Barcelona – where is my paella?

What's Neunice

The next city in line in my crash tour was Barcelona. This has been an ongoing negotiation for about 6 months. We ended up everywhere in the world (almost – Arab Emirates, US, Zimbabwe…) before I got my Barcelona trip. Yes, those blogs will eventually make it here. Air China flies from Beijing to Barcelona via Vienna. Cheap flight though leaving Vienna at 7am meant grumpy face a good few hours into the trip. One tip to share with you, buy tickets for anything you really know you are going to see online, especially Park Güell, La Sagrada Familia, tours in the Palau de la Música Catalana.

Lobby of Palau de la Música Catalana

I love Barcelona.

Lets start with the most important. I loved Barcelona. Airport is easy. We were off the plan, through the airport and onto a bus. About €6 euros later (12 for two) we were at Plaça de…

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12 week Crash Tour – Cesky Krumlov

What's Neunice

My days are numbered in Vienna. All of a sudden, I realize that there are a lot of places that I would like to visit. So here begins the 12 week Europe crash tour.

1 March is a special day in my life and I decided to celebrate outside of Vienna. The location was a well selected town/village (I never know in this place) in Czech Republic. The original idea was to go to Prague and I was outvoted on that one because the only reason I picked Prague was there is a clothing store there I like that doesn’t exist in most European countries or the US. Apparently shopping is not a good reason to select a destination.

Cesky Krumlov is in southern Bohemia. I can now say that I have actually been to Bohemia. I didn’t realize this until I got there. I was expecting Bohemia to have “gipsies”…

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New York by phone

Majestic Theatre – Bridgeport, CT. A beautiful has-been

I was lucky enough to gain legal entry into this old theatre opened in 1922 and closed 50 years later when video also killed the stage stars. 

The sign lies upside down at the entrance. So does another sign advertising that rooms in the hotel above the theatre are $1.50.

 

 

The ladies room is large and used to consist of a lounge area with the toilets hidden in the back. A chaise lounge is all that remains in the lounge.

 

The main theatre is lit by utility lamps and clearly shows the remnants of a beautiful ceiling, murals and I am a big fan of red. 

 

 

The foyer in the balcony looks like it only needs a paint job and some flowers (said my Puerto Rican Martha Stewart).

Charlestown, South Carolina

Wonderful and much needed Pre-Christmas vacation with friends I hadn’t seen for about 4 years. First  time in Charlestown, first time in SC. I kept expecting people to speak in a different language, I felt so far from the Northeast. But then again, it was a 16 hour drive, Rome would have been quicker. 

Pier at Folly Beach

Pier at night

Waiting for sunset

Folly Beach just after sunset

Angel Oak. Right out of Middle Earth.

Took the Scenic Route (Route 17). Stopped in Georgetown.

 

Thinking About The Children

I live about 12 miles from the recent Sandyhook/Newtown shooting. I don’t have any children of my own but I have young nieces and nephews that I love very much. Children seem to be frequently portrayed as carefree, blissful, innocent etc which they are in the right conditions. Conditions are not perfect all the time. The impact such events has on young minds may be imeasurable and long lasting and my heart goes out to the community and the families.

I now reminisce about children in my community back in Zimbabwe. The picture below shows a small farm community in the middle of the country in the area I grew up.

 

 The children in this small farming community have no easy access to some basics. Their faces make me think of the resilience of young children. Which gives me hope for their future.

Istanbul: Turkey on Thanksgiving

I decided the avoid the turkey induced comas of thanksgiving and make my way to Istanbul for a few culture-of-a-different-sort filled days.

Hagia Sofya after a brief rainshower.

Inside Hagia Sofya

Courtyard at the Blue Mosque

Inside the Blue Mosque

Cistern

Suleiman Mosque

Winter

Its winter time.

Above the Head (Austria and Germany)

It is always great to see something different when you sit in a plane for a long time and especially if it involves a passport. I have an incomplete compilation of ceilings etc from Austria and Germany travels. I snuck one in from France.

Asylum

I had the opportunity to capture a dying breed of hospitals in the Northeast. A psychiatric hospital in New York State that was closed in January 1994 due to budgetary reasons and increased drive for de-institutionalization.

The buildings are generally closed to the public. “Generally” is an understatement. Crumbling ceilings and walls insulated with asbestos are enough to make the mesothelioma tort lawyers rich forever. Peeling lead paint on the walls, though urbanely interesting is probably enough to make me a health hazard as I leave the building. 

I was surprised to find the wards/rooms were not completely enclosed. I guess I expect every mental institution to be maximum security. Uhh, thinking about it more carefully, I guess it doesn’t have to be.

My tour did not end well…another story for another day. So I took a small detour to cleanse my psyche!