Photo Essay: A Walk through Venice

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Walking through a lonely alley in Venice

Venice is this magical place where you'd immediately fall in love with - but you are not the only one. When spring arrives, mass of tourists invades the city searching for the charm of its canals, its food and its people. But this invasion, in turn, takes away part of the charm. If you want to take a picture of the Rialto Bridge, there's always going to be someone else on the picture with you. I wonder how many people at once this bridge can resist, as I felt like in a rock concert on it! 

So what can be done to avoid to falling into a tourist trap in Venice? My personal recommendation is to avoid its attractions. The charm of Venice can still be found, but it's not going to be in any of the main streets. Last year, I spent 24 hours in the city and soon noticed that getting lost in its street isn't bad at all. When I gave up on my map reading skills, I found some nice restaurants (in Fondamenta della Sensa and Sestiere Cannaregio) offering thin italian style pizzas without you feeling robbed when the bill arrives, walked through rustic alleys and passages where we barely met other people and  had the chance to chat with kind locals who gave me some tips on where to go. 

I loved the fact that there were groups of artists representing this view on their paintings

One of the not-so-known bridges worth discovering

Although this is one of the main alleys, I loved the way the afternoon light played with the colors of the buildings

 So... I know that many people rule Venice out of their travel plans because they expect some kind of big tourist trap; but knowing what to avoid, I really liked it, and I would return again (I have to, to visit the Guggenheim Museum in Venice and rule it off my bucket list!). 

5 Things you may not know about Venice...

1. Venice is built on 117 islands, features 160 canals and 409 bridges 
2. The venetian buildings were constructed on closely spaced wood piles. Some of the big palaces are said to be standing over more that 75.000 piles!
3. Venice is sinking. The city has sunk about 7cm a century for the past 1,000 years
4. Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia was the first woman in the world to get a university degree (1678) - She was born in Venice. 
5. The Tiramisù, which means "pick-me-up" in italian - one of my favorite deserts, ever - is thought to have its origins in Venice (by Giuseppe Maffioli)

Now this last made me feel hungry - Have a nice Sunday!

Want to see more pictures of Venice? Visit my Flickr Gallery!

Friday's Five - 5 Spanish Drinks Made of Wine

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For a change, I've thought on giving my Friday's Five a new fresh theme. Instead of focusing only on 5 posts I specially enjoyed reading this week - to be frank, it's hardly impossible to choose 5 out of so many - I'm extend it to... well, any 5 that I may come up with (always related to travel). 

Friday's Five - #5 - 5 Spanish Drinks Made of Wine

Not that I want to discourage you to drink spanish wine when in Spain - you really should! But besides for its Rioja and Ribera del Duero, the country has a long history of mixed drinks - after all, who hasn't heard of Sangria, right? But there is much more than a fruit punch made of wine, and below are my 5 favorites:

1. Sangria. The drink every tourist will sip while sitting on any terraza in country's major tourist spots. I've tasted many different versions (even in different countries), and there's none that can be compared to the one served at home. Sangria is made of inexpensive red wine - mental note: the cheaper the wine, the stronger the hangover -orange and lemon juice and a variety of fruit slices such as peach, lemon, orange and apple. But the best receipts are never that simple - I recommend including a cup of cointreau, cognac or rum, as well as some cinnamon! 
2. Rebujito. The birth of rebujito took place in the Feria de Abril, in Andalucia. For a change, this drink is prepared with manzanilla, a variety of fino sherry (a fortified wine made of white grapes). The manzanilla is then mixed with 7Up or Sprite, added ice and some mint leaves. Personally, my favorite!
3. Kalimotxo. Kalimotxo (also: Calimocho) has always been the teen and student drink in Spain - it's, after all, less fancy than the ones above. It usually involves red wine from the Tetra Brik cartons of Don Simon, and a cola-based soft drink - split 50/50. It couldn't get any easier (and cheaper!). A common way of serving is in a one liter drinking glass made of plastic, ironically known as minis. This drinks stops being popular when you reach an age at which you actually enjoy the wine - mixing it with coke is a sin (now)!
4. Pitilingorri. Also known as Caliguay or Tologorri, it is a variation of the Kalimotxo that contains red wine or rosé, mixed with lemon juice (although you can also find it with rosé wine or orange juice instead).
5. Tinto de Verano. Although many believe that Tinto de Verano is similar to the sangria, the taste is quite different. A good tinto de verano (which again, will probably not be the ones you get on a hot tourist spot) will be prepared with red wine, soda (La Casera), lemon, ice and red vermouth. Spaniards often prefer it to sangria, because its less sweet and more refreshing.

Is it too obvious that I'm dreaming of summer, with all these refreshing drinks? I really can't wait to be lying at a beach with the sun on my skin - I haven't really had it since I was in Lebanon, almost 2 years ago!

Have you tried any of these? 

Do you also have drink combinations with wine where you live?

The Day I drank Champagne Under a Dinosaur's Tail

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Desert Buffet (not including the huge chocolate fountain)

You might be wondering what a cocktail week is like. Well - free drinks, aperitifs and buffets were tempting, but I must admit that it wasn't all as exciting as it may sound. I stood on heels 8-10 hours a day, giving the same speech to people I don't really remember (why don't they do business cards with a picture on them?) while doing my best not to stain my only suit - which wasn't always as easy as it sounds! 

But fear not! I still made my best out of it. After all, bankers have won my respect and appreciation inside and outside the bank (that is, including speedboats and pubs, too). Below some of the most memorable highlights.

• I had champagne under a dinosaur's skeleton in London's Natural History Museum (this should have been on my bucket list!)
• A trader kissed his last business card and gave it to me, soon afterwards, the banker next to him took off his tie and wrapped it around his head (it didn't last long - he was a bad boy, but not mad)
• I had my fresh fruit juice running through a gigantic american football made of ice
• One cocktail had an incredible buffet that culminated with a big chocolate fountain. Guess where I spent half of my time at the party...
• I must have handed out around 50 business cards of mine - all with a typo (which I had to explain one by one)
• While talking to one of the bankers, I was more concerned about his swinging glass of wine than the subject itself - he eventually split some of the wine in the carpet, but I had already moved half a meter away, just in case

I've returned to Switzerland being particularly concerned about the amount of food I can ingest in 3 days - scary. Must start diet. NOW. 

What have you been up to this week?

The Week Ahead...

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I'm flying to London this evening - I know, my London-once-a-month is really starting to look like a ritual.  And still, there's something about that city, that just makes me want to go again and again. I can't get enough of it! 

I'm coupling my weekend with almost a full week of work to do in London. But I'm quite excited about it this time, as I'll be meeting a lot of important people of the petroleum industry. I know, it's not as exciting as going to London Fashion Week (which also should be starting some time soon), but at least it involved a lot of cocktails and snacks in nice hotels and lounges - time to prove the comfortableness of my heels.

Anyway, it may be possible that between one cocktail and another cocktail, I won't find much time to post. But I'll be back Thursday with some juicy stories!

Besides, I'll still be on Twitter ;)

What are your plans for the weekend?

My Guilty Little Travel Secret

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A Cafe in Saint Martin

I love hostels, tasting exotic food and drinks in a foreign country, and mingling with new people while sharing a local beer. I like the excitement of discovering a new place each day of my trip, indulging in the countries' culture, learning about its history and present, and taking the road less travelled. I really do. 

But something I've learned during the last 1 and 1/2 years (since I started on my full-time job) is that traveling this way, although rewarding and fulfilling, is not relaxing. After returning from these kind of trips, I have 2 memory cards full of pictures and a lot of fantastic new experiences - but am exhausted. I then spend the following week dragging myself from home to work and back and hope for the weekend to recover from my vacation. 

But this summer, things will be different. 


... I will wake up whenever I feel like it.


... I will get a perfect tan.


... I will watch the sunset from the terrace and toast with a glass of wine!


From time to time, the little explorer inside me needs a break. A day without schedules. A week on which my only calendar entry is playa. No museums. No city walks. No hiking. No road trips. No GPS. No sleeping somewhere else each night - just playa.  


It has been so long I haven't taken a real time off that I'm not even sure if I can make it. Maybe I spend those 7 days checking my e-mails every 2 minutes, reading books about the petroleum industry or learning french, so I feel like I'm doing something proactive. But I'm almost sure that as soon as the sand touches my bare feet, I'll be somewhere near the Limbo. 

Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

PS: Watch out for the next blog posts to find out about my destination! 

Do you also need a cultural break from time to time and enjoy a vacation doing nothing? Which is your guilty little travel secret?

Photo Essay: Canals, Bicycles and Coffee Shops

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This time three years ago, I had handed in my thesis and was on the road with two close friends of mine. On that thursday night, the idea came up to hit the road and so, with no set plan, we drove our way up to Amsterdam. 

We drove for at least 6 hours, and only arrived in the dutch capital at about 1 or 2 am. Excited about our arrival, we parked the car and stepped out to take a first quick glimpse on the city of sins. Me parked next to what - in my naïve mind - was a department store. But to my surprise, the store's mannequins were... alive. Not that I didn't knew about Amsterdam's Red Light District. I did. But we weren't exactly in the red light district yet and, besides, I had never seen anything similar to this before. 

We walked to what was the actual Red Light District but soon realized we were out-placed as the only people still wandering on the streets were men looking to window-shop. Note: it didn't really feel unsafe for 3 girls, men were far too focussed on what was going on behind the windows. 

The next morning, we started our journey through the city of canals, bicycles and coffee shops.

One of Amsterdam's many canals

Uncountable number of bicycles

Having dutch beer during lunch time

Inside a Coffee Shop

Ever since, I've been back to Amsterdam twice, but always for work. Still, I find this city, and particularly the parts that aren't extremely touristic, charming and worth the visit. I know many people think of it as a touristic cliché - that wherever you go, you'll see groups of young tourists high or drunk. I'm not going to lie - you can find pretty freaky people out there. However, Amsterdam has much more to offer than a couple of coffee shops (which may I say, is still part of the experience). My personal favorite area up to now has been the restaurant/bar/boutique area in and around Spuistraat. 

Anyway, I'll leave you, as usual, with 5 (quite surprising!) facts about Amsterdam.

1. Amsterdam's Airport (Schiphol) is 4 meters below sea level. This means that, if global warming causes the sea level to rise, Amsterdam would be one of the first cities to drown
2. There are estimated to be 1 million bikes in Amsterdam vs. approximately 750.000 people. The number of bicycles actually is estimated to have doubled the number of cars
3. Measured per square meter, Amsterdam is the city with the highest number of Museums worldwide - the city's administration counts 51 museums!
4. There are over 200 coffee shops spread across the city. Since 2007, customer can only smoke pure cannabis joints in coffee shops but can not mix them with tobacco 
5. The famous magic mushrooms - dry or fresh - are both illegal since December 2008 (after a couple of bad tourist incidents)

Have you ever been to Amsterdam? If so, which are your thoughts - is it too touristy? 

__________________________________

By the way, one of my pictures was featured over at Christine's C'est Christine on her Share the Love Sundays feature, check it out!

Lessons I've Learned after Hiking in Tenerife

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This is my 100th post, yay!! 

Don't worry, I'm not going to prepare a list of 100 things you should know about myself. I'm really not that interesting. Instead, I wanted to share with you a photo essay on what, up to now, has been my most challenging travel experience.

Arriving to Afur, Tenerife -Starting point

I'm not a sporty person - while many friends are longing for the snow to come back in order to spend their weekends skiing and snowboarding, I'm hoping to find an excuse to eat fondue and drink mulled wine. This doesn't mean I'm a coach potato (at least not all the time). 

This was one of those days. A friend came to visit me in Tenerife and, to break the routine, I planned to go on an easy hike - maybe 3 hours, nothing too risky. After all, Tenerife has beautiful hidden paths with amazing views, and tiny villages that offer fresh fish for half the price as any bigger and more touristic town on the island. 

After some research, we decided on hiking from Afur to Taganana - A hike that was signalized as being between 3 and 3 and a half hours, absolutely feasible (right?). Right. 

The hike trail starts by going down a the Barranco de Tamadiste (a ravine). This was relatively easy to hike, and we came across some other fellow hikers (who apparently did this every week). After approximately 3km descent, we arrived at a small beach - not particularly pretty, but hey - we arrived to the ocean, first mini-goal completed! 

Warning: as  tempting as the water may seem, I don't recommend going for a swim. The water in this area has a very strong currents. 

The trail then continues to the right, on a strongly pronounced ascent until you reach 120m above the sea. The path goes along the edge of the coast, providing the (exhausted) hikers with rewarding views of Anaga and Los Roques de Anaga. At some times, the trail was very narrow, and we had to literally grab ourselves to the rocks and not look down - the cliffs went straight down from around 140m height. Nothing suitable for anyone afraid of heights! This was also the reason for which I have rather few pictures of this trail (I was too busy not falling into the ocean!). But I did take one picture that may just sum up the whole trail along the coast side. 

Our views along the way

After 7kms walking along the coast and small plantations and gardens, we finally arrived to upper part of Taganana - the place where we would be rewarded with a nice simple beach and fresh fish, wrinkled potatoes and mojo picón. It was only another 20-30 minutes walk down to arrive to the beach, when a kind local woman came out of her house to greet us. We told her where we came from and our plans for the rest of the day which ended with an optimistic "... and then we get the bus back to Afur". There was no bus back to Afur, not even near Afur. "Well... then we'll take a cab", we hesitated. No. No cabs in Taganana. Good. We were stuck.

The local woman told us that the quickest way back to Afur was walking over the mountains.  I wanted to laugh, or cry, or both (and maybe I did). It had taken us 4 and a half hours and a lot of stress to get to where we were. I wanted my reward! But sure, if we walked down to the beach, we then had to walk all the way back plus walk over the mountains. And it was getting cold. And it looked like it was going to rain. 

So we walked back to Afur over the mountain - for another 2 hours. At some point, I stopped feeling pain in my legs, and started to feel desperation - I was hungry, angry, tired, sweaty, and cold, too. But once we had reached the top of the mountain, a strong feeling of satisfaction started growing inside me. 

Taganana, from the Top

The views we got to admire from both sides of this mountain paid back all the breathless, waterless and foodless moments I thought to die along the way (back then, I didn't know what I was capable of doing!). 

On our way back to Afur (this time over the mountains)

... And after 6 and a half hours, we arrived back to where we had parked our car. Just in time to drive back home, get a shower and make ourselves through the full menu of my favorite restaurant, La Rosa di Bari. 

Lessons learned during my first real hike experience?

1. Don't trust the estimated walking hours you can find at the start of a trail (or on the internet). Unless you are an expert hiker, I would recommend to add up to one hour more. 
2. Wear correct footwear. I didn't wear hiking boots but simple sport shoes and thought this would be enough. When I noticed how much I slipped with them, walking along the edge of the coast was really scary - I didn't feel safe at all. 
3. Take a hiking stick with you. You may think these sticks are disturbing, but  they really come handy when walking along steep paths. 
4. Be prepared for anything. We just had 1 L of water with us, and we were 3. We managed to refill twice on the way, but it wasn't enough (specially on the way back). We didn't have food because we had planned to eat fish at the beach, and consequently spent 6 and a half hours starving.  
5. Organize yourself before you leave. It would have been wise to research the best way to go back from Taganana to Afur before walking the 4 and a half hours. 

Which has so far been your most challenging travel experience? What have you learned of it?

By the way, on thursday I was featured over at Amanda's A Dangerous Business as her Thursday Traveler, check it out!

What Makes a Sunset Worth the Wait?

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Sunset in Phuket, Thailand

During my travels, I've seen some outstanding sunsets - each of them was different and  has been captured in my mind ever since (and in my camera, too!). Going over my pictures, I started wondering - What makes Phuket have those beautiful sunsets? And why is Africa supposed to have the best ones Worldwide? 

In fact, what makes the color of a sunset?

Sunlight is composed of a spectrum of colors that range from blue/violet to orange/red. Each of the colors have a different wavelength - I don't want to get too geeky, it's probably easier if you picture a rainbow. The inner color of the rainbow is violet and blue, which have the shortest wavelength, while the outer ones are orange and red, the colors with the longest wavelength. 

At noon, the sun appears to be white because all wavelengths of visual light reach our eyes with almost the same intensity (remember that Pink Floyd album cover - The Dark Side of the Moon? That's what I mean). However, at sunrise and sunset, sunlight takes a much longer path through the atmosphere. Because air molecules scatter away the shortest wavelengths of light, the light that reaches our eyes is rather orange / reddened. 

Sunset in Phuket, Thailand

All good - But what makes sunsets in some parts of the World more beautiful than in others?

What determines actually the kind of sunset is the size and concentration of atmospheric particles in the path of the incoming sunlight. Very small particles scatter blue and violet light preferentially, leading to a glowing orange and red sunset. A heavy concentration of small particles will create even redder sunsets. 

Does that mean that if we're somewhere with high air pollution, we'll get to see a better sunset? No. Pollution particles are too large, so instead of enhancing the colors of the sky, they subdue them. This is also the reason for which sunsets in deserts and the tropics are more dramatic - the air pollution is rather minimal.

Taking away pollution, there are many other smaller particles that can be floating in the air to create the perfect glowing reddish sunset, such as salt particles over the ocean, or dust and ash from a volcanic eruption. 

Sunset in Fernando de Noronha

Where have you captured your favorite sunset?

Photo Essay: Scuba Diving Fernando de Noronha

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Fernando de Noronha is Brazil's best kept secret. Still pure and simple, with little touristic influence, this archipelago has been declared UNESCO World Heritage Center back in 2001 and it's described as the most beautiful marine park in the World. 

I visited the island over Easter Holidays about 3 years ago with my mom for 5 days, and we had a great time. The highlight of the the trip - besides for the breathtaking beaches, which certainly deserve a separate post - was the Underwater World. A couple of years ago, we obtained our Scuba Diving license and, since then, attempt to dive in each of our travel destinations. And believe me, you will want to have one if you're thinking about visiting Fernando de Noronha. 

... Dive with Sea Turtles in a strong sea current

... Dive so close to them you can almost reach out your hand and touch them 

... See colorful fish and exotic rock formations ...

... which were probably hiding away from us in between these rocks

... And come across a peaceful shark! (with so many little colorful fish swimming around, no wonder he had not even a slight interest on us)

Besides for turtles, sharks and thousands of colorful fish, I also saw rays, dolphins and barracudas. Actually, I was the one that found the group of barracudas while everyone else was amazed following the shark. I dove closer and saw all 4 suddenly turning towards me, which felt a bit scary. Still, besides big barracudas staring at me, this has been so far the best diving experience I've had. 

Holding on to the facts tradition, here you go with 5 interesting facts on Fernando de Noronha you shouldn't miss:

1. The island had been occupied by the dutch, the french and the portuguese
2. The Government limits the number of visitors to 460 at one time, which, together with the 3.500 locals living there permanently, makes it really cozy
3. Visitors pay an Environmental Preservation Tax that increases progressively with the length of the visit
4. Its water is so clear and transparent, that you still have very good visibility at 50 meters depth 
5.  All of the water and 70% of the land on and around Fernando de Noronha is national park

To see more pictures of Fernando de Noronha, head over to my Flickr album!

... The One on Where I'm From.

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Whenever someone pops up the question of where I'm from, I hesitate. When I turned 18, I engaged in a life of long-term living abroad, and never have lived in the same city for longer than 3 years in a row. Any expat may agree that, the more time you live away from where you were born (just to set a starting point) the more difficult it gets to properly define "home". This doesn't get any easier when your passport doesn't even match the country where you grew up in.

My passport states I'm german, and I'm proud of it. There are a lot of german genes in me: after all, my favorite beer is Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier. I'm a planner and sometimes too much of the laid back makes me tense, as I start to think I'm loosing my time. I'm impatient, too. However, I'm also usually 3-5 minutes late to work, I can't concentrate for more than an hour on a row and I have a general lack of interest in cars. 

On the other side, I do not have any document that indicates that I'm spanish. But I feel spanish, too. I need a siesta after having lunch and often do stuff in the last moment. Most of my conversations are about food and eating tapas is my favorite social gathering. 16ºC is still cold enough for me to wear my winter jacket. I hardly ever get a sunburn and I have no verbal filters when talking to complete strangers. I use hand gestures, all the time - picture an italian cook? that's me, even when I'm on the phone. I get excited when I meet someone spanish in a foreign country and talk a lot (and loud). And most importantly, hey, I cheered for Spain during last year's World Cup!!

So, whenever someone asks me where I'm from, I like to say that I'm a mix of the good and the bad of both cultures and wouldn't be able to choose. 

Being german doesn't mean I can't be spanish, too, right? Categorizing someone only by a document doesn't seem accurate to me - What about the habits, life rhythm and language skills? But then, feeling spanish doesn't mean that I don't feel german. This concept of belonging to more than one culture is probably a consequence of globalization - we now have the ability to discover and be part of other cultures without having to give up where we initially came from - We have the opportunity to preserve where we came from and integrate it in where we are now.

And now it's my turn to ask.... Where do YOU come from?

5 Thing I've Learned about NY

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Queuing even when it's freezing...

at Clinton St. Baking Co.

Any time you leave the known to step into the unknown, you'll come back having learned something - which is precisely one of the reasons for which I love traveling! In NY, it wasn't all about the views from the Empire State building or Central Park. I also enjoyed learning about the peculiarities of living in Manhattan.

1. The Subway. It seemed easy. It really did - Uptown vs. Downtown - I understand that! But unless you have a little local goblin whispering some of the subways tricks, you're screwed. Nobody told us that there local trains and express trains, which only stop in certain stations (not the one we wanted, though). But then, on weekends "the subway sometimes goes crazy" - this is what two local metro riders were  buzzing about, once they'd found out that on a station where only F trains were supposed to stop, we suddenly were touring an A Express. 
2. Queuing. On our first morning, we followed our flat mate's recommendation to go and have breakfast at Clinton St. Baking Co. (it's breakfast/brunch, muffins and pancakes have won recognition among New Yorkers!). We were early enough to avoid the usual queue (benefits of jet lag). However, at the time we left, the place was crammed with people, and there were even people queuing outside! Fact is, the bakery was delicious. So here's my piece of advice: If you see a long Queue, Join It - It'll be worth it. 
3. Sizes. If you order pancakes, you'll get 6 thick pancakes; if you order a burger, you'll receive an 8oz burger. Even at McSorley's Old Ale House, if you order an ale, you get two! Being used to swiss-french standards, I was shocked (not in a bad way, though, you know I love food...) and it felt difficult to hold up to! Now besides for the food and drinks, I also noticed how big the City was itself. You can look at your map and start to count blocks - but are you sure you are going to walk all that? It always seemed nearer than it actually was (or maybe -15º was just not that comfortable to walk on the streets, and every step felt like the last one...!).
4. Sales on Sales. We shopped through half of Manhattan - around Union Square, Macy's and surroundings... but the one place that really caught my eye was Bloombingdale's (of course it did...). I expected a beautiful shop, with all unaffordable things, full with women in fur coats and big dark glasses. Well, in fact, there were a few of them. But there were also people like me - who were trying their luck checking out what sort of leftovers were still hanging in the sales corner. I'm usually not a fan of big department stores, but hey, it was freezing outside and I was feeling consumerism lighting me up. It was confusing and chaotic, but still worth the search - A dress with 50% off, put another 40% off and, when I was about to pay, I got another 10% extra. Basically, If I had picked a dress for 300 USD, I had paid 81 USD for it (or, equally, as if I had a 73% off). I love NY's sales on sales (and on sales, again!).
5. Tipping. This was probably the hardest difference to understand. I'm simply not used to tipping. I mean, if I'm having a nice dinner in a great restaurant and the food and service has been excellent, I'll tip. I have heard and read that tipping is crucial in the service sector, as waiter and barmen have a very low base salary and their actual profit comes through tipping. I'm fine with following the rules. But then, we came across some pretty rude people too, and still felt forced to tip. So I was wondering, how do you demonstrate dissatisfaction with the service you receive? 

What did you learn from your last travel?