Photo Essay: Extraordinary Colors of Edinburgh

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Evening Light in Edinburgh

Whoever said that it always rains in Scotland was probably right. But for an adventurous traveler, this shouldn't be an obstacle, right? Despite Edinburgh's bad weather last weekend, I got myself on my feet to make my way through this mysterious city. 

I must admit that, when I glanced outside the hostel's window and saw the snow, the simple thought of spending the saturday jumping from cafe in cafe felt really appealing. 

Soon after, the snow turned into rain, which made things even worse. How could it rain the only day I had in Edinburgh? (Ok, I know; this seemed less obvious when it only was in my head). After debating if I should simply order another warm coffee and keep on watching people suffer outside in the cold, I decided that I wasn't going to let weather come in my way.  

And I'm glad I did so. During my walk through the city's streets and alleys, I realized that rain suits to Edinburgh - It emphasizes the city's charm and character, and deepens its multiple colors. 

Little Alley starting on the Royal Mile

Edinburgh's Multiple Cafes and Bars

Wet street path reflecting the shops lights

I usually prefer classic buildings to eco-modern structures - the kind of structures you learn about in University - and Edinburgh's stone paths and buildings with colorful bars, restaurants and shops on the ground floor are like food for my eyes. Despite the rain, I couldn't stop smiling. 

For today, some facts that will hopefully open your mind to this beautiful and mysterious city.

1. In October 2004, Edinburgh became the first UNESCO City of Literature. Its world-famous authors include JM Barrie (Peter Pan), Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) and Kenneth Grahame (Wind in the Willows).
2. Greyfriars Bobby is the bust of a dog (as well as the name of the bar in front of it), who spent 14 years guarding his master's grave in Greyfrienrs Kirkyard back in the 19th century. This is probably one of the most photographed monuments in the city!
3. Edinburgh's Old and New Town were announced as Wolrd Heritages 15 years ago. 
4. The Royal Mile deceived its name because it's a mile long street with two royal buildings on each end - on one side, Edinburgh Castle, on the other, Holyroodhouse Palace 
5. Edinburgh's Castle stands on the plug of an extinct volcano. After, the force of a glacial erosion created a crag and tail formation - being The Castle Rock the crag and the Royal Mile, the tail

What about you: Have you been to Edinburgh? What do you think about tourism when it rains?

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

Oh! And by the way, lovely Lauren from The Blog You're About to Read just hosted a guest post of mine about My homeland, Tenerife!

Photo Essay: Little Havana, Miami

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Calle 8, Little Havana - Miami

Besides for the beaches, the art deco buildings and the huge shopping malls, Miami is known for its multicultural essence. When I visited Miami back in December 2009, I knew I wanted to take a walk through Little Havana, which has been home for many cubans (and other hispanic cultures) that escaped Castro's regime. 


Little Havana is geographically and culturally close to Cuba. It's architecture is nothing to be compared to La Habana's colonial buildings, but the essence of the country is still latent among the locals - men playing domino and chess in one of the neighborhoods parks, paintings representing Cuba's starts, and a constant smell of cuban cigars coming out of every corner. It all transported me to another time, another place. 

Cuban Cigars

Man smoking cigar and, in the background, men playing domino and chess

Colorful Wall paintings with Cuba's most international artists (including Celia Cruz and Tito Puente)

Although we stayed for a short time, it gave me many thoughts on the history of Cuba - US relations. But don't worry, I won't get all political on this. Instead, I've prepared 5 things you may not know about Miami's Little Havana:

1. In recent years, Little Havana has received many Nicaraguan immigrants and now has an area called Little Managua, in a tribute to the Nicaraguan capital.
2. The US biggest street party (and one of the biggest Worldwide) takes place in Calle Ocho. The Festival de la Calle Ocho is 15 blocks long and takes places this sunday 13th of March. 
3. In 1998, The Festival de la Calle Ocho set history in the Guinness World Records for the longest conga line, which contained almost 120,000 people. 
4. Little Havana has stands with Cuban Coffee, which looks like espresso but has a sweeter taste. This should not be mistaken with Cuba's arabica production, which is, by many, considered one of the best coffees Worldwide. Unfortunately, this coffee is exported to other countries and cuban import a cheaper one for their own consumption.
5. Last Friday of each month, Little Havana celebrates "Viernes Cultural", which is an artistic, cultural and social arts fair that offers visitors diverse flavors of the Latin community. 

Have you visited Little Havana in Miami? Which were your impressions?

Photo Essay: Sint Maarten Vs. Saint Martin

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At Marigot Market, St Maarten

On my first Christmas as an employee (ok, let me correct - as a trainee), I went on a Cruise across the Caribbean, stopping at some of the major islands - British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and St Maarten, among others. 

It's fairly difficult to go the off beaten track when on a cruise, as you will often only have a couple of hours to discover the island before the Cruise sails away to the next destination (even without you in it!). This is the main reason for which we decided to go for organized activities most of the time - except for St Maarten. 

Saint Martin - The French Side

We rented a car and drove all the way from the dutch to the french side, to visit Marigot. This open-air market is set on Wednesdays and offers a colorful combination of homegrown products, tropical fruits and vegetables, exotic spices and freshly caught fish. It's a great opportunity to grab some local food and do some people watching next to the water. 

Marigot Market

Local fruits and vegetables, some spices and, obviously, some souvenirs too

However, besides for this market, the french side didn't feel too welcoming: restaurants had french prices with bad service, and we even had to queue and pay to using a dirty bathroom. Then again, this is the impression I got after 2 hours in town - I'm sure things would be fairly different if a) I spoke french and b) I would have known where to go.

Sint Maarten - The Dutch Side

We then drove back to Philipsburg (the dutch side) in the afternoon sun. Philipsburg was more civilized and european than Marigot. It had lots of shops, bars and restaurants to spend the rest of the day chilling while drinking a fresh pressed mixed fruit juice on a sunny terrace. What I liked most from the city was its architecture. It is an combination of dutch and caribbean - with a particular colonial style. 

Isn't this a cute Courthouse?

Church made of Bricks and Wood

Although Philipsburg is touristic, I really recommend staying for an afternoon - after all, St. Maarten is the only completely duty-free port in the Caribbean (and Philipsburg must have more shops than locals!).

Facts on the Island

Some other interesting facts you may not know about Saint Martin / Sint Maarten:

1. Legends suggest that when the Dutch and the French agreed to share the island,  they decided to determine the borders by having a race - starting in Oyster Pong (east cost), a Frenchman and a Dutchman started running as fast as they could in opposite directions along the coast. Wherever they met would be the dividing border.
2. It seems as if the Frenchman ran faster, because the French ended up with 21 square miles compared to the Dutch, that kept 16 square miles.
3. Before October 2010, St Maarten belong to the Netherlands Antilles. It now is a new constituent state within the Kingdom of Netherlands.
4. A new currency, the Caribbean Guilder, is to be set in January 2012. This will also be used in Curaçao. 
5. It's airport, Princess Juliana International, is ranked among the most dangerous airports Worldwide. It's short landing strip forces the plane to approach the island flying extremely low, right over tourists' heads at Maho Beach. 

Have you been to Saint Martin / Sint Maarten? Which side do you prefer?

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

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!

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? 

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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!

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!

Falling Night from the Empire State

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Friday. After making our way through far too many shops, searching for additional winter clothing to survive NY's upcoming big freeze (and still not succeeding on finding a extreme-weather-conditions scarf), we decided to head towards the Empire State Building.

On the entrance, we had our first big tourist trap encounter - a couple of guys in a tour operating uniform offered us to buy the tickets outside to avoid the massive queue inside for a bargain - only 47 $, each. Not sure if anyone falls into that! We were a bit tight in time. It was getting dark and we wanted to watch the sunset from the top of NY. 

I'm not sure if it was luck or just the fact that it was -10ºC and no human soul was willing to be blown away on the 82nd floor of the building, but in fact, there was hardly anyone queuing. Ha! Take that, tour operating suckers!

I can't imagine a time during which this view could be even more beautiful: endless skyscrapers all covered in snow reflected with the last rays of light of the day. I think this was the moment I fell in love with the city. 

Besides for it's incredible view, the Empire State is all-round an interesting building to visit. And because I got a good feedback from the last fun facts (it's great to know I'm not the only freak out there, thanks!), here you go with 5 facts about the Empire State Building:

1. The top of the building was originally designed for mooring zeppelins
2. 1933, the building was set for the original King Kong movie (the remake from 1976 held its scene on the towers of the World Trade Center)
3. It has it's own zip code (10118) to accommodate its 1,000 businesses and 21,000 employees
4. With its 102 floors, it was the first building in the World with over 100 stories
5. The building holds an annual race up 1,576 steps to the 86th floor. The world record goes to a guy who reach the last floor after only 9 minutes and 33 seconds!

Paris Photo Essay (by a Frustrated Architect)

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Did I ever tell you that, when I was a kind, I wanted to be an architect? This career fixation started at the earliest of my memories and lasted until I turned 20. Yes, 20. I studied to become an architect. I spent those 2 years facing each paper submission alone and realized that, although I can spend hours looking at constructions like this one, I wanted (and needed!) something more social and interactive. I wanted to work with people, not to stand on my own at all times. 

But then, admiring the Eiffel Tower, makes me wonder if I took the right decision. I might had been the next Gustave Eiffel, right?

Anyway, I'll leave you with a couple of fun facts of this Masterpiece:

1. It helps you to find your way in Paris as its 4 pillars are aligned to the points of the compass
2. With extremely strong stormy wind, it can move 13 cm
3. On a clear day, you can see up to 67 km away from the upper part of the Tower
4. During winter, the Tower shrinks 15 cm
5. During summer, the Tower leans very slightly, as one side is heated by the sun and expands up to 8cm