110724 Milano Bucharest

Being busy is a very good thing, especially in this day and age of difficult economic conditions.  I am very thankful for having a third opportunity to go to Europe - this time to Milano, Italy, and Bucharest, Romania. 

My departure from Orlando International Airport was delayed by a severe weather system over the mid Atlantic states.  In flight, the pilot had to make circles, waiting for the storm to dissipate.  My two hours lay-over in Newark Liberty International Airport dwindled down to one.  Don't ever believe anyone, including airline employees, that such a storm would affect every flight equally.  I hurried from one end of the terminal to the other end.  My flight for Milano, Italy, was departing ON TIME.

Orlando International Airport, Florida.

Milano welcomed me with warm summer weather.  My first week in this beautiful city was spent at the local office of my company.  To fully appreciate Milano, one would need more than a weekend.  But that was all the time I had.

The Duomo is an exquisite structure; it was the main cathedral of the city.  Building this massive church took many centuries to complete.  The inside of the Duomo is cavernous, containing numerous large stained glass windows, paintings and statues of saints and scenes from the Bible.  While photography was allowed inside the Duomo, the use of a tripod was not.  This policy made taking pictures in such low light quite challenging.

Duomo di Milano.

Inside of Duomo di Milano.

Stained glass window in Duomo di Milano.

While the inside of the Duomo is amazing, the rooftop of this church is just as impressive.  One can access the roof by climbing stairs or by riding elevators.  The art work on the flying buttresses, the outside walls and the terraces is simply fantastic.  To think stones were cut and shaped, in the old days, without modern machinery added to my sense of wonderment. 

 

View from the rooftop of the Duomo di Milano.

Walkway along the roof of the Duomo di Milano.

Bulletin boards on the roof of the Duomo revealed this magnificent structure is in constant need of renovation, because of the incessant pollution by humans and pigeons.  There will always be at least one section of the Duomo hidden by scaffolds.

All around the Duomo di Milano are many shopping centers - a shoppers' paradise - and large numbers of restaurants.  The most famous shopping center is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, considered to be the ancestor of today's shopping mall.  Many haute-couture and luxury goods companies, such as Prada, have their headquarters or major stores in or near this Galleria.  Even the McDonald's fast food restaurant there was fancy, with two thirds of its counter dedicated to delicious Italian coffees and pastries.

Entrance to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

Inside of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

A tribute to the Italian fashion industry.

Near the center of the Galleria is the coat of arms of Torino (Turin), which has the picture of a bull.  According to the Milanese people, some tourists started the tradition of "crushing" the bull by rotating on one's heel.  These actions damaged to this emblem.  Attempts to discourage this practice and repair this coat of arms were futile.

Coat of arms of Torino, damaged by tourists.

Milano is more than its Duomo and Galleria.  But my time in this wonderful city was limited to a weekend.  After all, I was sent there for business on behalf of my employer.  After a second week working at the local office, I flew to București  (Bucharest), Romania, for another assignment for my company.

Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest, Romania.

Palatul Parlamentului in Bucharest, Romania.

The Lipscani district, which is the center of Bucharest with its many shops and restaurants, is a pedestrian centric area.  It was being refurbished.  Many of its streets were torn up and being repaved.  I could only imagine how nice this area would be at the completion of the renovation.

After completing by business duties, I planned to visit the Muzeul Satului, an open-air museum showcasing the Romanian life before modern times.  I had hope to learn more about the Romanian people and their culture.  Unfortunately, rainy weather set in.  I could only managed a few shots, in between showers.

Old style dwelling at the Muzeul Satului in Bucharest, Romania.

Then began my journey home with lay-overs in Munich, Germany, and Washington DC.

Truly, I am very thankful for all the wondrous opportunities given to me this year.  I am indeed very lucky.  More pictures, placed in somewhat chronological order, are posted at https://picasaweb.google.com/108013863525571472697/110724MilanoBucharest.  As usual, I request your comments and critiques in hope of improving my photographic and blogging skills.

Thank you,
Paul

110715 Cruise to Caribbean Islands

Barely a week after returning from Europe, I was given the opportunity to go to Raleigh, NC, for business.   Mylinh had planned and arranged for a cruise right after completion of my duties.  From Raleigh, we took a very early flight to Orlando, FL, and spent a day there.

Orlando, FL.

Orlando, FL.

The next day, we drove to Port Canaveral and boarded our cruise ship.  It was the "Dream" from the Carnival Cruise Lines.  Our ports of call were Nassau, Bahamas; St Thomas, US Virgin Islands; and Philipsburg, Sint Maarten.  Along with us were my son and my daughter-in-law, many of my wife's siblings, nieces and nephews, some of their friends.  We had a wonderful time.

Nassau, Bahamas.

Lindbergh Bay, St Thomas, US Virgin Islands.

Landing at Princess Julianna International Airport, Sint Maarten.

One of the opportunities I looked forward to in Sint Maarten was the chance to photograph a jumbo jet landing at the Princess Julianna Airport.  One end of its runway is almost at the beach.  Unfortunately, I could only manage a shot of a small airplane.

Most photos taken during this cruise were portraits of family members.  I can only share one in this blog.

Mylinh

During this cruise, I received another opportunity to return to Europe for the third time this year.  The timing of this upcoming trip was such that Mylinh would be heading home from Orlando, while I would be traveling to Milano, Italy, at the end of our week-long vacation cruise.  Our ship docked back at Port Canaveral at dawn.

Port Canaveral at dawn.

A few more pictures are at https://picasaweb.google.com/108013863525571472697/110715Cruise.  As always, I solicit your comments and critiques in hope of improving my writing and photography skills.

Thank you.
Paul

110619 Stuttgart London Venice

In mid June 2011, I received an opportunity to return to Europe for business; this time near Stuttgart, Germany, and then near London, United Kingdom.  The scheduling offered a few days of respire in between the 2 locations.  For this trip, I had the pleasure of having the company of my lovely wife.  Instead of heading home directly after London, Mylinh planned and made arrangements to visit Venice, Italy.

The first leg of our journey took us to Stuttgart after 2 long flights from Phoenix, with stop-over in Newark, NJ.  We arrived to cloudy skies.  Our true destination was Kirchheim Unter Teck, a small town Southeast of Stuttgart.

Kirchheim Unter Teck.

Kirchheim Unter Teck is such a quiet and peaceful little town.  My wife & I enjoyed our walks in the early morning, breakfasts and dinners together.  My daytime hours were taken up by work.  The last 2 days of that week included a German national holiday.  We took advantage of this time off to visit Burg Hohenzollern, a private castle, about one hour drive by autobahn from Kirchheim Unter Teck.

Burg Hohenzollern.

Driving back to Kirchheim Unter Teck, I decided to loosely follow my GPS.  We ended up in another small picturesque town named Bad Urach.  Since it was a holiday, most shops and stores were closed.  The hostess of the restaurant where we had early dinner barely spoke English, but we still had fun.

Bad Urach, Germany.

The next day was spent in the center of Stuttgart.  Like many city in Europe, the center of Stuttgart favors pedestrians.  We found street painters and bands performing their crafts, as well as food stalls everywhere.

Painter & food stall in Stuttgart.

State Opera House in Stuttgart, Germany.

The weather was beautiful, with perfect temperature.  We tumbled into the Markthalle, an indoor market place.  There were stalls selling fresh fruits, produce, hams, cheeses, breads.

A fresh fruit stand in Markthalle in Stuttgart, Germany.

After spending a few hours in Stuttgart, we drove to Burg Hohen Neuffen for dinner, based on a recommendation from a customer. Burg Hohen Neuffen is a medieval castle at the top of a hill, with an elegant restaurant inside.  The day we were there, there was a wedding.  Quite romantic.  After dinner, we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

Burg Hohen Neuffen near Stuttgart, Germany.

Sunset at Burg Hohen Neuffen.

A short flight the following day brought us to London, United Kingdom.  One hour car ride going west took us to Newbury.  We were lodged at the Newbury Manor Hotel, almost across the street from the branch office of my company.  The hotel ground and on-premise restaurant were quite charming.

The River Bar Restaurant at the Newbury Manor Hotel, west of London, UK.

A relaxing moment at the Newbury Manor Hotel.

And yes, we did go to London, but not to visit the queen, even though we did pass by Buckingham Palace.  To fully appreciate this huge cosmopolitan city, one would require at least an entire week.  My work obligation was scheduled to begin the next day.  No wanting to risk missing the train back to Newbury, we had to cut short our visit to London.

Buckingham Palace in London, UK.

The day after I completed my work obligation in Newbury, my wife & I took a very early morning flight to Venice, Italy, with a stop-over in Rome.  The weather was perfect the entire time we were in Venice.  Piazza San Marco, which is the main square, has restaurants with menus limited to drinks, coffees, pastries and light snacks.  In the evening these restaurants had live bands, from 3 to 7 members, playing outside.  To sit down and fully enjoy the music, one had to order from the menus.  Mylinh & I sampled Italian dishes ranging from simple panino to fancy seafood pasta.

The main island has very few streets for automobiles, mostly for the people coming from the main land; they need a place to park while visiting the island.  Instead of streets, there are canals and pedestrian paths; And the canals are the claim to fame of Venice.  When visiting Venice, one must be prepare to walk; and walk we did.  In lieu of cars and trucks, there are boats of various sizes.  Public transportation is a system of water buses and floating stations.  And of course, there were also the famous gondolas.  Venezia, as Venice is called locally, is an amazing place.

Venice, Italy.

Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy.

Piazza San Marco at sunset.

Besides the main island, we also visited Lido & Murano.  The latter is known for its glass products.  Lido island has very nice beach.

Glass art on display on Murano Island.

Beach on Lido Island.

Sunset over Venice, Italy.

Both of us thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Europe.  Fond and fun memories of all 3 locations we visited will always be with us.

Many more pictures of this trip are at https://picasaweb.google.com/108013863525571472697/110619Europe#.  As always, I solicit your comments and critiques in hope of improving my blogs as well as my photographic skills.

Thank you,
Paul

110529 Munich

Beautiful weather greeted my arrival in Munich, Germany, early morning of 30 May after a couple of long flights from Phoenix, AZ, with a stop-over in Washington, DC.

Franz Josef Strauss Airport of Munich, Germany.

A train took me from the airport to the Hauptbahnhof (main train station), then I rode the tram to the Hotel Kriemhild.  The Kriemhild is a charming little family-owned hotel; I stayed there many times before during my previous visits to Munich.  It was too early to check in.  But Eric, the owner-manager, gave me the key to my room anyway, with a warning that it might be being cleaned.  He thought I could store my luggage there and go out for lunch.  The cleaning lady was indeed surprised to see me going into the room.

I went to Karlplatz by tram, then walked to Marienplatz for a late lunch.  Along the way, I tried to capture the essence of Munich, in spite of the challenges caused by the bright sun.  People were everywhere, soaking in the beautiful day.

People enjoying a sunny day in Karlsplatz in Munich, Germany.

I returned to my hotel room for a short nap.  Travel fatigue caught up to me.  I went back to Marienplatz that evening, hoping to photograph the city center during the blue hours.

Marienplatz after sunset.

The next 2 days were occupied by work. The weather turned windy and rainy.  My last day of this trip to Munich was a national holiday: Ascension.  While the rain stopped, thick cloud remained.  I bought a day tour to visit the legendary Neuschanstein castle.  It also included stops at Linderholf castle and village Oberammergau.

Schloss Linderhof is the smallest of the 3 castles built by King Ludwig II, inspired by Château de Versailles in France.  But no photography was allowed inside the castle, which was very beautiful, befitting a king, with interesting tidbits of history.

Schloss Linderhof.

Oberammergau is a small picturesque village near Schloss Linderhof.  Our guide recounted the interesting history of this village, of the disastrous religious wars in the region, followed by the plague.  The villagers asked for divine help to end the plague and, in return, promised to put up a play named "The Passion" every 10 years.  This promise is still kept.  I could not help but wondered if the recent movie "The Passion of the Christ" was inspired by this story.

Typical house in Oberammagau.

Oberammagau is also known for its woodcarving.  According to our guide, its wood products were showcased around Europe and on displayed at prestigious palaces.

Details of a wooden owl on sale in Oberammagau.

Through out the trip, the sun hid behind thick clouds; rain was a constant threat.  Schloss Neuschwanstein was veiled by light fog when we arrived.  One could access the castle by bus, horse drawn carriage or on foot.  I chose the later method.

Schloss Neuschwanstein.

Schloss Neuschwanstein.

Again no photography was allowed inside the castle.  Time constraint dictated by the bus tour limited my picture taking opportunity.  But on the way down, a young couple approached me and asked I took their picture.  They didn't speak a word of English, and I didn't know their language.  I obliged.  Then an elderly man wanted his picture with the young couple.  Then he wanted the whole group.  Unfortunately, my bus couldn't wait; I had to go.

Returning to Munich, I walked around downtown Munich.  I tumbled upon a German version of the Vietnamese cyclo.  Interesting.  There were street bands from Karlplatz to Marienplatz, performing popular tunes.  People enjoyed the evening, in spite of the threat of rain.

German cyclo.

The next morning, at sunrise, I went to Schloss Nymphenbug nearby.  On the way, I encountered and enjoyed an interesting conversation with a Munich city worker.  He apologized for the thick cloud shrouding the rising sun, otherwise Schloss Nymphenburg at sunrise would be a great picture.  Maybe my next visit.

Anyway more pictures taken during this trip are at https://picasaweb.google.com/108013863525571472697/110529Munich#.  Your comments & critiques of this blog as well as any of the pictures are welcome.

Enjoy.
Paul