Cities

Beijing City – Lama Palace and Hutongs

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By Paul S Bryers, September 2016

The Lama Temple, properly known as the Yonghe Temple (Palace of Peace and Harmony), is a temple and monastery of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism located in Dongcheng District of Beijing. The building and artwork of the temple is a combination of Han Chinese and Tibetan styles. The building exteriors are very beautiful, as can be seen below. The many Buddhas on display within are also very elaborate and varied – however, no photos allowed so you need to trust me…..


Hutongs are alleys formed by lines of traditional courtyard residences. They used to cover Beijng but many were demolished to allow for new building. As a result, many Hutongs are now protected – whether that be as residences or as hip shopping streets.  

Beijing City – Summer Palace

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By Paul S Bryers, September 2016
The Summer Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is located in West Beijing, and is easily accessible by subway. The Palace consists of beautiful buildings, made-made lakes and gardens. The walk along the shore of the main lake offers plenty of shade, either from the avenue of trees or beneath the painted ceiling of the open-sided corridor – the longest such structure in the world. Access to the inside of the Palace buildings is very limited, but their beauty is, in any case, apparent from their external architecture and decoration. There is much talk of the Empress Dowager Cixi in the Palace literature as the Dragon Lady, due to her apparent ruthlessness. I’m not sure she was any worse than any of the Emporers.



Beijing City – Chaoyang and Xicheng Districts

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By Paul S Bryers, September 2016

Beijing is a vast city, with seemingly endless ring roads that radiate out from the old Imperial center. To make sense of where you are, it is best to understand that there are 4 central districts which contain most of the main sights:

– Dongcheng: Major sights such as Forbidden City, to the East of central lakes

– Chaoyang: Embassies, international bars and restaurants (area Sanlitun is hub for fashion), to the East of Dongcheng

-Xicheng: Central lakes and backpacker area, to the North of Dongcheng

– Haidian: University and Summer Palace, to the West of Dongcheng.

This post deals with Chaoyang and Xicheng Districts.

Chaoyang

Our well located hotel (Holiday Inn Express Dongzhimen) is in Chaoyang district, so we spent our first morning, a Sunday, walking to the local Dongyue Temple and Ritan Park.

Dongyue Temple is a Daoist (Taoist) temple in the Chaowai area of Chaoyang.  The temple is dedicated to the God of Mount Tai. Founded during the Yuan dynasty, it is the largest temple of the Zhengyi school of Daoism in northern China. The temple itself is very peaceful, being off the main tourist route, and contains some interesting architecture and antiquities. Our favorite was the Bronze Wonder Pony, pictured below, which promises cures for all illnesses in return for a prayer and a touch. My back is still stiff but there is time yet…..

Walking South a few blocks is Ritan Park. As this was a Sunday, everyone was out either practicing their tai chi (to a variety of musical genres – including country), vogueing, or showing off their birds’ songs. The park  includes The Temple of the Sun, a very picturesque small lake and a hill topped with a shady pagoda offering great views of the city.



Xicheng

We then took a subway to the 2008 Olympic Park (Lines 2 and 8). While the buildings were very impressive, the concrete landscaping was a bit barren. Still, worth the short journey.

A few subway stops back towards the city center are the Drum and Bell Towers. These were the Emperors clocks. Both towers offer great views of the city, after a short, steep climb.





A few subway stops and bus (#909) ride away is the sprawling 798 Arts District. Partially renovated factories house a vast collection of contemporary art. Definitely worthy of a visit. There are plenty places offering great food and coffee, like Flat White.

As a footnote, the subway and buses are easy to use, but if you do get stuck somewhere, taxis are easy to wave down and inexpensive – just make sure the meter is running.

Start Of An Epic Journey

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By Paul S Bryers, December 2015

Dull start to the day here in Wilton Manors, Florida. Good day to be traveling, which is just as well as our flight itinerary is Fort Lauderdale -> Houston -> Los Angeles -> Melbourne -> Auckland, arriving latter city early Thursday afternoon i.e.,  Christmas Eve. Dinner booked at SPQR at 8.30 pm and Carol Service and Mass a thought for 11.00 pm. I wonder if either will come about. Auckland is the first major city in the world to reach Christmas Day. I’ll let you know if any calamities strike. We leave Auckland on December 26th for Queenstown, and after a week there, head NW up the coast, ending up in Picton. Then to Wellington by ferry for a night and finally a few days in Melbourne before heading back to Florida. It is going to be an epic trip, so stay tuned for lots of photos and few words.

Reykjavik alive!

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By Paul S Bryers, August 2015.

Reykjavik is an amazing city! 

Like the country and the island upon which it resides, and despite its ancient and rich history, Reykjavik is best described as “youthful”. The surrounding sea is fresh and clean, the mountains are high and show little signs of aging, the buildings are mostly modern, the architecture is angular and sophisticated, and folks of all types are made welcome.   
    
   

On the latter point, it was Gay Pride while we were there, and everyone seemed to be very excited about the 4 day event, with rainbow flags proudly popping up everywhere, and a street was turned into Dorothy’s yellow brick road – well OK, Dorothy’s rainbow road….Dogs and trolls were made to feel at home, and even puffins wanted to get in on the fun.   
   

On your first day in the city, take the free walking tour, which lasts about 90 mins, cover about 1.5 km and introduces you to the main sights. This tour was very informative, and with our guide, Lolly, was fun as well – he had a good sense of humor – you have to when you have green hair – and he will tell you about local politicians and the sex lives of elves. In any case, meet your guide at the starting point at Clock Tower on Laekjartorg Square at 12 or 2 pm. If you are in a group you will need to book at info@freewalkingtour.is. The tour includes Parliament, Old Cathedral, Hallgrimskirkja Church (very tall church which can be glimpsed from many parts of the city), City Hall, National Theater, and views of the huge Harpa Concert Hall. Lolly peppered our tour with anecdotes and fact that only a local would know. I would say this short tour is a must!   

   

After the tour, be sure to walk along the sea front to visit the glass covered Harpa Concert Hall and enjoy the great views of the mountains to the North.    

   

And that was Reykjavik!

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Celebrity – Down Under

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By Paul Bryers, 2015

New Zealand, or Scotland on the other side of the world if you like, is always associated with the outdoors, wilderness, extreme sports, etc – so why on God’s good Middle-Earth would anyone go there on a 2 week cruise? Well, for us it was because this was going to be our first trip of many to The Land that includes Mordor, so we thought why not make life simple and have a consistent base – the Celebrity Solstice.

We started our adventure off independently with a few days in Auckland, including a pretty good New Year’s Eve featuring fireworks from the top of the infamous Skytower (you can bungie jump off if you feel so inclined). Auckland is a bike friendly city and fun to cycle around, especially southwards along the coastal bike path. There are hills if you want them, well, volcanic cones, actually. Also, go to the nearby islands – Waiheke for biking and vineyards and Rangitoto for a short hike up the volcano.

Our 2 week cruise would take us along the East Coast of the North Island, then along the East and Southern Coasts of the South Island, and finally off to Tasmania, Melbourne and Sydney.

Our first port of call was the Bay of Islands, north of Auckland. We spent the day on an old tall ship, visiting remote areas and small islands – a great day out on the high seas!
  

Next port was Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty, south of Auckland. As usual, Celebrity offered a great variety of shore excursions, but we decided to go independent and Heli-tour to White Island – an active, and I mean ACTIVE, hydrostatic volcano – about 30 minutes flying time from Whakatane Airport. This trip is not for the faint of heart – stick with your guide and follow in their footsteps. Apparently, the whole place can blow without warning. You will need to wear trendy gas masks thanks to the copious amounts of carbon monoxide and sulphur gas – phew!

  

Continuing south, we reached Wellington. What a setting! A hip place. Go see the fur seal colony out at Otaki. 

  

We continue southwards to Akaroa, which has been the cruise port for Christchurch since the last earthquake devastated the city. This area is the gateway to the Southern Alps. We took the Transalpine Express from Darfield to Arthur’s Pass, followed by a jet boat ride on one of the local rivers.  A very exhilarating day!     

  

Next port was Dunedin. What can I say other than it is a Northern Scottish town with funny accents – very beautiful. Go kayaking in the bay and talk to the fur seals.   

Our final days in NZ were spent cruising around The Sounds – Dusky, Doubtful and, of course, Milford. Just incredible, incredible and incredible……….Waterfall after waterfall………      

We were then off to Australia – Hobart, Tasmania followed by Melbourne and Sydney – but that’s another story.

So, our first trip to the Land that brought Hobbits to life was a great success. And yes, we have booked to go back in December 2015 for about 25 days. No cruising this time though. Instead, we have a sturdy SUV and a road plan that will take us from Queenstown to Picton via the mountains and West Coast. Can’t wait!

Tattoo anyone?

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By Paul Bryers, 2014

I’ll show you mine if you show me your’s – not a chance.

However, I will introduce you to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The Tattoo is an annual series of Military Tattoos performed by British, Commonwealth and other International military bands and display teams on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the Scottish capital. The music from the mass bands (primarily bagpipes and drums) will send shivers (good ones) down your spine, and make you feel proud to be Scottish, even if you are not born of this land – this was the moment Chris said “Maybe I would vote for Independence, if I could vote!” And he’s English! Then you have the dancers – Scottish, Maori, African – again, en masse, so it is a wonderful sight to behold. And the light show on the Castle walls is brilliant – sorry Magic Kingdom, but we are talking about a real castle and the light projections are better than Walt has to offer.

This event takes place each year throughout August on Monday through Saturday nights, is sold out well in advance, and is never cancelled. Prices vary from $40 to $600; the higher priced tickets include an excellent pre-Tattoo Scottish dinner, with a wee dram and wine. Dining is located within the secured Castle perimeter and you get escorted to your seats just before the event commences – believe me, it is well worth the extra bob or two!

The Tattoo occurs at the same time as the Edinburgh International Festival, which is the biggest coming together of the Arts anywhere in the World. The Festival consists of formal lah-de-dah operas, concerts and plays, but far more interesting and varied is the Fringe Festival, which consists of, literally, hundreds of musicals, plays, displays, bands, mimes, stand-ups, etc. Many now famous artists were discovered at the Fringe, and many of them still come back each year to perform and enjoy the many shows on offer. Chris’ cousin put on a one-man play this year about a drug addict dealing with the death of Princess Diana – intense. My favorite was Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho, a drag comedy musical extravaganza – hysterical. All the venues are small and you can take in your pint. Prices range from around $0 to $30.

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Do you like donuts and hot chocolate?

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By Paul Bryers, 2014

We visited Chocolateria San Gines in Madrid, Spain in August of 2014. The churros (like long donuts) and hot chocolate combination was amazing http://www.chocolateriasangines.com/Chocolateria_San_Gines/Welcome_to_San_Gines.html

You get a cup full of hot chocolate and a plate of delicious churros, costing only about $4. The churros were crunchy on the outside and kind-of creamy on the inside…we had a serving each, and then and to run 5 miles, but it was worth it.

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Afterwards, visit the Church of San Gines and the adjacent outdoor antique bookstall.