tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25307278843875605412024-03-13T04:41:41.856-07:00Mimmis Blogging on the GoMimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-45962712475348902582009-04-06T10:16:00.001-07:002009-05-17T17:21:37.392-07:00Hampton Court Palace celebrates the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accessionThis past weekend Frank and I decided to take the car and drive to Hampton Court to see the palace there. I am a member of a charity called Historic Royal Palaces (<a href="http://www.hrp.org.uk/">http://www.hrp.org.uk/</a>) so for £38 or whatever it was I paid last summer, I get unlimited access during one year to five palaces in London (Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace, Hampton Court and the Banqueting House). I can highly recommend this, if you are interested in history and preserving some of the greatest palaces built.<br /><br />Located in Surrey, the Hampton Court Palace is a beautifully situated palace and gardens by the Thames and we were lucky with the weather. The sun was shining and it was a lovely spring day. Frank took a nap on the lawn of the Great Fountain Garden while I took a walk through the palace.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCKyHw7tLI/AAAAAAAACM0/tTUFDJFQZcc/s1600-h/DSC04279.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336918152116417714" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCKyHw7tLI/AAAAAAAACM0/tTUFDJFQZcc/s320/DSC04279.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCLsDoZYsI/AAAAAAAACNE/Scw65Hlq04w/s1600-h/DSC04282.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336919147439284930" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCLsDoZYsI/AAAAAAAACNE/Scw65Hlq04w/s200/DSC04282.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCKyavKqGI/AAAAAAAACM8/I5GHJ3CjVuI/s1600-h/DSC04283.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336918157209282658" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCKyavKqGI/AAAAAAAACM8/I5GHJ3CjVuI/s320/DSC04283.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>The palace has an interesting history. The estate at Hampton Court once belonged to a religious order founded in the 11th century. They used the area as an agricultural estate and hosted a few administrative buildings and a high-status guesthouse visited by royal guests on occasion. In 1514, the Archbishop of York, Thomas Wolsey, took out a 99-year lease on the property and built a grand bishop’s palace there. Wolsey became Cardinal and Lord Chancellor of England and he was also a close friend of Henry VIII and served as his chief minister for over ten years. In addition to his own private chambers (called the Wolsey Rooms in today’s palace leaflets), Wolsey added three guest suites for the royal family – one for King Henry VIII, one for Queen Katherine of Aragon and their daughter Princess Mary – and built a chapel.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCJqk4Ty4I/AAAAAAAACMs/WIMjp6fnn6U/s1600-h/HenryIII.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336916922981403522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 132px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 164px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCJqk4Ty4I/AAAAAAAACMs/WIMjp6fnn6U/s200/HenryIII.jpg" border="0" /></a>Henry VIII (1509-47) was only 17 when he became King of England, Ireland and France and the Hampton Court Palace is this year celebrating the 500th<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCJcACHKwI/AAAAAAAACMk/EIboUgVlP1E/s1600-h/DSC04288.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336916672572238594" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCJcACHKwI/AAAAAAAACMk/EIboUgVlP1E/s200/DSC04288.JPG" border="0" /></a> anniversary of the Tudor king’s accession to the throne with a lot of historical activities, lectures, performances and costumed interpretations. When we were there actors were staging the day of the wedding of King Henry to his sixth wife, Kateryn (Catherine) Parr, in full velvet and embroidered costumes of the period.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCIr2Iiv6I/AAAAAAAACMc/BWItlJPAuz4/s1600-h/DSC04296.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336915845281136546" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCIr2Iiv6I/AAAAAAAACMc/BWItlJPAuz4/s200/DSC04296.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCIAAKfyTI/AAAAAAAACMU/Nyfm3Bakx7U/s1600-h/DSC04306.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336915092059441458" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCIAAKfyTI/AAAAAAAACMU/Nyfm3Bakx7U/s200/DSC04306.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Visitors were told how to bow and curtsey in the presence of royal, learned what it was like to work at the court and be a servant, what the clothes fashion was like in the Tudor era etc. It was very interesting.<br /><br />I visited King Henry’s State Apartments, including the Great Hall with large, impressive tapestries hanging from the walls, and the Chapel Royal which has been in use for over 450 years. It was in this chapel that Henry’s son, Edward VI, was baptized and also where the marriage between Henry VIII and Kateryn Parr took place. The chapel is still in use today.<br /><br /><em><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCHVSvhRxI/AAAAAAAACMM/o6Xn106aAP8/s1600-h/DSC04292.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336914358312191762" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCHVSvhRxI/AAAAAAAACMM/o6Xn106aAP8/s320/DSC04292.JPG" border="0" /></a></em></div><div><em>The Great Hall<br /></em><br />I joined a group of people into a room and listened to a questions & answers session around what people at the court were wearing and what materials were used. Apparently one of the fancy velvet and silk gowns with golden-embroidered bodices that a lady at the court would wear would have cost around £10,000 in today’s money and a wealthy lady would own maybe five of those in different colors. Of course these garments couldn’t be washed, only the white cotton or linen under-tunic could. The height of masculinity in the Tudor era was muscular calves – if you were not so well-equipped in this department, you might even have worn padded stockings to hide this deficit. Male fashion namely prescribed tights and padded breeches (instead of today’s trousers) and knee-long mantles to appropriately display your calves.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCGlbx03pI/AAAAAAAACL8/v2iYu1n5Y9w/s1600-h/DSC00576.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336913536104062610" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCGlbx03pI/AAAAAAAACL8/v2iYu1n5Y9w/s200/DSC00576.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCGlU_7TJI/AAAAAAAACME/T7qA9UTusIM/s1600-h/DSC00575.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336913534284156050" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCGlU_7TJI/AAAAAAAACME/T7qA9UTusIM/s200/DSC00575.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div></div><div>King Henry had six wives. It was only his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, whom he married in 1509, that lasted over 20 years, the rest followed each other in fairly quick succession: Anne Boleyn in 1532/1533, Jane Seymour in 1536, Anne of Cleves and Catherine Howard both in the same year (1540) and finally Kateryn Parr in 1543. Henry was a passionate man and a womanizer, but his youthful charm and wits over the years turned into ruthlessness and he had a rather brutal way of dismissing his wives when he got tired of them. The first one he divorced, or rather he had the marriage annulled since Katherine of Aragon failed to produce a male heir and he became obsessed to possess the younger Anne Boleyn with whom he had fallen in love. It was in this period that Hampton Court Palace was appropriated by Henry VIII from Cardinal Wolsey as a result of the king breaking with the Catholic Church, since the Pope refused to grant him the divorce he so desperately wanted.<br /><br />Queen Anne was beheaded just a few years after the marriage supposedly for ‘high treason’. Jane unfortunately died of postnatal complications after having given birth to Henry’s first male heir (Edward VI). The fourth marriage with Anne of Cleves was never consummated and it was subsequently annulled later that year. The young Catherine, Henry’s fifth wife, had an affair and was executed as a result, as were her lover and an ex-lover. The sixth wife, Kateryn, known as Lady Latimer before she became Henry VIII’s final wife, nursed him by the end when he was crippled and sick, and she was probably glad just to survive him.<br /><br />When Henry died in 1547 he had three surviving children – the 9-year old Prince Edward and his older sisters Mary and Elizabeth. They have all ruled England and Hampton Court continued to be an important royal palace during the Tudor era. Only half of King Henry’s palace has survived since the 16th century, the rest was rebuilt for William III (William of Orange) and Mary II as a baroque palace during the 18th century.<br /><br />I also saw Mary II’s Apartments, the palace’s wine cellar and the Tudor kitchens. The latter displayed various cooking utensils, fake log-fires in wood-fire ovens, vegetables, herbs, bread, stuffed rabbits and other food that you would have seen in a medieval kitchen when preparing meals for some 800 people in Henry VIII’s court.<br /><br /><em><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCF6Kfpn_I/AAAAAAAACLs/0niVJa7AEXk/s1600-h/DSC04312.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336912792730050546" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCF6Kfpn_I/AAAAAAAACLs/0niVJa7AEXk/s320/DSC04312.JPG" border="0" /></a></em></div><div><em>Mary II’s Apartments </em></div><em><div><br /></em><em><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCF6QfljWI/AAAAAAAACL0/xkw6Thb7HsE/s1600-h/DSC00606.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336912794340396386" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCF6QfljWI/AAAAAAAACL0/xkw6Thb7HsE/s320/DSC00606.JPG" border="0" /></a></em></div><div><em>The Tudor Kitchens</em><br /><br />We took a walk in the beautiful and enormous palace gardens, which are divided into several <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCEZ_UAb5I/AAAAAAAACLk/x9UQGGFi9ys/s1600-h/DSC00577.JPG"></a>ones with different character. We didn’t have time to walk through all, but started in the Great Fountain Garden, originally parkland. The yew trees you see on the photo below were planted by Queen Anne (1702-14). </div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCTXbjEnPI/AAAAAAAACNU/0io8uqSnmBg/s1600-h/GreatFountainGarden.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336927589175172338" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCTXbjEnPI/AAAAAAAACNU/0io8uqSnmBg/s320/GreatFountainGarden.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><em>The Great Fountain Garden</em></div><div><br />We also saw the Privy Garden, the king’s private garden completed for William III in the early 1700’s, and the smaller Knot Garden. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCDpWBJvSI/AAAAAAAACLM/ISxO5QL6sCo/s1600-h/PrivyGarden.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336910304742325538" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCDpWBJvSI/AAAAAAAACLM/ISxO5QL6sCo/s320/PrivyGarden.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>The Privy Garden<br /></em><br />The Pond Gardens were originally ponds with freshwater fish for the palace but are now sunken, pretty flower gardens located between the palace and the river. Next to them is the Banqueting House which will have to be the target for another visit.<br /><br /><em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCDpi1tFkI/AAAAAAAACLU/NthKDs8YDgQ/s1600-h/PondGardens_BanquetingHouse_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336910308183971394" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCDpi1tFkI/AAAAAAAACLU/NthKDs8YDgQ/s320/PondGardens_BanquetingHouse_2.JPG" border="0" /></a></em></div><div><em>The Pond Gardens and the Banqueting House </em></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCDp2VhreI/AAAAAAAACLc/5AbihpV9cBk/s1600-h/OrangeryGarden_3.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5336910313417715170" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/ShCDp2VhreI/AAAAAAAACLc/5AbihpV9cBk/s320/OrangeryGarden_3.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Lower Orangery Garden</em><br /><br />We walked down the Orangery Garden to the Great Vine – apparently the oldest and largest grape vine in the world with its respectable 240 years, planted in 1768 – located in a green house close to the river but it was unfortunately not displaying any grapes this time of year.<br /><br />We ended our visit with tea and scones at the Tiltyard Café. During Henry VIII’s reign this area was used for tournaments. In the 17th century it became kitchen gardens, supplying the palace with fresh produce.<br /><br />Hampton Court Palace is well worth a visit and you can even take a boat ride here from either Westminster Pier in central London or from Richmond. That will probably be our chosen transportation on our next visit.</div><div></div><div></div><BR><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimmis/sets/72157618291364151/"><strong>View more photos from Hampton Court Palace and gardens>></strong></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-60290291308347286432009-04-05T22:19:00.000-07:002009-04-08T06:47:05.449-07:00High and low marks of London restaurants and barsI’ve recently been trying different restaurants, bars and clubs across London, including the areas of Richmond, Chiswick, Earls Court, Kensington High Street, SoHo and Camden Town. There have definitely been both high marks and low marks and I’ll share a few of my experiences.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">High marks</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/performances/detail/?perfid=199"><strong>Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club</strong></a> in SoHo – this club is celebrating 50 this year and is a fantastic hang-out for a Friday night. My boyfriend and I went there on a whim, ended up chatting with a German man named Peter in the queue and sat together with him in the club. It has some tables for regular dinner closest to the stage and then there are a number of benches and long tables stretching like shelves along the sides of the room where you can order cocktails, wine, beer or snack food, but most importantly, remain focused on the performance on stage.<br /><br />On Friday when we were there they had two different bands playing and a jazz drummer who had his birthday sat in for a song. The first band had wonderful musicians but in <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmSSFoOs4I/AAAAAAAACK0/OdY5qQfrx38/s1600-h/sarah_jane_morris_small.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321445274161165186" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 165px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmSSFoOs4I/AAAAAAAACK0/OdY5qQfrx38/s200/sarah_jane_morris_small.jpg" border="0" /></a>the second set we were in for an even better treat: <a href="http://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/artists/detail/257/sarah-jane-morris/">Sarah Jane Morris</a>. If you haven’t seen / heard her, I can warmly recommend an evening of her music, which is not pure jazz, but rather a mix of rock / funk / jazz. She managed to totally mesmerize me within the first 30 seconds on stage with her amazing stage presence, charisma, warm and rich voice and by performing one great song after another. Check out <a href="http://www.sarahjanemorris.co.uk/">http://www.sarahjanemorris.co.uk/</a> for more info on Sarah and her music. I bought a CD – “Where it hurts” – and had Sarah sign it for me.<br /><br />I was very impressed also with the impeccable sound at Ronnie Scott’s – compliments to the sound engineer. This club is a really nice and cosy place. Try it! Even the bouncers were polite and helpful.<br /><br /><strong>Bingham Hotel</strong> in Richmond – this peaceful haven by the Thames, 5 min walk from Richmond Bridge, away from the busyness of central Richmond, hosts a terrace facing the river with stone tables and chairs on pebbles, making it look like a serene Japanese garden. They often have functions on the first floor and in the garden – wedding receptions, birthday celebrations and similar – but there is a very nice bar on the second floor with stylish sofas and a view over the river, well-trained bar staff and excellent service. Here you can enjoy a glass of champagne, a cocktail or afternoon tea and really relax.<br /><br /><br /><em><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmTn3xo7sI/AAAAAAAACK8/ncJtcBLruLo/s1600-h/spring_blossom_2009_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321446747911286466" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmTn3xo7sI/AAAAAAAACK8/ncJtcBLruLo/s200/spring_blossom_2009_2.JPG" border="0" /></a> Spring blossom in Richmond</em><br /><br /><strong>The Pembroke</strong> on Old Brompton Road in Earls Court – this used to be a gay bar, but the place recently underwent a make-over and seems to have changed owners and clientele completely. Although I quite liked the slightly kitsch design with big chandeliers before, it is now a stylish bar with cosy lamps, a room further in with quite trendy wallpaper and a fireplace. It’s now a place where you can come in and enjoy a glass of wine, a beer or an Irish coffee while reading the Sunday paper or a good book and chill. They also serve food with a slightly more advanced menu than regular British pubs.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Ok-ish</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.latarantella.co.uk/"><strong>Tarantella Ristorante Pizzeria</strong></a> on Elliott Road in Chiswick – this is a very small and narrow place where you can look into the kitchen or have the chef watching you and taking notice of your needs before the waitress does. They don’t have a very extensive menu, the food is fairly simple in a typical Italian style, but surprisingly good for the very reasonable price you pay. Despite being an Italian restaurant with Italian speaking staff and menu, they had some sort of a Gypsy theme art on the walls and played salsa music through the loud speakers…<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thebollohouse.co.uk/"><strong>The Bollo House</strong></a> on Bollo Lane in Chiswick – a quite nice, welcoming and large bar in the middle of a residential area, with a nice circular ceiling with windows letting in light. They serve quite decent steak, burgers, fish and chips etc. Don’t go there on a Wednesday night though – it’s their big quiz night and it’s impossible to keep a conversation because it’s annoyingly loud and busy.<br /><br /><strong>Floridita</strong> on Wardour Street in SoHo – this little Bohemian, café-style bar serves only fairly basic wine, beer and drinks, but the staff is friendly and you don’t have to dress up to meet friends.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cote-restaurants.co.uk/"><strong>Côte</strong></a> on Wardour Street in SoHo – a large French restaurant in two floors. This seems to be very popular, you’ll need to make a reservation; when we came there with friends on a Saturday evening, they were full. It was a quite nice place with linen table cloths and decent food, albeit perhaps a little touristy.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Low marks</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.l-restaurant.co.uk/"><strong>L Restaurant & Bar</strong></a> on Abingdon Road, a side street to Kensington High Street – the so-called cocktails as well as the fish I ordered for main course were absolutely horrible. It's a pity because I thought the place had potential at the first impression: the staff was very friendly and welcoming, they played salsa music through the loud speakers (always makes a salsa dancer happy) and the restaurant area had very funky design, with a rather narrow inner room with dinner tables basically under a small loft which also had seating. The Mint Fizz I ordered was granted a wild card, but it reminded me of wind-screen washing liquid and I don't think it's supposed to. I don’t know what they had done to the poor fish and sadly it was accompanied by too hard potatoes and watery green beans. The main course was simply revolting. Eating and drinking well is too important to me, so this place will sadly not get a second chance.<br /><br /><strong>The </strong><a href="http://www.lock17-camden.co.uk/"><strong>Canal Side Bar at Lock 17</strong></a> in Camden Town – located next to the locks in the canal in Camden Town as the name indicates, this bar has a steady stream of tourists as well as local hippie Londoners. If the weather is nice and the windows open towards the canal in summer-time this can be quite a nice spot for a cool beer, but the length of time it takes to order at the bar on a typical Saturday here – the bar staff is quite slow and disorganized – and the poor food disappoints you. I made the mistake of ordering potato wedges with cheese and this was just the most pathetic bowl of shrivelled and dried potato “puffs” I’ve ever been served. It took them two minutes to bring the bowl out to the table, so I guess they had just heated the old wedges in the microwave – the cheese on top had not even melted properly.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmUYTdUSuI/AAAAAAAACLE/gF4H80GTHeE/s1600-h/DSC04178.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321447579975961314" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmUYTdUSuI/AAAAAAAACLE/gF4H80GTHeE/s320/DSC04178.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Boat in the canal at Camden locks</em>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-62498525710650119232009-03-28T11:56:00.000-07:002009-04-05T21:33:06.814-07:00Speaking at the German Aerospace Center in OberpfaffenhofenRecently I had the privilege to give a presentation at the <a href="http://www.dlr.de/en/DesktopDefault.aspx/tabid-1/86_read-13448/">Galileo Control Center</a> in Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany. Located 60 km from Munich airport, it is hosted within the compound of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR). You’re not allowed to take photos here, so I have borrowed the photo of the Galileo Control Center from the DLR website. I must confess I had never heard of Oberpfaffenhofen before I was asked to go there, but was happy that the taxi driver at the airport knew where it was. It cost be €80 to get there and another €85 to get back the day after.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmDdtZ7nMI/AAAAAAAACKc/OtjQVAFoF4o/s1600-h/galileo_control_center_DLR.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321428981142756546" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmDdtZ7nMI/AAAAAAAACKc/OtjQVAFoF4o/s320/galileo_control_center_DLR.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div><br /><div>The reason for my trip was the Bavarian kick-off event of the <a href="http://www.galileo-masters.eu/">European Satellite Navigation Competition 2009 (ESNC)</a>, an international innovation competition that awards the best ideas for innovative applications in the field of satellite navigation. It is organized by a company in Oberpfaffenhofen called Anwendungszentrum GmbH or “the Application Center for Satellite Navigation”. My company is sponsoring the competition with a special topic prize in the field of navigation and location based services for mobile phones.<br /><br />The goal of the ESNC is to strengthen the international collaboration between a number of high-tech regions, particularly with regard to the development of applications and services made possible by the satellite navigation system <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_positioning_system">Galileo</a>. Galileo is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) currently being built (still in trial phase) by EU and the European Space Agency (ESA). It is complementary to the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Russian GLONASS but aimed at reducing Europe’s dependency on American and Russian satellite signals. The European Commission has expressed an ambition to have 30 satellites launched in 2013.<br /><br />A number of international and regional events are scheduled for the ESNC this year and will provide information to developers and creative innovators on various satellite navigation initiatives in preparation for Galileo deployment, including how to use NAVTEQ digital map data, LBS content and services for application development. The ESNC is carried out under the patronage of the Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport, and Technology. There are over 36,000 people working in the Bavarian Aerospace industry alone, which is an indication of the size of the global market for these kinds of services and applications.<br /><br />The event gave me a good opportunity to learn more about different development projects for use with satellite communication technology, including environmental mapping of seafloors, water depth and water quality. Other speakers covered geo-fencing solutions (tracking and secure locking / unlocking of valuable moving goods or hazardous materials), imaging and search applications using object recognition technology, and flexible address delivery of parcels by using GPS/GSM tracking solutions.<br /><br />After the networking drinks I had dinner with the CEO of Anwendungszentrum and had interesting discussions over some delicious fish with melted hazelnut butter and spring vegetables, all the while it was snowing outside – big, pretty snowflakes like you want on Christmas Eve (well, at least if you’re a Swede). I was staying at <a href="http://www.hotelseehof.com/">Hotel Seehof</a> by the Lake Wessling. The hotel was wonderfully peaceful with friendly staff, comfortable beds and it looked like a ski hotel in the middle of the Alps.</div><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmEn0E6odI/AAAAAAAACKs/Qz_opogWL1M/s1600-h/DSC04166.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321430254243979730" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmEn0E6odI/AAAAAAAACKs/Qz_opogWL1M/s320/DSC04166.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmEnvva4RI/AAAAAAAACKk/9hEmBR5sW5g/s1600-h/DSC04165.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321430253080076562" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdmEnvva4RI/AAAAAAAACKk/9hEmBR5sW5g/s320/DSC04165.JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-49179905817641969522009-03-28T11:45:00.001-07:002009-04-03T01:48:29.719-07:00L.A. wedding at the Millennium Biltmore HotelWow, I never thought this day would come. My six year older brother Urban has gotten married to a lovely American girl called Julia, also a talented musician, just like him. The whole family – my parents, sister, husband and three kids – flew to Los Angeles, California to attend the big event this past weekend. Also my boyfriend flew in from London.<br /><br />I had been in Chicago for meetings through work for a few days so luckily I had already started <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW_ViExAbI/AAAAAAAACKU/G8T-U6wsrzY/s1600-h/DSC03804.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320368911453061554" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW_ViExAbI/AAAAAAAACKU/G8T-U6wsrzY/s200/DSC03804.JPG" border="0" /></a>to get used to the time difference between Europe and the US. We were staying at the <a href="http://www.millenniumhotels.com/millenniumlosangeles/index.html"><strong>Millennium Biltmore Hotel</strong></a> in Downtown L.A. over the weekend. This is a five-star hotel. Granted, the hotel foyer, reception halls and lounge areas have all the splendour required (have a look in the <a href="http://www.millenniumhotels.com/millenniumlosangeles/gallery/index.html">hotel photo gallery</a>) – designed in Spanish-Italian Renaissance style with sculpted columns, hand-painted frescos, Rococo-style furniture, nice wooden or marble floors with thick carpets, bronze details, crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling etc, but I was not impressed with the hotel room. This was quite basic, would have needed a good make-over with repainting and touching up of skirting boards, more stylish furniture and refurbishing of the bathroom.<br /><br />The dress code for the wedding was ‘black tie’ so I had to get an evening gown and managed to find a beautiful, midnight blue, strapless satin dress in Chicago last minute. However the zipper on the dress I tried at Bloomingdales was broken so I had to order one over the phone from storage in Minnesota and have it shipped directly to the hotel in L.A. There was not much room for error… I already knew the dress was too long even with high heels so I had to find a tailor close to the hotel to shorten it the day before the wedding. Phew!<br /><br />I also desperately needed a pedicure and manicure and also wanted to get my hair done before the rehearsal dinner on the Friday. In the Guest Services binder in the room there was a pamphlet for the <em>Visage</em> salon on the ground floor. I called and talked to someone called Mindy and decided to walk down and have a chat with her about the arrangements. Originally from Vietnam, she was a little hard to understand at times. Although she had lived in the US for thirty years she had a very strong Asian accent. She turned out to be a lovely, helpful and very professional lady and I couldn’t have been in better hands – I can recommend anyone who needs to attend a fancy party in Downtown L.A., may it be a wedding, a red-carpet gala or some launch party, to make an appointment with Mindy. She doesn’t look like a million bucks herself, but I was very pleased with the service she gave, the foot massage, my nails looked fabulous and I really liked the hair-do with romantic curls she suggested would be suitable for my face shape, my particular hair quality and for the occasion, so I made an appointment with her to do my hair also for the wedding next day.<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br />The wedding rehearsal was held in the <em>Bernard</em> room on the ground floor of the hotel where the <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW-PjkhYNI/AAAAAAAACKM/8LmjupiEmp4/s1600-h/Shan_Phil_Julia.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320367709263847634" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW-PjkhYNI/AAAAAAAACKM/8LmjupiEmp4/s200/Shan_Phil_Julia.JPG" border="0" /></a>wedding ceremony was to be held the day after. There was a temporary stage where the ceremony would be held and we all rehearsed walking in and out, being seated, where the bride and groom were to stand, the musicians be placed etc. The bride’s maids had made a “bouquet” of the gift wrapping materials and ribbons from the wedding shower which was then used as the bridal bouquet during the wedding rehearsal. I don’t know if this is an American tradition or just an idea they had – we don’t have this custom in Sweden anyhow – but I found it a little endearing and silly at the same time, which I am sure was exactly the purpose of it in the first place; an internal joke between the girls.<br /><br />After the wedding rehearsal, there was the rehearsal dinner in the hotel restaurant, held for ca 40 of the close family and friends, which included the bride’s maids and groom’s party. There were a number of spontaneous speeches – I saved mine for the wedding reception – and Urban and Julia handed out gifts to the people in their wedding party and the parents to thank them for all their love and support and for making it all possible. I had understood from Shan, Julia’s mother, that you’re supposed to dress up for the rehearsal dinner, but there was an odd mix of family members in suits and dresses and friends in jeans and a shirt or even t-shirt and shorts! Hey, this was in L.A. after all, where supposedly anything goes!<br /><br />On the day of the wedding, Frank and I had breakfast with Urban and our parents at a dodgy Asian-slash-Mexican food court on 5th Street past Pershing Square and on the left-hand side of the street from the metro entrance. Here you have a few options during different opening hours, over-the-counter serving from <em>El Come-Come</em>, <em>Casa de China</em> and some other name of the Mexican burritos / tapas counter next to them from which we got our breakfast pancakes, omelettes and beans.</div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW8iM9hj5I/AAAAAAAACJ0/ZWoUSf1XtKs/s1600-h/DSC03810.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320365830588960658" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW8iM9hj5I/AAAAAAAACJ0/ZWoUSf1XtKs/s200/DSC03810.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW8ilWLfLI/AAAAAAAACJ8/AZb4ZYxbrJ4/s1600-h/DSC03813.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320365837134822578" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW8ilWLfLI/AAAAAAAACJ8/AZb4ZYxbrJ4/s200/DSC03813.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW8iyD4FLI/AAAAAAAACKE/08NN_uAhgz0/s1600-h/DSC04015.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320365840547714226" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW8iyD4FLI/AAAAAAAACKE/08NN_uAhgz0/s200/DSC04015.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>Specimens of “America’s finest” came and sat at the table next to us. One of them congratulated my brother to his upcoming wedding, showed us the identity discs he had around his neck and claimed to be in the military soon going back to Afghanistan, however he and his companion looked like homeless and dirty crack heads, not proud US military, but who knows what war does to people. Sweden as a nation has fortunately not been to war in almost 200 years.<br /><br />After this, my boyfriend and I hurried to <strong>Macy’s</strong> for last-minute shopping of accessories for the wedding. At first, I stopped at the jewellery shop in the entrance hall of Macy’s department store, saw some beautiful necklaces and innocently asked the clerk how much they were. I was dumb-struck when he said “$15,000” (I didn’t realize I was looking at some really precious stones – the store didn’t look that fancy after all and wasn’t located where I would have expected these kinds of gems) and quickly had to tell him that it was a little over my budget that morning… I got a silvery evening purse, a beautiful necklace and earrings within my own price range from Macy’s own jewellery department instead. With these necessities taken care of I had to hurry back to the hotel again to make my appointment with Mindy.<br /><br />I almost completed and refined my speech as much as I had time for with my laptop on the lap while Mindy was curling and spraying my hair and had to redo my toe nails because I had messed them up the night before when putting on my shoes. In the end the speech never was completely finished, but I knew it was too long anyway and that I would have to cut it down, so by leaving some room for “winging it” on spot usually helps in that department. My Mom and Dad came down to help me out with some details on the finer points of the speech where my memory failed me from childhood, and Mindy agreed to do my mother’s hair after she finished with me. Then I had to hurry back to the hotel room, get changed and ready for the big event (don’t know how the bride herself manages to get ready in time – I guess by months of planning and not waiting till the last minute with things…). I printed the speech and the tweaked song lyrics of the traditional Swedish song Värmlands-visan (well, I couldn’t very well sing that he’s taking a bride from Värmland in the first verse!) in the Business Center of the hotel last-minute and was able to rehearse the song a couple of times with the professional pianist just before the guests arrived.</div><br /><div>Guests in their pretty evening wear mingled on the sidewalk outside the hotel and in the ground floor lounge area and bar before the ceremony. Some of the wedding pictures were taken before the ceremony, some after. I was stunned to see my mother <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW5d_4UB_I/AAAAAAAACJs/yfUnJ7IZeVU/s1600-h/DSC03832.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320362459823081458" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW5d_4UB_I/AAAAAAAACJs/yfUnJ7IZeVU/s320/DSC03832.JPG" border="0" /></a>in a beautiful red dress – I’ve never seen her more radiant – and my sister and nieces all dressed up in long dresses and my Dad, brother-in-law and 12-year-old nephew in tuxedos. I’ve never seen any of them so handsome. Guess it takes an occasion like this to bring it all out. You can see a picture of me and my boyfriend to the right.<br /><br />I had butterflies in my stomach since my speech was not exactly well-rehearsed and I felt a little intimidated to sing during the ceremony with the room full of (normally) critical musician friends of Urban and Julia. I had to calm my nerves with half a glass of wine in the bar just before the ceremony… </div><div><br />It was a beautiful, stylish and funny ceremony in the <em>Bernard</em> room at the Biltmore. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW4lQXyAlI/AAAAAAAACJk/Mvm-XnibRJE/s1600-h/DSC03815.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320361484997493330" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW4lQXyAlI/AAAAAAAACJk/Mvm-XnibRJE/s320/DSC03815.JPG" border="0" /></a>The room was dressed up in white-covered chairs, golden waist-high pillars along the aisle with flower arrangements on, a white carpet sprinkled with rose pedals leading up to the stage where the wedding ceremony itself took place. All the wedding guests were seated but Urban and the close family, maids of honor and groom’s party walked down the aisle as part of the start of the ceremony. My sister and I were led down the aisle by one of Urban’s close musician friends, Michael, who claimed it was a dream come true to have two Swedish redheads by his side. Ha-ha, bless him. Then we all waited a few moments for Julia to walk in with her mother Shan and their close family friend Phil. Julia was a beautiful bride. The guitarist played and sang very nicely as she came in and walked “on stage” with Urban, who stood up front waiting for her with proud sparkles in his eyes. </div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW3j81J6wI/AAAAAAAACJc/es32cjaimnc/s1600-h/DSC03867.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320360363060488962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW3j81J6wI/AAAAAAAACJc/es32cjaimnc/s320/DSC03867.JPG" border="0" /></a>Shan recited a Shakespeare poem during the ceremony and I made it through my song decently after a little shaky start. The microphone was placed in front of the guy officiating at the wedding, so I had to walk up on stage, round Urban and Julia and then face them and the rest of the room. </div><br /><div>The funny elements that made everyone smile or even crack up, including the bride and groom, were one of the floral boys dropping a shoe as he walked in, Julia having forgotten to bring her card with personal wedding vows – they each read their own, personally written vows to each other which of course made most people in the room wipe the corners of the eye – and had to rely on the wedding coordinator to bring her the back-up copy, and then finally she dropped the ring when it came down to putting it on Urban’s finger. My new sister-in-law may be a little crossed with me now for revealing all of this so shamelessly on a public blog, but it’s all part of a good, fairly-tale but down to earth wedding story and I love it! It all effectively broke the ice and made for a fabulous wedding reception afterwards.<br /><br />The newly wed walked out to Scottish bagpipes – apparently Julia has some Scottish blood <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW1p37CC4I/AAAAAAAACJU/xuBltBWnXGE/s1600-h/DSC03876.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320358265798921090" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW1p37CC4I/AAAAAAAACJU/xuBltBWnXGE/s200/DSC03876.JPG" border="0" /></a>in her – which was a quite cool ingredient in the whole wedding mix.<br /><br />The reception was held in the <em>Gold Room</em> with group seating at round tables, a big dance floor and a stage where a jazz band was playing during the evening. I think the first couple up trying the dance floor while waiting for the newly-weds were Shan and Phil. Urban and Julia eventually walked in, again accompanied by the Highland bagpiper (wonder where they found him?) and onto the dance floor, where the jazz band took over from the bagpiper and started playing a slow foxtrot, "Twenty-Four Little Hours". The happy couple performed a little dance routine and looked very cute indeed.<br /><br />After this, Urban and his bride took place “center-stage” at a separate table facing the stage and the five-course meal could begin. In a very organized fashion, there were of course a number of speeches throughout the evening, including those of Shan, my Dad, the best man Clark – in kilt to honor his Scottish-Canadian heritage – and myself. </div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW0Pq8P9UI/AAAAAAAACJM/t-7i7X-ApPw/s1600-h/DSC03913.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320356716126139714" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdW0Pq8P9UI/AAAAAAAACJM/t-7i7X-ApPw/s320/DSC03913.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><br />Following me was Susanne with her “back-up vocalists” in the form of her three kids. They performed a rap song entitled “The Urban Beat”, I believe, with Susanne rapping the verses, telling a story about Urban, his two lovely sisters, some things that happened in childhood, how he moved to the US, met Julia etc, and the kids doing the “beat-boxing” and went “Um Urban, Hey Urban!” or something similar in between – absolutely hilarious! I laughed so much I can hardly hear what they are rapping on the video I shot. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWzBF_rFDI/AAAAAAAACJE/JPNAPr-cweE/s1600-h/DSC03952.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320355366178591794" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWzBF_rFDI/AAAAAAAACJE/JPNAPr-cweE/s320/DSC03952.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It was a very nice and stylish wedding reception. I had great fun and enjoyed the speeches, music, dancing – it even included the traditional Jewish folk dance called <em>Hora</em>, which was good fun – and cutting of the wedding cake and all that. The wedding reception finished fairly early (think it was around midnight) so then there was an after party in a hotel suite that someone had rented.<br /><br />I wish my brother and his wife all the best for a long and happy marriage!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>USA All-Star Nationals</strong><br /></span>Located next to the big <strong>Staples Center</strong>, home to NBA basketball, the <strong>L.A. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWxr6qKzCI/AAAAAAAACI8/BbNwVY-IvTs/s1600-h/Staples_Center.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320353902846725154" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWxr6qKzCI/AAAAAAAACI8/BbNwVY-IvTs/s200/Staples_Center.JPG" border="0" /></a>Convention Center</strong> hosts many different conferences and events throughout the year.<br /><br />The day after the wedding, my sister and her kids wanted to go to L.A. Convention Center to watch the big cheerleading competition, <em>USA All-Star Nationals</em>. I was quite curious of this piece of American culture so I decided to come along. What perhaps surprised me the most was that there were so many boys in the cheerleading troupes. I thought cheerleading was for girls, but I guess these kinds of competitions have gone beyond the provocative wiggling and waving with pom-poms in the cheerleading section at a football game. </div><br /><div>During the USA All-Star Nationals there were large teams competing in different age classes, from 7-year-olds or so to what looked like college kids. They flip flopped across the stage in rondats and salto mortals, threw each other up in the air, built pyramids, girls balancing on one leg in the air, striking different poses, while two to three team mates held them steady by the foot only. There were some poses and tricks that formed part of every troupe choreography, so these tricks seemed to be part of what everyone were to be judged on.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWkYsPbIKI/AAAAAAAACIs/orLSQtOpdLk/s1600-h/DSC04035.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320339278907777186" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWkYsPbIKI/AAAAAAAACIs/orLSQtOpdLk/s200/DSC04035.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320339280664621506" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWkYyySccI/AAAAAAAACI0/OHkLNUvn55s/s200/DSC04047.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br />You can see one example of choreography in the video below. There were troupes that were more advanced, distinct and synchronized, but all in all, all contestants were very impressive athletes. Since we didn’t know anyone, we didn’t stay for the prize ceremony and handing out of trophies so we don’t know who won.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwD5juLQ4IrrhgqvApc8cHYXLwL__11wCcxaqG2V4OtjhFTM5x7MDU6_osAyMShnGPV0hVfCmeyIUSq3azVdQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><div>For those initiated, you can <a href="http://usacamps.com/pdf/nationals/2009/results/03.14_AN_results.pdf">download and study the results from the different classes here>></a></div><br /><div>If you’re a fan or know anyone who happened to be competing on March 14-15 in L.A. you can <a href="http://www.mrvideoonline.com/event-details.asp?ID=592747">buy the competition videos here>> </a><br /><br />After the USA All-Star Nationals, we were dying from hunger, so we quickly settled for dinner at Denny’s, the American chain diner’s.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Barbeque in Venice<br /></span></strong><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWhNtAZzdI/AAAAAAAACIk/3WXVH7ddWAo/s1600-h/DSC04079.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320335791599766994" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWhNtAZzdI/AAAAAAAACIk/3WXVH7ddWAo/s200/DSC04079.JPG" border="0" /></a>On Monday after the wedding, we were all invited over for barbeque at the house of Urban’s childhood friend Crille, wife Malin and baby daughter Mika in <strong>Venice</strong>. It was a beautiful, sunny day and I had of course forgotten sun block so after a couple of hours in the sun I had already gotten burnt, way before we walked down to <strong>Venice Beach</strong> to watch all the weirdo’s and could buy some sun protection cream in a store.<br /><br />My 12-year-old nephew Jonathan (soon to be 13) likes skating and had borrowed a skateboard from Crille, so I headed down towards Venice Beach with him and my niece Emelie to shop for sunglasses and watch other skaters. Jonathan is not so advanced yet so he got some friendly and brotherly advice from more experienced skaters who were practising jumping and sliding tricks on the steel bars along the board walk. He could have stayed there for hours and hours. 14-year-old Emelie (turning 15 this fall) and I shared some moments of laughter at a – well, how can I put this – older nerd on inlines who desperately tried to get my attention by skating on one leg. He did the same “trick” over and over again, and each time he passed, he glanced at me and smiled. Emelie was cracking up already after the fifth time, but after twenty or so it started getting ridiculous. He mostly looked like a dog getting ready to pee against a tree….<br /><br />My parents and also my sister, her husband and kids were staying in the US altogether some 20 days, I think, so both Jonathan and Emelie were after this convinced that they would want to move to L.A., one to bum around I guess and the other to “become famous” – unclear with what but she likes singing… My oldest niece Angelica, who’s 17, thought L.A. was cool enough and that it was nice to get away from school in the middle of the semester, but she probably also missed her horses back home.<br /><br />We finished the day with a burger and a beer together with the whole family and Urban’s friends Clark (best man at the wedding) and wife Alexa at the <strong>Whaler</strong> on the corner of Washington Boulevard and Venice Beach. </div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWgKr9cnLI/AAAAAAAACIc/kOI-zsOG7xY/s1600-h/Alexa_Clark.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320334640267697330" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWgKr9cnLI/AAAAAAAACIc/kOI-zsOG7xY/s200/Alexa_Clark.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong></div><br /><div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Walt Disney Concert Hall</span></strong><br />Before I flew back to London, I visited the <strong>Walt Disney Concert Hall</strong>, located on South Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. and only 10 min walk uphill from the Biltmore, giving your bum a little bit of an exercise while walking there. Designed by Frank O. Gehry and opened in 2003, this large metal building is made up of more than 6,000 panels of stainless steel. </div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWe6MB6DiI/AAAAAAAACH8/mAkQPNUJIK0/s1600-h/DSC03705.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320333257306934818" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWe6MB6DiI/AAAAAAAACH8/mAkQPNUJIK0/s200/DSC03705.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWe6SGtYOI/AAAAAAAACIE/Vfp7TjqsHsk/s1600-h/DSC04125.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320333258937688290" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWe6SGtYOI/AAAAAAAACIE/Vfp7TjqsHsk/s200/DSC04125.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWe6s3EWsI/AAAAAAAACIM/WLEIedE3yms/s1600-h/DSC04138.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320333266119842498" style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWe6s3EWsI/AAAAAAAACIM/WLEIedE3yms/s200/DSC04138.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWe7BMyQGI/AAAAAAAACIU/O6ZlKTIVBvI/s1600-h/DSC04131.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320333271579639906" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWe7BMyQGI/AAAAAAAACIU/O6ZlKTIVBvI/s200/DSC04131.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>The Walt Disney Concert Hall is one of four buildings of the <em>Los Angeles Music Center</em> and by far the funkiest. The building is beautiful with many different shapes, curves and interesting angles, with the sunlight reflected in the metal surface.<br /><br />It's located next to the <strong>Dorothy Chandler Pavilion</strong> and is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. When I was there you could sign a guestbook for Esa-Pekka Salonen (the one who conducted the "City of Dreams" concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London that Frank and I attended recently), whose year as Musical Director here is coming to an end.<br /><br />You can take an audio tour for free around the Walt Disney Concert Hall and its garden and listen to some of the details of the construction and design work, why the carpet has a playful and colorful Lily pattern (in honor of the biggest private donor Lillian Disney) and from what spot you can see all the way to the Hollywood sign in the far distance.<br /><br />The building of the concert hall cost altogether ca $274 million and was partly funded by Lillian Disney, the widow of Walt Disney, who donated $50 million as a way to give something back to the community in this city of entertainment. </div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWb7nV2gyI/AAAAAAAACH0/G24ncbNUAqk/s1600-h/DSC04141.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320329983283331874" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SdWb7nV2gyI/AAAAAAAACH0/G24ncbNUAqk/s320/DSC04141.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Dorothy Chandler Pavilion<br /></em><br />The trip to California came to an end and I’m back in the London drizzle... But stay tuned for upcoming excursions.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-53212031615405763902008-04-19T06:18:00.001-07:002008-04-19T07:08:31.724-07:00The London EyeI am actually on my way to Beijing but am stuck at the Hong Kong airport due to a typhoon with heavy raining and strong winds. I missed my flight yesterday afternoon from Heathrow and was rebooked on another flight 4.5 hours later via Hong Kong. We had a very turbulent landing due to the weather and now the connecting flight is already almost 4 hours late. I have missed a whole day's sightseeing in Beijing with a colleague but was hoping to get there at least before midnight so I could take her salsa dancing. It looks uncertain if we'll even make it out of Hong Kong tonight. Oh well, at least it has given me some time to write about my sightseeing excursion in London last weekend.<br /><br />It was raining cats and dogs with occasional thunder and <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAn4cDQ-DZI/AAAAAAAABbg/KIeX0l_qi0A/s1600-h/LondonEye.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190953206317714834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAn4cDQ-DZI/AAAAAAAABbg/KIeX0l_qi0A/s320/LondonEye.JPG" border="0" /></a>lightning last Saturday – typical London weather, some would say, and you will regret if you have left your umbrella at home. Defying the weather, I however decided to do some sightseeing since a French salsa friend of mine, Ludovic, was visiting London. Neither of us had ever been to the <a href="http://www.ba-londoneye.com/">London Eye</a>, the huge observation wheel on the South Bank of the river Thames.<br /><br />The observation wheel is about 135 m high and apparently the largest ever built. Opened in 2000, the wheel was meant as a symbol of the turning of the century according to the married couple of architects who designed it.<br /><br />I have never been close enough to study the construction of it, but I had somehow imagined it to be like one of the “Paris wheels” you usually find at an amusement park with the cabins swaying in the wind. The London Eye however spun silently around and so slowly you couldn’t even feel its movement from inside the egg-shaped cabins, spacious enough for 20-25 people in each.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAn3VTQ-DWI/AAAAAAAABbI/qMyVwIzUR5w/s1600-h/DSC00032.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190951990841970018" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAn3VTQ-DWI/AAAAAAAABbI/qMyVwIzUR5w/s320/DSC00032.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAn3VjQ-DXI/AAAAAAAABbQ/-4nrkAX1m0U/s1600-h/DSC00033.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190951995136937330" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAn3VjQ-DXI/AAAAAAAABbQ/-4nrkAX1m0U/s320/DSC00033.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAn3VzQ-DYI/AAAAAAAABbY/GhTJD8Mk_Lg/s1600-h/DSC00064.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190951999431904642" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAn3VzQ-DYI/AAAAAAAABbY/GhTJD8Mk_Lg/s320/DSC00064.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>You can see quite far in the distance and many of London’s landmarks are clearly visible from up there, including the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey across the river in the City of Westminster. You have a great view over the Thames and several bridges, Victoria Embankment, South Bank with the Waterloo Station and the County Hall.<br /></div><BR><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAn0WjQ-DVI/AAAAAAAABbA/AfYHc20L-nA/s1600-h/WestminsterBridge_Houses_of_Parliament.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190948713781923154" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAn0WjQ-DVI/AAAAAAAABbA/AfYHc20L-nA/s320/WestminsterBridge_Houses_of_Parliament.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Westminster Bridge, Houses of Parliament with Big Ben and Victoria Embankment<br /></em></div><BR><div></div><div>The view over London from the wheel during its full-circle flight taking ca 30 min was marvellous, but the experience on this particular occasion was dampened by the wet weather. I also thought that the price was a little hefty, almost £14. I wouldn’t rush back in a hurry but on a sunny day I suppose it’s a nice experience and great photographic opportunity for the many tourists visiting London.</div><BR><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAny5zQ-DTI/AAAAAAAABaw/6shM5AQ8L1I/s1600-h/LondonEye_CountyHall_Ludovic.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190947120349056306" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAny5zQ-DTI/AAAAAAAABaw/6shM5AQ8L1I/s200/LondonEye_CountyHall_Ludovic.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAny6DQ-DUI/AAAAAAAABa4/oBmuvlz_jos/s1600-h/DSC00086.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190947124644023618" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAny6DQ-DUI/AAAAAAAABa4/oBmuvlz_jos/s200/DSC00086.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Left: Ludovic on Westminster Bridge with the London Eye and the County Hall in the background. Right: Big Ben.</em><br /></div><BR><div>After the London Eye tour, Ludovic and I walked across the Westminster Bridge, passing Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, chilled to the bone and in search of a café where we could warm up with some hot chocolate. Westminster however consists mostly of old buildings and hordes of tourists so we ended up walking to Covent Garden via Trafalgar Square. Not that Covent Garden has fewer tourists visiting, but at least you can watch the bustling street life in the square while sipping a glass of wine or enjoying a coffee. We ended our afternoon sightseeing at a small café / pizzeria in the Covent Garden Market.<br /></div><BR><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAnxyjQ-DSI/AAAAAAAABao/zuS23tlkQtc/s1600-h/Ludovic_CoventGarden.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190945896283376930" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SAnxyjQ-DSI/AAAAAAAABao/zuS23tlkQtc/s200/Ludovic_CoventGarden.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Ludovic close to Covent Garden</em></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-6104793822877298002008-04-07T15:11:00.000-07:002012-01-07T09:31:46.645-08:00Spring chicken in California<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJ5ZH8gMJSY/Twh9j273aXI/AAAAAAAACO8/kvuTo3Rb530/s1600/Mimmis_Glendale_2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EJ5ZH8gMJSY/Twh9j273aXI/AAAAAAAACO8/kvuTo3Rb530/s320/Mimmis_Glendale_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694939783805495666" border="0" /></a>I had four days off before Easter this year and went to California for a week to see my brother and hang out with one of my friends in Los Angeles. The benefit of L.A. is that you can get beach and skiing on the same week! :-)<br /><br />My brother and his girlfriend live in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Studio City</span> in the San Fernando Valley in northern L.A. It’s a fantastic location, quiet and residential but also with some nice restaurants and shops. I spent some time shopping on <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ventura Boulevard</span>, the main shopping street and through-fare in the Valley, and also had dinner there at a cozy restaurant one night.<br /><br />The weather in L.A. is mostly warm and sunny all year round. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dPw1UoYXYzg/Twh8cn9FmuI/AAAAAAAACOw/BWt9emKIN5I/s1600/BabcockAve_house.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dPw1UoYXYzg/Twh8cn9FmuI/AAAAAAAACOw/BWt9emKIN5I/s200/BabcockAve_house.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694938560013376226" border="0" /></a>In the back yard at my brother’s, there is a lemon tree growing, constantly ripe with lemons (as you can see from the picture to the right), just waiting to be picked and used for fresh frozen margaritas!<br /><br />On the Wednesday before Easter, my brother’s girlfriend, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/juliaalbertmusic">Julia Albert, a talented singer / songwriter</a>, had a gig at <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.cafecordiale.com/">Café Cordiale</a> in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sherman Oaks</span>. My brother played the guitar and sang backing vocals. Julia’s mother, brother, grandmother and some other relatives were also there to watch. We all had dinner there before the performance. Julia’s music is wonderful – check it out at <a href="http://juliaalbert.com/">http://juliaalbert.com/</a>. It was nice to experience the intimate setting of this gig - see photos below.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MhqOcMnIjkA/Twh7a8jpbDI/AAAAAAAACOY/goy76Hlg8AI/s1600/Julia_CafeCordiale_ShermanOaks.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MhqOcMnIjkA/Twh7a8jpbDI/AAAAAAAACOY/goy76Hlg8AI/s200/Julia_CafeCordiale_ShermanOaks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694937431672450098" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Fub_7hbjdU/Twh7bBW8dKI/AAAAAAAACOk/FEbFLSOnAFE/s1600/Julia_CafeCordiale_ShermanOaks_3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 116px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Fub_7hbjdU/Twh7bBW8dKI/AAAAAAAACOk/FEbFLSOnAFE/s200/Julia_CafeCordiale_ShermanOaks_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694937432961348770" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I spent one of the days down at <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.venicebeach.com/">Venice Beach</a> with my friend Thomas. For those of you who are not familiar with Venice Beach, this is a stretch of beach south of Santa Monica with a long beach promenade, along which people roller-blade, go skateboarding, biking and running, or work out in the sun at the Muscle Beach Gym, play tennis, volleyball or basketball at one of several courts dotted along the beach. The rather famous Venice Beach Boardwalk is full of quirky street stands, hustlers and weird people, trying to make a buck by making sand sculptures, wearing ugly costumes, juggling, selling their own, home made CDs etc. It’s definitely worth a visit – you’ll have a laugh and be fascinated by all the Weirdness there is in this world.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dxA8UFP_8yQ/Twh55HaF3bI/AAAAAAAACOM/fj8PFe69ZOM/s1600/JohnDavila_Thomas.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dxA8UFP_8yQ/Twh55HaF3bI/AAAAAAAACOM/fj8PFe69ZOM/s320/JohnDavila_Thomas.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694935750957981106" border="0" /></a>Since I am a passionate salsa dancer, Thomas took me to see one of his friends, John Davila (in picture to the left), who happens to be an On2 salsa instructor in L.A. We had good fun in the sun at his place for a couple of hours, learning a new On2 routine. Check out Davila's website at <a href="http://www.salsero.biz/index.php">http://www.salsero.biz/index.php</a><br /><br />On the Good Friday, Thomas and I went to <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.raffisplace.com/">Raffi’s Place</a> in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Glendale </span>for some lovely Iranian food for lunch. I don’t think I have ever tasted Iranian food before, but I liked it. If you happen to be near Glendale, drive to Raffi’s Place and try it out. Nice staff and fresh food.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8K7PdxzvTLA/Twh3Zw_b4GI/AAAAAAAACOA/dnfZ9BJkg-c/s1600/Thomas_Raffis.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8K7PdxzvTLA/Twh3Zw_b4GI/AAAAAAAACOA/dnfZ9BJkg-c/s200/Thomas_Raffis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694933013341397090" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cLvsmfl_W0c/Twh3ZsYZW6I/AAAAAAAACN0/AUy8379aIn8/s1600/Mimmis_Raffis.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cLvsmfl_W0c/Twh3ZsYZW6I/AAAAAAAACN0/AUy8379aIn8/s200/Mimmis_Raffis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5694933012103912354" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In the evening we went to <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.shermanoaksgalleria.com/">Sherman Oaks Galleria</a> for dinner and a movie. Thomas was mistaken for Eddie Murphy (very funny) by one of the visitors to the shopping galleria, who stopped him and almost asked for an autograph. The movie we ended up watching was really bad, not even sure why on earth we would randomly pick a film with such a title anyway… “<a href="http://www.10000bcmovie.com/">10,000 B.C.</a>”… If it screens at a movie theater near you, please pick another film for your evening out.<br /><br />After four relaxing days in L.A., I was off to Big Bear / Snow Summit in Southern Caifornia for a couple of days of skiing with my brother.Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-58223209502945354782008-04-01T12:19:00.001-07:002008-04-01T12:39:15.812-07:00London musicals, concerts and shows<div><div>London has a great selection of theatres and jazz clubs where you can enjoy various musicals, concerts, plays and dance performances. During my first 5 months here I have been to several musicals and dance performances, a couple of jazz concerts and to the ballet. There are constantly popping up new musicals and plays so you can always enjoy something new on the entertainment scene in London.</div><div><br /><strong>Greased lightnin’!</strong><br /></div><div>A salsa friend of mine from Sweden, Camilla Alenstål, and a friend of hers, Luis, came to London <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KPAXA6KAI/AAAAAAAABTQ/hPo4WM_2OJ4/s1600-h/Grease_stage.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184363357397460994" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KPAXA6KAI/AAAAAAAABTQ/hPo4WM_2OJ4/s200/Grease_stage.JPG" border="0" /></a>for a visit in October last year. We decided to go see Grease at <em>Piccadilly Theatre</em>. This was highly entertaining – if you haven’t see Grease yet, make sure you do! You’ll have a ball! It’s ultra greasy in every way and it’s hilarious. Danny and Sandy were played by Danny Bayne and Susan McFadden, both chosen by the public to play the lead roles in the London production from the finalists in the ITV show <em>Grease Is the Word</em>. My favorite scene in the London musical was the shower scene (does not exist in the film) – very, very funny.</div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KOxXA6J_I/AAAAAAAABTI/njO9mY-Xxlc/s1600-h/Grease_shower_scene.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184363099699423218" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KOxXA6J_I/AAAAAAAABTI/njO9mY-Xxlc/s200/Grease_shower_scene.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><strong>The Magic Flute<br /></strong>I got a free ticket through work once to see a show at the <em>Young Vic</em> theatre between Waterloo and Southwark tube stations, a few minutes walk from the office. A South-African music company performed their own interpretation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Impempe Yomlingo) and got standing ovations from the audience afterwards.<br /><br />This was a truly colorful, inspiring and entertaining show which left you in a state of shear joy and happiness. I was rather touched and had to wipe a tear from the corner of my eye at one point, although I was smiling broadly throughout the performance. I find it amazing that a European composer in the 18th century can have had such a powerful impact across the world through centuries, in a way that even the most remote country and culture with a completely different set of instruments and way of singing and expressing themselves have heard his music, learned to appreciate it, and been inspired by it to the extent that they have really let in influence their own. </div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KN_3A6J9I/AAAAAAAABS4/axY-YlA1vS8/s1600-h/ImpempeYomlingo.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184362249295898578" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KN_3A6J9I/AAAAAAAABS4/axY-YlA1vS8/s320/ImpempeYomlingo.bmp" border="0" /></a></div><div><br />Impempe Yomlingo was filled with colorful African costumes, Mozart blended with African harmonies, African drums and flutes, barefoot dancing, acting and singing with a strong South-African, melodious accent. A truly wonderful and refreshing experience!<br /><br /><strong>Billy Elliot – the musical</strong><br />When my brother Urban and his girlfriend Julia came for a visit from Los Angeles before Christmas, they wanted to see Billy Elliot. Said and done. I got tickets for the <em>Victoria Palace Theatre</em> on a Monday night. I wasn’t particularly impressed by this musical. The only one in the cast that impressed was the kid that played 12-year-old Billy Elliot. For being so young, he was quite charismatic and good both at acting, singing and dancing. In fact he was the only one that owned the stage when he entered. The rest of the cast was in my opinion rather mediocre on all accounts. Perhaps I was disappointed because I really liked the film and the musical version of it was…well, lame, with amateur actors and really poor dancers.<br /><br /><strong>Katriona Taylor Quintet</strong></div><div>My salsa friend Jeff Tarpinian’s ex-wife quit her job as a lawyer and became a jazz singer – well, isn’t that cool? Now she’s given out several CD’s and performs at various jazz clubs and festivals. Jeff invited a bunch of us from the salsa scene to come and see her at the <em>SoHo Pizza Express</em> in January. The jazz club is found in the basement and provides a quite intimate setting for the bands playing with dinner and drink tables close up to the stage. Apparently this club is where a lot of up-and-coming jazz musicians get started and receive recognition. We had dinner and a really enjoyable evening followed by salsa dancing at Bar Salsa after the concert.<br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KMG3A6J8I/AAAAAAAABSw/jHn65toTYKQ/s1600-h/Katriona_Taylor_Quintet.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184360170531727298" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KMG3A6J8I/AAAAAAAABSw/jHn65toTYKQ/s320/Katriona_Taylor_Quintet.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong>The Nutcracker<br /></strong>I have long wanted to see a real classical piece of ballet. Alessia got Martina and me tickets for the Nutcracker at the <em>Royal Opera House</em> in January. It was a fantastic experience. The Royal Opera House is beautiful and of course provides the perfect setting for classical ballet. The Nutcracker was pretty silly in a fairytale kind of way, but there is no denying that the dancing was beautiful with impressive pirouettes, lifts and jumps.<br /><br /><strong>Eddie Palmieri Y Su Orquesta<br /></strong>Earlier this month, the world-famous jazz/salsa virtuoso Eddie Palmieri was in London with his orchestra and performed at the <em>Jazz Café</em> in Camden Town. Born in New York with Puerto Rican parents, he is in his 70’s now so I wonder how many more concert tours he is going to manage. The Jazz Café was packed and it was an awesome concert. I was really impressed by the trumpet player, Brian Lynch.<br /><br />Many of my salsa friends were there: Mouni, Osiel on a quick visit from Stockholm with his girlfriend, Denis, Steve, Chris, Martina, Jeff, Olu, Floyd, Saher (whom I met at La Isla in Stockholm last year – he commutes between London and Stockholm for work). I stayed dancing after the concert until a quarter past midnight, and then went to Bar Salsa as many other did. Salsa fanatics...?<br /><br /><strong>Bounce – Insane in the Brain</strong></div><div>Jessica, one of my girlfriends from university, came to see me for a couple of days earlier this month. After trying the cocktails at <em>Skylon Bar</em> in the Royal Festival Hall by the Thames, we went for dinner at <em>Iguanas</em>, a Latin bar and restaurant by the Hungerford Bridge, and then crossed the river and went further north to Holborn. Bounce, a street dance group from Stockholm, performed an astonishing dance theatre piece inspired by “The Cuckoo’s Nest” (remember the film with Jack Nicholson?) at the <em>Peacock Theatre</em>. I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it. With very impressive dancing and strong acting it was depressing and funny at the same time. The performance stayed with us for a long time that night, even after entering the <em>Sway Bar & Nightclub</em> nearby.</div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KLKXA6J5I/AAAAAAAABSY/tiGH_d2PItY/s1600-h/Jessica_SkylonBar.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184359131149641618" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KLKXA6J5I/AAAAAAAABSY/tiGH_d2PItY/s200/Jessica_SkylonBar.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KLK3A6J6I/AAAAAAAABSg/6Vd_Dkcnzws/s1600-h/Mimmis_SkylonBar.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184359139739576226" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KLK3A6J6I/AAAAAAAABSg/6Vd_Dkcnzws/s200/Mimmis_SkylonBar.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Jessica & I sipping cocktails at Skylon Bar in the Royal Festival Hall</em></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KLL3A6J7I/AAAAAAAABSo/T7pLHpeVN20/s1600-h/Jessica_Bounce.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184359156919445426" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_KLL3A6J7I/AAAAAAAABSo/T7pLHpeVN20/s200/Jessica_Bounce.JPG" border="0" /></a><em> Jessica outside Peacock Theatre</em> </div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-47455424068575217772008-04-01T12:01:00.000-07:002008-04-01T12:09:47.856-07:00London salsa – where and whenAfter 6 months in London I believe I have come to some conclusion on which the best places are for salsa dancing here, at least L.A. and Mambo style.<br /><br /><strong>Mondays</strong> – <em>Bar Salsa</em> on Charing Cross Road close to Leicester Square. Super Mario usually DJ’s here when he’s in town. Usually a good crowd – the good dancers are there between 11pm and 2am (which is when they close and the bouncers come yelling at you, trying to hurry you out).<br /><br /><strong>Tuesdays</strong> – never been out yet; does not seem to be a good club night for salsa.<br /><br /><strong>Wednesdays </strong>– <em>Bar Salsa</em>, open till 2am.<br /><br /><strong>Thursdays</strong> – my friend Jeff has started On2 courses and social dancing at <em>Surya Bar</em> at King’s Cross, open till 12pm. See <a href="http://www.salsageeks.com/">http://www.salsageeks.com/</a> for more info.<br /><br /><strong>Fridays</strong> – MamboCity event in <em>Ealing Town Hall</em>, open till 1am. This is usually jam-packed, hot and sweaty and a lot of fun.<br /><br /><strong>Saturdays<br /></strong>– <em>Scala</em> at King’s Cross last Saturday of every month (usually open till 5 or 6am) + the night before all Bank holidays (open till 6am)<br />– <em>Prodigal / Cape</em> on Love Lane (close to St. Paul’s) open till 3am – this is a nice venue with a good salsa DJ and usually there are good dancers. Sometimes this clashes with Scala nights.<br />– Palladium at <em>Latin Palace</em> in Oval – I have only been there once but it was <strong>not</strong> good. Irene is trying to build a rep there and get people coming regularly but I really didn’t like the venue and it’s located way off and therefore hard to get home from unless you have a car of your own or can catch a ride.<br /><br />On Fridays and Saturdays there are also occasional salsa events at <em>Colosseum</em> on Nine Elms Lane in Vauxhall which can be quite nice as a change. These events usually draw a mixed crowd of Cuban, LA style and mambo dancers.<br /><br /><strong>Sundays</strong> – <em>Salsa On Sundays</em> (SOS) at the Royal National Hotel at Russell Square. This is the salsa social of the week organized by Leon Rose and Tamambo, and usually all good mambo dancers come here.Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-38602825992694896992008-03-31T16:14:00.001-07:002008-10-12T11:30:14.307-07:00Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona in February<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI_6Ie7jeI/AAAAAAAACFQ/xv6u5efLgi4/s1600-h/MWC_banner_Barcelona_airport.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256333983036968418" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI_6Ie7jeI/AAAAAAAACFQ/xv6u5efLgi4/s200/MWC_banner_Barcelona_airport.JPG" border="0" /></a> I’m a little behind on my blogging, it’s just been crazy lately with too much work.<br /><br />I was in Spain on business in February for a week to attend the <strong><a href="http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/">Mobile World Congress</a></strong>, a big tradeshow, held at <em>Fira de Barcelona</em>. For all my years in the telecoms & wireless industry I have never been to this show, not even when it was called GSM World Congress and then 3GSM and was held for many years in Cannes. It was interesting to finally get a chance to attend this event, which is huge for all network infrastructure, service and mobile phone providers and carriers / operators to gather and discuss new industry trends and requirements. The event is typically attended by some 50-60,000 key decision-makers in the mobile industry.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI-AndDdbI/AAAAAAAACFI/Z5wOBStI904/s1600-h/Fira.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256331895406556594" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI-AndDdbI/AAAAAAAACFI/Z5wOBStI904/s400/Fira.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div><em>A nice panorama photo taken at Fira Barcelona by one of my colleagues<br /></em><br />I had meeting after meeting and walking around the tradeshow for four days... I didn't see much of Barcelona other than the conference facilities, restaurants and the inside of a few salsa clubs.<br /><br />Symbian was there with the theme "Tomorrow's technology - today's phones". We had a booth in Hall 8 with good technology demos, a couple of speaker / panel opportunities, and a Hospitality Suite on the Fira Avenue to nurture and meet with customers, important partners and press. I went to visit my old colleagues in the Sony Ericsson booth and checked out some new phones. Symbian also threw a big party at an off-site venue with about 800 guests with local DJs and a live band called <em><a href="http://www.myspace.com/thepinkertones">The Pinkertones</a></em>, one of Barcelona's hottest new acts.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI79HFDStI/AAAAAAAACE4/eS_pyr10OOU/s1600-h/Symbian_booth.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256329636153084626" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI79HFDStI/AAAAAAAACE4/eS_pyr10OOU/s200/Symbian_booth.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Symbian booth</em><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI7tQdjp8I/AAAAAAAACEw/Y1FViHTOCus/s1600-h/DSC00052.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256329363793881026" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI7tQdjp8I/AAAAAAAACEw/Y1FViHTOCus/s200/DSC00052.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Panel discussion</em><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI7WesbnmI/AAAAAAAACEo/LtSQXKHZA24/s1600-h/Symbian_HospitalitySuite.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256328972477374050" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI7WesbnmI/AAAAAAAACEo/LtSQXKHZA24/s200/Symbian_HospitalitySuite.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Symbian Hospitality Suite</em><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI7FvrGGiI/AAAAAAAACEg/dvhYQjnEeuQ/s1600-h/LarsLindstrom_SEMC.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256328684977396258" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI7FvrGGiI/AAAAAAAACEg/dvhYQjnEeuQ/s200/LarsLindstrom_SEMC.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Senior Product Manager, Lars Lindström, demonstrating some new smartphones in Sony Ericsson’s booth</em><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI62SWnndI/AAAAAAAACEY/IetdJWkVCFg/s1600-h/Fira_entrance.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256328419408846290" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI62SWnndI/AAAAAAAACEY/IetdJWkVCFg/s200/Fira_entrance.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>The Fira entrance / exit gates<br /></em><br />I found three fairly descent salsa clubs, which I visited on different nights. I managed to get a couple of colleagues to tag along to <em><a href="http://www.antillasalsa.com/">Antilla Latin Club</a></em> on a Saturday night. The place was quite busy but unfortunately there were not many good dancers. I spotted one tall guy with long hair (kind of reminding me of the famous Swedish tennis player Björn Borg back in the days when he had long hair) that seemed to be the best there that night and invited him to dance which turned out to be a good move. Funnily enough, he showed up at the other two salsa clubs I tracked down while in Barcelona on other nights.<br /><br />On Sunday night I went out on my own to <em><a href="http://www.mojitobcn.com/">Mojito Club</a></em>. They celebrated their 10th anniversary on the night I was there, served champagne and handed out gifts. They also had a dance performance by some local dancers and a salsa band playing. I saw someone at the bar looking exactly like Ricky Martin but since he and his lady company seemed to enjoy the evening without much extra stir around them I assumed it was just a look-alike.<br /><div><div></div><br /><div>I met up with a salsa friend from Stockholm, John, who works for IBM and happened to <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI6OJjf_gI/AAAAAAAACEQ/6pDGDsZE2G4/s1600-h/JohnBradley_Mimmis_Agua_de_Luna.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256327729852186114" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/SPI6OJjf_gI/AAAAAAAACEQ/6pDGDsZE2G4/s200/JohnBradley_Mimmis_Agua_de_Luna.JPG" border="0" /></a>be at the MWC as well this week. On the last night in Barcelona, or Barca, as many people call it, we had a long dinner catching up on life in the fast lane and then went to <em><a href="http://www.aguadeluna.com/">Agua de Luna</a></em>, apparently the “place to be” on a Wednesday night in Barca if you’re into salsa.<br /><br />Sure enough, there you could spot all the famous and good dancers that travel to international salsa congresses around the world, and I had the pleasure of dancing with the world champion of salsa 2007, Adrian (saw him compete with his partner in Puerto Rico last summer – see separate <a href="http://mimmisolsson.blogspot.com/2007/08/puerto-rico-salsa-congress-2007.html">blog post about the Puerto Rico Salsa Congress 2007</a>), and another quite well-known performer, Ramón, who took turns dancing with me to a couple of super fast Mambo songs...! Lots of fun but it resulted in me getting sore ribs and abdomen from dancing like crazy. I am apparently in poor shape these days! ;-)<br /><br />Very pleased but beat after an activity-filled week in Barca with too little sleep I returned to London with the last night of great salsa fresh in my mind and body, and a big smile on my face.<br /><br />I am hoping that next time I will have time to actually see more of Barcelona.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-50109508279392697112008-03-31T16:09:00.000-07:002008-03-31T16:16:02.115-07:00Finally some snow! Customer visit to FinlandIn early January I flew to Helsinki in Finland with a few colleagues to visit Nokia headquarters. We arrived on a Tuesday night in time for dinner with some marketing and communications people at Nokia at the <strong><a href="http://www.ravintolaloft.fi/www/index.php?lang=english"><em>Loft Restaurant & Lounge</em></a></strong> on Yrjönkatu 18. This turned out to be a very good restaurant with Scandinavian cuisine, located in central Helsinki between Bulevardi and Uudenmaanaktu. Since we were supposed to have a whole-day meeting with Nokia at their offices in Espo the day after, we did however not stay out very late.<br /><br />We stayed at the <strong><a href="http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/HELKJHI-Hilton-Helsinki-Kalastajatorppa-hotel/index.do"><em>Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa hotel</em></a></strong> which had convenient rooms in Scandinavian clean design and a huge lobby with a nice bar and lounge area. The hotel also gave guests access to sauna, Jacuzzi and a pool area, which we unfortunately did not have time to take advantage of.<br /><br />This was the first time this “winter” that I had seen snow. When I was home in Sweden for Christmas, the temperature was rather mild and it was raining. London has not even come close to snow. And believe it or not, I have actually missed the white coat of snow on wintry streets and trees, and feeling the cold bite your cheeks!<br /><br />When we came back from dinner with Nokia the first night, I felt very upbeat when we got out of the taxi at the hotel because it had been snowing and there were still some snowflakes in the air. I bent down, took some snow and made a snowball and threw it at my British male colleague from Sales. I giggled happily, but he did not look amused at all. Ooops, culture clash? Perhaps my childish and spontaneous action was not considered appropriate. Or he was just tired.Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-6240039949317704112008-03-31T14:48:00.000-07:002008-03-31T15:36:06.857-07:00New Year’s salsa in Birmingham<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184037717272045442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_Fm1nA6J4I/AAAAAAAABSQ/2cP_Agw6T8s/s320/NewYear_poster_2007.jpg" border="0" />The single excursion outside of London I have done since I moved to the UK was to drive up to Birmingham from London with my salsa friends Steve, Eva and Gormack over New Year’s.<br /><br />The <strong><a href="http://www.latinmotion.co.uk/">LatinMotion</a></strong> team of salsa instructors and promoters every year arrange a big New Year’s salsa bash attracting people from all over the country. We arrived after dark so I did not have the chance to see much of Birmingham except for the street where the Paragon Hotel, where we were staying, and <strong><em>St. Anne’s Club</em></strong> were located on Alcester Street, next to St. Anne’s Church.<br /><br />When we arrived, there was a big Rueda workshop going on. As soon as the free classes for the night had ended, the actual party slowly started picking up. About 200 people attended the party this past New Year and it was a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere.<br /><br />Sadly, very few people had really dressed up, despite being New Year’s Eve. On the other hand, dancing comfortably and sweating like a pig hardly go hand in hand with a tux or an evening gown, so it’s understandable. I was however quite surprised to see a few locals in jeans, polo shirt and leather vest… It did seem a little out of place.<br /><br />Eva and Gormack gave a performance, as did another London couple called Mauro and Aiste, and a pale couple dressed in white, Lisa & Mark from <em>SalsaOxford</em>. <div></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_FmNHA6J2I/AAAAAAAABSA/UkgTXMgEhb0/s1600-h/Eva_Mauro_Birmingham_2007-12-31.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184037021487343458" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_FmNHA6J2I/AAAAAAAABSA/UkgTXMgEhb0/s200/Eva_Mauro_Birmingham_2007-12-31.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_FmNHA6J3I/AAAAAAAABSI/0bSfQv2CroM/s1600-h/Steve_Mimmis_Birmingham_2007-12-31.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184037021487343474" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_FmNHA6J3I/AAAAAAAABSI/0bSfQv2CroM/s200/Steve_Mimmis_Birmingham_2007-12-31.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em></em></div><div><em>Left: Eva, Mauro and Aiste. Right: Steve & I</em><br /></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_Fly3A6J0I/AAAAAAAABRw/H_8YStQNHs4/s1600-h/Steve_Eva_Birmingham_2007-12-31_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184036570515777346" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_Fly3A6J0I/AAAAAAAABRw/H_8YStQNHs4/s200/Steve_Eva_Birmingham_2007-12-31_2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_FlzHA6J1I/AAAAAAAABR4/18gRczYPKOA/s1600-h/Steve_Eva_Birmingham_2007-12-31_4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184036574810744658" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_FlzHA6J1I/AAAAAAAABR4/18gRczYPKOA/s200/Steve_Eva_Birmingham_2007-12-31_4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><em>Eva & Steve dancing<br /></em><br />At midnight LatinMotion had a balloon drop with gift vouchers for dance shoes, salsa classes and more. There was also a Limbo competition at some point during the night into which a few of our brave London salsa friends entered - didn't know Simon was such an agile Limbo master! The winner got 1 year's worth of free Latin Motion nights & classes. It was a quite fun night with lots of good music spinning, and the party lasted till 3am.<br /><br />Salsa dancers always get starved by a full night’s workout, so when a big group of us had finally made our way down the street to the Paragon Hotel, we had the good fortune of finding an Indian food delivery guy in the hotel lobby. The poor man was service-minded enough to come back with a huge delivery of rice and curry dishes, and probably didn’t even get tipped enough. The New Year’s bash in Birmingham came to an end with a huge yawn and ours of after-sweating in an over-heated hotel room.</div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-20578839435368215032008-03-27T15:48:00.000-07:002008-03-31T14:06:03.264-07:00Dash to BrusselsSince I moved to London I am behind on my blogging. Below you'll find a post I meant to publish in <strong>December 2007</strong>.<br /><div></div><br /><div>After having lived in London for 2.5 months and getting sick of the <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wljHA6JxI/AAAAAAAABRY/2oUF_l45G_w/s1600-h/DSC00013.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182558556305106706" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wljHA6JxI/AAAAAAAABRY/2oUF_l45G_w/s200/DSC00013.JPG" border="0" /></a>dreadful raining, in December I discovered one of the definite perks of living in one of Europe's largest hubs. The new St. Pancras International train station at King's Cross, only 15-20 min on the Piccadilly Line from where I live at Earls Court, hosts Eurostar with fast direct trains under the English Canal to Brussels and Paris.<br /><br />I made a spontaneous last-minute decision to dash to Brussels to see my good friend Alex. I got a return ticket for £139, left my apartment one hour before the train departed, and the train ride to Brussels took less than two hours. Great!<br /><br />We went for dinner with a bunch of Alex's friends and a drink after dinner at gay Olivier's fabulous 3-storey apartment. On Sunday Alex and I went to see a piece of land on which he and his girlfriend are going to build a house. </div><div></div><div></div><br /><div>We also went to see <strong>the </strong><a href="http://www.atomium.be/"><strong>Atomium</strong></a>, Brussel's response to Paris's Eiffel Tower, or so they say. Built for the 1958 Expo and Brussels World’s Fair, the Atomium was a quite cool construction. As you can see from the pictures, the Atomium was built like a huge molecule. There were escalators and an elevator inside the "molecular bindings" and different exhibition displays inside each of the atoms.</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wlIHA6JvI/AAAAAAAABRI/on9ec0tCRwc/s1600-h/AlexThomas_Atomium.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182558092448638706" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wlIHA6JvI/AAAAAAAABRI/on9ec0tCRwc/s200/AlexThomas_Atomium.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wlI3A6JwI/AAAAAAAABRQ/y-_7_fQmEIE/s1600-h/Mimmis_Atomium.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182558105333540610" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wlI3A6JwI/AAAAAAAABRQ/y-_7_fQmEIE/s200/Mimmis_Atomium.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div></div><div>The sunny weather suddently turned into pouring rain so we had to run back to the car, and it put an effective stop to our sightseeing.</div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-6054130417753951252007-11-14T11:53:00.000-08:002008-04-07T15:00:58.259-07:00Istanbul - a Turkish delight<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qT33A6K7I/AAAAAAAABag/IUSLey7kBHE/s1600-h/DSC00062.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186620508740398002" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qT33A6K7I/AAAAAAAABag/IUSLey7kBHE/s320/DSC00062.JPG" border="0" /></a>Every fall my girlfriends from university and I take a trip together to a new city in the world. This was the 11th year in a row since we started so it’s really become a tradition that neither of us want to miss. Several of the girls are now married and have families but still take the time for the fall long-weekend with the girls. I have missed a few trips over the years but was glad I could make this one. In fact, this was the first time all eight of us could join.<br /><br />Istanbul turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. I had somehow imagined it to be a lot more “Turkish”, i.e. more Middle Eastern, old-fashioned, with a hustle and bustle of street mongers and such. But the capital of Turkey was very modern and European – well, perhaps that was after all not so strange since Istanbul stretches over both Europe and Asia, and we spent our 3.5 days only on the European side. People were really friendly and relaxed, were fashion-conscious and dressed well.<br /><br />Istanbul is the former capital and center of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. The city boasts 2700 years of history and as such is blessed with lots of beautiful, historical architecture and Oriental cultural treasures. The river <em>Bosphorus</em> unites the two continents and two seas, the <em>Marmara Sea</em> and the <em>Black Sea</em>. <div><div><br />We stayed at the <em>Hotel Armada Istanbul</em> on Ahirkapi Sokak No. 24 in the old city on the <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qTjXA6K6I/AAAAAAAABaY/EU96Tw8Nf8g/s1600-h/Armada.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186620156553079714" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qTjXA6K6I/AAAAAAAABaY/EU96Tw8Nf8g/s320/Armada.bmp" border="0" /></a>historical peninsula of Istanbul, at convenient walking distance from everything we wanted to see, and only 100 meters or so from the Marmara Sea. Situated alongside Byzantine city walls, the hotel is decorated in Ottoman style, has a large lobby with examples of Ottoman art and a little water fountain with turtles. Every morning we enjoyed a fabulous breakfast buffet on the top floor. The hotel has a roof terrace with a magnificent view of the old city and the Marmara Sea. See pictures below. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qSqHA6K1I/AAAAAAAABZw/pKZbXrWxQR0/s1600-h/DSC00019.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186619173005568850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qSqHA6K1I/AAAAAAAABZw/pKZbXrWxQR0/s320/DSC00019.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Turtles in the Armada lobby<br /></em><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qSqXA6K2I/AAAAAAAABZ4/Yf48HKXUk4w/s1600-h/DSC00020.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186619177300536162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qSqXA6K2I/AAAAAAAABZ4/Yf48HKXUk4w/s320/DSC00020.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qSq3A6K3I/AAAAAAAABaA/3EXHjnA4cVM/s1600-h/DSC00043.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186619185890470770" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qSq3A6K3I/AAAAAAAABaA/3EXHjnA4cVM/s320/DSC00043.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Armada hotel roof terrace<br /></em><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qSrXA6K4I/AAAAAAAABaI/WXHKAfwXqQY/s1600-h/DSC00048.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186619194480405378" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qSrXA6K4I/AAAAAAAABaI/WXHKAfwXqQY/s320/DSC00048.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qSrnA6K5I/AAAAAAAABaQ/xLCpJsqEWNU/s1600-h/Mimmis_Bosporen.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186619198775372690" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qSrnA6K5I/AAAAAAAABaQ/xLCpJsqEWNU/s320/Mimmis_Bosporen.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Mimmis at the Marmara Sea<br /></em><br />On Thursday night when we arrived we went for dinner at <em>Mozaik Restaurant</em>, located right in the center of the historical peninsula, on a small street called İncili Çavuş off of the bigger Divanyolu Caddesi and close to both the Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia. We got a table in a room on the second floor. The building is an old Ottoman house which was renovated in 1996, and the restaurant serves Ottoman and Turkish cuisine. It was a quaint place and the food and wine decent but not memorable. It felt a little too touristy. We were all tired from the trip and got to bed before midnight.<br /><br /><strong>Sultanahmet (Blue) Mosque</strong><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qR-XA6K0I/AAAAAAAABZo/MIL7jEBBta4/s1600-h/DSC00052.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186618421386292034" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qR-XA6K0I/AAAAAAAABZo/MIL7jEBBta4/s320/DSC00052.JPG" border="0" /></a>Friday started with a walk to the close-by <em>Blue Mosque</em>. This mosque is a beautiful and impressive building with six minarets, built 1610-1617 under the reign of Sultan Ahmet I by Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, a student of Sinan (the architect of the Turkish bath further down in this blog post). You had to take off your shoes before entering. The whole floor of the huge mosque was covered by the biggest Oriental rug I’ve ever seen, all in a red and light blue pattern.<br /><br /></div><div><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qRp3A6KyI/AAAAAAAABZY/7hZjFHiBboo/s1600-h/DSC00066.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186618069198973730" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qRp3A6KyI/AAAAAAAABZY/7hZjFHiBboo/s200/DSC00066.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qRqXA6KzI/AAAAAAAABZg/hTmcRgVQC5Y/s1600-h/DSC00071.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186618077788908338" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qRqXA6KzI/AAAAAAAABZg/hTmcRgVQC5Y/s200/DSC00071.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><br /><div>With the light playing through 260 different windows on the 20,000 Iznik tiles decorated in plant and flower motifs, predominantly in blue and turquoise colors, which covered the walls, ceiling and supportive pillars of the mosque, I understood why the mosque had received its name.<br /></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qQx3A6KvI/AAAAAAAABZA/ngR5Hp1qEEs/s1600-h/DSC00075.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186617107126299378" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qQx3A6KvI/AAAAAAAABZA/ngR5Hp1qEEs/s320/DSC00075.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Blue Mosque ceiling<br /></em><br />There were also some surrounding and near-by buildings for public use, such as the Arasta Bazaar, a theological school, a clock tower and the largest double Turkish bath in Istanbul, Haseki Hürrem Sultan Hamman, situated beside the park between Sultanahmet and Hagia Sophia, the latter which was next on our itinerary. </div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qQX3A6KsI/AAAAAAAABYo/h3g-jpmuLqY/s1600-h/DSC00081.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186616660449700546" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qQX3A6KsI/AAAAAAAABYo/h3g-jpmuLqY/s320/DSC00081.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qQYXA6KtI/AAAAAAAABYw/XHsEriiDMes/s1600-h/DSC00085.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186616669039635154" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qQYXA6KtI/AAAAAAAABYw/XHsEriiDMes/s320/DSC00085.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Blue Mosque and the park</em><br /><br />The Blue Mosque is also beautifully lit at night. </div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qQYnA6KuI/AAAAAAAABY4/BdLkbOFJzlE/s1600-h/DSC00035.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186616673334602466" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qQYnA6KuI/AAAAAAAABY4/BdLkbOFJzlE/s320/DSC00035.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><strong>Ayasofya – Hagia Sophia – St. Sophia Cathedral<br /></strong>The huge dome <em>Hagia Sophia</em> is today a museum and not used for worship. It has a very old history. First built on a circular plan by Emperor Constantine in 60 A.D., Hagia Sophia was burned in an uprising in 404 and later destroyed in riots in 532. Emperor Justinian I rebuilt it as a rectangular basilica in 532-537 with a dome supported by 107 pillars as a symbol of “renewed unity” between the divided Roman Empire.<br /><br />In 1453, Mehmet the Conqueror converted the church into a mosque. It has had repairs done over the centuries, among others in 1573 by the already mentioned legendary architect Sinan.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qPhXA6KoI/AAAAAAAABYI/2QAJfQlCEnw/s1600-h/DSC00089.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186615724146829954" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qPhXA6KoI/AAAAAAAABYI/2QAJfQlCEnw/s320/DSC00089.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Park between Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia</em></div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qPhnA6KpI/AAAAAAAABYQ/eAzUBwJmX9s/s1600-h/DSC00090.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186615728441797266" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qPhnA6KpI/AAAAAAAABYQ/eAzUBwJmX9s/s320/DSC00090.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Hagia Sophia</em><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qPiHA6KqI/AAAAAAAABYY/3bK16FzH6KI/s1600-h/DSC00114.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186615737031731874" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qPiHA6KqI/AAAAAAAABYY/3bK16FzH6KI/s320/DSC00114.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qPiXA6KrI/AAAAAAAABYg/ZkoAfHmRv5s/s1600-h/DSC00135.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186615741326699186" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qPiXA6KrI/AAAAAAAABYg/ZkoAfHmRv5s/s320/DSC00135.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div>We had coffee at an outdoor cafe before heading to Istanbul’s old underground water system.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qO8HA6KnI/AAAAAAAABYA/DZqiF6AcQ_4/s1600-h/DSC00145.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186615084196702834" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qO8HA6KnI/AAAAAAAABYA/DZqiF6AcQ_4/s320/DSC00145.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><strong></strong></div><br /><div><strong>The Basilica Cistern<br /></strong>Located just southwest of Hagia Sophia, the 8,970 m² underground Byzantine water cistern named the <em>Basilica Cistern</em>, was built by Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century – the age of glory for Eastern Rome – to supply the city with water. The 4.80-meter thick firebrick walls and the brick floor of the cistern were plastered with a thick layer of Horasan mortar and made water-resistant. This cistern has the capacity to store 100,000 tons of water.<br /><br />It is called “the Sinking Palace” by the public due to 336 marble columns, each 9 meters high, rising out of the water. Arranged in 12 rows of 28 pillars each, these are holding up the ceiling vaults of the 140 meters long and 70 meters wide water cistern, providing a spectacular effect in the dimly lit, huge rectangular underground area. As you walk around in the cistern on walking platforms you can hear the slight dripping of water and voices from other tourists echo among the columns and even see fish swim in the water.<br /><br />My camera phone did not manage the darkness in the underground water cistern very well, so the pictures below are from a brochure and a postcard.</div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qOlHA6KlI/AAAAAAAABXw/6rjwHQnpzKo/s1600-h/Underground_Cistern_brochure.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186614689059711570" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qOlHA6KlI/AAAAAAAABXw/6rjwHQnpzKo/s320/Underground_Cistern_brochure.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qOlXA6KmI/AAAAAAAABX4/mL_bXL_DksE/s1600-h/Cistern.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186614693354678882" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qOlXA6KmI/AAAAAAAABX4/mL_bXL_DksE/s320/Cistern.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The cistern's water was provided from the Belgrade woods, which lie 19km north of the city, via aqueducts built by Emperor Justinian. The Basilica Cistern was used to supply water to the Byzantine palaces and later for watering the sultan’s palace gardens for a short time after the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottomans in 1453. However, the Ottomans who preferred flowing water to stagnant one, constructed their own water system in the city and the water from the Basilica Cistern was no longer used. Rediscovered by a Dutch traveller in the 16th century, P. Gyllius, who came to Istanbul for research work on Byzantine remains, the cistern got explored, measured and introduced to the west as an impressive work of art.<br /><br />The vast majority of the columns in the Basilica Cistern are cylinder-shaped, but there are two columns found in the northwest corner of the cistern which have two Medusa’s heads as their base, one tilted on the side and one upside down. The Medusa’s heads have snakes instead of hair. These are Roman Age art sculptures surrounded by mythological stories. The mythological history of Medusa has a few different angles:</div><div><ol><li>According to one story, Medusa was one of three sisters of the underground giant Gorgona. Out of these three sisters only Medusa, who had the head of a snake, was mortal and she had the power of transforming people who looked at her into stone.</li><br /><li>According to another story, Medusa was a pretty girl who was very proud of her black eyes, long hair and beautiful body. She was in love with Perseus, the son of the Greek god Zeus. Goddess Athene, who was also in love with him, became jealous and turned Medusa’s hair into horrible snakes, and whoever looked at her from then on turned into stone. When Perseus discovered that Medusa was bewitched, he cut her head off and won many wars by showing his beloved’s head to enemies, thereby turning them into stone. It is said that this is the reason why Byzantine swords’ handles from then onwards were stylized with Medusa’s head.</li><br /><li>A third story says that Medusa looked into the mirror and turned herself into stone.</li></ol><p>These stories are said to be the reason why the Medusa’s heads are placed on the side or upside down – in order that people looking at them will not become stones. In the old times statues and pictures of Medusa were placed in very important buildings and private homes to protect against bad omens.<br /><br />After the visit to the impressive Basilica Cistern, it was time for lunch. I had Turkish meatballs with a form of garlic yoghurt sauce similar to Greek tzatziki.</p><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qOCHA6KkI/AAAAAAAABXo/rJV6PCPckXM/s1600-h/DSC00169.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186614087764290114" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qOCHA6KkI/AAAAAAAABXo/rJV6PCPckXM/s200/DSC00169.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong>Topkapi Palace</strong><br />After bargaining over the price for a 2-3 hour guided tour of the palace grounds with a local guide, we set off to learn and see as much as possible in the remaining opening hours that day.</div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qNh3A6KjI/AAAAAAAABXg/-lBWYSaz-SA/s1600-h/DSC00211.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186613533713508914" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qNh3A6KjI/AAAAAAAABXg/-lBWYSaz-SA/s320/DSC00211.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>The guide was well-versed in history and politics through times. I wish I could remember a fraction of all the things he told us about the Byzantine and Ottoman history and culture, but I will have to cheat by reading a couple of tourist leaflets. One of the interesting points he brought up during our tour, though, was that Turkey has applied for membership in the European Union. If accepted, it would be the first Muslim country in the EU. Turkey has set out to modernize and make its economy more progressive, but it has many barriers to overcome before an EU membership can be accepted, including Turkish recognition of Cyprus. All else aside, having a Muslim membership state in the EU might help bring some cultural awareness and increased understanding between the Western and Muslim worlds which would be very positive.<br /><br />The <em>Topkapi Palace</em> was the Ottomans’ second palace in Istanbul. Built in the 15th century on the ruins of the former Byzantine Acropolis by Mehmet the Conqueror, and later added to by various sultans as needed, its construction includes several courtyards, many buildings and surrounding walls. The Topkapi Palace, covering an area of 70 hectares, was once a city palace with a population of approx 4,000 people. It has housed all the Ottoman sultans from Sultan Mehmet II to Sultan Abdulmecit – nearly four centuries and 25 sultans. It was turned into a museum in 1924.</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qNKnA6KiI/AAAAAAAABXY/3pE17cfEXBU/s1600-h/DSC00177.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186613134281550370" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qNKnA6KiI/AAAAAAAABXY/3pE17cfEXBU/s320/DSC00177.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Topkapi Palace</em><br /><br />The palace has four courtyards. The first one was open to the public and used to be the service area of the palace consisting of a hospital, a bakery, an arsenal, the mint (where coins were made) etc. In its time, this courtyard was like the city square where the court and people met. You can also see the Byzantine church of <em>Hagia Eirene</em> (St. Irene) in the first courtyard, built before Hagia Sophia and renovated by Constantine in the 4th century.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qMwnA6KhI/AAAAAAAABXQ/p1_3-FKXAhc/s1600-h/Hagia_Eirene.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186612687604951570" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qMwnA6KhI/AAAAAAAABXQ/p1_3-FKXAhc/s320/Hagia_Eirene.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Hagia Eirene</em><br /><br />In addition to being the imperial residence of the sultan, his court and harem, the Topkapi Palace was also the center of the state administration. The second courtyard was the seat of the <em>Divan</em>, the Imperial Council, and was open to anyone who had business with the Divan.<br /></div><div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qMdHA6KgI/AAAAAAAABXI/Vvofi7J82tA/s1600-h/DSC00231.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186612352597502466" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qMdHA6KgI/AAAAAAAABXI/Vvofi7J82tA/s320/DSC00231.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Imperial Council Hall</em><br /><br /><div>In addition to the Divan, the second courtyard also housed the kitchens and stables. The kitchen buildings today has great samples of huge cooking utensils, a collection of fine porcelain from Turkey, Japan and China (the Chinese porcelain collection is apparently the third most valuable in the world), buildings with an impressive collection of Ottoman silverware, armoury and much more.</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qLjnA6KcI/AAAAAAAABWo/lzK2eM3R9ik/s1600-h/DSC00203.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186611364755024322" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qLjnA6KcI/AAAAAAAABWo/lzK2eM3R9ik/s320/DSC00203.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Cooking utensils in the kitchens</em><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qLj3A6KdI/AAAAAAAABWw/9wKDtoJ_UGs/s1600-h/DSC00191.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186611369049991634" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qLj3A6KdI/AAAAAAAABWw/9wKDtoJ_UGs/s320/DSC00191.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Ewer from the Ming Dynasty (16th century)</em><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qLkHA6KeI/AAAAAAAABW4/OQ2iYaNDXU0/s1600-h/DSC00198.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186611373344958946" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qLkHA6KeI/AAAAAAAABW4/OQ2iYaNDXU0/s320/DSC00198.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Ottoman silverware<br /></em><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qLknA6KfI/AAAAAAAABXA/TBIkwdH0BBI/s1600-h/DSC00222.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186611381934893554" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qLknA6KfI/AAAAAAAABXA/TBIkwdH0BBI/s320/DSC00222.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Armory</em><br /><br />In the second courtyard you could also find the entrance to the <em>Harem</em>. The harem in general was a part of a Muslim house that was dedicated to the family and closed to the outside world. It was also the special quarters of the Ottoman palace in which the dynasty lived. Non-Muslim concubines were accepted to the harem in the palace and they sometimes had the chance to become part of the dynasty as Sultans’ wives and became the Queen Mother, but most of them married Ottoman bureaucrats.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKunA6KbI/AAAAAAAABWg/IOgP_WBS_Kc/s1600-h/DSC00241.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186610454221957554" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKunA6KbI/AAAAAAAABWg/IOgP_WBS_Kc/s320/DSC00241.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Harem’s buildings</em><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKRXA6KWI/AAAAAAAABV4/Qd0CiRn_Qx8/s1600-h/DSC00242.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186609951710783842" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKRXA6KWI/AAAAAAAABV4/Qd0CiRn_Qx8/s320/DSC00242.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Eunuchs working in the harems<br /></em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKR3A6KXI/AAAAAAAABWA/lnnTjPTEh8c/s1600-h/DSC00244.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186609960300718450" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKR3A6KXI/AAAAAAAABWA/lnnTjPTEh8c/s320/DSC00244.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKSXA6KYI/AAAAAAAABWI/NuBLBoBdIOs/s1600-h/DSC00246.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186609968890653058" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKSXA6KYI/AAAAAAAABWI/NuBLBoBdIOs/s320/DSC00246.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Typical blue tile pattern<br /></em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKS3A6KZI/AAAAAAAABWQ/6GsAuuO7ybw/s1600-h/DSC00250.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186609977480587666" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKS3A6KZI/AAAAAAAABWQ/6GsAuuO7ybw/s320/DSC00250.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKTnA6KaI/AAAAAAAABWY/uISu1-e3EXI/s1600-h/DSC00258.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186609990365489570" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qKTnA6KaI/AAAAAAAABWY/uISu1-e3EXI/s320/DSC00258.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>The Sultan’s reception hall where he was entertained. Whenever the Sultan wanted to talk, the water fountains / taps along the wall were started so as to drown what was being said.</em><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qJQnA6KTI/AAAAAAAABVg/twh0NzwroCE/s1600-h/DSC00271.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186608839314254130" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qJQnA6KTI/AAAAAAAABVg/twh0NzwroCE/s320/DSC00271.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>View over Istanbul from the palace</em><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qJQ3A6KUI/AAAAAAAABVo/DyOnObU3i2I/s1600-h/DSC00279.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186608843609221442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qJQ3A6KUI/AAAAAAAABVo/DyOnObU3i2I/s320/DSC00279.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qJRXA6KVI/AAAAAAAABVw/AnFiXISSTYE/s1600-h/DSC00284.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186608852199156050" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qJRXA6KVI/AAAAAAAABVw/AnFiXISSTYE/s320/DSC00284.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><em>Harem’s buildings<br /></em><br />The third courtyard housed the <em>Audience Hall</em> where foreign ambassadors and the results of Divan meetings were presented to the sultan. It also had a library, an exhibition of Sultans’ costumes and some holy relics of Islam as well as the <em>Treasury</em> where a number of precious objects and jewellery, including the famous 86-carat, drop-shaped Kaşikçi Elmasi (the “Spoonmaker’s Diamond”) and the Topkapi Emerald Dagger, were on display.<br /><br />By the time we reached the fourth courtyard, the palace grounds were closing and we did not have time to look at any of the summer pavilions located there, only have a quick view over the <em>Golden Horn</em> (horn-shaped river mouth and natural harbor, dividing the European Istanbul in a southern and northern part) and the <em>Bosphorus</em>.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qIi3A6KSI/AAAAAAAABVY/NJxt-E-OV_8/s1600-h/Fountain+of+Ahmet+III.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186608053335238946" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qIi3A6KSI/AAAAAAAABVY/NJxt-E-OV_8/s320/Fountain+of+Ahmet+III.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Fountain of Ahmet III, at the entrance of Topkapi Palace</em><br /><br /><strong>360</strong><br />On Friday night we went to a nightclub & restaurant in the modern city center of Istanbul with Umut, a Turkish colleague of Jessica’s, and his friend Cuneyt. </div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qIPHA6KRI/AAAAAAAABVQ/GxCSRBNvgYc/s1600-h/Jessica_Umut.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186607714032822546" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qIPHA6KRI/AAAAAAAABVQ/GxCSRBNvgYc/s320/Jessica_Umut.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Jessica & Umut</em><br /><br />The place was called <em>360</em> based on its 360-degree view over Istanbul on the top floor of a skyscraper in the Beyoğlu area. It had a roof-top terrace for those who wanted to go out and smoke but it was extremely windy and chilly that night so after a quick look at the view we returned to the crowd and warmth inside.<br /><br />After a great meal with good wine, we had drinks at the bar waiting for the “clubbing” to start at midnight. Most of the girls, Umut and Cuneyt were tired and therefore left around midnight. Jessica and I were the last remaining at the club. She and I had a great time drinking gin & tonic, dancing to a female DJ duo – DJ Leigh & DJ lLgln – and watching some odd dance performance by a whip-lashing, modestly latex-clad woman, crawling around and doing high-kicks on a catwalk. A photographer from Partipix.com took our pictures (see below), and if you’re interested in seeing the pictures from that night, check out <strong><a href="http://www.partipix.com/360-Dj+Leigh+&+Dj+lLgln-photos/722/index.htm#pix">the Partipix website>></a></strong><br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qHuHA6KPI/AAAAAAAABVA/O-y1kTV7BrY/s1600-h/Mimmis_Jessica_PartiPix.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186607147097139442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qHuHA6KPI/AAAAAAAABVA/O-y1kTV7BrY/s320/Mimmis_Jessica_PartiPix.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qHuXA6KQI/AAAAAAAABVI/B7FztOKgpQQ/s1600-h/Mimmis_PartiPix.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186607151392106754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qHuXA6KQI/AAAAAAAABVI/B7FztOKgpQQ/s320/Mimmis_PartiPix.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Kapali Çarşi – the Grand Bazaar</strong><br />Saturday was a day of heavy rain. We started with an excursion to the <em>Grand Bazaar</em>. This bazaar was huge with hundreds of shops under one roof with a myriad of aisles and side-streets with everything you can think of from decorated plates, glassware and ornate lamps to Turkish coffee, teas, water pipes, shoes, leather bags and clothes. In a moment of weakness (I’d like to call it spontaneity), I bought a sort of belly dancing costume with golden embroidery and dangling spangles, something I thought that I might use at some salsa congress when I feel daring enough.<br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qHOXA6KNI/AAAAAAAABUw/l7kgByRhl9w/s1600-h/DSC00297.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186606601636292818" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qHOXA6KNI/AAAAAAAABUw/l7kgByRhl9w/s200/DSC00297.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qHPXA6KOI/AAAAAAAABU4/FW432712OX4/s1600-h/DSC00303.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186606618816162018" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qHPXA6KOI/AAAAAAAABU4/FW432712OX4/s200/DSC00303.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Gabriella, Eva & Jessica at Grand Bazaar</em> </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qG1HA6KKI/AAAAAAAABUY/8s_BleOsJHE/s1600-h/DSC00305.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186606167844595874" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qG1HA6KKI/AAAAAAAABUY/8s_BleOsJHE/s320/DSC00305.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qG2HA6KLI/AAAAAAAABUg/n0rOyJFa2Yg/s1600-h/DSC00309.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186606185024465074" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qG2HA6KLI/AAAAAAAABUg/n0rOyJFa2Yg/s320/DSC00309.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qG3XA6KMI/AAAAAAAABUo/gcA2LPV6QjQ/s1600-h/DSC00316.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186606206499301570" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qG3XA6KMI/AAAAAAAABUo/gcA2LPV6QjQ/s320/DSC00316.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong>Spice Bazaar<br /></strong>Close to the over 370-year-old (considered “new” in this historical city) <em>Yeni Mosque</em> on the northern side of the historical peninsula, there is a big <em>Spice Bazaar</em>. This is open Monday to Saturday 8:30-19:00 and has not only colourful spices, but herbs, dried nuts and fruit, Turkish delight and citrus plants.</div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qF3XA6KII/AAAAAAAABUI/lFW62u199_w/s1600-h/DSC00324.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186605106987673730" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qF3XA6KII/AAAAAAAABUI/lFW62u199_w/s320/DSC00324.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qF4HA6KJI/AAAAAAAABUQ/ek4TN-jjMU0/s1600-h/DSC00327.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186605119872575634" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qF4HA6KJI/AAAAAAAABUQ/ek4TN-jjMU0/s320/DSC00327.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><div>The girls spent a good 40 minutes in one of the spice shops, smelling and selecting among a great number of spices. The salesman was good at his job. By being charming, funny and patient, he managed to convince the girls to smell this and that spice, sample some Turkish delight and various nuts, and they eventually ended up buying a lot more than they probably had originally planned.</div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qFb3A6KGI/AAAAAAAABT4/yGeODJBm5gc/s1600-h/DSC00335.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186604634541271138" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qFb3A6KGI/AAAAAAAABT4/yGeODJBm5gc/s320/DSC00335.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qFfnA6KHI/AAAAAAAABUA/Dc-otV9sgaU/s1600-h/DSC00338.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186604698965780594" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qFfnA6KHI/AAAAAAAABUA/Dc-otV9sgaU/s320/DSC00338.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong>Turkish bath house</strong><br />On Saturday afternoon, we decided to try a Turkish tradition, a historical Turkish bath. Built by the Turkish architect Mimar Sinan in 1584, the <em>Çemberlitaş Hamam</em> (“hamam” means bath”) situated on Vezirhan Caddesi No.8 in the old city, is a still-functioning and well-attended public bath house. Commissioned by Nurbânu Sultan, the wife of Sultan Selim II and the mother of Sultan Murat III, this bath house is one of the most important works of 16th century Ottoman architecture.<br /><br />Open from 6am to midnight every day of the year, the Turkish bath offers a very interesting experience… We paid an entrance fee, extra for full-body massage, and walked in, not quite knowing what to expect. There are two separate bath sections for men and women. You undress and store your belongings in a dressing room / locker area. Equipped only with the “peştemal”, a traditional thin cotton bath towel, slippers and a small washing-cloth, we entered the female bath chamber.<br /><br />This consisted of a large heated central marble platform where you lined up for your individual bathing service by lying down on your towel, starting from the middle and skidding closer to the edges as the “washing matrons” expedited the service. Lying on the marble platform looking up at the circular ceiling of the bath chamber and slowly starting to perspire in the humid room, helped you relax before your bathing session. Lined up like beached whales on the platform, there were women in all sizes and shapes, buck-naked and revealing their flabby tummies, cellulite thighs and enormous or skinny but mostly hanging breasts. Quite scary picture, if you ask me. ;-)<br /><br />When it was my turn, a big, fat Turkish woman with dangling breasts, naked apart from a tiny thong, gestured for me to lie down in front of her at the edge of the marble platform. In a very impersonal manner she then started washing me using my clean washing-cloth, scrubbing every part of my body, massaging my scalp and giving my shoulders a light rub massage. Slightly uncomfortable at first, you soon realized she had done this a thousand times before and couldn’t care less about your particular breasts and buttocks. There were also several individual skin-rubbing and washing areas situated along the walls around the platform, which is where my washing matron led me to wash my hair and poor cleansing water over me as a finishing touch.</div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qE63A6KDI/AAAAAAAABTo/2JzSzsBhG4M/s1600-h/Turkish_bath.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186604067605588018" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qE63A6KDI/AAAAAAAABTo/2JzSzsBhG4M/s200/Turkish_bath.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>You were free to stay as long as you wanted in the bathing chamber, rest on the heated marble platform or use any of the individual wash basins along the circular wall. I sat down in an adjoined room between the locker area and the bath chamber, waiting for my full-body massage. For 10 YTL you could get a quick wax while you waited. Lying down on a bench in plain view of anyone walking by or sitting in the same room, spreading your legs, and 5 minutes and a number of “ouch!” later you were done. No false modesty there!<br /><br /><strong>Ortaköy pleasures<br /></strong>On Saturday evening half of the girls decided to go all the way to the Asian side of Istanbul while half of us had lingered too long at the Turkish bath, decided to chill and instead visit the closer situated Ortaköy area. Umut had recommended a fish and seafood restaurant called <em>Park Fora</em> on the western bank of the Bosphorus. </div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qEn3A6KCI/AAAAAAAABTg/MwSSVZXaCWo/s1600-h/DSC00339.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186603741188073506" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qEn3A6KCI/AAAAAAAABTg/MwSSVZXaCWo/s320/DSC00339.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><BR><div></div><div>As you walked in, all the fresh fish and seafood for the evening were on display by the entrance. It was a quite busy night and there were many large tables with big families or groups of friends who enjoyed course after course. The food was great, but unfortunately the service was quite slow and the waiter misunderstood one of our orders so we were a little irritated. They made it up to us by complimentary baklava (a kind of sweet pastry) with the coffee. Normally, I’m not particularly fond of baklava but this was the best baklava I’ve ever had and I thoroughly enjoyed it.</div><div><br />After dinner we decided to try a nightclub a few hundred meters from the restaurant. <em><a href="http://www.blackk.net/">Blackk</a></em> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qA0XA6KBI/AAAAAAAABTY/sFuGvdCmMbs/s1600-h/Mimmis_Blakk.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186599557889927186" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R_qA0XA6KBI/AAAAAAAABTY/sFuGvdCmMbs/s200/Mimmis_Blakk.jpg" border="0" /></a>was a trendy place (and rather dark, so I suppose the name of the club was rather fitting) with lots of young, fashion-conscious and beautiful people. The music was really good, a mix of old-school and new pop, rock, hip hop, R&B and disco. Eva, Gabriella, Jessica and I found a spot at the back of the club, next to one of the bars and the restrooms, were there was a little space for us to set down our drinks and dance. We had a good time and stayed for 1.5-2 hours.<br /><br />On Sunday morning, the girls headed out early to go back to Sweden, while I took the opportunity to sleep in and check out at noon before heading for the airport to go back to London. It felt a little odd not going back to my home country with my girlfriends.<br /><br />This has been a fabulous trip and Istanbul is perfect for a long-weekend get-away. If you haven’t been there, I can truly recommend it.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimmis/sets/72157603741610015/"><strong>My Flickr album from Istanbul>></strong></a><br />Some photos are restricted to friends and family only. Those of you who are counted among these, can view all 239 photos.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-14047719520493450892007-11-14T11:51:00.000-08:002008-03-31T13:52:57.813-07:00My first 1.5 month as resident in the UK<strong><em>Now a Londoner<br /></em></strong><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wd_XA6JuI/AAAAAAAABRA/e97nF_clRio/s1600-h/phone_booth.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182550245543388898" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wd_XA6JuI/AAAAAAAABRA/e97nF_clRio/s200/phone_booth.jpg" border="0" /></a>Time flies; I have now officially been living in the United Kingdom for almost 1.5 month and don’t think that the penny has dropped yet. What I mean by that is that London feels kind of like Stockholm and any other big city in the world, albeit bigger than the capital of Sweden of course. I’m used to travelling a lot and using English as the communications language in my work every day, so it almost feels like I’m on an extended business trip. I have not yet realized the full implications of not living in my own home country anymore.<br /><br />I finally found a place to live and “moved in” to a 2-bedroom apartment in Earls Court on October 1st. Well, actually my furniture didn’t arrive from Sweden until Wednesday the 3rd, and the apartment was not really ready to move into, but you can read more about that under “Cons” below. Here’s a list of random impressions of pros and cons of living in London:<br /><br /><strong>PROS </strong><br /><p>1.<strong> Alessia</strong>, the Italian girl I met at the New York Salsa Congress earlier this fall, let me stay at her place near London Bridge for almost 1.5 week when I first arrived in London, while I was looking for flats. Both she and her flat mates, Turker and Joanna, were really friendly and hospitable, which gave me a nice first introduction to London.<br /></p><p>2. On my very first night in London, Alessia invited me and another Italian salsera, Martina, along for dinner with Filippo, Luis and Yon in the boys’ top-floor apartment in <strong>Tower House</strong> with a roof terrace and marvellous view over London at walking distance from Aldgate East tube station.</p><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wdE3A6JsI/AAAAAAAABQw/g5J2Jz_Nd9A/s1600-h/Luis_Yon_Filippo_2007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182549240521041602" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wdE3A6JsI/AAAAAAAABQw/g5J2Jz_Nd9A/s320/Luis_Yon_Filippo_2007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><p>3. Friendly <strong>salsa scene</strong> with lots of good dancers, some of them very handsome and charming too! :-) I now know where to go on what week-night.</p>4. <strong>Borough Market</strong> next to Southwark Cathedral on Saturdays – this is a well-stocked <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wdpHA6JtI/AAAAAAAABQ4/syPGY4ozAyE/s1600-h/SouthwarkCathedral.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182549863291299538" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wdpHA6JtI/AAAAAAAABQ4/syPGY4ozAyE/s200/SouthwarkCathedral.jpg" border="0" /></a>market-place with everything imaginable in one place; from fish, vegetables, huge pumpkins, and flowers, to wine from all over the world, all sorts of French and Stilton cheese, British jam and marmalades, all sorts of tea, sausages and salami... Next to Southwark Cathedral you can also get freshly made crêpes.<br /><br />5. I like my <strong>new job</strong>. Symbian develops and licenses Symbian OS, the market-leading open operating system for smartphones. My colleagues are really friendly and welcoming and there are enough challenges to keep me motivated for a good while, I think.<br /><br />6.<strong> Successful Symbian Smartphone Show</strong> at the ExCeL Centre and a great party.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wcmXA6JqI/AAAAAAAABQg/7_LLMNIAPuQ/s1600-h/Booth_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182548716535031458" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wcmXA6JqI/AAAAAAAABQg/7_LLMNIAPuQ/s320/Booth_2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wcnHA6JrI/AAAAAAAABQo/ZJeztZOw-U4/s1600-h/SPS2007_Symbian_party_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182548729419933362" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wcnHA6JrI/AAAAAAAABQo/ZJeztZOw-U4/s320/SPS2007_Symbian_party_2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />7. London has many <strong>cool and trendy restaurants</strong> with really good food and I have already found a few that I imagine that I will return to many times:<br /><ul><li><em>Ping Pong</em> on Eastcastle Street in SoHo near Oxford Circus – really good Asian fusion cuisine and fantastic cocktails.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wbnXA6JpI/AAAAAAAABQY/3tkzD-jt7yA/s1600-h/PingPong.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182547634203272850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wbnXA6JpI/AAAAAAAABQY/3tkzD-jt7yA/s320/PingPong.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Luis, Filippo, Alessia, one of her former colleagues and friend at Alessia's birthday dinner at Ping Pong in October</em></li></ul><div></div><ul><li><em>Busaba Eathai</em>, a Thai restaurant near Goodge Street in SoHo – excellent food, busy environment (not really the place if you want a romantic setting for two but perfect if you go with a group of friends) with friendly and service-minded staff.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wbRXA6JoI/AAAAAAAABQQ/8mQpIqtOuy4/s1600-h/Mimmis_Luis_Martina.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182547256246150786" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wbRXA6JoI/AAAAAAAABQQ/8mQpIqtOuy4/s320/Mimmis_Luis_Martina.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Mimmis, Luis & Martina at Busaba Ethai<br /></em><br /><em></em></li><li><em>Strada</em>, a chain of Italian restaurants in England – good food at very decent prices in a nice, cosy setting.<br /></li><br /><li><em>Med Kitchen</em> on Charing Cross Road, around the corner from Bar Salsa – fabulous pasta, however too heavy prior to dancing because you cannot help but eat all! ;-) </li></ul><div><div>8. <strong>Wicked Halloween party</strong> at Tower House – lots of people, all really friendly and easy-going in truly international, cosmopolitan spirit; a mix of French, Italians, Spaniards, even a few Swedes, but I only met one Brit all night, and he was standing rather shyly in a corner of the roof terrace talking to no one before I walked up to him.</div><br /><div></div><div>9. Nice <strong>walks along the river Thames</strong> – I like all the bridges and the way that the afternoon light and sunset glows on them. </div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-waYXA6JlI/AAAAAAAABP4/ZnLsalG7u6U/s1600-h/PottersFiledsPark.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182546276993607250" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-waYXA6JlI/AAAAAAAABP4/ZnLsalG7u6U/s320/PottersFiledsPark.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Potters Fields Park</em><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-waZHA6JmI/AAAAAAAABQA/vFEbJOmXQb4/s1600-h/TowerBridge.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182546289878509154" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-waZHA6JmI/AAAAAAAABQA/vFEbJOmXQb4/s320/TowerBridge.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Tower Bridge<br /></em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-waZXA6JnI/AAAAAAAABQI/R-4G_1GnDZU/s1600-h/CheyneWalk_BatterseaBridge.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182546294173476466" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-waZXA6JnI/AAAAAAAABQI/R-4G_1GnDZU/s320/CheyneWalk_BatterseaBridge.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><em>Cheyne Walk near Battersea Bridge</em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wZhXA6JjI/AAAAAAAABPo/vvQmcxtTOsc/s1600-h/LondonEye.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182545332100802098" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wZhXA6JjI/AAAAAAAABPo/vvQmcxtTOsc/s320/LondonEye.jpg" border="0" /></a> London Eye</em></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>10. The fact that most <strong>museums</strong> in England do not cost anything to enter. I went to the Tate Modern with colleagues to see an illusionist art exhibition and had a relaxing afternoon doing something I normally don't. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wZ13A6JkI/AAAAAAAABPw/xzpL5LzmVTs/s1600-h/Spider.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182545684288120386" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/R-wZ13A6JkI/AAAAAAAABPw/xzpL5LzmVTs/s320/Spider.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><em>Spider statue outside Tate Modern - St. Paul's Cathedral in the background</em></div><div><br /></div><div>11. The <strong>custom</strong> of British men (and for that matter women too) often calling you “love”, “hon’” (as in “honey”) or “darling” instead of “miss”, “Ma’am” or “Madam” – e.g. “Sorry, darling” when they bump into you or “Go ahead, love” when they step out of your way in the street. Wonderful! :-)<br /><br /><strong>CONS</strong></div><p>1.<strong> Foxtons</strong>, Foxtons, Foxtons! I’ve had nothing but issues related to the landlord and the lettings agency Foxtons since I moved in. Did you know that there is a "We hate Foxtons" web site?! <a href="http://www.wehatefoxtons.com/">http://www.wehatefoxtons.com/</a> </p><p>2. <strong>Breach of contract</strong> - repainting not completed until Monday this week despite Addendum to my tenancy agreement clearly stating that, “The landlord will repaint all walls of the flat in the same neutral colour prior to the commencement of the tenancy” (which was October 1st).</p><p>3. Delayed and <strong>below-standard cleaning</strong> when I moved in which meant I have had to take care of the following issues myself: </p><ul><li>Removing mud and filth in the detergent compartment and filter of the washing-machine. </li><li>Removing years’ worth of dirt on all skirting boards, door frames and top of doors. </li><li>Cleaning curtains / roller blinds and air vents. </li><li>Cleaning of cupboards and removing old, torn posters and a broken laundry rack in the hallway cupboard and dirty shelf papers stuck with tape or blue tac in bedroom cupboards (what I call general "junk"). </li><li>Cleaning dirty and greasy kitchen fan (fan also in need of new filter). </li><li>Removing remnants of old food splatter in the top of the inside of the microwave. </li></ul><p>4. Due to the cleaning not having been done upon delivery of all my furniture and belongings from Sweden, my moving company was not able to complete its work and unpack. So not only did I have to perform the cleaning on my own, but also all the <strong>unpacking</strong>.<br /><br />5.<strong> Broken boiler</strong> meaning I had no hot water or heating the first 11-13 days of my tenancy.</p><div>This is the London rental market for you – a disgrace!<br /></div><p><div><br /><strong><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimmis/sets/72157601926907222/">Check out my photos from London>></a></strong></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-74622059427079372007-09-10T10:45:00.000-07:002007-09-10T11:24:11.215-07:00Flat hunting in LondonI’ve just spent the weekend in London. I am changing jobs and start working for a new company on October1st, hence moving to the UK by the end of this month. I am very excited about this move, starting a new chapter in life. It will be the first time I live abroad.<br /><br />I had some handover meetings with our PR agency at <em>Piccadilly Circus</em> on Friday and then went to my hotel near <em>Gloucester Road</em> and crashed… Still jetlagged from my New York trip, I ended up missing a salsa night in London, which I tried making up for by going to <strong>Salsa Palladium</strong> on <em>Charing Cross Road</em> near <em>Leicester Square</em> on Saturday night. It turned out to be a big disappointment and a waste of time – it was horrible, horrible, oh and did I mention horrible?! Most people who were there were absolutely shitfaced (pardon the language, but some colloquial slang seemed appropriate here) and could not dance. It was hot like a sauna in there and the floor was extremely sticky, and what’s more, they didn’t play one single salsa song during the full hour that it took me to queue for a Mojito at the bar, drink it while watching the swaying people on the dance floor and saying no to several guys who wanted to dance reggae ton or Latin disco with me… I then finally agreed to dance one merengue and one half-disco/half-salsa song before I couldn’t stand the place any longer. Remind me to never ever go to this place again! For a place called “Salsa Palladium”, I have never been farther from a salsa experience…<br /><br />The rest of the weekend I have explored a couple of different parts of London and gone flat hunting – guess I need to start changing vocabulary now to more British… normally I would say “apartment”. I’ve seen some different places in the <em>South Kensington</em> / <em>Earl’s Court</em> area as well as <em>Covent Garden</em>.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWFNA_1Q8I/AAAAAAAABJk/Al7uJI6OXFE/s1600-h/DSC09439.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108635810974221250" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWFNA_1Q8I/AAAAAAAABJk/Al7uJI6OXFE/s200/DSC09439.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Covent Garden Market</em><br /><em></em><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWFNQ_1Q9I/AAAAAAAABJs/6K7Ma44jUsE/s1600-h/DSC09421.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108635815269188562" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWFNQ_1Q9I/AAAAAAAABJs/6K7Ma44jUsE/s200/DSC09421.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWFNw_1Q-I/AAAAAAAABJ0/bAgimONUY0Y/s1600-h/DSC09425.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108635823859123170" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWFNw_1Q-I/AAAAAAAABJ0/bAgimONUY0Y/s200/DSC09425.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Martlett Court in Covent Garden</em><br /><br />Although I haven’t yet quite found the type of flat I would like, I am confident it will work out by the end of the month. I met with a rental agency near Gloucester Road called Foxtons and the broker told me that flats are advertised and gone pretty fast in London, but if you’re willing to make fast decisions after you’ve seen a place you like, have your references and down payment (standard seems to be that you pay one month’s rent in advance + 6 weeks’ deposit) ready, you can actually get the keys and move in within a few days. Quite different from Sweden, where you usually have 1-3 months’ lead time… In Stockholm there can be several years’ waiting line for popular city areas, at least if you’re doing it the legal way....<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWEOQ_1Q7I/AAAAAAAABJc/Wsys-FbX4mg/s1600-h/Onslow_Gardens.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108634732937429938" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWEOQ_1Q7I/AAAAAAAABJc/Wsys-FbX4mg/s200/Onslow_Gardens.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Victorian style property in South Kensington</em><br /><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWDuQ_1Q5I/AAAAAAAABJM/64zHM2aMohU/s1600-h/DSC09457.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108634183181616018" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWDuQ_1Q5I/AAAAAAAABJM/64zHM2aMohU/s200/DSC09457.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWDug_1Q6I/AAAAAAAABJU/jAzwlQiFhZM/s1600-h/DSC09512.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108634187476583330" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWDug_1Q6I/AAAAAAAABJU/jAzwlQiFhZM/s200/DSC09512.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Left: Typical British phone booth. Right: Natural History Museum</em><br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWDQA_1Q3I/AAAAAAAABI8/YXV5QyXIOds/s1600-h/DSC09458.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108633663490573170" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWDQA_1Q3I/AAAAAAAABI8/YXV5QyXIOds/s200/DSC09458.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWDQg_1Q4I/AAAAAAAABJE/_Ojwkf5PIUU/s1600-h/DSC09477.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108633672080507778" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RuWDQg_1Q4I/AAAAAAAABJE/_Ojwkf5PIUU/s200/DSC09477.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Left: Victoria & Albert Museum. Right: Holy Trinity Brompton</em><br /><br />I have grown very fond of the South Kensington area with its Victorian buildings and museums like the <em>Natural History Museum</em>, the <em>Victoria & Albert</em> and <em>Science Museums</em>. I hope to get a place in this area. The rents are in general three times higher than those for similar space and standard in Stockholm (well, the standard is perhaps not exactly comparable – they do things differently in the UK) but in order to do London properly I feel I don’t want the long commutes from any of the suburbs, so I guess I just have to suck it up and pay the price…<br /><br />You can see more <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimmis/sets/72157601926907222/"><strong>photos from London in my Flickr album here>></strong></a></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-56083722898931094772007-09-05T09:09:00.000-07:002007-10-22T15:21:13.047-07:00Exploring Brooklyn and enjoying New York Salsa Congress 2007<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0W1gPyYkI/AAAAAAAABNk/BQ9cixTwMbk/s1600-h/Duane_BryantPark.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124277059462521410" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0W1gPyYkI/AAAAAAAABNk/BQ9cixTwMbk/s200/Duane_BryantPark.jpg" border="0" /></a>I’ve just spent six nights dancing in New York City! :-) I took a week off from work to attend a salsa congress and visit my friend Duane in Brooklyn. Duane picked me up at the airport shuttle bus stop at Bryant Park after work and we had a drink and something to eat at the restaurant bar there which allowed us to catch up a bit.<br /><br />That same night we went to dance at the pre-congress party at <strong>Caché</strong>. I was extremely tired so I didn’t dance much but it was good to see some old friends again like Marlon and Dave. Also Angel Ortiz was there and some people I had met at the Puerto Rico Salsa Congress (Gustavo, Michael, the guy with the broken toe whose name I can’t recall…).<br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0WgwPyYiI/AAAAAAAABNU/nC7YG-hhWdk/s1600-h/Street_corner_Brooklyn.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124276702980235810" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0WgwPyYiI/AAAAAAAABNU/nC7YG-hhWdk/s200/Street_corner_Brooklyn.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0WhQPyYjI/AAAAAAAABNc/OOOVEX-GwZ4/s1600-h/Duanes_house_Brooklyn.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124276711570170418" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0WhQPyYjI/AAAAAAAABNc/OOOVEX-GwZ4/s200/Duanes_house_Brooklyn.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Street corner and Duane’s apartment building in Brooklyn<br /></em><br />The <strong><a href="http://www.nycsalsacongress.com/"><em>New York Salsa Congress</em></a></strong> was held at the Hilton on 6th Ave (between 53rd and 54th Streets). The congress started with a welcome party on Thursday night and I managed to get a cheap party pass for the weekend from one of the congress organizers whom Duane knows very well. The congress was a lot of fun. I met a lot of dancers that I’ve seen before at various congresses around the world, most recently in Puerto Rico, but also at congresses in France, UK, Switzerland and more. I had a fabulous time dancing with people like Angel Ortiz from NYC, <a href="http://www.solosabor.com/instructors/alespinoza/">Al “Liquid Silver” Espinoza</a> from L.A., dancers from London and some local dancers from New York like Luis Guerrero whom I met in Puerto Rico. Mark-Anthony Sheppard from Toronto (Canada) is actually considering moving to Stockholm to be closer to his dance partner Elena and be able to travel to more congresses in Europe with her. I also met some of Duane’s close friends. I was happy to get acquainted with Alessia, a very nice Italian girl from Puglia (south of Italy) who lives in London and can give me pointers on the salsa scene there.</div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0VsQPyYgI/AAAAAAAABNE/IxpTVi-exAo/s1600-h/Cool_cat_Duane.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124275801037103618" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0VsQPyYgI/AAAAAAAABNE/IxpTVi-exAo/s200/Cool_cat_Duane.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0VsgPyYhI/AAAAAAAABNM/7hO71WKmJ5k/s1600-h/Mimmis_congress_outfit.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124275805332070930" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0VsgPyYhI/AAAAAAAABNM/7hO71WKmJ5k/s200/Mimmis_congress_outfit.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Cool cats getting ready for the congress party…</em><br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0VQgPyYeI/AAAAAAAABM0/1S1VLZ2tyyA/s1600-h/Alessia_Duane.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124275324295733730" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0VQgPyYeI/AAAAAAAABM0/1S1VLZ2tyyA/s200/Alessia_Duane.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0VQwPyYfI/AAAAAAAABM8/7X3h0H0RZsQ/s1600-h/Duane_Mimmis_congress.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124275328590701042" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0VQwPyYfI/AAAAAAAABM8/7X3h0H0RZsQ/s200/Duane_Mimmis_congress.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Alessia, Duane and me</em><br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0U0wPyYbI/AAAAAAAABMc/gNxL6Q1YA_g/s1600-h/Duane_Mark-Anthony.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124274847554363826" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0U0wPyYbI/AAAAAAAABMc/gNxL6Q1YA_g/s200/Duane_Mark-Anthony.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Duane with Mark-Anthony from Toronto, Canada</em></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0U1APyYcI/AAAAAAAABMk/lwCuVA2_508/s1600-h/Larry_Anna_Duane_Mimmis.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124274851849331138" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0U1APyYcI/AAAAAAAABMk/lwCuVA2_508/s200/Larry_Anna_Duane_Mimmis.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Larry (opera singer from Ohio traveling around the world and engaged by the Met), Anna (from Köln, Germany), Duane and I at the congress party</em></div><div><em></em></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0U1QPyYdI/AAAAAAAABMs/kSjPOFxYIbc/s1600-h/Michael_Mimmis_congress.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124274856144298450" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0U1QPyYdI/AAAAAAAABMs/kSjPOFxYIbc/s200/Michael_Mimmis_congress.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Me and Michael (was DJ at the after party at Platos in Puerto Rico) from Washington DC, I believe<br /></em><br />After having danced all night you tend to get very hungry… Duane and I went to eat breakfast <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0UTAPyYaI/AAAAAAAABMU/718j_e7zhNo/s1600-h/Anna_Manuel.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124274267733778850" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0UTAPyYaI/AAAAAAAABMU/718j_e7zhNo/s200/Anna_Manuel.jpg" border="0" /></a>on the lower East Side one morning after the congress. After the last salsa party we had breakfast with Anna from Köln in Germany and a Dominican dancer living in Brooklyn, Manuel, at the Dominican restaurant <strong>El Gran Mar de Plata</strong> in Brooklyn at 7am... This was a local nightclub and restaurant for Latinos, seemingly busy around the clock. I tried some local dish which I can’t remember the name of (think it was mashed plantain with fried egg). </div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0YhwPyYmI/AAAAAAAABN0/RxRoQM7wMcE/s1600-h/El_Gran_Mar_de_Plata_Brooklyn.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124278919183360610" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0YhwPyYmI/AAAAAAAABN0/RxRoQM7wMcE/s200/El_Gran_Mar_de_Plata_Brooklyn.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div>The last night in New York I went to <strong>Session 73</strong> on the East Side of Manhattan, which had a nice live band playing. I sat down at a table on the sidewalk and enjoyed a good salad and some wine before entering. Most people from the congress were on a post-congress salsa cruise that night, so there was a limited number of good dancers at Session 73. However, the first one I invited to dance was a tall, handsome, fabulous dancer from Spain. I danced with a couple of other congress visitors from Germany, an older Mambo gentleman as well as the singer in the band during one of their breaks. I also made friends with Jonathan, an On1 dancer from New York who recently started learning On2. All in all I had a good night at this bar and restaurant in the corner of 1st Avenue and 73rd Street. They had a surprisingly good wooden floor for being a bar.</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0T1wPyYZI/AAAAAAAABMM/toStupQ5RxY/s1600-h/Band_Session73.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124273765222605202" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0T1wPyYZI/AAAAAAAABMM/toStupQ5RxY/s200/Band_Session73.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div>However, I have not only been dancing on this trip… I have actually had time to do and see other things as well.<br /><br /><strong>Brooklyn excursions</strong><br />One day I decided to explore Brooklyn on my own and took the subway to 7th Street and walked up 9th Street to <strong>Park Slope</strong>. This is one of the nicer areas in Brooklyn apparently and is close to quaint little bars, bookshops and restaurants.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0TlAPyYXI/AAAAAAAABL8/Trgh76IWejA/s1600-h/Brooklyn_ParkSlope_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124273477459796338" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0TlAPyYXI/AAAAAAAABL8/Trgh76IWejA/s200/Brooklyn_ParkSlope_2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0TlgPyYYI/AAAAAAAABME/UkKJc1wtCf0/s1600-h/Brooklyn_ParkSlope.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124273486049730946" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0TlgPyYYI/AAAAAAAABME/UkKJc1wtCf0/s200/Brooklyn_ParkSlope.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong>Prospect Park</strong> in Brooklyn is a big park – not as big as Central Park, but it apparently has the same architect. Prospect Park has big greens with baseball fields, various trails to walk with ponds and small waterfalls, a dog beach at a pond which looked more like a Louisiana swamp (not that I’ve ever been there but I’d imagine it’s quite muddy with a lot of wild vegetation), areas where people meet to barbeque, walk their dogs etc. You’ll find some photos from the park below.</div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0S3QPyYTI/AAAAAAAABLc/gzs1s2T8edQ/s1600-h/Entrance_ProspectPark_Brooklyn.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124272691480781106" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0S3QPyYTI/AAAAAAAABLc/gzs1s2T8edQ/s200/Entrance_ProspectPark_Brooklyn.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Entrance to Prospect Park<br /></em><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0S3wPyYUI/AAAAAAAABLk/Xb6ZFikf3Sw/s1600-h/Flowers_ProspectPark.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124272700070715714" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0S3wPyYUI/AAAAAAAABLk/Xb6ZFikf3Sw/s200/Flowers_ProspectPark.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0S4QPyYVI/AAAAAAAABLs/WW4TszaCkdM/s1600-h/ProspectPark_Brooklyn.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124272708660650322" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0S4QPyYVI/AAAAAAAABLs/WW4TszaCkdM/s200/ProspectPark_Brooklyn.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Baseball fields in Prospect Park<br /></em><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0S4gPyYWI/AAAAAAAABL0/jUMSdPikh8U/s1600-h/Dog_beach_ProspectPark.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124272712955617634" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0S4gPyYWI/AAAAAAAABL0/jUMSdPikh8U/s200/Dog_beach_ProspectPark.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Dog beach</em></div><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0R8wPyYRI/AAAAAAAABLM/ezlTnI8BUXE/s1600-h/ProspectPark_Brooklyn_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124271686458433810" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0R8wPyYRI/AAAAAAAABLM/ezlTnI8BUXE/s200/ProspectPark_Brooklyn_2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0R9QPyYSI/AAAAAAAABLU/KO_Q3Rq8HpU/s1600-h/Waterfall_ProspectPark.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124271695048368418" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0R9QPyYSI/AAAAAAAABLU/KO_Q3Rq8HpU/s200/Waterfall_ProspectPark.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Trails in Prospect Park<br /></em><br />Later I met Duane and we went to have beer at <strong>T-Lounge</strong> in Brooklyn. This was a cool place. Many people seem to come here and use it as an Internet café. You could have lots of different beers from all over the world, and I tried a very good raspberry flavored one. They also served very strong and good Turkish coffee.</div><br /><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0RfgPyYPI/AAAAAAAABK8/8noBSLf6BA4/s1600-h/T-Lounge_Brooklyn.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124271183947260146" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0RfgPyYPI/AAAAAAAABK8/8noBSLf6BA4/s200/T-Lounge_Brooklyn.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0RgQPyYQI/AAAAAAAABLE/URcQNxZCrHg/s1600-h/Duane_T-Lounge_Brooklyn.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124271196832162050" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0RgQPyYQI/AAAAAAAABLE/URcQNxZCrHg/s200/Duane_T-Lounge_Brooklyn.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>T-Lounge in Brooklyn<br /></em><br />Monday this week was Labor Day in the US so I went to a <strong>Labor Day Parade</strong> on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. It was a sticky hot day and extremely crowded. I think all Caribbean people living in New York City were gathered here this day… There were lots of Jamaicans, people from Trinidad & Tobago and other Caribbean islands. I had some pork sticks from a food stand and tried eating amidst all the shuffling of people trying to pass by to watch the parade. I think I only saw a handful of Caucasians all day. I didn’t really think about it until a truck drove by in the parade with a sign saying “Chocolate City” and then I realized how fitting that statement was in this setting. </div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0YhQPyYlI/AAAAAAAABNs/9gI86LswRtE/s1600-h/Chocolate_City_parade.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124278910593426002" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0YhQPyYlI/AAAAAAAABNs/9gI86LswRtE/s200/Chocolate_City_parade.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>It was hard to see anything and to get anywhere due to all the people but nonetheless it was quite interesting for a few hours. I made my way through the crowds to see the passing trucks and processions of people from different Caribbean islands with flags and colorful costumes. The NYPD had a busy afternoon trying to pave the way for new processions along the blocked Eastern Parkway and keeping the peace among spectators, filtering people to the overcrowded subway trains etc. You'll find some photos from the Labor Day Parade below (click on them to enlarge).</div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0b9APyYoI/AAAAAAAABOE/6R2Tw0XlygU/s1600-h/Parade_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124282685869679234" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0b9APyYoI/AAAAAAAABOE/6R2Tw0XlygU/s200/Parade_2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0b8gPyYnI/AAAAAAAABN8/ygbvZ1ApFLo/s1600-h/NYPD.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124282677279744626" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0b8gPyYnI/AAAAAAAABN8/ygbvZ1ApFLo/s200/NYPD.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0b-gPyYpI/AAAAAAAABOM/7Gb9pwRyhig/s1600-h/Parade_3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124282711639483026" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0b-gPyYpI/AAAAAAAABOM/7Gb9pwRyhig/s200/Parade_3.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0b_APyYqI/AAAAAAAABOU/umpGsRYsS5Q/s1600-h/Jamaicans.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124282720229417634" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0b_APyYqI/AAAAAAAABOU/umpGsRYsS5Q/s200/Jamaicans.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0dwwPyYuI/AAAAAAAABO0/hm32T_iwwwE/s1600-h/Jamaica_family.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124284674439537378" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0dwwPyYuI/AAAAAAAABO0/hm32T_iwwwE/s200/Jamaica_family.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0dxgPyYvI/AAAAAAAABO8/Brzf9Cksf94/s1600-h/Jamaica_man.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124284687324439282" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0dxgPyYvI/AAAAAAAABO8/Brzf9Cksf94/s200/Jamaica_man.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0fZgPyYxI/AAAAAAAABPI/RvLbQFEav00/s1600-h/Jamaica_man_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124286474030834450" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0fZgPyYxI/AAAAAAAABPI/RvLbQFEav00/s200/Jamaica_man_2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0fZwPyYyI/AAAAAAAABPQ/yma8ldFf4B8/s1600-h/Parade.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124286478325801762" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0fZwPyYyI/AAAAAAAABPQ/yma8ldFf4B8/s200/Parade.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0dvgPyYrI/AAAAAAAABOc/z5VDlSM_d0M/s1600-h/Blue_mamas.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124284652964700850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0dvgPyYrI/AAAAAAAABOc/z5VDlSM_d0M/s200/Blue_mamas.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0dwAPyYsI/AAAAAAAABOk/e4VRJwJV7JU/s1600-h/Dominican_spectator.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124284661554635458" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0dwAPyYsI/AAAAAAAABOk/e4VRJwJV7JU/s200/Dominican_spectator.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0faAPyYzI/AAAAAAAABPY/uIHHFWVVkN4/s1600-h/Policeman.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124286482620769074" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0faAPyYzI/AAAAAAAABPY/uIHHFWVVkN4/s200/Policeman.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0dwQPyYtI/AAAAAAAABOs/AbOcT88_fKI/s1600-h/Food_stand.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124284665849602770" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0dwQPyYtI/AAAAAAAABOs/AbOcT88_fKI/s200/Food_stand.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /><strong>Baseball at the Yankee Stadium</strong></div><div>Duane had tickets to a Yankee game at the Yankee Stadium in the Bronx so he took me to see the New York Yankees play Tampa Bay (Florida). This was a great experience! Luckily the Yankees won (Yankee fans would probably exclaim “Of course they won – it would have been a disgrace otherwise!”) and people around us were happy and helpful in explaining some baseball history, background on some of the players (of course I don’t remember anything!), the Stadium etc. Apparently the <a href="http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/nyy/ballpark/index.jsp">Yankee Stadium</a> seats 56,000 people and has been the home of the Yankees for 84 years. Now they have started building a new park to be completed in 2009, which will seat 51,000 people. There are lively debates on what to do with the current stadium, which bears so much baseball history. It’s been remodeled a few times and today only has one of its original sections left with a lovely white fence at the top. Some photos from the Yankee Stadium and the game below.</div><br /><div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0QegPyYOI/AAAAAAAABK0/XIdeDTeTb_Q/s1600-h/YankeeStadium.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124270067255763170" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0QegPyYOI/AAAAAAAABK0/XIdeDTeTb_Q/s200/YankeeStadium.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0QRwPyYMI/AAAAAAAABKk/0ygjc7WTDDI/s1600-h/outside_YankeeStadion.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124269848212431042" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0QRwPyYMI/AAAAAAAABKk/0ygjc7WTDDI/s200/outside_YankeeStadion.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Yankee Stadium and the parking lot</em></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0P7wPyYII/AAAAAAAABKE/1nhldkNfKSk/s1600-h/YankeeStadium_3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124269470255308930" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0P7wPyYII/AAAAAAAABKE/1nhldkNfKSk/s200/YankeeStadium_3.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0P8APyYJI/AAAAAAAABKM/9GbQyYzpStQ/s1600-h/YankeeStadium_4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124269474550276242" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0P8APyYJI/AAAAAAAABKM/9GbQyYzpStQ/s200/YankeeStadium_4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0P8gPyYKI/AAAAAAAABKU/mdL2mJetoMw/s1600-h/YankeeStadium_5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124269483140210850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0P8gPyYKI/AAAAAAAABKU/mdL2mJetoMw/s200/YankeeStadium_5.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0P-wPyYLI/AAAAAAAABKc/Okfcs6sG4pU/s1600-h/bridge_NY.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124269521794916530" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0P-wPyYLI/AAAAAAAABKc/Okfcs6sG4pU/s200/bridge_NY.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Bridge between Queens and the Bronx</em><br /><br />On our way home, Duane drove me through Harlem so I would see the famous Apollo Theater (check out <a href="http://www.apollotheater.org/">http://www.apollotheater.org/</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Theater">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Theater</a>), where some famous singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Ross, Gladys Night, Aretha Franklin and the Jackson 5 have been discovered during Afro American Amateur Nights or kick-started their artist careers.</div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0OeQPyYHI/AAAAAAAABJ8/MNf0qfx1L4I/s1600-h/ApolloTheatre_Harlem.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5124267863937540210" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rx0OeQPyYHI/AAAAAAAABJ8/MNf0qfx1L4I/s200/ApolloTheatre_Harlem.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Apollo Theater in Harlem</em><br /><br />It’s been a great week in New York and shall miss the City beat, although I know I will be back before too long.<br /><br />View all <strong><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimmis/sets/72157601822751548/">my photos from this NY trip on Flickr>></a></strong><br />(I have limited some photos in the set to my Flickr friends; if you’re one of the latter, you’ll be able to view all 180 photos.)</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-70508745367820364822007-08-20T09:32:00.000-07:002007-08-20T10:01:16.610-07:00Sailing in 15.6 knotsThis past Saturday I was out sailing Hobie Cat in the Stockholm archipelago with my friend Anders, his girl-friend Carina and our mutual salsa friend Johan. It was a wonderful day with beautiful weather to start with, then cloudy and finally a little rainy. But who cares when you’re getting soaking wet anyhow while having so much fun?! It was a very windy day, great for sailing a catamaran. We were all happy since we enjoy speed. We clocked 15.6 knots at one point which is quite fast!<br /><br />I don’t have much experience of sailing but with people like Johan and Anders, who clearly know what they’re doing and telling me what to do, it all worked out rather well. Besides, I didn’t have to do much but to hang in a harness out over the water on the sides of the Hobie Cat, used as balancing weight on the side of the sail from where the wind came. Wet, windy and fantastic fun! I think I had a smile on my face the whole day.<br /><br />We were out about 6 hours, starting by <em>Lidingö</em>, sailing to <em>Stora Värtan</em> but turning around when we found that there was hardly any wind, and then sailed east-bound on <em>Askrikefjärden</em> (the Askrike Bay) in the direction of <em>Waxholm</em>. We anchored by an island close to <em>Hasseludden</em> to have picnic lunch. We rather carelessly tied the Hobie Cat by a public landing stage and used another pole by a private landing stage to keep the catamaran from pulling its moors in the wind. This however cut off the access to the private landing docks and we got a scolding from an impatient, arrogant and rather rude woman with a German accent (from then on named “the Achtung Bitch” by us) who came to the island with her motorboat only a few minutes after our landing and immediately complained about our unauthorized use of the pole on their private landing stage, which she found totally unacceptable. She had no sympathy for the fact that we at that very moment were diving after Anders’s digital camera which he had accidentally dropped in the 2-2.5 meter deep water while tying the moors. I was with Anders the last time he lost an, at the time brand new, digital camera during off-pist heliskiing in <em>Kittelfjäll</em> last year… That particular camera was never to be found, but luckily this one was. Johan is a travel guide on adventure trips and a seasoned diver, so he found the camera on the bottom of the sea after only three dives. Anders drew a loud sigh of relief (luckily it was also a water-proof camera down to 6 meters, so all his images and video clips were saved).<br /><br />You’ll find a selection of my photos as well as some taken by Anders below.<br />View the rest of <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mimmis/sets/72157601571016111/">my photos on Flickr>></a><br />View <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/andersk08/sets/72157601534602783/">Anders’s photos on Flickr>></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnGHw_1QzI/AAAAAAAABIc/505l1cdHP0A/s1600-h/Carina_AK.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100825889687814962" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnGHw_1QzI/AAAAAAAABIc/505l1cdHP0A/s320/Carina_AK.JPG" border="0" /></a><em></em><br /><em>Carina & Anders </em><br /><em><br /></em><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnGIg_1Q0I/AAAAAAAABIk/kkIIV606_Kg/s1600-h/DSC00020.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100825902572716866" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnGIg_1Q0I/AAAAAAAABIk/kkIIV606_Kg/s320/DSC00020.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Me<br /></em><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnGJA_1Q1I/AAAAAAAABIs/pjCELvHFtlU/s1600-h/DSC00080.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100825911162651474" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnGJA_1Q1I/AAAAAAAABIs/pjCELvHFtlU/s320/DSC00080.JPG" border="0" /></a><em> Anders</em><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnGJw_1Q2I/AAAAAAAABI0/V2Br6cuIKvU/s1600-h/DSC00034.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100825924047553378" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnGJw_1Q2I/AAAAAAAABI0/V2Br6cuIKvU/s320/DSC00034.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Johan</em><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnFdQ_1QuI/AAAAAAAABH0/HyQs19qBxAA/s1600-h/DSC00077.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100825159543374562" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnFdQ_1QuI/AAAAAAAABH0/HyQs19qBxAA/s320/DSC00077.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Me</em><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnFdg_1QvI/AAAAAAAABH8/PV4VmrYle1E/s1600-h/DSC00047.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100825163838341874" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnFdg_1QvI/AAAAAAAABH8/PV4VmrYle1E/s320/DSC00047.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Carina</em><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnFeA_1QwI/AAAAAAAABIE/QDPqwFcNaqM/s1600-h/DSC00064.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100825172428276482" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnFeA_1QwI/AAAAAAAABIE/QDPqwFcNaqM/s320/DSC00064.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Johan, Carina & AK<br /></em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnFeQ_1QxI/AAAAAAAABIM/MZH-pyt7bP4/s1600-h/DSC00074.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100825176723243794" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnFeQ_1QxI/AAAAAAAABIM/MZH-pyt7bP4/s320/DSC00074.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnFew_1QyI/AAAAAAAABIU/LxKO-BvdF-8/s1600-h/DSC00017.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100825185313178402" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnFew_1QyI/AAAAAAAABIU/LxKO-BvdF-8/s320/DSC00017.JPG" border="0" /></a><em></em><br /><em>Me hanging in harness</em><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnEcQ_1QpI/AAAAAAAABHM/h-o5O1-gp0o/s1600-h/DSC00021.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100824042851877522" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnEcQ_1QpI/AAAAAAAABHM/h-o5O1-gp0o/s320/DSC00021.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnEcg_1QqI/AAAAAAAABHU/0agW3fmjBHE/s1600-h/DSC00019.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100824047146844834" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnEcg_1QqI/AAAAAAAABHU/0agW3fmjBHE/s320/DSC00019.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Carina</em><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnEdA_1QrI/AAAAAAAABHc/a6Wn6xE_LNM/s1600-h/DSC00024.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100824055736779442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnEdA_1QrI/AAAAAAAABHc/a6Wn6xE_LNM/s320/DSC00024.JPG" border="0" /></a><em></em></div><div><em>The Hobie Cat</em> - <em>Landing for picnic lunch</em> </div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnEdQ_1QsI/AAAAAAAABHk/wLZ52SL3xYg/s1600-h/1163265905_14dc31e036.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100824060031746754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnEdQ_1QsI/AAAAAAAABHk/wLZ52SL3xYg/s320/1163265905_14dc31e036.jpg" border="0" /></a><em> Johan & I</em><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnEdQ_1QtI/AAAAAAAABHs/-reOFWKVEmM/s1600-h/1163266413_046b39b08a.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100824060031746770" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnEdQ_1QtI/AAAAAAAABHs/-reOFWKVEmM/s320/1163266413_046b39b08a.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnDWw_1QkI/AAAAAAAABGk/zZgeMkcnljA/s1600-h/1164146722_d7250320d0.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100822848850969154" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnDWw_1QkI/AAAAAAAABGk/zZgeMkcnljA/s320/1164146722_d7250320d0.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnDXA_1QlI/AAAAAAAABGs/2D8VqC94FqY/s1600-h/1163284533_c9c3ca0e22.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100822853145936466" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnDXA_1QlI/AAAAAAAABGs/2D8VqC94FqY/s320/1163284533_c9c3ca0e22.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Just got showered!</em><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnDXA_1QmI/AAAAAAAABG0/gwUC0i9_ICA/s1600-h/1164151264_126a86af71.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100822853145936482" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnDXA_1QmI/AAAAAAAABG0/gwUC0i9_ICA/s320/1164151264_126a86af71.jpg" border="0" /></a><em> Carina & I<br /></em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnDXQ_1QnI/AAAAAAAABG8/sagLi082xJ4/s1600-h/1164149810_ec29ef9afa.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100822857440903794" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnDXQ_1QnI/AAAAAAAABG8/sagLi082xJ4/s320/1164149810_ec29ef9afa.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnDXQ_1QoI/AAAAAAAABHE/crusNkAcL58/s1600-h/1163296843_56fe0eed64.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100822857440903810" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RsnDXQ_1QoI/AAAAAAAABHE/crusNkAcL58/s320/1163296843_56fe0eed64.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-4320845985559746232007-08-08T10:15:00.000-07:002007-08-20T10:43:32.236-07:00Sail-salsa 2007 at VindalsöLast week I spent a few days in the Stockholm archipelago with 35-40 salsa friends on the annual “Sail-salsa”, which I have been to three times now. Unfortunately I ended up missing the first 1.5 days of this activity, following my Puerto Rico trip, due to bad weather conditions resulting in delays and a missed flight from New York. Once I got out to the island <em>Vindalsö</em> I was pretty tired and jetlagged but nonetheless happy to be there. Niklas and Annika of <a href="http://www.djungelsalsa.com/"><em>Djungelsalsa</em></a> every year organize this combined sailing and dancing trip. Vindalsö is normally used by sea scouts. It is not too far from the popular <a href="http://www.sandhamn.se/site/english/introduction.html"><em>Sandhamn</em></a> and the closest stop for commercial boats from Stockholm City or the Stavsnäs Vinterhamn (winter harbor) is <em>Idholmen</em>.<br /><div><div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv9s8tppcI/AAAAAAAABF8/Z2vsX7hNGXc/s1600-h/Nicke_Annika.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096946351953520066" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv9s8tppcI/AAAAAAAABF8/Z2vsX7hNGXc/s320/Nicke_Annika.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Nicke & Annika</em><br /><br />All participants at the annual sail-salsa are divided into teams for various activities, including helping to prepare lunch and dinner every day and competing in occasional group activities. Apparently last year’s participants had given feedback to Niklas and Annika that they wanted fewer scheduled, joint activities, giving more freedom for spontaneous activities or pure relaxation. There were however some yoga, meditation, tango and <em>Friskis & Svettis</em> workout lessons given, but apart from that people were free to go sailing or sunbathing and reading a book, singing karaoke or other activities as they pleased. Previous years we’ve had treasure hunts and I kind of missed them; they were always great fun and allowed you to bond with your team mates.<br /><br />There is a house on the island with bunk-beds and those who register early for the sail-salsa get one, the others have to sleep on the floor or camp in tents. I was lucky enough to get a bunk-bed so I got some decent sleep. But unless you bring ear-plugs you may have a hard time sleeping because boy, some guys really snore!<br /><br />There is a sauna on the island. We usually heat up there after a night of salsa dancing on the outdoor dance arena and then dive into the sea from a landing stage outside the sauna. The water was extremely cold this year – there hasn’t been much of a summer weather warming up the sea – so most people came up again faster than they hit the water!<br /><br />You’ll find a selection of my photos from Vindalsö below. More photos are available in <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11227789@N06/sets/72157601338977811/"><strong>my photo album on Flickr>></strong></a><br /><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv8-stppaI/AAAAAAAABFs/3Rv2QZyrkNA/s1600-h/DSC08594.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096945557384570274" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv8-stppaI/AAAAAAAABFs/3Rv2QZyrkNA/s320/DSC08594.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Boathouse and kitchen<br /></em><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv8_MtppbI/AAAAAAAABF0/4z6vj1302lc/s1600-h/Dansbanan.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096945565974504882" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv8_MtppbI/AAAAAAAABF0/4z6vj1302lc/s320/Dansbanan.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Dance floor - when the scouts are using the island, this is just a roofed gathering place where they take their meals at some simple wooden tables and benches</em></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv8GMtppXI/AAAAAAAABFU/rEHQUUA_m18/s1600-h/DSC08586.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096944586721961330" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv8GMtppXI/AAAAAAAABFU/rEHQUUA_m18/s320/DSC08586.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Meditation</em><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv8GctppYI/AAAAAAAABFc/0LeVSEeh_vs/s1600-h/Meditation_KarinW.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096944591016928642" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv8GctppYI/AAAAAAAABFc/0LeVSEeh_vs/s320/Meditation_KarinW.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Karin W meditating<br /></em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv8G8tppZI/AAAAAAAABFk/AhCAhdQbUmY/s1600-h/AndersKarlsson.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096944599606863250" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv8G8tppZI/AAAAAAAABFk/AhCAhdQbUmY/s320/AndersKarlsson.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Anders K – check out his photos from the sail-salsa <strong><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/andersk08/sets/72157601298122612/show/">here>></a></strong></em></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv7LMtppVI/AAAAAAAABFE/WiEPk1k48S4/s1600-h/Iaido_Anders.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096943573109679442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv7LMtppVI/AAAAAAAABFE/WiEPk1k48S4/s320/Iaido_Anders.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Another Anders practicing Iaido on the beach</em><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv7LstppWI/AAAAAAAABFM/tSfLFPq_2Tg/s1600-h/Iaido_Anders_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096943581699614050" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv7LstppWI/AAAAAAAABFM/tSfLFPq_2Tg/s320/Iaido_Anders_2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv6qstppTI/AAAAAAAABE0/GcBPeZHQ-60/s1600-h/Cia_Micke.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096943014763930930" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv6qstppTI/AAAAAAAABE0/GcBPeZHQ-60/s320/Cia_Micke.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Kia & Micke<br /></em><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv6rMtppUI/AAAAAAAABE8/fPr3R6Dqa5A/s1600-h/Karaoke_Veronica_Karin_Hakan_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096943023353865538" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv6rMtppUI/AAAAAAAABE8/fPr3R6Dqa5A/s320/Karaoke_Veronica_Karin_Hakan_2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Veronica, Karin & Håkan W sing karaoke</em> </div><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv6MstppRI/AAAAAAAABEk/Do0n8c-qcUY/s1600-h/AK_Jackie_Eva.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096942499367855378" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv6MstppRI/AAAAAAAABEk/Do0n8c-qcUY/s200/AK_Jackie_Eva.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv6M8tppSI/AAAAAAAABEs/soMhQ33JxNQ/s1600-h/HÃ¥kan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096942503662822690" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv6M8tppSI/AAAAAAAABEs/soMhQ33JxNQ/s200/H%C3%A5kan.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Left: Anders K, Jackie & Eva prepare dinner. Right: Håkan</div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv5zctppPI/AAAAAAAABEU/lLDs4PUEo6w/s1600-h/DSC08611.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096942065576158450" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv5zctppPI/AAAAAAAABEU/lLDs4PUEo6w/s200/DSC08611.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv5z8tppQI/AAAAAAAABEc/S--Vncg0LF4/s1600-h/Kocken_Anneli.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096942074166093058" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv5z8tppQI/AAAAAAAABEc/S--Vncg0LF4/s200/Kocken_Anneli.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div><em>Left: Dinner on the beach. Right: Chef Anneli</em><br /><br /></div><div><em></em></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096947906731681282" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv_HctppgI/AAAAAAAABGU/achXd7ZNpl4/s320/Michael_Lowry_2.JPG" border="0" /><em>Michael Lowry, an American from Texas who has been living in Sweden for a while now – he is by the way a great photographer! See <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mlowry/sets/72157601200808027/">more photos from the sail-salsa on his blog</a></em><em>. I have taken the liberty of ‘borrowing’ a few photos from Michael below (where noted in parenthesis)…</em><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv4a8tppLI/AAAAAAAABD0/1T6KeaonYUY/s1600-h/Mimmis_by_Michael.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096940545157735602" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv4a8tppLI/AAAAAAAABD0/1T6KeaonYUY/s320/Mimmis_by_Michael.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><em>Me (photo by Michael Lowry)</em></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv4bstppMI/AAAAAAAABD8/ZP0lb03Ofro/s1600-h/DSC08625.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096940558042637506" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv4bstppMI/AAAAAAAABD8/ZP0lb03Ofro/s320/DSC08625.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Sunset</em></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv36stppJI/AAAAAAAABDk/4jczuVq2dj4/s1600-h/Percy.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096939991106954386" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv36stppJI/AAAAAAAABDk/4jczuVq2dj4/s200/Percy.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv37ctppKI/AAAAAAAABDs/JwxkALubGz0/s1600-h/Veronica_3.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096940003991856290" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv37ctppKI/AAAAAAAABDs/JwxkALubGz0/s200/Veronica_3.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Percy & Veronica</em><br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv3nstppII/AAAAAAAABDc/tJtI5XSbUBo/s1600-h/Mimmis_Johan.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096939664689439874" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv3nstppII/AAAAAAAABDc/tJtI5XSbUBo/s320/Mimmis_Johan.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Me & Johan Hast</em><br /><br /><strong>Salsa dancing</strong><br />Every night after dinner and sunset, we started dancing salsa on the outdoor wooden floor. There were also occasional swing (lindyhop), tango and disco tunes spreading in the night. There were always a bunch of people who kept dancing till 2 or 3 am, including myself. <div></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv3SstppHI/AAAAAAAABDU/9OYGBQr1hqk/s1600-h/DSC08629.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096939303912186994" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv3SstppHI/AAAAAAAABDU/9OYGBQr1hqk/s200/DSC08629.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv26ctppFI/AAAAAAAABDE/Ajd_UfZCKx8/s1600-h/Dans_KarinW_AK.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096938887300359250" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv26ctppFI/AAAAAAAABDE/Ajd_UfZCKx8/s200/Dans_KarinW_AK.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv26stppGI/AAAAAAAABDM/IuhLXcros0E/s1600-h/Dans_KarinW_AK_3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096938891595326562" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv26stppGI/AAAAAAAABDM/IuhLXcros0E/s200/Dans_KarinW_AK_3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Karin W & AK</em><br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv2dstppCI/AAAAAAAABCs/9wZ_xWQU4JI/s1600-h/Dans_MichaelLowry_Fanta.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096938393379120162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv2dstppCI/AAAAAAAABCs/9wZ_xWQU4JI/s200/Dans_MichaelLowry_Fanta.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Michael & Fanta</em><br /></div><div><em></em></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv2dstppDI/AAAAAAAABC0/LoIqwI3SdqM/s1600-h/Dans_Johan_Fanta_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096938393379120178" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv2dstppDI/AAAAAAAABC0/LoIqwI3SdqM/s200/Dans_Johan_Fanta_2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv2eMtppEI/AAAAAAAABC8/6WfmxxWg2P4/s1600-h/Dans_Johan_Fanta_3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096938401969054786" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv2eMtppEI/AAAAAAAABC8/6WfmxxWg2P4/s200/Dans_Johan_Fanta_3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Fanta & Johan</em><br /><br /><strong>Rock ring contest<br /></strong>One of the nights Niklas organized a ‘rock ring’ contest – you remember those plastic rings that you tried to ‘rock’ around your hips when you were a kid? Veronica certainly remembered – she was the Queen of Rock Ring and completely demolished the rest of us.<br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv1SMtppAI/AAAAAAAABCc/5LdCeJomDLw/s1600-h/Rockring_contest.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096937096298996738" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv1SMtppAI/AAAAAAAABCc/5LdCeJomDLw/s200/Rockring_contest.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv1TMtppBI/AAAAAAAABCk/2RmLtZyMemQ/s1600-h/Rockring_Veronica_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096937113478865938" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv1TMtppBI/AAAAAAAABCk/2RmLtZyMemQ/s200/Rockring_Veronica_2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div><strong>African theme <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrwAvMtpphI/AAAAAAAABGc/-aDM9vHca_k/s1600-h/Mimmis_braids.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096949689143109138" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrwAvMtpphI/AAAAAAAABGc/-aDM9vHca_k/s200/Mimmis_braids.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></strong>One of the nights every year has a special theme. Last year it was native Indians and this year it was an African theme. Fanta from French Guinea gave us a lesson in African dance on the beach, which gave me a nice muscle ache in my abdomen, back and thighs which I haven’t felt in a while... Fanta is apparently a famous dancer in her country and her parents (passed away a couple of years ago) and brother famous musicians. She was kind enough to braid my hair before the evening activity and I got to practice my French a little bit. </div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0oMtpo7I/AAAAAAAABB0/JK3cV0dKfZ4/s1600-h/Afrikansk_dans_Fanta.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096936374744490930" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0oMtpo7I/AAAAAAAABB0/JK3cV0dKfZ4/s320/Afrikansk_dans_Fanta.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0octpo8I/AAAAAAAABB8/Qkf7c7jW0r8/s1600-h/Afrikansk_dans_Fanta_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096936379039458242" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0octpo8I/AAAAAAAABB8/Qkf7c7jW0r8/s320/Afrikansk_dans_Fanta_2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0ostpo9I/AAAAAAAABCE/PErzUXP8hGU/s1600-h/Afrikansk_dans_Fanta_3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096936383334425554" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0ostpo9I/AAAAAAAABCE/PErzUXP8hGU/s320/Afrikansk_dans_Fanta_3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0pMtpo-I/AAAAAAAABCM/QeYKQlJgMNo/s1600-h/Afrikansk_dans_Eva_Jenny_Mimmis_Annika.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096936391924360162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0pMtpo-I/AAAAAAAABCM/QeYKQlJgMNo/s320/Afrikansk_dans_Eva_Jenny_Mimmis_Annika.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>African dance with Fanta from Guinea (four photos above by Michael Lowry)</em></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0Dctpo5I/AAAAAAAABBk/5FzeXrlS8r8/s1600-h/Annika_HÃ¥kanW_3.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096935743384298386" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0Dctpo5I/AAAAAAAABBk/5FzeXrlS8r8/s200/Annika_H%C3%A5kanW_3.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0EMtpo6I/AAAAAAAABBs/uyLQwLwKoQ4/s1600-h/Veronica_Eva_Jackie.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096935756269200290" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrv0EMtpo6I/AAAAAAAABBs/uyLQwLwKoQ4/s200/Veronica_Eva_Jackie.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Left: Annika & Håkan W. Right: Veronica, Eva, Jackie</em><br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvzF8tpo3I/AAAAAAAABBU/oPz5ju72Moc/s1600-h/Andrew_Elin.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096934686822343538" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvzF8tpo3I/AAAAAAAABBU/oPz5ju72Moc/s200/Andrew_Elin.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvzHMtpo4I/AAAAAAAABBc/fDe3wtogPp8/s1600-h/Mark_Percy_Nicke.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096934708297180034" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvzHMtpo4I/AAAAAAAABBc/fDe3wtogPp8/s200/Mark_Percy_Nicke.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Left: Andrew & Elin. Right: Mark, Percy & Niklas</em><br /><br />We were divided into two tribes for the evening activity and even fought a war with bows and arrows in the woods, pretending to be African <em>Masai</em> and <em>Zulu</em> warriors fighting each other in a live roll-play. This was great fun but I am still suffering from bruises here and there from the arrows that hit me – Håkan Wirén and Johan Hast are too good bow-men, I’m afraid… I was supposed to be a ‘War Amazon’ in my tribe and leading eight other female bow-shooters, which I failed miserably at since I and several of the others were hit and ‘died’ several times.<br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvyaMtpo0I/AAAAAAAABA8/YGZ-J6-ggeM/s1600-h/African_theme_Mimmis_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096933935203066690" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvyaMtpo0I/AAAAAAAABA8/YGZ-J6-ggeM/s320/African_theme_Mimmis_2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrvyactpo1I/AAAAAAAABBE/hunXQtFT1ik/s1600-h/HÃ¥kanWiren_skjuter_pil.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096933939498034002" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrvyactpo1I/AAAAAAAABBE/hunXQtFT1ik/s320/H%C3%A5kanWiren_skjuter_pil.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrvyastpo2I/AAAAAAAABBM/MJBjSBkD57M/s1600-h/Mimmis_skjuter_pil.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096933943793001314" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrvyastpo2I/AAAAAAAABBM/MJBjSBkD57M/s320/Mimmis_skjuter_pil.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><em>Håkan and I at war… (three photos above by Michael Lowry)</em><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvxustpoyI/AAAAAAAABAs/aVpHbCaf30c/s1600-h/Paul_Eva_KarinW.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096933187878757154" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvxustpoyI/AAAAAAAABAs/aVpHbCaf30c/s200/Paul_Eva_KarinW.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvxvMtpozI/AAAAAAAABA0/Y5ASHv7SsXg/s1600-h/Veronica_Jackie_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096933196468691762" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvxvMtpozI/AAAAAAAABA0/Y5ASHv7SsXg/s200/Veronica_Jackie_2.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><em>Left: Camp fire. Right: Veronica & Jackie</em></div><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvxRMtpowI/AAAAAAAABAc/leArozw3Q9M/s1600-h/Dans_AK_Fanta_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096932681072616194" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvxRMtpowI/AAAAAAAABAc/leArozw3Q9M/s320/Dans_AK_Fanta_2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvxRctpoxI/AAAAAAAABAk/rce7gpajb34/s1600-h/Dans_AK_Fanta_4.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096932685367583506" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvxRctpoxI/AAAAAAAABAk/rce7gpajb34/s320/Dans_AK_Fanta_4.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>AK & Fanta dancing late-night salsa after African activities</em></div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvwxctpouI/AAAAAAAABAM/AtAaKn_STkA/s1600-h/Jackie_Karin_Veronica.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096932135611769570" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvwxctpouI/AAAAAAAABAM/AtAaKn_STkA/s320/Jackie_Karin_Veronica.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Jackie, Karin & Veronica</em><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvwxstpovI/AAAAAAAABAU/Mw_tMTuOVcI/s1600-h/Mimmis_Amazon.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096932139906736882" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvwxstpovI/AAAAAAAABAU/Mw_tMTuOVcI/s320/Mimmis_Amazon.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Me</em><br /><br />After a few days of fun activities, it was time to clean up, empty latrines, sort trash, pack and leave the archipelago. It’s been fun and I already long for next summer!<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvwTMtposI/AAAAAAAAA_8/vRGjmJdY-I4/s1600-h/Nicke_bryggan.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096931615920726722" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvwTMtposI/AAAAAAAAA_8/vRGjmJdY-I4/s200/Nicke_bryggan.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvwTstpotI/AAAAAAAABAE/SmE_itfN6hA/s1600-h/Langen.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096931624510661330" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrvwTstpotI/AAAAAAAABAE/SmE_itfN6hA/s200/Langen.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div></div><div> </div><div>Also check out <a href="http://sailsalsa2007.dizzy.se/">Martin's beautiful photos from the sail-salsa here>></a> (240 pictures)</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-7875261764522940882007-08-04T08:54:00.001-07:002007-08-09T16:02:44.488-07:00Puerto Rico Salsa Congress 2007This was my first time to the world-renowned <a href="http://www.puertoricosalsacongress.com/"><strong>Puerto Rico Salsa Congress</strong></a>. The congress was held at <strong>El San Juan Hotel</strong> in Carolina in the Isla Verde area close to the San Juan Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport. Although the experience altogether has been very positive – listening to a number of great live bands and meeting a lot of local, excellent On2 dancers like Jhesus (fabulous dancer with only one arm), Edwin, Joey and Michael (DJ at after parties at Platos) – I must say that I was slightly disappointed in the congress. I’ve heard so much about it and everybody is raving about this world-famous congress so perhaps my expectations were set a little too high.<br /><br />There were several famous live bands playing at the congress parties like <em>Sonora Ponceña</em>, <em>El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico</em> and <em>Tito Rojas</em> and this was of course a great experience. However, the floor was really bad (some kind of vinyl floor on top of a thick fitted carpet…), and has apparently been so for years which tarnished what could otherwise have been a fabulous congress. The floor was too ‘slow’, soft and sticky and annoying to most dancers who had a problem keeping their balance when doing fast turn patterns and spinning. I heard a lot of people complain about the floor and find it strange that such a well-known congress would not cater better to the dancers who come there. You really need a good hardwood floor when attracting some of the best dancers from around the world.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruX18tporI/AAAAAAAAA_0/sYVbE2hkhrU/s1600-h/Sonora_Ponceña.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096834356386308786" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruX18tporI/AAAAAAAAA_0/sYVbE2hkhrU/s320/Sonora_Ponce%C3%B1a.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Sonora Ponceña</em><br /><br />There were less international dancers there than expected, or perhaps I should say the regular European and US dancers that I usually meet at other congresses. Maybe they’ve already done the Puerto Rico congress for a number of years and now have decided to do something else.<br /><br />Apart from Leon Rose and some other UK dancers, and an old friend from London named Edward whom I haven’t seen in a couple of years since he lives in Sydney, Australia these days, I met a different crowd at this congress. There was a mix of local dancers from Puerto Rico, people from different parts of the US – to name one of them Luis from New York who surprisingly enough has only danced for a little over a year but was already very good and I actually believed he had been dancing for ages – and from the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina and other countries in Latin America. There was also a big group from Spain supporting Adrian and Anita who competed in the World Salsa Open, a bunch of Italians (I danced quite a lot with a guy named Stefano), the Dutch dance team <em>Los Intocables</em>, and some French.</div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruXY8tpopI/AAAAAAAAA_k/zdx4_WrTsF0/s1600-h/Mimmis_Edward_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096833858170102418" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruXY8tpopI/AAAAAAAAA_k/zdx4_WrTsF0/s320/Mimmis_Edward_2.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Edward & I</em><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruXZMtpoqI/AAAAAAAAA_s/x83NCE5CPGA/s1600-h/Mimmis_PuertoRico07.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096833862465069730" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruXZMtpoqI/AAAAAAAAA_s/x83NCE5CPGA/s320/Mimmis_PuertoRico07.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><div>Edward, his friend Steve from Sydney, and I made a habit of eating breakfast at <strong><em>Edith Café</em></strong> close to El San Juan Hotel after the congress parties. In fact, Edith Café drew lots of salsa dancers both for breakfast and dinner and one night when I had dinner there with my Swedish friends from Stockholm, Laia and Alberto, we saw Eddie Torres (famous New York instructor and usually referred to as “the Mambo King”) and his wife there. They also performed at the congress the night after. Laia, Alberto and I were the only Swedes at the congress, as far as I know.</div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruW2stpooI/AAAAAAAAA_c/SthN0g2Zazc/s1600-h/Mimmis_Alberto_EdithCafe_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096833269759582850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruW2stpooI/AAAAAAAAA_c/SthN0g2Zazc/s320/Mimmis_Alberto_EdithCafe_2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Alberto and I at Edith Café</em> </div><br /><div></div><div>The first few days they had an exhibition of paintings outside the congress hall at El San Juan Hotel to celebrate the famous Puerto Rican salsa singer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector_Lavoe">Héctor Lavoe</a>, who died in 1993. The collection was quite strong and impressive and the various artists had depicted some famous songs like <em>El Cantante</em>. See some samples below.</div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruWZctpojI/AAAAAAAAA-0/GSKOW_6GUqs/s1600-h/Hector_Lavoe_art.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096832767248409138" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruWZctpojI/AAAAAAAAA-0/GSKOW_6GUqs/s320/Hector_Lavoe_art.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruWZstpokI/AAAAAAAAA-8/K41LM4fiUjs/s1600-h/Hector_Lavoe_art_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096832771543376450" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruWZstpokI/AAAAAAAAA-8/K41LM4fiUjs/s320/Hector_Lavoe_art_2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruWZ8tpolI/AAAAAAAAA_E/uIOBPiWcvx0/s1600-h/Hector_Lavoe_art_3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096832775838343762" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruWZ8tpolI/AAAAAAAAA_E/uIOBPiWcvx0/s320/Hector_Lavoe_art_3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruWaMtpomI/AAAAAAAAA_M/Uh5nDCpD_LY/s1600-h/Hector_Lavoe_art_4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096832780133311074" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruWaMtpomI/AAAAAAAAA_M/Uh5nDCpD_LY/s320/Hector_Lavoe_art_4.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruWaMtponI/AAAAAAAAA_U/6cYT2IkGSlc/s1600-h/Hector_Lavoe_art_5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096832780133311090" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruWaMtponI/AAAAAAAAA_U/6cYT2IkGSlc/s320/Hector_Lavoe_art_5.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><strong>World Salsa Open 2007<br /></strong>Every year, there is a big salsa dancing competition in Puerto Rico. This year it was presented by Jayson Molina, a famous salsa dancer from Puerto Rico. They had a Junior competition for max 18 year-olds, two rounds of eliminations, semi-finals and finals for adult couples – all having been through elimination processes and won national competitions in their home countries – as well as a separate category for dance teams. They all performed on stage against the colorful backdrop facade resembling colonial street houses, characteristic for the Puerto Rico Salsa Congress and used since its start 11 years ago.<br /><br />Alberto and Laia had won the Swedish competition held at the salsa club <em>La Isla</em> in Stockholm earlier this year, and were in Puerto Rico to compete in the World Salsa Open and represent Sweden. The competition was however fierce and they did not make it to the semi-finals.<br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruS8MtpoiI/AAAAAAAAA-s/ljUJyOuFIG0/s1600-h/WorldSalsaOpen_semi-finalists.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096828966202352162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruS8MtpoiI/AAAAAAAAA-s/ljUJyOuFIG0/s320/WorldSalsaOpen_semi-finalists.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Semi-finalists after 2nd Round Elimination</em> </div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruSgMtpohI/AAAAAAAAA-k/j3WQgP_JNY8/s1600-h/Alberto_Laia.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096828485166014994" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruSgMtpohI/AAAAAAAAA-k/j3WQgP_JNY8/s320/Alberto_Laia.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Dinner at Edith with Alberto and Laia after 2nd Round Elimination in World Salsa Open</em></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruSP8tpogI/AAAAAAAAA-c/5MBhG4gjTuQ/s1600-h/Finalists_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096828205993140738" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruSP8tpogI/AAAAAAAAA-c/5MBhG4gjTuQ/s320/Finalists_2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Finalists</em></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruR7ctpofI/AAAAAAAAA-U/n9sigIjP8RE/s1600-h/Second_First_Third_Place.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096827853805822450" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruR7ctpofI/AAAAAAAAA-U/n9sigIjP8RE/s320/Second_First_Third_Place.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Three top couples – winners of World Salsa Open 2007 in the middle, Anita & Adrian from Spain<br /></em><br /><strong>After parties</strong><br />There were two different after parties being arranged between about 3 or 4am when the main congress party ended to 5 or 6 am or so during five of the nights in conjunction with the salsa congress. It was a little unfortunate that they hadn’t coordinated this and just had one official after party since this meant competition between the two venues and splitting up the dancers.<br /><br />The best dance floor (flat, clean stone floor which was very easy to spin on), bar service and atmosphere were to be found at <strong><em>Platos</em></strong>, a local bar where the drinks were very cheap ($ 2.50 for a beer) and the local DJ Michael played some very good music. I had the pleasure of dancing cha cha cha with Stacey Lopez, another well-known and famous Puerto Rican dancer and instructor, there one night. The first after party night Laia and I were the only two female dancers there and naturally enjoyed the full attention of some 10-15 fabulous male dancers. :-)<br /><br />The other after party venue was <strong><em>Brava</em></strong>, a nightclub at El San Juan Hotel. This club has a crap floor but played great music, the first night by local DJ Masoz (not sure about the spelling) and the second night by the famous DJ from New York, Henry Knowles, who came there over the last weekend.<br /><br />After ten nights of dancing in a row, I finally had to leave the beautiful island of Puerto Rico and fly home. Unfortunately, my Puerto Rico vacation trip ended on an annoying note. Due to poor weather conditions, the landing in New York was delayed and I ended up missing my connecting flight from New York to Stockholm. After an hour’s wait at the Continental Airlines’ very slow customer services desk, I was rebooked on a flight to Stockholm 24 hours later! Since I was stuck in New York over Sunday night and they were going to put me up on a hotel, I was hoping I would be able to go dancing at <em>Jimmy Anton’s social</em> or at <em>Wish</em> on Manhattan that night. But after another five hours’ wait at the baggage retrieval conveyor belt (with no luck and the retrieval service finally closing for the day), I had to give up on the idea of going dancing and was put up on a hotel in New Jersey at 2am… The only sensible thing I could do at that point was to wash away the frustration by having a beer in the hotel sports bar with a British teacher, funny enough also named Marie-Louise…<br /><br />If you ever plan on going to Puerto Rico, a good starting point might be <a href="http://www.gotopuertorico.com/">http://www.gotopuertorico.com/</a> – the Puerto Rico Tourism Company sponsored the salsa congress and since the presenter of the semi-finals and finals of World Salsa Open was forced to repeat this web address over and over again, it was difficult to miss it…</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-15864559622911829862007-08-04T08:39:00.000-07:002007-08-09T15:47:06.390-07:00Chillin’ in Puerto Rico<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruD_stpoeI/AAAAAAAAA-M/0tEnlBN5GU0/s1600-h/Courtyard.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096812533657477602" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruD_stpoeI/AAAAAAAAA-M/0tEnlBN5GU0/s200/Courtyard.jpg" border="0" /></a> I came home from my vacation in Puerto Rico this past Tuesday. I had a great time – very relaxing, lazy and intense at the same time. I was staying at the <a href="http://www.sjcourtyard.com/">Courtyard Marriott Isla Verde</a> (see photo to the right) in Carolina. I had a fabulous view overlooking the beach below and the Atlantic Ocean from my hotel room and balcony.<br /><br />Puerto Rico is located in the northeastern part of the Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic. <a href="http://topuertorico.org/city/carolina.shtml">Carolina</a> is Puerto Rico’s fourth largest city, located close to the capital San Juan. Puerto Rico's most famous baseball player, Roberto Clemente, elected into the <em>Hall of Fame</em> in 1973, was from Carolina.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruDgctpocI/AAAAAAAAA98/6Ok18obkIzs/s1600-h/Room_view_4.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096811996786565570" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruDgctpocI/AAAAAAAAA98/6Ok18obkIzs/s200/Room_view_4.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruDgstpodI/AAAAAAAAA-E/EdNdYTNm8b0/s1600-h/Room_view.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096812001081532882" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruDgstpodI/AAAAAAAAA-E/EdNdYTNm8b0/s200/Room_view.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>View from my hotel room / balcony</em></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruC9MtpoXI/AAAAAAAAA9U/LdbS26vQY4I/s1600-h/DSC08312.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096811391196176754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruC9MtpoXI/AAAAAAAAA9U/LdbS26vQY4I/s320/DSC08312.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruC9stpoYI/AAAAAAAAA9c/hI6Tmz7q7xc/s1600-h/DSC08315.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096811399786111362" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruC9stpoYI/AAAAAAAAA9c/hI6Tmz7q7xc/s320/DSC08315.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruC98tpoZI/AAAAAAAAA9k/qZFVK8HYlFU/s1600-h/Bird.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096811404081078674" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruC98tpoZI/AAAAAAAAA9k/qZFVK8HYlFU/s320/Bird.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruC-ctpoaI/AAAAAAAAA9s/H-bkMIvnisU/s1600-h/DSC08359.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096811412671013282" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruC-ctpoaI/AAAAAAAAA9s/H-bkMIvnisU/s320/DSC08359.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruC-stpobI/AAAAAAAAA90/LPamuI2aG5E/s1600-h/DSC08357.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096811416965980594" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruC-stpobI/AAAAAAAAA90/LPamuI2aG5E/s320/DSC08357.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div></div><div>The hotel had a casino, the <em>Banana</em> icecream and pizza/snacks bar, the <em>Picante</em> cocktail bar, the <em>Salsa</em> restaurant which served breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets, and the outdoor ocean-view <em>Sirena</em> restaurant, which is where I took my breakfast to enjoy the very soothing morning view of the beach and ocean with the occasional jogger in the waterline before heading to the rainforest (<a href="http://mimmisolsson.blogspot.com/2007/07/el-yunque-rainforest-puerto-rico.html">see separate blog post</a>). The hotel also had a very nice pool area, a fitness center with treadmills, a stair-master and weightlifting machines and handles – and believe it or not, I actually used the fitness center once during my vacation and it felt good, although it rendered me a terrible muscle ache in my calves for days afterwards.<br /><br />I was dancing ten nights in a row in Puerto Rico, of which eight of them were at the Puerto Rico Salsa Congress (<a href="http://mimmisolsson.blogspot.com/2007/08/puerto-rico-salsa-congress-2007.html">see separate blog post</a>).<br /><br />There were salsa bands playing in the <em>Picante</em> bar area on the ground floor of the <strong>Courtyard Marriott Hotel</strong> every afternoon and evening. This was a very pleasant distraction. When you came in from the pool or the beach you could always sip on a glass of white wine or a rum drink and chill before going to the room to get ready for the congress parties. Puerto Ricans are very family oriented, it seems. In the pool area you always saw them in groups with several children and the adults were always very loving and playful with their kids, being very proud of them, judging by their faces. In the Picante bar there were always older couples drinking cocktails and enjoying the bands playing. As soon as the band started playing a slow bolero, all the older couples were up on the dance floor, closing their eyes and holding each other tightly, many of them having to lean forward due to their potbellies to be able to put their cheeks against each other, and seemingly really enjoying the dance. Very endearing. </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruBfctpoWI/AAAAAAAAA9M/6oOrtRC8hps/s1600-h/Band_Picante_bar.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096809780583440738" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruBfctpoWI/AAAAAAAAA9M/6oOrtRC8hps/s200/Band_Picante_bar.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Salsa band playing in the Picante Bar<br /></em><br />The night after my arrival, I was dancing till 3 am in the Picante bar and made friends with Edgardo, a local engineer in his 50’s who has been to the congress for a number of years – I saw him every night there trying to work off his potbelly by dancing and sweating intensively for hours… ;-)<br /><br />On the Friday before the congress, there was a salsa band playing in the lobby of <strong>El San Juan Hotel</strong>. I had e-mailed the organizer and president of the Puerto Rico Salsa Congress, Elí Irizarry (his regular job is tour manager for El Gran Combo!), and learned that there would be a few dancers there. Elí was a very friendly and nice person, buying me drinks at the bar and introducing me to some early arriving dancers, including Brian Libier & Mechteld Sterk running the <a href="http://www.salsaddiction.nl/index1.htm"><em>Salsaddiction</em></a> dance school in Holland and competing in the World Salsa Open a few days later (although they actually were disqualified since the rules stated a time limit of each performance of 2 min and their routine was 2 min 44s…such a shame they hadn’t checked the rules – the audience gave them standing ovations after their performance!), and Patrick, another Dutch dancer from the dance group <em>Los Intocables</em> (see a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6f62_9QBuA&mode=related&search=">video on YouTube</a> of all of them). Saturday was the congress welcome party and Patrick’s birthday so he was in a good mood and we ended up partying to mostly reggae ton music (yuck) in the <em>Brava</em> nightclub at the hotel.<br /><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruA0MtpoVI/AAAAAAAAA9E/F3TzmU2hges/s1600-h/Eli_Irizarry.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096809037554098514" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruA0MtpoVI/AAAAAAAAA9E/F3TzmU2hges/s200/Eli_Irizarry.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em>Elí Irizarry<br /></em><br />Apart from the nightly salsa dancing I was very lazy in Puerto Rico. I slept late (when dancing till 3, 4 or 6 am every night for ten days you get a little worn out…), went to the pool and beach, read a book in the hammock and watched the sunset over the beach. My salsa friends Alberto and Laia from Stockholm came and joined me at the Courtyard a few times, enjoying the pool, beach and restaurant with ocean-view (see photos below).<br /><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruAhstpoTI/AAAAAAAAA80/Y21aSHWFMU8/s1600-h/Alberto_Mimmis.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096808719726518578" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruAhstpoTI/AAAAAAAAA80/Y21aSHWFMU8/s320/Alberto_Mimmis.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruAh8tpoUI/AAAAAAAAA88/TORuPBsvpP8/s1600-h/Laia_Alberto_Sirena_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096808724021485890" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RruAh8tpoUI/AAAAAAAAA88/TORuPBsvpP8/s320/Laia_Alberto_Sirena_2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Laia and Alberto at the Sirena restaurant</em></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt_6ctpoRI/AAAAAAAAA8k/WFbQPd3WGFQ/s1600-h/DSC08347.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096808045416653074" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt_6ctpoRI/AAAAAAAAA8k/WFbQPd3WGFQ/s320/DSC08347.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt_7MtpoSI/AAAAAAAAA8s/nRRLq_3s7qY/s1600-h/DSC08350.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096808058301554978" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt_7MtpoSI/AAAAAAAAA8s/nRRLq_3s7qY/s320/DSC08350.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Pool area at the Courtyard Marriott Isla Verde</em></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt_fMtpoQI/AAAAAAAAA8c/yiu_M1Ehyck/s1600-h/DSC08512.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096807577265217794" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt_fMtpoQI/AAAAAAAAA8c/yiu_M1Ehyck/s320/DSC08512.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt-8MtpoPI/AAAAAAAAA8U/hOSg75JevvI/s1600-h/Laia_Gustavo_reggae-butik.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096806975969796338" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt-8MtpoPI/AAAAAAAAA8U/hOSg75JevvI/s200/Laia_Gustavo_reggae-butik.JPG" border="0" /></a><strong>Visit to Old San Juan<br /></strong>One of the afternoons, I went with Alberto, Laia and a young dancer from Brazil, Gustavo, to Old San Juan. After a visit to a reggae music and paraphernalia store where Laia and Gustavo to the owner’s amusement started dancing while listening through a bunch of CD’s, we went to see <strong><em>fort San Cristóbal</em></strong>.</div><div><br />This was quite an interesting visit. Christopher Columbus (‘Cristóbal Colón’ in Spanish) discovered the island of Puerto Rico in 1493, and in the 50 years following, Spain built a vast and lucrative New World empire that helped it become the leading European nation at the time. The conquests of Mexico and Peru provided the Spanish treasury with dependable sources of great wealth in precious gems, gold and silver. Spain sent two armed ship convoys to the New World every year to assure safe delivery of these riches, and the Caribbean Sea was a vital passage-way. It was however also a dangerous maze of islands with few harbors of refuge, and Spain’s authority and territorial rights to the Caribbean were constantly challenged by pirates and the traditional European enemies (England, France and Holland). San Juan was established in 1521 as “the key to the Indies” at the most strategic location on the island of Puerto Rico, and Spain built massive fortifications in the San Juan harbor and other key harbors in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico to safeguard New World possessions and maintain its trade monopoly.<br /><br />There are two forts in Old San Juan, <em>Castillo de San Felipe del Morro</em> (“Castle of St. Philip of the Headland” – <a href="http://bigseaproductions.com/_PuertoRico/VideoPueElMorro.html">see video here>></a>) and <em>Castillo de San Cristóbal</em> (“Saint Christopher Castle”). Laia, Alberto, Gustavo and I entered the latter, built 1634-1678 and the largest fort built by the Spaniards on the island. These two massive stonework defenses are the oldest European-style fortifications within the territory of the United States. Unlike El Morro, whose main job was to prevent enemy ships from entering the harbor, San Cristóbal protected the land approaches to San Juan from the east. It’s an example of the “defense-in-depth” principle, meaning that each part of the fort is supported by one or more other parts. If a fort has a single barrier and the enemy breaks through it, its defense is broken. But if a fort has several barriers, each higher and stronger than the one in front of it, and the enemy breaks through one of them, the attacker can still be driven out by fire from the barriers behind it. Both of these bastions and batteries are impressive remnants of Spain’s historic power in the New World. Read more about the <a href="http://welcome.topuertorico.org/history.shtml">history of Puerto Rico here>><br /></a><br />You’ll find a selection of photos from Castillo de San Cristóbal below.<br /></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt9_8tpoOI/AAAAAAAAA8M/yJ_iceoWTS8/s1600-h/DSC08439.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096805940882677986" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt9_8tpoOI/AAAAAAAAA8M/yJ_iceoWTS8/s320/DSC08439.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Alberto</em><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt9a8tpoNI/AAAAAAAAA8E/OgI4RjlnJ8I/s1600-h/DSC08444.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096805305227518162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt9a8tpoNI/AAAAAAAAA8E/OgI4RjlnJ8I/s320/DSC08444.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>From left to right: The Spanish colonial flag (the “Burgundy Cross”, 1516-1556), the Puerto Rican and US flags</em></div><div><div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt9FstpoMI/AAAAAAAAA78/Zr8n3aT4V9k/s1600-h/DSC08474.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096804940155297986" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt9FstpoMI/AAAAAAAAA78/Zr8n3aT4V9k/s320/DSC08474.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Gustavo & Alberto</em><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt8vstpoKI/AAAAAAAAA7s/KklAEA7h9Z8/s1600-h/DSC08463.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096804562198175906" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt8vstpoKI/AAAAAAAAA7s/KklAEA7h9Z8/s320/DSC08463.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt8wMtpoLI/AAAAAAAAA70/LlSTLxctYlw/s1600-h/DSC08473.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096804570788110514" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt8wMtpoLI/AAAAAAAAA70/LlSTLxctYlw/s320/DSC08473.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Me, Gustavo and Laia on the bastion wall</em></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt8JctpoII/AAAAAAAAA7c/l6pETRNy9OY/s1600-h/DSC08459.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096803905068179586" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt8JctpoII/AAAAAAAAA7c/l6pETRNy9OY/s320/DSC08459.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt8JstpoJI/AAAAAAAAA7k/qOFEIzA9_NY/s1600-h/DSC08460.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096803909363146898" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt8JstpoJI/AAAAAAAAA7k/qOFEIzA9_NY/s320/DSC08460.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Gustavo, Alberto and Laia in dungeon and catacomb</em></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt7uctpoHI/AAAAAAAAA7U/FcEcIuRhWAY/s1600-h/DSC08454.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096803441211711602" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt7uctpoHI/AAAAAAAAA7U/FcEcIuRhWAY/s320/DSC08454.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Iguana lizard</em><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt7OMtpoFI/AAAAAAAAA7E/zuL-j858_CM/s1600-h/DSC08483.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096802887160930386" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt7OMtpoFI/AAAAAAAAA7E/zuL-j858_CM/s320/DSC08483.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt7PstpoGI/AAAAAAAAA7M/6flF4FE1-m8/s1600-h/DSC08485.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096802912930734178" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt7PstpoGI/AAAAAAAAA7M/6flF4FE1-m8/s320/DSC08485.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><div></div><br /><div>The two forts San Cristóbal and El Morro lie within a mile of each other with a strong city wall in between. We took a walk along the wall and the scenery was beautiful with ocean waves hitting the cliffs below and some houses built on the outside of the city wall. San Juan’s soldiers and settlers once grew food on small plots inside the great walls. Plátanos (plantains), a banana from Africa, and West Indian crops such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, yucca, malanga and yautia supplemented regular military rations. These fruits and root fruits are common still today in Puerto Rico and my personal favorite was mashed yucca filled with shrimps and a Puerto Rican red sauce with lots of garlic which I was served at <em>Edith Café</em> in Carolina.<br /><br />Most of Spain’s New World colonies revolted and gained independence during the 19th century and by the 1890’s only Cuba and Puerto Rico remained part of the once so powerful Spanish empire in the Americas. Spain lost Puerto Rico to American troops in the Spanish-American war by the end of the 19th century, as already mentioned in my <a href="http://mimmisolsson.blogspot.com/2007/07/el-yunque-rainforest-puerto-rico.html">blog post from the trip to the rainforest</a>.<br /><br />Colorful colonial style buildings with overhanging balconies pave the cobblestone streets in Old San Juan. The town is very picturesque with inner patios, courtyards, and small town plazas. We hit a Puma store with discounted prices and I bought a cool new bag. The visit to Old San Juan was ended with a cold <em>Medalla Light</em> beer at an outdoor bar before we headed back to Isla Verde and El San Juan Hotel to watch salsa dance performances.</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt6WMtpoBI/AAAAAAAAA6k/7Nq9kDB6UPU/s1600-h/DSC08423.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096801925088256018" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt6WMtpoBI/AAAAAAAAA6k/7Nq9kDB6UPU/s320/DSC08423.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt6WstpoCI/AAAAAAAAA6s/yePn95iPCks/s1600-h/DSC08426.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096801933678190626" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt6WstpoCI/AAAAAAAAA6s/yePn95iPCks/s320/DSC08426.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Streets of Old San Juan<br /></em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt6W8tpoDI/AAAAAAAAA60/P-s-z27lZ1w/s1600-h/DSC08494.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096801937973157938" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt6W8tpoDI/AAAAAAAAA60/P-s-z27lZ1w/s320/DSC08494.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt6X8tpoEI/AAAAAAAAA68/rDsui0cmyBU/s1600-h/DSC08490.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096801955153027138" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt6X8tpoEI/AAAAAAAAA68/rDsui0cmyBU/s320/DSC08490.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Who wouldn’t want to play basketball in this kind of environment with the Atlantic Ocean and palm trees on one side and the medieval city walls of Old San Juan on the other?!</em></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt5p8tpoAI/AAAAAAAAA6c/UJoGdHU4gBc/s1600-h/DSC08497.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096801164879044610" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rrt5p8tpoAI/AAAAAAAAA6c/UJoGdHU4gBc/s320/DSC08497.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Plaza</em></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-58779759413163245512007-07-20T18:25:00.000-07:002007-07-21T08:58:56.455-07:00El Yunque rainforest – Puerto RicoI am now in Puerto Rico for the first time and will be spending in total 11 days here. I must say that I am already enjoying the Caribbean life immensely after only two days. I am staying at a hotel on the beach in the <em>Isla Verde</em> area in a town called <strong>Carolina</strong>, just outside the capital <em>San Juan</em> along the northeast coast, see map below (more about the hotel, beach and other casual activities some other day).<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFpmstpn-I/AAAAAAAAA6M/CK04M4kFj-s/s1600-h/puerto_rico_map.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089465167463948258" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFpmstpn-I/AAAAAAAAA6M/CK04M4kFj-s/s320/puerto_rico_map.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I took a guided tour with <em>Rico Sun Tours</em> to <strong>El Yunque rainforest</strong> today. Our tour guide and bus driver for the day was an energetic and friendly fellow named Josué (not sure about the spelling but it wasn’t the regular José). That guy was a living encyclopedia! He was an excellent story-teller; knowledgeable about everything from history to social studies and culture to political science – all while being charming and entertaining. I learned a lot from him about Puerto Rico and am very pleased that I decided to take this tour. It makes a world of difference for the experiencing and appreciation of a new place and culture when you know a little of its past and present. If I could only remember one tenth of what he told us, it would make a very interesting summary of the island’s history, culture, population and sauna.<br /><br />Anyhow, here’s what I remember:<br /><br />There are three ethnic origins of the people of Puerto Rico: the native Taíno Indians, Spanish conquistadors and African slaves. Today there are 4 million people living in Puerto Rico and the first language is Spanish. The biggest populations of Puerto Ricans outside of Puerto Rico reside in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.<br /><br />Puerto Rico has belonged to the US with ‘commonwealth status’ for over a hundred years, and has contributed to the US military armed forces, fighting to defend democracy together with US troops since the First World War. After the Spanish-American War in 1898 the island passed to the United States, and in 1903 the US officially proclaimed the <em>Luquillo Forest Reserve</em> which is where we were headed. Timber, bananas, subsistence crops and coffee were once harvested on the forest's lower parts. An 1899 hurricane prompted abandonment of some farms in this area. Subsequently, the Forest Service replanted trees and lands were allowed to return to rainforest. Today, there are only a few houses left in the National Forest and the people living in them have to abide by the Forest Reserve’s strict guidelines in order to preserve the rainforest and its wildlife.<br /><br />Although Puerto Rico is governed by US federal laws and is an important port and point of trade with Latin America for the US, it is not an own state. Puerto Ricans are not allowed to vote in the Presidential elections. They have to move to any of the other 50 states first and register to vote in order to participate. In order to become the 51st state of the union, the majority of the Puerto Ricans would have to vote yes in a referendum, and the rest of the states in the union accept to let them in. Since Puerto Rico is mainly Democratic, the Republicans would not be too keen on letting in a new state where they’d basically always lose Presidential campaigns in that state. Puerto Rico is also the second most densely populated island in the world (only Singapore has more people per square mile) and if I understood what Josué said correctly, this would mean that they therefore would get more votes / influence over US politics and legislation than other (scarcely populated with lots of land) states that have been part of the union since its start, e.g. Wyoming, which would probably not be seen very favorably by those states.<br /><br />On the other hand it’s unlikely that Puerto Rico would be ‘allowed’ to become an independent, sovereign state. USA would then risk losing its most important window to South America to Venezuela or Brazil. Puerto Rico has enjoyed a lot of positive trade effects and boosted economy by being part of the US commonwealth, so it’s perhaps not surprising that around 65% of the Puerto Ricans have claimed in recent surveys that they would vote for becoming a new state of the union. On the other hand, when push comes to shove, Puerto Ricans are very protective of their national heritage and one of their biggest national “sports”, cock fighting – which is apparently an 800 billion dollar per year industry(!) – recently became illegal in the last remaining state of the US, Louisiana, which is phasing this old tradition out by the end of this year. Therefore, Josué believed that the final say on the future state of Puerto Rico would not be determined any time soon.<br /><br />The three main industries in Puerto Rico are pharmaceuticals, rum and tourism. In fact, Puerto Rico is famous for its premium rum (I can’t complain about the Mojitos I’ve had so far) and the quality is ensured by all rum being stored at least a year before it’s bottled and sold. There are 11 brands of rum; the <em>Bacardi Rum</em> is the no 1 brand in the world but not in Puerto Rico – here the <em>Don Q</em> (named after Don Quixote) is the no 1.<br /><br />El Yunque rainforest was a fantastic experience. It was very humid and felt very hot and I would guess it was around 35° Celsius. After watching a 15 min film at the Visitor’s Center in the Luquillo Forest Reserve and checking out their exhibition to learn a little about different plants and animals in the rainforest, we stopped at the <strong>Yokahu Tower</strong>, an observation point some 480 m above the sea where you saw the whole east coast of Puerto Rico, including <em>Luquillo Beach</em> – see photos below, although they may not give justice to the colors in the rainforest. Unfortunately I was out of luck with my cameras today (or perhaps badly prepared is more correct) – first, I discovered that my analog system camera was out of battery before I had even taken one single photo (it’s been a while since I used it, since it’s so convenient to carry a small digital camera these days), then I ran out of batteries in my digital camera, so I was left with my Sony Ericsson K810 Cyber-shot phone for the entire rainforest excursion...(not too bad considering).<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFob8tpn8I/AAAAAAAAA58/4IyWHN1WrHw/s1600-h/DSC00102.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089463883268726722" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFob8tpn8I/AAAAAAAAA58/4IyWHN1WrHw/s320/DSC00102.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFocMtpn9I/AAAAAAAAA6E/x-Eh4WWrOVQ/s1600-h/DSC00108.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089463887563694034" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFocMtpn9I/AAAAAAAAA6E/x-Eh4WWrOVQ/s320/DSC00108.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Yokahu Tower</em><br /><br />We walked along paved trails in the rainforest and saw breadfruit, banana plants with beautiful flowers, thick vegetation of palm trees and bushes, some incredibly large trees, bamboo, tiny lizards (thankfully no snakes as far as I could see!), creeks and waterfalls. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFnyMtpn7I/AAAAAAAAA50/QL5w7IY2vow/s1600-h/PuertoRicanParrot_sign.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089463166009188274" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFnyMtpn7I/AAAAAAAAA50/QL5w7IY2vow/s200/PuertoRicanParrot_sign.jpg" border="0" /></a>There were lots of sounds – birds and rustle in the underbrush – and I wished we could have seen some parrots but apparently the green <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rican_Amazon">Puerto Rican Amazon Parrot</a></em> only lives on the higher altitudes and have long been an endangered species although it is now slowly picking up in numbers thanks to the relentless work of the Caribbean National Forest Reserve. There are however 105 species of <em>Coqui</em> (frogs famous for their ‘coqui, coqui’ sound at night, soothing to most Puerto Ricans but a nuisance to some other nationalities who are not used to them), of which 75 are represented in El Yunque rainforest.<br /><br /><div><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFmvstpn3I/AAAAAAAAA5U/pVcM_a8ItjE/s1600-h/DSC08332.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089462023547887474" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFmvstpn3I/AAAAAAAAA5U/pVcM_a8ItjE/s320/DSC08332.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFmv8tpn4I/AAAAAAAAA5c/bX5b1DdF5qA/s1600-h/DSC08343.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089462027842854786" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFmv8tpn4I/AAAAAAAAA5c/bX5b1DdF5qA/s320/DSC08343.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFmwMtpn5I/AAAAAAAAA5k/schLliobFCE/s1600-h/DSC08337.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089462032137822098" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFmwMtpn5I/AAAAAAAAA5k/schLliobFCE/s320/DSC08337.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFmwctpn6I/AAAAAAAAA5s/HIVqvnz8Tt8/s1600-h/DSC08334.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089462036432789410" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFmwctpn6I/AAAAAAAAA5s/HIVqvnz8Tt8/s320/DSC08334.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFlmctpn2I/AAAAAAAAA5M/rRF_UyxZGXQ/s1600-h/Breadfruit.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089460765122469730" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFlmctpn2I/AAAAAAAAA5M/rRF_UyxZGXQ/s320/Breadfruit.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Breadfruit</em><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFlTMtpn1I/AAAAAAAAA5E/uKCudFgYd1Y/s1600-h/DSC08339.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089460434409987922" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFlTMtpn1I/AAAAAAAAA5E/uKCudFgYd1Y/s320/DSC08339.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><em>Banana plant with a flower at the end of the stalk</em></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFkgMtpnvI/AAAAAAAAA4U/4Zc4yTXku1Q/s1600-h/DSC08326.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089459558236659442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFkgMtpnvI/AAAAAAAAA4U/4Zc4yTXku1Q/s320/DSC08326.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFkgctpnwI/AAAAAAAAA4c/WQAi2x9mpGw/s1600-h/DSC00012.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089459562531626754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFkgctpnwI/AAAAAAAAA4c/WQAi2x9mpGw/s320/DSC00012.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFkg8tpnxI/AAAAAAAAA4k/k_xieTn4pd4/s1600-h/DSC00016.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089459571121561362" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFkg8tpnxI/AAAAAAAAA4k/k_xieTn4pd4/s320/DSC00016.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFkhctpnyI/AAAAAAAAA4s/YjhYnFKdvIQ/s1600-h/DSC00042.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089459579711495970" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFkhctpnyI/AAAAAAAAA4s/YjhYnFKdvIQ/s320/DSC00042.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFkhstpnzI/AAAAAAAAA40/XuzlbcFmnfs/s1600-h/DSC00015.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089459584006463282" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFkhstpnzI/AAAAAAAAA40/XuzlbcFmnfs/s320/DSC00015.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFinMtpnqI/AAAAAAAAA3s/A8CBlFIKIsQ/s1600-h/DSC00080.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089457479472488098" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFinMtpnqI/AAAAAAAAA3s/A8CBlFIKIsQ/s320/DSC00080.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFinctpnrI/AAAAAAAAA30/KnfrtED1n0U/s1600-h/DSC00073.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089457483767455410" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFinctpnrI/AAAAAAAAA30/KnfrtED1n0U/s320/DSC00073.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFin8tpnsI/AAAAAAAAA38/gK9w9QX86Kg/s1600-h/DSC00051.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089457492357390018" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFin8tpnsI/AAAAAAAAA38/gK9w9QX86Kg/s320/DSC00051.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFioMtpntI/AAAAAAAAA4E/ffm1HxXt1RI/s1600-h/DSC00056.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089457496652357330" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFioMtpntI/AAAAAAAAA4E/ffm1HxXt1RI/s320/DSC00056.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFioctpnuI/AAAAAAAAA4M/ostgDOK728Q/s1600-h/DSC00057.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089457500947324642" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFioctpnuI/AAAAAAAAA4M/ostgDOK728Q/s320/DSC00057.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Condensed water in the moss on a tree<br /></em><br /><strong>La Mina waterfall</strong> was a beautiful spot with a wooden bridge after about 20-30 min walk along a forest trail. Here people ‘cooled off’ in the warm water under the falls and played with their kids in the river.</div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFhS8tpnoI/AAAAAAAAA3c/PoNY9qULqP8/s1600-h/DSC00027.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089456032068509314" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFhS8tpnoI/AAAAAAAAA3c/PoNY9qULqP8/s200/DSC00027.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFhTctpnpI/AAAAAAAAA3k/kCU9XzBlnCg/s1600-h/DSC00033.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5089456040658443922" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RqFhTctpnpI/AAAAAAAAA3k/kCU9XzBlnCg/s200/DSC00033.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>La Mina falls<br /></em><br />On our way back with the tour bus to Carolina we passed a couple of towns along the coast, the biggest one being <em>Luiza</em> with a typical town center with a Catholic church and directly in front of it a town square and next to it the City Hall. The coastal towns predominantly have black population with descendants from African slaves brought to Puerto Rico when the indigenous population of Taíno Indians had diminished and the Spanish colonizing the islands needed more labor. The biggest river in Puerto Rico is the <em>Río Grande de Luiza</em>, which we crossed and saw the river mouth in the Atlantic Ocean.<br /><br />We also passed another little village just outside Carolina called <em>Piñones</em> with lots of little simple restaurants along the road and live music at night. I will perhaps go back there one evening, enjoy the local beer, <em>Medalla Light</em>, and see what the locals are up to. By the looks of it, they seem to enjoy horse race betting even if on a turn-wheel with miniature horses (I saw several of them within a mile of each other, with locals gathered around)…</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-59116524882686185792007-07-17T12:00:00.000-07:002007-08-08T07:32:52.592-07:00Hamburg Salsa Congress 2007<div>This past weekend I have been in Germany for the <a href="http://www.salsafestival-hamburg.de/salsaFest/engl/germanframes_e.html"><strong>5th international salsa festival in Hamburg</strong></a>. I have been at this congress before, but it was a couple of years ago. I have now started a 4-week summer vacation and what can be a better start of your holidays than four nights of salsa dancing?!<br /><br />I stayed at a cheap Etap Accor hotel in the <em>St Pauli</em> area the first night and went to a <strong>pre-festival party</strong> on Thursday night. It was a fun party in a club called <strong>La Macumba</strong>. Some of my salsa friends from Stockholm were there, including Christoffer, Arram, Lalla and a few others. I danced with the famous DJ from New York, Henry Knowles, and the producer of the major part of all L.A. style salsa congresses in the world, Albert Torres. Juan Matos, a fabulous dancer from New York, known for his slick moves and incredible charisma on stage, was standing dancing and singing to himself in a corner so I decided to be daring and invite him to dance - I was actually rather surprised that he accepted. He was very friendly and it was a very pleasant dance experience. </div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrnTXMtpn_I/AAAAAAAAA6U/nVqIpc2n7Tw/s1600-h/Mimmis_Lalla_LaMacumba.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5096336848849575922" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RrnTXMtpn_I/AAAAAAAAA6U/nVqIpc2n7Tw/s320/Mimmis_Lalla_LaMacumba.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><em>Lalla and me at La Macumba</em></div><div><br />On Friday I changed hotel to Radisson SAS at <strong>Congress-Centrum </strong>(next to the central Dammtor train station), where the weekend salsa congress was hosted. A salsa friend of mine from Stockholm, Elena, performed for the first time with her new partner from Toronto, Mark Anthony - it’s not the famous singer, as you can probably tell from the spelling! They were the opening number at the Friday congress party at the Congress-Centrum and did a great job with an On2 show.<br /><br />Since I had been up dancing till 4am the night before, my feet were already hurting so the first part of Friday night was kind of mellow for me until I got an energy boost from dancing with a very talented French guy. I had a similar experience the rest of the nights, with a part in the middle where I ran out of energy and then all of a sudden the mood and energy levels picked up the last two hours from 3 or 4am…<br /><br />I had a great weekend dancing with many “congress friends” from different countries, among others Marlon, Bernard and Sonder from Holland; Ludovic, Didier and Juan from France; Tony, Guy, Floyd and Sean from London – always a pleasure dancing with all of them! I was also invited to dance by Cesar Sanchez from <a href="http://www.latindance-education.de/">Latin Dance Education</a> in Hamburg, which was a lot of fun. It turned out that there were quite many people from Stockholm attending this congress - apart from the ones already mentioned, I was happy to run into Miriam from <em>Stockholm Salsa Dance</em>, Rafael, Jose, Carina and Johan - very nice and friendly people all of them. The parties closed at 5am, but the last night it didn’t finish until about 6am.<br /><br />German TV really has some silly shows. As I was getting ready for Saturday night’s party, I had channel 1 (<a href="http://www.daserste.de/">http://www.daserste.de/</a>) on in the background. They broadcasted some sort of family entertainment, I presume, with what I would describe as videos with “oompa, oompa music” and German traditional music à la Bier Stube. It wouldn’t have been so bad, I guess, if they hadn’t insisted on showing some sort of “music videos” as well with silly dancing and pretending to play instruments in an overly cheerful manner in a country environment. It was a little surprising that the next program was one of the <em>Beck</em> programs. Beck is a character in a Swedish detective novel series by Sjöwall/Walöö, which has been made into a TV series and several movies with Swedish actors Peter Haber and Mikael Persbrandt. Of course the program was dubbed into German; I don’t know how the Germans, Italians, French and Spaniards learn English when they never actually hear it…<br /><br />Saturday night a big Cuban band called <em>Mercado Negro</em> from Switzerland played. On Sunday night, my friends Anna and Laia in <em>Mambo Sisters</em> from Stockholm performed their very nice mambo routine in white dresses and long evening gown gloves. During the social dancing I saw an amazing 7-year-old girl dance with one of the adult, male performers and was astonished that she was already way more advanced than most of the rest of us! It’s besides the point that she should probably have been home in bed instead of spending late nights in a loud environment at a salsa congress.</div><div> </div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp1iFcurQrI/AAAAAAAAA3U/W7VyB1-0Efk/s1600-h/Guy_Mimmis_Floyd.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088330999749362354" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp1iFcurQrI/AAAAAAAAA3U/W7VyB1-0Efk/s200/Guy_Mimmis_Floyd.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Me with Guy & Floyd, two dancers from London – as you can see salsa dancing at congresses is a sweaty experience!</em><br /><br /><em>(Click pictures to view them enlarged)</em><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp1XqMurQqI/AAAAAAAAA3M/MuYRoHykYWE/s1600-h/Elena_Laia.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088319536481649314" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp1XqMurQqI/AAAAAAAAA3M/MuYRoHykYWE/s200/Elena_Laia.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Elena and Laia from Stockholm</em></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp1H28urQpI/AAAAAAAAA3E/3Bd2_JQj_ms/s1600-h/DSC08303.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088302163338936978" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp1H28urQpI/AAAAAAAAA3E/3Bd2_JQj_ms/s320/DSC08303.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp1FAMurQoI/AAAAAAAAA28/OXm353KBiwg/s1600-h/DSC08304.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088299023717843586" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp1FAMurQoI/AAAAAAAAA28/OXm353KBiwg/s320/DSC08304.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>7-year-old girl dancing with one of the male performers<br /></em><br />On Saturday afternoon I walked from the hotel to <em>Gänsemarkt</em> and went shopping along <em>Gerhofstrasse</em> and <strong>Jungfernstieg</strong> followed by enjoying the sunset over <strong>lake Alster</strong> (a branch of the river Elba) with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa (my favorite wine country). The restaurant on the lake had delicious lasagna, a friendly atmosphere and decent prices. It’s been a hectic first half year and I so enjoyed being off and not having any obligations at all. A handsome male friend of mine accompanied me to the same place for lunch on Sunday afternoon. It had become incredibly hot, 30-35°C and quite humid. Apart from these short strolls, I haven’t seen much of Hamburg, I’m afraid.<br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp07scurQmI/AAAAAAAAA2s/U0ksf_7-W2o/s1600-h/Mimmis_Binnenalster.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088288788810777186" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp07scurQmI/AAAAAAAAA2s/U0ksf_7-W2o/s200/Mimmis_Binnenalster.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp07ssurQnI/AAAAAAAAA20/gfua2YOueiQ/s1600-h/Tony_2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088288793105744498" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp07ssurQnI/AAAAAAAAA20/gfua2YOueiQ/s200/Tony_2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><em>Binnenalster - Left: me. Right: Tony</em></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp01t8urQkI/AAAAAAAAA2c/VlgdfE0hADE/s1600-h/Tony_Anna.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088282217510814274" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp01t8urQkI/AAAAAAAAA2c/VlgdfE0hADE/s320/Tony_Anna.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Tony and Anna at McDonald’s</em> </div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp05M8urQlI/AAAAAAAAA2k/ME56ArNUwuA/s1600-h/Dammtor_bahnhof.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088286048621642322" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp05M8urQlI/AAAAAAAAA2k/ME56ArNUwuA/s200/Dammtor_bahnhof.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp0Z0curQjI/AAAAAAAAA2U/a9VueFUBJBg/s1600-h/DSC08254.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088251542854386226" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/Rp0Z0curQjI/AAAAAAAAA2U/a9VueFUBJBg/s200/DSC08254.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>View from my Radisson SAS hotel room, overlooking Dammtor train station, a park and the city</em></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-62103369827269673532007-07-11T20:07:00.001-07:002007-07-11T21:44:35.380-07:00Sailing Hobycat in the Stockholm archipelagoNormally I only blog about my travels, but also Stockholm can offer some treats. This is just so cool that I have to share it with those of my friends who may be interested…<br /><br />I am fortunate to have some friends who sail. Two of my salsa friends Anders and Karim are enthusiastic sailors and frequently take off into the Stockholm archipelago. One weekend not long ago I was offered by Anders to accompany him and Karim on Anders’ Hobycat (a Catamaran) for a few hours’ intensive sailing on <em>Askrikefjärden</em> (the Askrike Bay) close to the peninsula <em>Lidingö</em> east of Stockholm.<br /><br />It was fantastic! See photos below (the ones of me are taken by Anders). It was wet and cold but went fast! Very liberating and like balm for a stressed soul. Anders has promised me to hang in the harness next time – I’m going to hold him to it! :-)<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWxE8urQiI/AAAAAAAAA2M/ZMQN3wlsev4/s1600-h/Riggning.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086166052764336674" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWxE8urQiI/AAAAAAAAA2M/ZMQN3wlsev4/s200/Riggning.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWveMurQhI/AAAAAAAAA2E/VoG-CWDRQVU/s1600-h/Anders.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086164287532778002" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWveMurQhI/AAAAAAAAA2E/VoG-CWDRQVU/s200/Anders.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWp6surQgI/AAAAAAAAA18/3dRqokbtpfA/s1600-h/Karim_Anders.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086158180089283074" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWp6surQgI/AAAAAAAAA18/3dRqokbtpfA/s320/Karim_Anders.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Karim and Anders</em></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWnb8urQeI/AAAAAAAAA1s/mjJRPKw0oso/s1600-h/Mimmis.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086155452785050082" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWnb8urQeI/AAAAAAAAA1s/mjJRPKw0oso/s320/Mimmis.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWnccurQfI/AAAAAAAAA10/bOSaUrWcwIo/s1600-h/Mimmis_3.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086155461374984690" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWnccurQfI/AAAAAAAAA10/bOSaUrWcwIo/s320/Mimmis_3.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-23247686417463887522007-07-11T18:21:00.000-07:002007-08-09T14:39:27.235-07:00Quick trip to The Big AppleA few weeks ago, I went to New York for 3.5 days again. I had some meetings with my PR agency, a couple of press interviews (read an <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2007/07/sony-ericsson-open-development.html">interview with Fast Company here</a>) and then a whole-day press event together with a couple of US colleagues. The PR agency also took me out to dinner at Asia de Cuba, a fabulous and trendy restaurant with a fusion of Asian-Cuban cuisine. As I walked in they played salsa music and kept doing so the whole time we were there, so I felt right at home. :-)<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWVn8urQdI/AAAAAAAAA1k/IgO-z7HOYlg/s1600-h/View_FastCompany_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086135867734180306" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWVn8urQdI/AAAAAAAAA1k/IgO-z7HOYlg/s200/View_FastCompany_2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>View over Lower West Side from one of my press interviews – Ground Zero where the Twin Towers once stood are to the bottom left of the picture</em><br /><br />On this June trip, I was staying at the Sheraton Manhattan near <strong>Times Square</strong> with a short walking distance to my PR agency. I flew in already during the weekend so I could meet some friends and go salsa dancing. New York is fabulous for that!<br /><br />I went to <strong>Greenwich Village</strong> – usually shortened to “the Village” by New Yorkers – to have dinner with my Swedish friend Vinay who has moved to New York and one of my On2 salsa friends, Marlon. We met for a drink at <em>Sushi Samba</em> on 7th Avenue and Bleeker Street. This was a hip restaurant with a sushi kitchen in the middle where everyone can see, a trendy bar with good cocktails being served and modern music coming out of the speakers. It was very crowded and the waiting line for a table was over an hour so we gave up and walked around in the West Village until we found a good Italian restaurant called <a href="http://www.morandiny.com/"><em>Morandi</em> </a>who could seat us after some wine and a starter at the bar. The food was excellent, as was the wine and service. This was a very good pick in a quiet area on Charles Street / Waverly Place, away from all the traffic on the bigger avenues. The West Village felt like the narrow streets in some Southern European town, not like the hectic Manhattan. New York is full of surprises.<br /><br />Vinay was tired after many travels so I accompanied Marlon to someone’s birthday party at the dance studio where he teaches mambo and ballroom dances. There was an interesting mix of people, mostly dancers of various styles.<br /><br />I had Sunday brunch with Vinay. We walked up on 7th Avenue to <strong>Columbus Circle</strong> and Central Park West and found a restaurant that served pancakes and some sort of wine cooler which was a mix of melon (or was it orange? I can’t remember anymore) and Champagne, apparently very popular among New Yorkers this summer.</div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWS6curQbI/AAAAAAAAA1U/yjB6F45n6-8/s1600-h/7th+Ave_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086132887026876850" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWS6curQbI/AAAAAAAAA1U/yjB6F45n6-8/s200/7th+Ave_2.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWS7MurQcI/AAAAAAAAA1c/1eThGS5pVDM/s1600-h/7th+Ave.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086132899911778754" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWS7MurQcI/AAAAAAAAA1c/1eThGS5pVDM/s200/7th+Ave.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div><em>7th Avenue</em></div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWLyRk_plI/AAAAAAAAA08/gS_g1lTsZrA/s1600-h/DSC00012.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086125050013132370" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWLyRk_plI/AAAAAAAAA08/gS_g1lTsZrA/s200/DSC00012.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Monument at Columbus Circle<br /></em><br />Vinay and I went for a walk in <strong>Central Park</strong> in the afternoon. It was a hot summer’s day with sunny weather and lots of activity in the park. First, we sat down to watch a couple of Sunday afternoon baseball games. I am not familiar with all the rules but was intrigued by the passion that all the locals poured into this game. Baseball is such a natural part of regular Americans’ life but we don’t have this sport in Sweden other than among some elitist sportsmen who see it as a more advanced form of the Swedish “<em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brännboll">brännboll</a></em>”.</div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWJtBk_pkI/AAAAAAAAA00/McpuNVv1g5Q/s1600-h/Baseball.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086122760795563586" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWJtBk_pkI/AAAAAAAAA00/McpuNVv1g5Q/s320/Baseball.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWHCJN1HvI/AAAAAAAAA0s/IgU3Cx34zCo/s1600-h/Baseball_2.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086119825088257778" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWHCJN1HvI/AAAAAAAAA0s/IgU3Cx34zCo/s320/Baseball_2.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Baseball in Central Park</em><br /><br />We went for a stroll in the park, saw the regular horses and carriages with tourists (one of these days I’m going to take a ride myself; it seems like a comfortable way of exploring central New York and the vast Central Park) and passed beach volleyball courts, various drummers and jugglers drawing attention from the Sunday strollers. We went to see the Central Park Dance Skaters, meaning people on rollerblades dancing with their own DJ spinning old-school disco tunes. This was an interesting phenomenon. I suppose that some people might compare it with salsa fanatics like me who attend Sunday salsa socials and get totally absorbed by the music, rhythms and sweat like pigs. Some of these dance skaters have made their own “disco costumes” and show off their dance moves with a series of skating routines, spins and even couples’ dancing. Quite fun to watch – until you get sick and tired of the same beat / tempo of the music and have to move on to greener pastures.</div><br /><div></div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWPx8urQaI/AAAAAAAAA1M/hUl6WG5_NF0/s1600-h/Central_Park.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086129442463105442" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWPx8urQaI/AAAAAAAAA1M/hUl6WG5_NF0/s320/Central_Park.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Central Park<br /></em></div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWN7Ijz69I/AAAAAAAAA1E/t460ofO8USw/s1600-h/Horse_carriage.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086127401234328530" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpWN7Ijz69I/AAAAAAAAA1E/t460ofO8USw/s320/Horse_carriage.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div><div>Every second Sunday evening, there is <strong>Jimmy Anton’s salsa social</strong> at the Manhattan Dance Studio. I was lucky to be in the city on the right week, because this is one of the best salsa nights you can get in New York City. I had barely walked in and put on my dance shoes when I was lucky to be invited to dance by <a href="http://www.angelortiz.com/">Angel Ortiz</a> from <em><a href="http://www.steppingoutstudios.com/">Stepping Out Studios</a></em>. He’s a well-known international instructor, on occasion arranging events where Eddie Torres, the king of mambo from <em><a href="http://www.eddietorres.com/">Latin Dance Studio</a></em>, gives classes. I had a fabulous night with many great dances. The tempo (and temperature) is high at Jimmy Anton’s and you need to drink lots of water to be able to keep up the energy. I am already looking forward to next time in New York. But I suspect I will meet at least some of the same dancers at this summer’s salsa congresses, which some of my next blogs are likely to cover. So stay tuned.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2530727884387560541.post-79419654798018450762007-07-09T16:38:00.000-07:002007-07-11T19:58:40.830-07:00Beihai Park – Classical imperial garden with 1000-year-old historyAfter my visit to the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park, I stopped for a few minutes to watch some locals play some kind of old Chinese board game. I then continued to China’s oldest and most impressive classical imperial garden, <strong><em><a href="http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/beijing/beihai.htm">Beihai Park</a></em></strong>. As you walk between the parks, there are a number of bicycle taxis (I would say “rickshaws” but I’m sure the Chinese have their own word for it) offering you a sightseeing tour in the old parts of Beijing located to the east/north of Beihai Park. It was however already getting late in the day for me, so I prioritized taking a stroll in Beihai Park and digest all that I had seen at Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRDjJN1HtI/AAAAAAAAA0c/-s78FV_ucWk/s1600-h/DSC07939.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085764150256541394" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRDjJN1HtI/AAAAAAAAA0c/-s78FV_ucWk/s200/DSC07939.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRDjpN1HuI/AAAAAAAAA0k/I6CdxkRRN84/s1600-h/DSC07941.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085764158846476002" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRDjpN1HuI/AAAAAAAAA0k/I6CdxkRRN84/s200/DSC07941.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Street area between Jingshan and Beihai Parks</em><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRC1JN1HrI/AAAAAAAAA0M/-f57x9--NJ4/s1600-h/DSC07936.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085763359982558898" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRC1JN1HrI/AAAAAAAAA0M/-f57x9--NJ4/s200/DSC07936.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRC1pN1HsI/AAAAAAAAA0U/BpcyR4L9zKo/s1600-h/DSC07938.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085763368572493506" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRC1pN1HsI/AAAAAAAAA0U/BpcyR4L9zKo/s200/DSC07938.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Men hanging around and playing a Chinese board game<br /></em><br />Beihai Park is located west of Jingshan Park and has a history of nearly 1000 years. It has existed throughout the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Beihai was first built in 938 A.D. during the Emperor Huitong of Liao Dynasty and in the 12th century improved into an imperial summer palace. In the second half of the 13th century, Kublai Kahn – a name recognized by most Westerners thanks to the Marco Polo travels – took Beihai as its center to establish the capital of the Yuan Dynasty in Beijing. Beihai means “the north sea” in Chinese and the park actually contains a large, artificial lake with <strong><em>Qionghua Island</em></strong> in the center of it. In1267, Kublai Khan had an imperial city called Dadu built around the Qionghua Island. He called the island <strong><em>Longevity Hill</em></strong>, and the lake around it <strong><em>Taiyechi</em></strong>.<br /><br />The park is huge and there are many walkways through it. There’s a path next to the water around the whole lake, so I strolled around it for a while, passing tourist boats for rental and some restaurant or teahouse overlooking the lake. It was getting windy and cloudy and the big lake really behaved like the North Sea, with big waves rippling the surface and making the tiny, colorful tourist dinghies pull their mooring ropes.<br /><br />By the northern shore of Qiong Island, at the foot of Longevity Hill, there is a palace-like, lake-side building with a curved walkway “corridor” along the waterfront with colorful pillars, beautiful wall paintings and red lanterns lighting up the evening stroll.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpQ-MpN1HcI/AAAAAAAAAyU/eIQlw-4VEhM/s1600-h/DSC08016.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085758266151345602" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpQ-MpN1HcI/AAAAAAAAAyU/eIQlw-4VEhM/s320/DSC08016.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpQ-M5N1HdI/AAAAAAAAAyc/XItKANG6ULY/s1600-h/DSC08020.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085758270446312914" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpQ-M5N1HdI/AAAAAAAAAyc/XItKANG6ULY/s320/DSC08020.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />There is also a very elaborately decorated restaurant with a big, golden, imperial chest at the entrance and various artifacts displayed outside, like imperial China vases and an ancient imperial sedan chair. Waiters and waitresses in traditional costumes dashed in and out of various side doors to the restaurant and kitchen areas, with plates of food that were exquisitely adorned with vegetables and fruit carved into fancy decorations, pastry looking like a swan etc. It looked like a very expensive place and I saw many dressed-up Westerners go there, perhaps for business entertainment. See photos below.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRCIJN1HnI/AAAAAAAAAzs/VgWnq90RFiU/s1600-h/DSC07948.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085762586888445554" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRCIJN1HnI/AAAAAAAAAzs/VgWnq90RFiU/s320/DSC07948.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRCIpN1HoI/AAAAAAAAAz0/FLDbXvi3wLE/s1600-h/DSC07949.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085762595478380162" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRCIpN1HoI/AAAAAAAAAz0/FLDbXvi3wLE/s320/DSC07949.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRCI5N1HpI/AAAAAAAAAz8/siqBMO55XPU/s1600-h/DSC07957.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085762599773347474" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRCI5N1HpI/AAAAAAAAAz8/siqBMO55XPU/s320/DSC07957.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRCJZN1HqI/AAAAAAAAA0E/h9qCA9xdNYw/s1600-h/Golden_chest_BeihaiPark.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085762608363282082" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRCJZN1HqI/AAAAAAAAA0E/h9qCA9xdNYw/s320/Golden_chest_BeihaiPark.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRBKpN1HlI/AAAAAAAAAzc/yWjAy1nI4ZE/s1600-h/DSC07965.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085761530326490706" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRBKpN1HlI/AAAAAAAAAzc/yWjAy1nI4ZE/s320/DSC07965.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRBK5N1HmI/AAAAAAAAAzk/9rBwTXuP6RU/s1600-h/DSC07966.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085761534621458018" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRBK5N1HmI/AAAAAAAAAzk/9rBwTXuP6RU/s320/DSC07966.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Restaurant and waitress</em></div><div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRAr5N1HjI/AAAAAAAAAzM/ckdmgpxe_S0/s1600-h/DSC07963.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085761002045513266" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRAr5N1HjI/AAAAAAAAAzM/ckdmgpxe_S0/s320/DSC07963.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRAsZN1HkI/AAAAAAAAAzU/TMZKsoGJTXM/s1600-h/DSC07968.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085761010635447874" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRAsZN1HkI/AAAAAAAAAzU/TMZKsoGJTXM/s320/DSC07968.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Beautiful wall and ceiling decorations at the lake-side restaurant</em><br /><br />After contemplating the imperial ways of living by the lake, I started climbing up the hill and discovered lots of colorful pavilions, chambers, towers and terraces among the rocks, some Taihu Lake stones apparently moved here during the Jin Dynasty from Genyue Garden in Bianliang (capital of the North Song Dynasty in 990-1127), ancient trees and pathways.<br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRAEJN1HgI/AAAAAAAAAy0/1KYjgvJsSCk/s1600-h/DSC07976.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085760319145713154" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRAEJN1HgI/AAAAAAAAAy0/1KYjgvJsSCk/s320/DSC07976.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRAE5N1HhI/AAAAAAAAAy8/5EDplgbsL6g/s1600-h/DSC07979.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085760332030615058" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRAE5N1HhI/AAAAAAAAAy8/5EDplgbsL6g/s320/DSC07979.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRAFZN1HiI/AAAAAAAAAzE/ZUptgNnDYwQ/s1600-h/DSC07982.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085760340620549666" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpRAFZN1HiI/AAAAAAAAAzE/ZUptgNnDYwQ/s320/DSC07982.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Ceiling details in pavilion</em><br /><br />At the top of the hill on the Qionghua Dao (or ‘Jade Flowery Islet’) in Beihai Park, the Tibetan style <strong><em><a href="http://www.beijing-travel.cn/Beijing_Attractions/White_Pagoda_Temple.htm">White Pagoda (Baita) Temple</a></em></strong> is the landmark visible from miles away. It’s an almost 36 m tall Buddhist temple constructed on the former site of the Palace in the Moon where Kublai Khan received Marco Polo. I arrived after closing hours so unfortunately I missed the thousands of Buddha statues that are apparently on display in the temple.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpQ_VpN1HfI/AAAAAAAAAys/wXICLTOJZAI/s1600-h/DSC07984.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085759520281796082" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpQ_VpN1HfI/AAAAAAAAAys/wXICLTOJZAI/s320/DSC07984.JPG" border="0" /></a> <em>Baita – The White Pagoda</em><br /><br />It was getting really dark at 8:30-9 pm and since I couldn’t enter the temple I looked at the view of Beijing and the lake from the terrace at the hilltop. The evening sky was very pretty with a pink sunset breaking up the heavy clouds.</div><div><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpQ-qpN1HeI/AAAAAAAAAyk/ffJWHbjH044/s1600-h/DSC07989.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085758781547421154" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nnTulA9Wifs/RpQ-qpN1HeI/AAAAAAAAAyk/ffJWHbjH044/s320/DSC07989.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>View over Beijing and the Taiyechi lake from the top of the Qiong Island</em><br /><br />Beihai Park is probably one of the fondest takeaways from my trip to Beijing. Located in the middle of a modern city, this multi-faceted but harmonic imperial garden showcased the powerful elements of nature and history in a beautiful mix. I left with an impression that I could return many times to let the winds by Taiyechi lake wash away contemporary problems and to discover new historic treasures every time.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Mimmishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07912435615583007901noreply@blogger.com0