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BY THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA
2007-08-04 02:04:00
CASSIS - MAY 2005"MOULES ET FRITES at La Vôute, the only restaurant still serving lunch at 14:45""CASSIS OLD PORT""CASSIS is famous for its cliffs and for the Stone of Cassis. Actually, the masonry for Mediterranea n ports (Alexandria, Algiers, Piraeus, Marseille, Port Said) as well as the base of the Statue of Liberty all came from Cassis. Today, the stone is used for more domestic purposes...""MEDITERRANEAN SEA - A bit cold those days...""BLUE VIEW"
More About: France , Provence , Mediterranean

ON THE STEPS OF CEZANNE
2007-08-01 01:45:00
AIX-EN-PROVENCE - MAY 2005Aquae Sextiae was founded in 122 B.C. by the Roman consul Sextius Calvinus. Named Ais de Provenco in Occitan Provencal, it arrived to our days as Aix-en-Provence . "CEZANNE - Paul Cézanne was born on January 19, 1839 in Aix-en-Provence, and died on October 22, 1906 of pneumonia; he was buried at the old cemetery also in Aix-en-Provence!Mount Sainte-Victoire is a symbol of Provence, like Mount Ventoux, the major landmark of the Aix area, and a favourite motif of Cézanne: I found twenty different paintings named Mont Sainte-Victoire. At the foot of the Sainte-Victoire we find the village of Vauvenargues. Its castle was bought in 1958 by Picasso, who was buried on its grounds" "FOUR DOLPHINS FOUNTAIN - Aix is referred to as the city of a thousand fountains. Among the more notable are the Fontaine des Quatre Dauphins, created in 1667 in the heart of the pedestrian zone. Surrounding an obelisk with mysterious inscriptions, the dolphins point each one a cardinal d...
More About: France , Cezanne , Steps

LUBERON - PART TWO
2007-07-26 01:28:00
LACOSTE - OPPÈDE LE VIEUX - MAY 2005After Roussillon, we continued travelling in the Lube ron. We saw Apt (the capital of the region), Saignon (with a fabulous view of the plains and the Luberon mountain range, as well as a beautiful 12th century roman church), and Lourmarin (where L'Etranger Nobel Prize Winner Albert Camus, who died in a car crash while en route from Lourmarin to Paris on January 4, 1960, at the age of 46, is buried). We visited Bonnieux (and its Boulangerie Museum), Lacoste (with the famous château belonging to the Marquis de Sade, and now owned by Pierre Cardin), Ménerbes (one of the finest villages in France ), Oppède le Vieux, and many other villages. A few pictures remain!***"LACOSTE - The site offers an exceptional panorama of Mount Ventoux, Luberon, the Mounts of Vaucluse and the perched villages"***"OPPÈDE LE VIEUX - Preparing to go up the hill, after leaving the car in the lower parking""VIEWS - Anywhere you go, terrific views!"TOP OF THE HILL - A 12th cent...
More About: Provence , Part

LUBERON - PART ONE
2007-07-22 17:28:00
GORDES & ROUSSILLON - MAY 2005The Lube ron is probably one of the most spectacular parts of Provence , and you know already how fantastic Provence is. The Luberon is home to vineyards and orchards with fascinating hill-top perched villages, lighted by the glorious luminosity that fascinated van Gogh and Cezanne. On this post we'll deal with Gordes and Roussillon!After Fontaine de Vaucluse, we headed to L'Isle sur la Sorgue, a small town located where the Sorgue River splits into two streams. The Venice of Provence, as it is often named, owes its nickname to the crystal-clear, emerald water that flows through it at 13 degrees Celsius, the temperature it springs out of the source at the nearby Fontaine de Vaucluse. L'Isle sur la Sorgue is better known, however, for its antiques; actually, for the last decades it has become famous as the antiques capital of France , with the exception of Paris. But we left all the antiques for Isabella, who made L'Isle sur la Sorgue the base for her a...
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ENCORE PROVENCE
2007-07-19 01:31:00
LES BAUX DE PROVENCE - MAY 2005This post pays tribute to Peter Mayle, an enthusiast for Prove nce , whose books ? A Year in Provence, Encore Provence and Toujours Provence - I read after coming back home, and recommend to anyone intending to visit the region. You?ll find there many good reasons to make the trip! Here you'll find pictures of two beautiful villages in Provence: Les Baux and Fontaine de Vaucluse.***LES BAUX DE PROVENCE is surely one of the most beautiful places in Provence; I would say in the world. These pictures don't show such beauty, but you may have a look at the official site of Les Baux and make the virtual visit! Les Baux is famous in different ways: Dante visited France between 1308 and 1310 and gives details of the Alyscamps cemetery in Arles (see last post), as well as of Les Baux; Van Gogh painted at Les Baux; Bauxite derives its name from Les Baux, as it was from samples from Les Baux de Provence that double aluminium chloride was made..."VIEW from the La...
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PROVENCE, PEINTRES & ÉCRIVAINS
2007-07-14 09:59:00
ARLES ET LE MOULIN - MAY 2005Today it?s France ?s National Day, I?m posting on Provence , France, and I?ve been invited to the reception at the French Embassy in Lisbon, so this post will be in French!***ARLESArles est fortement marquée par la présence du Rhône qui coupe la ville en deux; elle se situe là où commence le delta et constitue donc la porte d?entrée à la Camargue. La ville a été construite au VIe siècle av. J.-C. sur un rocher dominant la rive gauche du fleuve, mais la présence de marais à l'Est a limité son développement dans cette direction. La ville est un des principaux sites de la Celtique méditerranéenne. Elle a été aménagée dès l'époque grecque (6e siècle av. JC), mais le premier plan d'urbanisme connu remonte au Ier siècle av. J.-C., sous l'empereur Auguste. La commune d'Arles, qui doit son nom aux Romains (Arelate), est, avec environ 759 km², la plus étendue de toutes les communes de France métropolitaine (elle est sept fois plus étendue que Paris). Son terri...
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ROMAN NIMES!
2007-07-09 21:51:00
COLONIA NEMAUSUS - MAY 2005NIMESNimes , located in the Languedoc-Roussillon Region, was a religious Celtic centre that was once annexed to Rome. Known then as Colonia Nemausus, was home to many veterans of the Roman legions that had served Julius Caesar in his Nile campaigns. Later enriched by Emperor August, Nimes was robbed by Vandals and Visigoths on the 5th century, and later occupied by Saracens until 737. The city was afterwards ruled by the Count of Toulouse in the 10th century, then by the French King from 1229. During the religion wars Nimes rested a Protestant stronghold, but was retaken by King Louis XIII in 1629. Nîmes is also known for its pants: Denim, the blue jeans brand, derives its name from the city (Serge de Nîmes). Its stones have seen much and have much to tell..."THE ROMAN ARENA, dating back to the end of the 1st century AD, is a perfect construction, and illustrates the degree of perfection attained by Roman engineers in designing and constructing this type o...
More About: France , Provence

THE GARD PROVENÇAL...
2007-07-05 00:11:00
PONT DU GARD / UZÈS - MAY 2005The «Gard Prove nçal» is the land between Provence and the Languedoc hills.The main monument of the Gard region is the world known Pont du Gard, one of the wonders of antiquity. The site where the Pont du Gard stands is inhabited since thousands of years ago and there are three important caves there, though not open to the public: Balauziere, Salpêtriere and Sartanette grottos!"THE PONT DU GARD - 2000 years ago over 1000 people worked for 5 years on the construction of the aqueduct to transport water from the Eure spring near Uzès to Nîmes, a distance of over 50 kilometres. The splendid arches across the river Gardon of the Pont du Gard, located between Avignon and Nimes, are the most well-preserved section of the aqueduct. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1985, the Pont du Gard is the most visited antique site in France, with over one million two hundred thousand visitors per year"***Uzès is a town located about 23 km northeast of Nîmes...
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THREE HUNDRED DAYS OF SUN...
2007-06-29 00:35:00
AVIGNON, PROVENCE ? MAY 2005It is said that Avignon has three hundred days of sun a year. Something like Naples, Florida, without the millionaires, I would say... We weren't that lucky, however, the days we stayed there. Anyhow Avignon, the capital of the Vaucluse département, is a beautiful small town (ninety thousand inhabitants), and definitely deserves a visit! And in July, it's time for the Festival d'Avignon. From 6th through 27th July, 2007, we?ll have the 61st edition..."GARGOYLES against a cloudy sky""LE PONT D'AVIGNON - There is a legend about the bridge: a young shepherd by the name of Bénezet came to Avignon from his native Ardèche, in 1177. He said that he was sent by God to build a bridge there. Mocked by the crowd, the shepherd was challenged by the bishop to lift a huge stone and throw it into the Rhône. Bénezet did not hesitate and lifted a mammoth block and pull it into the water, assisted, it is said, by divine intervention. The «Pont St. Bénezet», open to tra...
More About: France , Provence , Days , Three

LES GORGES D'ARDÈCHE
2007-06-24 02:55:00
ON THE WAY TO PROVENCE - MAY 2005The Gorges de l'Ardèche?s area is one of the richest natural sites in Europe, as it groups together natural sights, beautiful landscapes, prehistoric art, cultural traditions and wonderful museums. The famous panoramic road of the «Gorges de l'Ardèche», on the northern side of the River Ardèche and with thirty two kilometres linking Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and St. Martin d'Ardèche, proposes an important quantity of places to see, with the spectacular gorges as the highlight!"BEACH - The fluvial beach at Pont d'Arc in the Ardèche countryside provides the chance for a nice contrast between travellers and swimmers...""PONT D'ARC is a great natural bridge, carved out by the Ardèche River, with a width of sixty meters and a height of more than thirty""BELVEDERES - The limestone cliffs and the covering forests of the Gorges de l'Ardèche were granted nature reserve status in 1980. They result from geological changes that began 110 million years ago""CIRQUE...
More About: France , Provence

ANNECY - OXYGEN AT ITS SOURCE
2007-06-21 00:47:00
FROM LAKE TO LAKE - MAY 2005"LAKE BOURGET, located some 10 km north of Chambéry, is the largest and the deepest French lake. The most important town on its shore is Aix-les-Bains""LE THIOU - QUAI DE L'ILE. Once again in Anne cy. See the mountains? Annecy wants to be candidate to the Winter Olympics of 2018...""ANNECY CASTLE - Located on a limestone spur of the Semnoz Mountain, high above the city, the castle was threatened with destruction in the early 1950s, but like Perouges was saved!""OLD TOWN - Houses up the hill""ANNECY LAKE - The 2007 Fête du Lac will take place on August 4"
More About: France , Source , Oxygen

PEROUGES, FRANCE
2007-06-17 12:30:00
MIDDLE AGE IN XXI CENTURY - MAY 2005Perouges is a lovely well kept medieval treasure located 34 kms from Lyon, 38 kms from Bourg en Bresse, and 120 kms from Geneva. At an altitude of 290 m, it has roughly 900 inhabitants, 80 of which residing within the walled city limits.Perouges appears to have been founded by a Gallic colony returning from Perugia in Italy. The sites of the two towns are strangely alike, and their ways of spelling are identical. The Romans built a beacon tower here, governing the road from the Rhone valley and defending Lugdunum (Lyon). Standing high on the hill, Perouges was long fought by Savoy and Dauphiné, and finally became French by the Treaty of Lyon in 1601. It was rescued from demolition in 1911, and was freed from Nazi occupation by U.S. and French resistance forces in 1944. On June 27, 1996, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton made a visit to Perouges (just before a G7 meeting was held in Lyon). Mr. Clinton spoke beneath the so-called Tree of Liberty, which was plant...
More About: France , Rouges , Rouge , Franc

LYON - "SIMPLY UNFORGETTABLE"
2007-06-15 01:23:00
A GALLO-ROMAN SETTLEMENT - MAY 2005After Paris and Marseille, Lyon is the third largest French city. However, if you take into account the metro area, it becomes the second, so they say... It seems that it was founded on the banks of the Rhône and Saône rivers, surrounded by the Fourvière and Croix-Rousse hills, to serve as a safe haven for the Celts. However, the main starting point for its development was its foundation as a Roman colony in 43 BC by Munatius Plancus, a lieutenant of Caesar! Almost two thousand years later, the UNESCO inscribed the Historic Site of Lyons in the World Heritage List. Lyon, which was a scene of mass violence against Huguenots in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacres in 1572, houses nowadays the seats of Interpol and Euronews. It is also the home to my friend (and predecessor in former international responsibilities) Ron, surprisingly thinner since he?s living in [one of] the capital[s] of French gastronomy..."SOFITEL HOTEL - Arriving on a weekend with ...
More About: France , Simply , Forge , Unforgettable

IN THE HEART OF SAVOY!
2007-06-13 00:15:00
CHAMBERY - MAY 2005Chambéry was founded at crossroads of ancient routes to Burgundy, Switzerland, and Italy. Its history is closely linked to the House of Savoy and Chambery was the Savoyard capital from 1295, when Amadeus V of Savoy made it his seat of power, to 1563, when Duke Emmanuel Philibert moved his capital to Turin. During this time, Savoy included a region that stretched from Bourg-en-Bresse in the west, across the Alps to Turin, north to Geneva, and south to Nice. Chambéry was also known for the Savoyard weapons used by many of Europe's mightiest armies."THE RUE DE BOIGNE, bordered with porticos, was opened between 1824 and 1830 thanks to donations of the general of Boigne. This street brought salutary ventilation to urban space, in spite of the regrettable disappearance of historical buildings? The new street became the centre of the city, where noble families settled? Stendhal wrote in 1837 in the Memories of a Tourist: «Such a convenient place becomes soon the meeting...
More About: France , Heart , The Heart

BASLE - BASEL - BÂLE
2007-06-10 10:32:00
MY FIRST SWISS TOWN (AUGUST 1969) - MAY 2005On August 26, 1969 I started hitch-hiking Europe: Lisbon - Stockholm! The first day I made Lisbon-Guarda, close to the Portuguese/Spanish border; the second day drove me, after a night ride, to Irun at the Spanish/French border; and then I caught a lift that would land me in Base l on Friday, August 30, 1969. This was the first Swiss town (though quite international) I've ever visited. It's located in the Dreiländereck (Three Countries' Corner - Switzerland , France, and Germany)..."SPALENTOR, built in the 14th century, is the only remaining of the seven entrances through the medieval walls Basel once had (the others were destroyed in the nineteenth century with the expansion of the city)""RHINE KNEE - In Basel the Rhine, flowing west from Lake Constance (Hochrhein), turns north""MIDDLE BRIDGE - The first version was built in 1226; the current, in 1905""HELVETIA is the Latin word for Switzerland; it comes from the Helvetians, the first tr...

SWISS COUNTRYSIDE...
2007-06-07 03:44:00
VAUD & FRIBOURG - MAY 2005Following suggestions from some Daily Photo visitors included in the comments to my last post, I'm trying to reduce the size of each post and split the pictures taken in one trip all the way through several posts. I've already done that for example with regard to the 2004 Santiago Chile, Easter Island and French Polynesia trip. But this time I'll try to post fewer pictures on each page. Hope it will work, and the unity of the journey doesn?t get lost... Anyhow, I'll keep the previous layout at Blogtrotter - The 70s & 80s as well as in Blogtrotter Revival - The 90s, which I believe will be an appropriate compromise!***SUGNENSI've already mentioned Sugnens on this blog. It is home to our cousins Luisa and Jean-Pierre as well as the location for the Auberge de Sugnens, a very nice restaurant..."VIEW - Sugnens is a Swiss village located 15 km north of Lausanne and it's said to have 266 inhabitants (End of 2006). 93.6% of the habitants speak French, 3% Ger...
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ISTANBUL, COLD AND WET...
2007-05-27 01:55:00
BEFORE THE SNOW - FEBRUARY 2005Taking advantage of the Mardi Gras holiday in Portugal and the consequent «bridge» break, we took a flight on a Thursday to Frankfurt, changed planes and flew to Istanbul , where we stayed until next Wednesday. Most of the souvenirs were recorded in video, but there are still a few photos to show on this blog. The weather was not much promising, but what we were going to catch was somehow unexpected... Let's start with some music ? Mozart?s Turkish March, as I couldn't find anything from «Die Entführung aus dem Serail» (The Abduction from the Seraglio) seems a good choice!"SULTAN AHMED MOSQUE AT NIGHT - Thursday evening the sky was clear and the night was cold; but the Blue Mosque was magnificently lighted. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul was built between 1609 and 1616, and the architect was Sedefkar Mehmet Aga, one of Mimar Sinan's most prominent students. It is the only mosque in Turkey that has six minarets, which seems to have been reason fo...
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ROMAN BATHS AT BATH, UK...
2007-05-23 02:03:00
UK COUNTRYSIDE! - DECEMBER 2004"BATH SIGHTSEEING - The exact date of Bath 's foundation as a settlement is not known, but it seems that there has been human activity in the area since c. 5000 BC, but it is difficult to establish what, if any, actual settlement there was. Bath was included in the World Heritage List in 1987. According to the UNESCO, «founded by the Roman s as a thermal spa, Bath became an important centre of the wool industry in the Middle Ages. In the 18th century, under George III, it developed into an elegant town with neoclassical Palladian buildings, which blend harmoniously with the Roman baths.» It was also home to Jane Austen, its most famous resident""CAROUSEL - According to Wikipedia, «carousel (or carrousel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating platform with seats for passengers. The «seats» are traditionally in the form of wooden horses or animals, which are often moved mechanically up and down to simulate galloping. This leads to one of the machi...
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MYSTIC ENGLAND!
2007-05-13 13:36:00
FROM STONEHENGE TO SALISBURY - DECEMBER 2004«Around The Gherkin?» was the 100th post on this blog. So after contemporary architecture, I think it makes sense to review the early beginning!***STONEHENGEAccording to Wikipedia, Stonehenge «is a henge, a Neolithic and Bronze Age megalithic monument located near Amesbury in the English county of Wiltshire, about 8 miles (13 km) north of Salisbury. It is composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones and is one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world. Archaeologists think that the standing stones were erected around 3200 BC and the surrounding circular earth bank and ditch, which constitute the earliest phase of the monument, have been dated to about 3100 BC. The site and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986 ...»."THE MENHIRS - Obelix was missing!""BARROWS""FAREWELL PICTURE"***SALISBURY"THE KINGS ARMS HOTEL, Salisbury, a nice place to have lunch""ST. ...
More About: England , United Kingdom , Land , Myst

AROUND THE GHERKIN...
2007-05-09 09:32:00
LONDON REVISITED - DECEMBER 2004In December 2004, I took some days off, and decided to stay in the City of London , close to some new architectural gems, rather than in the City of Westminster, as I usually did. It was an interesting experience, and it allowed me to walk around the City even in the evening, when almost everybody was already gone home... "BARBICAN - Between 1965 and 1976, a new complex was built on a site that had been bombed in World War II. The complex includes a residential estate, the Barbican Arts Centre, the Museum of London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Barbican Public Library, the City of London School for Girls and a YMCA. The complex is architecturally important as one of the principal examples of concrete Brutalist architecture and has been designated a site of special architectural interest. It is home to around 4,000 people living in 2,014 flats""THE GHERKIN - At 30 St Mary Axe, on the site of the former Baltic Exchange building, Norman Ro...
More About: United Kingdom , Round , The G

ON THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SIDE...
2007-05-05 16:10:00
DÜRRES AND APOLLONIA, ALBANIA - OCTOBER 2004While preparing the materials for this post I found an interesting site on Albania . It deals with almost every aspect that might be relevant for the preparation of your visit to the country...Albania is full of testimonials about the Illyrian cities that were created in the fifth century BC, and this is the subject of this post. The main excavations have been made in Korce, Durres, Apollonia, Butrint and Ardenitza. I'll deal with Durres and Apollonia.*** DURRES"ESCORT - It's nice to have some help to drive through the busy roads. It spares time and allows seeing a little more even if you are in a hurry. But sometimes it looked like a nightmare running on the wrong side of the road and at an incredible speed...""DÜRRES, 35 km far from Tirana, westwards, is the second largest city in Albania and the main seaport of the country. It is situated at one of the narrower points of the Adriatic Sea, opposite the Italian ports of Bari (300 km away...
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TOWN OF A THOUSAND WINDOWS
2007-04-29 12:45:00
BERAT - ALBANIA - OCTOBER 2004Berat , a town located on the right bank of the river Osum (just a short distance from the point where this is joined by the Molisht river) in south-central Albania , has a population of around 45,500 people and is the capital of both the District and the County of Berat.According to Wikipedia (from where most of this information was taken), «the town is thought to be one of the oldest in Albania, with a settlement having existed there since at least the 6th century BC, when it was a fortress-settlement of the Illyrian Dasaretes tribe on the old border between Illyria and Epirus. Known as Antipatrea, it was captured by the Romans in the 2nd century BC». It was named Pulcheriopolis during the Byzantine period, was captured by the Bulgarians under Simeon I in the 9th century, passed to the Serbs in 1345, who renamed it «Beligrad» ("white city"), to be finally conquered in 1450 by the Ottomans, who retained it until 1912. It represents a remarkable example ...
More About: Windows , Sand , Town , Indo

KRUJE, SKANDERBEG'S HOME TOWN
2007-04-25 19:14:00
Kruje is the hometown of Albania's national hero, George Kastrioti (Skanderbeg, the Dragon of Albania), who successfully resisted the Ottomans from 1443 until 1478 in Kruje. His castle resisted four sieges before final capitulation shortly after the death of Skanderbeg, Albania's greatest national hero."Kruje is a lovely panoramic mountainside location with roughly twenty thousand inhabitants. It's an interesting tourist attraction; however, the road from Tirana that passed near the airport was far from being first-class...""CASTLE - A main point of interest in Kruje is the restored castle and citadel""SKANDERBEG MUSEUM - Inside the restored castle there is the Skanderbeg museum""TRADITIONAL COSTUMES - Kruje has everything you expect to find in a tourist location. It's your problem not to be caught in tourist traps...""WEDDING - It seems that the Kruje Castle is also a favourite place for bride's photos....""FARM ANIMALS""RUINS""MOUNTAIN VIEWS""HOUSE - Located inside the castle...
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THE LAND OF THE EAGLES
2007-04-21 04:24:00
TIRANA - OCTOBER 2004Most probably we'll not find many people that would think of Albania as a tourist destination. However, if for some reason you happen to go there, open your eyes..."VIP LOUNGE, TIRANA AIRPORT. Tirana, founded in 1614 by Sulejman Pasha, is Albania's largest city. It became its capital city in 1920. The International Airport Nënë Tereza (it was named after Mother Teresa, who was of Albanian descent, in 2001) is Albania's only international airport, and is usually known as Rinas International Airport, as it is located 25 km northwest of Tirana, in the village of Rinas""THE ROGNER HOTEL EUROPA PARK is located in the centre of Tirana, on the main boulevard between the presidential palace and the Ministry of Finances and is an important meeting place both for locals and visitors" "WELCOME FLOWERS - The intention was good...""DESHMORET E KOMBIT BOULEVARD (National Martyrs Av.) was built in 1930, and this morning was already prepared for the football match between Al...
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STROLLING IN SANTIAGO, CHILE
2007-04-14 01:41:00
CENTRAL MARKET"MERCADO CENTRAL - The wrought iron building was fabricated in England and served as a London railway station before being brought to Chile and assembled here piece by piece for the National Exposition of 1872. Later, it became a market""HERBS, FRUITS AND VEGETABLES""FISH""FOOD STALL near the statue""RESTAURANT - Just seated""PISCO SOUR, as an aperitif""HUNGRY, waiting""KING CRAB""FINALLY, someone is going to start eating..."***SAN CRISTOBAL"CERRO SAN CRISTOBAL, a hill close to Barrio Bellavista, rises roughly 900m above sea level and its peak is the highest point in the city, some 300m above the rest of Sant iago . From the peak, near the church and the statue of Virgin Mary, one has a fabulous view of the city"***MERCED"MERCED BASILICA""LAWYERS AND WITCHES"***CERRO SANTA LUCIA"SANTA LUCIA was so named when on February 12th, 1541, at the foot of the hill, Pedro de Valdivia founded the city of Santiago. In 1872, Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna decided to make the hill a new att...
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BACK TO SANTIAGO, CHILE!
2007-04-08 01:42:00
RETURNING HOME - SEPTEMBER 2004Sant iago , Chile is a very nice town, as I've already mentioned on the first post of the 2004 holidays. However, when coming back home, my mood is always somewhat more depressing than while going out..."EARLY MORNING CHECK-IN - The Intercontinental Hotel is a quite nice hotel (no publicity needed) at Las Condes""LA MONEDA, a neo-classical building from Joaquin Toesca and Agustin Cavallero, which is the Seat of Chilean Government since 1922, and the Presidential Palace. Here we have a view from Constitution Square""SALVADOR ALLENDE GOSSENS (1908-1973) was the first socialist president of Chile. Born in an upper middle class family, he became involved in politics at the University. After completing his medical studies, he was elected to the Congress, served as minister of health, and became leader of the Socialist Party in 1942. In 1970, Allende won the presidency, and started what he named the «Chilean Road» to socialism. However, Allende had many inter...
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ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE!
2007-04-03 01:58:00
A DAY AT THE INTER-CONTINENTAL TAHITI - SEPTEMBER 2004The last day of our Tahitian 2004 holidays was mostly spent at the Tahiti Intercontinental Beachcomber Hotel. Relax and preparing for the roughly eleven hour flight back from Papeete to Santiago, Chile, with a stop at Easter Island. Great time!"EARLY MORNING - The view towards Moorea is simply fantastic, and in the morning the clouds do not yet cover the island...""LAWN - On the way to the beach pool""BEACH POOL almost only for us. Everybody else is at the Pool Bar...""MAIN POOL""FISH BASIN""TIKIS - Gods representations! It is around 1400-1450 that the art of sculpture made its appearance with the first stone Tikis, most often found in the form of statues. The Tiki is a male character, with the arms folded down, the legs bent, the head stuck on his body, no neck, and particularly emphasized genitalia. They were first discovered on very old petroglyphs, and those painted stones often showed faces with big rounded eyes, the origina...
More About: Sunset , Paradise , Intercontinental Hotel , South Pacific , French Polynesia

INTERLUDE...
2007-03-29 22:22:00
POLYNESIAN FISH - SEPTEMBER 2004This post is a pause in people's tours to show some fish travel..."BASIN - The Intercontinental has a basin where they feed some tropical fish and reproduce some corals. One of the days, Jean-Pierre decided to photograph most of the existing species, and I chose some of the photos to show here!"***FISH"SMALL FISH""LARGER FISH""POISSON VACHE - Careful, this one nibbled Jean-Pierre""YELLOW FISH"***CORAL"BROWN""GREY""PINK""PURPLE"
More About: Intercontinental Hotel , South Pacific , French Polynesia , Tahiti

BACK TO PAPEETE
2007-03-27 08:42:00
TEN DAYS LATER - SEPTEMBER 2004"DOCKED - After ten days of good on board life, the Tahitian Princess docked back at the Papeete Autonomous Port, ready to start disembarking passengers. The early morning, as usual, was sunny!""DISEMBARKING""LUGGAGE COLLECTION""GOODBYE TAHITIAN PRINCESS""SOUVENIR PHOTO - A composition with a picture from a formal dinner with the itinerary on the side, makes a nice souvenir, and contributes to the improvement of the ship?s income..."***"PAPEETE PORT - The peak clouds start to get to the coast...""BOULEVARD POMARE - On the way, back to the Intercontinental Beachcomber Hotel""INTERCONTINENTAL - The reception was busy, but the Tiki didn't care...""VIEW - The views from the reception towards Moorea are great!""BUS TRANSFER to the assigned rooms""ROOM VIEW"
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STILL IN MOOREA!
2007-03-20 23:25:00
LAST DAY CRUISING - SEPTEMBER 2004After the stop at the Sofitel Ia Ora Hotel, we continued our tour of the Island passing through Teavaro, next to Vaiare and by Afareaitu. Then we got near to the Hotel Linareva, and Le Bateau restaurant, where we had a fabulous lunch during our first time in Tahiti in 1992. One day I'll complete the post on the Blogtrotter 90s with some videos, since there are almost no photos at all!"HOTEL LINAREVA""LE BATEAU (the Floating Boat) ? Located in front of the Linareva Hotel in Haapiti, it was owned by a Swiss, and had a very nice ambiance and very good food!"INTERCONTINENTAL BEACHCOMBER HOTEL - Almost at the end of our tour we stopped at the Intercontinental to take another swim and grab some food. The parking at the entrance is nested in a quite interesting garden...""WATER - Many beautiful white sand beaches can be found in the northern coast around Papetoai. The beach at the Intercontinental is quite nice, and had already been visited in 1992. No wo...
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