March 31, 2013

Let's visit Easter Island in Chile


Let's visit Easter Island in Chile


image copyright 2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

March 29, 2013

Condesa, Mexico City, Mexico: Buena Tierra Communidad; restaurant review

Atlixco 94, in La Condesa, 5211 4242. 

Located in a leafy neighborhood at a five-point corner, popular Buena Tierra Communidad has a large sidewalk patio.  Sitting here provides great views of passersby and even of waiters and valets taking a break for a spiffy shoeshine.  Drinks are large and icy, and menu options at lunch include rolled fish tacos, large Italian panini, refreshing salads, vegetarian options, and plenty more.  Waiters are patient and helpful, and a few speak English. 



March 25, 2013

Mexico City, Mexico: Museo Frida Kahlo/Frida Kahlo Museum; things to do

Museo Frida Kahlo/Frida Kahlo Museum  

Londres 247, in Coyoacán, 55/5554-5999.  Tu-Sun 10am-5:45pm.  75 pesos, senior rate.  No cameras allowed inside; ok in garden. 

beautiful blue exterior of Museo Frida Kahlo/Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico City
beautiful blue exterior of Museo Frida Kahlo/Frida Kahlo Museum
in Mexico City


Frida Kahlo was born on July 7, 1910 in Casa Azul, the cornflower-blue house that is now her namesake museum.  She grew up here and later lived here with husband Diego Rivera from 1929 until she died in 1954.  Kahlo spent her life in physical pain--first from polio contracted when she was 6, and then from a streetcar accident that pierced her spine when she was 18—and life with her husband was both passionate and tumultuous. 

Though during her lifetime she was best known as the wife of muralist Diego Rivera, today Frida Kahlo is probably more famous for her own art--striking images and self-portraits into which she painted her pain.  Some rooms in this house museum are used as galleries and display a small collection of Kahlo’s work as well as paintings by artists she admired.  Others are preserved as they were when she died, providing a peek into the domestic life of these two famous artists.  I especially enjoyed viewing the tiny clay Tequila-tasting cups hanging on the kitchen wall and spelling out “Diego and Frida.”  Her wheelchair remains in her studio next to an easel holding a partially completed painting, and paint brushes, books, and photographs are scattered about.  Here and there are examples of her colorful traditional clothing and the pre-Columbian art and terracotta figures from Teotihuacán and Tlatelolco that the couple collected. 

It is interesting to note that Trotsky also lived in the house for a while, and that much of the 2002 movie “Frida,” starring Salma Hayek in the title role, was filmed here. 

Outside, a spacious garden planted with green ferns and blooming flowers looks particularly brilliant against the deep blue walls.  It holds a mock temple Kahlo had built to display some of her pots and statues as well as several skulls from Chichén Itzá.  A small garden cafe serves light refreshments, and an adjacent gift shop purveys relevant books and souvenirs.


 
image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

March 22, 2013

Polanco, Mexico City, Mexico: Karisma; restaurant review

dinner plate at Karisma in Mexico City

Karisma  

Ave. Campos Elisccos 219, in Polanco, 5280 1872. 

Popular cantina Karisma serves up bar drinks as well as a few traditional dishes, and the outside patio located on a busy corner of the street is quite the scene.  Most people come to drink and move on. 


image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

March 20, 2013

Polanco, Mexico City, Mexico: Kaffe Bondy; restaurant review

Galileo 38/Newton, in Polanco, 5281 7028.  Tu-Sun 9-10pm. 

Popular for breakfast,  attractive Kaffe Bondy serves a large selection of both Mexican pastries (from their bakery inside) and Mexican egg dishes. 










image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

March 18, 2013

Jaffa, Israel: Tourist Information Center; things to do

Tourist Information Center

17 Mazal Dagim St., +972 3 5184015.  Reservations advised. 

“Jaffa Tales” takes you on a multi-sensory tour of an archaeological site at the Tourist Information Center that was just recently enclosed and converted into an indoor museum.  In addition to actual excavations, visitors sit on colorful acrylic swivel stools while watching a 4-D virtual performance that brings the past to life.


More things to do in Jaffa.

More ideas for exploring the Middle East.


image courtesy of Tourist Information Center website

March 15, 2013

Cuernavaca, Mexico: Hacienda de Cortes; hotel review

Hacienda de Cortes  

Plaza Kennedy 90, Col. Atlacomulco, Jiutepec, 10 minutes by cab from downtown, 52 777-315-8844.  23 rooms; 2 stories.  All fireplaces.  Unheated pool; 2 unheated hot tubs; fitness room. 

exquisite dining room at the Hacienda de Cortez in Cuernavaca, Mexico
exquisite dining room at the Hacienda de Cortez in Cuernavaca, Mexico


Once owned by conquistador Hernan Cortes, the grand hacienda was built by him for his Indian interpreter and lover, Malinche.  It is believed to be the second-oldest post-conquest building in Mexico (the oldest is reputedly the nearby Hacienda San Gabriel de las Palmas).  The exquisitely romantic setting of Hacienda de Cortez is built around the remains of the original sugar mill and features mature trees and protective high stone walls that surround the property. 

Gardens are extensive and well-tended and include long-lived sea grape and banana trees, and you can hear the water that still runs through ancient viaducts.  A dramatic pool features stone pillars and resembles a ruins. 

Guest rooms have stone floors, whitewashed adobe walls, high ceilings, antique furnishings, and a sofa serving as an additional bed.  Suites also get a large marble bathroom with a step-down whirlpool tub-shower combo (the tub/whirlpool can be awkward to use since it is square and made of stone).  All rooms have both air conditioning and ceiling fans.  Suites have magnificent wrought-iron-encased glass doors that open to the beautiful grassy central courtyard (#19 and 20 are favorites), while studio balconies look over the street.  The spectacular Shaw Suite, where the Shaw of Iran once holed up, features vaulted ceilings and thick stone arches.  New rooms are being completed in a 4-story unit behind the pool.

The shell of the 400-plus-year-old hacienda’s main building is overgrown with roots and vines and now serves as the stunning La Casona/The Old House restaurant.  A spectacular soaring skylight ceiling is grown over with the lacy branches of very old strangler figs (amate trees) that have encased themselves in the crumbling stone walls.  The menu is composed of refined Mexican dishes, and prices are reasonable.


More things to do in Cuernavaca.

More things to do in Mexico City.

More ideas for exploring Canada and Mexico.


image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

March 13, 2013

Jaffa, Israel: interior of Ilana Goor Museum & Gallery in Jaffa, Israel; things to do

Ilana Goor Museum & Gallery  

4 Mazal Dagim St., 972 3 683 7676.  Sun-F 10-4, Sat 10-6. 

interior of Ilana Goor Museum & Gallery in Jaffa, Israel
interior of Ilana Goor Museum & Gallery in Jaffa, Israel


Built in the 18th century as the first Jewish hostel in Jaffa, this house welcomed pilgrims.  Then, in the 19th century, an Arab family that made olive oil soap lived here.  Curator/artist Ilana Goor--a native of Tiberius who moved to NYC when she was 20 and designed belt buckles for Bloomingdales--now lives part-time upstairs in this 270-year-old house that since 1995 has served as a gallery and museum (she divides her time between here and NYC).  The Ilana Goor Museum & Gallery is an intimate house museum that puts no glass between you and art.  Reflecting the curator’s personal taste, the eclectic collection displays different mediums, combines old and new, and includes functional art such as ancient Egyptian plows turned into benches.  Goor’s image is seen throughout.  Her puffy hair, big sunglasses, and oversize jewelry are reminiscent of Howard Stern and Steven Tyler, and it is interesting to know that Robert DeNiro stayed here in the upstairs guest room known as the Christianity Room.

March 11, 2013

Jaffa, Israel: St. Peter's Church; things to do

St. Peter's Church 

The largest building in Jaffa, the Franciscan Catholic St. Peter's Church has been re-built several times upon the site of a medieval citadel.  It commemorates the miracle of Saint Peter raising Tabitha from the dead.

exterior of St. Peter's Church in Jaffa, Israel
exterior of St. Peter's Church in Jaffa, Israel



image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

March 8, 2013

Photo Gallery features Wonderful Women Round the World

To celebrate International Women's Day, Journeywoman has created an online collection of images titled "Wonderful Women Round the World."  The photographs were taken by travel bloggers who each provide a short tale about their image. 

A photograph by me (see below) is included.  The story that goes with mine:  "This 90-year-old Hmong mother of 10 was resting outside her house in the Highlands near Chiang Mai, Thailand. She was very cooperative about photographs and did not accept money but appreciated that we bought some handicrafts"

Hmong woman at her house in the Highlands near Chiang Mai, Thailand
Hmong woman at her house in the Highlands near Chiang Mai, Thailand


More photo galleries.

More things to see and do in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

More ideas for travel adventures in California and the U.S. and around the world.

image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

March 6, 2013

Introduction to Jaffa, Israel

Introduction to Jaffa, Israel


The 4,500+-year-old city of Jaffa is the oldest working port city in the world.  Filled with ancient sandstone buildings, it is older than Jerusalem and, in fact, the Holy Land.  Named for Noah's son Japheth, it is where Jonah sailed from to be swallowed by a whale.  Andromeda was chained to a rock here, and in 1799 Napoleon conquered it in just three weeks. The city center is now an artists’ colony with upscale galleries and shops and is also home to a popular flea market.

men playing a board game outside in Jaffa, Israel
men playing a board game outside in Jaffa, Israel




image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

March 4, 2013

Leipzig, Germany: Leipzig Central Station; things to do

Leipzig Central Station 


With 26 platforms, the circa 1915 Leipzig Central Station railway terminal is Europe’s largest.  Lines radiate out to the main cities in Germany and the rest of the Continent, and it has 140 shops on three floors. 

mother with child in stroller at Leipzig Central train station in Germany
mother with child in stroller at Leipzig Central train station in Germany



More things to do in Leipzig.

More things to do in nearby Dresden.


image c2013 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

March 1, 2013

Leipzig, Germany: Westin Leipzig; hotel review

Westin Leipzig  

Gerberstrasse 15, (+49)341/9880; www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/index.html.  Pool; fitness room; health spa.  2 restaurants.  5 stars. 

Featuring the largest hotel swimming pool in the city, the Westin Leipzig hotel is conveniently located beside Leipzig's central railway station and is just a short walk from the city’s popular zoo.  Formed from two former DDR buildings, it was built by a Japanese company in the 1980s.  The central city is reached easily on foot, and a tram stop is just a three-minute walk away.  The stylish rooms and suites are soundproofed and offer superb views of the city. 





Popular Posts