome!


Salsa Congress

I had never seen that many people dancing salsa all together... over 1000 at one point!

The Berlin Salsa Congress was the second one I attended. The first one was in New York last year. I had more fun in this one.  It was three days of Hell, Heaven and Paradise. This was an interesting concept as we all dressed in black and/or red on the first day and white on the second. There were also many presentations by dancers from a large number of countries during the evening, and workshops during the day. Very impressive!

Aside from Salsa, I had more opportunities to explore the city at night, and other places I had not seen on the first trip. Plus, the cultural experience much more intense this time. See, Berlin is known for this, but appears to be it takes some time to actually feel it. This, I come to realize makes the city even more interesting, and for sure I am gonna go back.


The walking sign

Ok. I am gonna leave it here, and post more next time, with pics and the whole mambo jambo.

But, before, gotta show you the green walking guy. This is a pedestrian light, very distinctive of Berlin. Really cool sign!

Going on now in Prague

Ever since I came to Prague, I have spent most of the time with Czechs. I might not understand them when they talk, unless it is in English, but that is fine. Well, let me rephrase this - I don't understand them! But, it is part of the cultural experience. Little by little I am getting established here. Not only I got a job, I am also getting into some routines every week, and from time to time something new.

One of the best places to watch the sunset over Prague Castle is Riegrovy sady with a blanket and a bottle of wine. This is a park that has one of the most amazing views in Prague and a huge beer garden that happens to be popular among expatz. In some ways, it reminds me of Bohemian Hall Beer Garden in Astoria, Queens, just much bigger. Something I noticed is people in Prague have lots of dogs. From what they tell me, seems to be one in every two persons have a dog. Seriously, there are lots of dogs in this city!

Then there is Žižkovská věž, the tallest building in Prague, and a very interesting landmark. It is a television tower with a restaurant in the middle, and very creepy crawling babies attached to it. It is huge, and can be seen from anywhere in Prague. At night, it is lit in red and blue. The babies have some sort of grill structure in their faces, as if they had it smashed in. There are two other babies near the river, and they are quite big.

I am now living in Vysočany, 25 minutes from downtown by metro. It is mostly a residential area, with a few old buildings that seem to be from the communist time. There is an old factory in front of my building, which I can see from my window on the fifth floor. I do my grocery shopping in the small Vietnamese shops and sometimes at a mall nearby, in Billa, which is every where in Prague. I often go the a small park near the metro station to read, when it is sunny, but unfortunately it was cloudy and rainy in July most of the time. A few times a week I also teach Spanish, and while doing that I have found some good places to hang out around the area. Here is quiet and relaxing, but might have to move somewhere closer to downtown soon.

About the book, I read "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera. It is a novel with a series of stories that are interconnected and go around the theme about the meaning of being. The events take place around the Prague Spring of 1968, and Kundera gives his descriptions of the communist times. It is a good intro to Czech literature and also to get some understanding of contemporary Czech history. I strongly recommend it.

I play soccer (fotbal) on Thursdays and then go with the group for a beer (pivo) at the pub on the corner. It is fun. The guys I play with are Czech, and we sometimes speak in English, but they mostly speak in Czech. I can only look at them and smile, meaning, I am lost! And every evening I have to have hermelin, the best pickled cheese experience!

I have also been to some of the nicest Latin clubs in Prague, and a few nightclubs with electronic music. In those places I have more chances to not feel lost because of the language. It is difficult to talk with loud music anyway.

About Salsa, here most people dance on1, and I am sort of re-learning it, mostly Cuban style. It is fun, and am going more often than usual, which is good for practice. Three of the best places are Palanca (formerly Tropison) Wednesdays, Rincon Latino Mondays, Cubanita Thursdays.

The last couple of nights were also very interesting. On Saturday I went to Palanca, and aside from Salsa there were other dance presentations. There were dancers performing Salsa, modern dance and an Egyptian dance called Tanura. I had seen something similar to Tanura in Turkey, but this was quite an exciting experience. The Egyptian dress is multicolored and the dancer plays with a flat hut that has a series of small huts inside. The dancer I saw turned around for almost 10 minutes, and walked away like nothing! Very interesting!

On Monday I went to a concert with Orchestr Posledního Dne, roughly translated "Orchestra of the Last Day". I did not understand more than two words during the entire 2-hour performance, but felt the energy. It was a mixture of ska and funky music, with some theatrical scenes and apparently funny lines (people were laughing at what seemed to be jokes. Me? well, I could only try to figure things out and ask). 

Suzana, one of Petra's friends told me that the themes in many of the songs were a bit depressing and about some sad facts. Interestingly, the energy of the music and the voices and the performance made it all seem to be not so sad, and all put together with the enthusiasm and expression of energy of the people turned everything into something more positive, a way of looking at life situations with a critical eye and a more optimistic reality. 

One of the songs was about a woman crossing a dark long tunnel. A man approached her, and she thought he would hurt her. Then he only asked for money to buy beer (Pivo). Later she met with her boyfriend, who was drunk, and he asked her for money to buy beer for him and all his friends. Point: she was been taken advantage of. Another one was about a man, drunk laying down on the sidewalk. He was looking at people passing by, and the people were looking at him, and the day went by in this way. There were other themes, but for now this is what I remember the most.

All night long people were dancing on the small dance floor in front of the stage, including toddlers. They had no steps to follow, no need for a dance partner, just their open ears and eagerness for free movement of the buddy. They wanted to hear "Disco", and at last they got it. That evening we all had so much fun.

Všechno nejlepší Petra!

It's been two months since I moved to Prague. As expected, life here is different, and I am taking it one step at a time. Maybe the language barrier can be an issue at times, but hope to learn the basics in the next few decades.. LOL! This is the third country I've lived in, and even though life is completely different here, in a way some experiences are similar to when I first moved to NY.

On a long and lonesome highway

Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
Turn the page

Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on some stage
Here I go
Playin' star again
There I go
There I go


Turn The Page

Konstanz, Zurich

Konstanz

Konstanz is on the south of Germany, close to the border with Switzerland (500 mts / 1500 ft depending on which direction you take!). I had a lot of fun there, and during my stay I also visited some Swiss towns around the lake.

The town has lots of old buildings. During the night bombing raids in WWII, pilots were not sure if what they were looking at was Germany or Switzerland, so they didn't bomb. Literally, Switzerland is right there!

Life around the lake is very relaxing and fun as well. People actually jump off the bridge in the middle of the river, where in fact there is a traffic of boats, but they do it safely. The salsa scene here is pretty good, particularly in Cuban style. Seems to be I am blending both on2 and on1 salsa styles, cause it is becoming quite confusing dancing with me. Here I met a nice group of people from Germany, Spain, France and Switzerland.

Driving to the other towns around the lake area on the Swiss side was one of the best experiences I had in this trip. We went first to a chocolate factory, and guess what! I found a chocolate bar made with beans from Costa Rica! Then we continued to two other towns which names escape my mind (I owe you this one). What I can say is that there are sunflower fields and farms along the way, covering small hills and around small communities. I really liked this part.

I actually visited twice, once coming from Munich, and the other one on my way back from Zurich. Both times I felt as if this was my kind of place. I am more into small towns with history and an active community life. In a matter of days I was able to recognize streets and had an idea of where to go. The lake is beautiful, and just seating by the shore, watching the ducks, eating bread and feeling the sun through the fresh breeze is enough to satisfy the soul.

Zurich

A week after Konstanz I went to Zurich. The river and the lake are beautiful. The city is closer to the Alps, and the view of the snow covering the tips of the mountains made me speechless. Also, the seemly blue and white back ground seems to loom over the green and red communities around a lake of turquoise water and the boats.... simply impressive! The old part of the city is very nice, and one of my favorites sights are the really narrow alleys, with small cafes and wine stores.

There are also many fountains from which one can drink water. All the fountains I saw have statutes over a column. The window and roofs designs are also very nice, including the view of the buildings along the river. The party scene here is good as well. Some of the good spots are on Long Street, not too far from the main train terminal.

Zurich is in the German part of Switzerland. The Swiss understand the Germans better than the other way around. It is like the Brazilians understanding and speaking better Spanish than the other Latin American countries can do with Portuguese... simply not fair! Little by little I begun to see the difference in pronunciation, even though I am far from understanding and pronouncing German.

It was good to have seen friends both in Germany and Switzerland these past two weeks, all of whom I had met during my trip in Central America. I was also fortunate to have met really good people during my visit. We all don't leave in the same countries, but Europe is relatively small and extremely easy to travel, two huge benefits (plus in Germany there are highways with NO speed limit.. awesome!)

If and when you come around here, these links might be useful to get around

Prague to/from other European cities

http://www.mitfahrzentrale.de/index.php?landnr=D&lang=GB

Within Prague

http://jizdnirady.idnes.cz/praha/spojeni/

Swiss train system

http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

German train system

http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml

Carpooling in Europe (fairly new, very affordable)

http://www.mitfahrzentrale.de/index.php?landnr=D&lang=GB

My long trip around Europe has just started. The pictures for this posting still need descriptions, which I will work on in the following days.

Photo albums

• Konstanz
• North of Switzerland
• Zurich

I'm not from here nor from there - Facundo

Growing up I went through the normal confusion of a teenager about self-identification and expression. Music did a lot for me, and I had very specific taste for a few genres. I first got into Grunge, and listened to Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and so on. I also liked hard rock from Metallica and the like. And then I got into Trova, a form of self-expression with very deep messages about life. At this point I was still confused, but at least I was aware of it and that was satisfying, if you can understand.

Facundo Cabral was one of those "trovadores" I deeply respected, even when I didn't always agree with his views. I listened to him saying things like

"I am my own inventor because that is the task with which God has trusted me. God, or the Devil because they are the same thing. The Devil is a pseudonym that God uses when he has to create something of morally doubtful character, in order to not tarnish his good name, he uses the pseudonym."

"The poor man that walks through this borrowed life without a song, in addition to being poor is a ghost, and in addition to being a ghost, is nothing."

"You are not depressed. You are distracted."

I saw him on a presentation at the Melico Salzar Theater in Costa Rica about 8 years ago. There he was, wearing blue jeans, a brown jacket, sunglasses, his Spanish guitar, gray curly hair, beard and mustache, seating on a red chair, glass of wine on a small table to his right, his cane on the left side. He traveled across Latin America and the whole word. One of his messages and commentaries was about why being a singer is good news, because it also means one less soldier.

On July 9, 2011 Facundo Cabral was assassinated in Guatemala City. In a few occasions when talking about his grandma's birthday he said "God decides when we leave this world up the age of 100. Any time after that is entirely up to each of us".  I guess the Devil, as per Facundo's interpretation, made his choice on that morning.

Facundo was a man who spoke of peace, of the ironies and satisfactions in life, of God's tendencies to confuse us, of the importance to stop feeling self-pity and instead become creators as it was intended for us in first place.

"Llorar por la muerte es faltarle el respeto a la vida"

-Crying because of death is to be disrespectful to life

"Fuera de la felicidad son todos pretextos, tenemos que ser felices"

-Aside from happiness everything else is merely excuses, we ought to be happy

I like those who stay silent, and I like those who sing

So much I have walked with me, I like what happens to me

Things like this happen to me, even if it is not important to talk about all the things that happen to me with everyone else

Because one doesn't live alone, and what happens to one happens to the world - reason and cause

Because everything is perfect, and perfect is God who moves a star when picking a flower

Because, if there is one, there are two

I learned of the Devil the night I said not to the hungry man, and that night I also realized that the Devil is God's son

I walked alone in life, with a sound, dominant and modestly cantor without intention to teach

Because if the world is round, I don't know what is next

Walk and walk, always walking for the sake of walking

I didn't come to teach the world, just to play

I don't want to judge men, I want to tell to men

My condition is life, and my road to sing, to sing and to tell about life

It is my way of life

One day I arrived in Tandil, and met an old men

And his lack of intelligence led him to be seen as a wise man

One night I asked the old man about Jesus, and right there and then I met him... when he gave me a mirror

I dance with my own song, not with the one someone plays for me

I am not freedom, but the one who provokes it

If I already know the road, why walk on the side road

If I like freedom, why be a slave

To chose, I always chose, more than for myself for my brother

And if I had chosen to be Eagle it was for love to the Worm

I prefer to go by foot and not with a borrowed horse

Someone looking for an apple always goes on the side

The one who carries the least always arrives first

The day I die there won't be need to use a scale

Because to morn a cantor, with a Milonga is more than enough

I face the enemy, turn my back on the good comments

Because to accept a sweet compliment is to accept being dominated

Man caresses the horse..... to ride it

Forgive me if I crossed the line and too moral

No one can give advise, there is no man who is that old

I carry the sun on my back and the world turns yellow

I like to walk, but I don't follow a road because what is certain lacks of mystery

I like to go far away during the summer, and come back to my mom's during the winter

And to see the dogs that never forgot about me, and the horses, and my brother's hugs

I like it, I like it, I like it

I like the sun, Alicia, and doves

A good cigar, a spanish guitar

Jumping walls, and opening windows

And when a woman cries 

I like wine as much as flowers

And rabbits, but not tractors

Homemade bread and Dolores' voice

And the sea wetting my feet

I'm not from here, I'm not from there

I have no age, nor future

And being happy is my color of identity.

I like to always be lying on the sand

Or chasing Manuela on a bicycle

Or all the time to see the stars with Maria in the hayfield

I'm not from here, I'm not from there

I have no age, nor future

And being happy is my color of identity

Munich

Last week I went to Munich, in the Bavarian region of Germany. The first night had a nice German welcoming with the best local German beer. I also had the chance to see the city on a bike. They really like their cafe shops and spend time outside chatting over a glass of cold and nice beer.

I also walked around the Plazas, visited the English Garden, the Olympic Park, the beer gardens, had over a litter of beer in the afternoon, and took rides on Mercedes Benz taxi cabs! Clubs are great here, too. Apparently I also missed on some of the most traditional beer-food Bavarian's must. Guess I'm gonna have to go back. More good reasons!

First day's lesson: do not walk on the bike lane, or get run down! It took me a while to get used to that. I liked it, though, cause when you bike you know you have your own space. Then I went to the parks for some safety. The parks are beautiful, particularly the Englischer Garten for its design. Walking around the park feels like the paths lead to hidden places - the beer garden by the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese tower), the Japanisches Teehaus, and the surfing area.

I liked the architecture of the churches and other old buildings. The Theatine Church of St. Cajetan (Theatinerkirche) is one of the most interesting ones I saw. The all white stucco decorations and figures, the black pulpit and the paintings, simply mesmerizing.

The architecture of the New Town Hall in Marienplatz is also very interesting. There are stone figures all around the building, and in the front there is the Rathaus-Glockenspiel with a collection of wooden figures that dance in representation of a royal marriage.

The Olympiapark is one of the best places to visit after the English Garden. This is where the Summer Olympics of 1972 where held. The facilities are still in use for recreational events and tours. Many people like to seat around the lake to feed the ducks and take a sun tan. Next to the park there is the BMW Welt, and if you buy a car there, you might be invited to see how it is built (one more reason to save!)

Then there is the Olympic tower, from where the scenic view of Bavaria can be seen across the horizon. Really nice and flat! At the distance it is also possible to see the Alps. I got to see the silhouette of the mountain chain, and on a much clearer day the mountains are even more visible.

Munich was the first city I visited in Germany. Last year I was at the Frankfurt airport for three hours, but apparently that doesn't count. I liked it, and it is a good place for lots of recreational and cultural activities, and of course, high quality Bavarian beer! Really had a great time thanks to Fabio and the Munich crew. Dankersen!

Photo album

• München

Blogging about Prague in Munich

Over 2000 hits and counting!

The Horseshoe Journal reached and surpassed the 2000 hits mark. Thanks for your views and interest. This gives me more motivation to keep writing. Now I am in Munich, typing about Prague, and when I get back to Prague, will be typing about Munich and Konstanz.

Prague (Praha)

The view of Prague is definitely better from Petřín Hill and the Prague Castle. Getting there is a nice walk, through stone streets and well maintained old buildings. I like the red roofs of the houses, pointy green tower roofs, dark gray stone bridges and towers, and the large statues holding yellow swards. From this side of the river, the ambient is much more relaxed and surrounded by nature. Prague is small and offers both benefits, the amenities of a multicultural and active city, and the tranquility of parks and nature.

Somewhere in this ocean of red tile roofs I have visited some good pubs with the Czechs. Drinking beer seems to be the national pastime, and I am catching up rather quickly! Czech beer is very tasty and affordable. The pickled cheese with Rye bread is the best after 4 jars at the pub. In the last few days I have visited two Latin clubs, La Cubanita and Rincon Latino. I've heard there is Palenque and the Green Tree for more European style dance beats.

I particularly like this picture of the Petřín Lookout Tower (Petřínská rozhledna, 1891). From far it looks a little bit like the Eiffel Tower, and is a fifth its size. It is at the top of Petřín Hill, and takes a good 40 minutes walk. Tiring, but worth for the views and the gardens around the tower.

Along the hill there is the Hunger Wall (Hladová zeď, 1360). The local myth is it that the wall was built not necessarily to protect Prague, but to employ and feed the poor during the 1361 famine, hence the name.

I waited for two hours to take this shot. Turns out, and I forgot this, that in June the days are longer. There was sunlight at 10:00 pm, but it was worth the wait, and here it is.

Prague Orloj is one of the oldest astronomical clocks in the world. It was completed in 1410. Aside from telling the time, it also indicates the position of the Sun and the Moon, the zodiac signs, and the seasons. Every hour the four statues on the sides are set in motion, and the skeleton, representing death, rings the bell, and the rooster above the clock sings.

Every hour during the day, at about a quarter to the hour a large group of people gather around the clock to see the event. It is a very nice experience, considering the oldest and most important mechanical parts of the clock are over 600 years old, and still work with high precision. The whole thing takes about a minute. There is a small window over the clock, that open and wooden statues of the twelve Apostles appear. At the very end, a guy plays the trumpet and greets the crowds.

Saint Vitus Cathedral (1344) is inside the Prague Castle. Bohemian kings and Holy Roman Emperors are buried here. The work of art inside and outside, and the level of detail around the cathedral is amazing!

The golden gate on the south side has images entirely made of tiles. In the middle there is Jesus. On the left side the raising of the death, and on the right souls being punished in hell. On the lower left corner there is the scene of the original sin, and on the right Jesus crucified. It is fascinating the way of telling a story through this kind of art.

There is much more to see and do here, but I am telling you, need time to experience it first.

Photo album

• Praha
• Kromeriz

Hermelín, Kroměříž - Česká republika

Kroměříž

For the first days here in Praha (Prague in Czech) I stayed with two really good friends, Kuba and Anna. Two weekends ago we went to Kroměříž (est. 1260) towards the east, close to Slovakia. By the way, this business of pronouncing Czech is not easy at all. The accent marks are not so bad, but things do get complicated with words that don't even have vowels. Try this tong-twister to see what I mean (č is pronounced "ch" as in "cheap")

strč prst skrz krk

Kroměříž [ˈkromɲɛr̝iːʃ] is Kuba's hometown. It started as a market village in the early 1200's, then became a Constitutive Imperial Congress in the 1800's.

The region around is hilly and very green. The town is quite, the architecture is very old, and the streets in the downtown area are curvey and made of stone, and there is a nice central plaza for community events. In the back there are the old communist style apartment buildings. They used to be gray, now they are painted in different colors.

When we first arrived, there was live music and then an old Czech movie from the 60's (the golden film era in CZ), and stands with food, beer and souveniers. There was also a lady selling Bohemian pastries and sweets. She was very excited telling us how she had found very old recipies, including one from the Roman times of a sweet pastry that the Roman soldiers used to eat a lot because of the sugar it provided'em with.


The Chateau

Close to the plaza there is the Kroměříž Archbishop's Palace and the Flower Garden, two of the most interesting places I have ever seen. The Chateau is very big, has original forniture from centuries ago, and there is a very nice garden in the back. I particularly liked the paintings hanging on the walls and the frescos on the ceilings. The tour can only be done with a guide, who speaks only in Czech, and gives reading material in English. It was not easy, but the palace is very interesting to see.


A maze made of flowers

The Flower Garden, also known as Libosad, is of great significance for its unique gardening style in the world. It started as a garden for fruits and vegetables in the 14th century, and then was turned into a Baroque shape garden in the 17th century.

During this time of the year is wedding season. So, there were a few couples inside the garden taking pictures. One of them jumped in a horse carriage, and behind there were the photographers driving an old syle red car at full speed. It was very interesing to see as a matter of fact.

The garden is beautiful inside, and has four mazes made of grass and flowers. There is also a Rotunda with sculptures and frescos of mythological creatures. In the middle of the building there is a Foucault pendulum, which movement is believed to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth. It is simply amazing! I pushed it and it made eliptical shapes on the sand, going from long to short and in multiple directions, all of them converging in a middle point. Awesome experiment!

I like the town a lot and see it as a good destination for a different and very local experience in the Czech Republic outside of Prague. Plus, visiting pubs with lots of Czech friends the entire night, singing "Tres Tristes Tigres Tragan Trigo Tras Tres Trigales" medieval style, then climbing the scaffold attached to a Gothic style church all the way to the top of one of the towers, where the pigeons live, for a fine view of town and the mountains very early in the morning when there is no one around on a Sunday morning.... a great experience!

Getting there is part of the adventure. We took one of those old European trains like in the movies, with the "policie" chasing Bourne and all that. The windows open from top to bottom, and it is very relaxing to stand on the hallway looking outside and feeling the air. The scenery is flat land as far as the eye can see at first, then hilly, then large wheat fields, then towns, then back to flat land, and so on. Very nice.

Hermelín

One thing is to visit Praha and enjoy cheap and good quality beer at a pub or beer garden with your buddies. Another one is to drink beer while eating Hermelín. This is one of the best "tapas" I have ever had. It is made of a cheese similar to Brie, cut in half, stuffed with garlic, spices, peppers, onions, and whatever else you can find over the counter, then marinated in oil for at least three days and served with Rye bread. This is "Dee" good Czech stuff, people!

I also had Gulasch, a traditional beef stew dish from the Czech Republic. Kuba's mom made it and was delicious! The entire weekend I was eating every day every hour everything. Later in the evening we had a BBQ at the new house, and told jokes. And this is true, that humor is difficult to translate into different languages. Still, we managed to go from Spanish to English to Czech and vice-versa, and had a good meal with jokes, tong-twisters and misunderstood phrases.

Photo album

• Kroměříž

Czech Republic

On the other side of the pond

I actually got this first line from when I was in Costa Rica before I heard it in English when I moved to New York. Little that I knew, I would develop an interest for coming to Central and Eastern Europe, mostly because of all the friends I made in my college years while earning my associates degree in International Business. So, here I am in Česká republika and liking it.

Charles Bridge and Prague Castle

The city is very interesting, old streets, castles, history, culture... very stimulating. All the buildings are interesting and beautiful. In some ways it reminds me to Istanbul and Rome, not that it is a mix, but the concept and importance of the art and culture.

Astronomical Clock

I feel good here. I have made some good friends, we visit pubs and beer gardens, play football (soccer), and took one of those trains from the movies taking place in a Central/Eastern European countries to visit a town closer to the border with Slovakia - Kroměříž. I have also tasted pickled cheese and found out mold is not so bad after all - good mold of course.

Culturally speaking, it seems the Czechs are a homogeneous society, although there are some foreigners living here. The language is extremely difficult, at least from a Western language perspective. I try to read everything on the street, and seems to be I am doing well with the accent - so far, so good.

I still have some more walking to do, take pictures and understand more about the history and culture here. There are lots of books that already do this, but perhaps I can try to give a different account from a personal perspective. Besides, seems I will be sticking around for a long time.

Stay tuned!

New York, just stopping by

Grand Central Terminal is a place to go to other places. Some people run to the train tracks on the upper and lower levels with two minutes before the train departs. Others stay around the clock to meet someone. Flashlights go off for a memory at the main court. Goodbyes and "see you later" are heard thousands of times. Everyday of the year it is like this, here as in many other places where people go their ways.

My mom is always fascinated by how many people run around during peak hour. She says they look like ants. I think they do, and like ants, everyone here knows what to do, even if they are confused about what to do and where to go to. It is a complex and interesting place, and in a way it is a tiny sample of what the world is like out there, just faster. I am also fascinated by how similar we are to ants.

It was good to be here for a few weeks. Now, I am off to Prague.... today actually! I have heard really good things about the city and the country, and am looking forward to being there soon.

NYC is my home, and when I am here it feels good. There is more to it than the stores along 5th Avenue and Times Square or the Empire State. I recommend visiting the lower Manhattan, including West and East Villages, SoHo, Tribeca, Meat Pack District, Union Square, East/Spanish Harlem and of course, Central Park and the surrounding areas.

Queens and Brooklyn are also my favorite areas. I like Astoria and Flushing in Queens, Williamsburg and Bushwick in Brooklyn. There are many other areas I have not seen, but for that need more time. The Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Gardens also in the Bronx are a must. I have never been to Staten Island, but maybe one day I will decide to cross the Verrazano. Jersey is nice too and has a fine view of the NYC skyline, leave alone rent can be considerably cheaper and the commute is very convinient with Path. The road signs are not the best, but that is that - so, take it seriously!

So much to do and see here without need to spend too much, although you will spend a lot of money one way or another. But it is NYC after all, a great city.

Now I am going to the airport, with the same back pack and a few shirts less. I bought a 57'' tripod from the Israeli store on 14 street at $25. Not bad!

Thanks for taking some time of your busy schedules to hang out. I appreciate it. Please stay in touch.

Again, stay tuned. There is more "horseshoeing" coming this way!

Six months "horseshoeing"

. . .

The traveler changes his path

even if this proves to be harmfull

and just as everything changes

the fact that I change it's not in the least strange

Todo Cambia, by Mercedes Sosa

The starting line

Sometimes we plan things and expect them to go as we had imagined, but often that does not happen. I had planned to just visit Costa Rica and Nicaragua, then take off to South East Asia and Central Europe. Over time I changed my plans, and then realized it was not gonna be how I said. Instead, I went with the flow and ended up enjoying it more.

The road I first had chosen led me to other roads that I had not had considered, or at least didn't take them seriously from the beginning. When I was in Spain over a year ago, I came to the conclusion that in order to find oneself it is a good idea to often lose oneself. This proved to be effective and I ended up traveling across Central America. The trip came out much more interesting and motivating than my original plan.

It is not just about being on the road, it is about enjoying the trip until it is time to go home.

This trip has changed me, because I am not the same one from when I left and I am good with that. I still think of the day I hit the road and why, and the hours in front of that door before taking off. The initial motivations of my actions are not always going to be there at the end of the events, but I think that is also right. I guess I am always changing, like all of us, just didn't consider it as much as I do now.

Along the way

I visited seven countries in six months and experienced different cultures, realities, nature, and ways of life. I saw breathtaking valleys, forests, waterfalls, canyons, volcanoes, lakes, wild life, ancient cities. I visited indigenous villages and culturally diversed towns and cities, and talked to people about their lives and experiences. I learned a little more about the local music, dances, foods, and religious believes. There are lots of cultural things going on all around, and I like to be exposed to them.

I also met really good friends, both locals and travelers from around the world. Many of my friends and family back home were there with me as well. To all of you, thank you for the words of support and motivation, for your questions and comments, for the interesting conversations and the crazy ideas, for the dances and songs, for the unexpected adventures and your different views of life, for being there all the time.

I got into hiking and better at swimming. I hitch hiked, survived crazy bus rides, worked as a bartender, taught Spanish and Salsa, learned the basics of working with jewlery, Guatemalan weaving and Costa Rican handicraft making, and lately began to create my own post cards. I learned about the hardships of wars in Central America by talking to people who lost their entire families, and met three men who were involved in the Cuban, Guatemalan, and Nicaraguan revolutions.

I had the opportunity to teach ESL to school children and led a youth conversation event in Granada. I got to see extreme poverty and experienced different approaches to social issues. Early in my trip I became part of an international organization to bring donations to children living on rubbish dumps in Nicaragua. There is a lot of need out there, and thankfully there are so many who care and want to help to improve people's lives. I am honored to have met and shared with volunteers and travelers who care for others who are less fortunate.

Beyond my initial expectations, this was a trip of little trips, and it felt I did more than I had ever imagined I would do. At first there was a concrete plan of "what and when", and then I learned to go with the flow, and enjoyed more this way. I traveled alone, but was never lonely. Met lots of interesting people and made friends from all over the world.

I always wanted to do something like this, let go of the daily worries and jump over the fance. I was fortunate to have had the right circumstances and opportunities, and appreciate all I have seen and done ever since.

We shall not cease from exploration,

and the end of all our exploring

will be to arrive where we started,

and know the place for the first time.

T.S. Elliot

Looking back

There are many experiences that I lived often in every country. I met locals and other travelers from around the world who made my trip even better. Talking to people about their opinions on several topics is an effective learning experience. Also, in my travels I had come to trully believe that people are good and want to be helpful to one another, despite some instances of greed, selfishness and intolerance.

Another one is the chicken buses. Except from Belize and Costa Rica, they are always ridiculously crowed, and when you think there is no room for one more person, five more come in. In serveral stops, sellers come into the bus all at once offering coconut water, homemade bread, illigal copies of the latest films, and miraculous pills that they claim practically cure every illness. Some drivers take their job to the next level and think of themselves as formula one racers while turning on sharp cuves up in the mountains. It is quite an experience to be in a chicken bus, and I loved it every bit.

People often ask me what I liked the most about my trip, and I am always confused about the answer. In all honesty I liked it all, but that is way too obvious and doesn't create enough room for discussion.
I had very diversed experiences, and because of that I cannot just say what I liked the most without first going over each of them.

In every country I had totally different experiences. In Guatemala, for example, what I liked the most was the fact that there is a large indigenous population, they conserve many of their traditions, and struggle to keep their culture alive. Also, the natural settings are beautiful, and seeing the ancient city of Tikal was a dream come true.

In Nicaragua I had a great time bartending and meeting so many people from around the world while opening a bottle of beer or preparing a Macua or Mojito. I also enjoyed teaching ESL to school children, and riding my bike on the streets of colonial Granada to go to work, and my experience helping people at the garbash dumps was a life lesson.

Costa Rica, well, it is my own country. Before I left over 10 years ago I knew very few places, but this time around I did every effort to see towns, natural settings and attend festivities I had always heard of, but never went to experience. I love the rural areas and the cultural aspects of the small towns and farmland areas. I enter into another state of mind with the small of fresh brewed coffee, wet dirt after the rain, and the feeling of a cool breeze in a hot and sunny day anywhere in the country. Our traditions and way of life are reason enough for Ticos to suffer from "Mal de Patria" - homeland sickness, and not stay overseas for too long. Few of us, like myself, for whatever reason decided to break the rule and do something different.

I had short visits in Panama, Belize, and Honduras, but got to see lots of good things.

The skyline in Panama City is like no other in Central America. In fact, it looks like the one in Miami, and to some extend in New York. The canal was something very impresive to see, and I also learned that in Panama there is a mixture of culture as a result of the construction of the canal that attracted migrant workers from all around the world. Casco Viejo is very nice and some say it is the Old Havana of Panama, while Bocas del Toro is very good to see wild life and to party. Salsa is good here, and baseball is more popular than soccer, although it is catching up.

In Belize I learned about the Garifuna culture, and made very good friends. I enjoyed the drumming and traditional Punta dance. The food is also quite good, typical of Caribbean cousine. Playing dominos from late in the afternoon at the local bar is a serious affair, and a good excuse for a few beers.There, I also met a group of volunteers with the Peace Corps. I learned from them what the organization does, difficulties they go through on the field, and how pationate many of these volunteers are to help others.

In Honduras I had the opportunity to see one of the Lenca indigenous regions, which is pretty much the last one left in the country. They are no related to the Mayans, but were trading partners and shared some cultural aspects and history during the conquest. The town of Gracias is very colonial and is close to other small towns in between the mountains that have a rich indigenous tradition. I met a few people here who had a lot of questions about Costa Rica and Guatemala. I think they will go one day, and that is awesome.

El Salvador, as I had commented in my last posting was a family time. My cousins are my brothers, just like my mom considers her cousins her brothers. I often wonder what it would have been like if I had been raised here. No real answer can be good because I will never really know, but one thing I am sure of is that it would have been even more fun.


Stay tuned for the next place!