foXnoMad » Pictures and Video

In Bucharest, Romania, New Year’s Eve Runs A Bit Late

Anil P. — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:00:02 +0000

I had high hopes, a small budget, and an inadequate jacket in preparation of what I imagined New Year’s Eve to be in Bucharest, Romania. Much of that is based on witnessing nightly life in the world’s 9th most alcohol-consuming country the week prior. As it turns out, New Year’s Eve, like Christmas a few days before it, is mostly a family affair in Romania. More accurately, it’s a eat-dinner-with-family-then-drink-with-friends kind of holiday. And since nearly half of Bucharest’s population isn’t actually from the city, those friends and family are in other parts of Romania.

The deserted streets of the otherwise active downtown Lipscani district of Bucharest were surprising, as people huddled in nightclubs behind 350 Lei (~$100 dollar) pay walls of prepaid dinners and drink parties. Usually accessible and male-casual-dress bars (women in Bucharest don’t ever seem to be dressed down) disappear and transform into posh neon light beats.

Up until a few minutes after midnight. The only indication that something – anything – was about to occur were the few folks huddled around the nearby bratwurst food carts lazily munching their sausages in a desperate effort to keep their jaws warm. Yet somehow, before their neck arteries were completely saturated with cholesterol, they were able to turn their heads over to dark patches of sky at the end of the alleys ahead.

Before I go further let me give all of you would-be New Year’s Eve visitors a word of advice – before looking up at the sky, look down. In this part of Bucharest, a few minutes after midnight, you’re likely no further than a few meters away from explosives that barely meet the definition of fireworks. Arsenals of gunpowder being lit by intoxicated bar owners and the odd bouncer or two no matter how close you’re standing. Having spent a few New Year’s Eves in the darker parts of this European map it seems like there’s a law against sober people handling fireworks.

Some of those rockets clumsily bounced off the surrounding buildings before meeting their beautifully colored doom in the sky. The nearly constant 10-15 minute boom barrage was like the call of the wild…night. People with champagne glasses, beer goggles, and silly hats poured out into the streets to watch them glow various shades of yellow, green, and purple. Seemingly never to return, the party was just beginning, albeit slightly behind schedule.

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The Texas State Capitol Building In Austin, Texas

Anil P. — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:00:32 +0000

The term Texas seems to evoke emotional responses from many people, most especially Americans. Either as a source of pride or embarrassment, except Austin which I’m told isn’t “real” Texas. Which is ironic because Texas’ State Capitol Building is located there and while many things are bigger in Texas – the pride is pouring out the doors of this building isn’t matched by many offices anywhere else.

Stumbling out of a downtown Austin cafe in a caffeine daze after a morning of typing my mind numb, I wandered up to this Austin icon, walking in the door and asked if there were any tours or access inside. A day before Christmas they said yes, didn’t mind my backpack filled with electronics, wires, and spare computer parts; and told me tours were free about every 30 minutes.

Now normally government buildings are pretty boring and combined with tours they throw me back to college classes where I got the best sleep of my life. But what people love and hate about Texas is what I can’t get enough of. Sure, there’s the over-sized aspect to everything (a tradition American colonists found and cultivated with the native peoples in the area when they arrived) but there is also passion and pride. To a degree you don’t often find in the North Americas or northern-Europe-world – this crazed, reverent acceptance of virtue, flaw, and land. It’s almost Italian…and if you’ve ever been to Italy, you know what I’m talking about.

Probably the most surprising yet interesting demonstration of this Texan pride struck me after the tour when I was allowed to wander around the building freely, as all visitors are. If the doors are open you can enter any of the offices and conference rooms and take photos all you want. It was explained to me that this policy is because “we think we have the best capitol building in the country and want to show it off.”

Whether it’s the door hinges that remind you of where you are (they’re all labeled by the way), the stars on every doorknob, the parts of Texas you can’t capture with a camera, or the fact that the Texas State Capitol Building is 6.7 meters taller than the US Capitol, this building says a lot about what Texas is and is not.

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The Simple Things Waiting Along The St. Johns River In Jacksonville, Florida

Anil P. — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:00:04 +0000

Sometimes, travel is simple. As it should be outside of the times we’re not rushing through inept airport security or searching mindless booking sites that seem to be designed so they’re maddening. There is no elegant story behind this photo where body language says everything. I captured this golden retriever waiting for his owners along the banks of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. Though he didn’t make it quite easy (loyal but not exactly patient) it reminded me how dogs sometimes have this whole travel thing figured out much better than we do.

They don’t carry anything and are faithful companions but most of all they never seem to lose this eternal optimism and joy for the journey. I don’t mean to get soft on you but often when hit with travel stresses we try to cure it with complex reasoning, frustration, and complication. In the end, all is has to be is as simple as this.

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The Dome Of The Granada Cathedral In Spain

Anil P. — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 07:00:34 +0000

The Granada Cathedral (also known as Cathedral of the Incarnation), along with the Alhambra, is likely the most common place people in this southern Spanish city will tell you can’t be missed. Yet, I managed to miss this famous landmark that sits right in the middle of downtown Granada, next to one of its busiest bus stops on Gran Via, time after time. From that angle of Gran Via’s bus stops (the most popular for tourists in town) the 7,400-plus square meters of the Granada Cathedral hardly look imposing. Or even there at all.

There’s literally a small gate to the ticket booth which you’ll want to line up early for during the two times a day (morning and late afternoon) the cathedral is open. The cost is 3.50 Euro (or free with a Granada Card you can get at Turismo Ciudad de Granada); it’s about a solid 20-30 minutes of strolling around with camera shutter fluttering. It wasn’t until I walked outside the from the exit – which is right near the entrance – did I realized the massive 45 meter dome from the outside. Though still, pass after pass, I couldn’t completely fathom that this enormous dome sits behind such a small facade; delightfully deceptive like Granada itself.

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History Waits For History To Unfold: The Great Sphinx Of Giza, Egypt

Anil P. — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 07:00:52 +0000

It never occurred to me how devoid of people this sight of Giza’s Great Sphinx is until reader Jeff mentioned it in one of the comments. I know it’s ironic – considering I wrote about the lonely touts hanging around, desperate for business back in May, yet I held on to this photo. Hoping I could share it in contrast to the rare travel opportunity I experienced in post-revolution Egypt ~~now flooded with~~ still waiting for tourists.

Since that time I’ve followed the news in Egypt a little more closely, even when was traveling in distant places from London to Las Vegas. Spending any amount of time in a place often connects you to its people; an aspect of travel that’s not easily replicated secondhand. (I’m convinced if it were possible for every person on Earth to meet every other, the world would be unimaginably improved.)

Egypt is now going through its second uprising, waiting for (historic) election results from this past weekend. Since January 25th, the country has seen a 60% drop in tourism, so the Sphinx waits for history to come and go. More importantly, 12.5% of the Egyptian GDP will need to be filled in 2012. As the political climate stabilizes in late winter you’re likely to find even better deals than I did 6 months ago; but it will be nearly impossible to find fewer tourists.

You can see the rest of my photos from Egypt here.

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A History Of Rivals Between Two Eiffel’s Over Porto’s Douro River

Anil P. — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:00:41 +0000

Porto, Portugal is a city that exudes those fleeting moments we get when creative inspiration hits us. Simply put, Porto is artsy and almost nothing, from store displays to the color on every corner, seems to exist without thoughtful regard to aesthetics. It’s not style that’s paramount in Porto, but an emphasis on the unique; something you can’t help but feel flowing down the Douro River that cuts between the towns of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. Of course, creativity flows over it too, in Porto’s famous 6 bridges and two in particular.

The Luis I Bridge seen above was a joint project between Teophile Seyrig and then partner (and former teacher) Gustave Eiffel. Yes, that very famous man who has a tower in Paris named after him was commissioned by Portugal’s King Luis I to further connect Porto and Gaia. The Luis I Bridge was designed using an innovate and simple plan focusing on only 3 points of weight bearing. Seyrig learned the value of efficiency from Eiffel, a man who had difficulty sharing creative control over any of his projects. More significantly, Eiffel would not share revenue or credit for the Luis Bridge and Seyrig left Eiffel toward the end of construction.
Although he was improvising on Eiffel’s design techniques, history has (rightfully) credited Seyrig as the influence behind the Luis I Bridge, completed in 1886.
So you may be wondering what the famed Eiffel’s Porto bridge would have looked like? Well, you don’t have to, Eiffel actually constructed the Maria Pia Bridge just down the Douro River – with Seyrig – when he was still a pupil 9 years prior, in 1877. Eiffel’s Maria Pia Bridge was at the time the world’s longest arch bridge and built in 22 months (the Dom Luis took 5 years), and weighs half that of Seyrig’s – arguably intentionally – less efficient design.

You can see the differences yourself in this rivalry brought to my attention by ATTTurismo in one of two excellent ways. The first is to climb up to the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar (Serra do Pilar Monastery) – where you’ll get this view of Porto’s UNESCO World Heritage City Center and Seyrig’s Luis I Bridge. The second is to take a traditional rabelo – flat bottom boats originally used to transport port wine – for a short 30 minute cruise of the river as I did courtesy of Douro Azul and Visit Portugal.

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Peeling Back Porto’s Tastiest Layers With Its Signature Sandwich Francesinha

Anil P. — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:00:04 +0000

It’s been two weeks since I was in the best city to visit in 2011 voted by you, Porto, having taken a huge bite out of the city with Visit Portugal and ATTTurismo‘s help. I didn’t quite know how to introduce you to Portugal’s second largest city but when it comes to bites, francesinha is the answer in Porto. This simple cheese exterior hides the 1,600 calorie layers of cured ham, steak, sausage, and bread all swimming in a spicy beer-based sauce. So, while rumors as to its origin are rampant – from French princesses to Porto expats in France (hence the name “little Frenchie”) – it’s city of origin is something everyone agrees on.

Francesinha can be found all over Porto so prevalently that I couldn’t find any two people who had the same favorite spot to get some. The photo above was taken at Cafe Santiago, one of two restaurants with the same name in the city that was voted by Porto residents as serving the best francesinha last year. A bit of a biased result I’m told since Cafe Santiago is nearly twice the size of Restaurante Bufete Fase, another local favorite (and Jamie Oliver’s pick) . While I visited both restaurants to try their francesinha, it’s a debate I can’t find a side to sit on; mostly because I could barely get up after each taste test.

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The Last Paradise Of A Crumbling Empire: A Photo Essay From Granada, Spain’s Alhambra

Anil P. — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 06:00:50 +0000

The construction, slow rise, and quick fall of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain reflects grandiose illusions and delusions of its Moorish creators. What is left today, more than 700 years after its creation, is closer to the intended “paradise on Earth” than the last refuge of dying dynasty it became in its final days. I was recently invited by Turismo Ciudad de Granada to discover the Alhambra, which loosely means “red fortress” in Arabic.

The Alhambra in Granada isn’t simply one thing or site within Spain’s 17th largest city but rather a city all itself. Many travelers here make the mistake thinking you can drop by the Alhambra for an hour or two, look around, and have seen everything 3 times. A visit to the Alhambra is easily a 4 hour event, one that requires buying tickets in advance (online or arriving before 8am the same day) for either the morning or afternoon sessions.

The Alhambra was constructed in (mostly) unrelated segments over 400 years but its initial purpose was defensive. Sitting along one of the highest hills in Granada, its 10 meter thick walls proved a formidable obstacle for Spanish armies for over 800 years. Both due to the city’s location and fortification, Granada was the last city to be under Arab rule in Spain.

Much like god Zeus of Greek mythology fell from power due to his negligence of Earth from Mount Olympus, in the late 13th century Granada – and the Alhambra specifically – was all that remained of the empire that once spanned half of modern Spain. Though rather than fortifying it further, ruler Mohammad I ibn Nasir decided to build one of the most lavish palaces the world had ever seen.

Meanwhile Granada itself collapsed into civil war as Nasir’s political compromises to the Spanish (basically giving up Sevilla to hold Granada) angered various factions under his control. Although it was hell outside, the royals inside the Alhambra blissfully saw only heaven.

The Alhambra turned out to be the very last piece of Arab territory in Spain when Granada was easily reconquered by the Spanish in 1492. Widely seen as a Christian victory balancing the loss of Constantinople 39 years prior, the Alhambra was left to slowly decay and be forgotten until the 1940s.

Since recovered from neglect, the French, and earthquakes to follow, in 1984 the Alhambra was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In a sense what caused the end of the narcissistic Nasir dynasty helped to preserve it in the modern day; for it was the work done in the last quarter of the Alhambra’s construction that makes it so popular now. Creating paradise on Earth while the walls of doom fell upon the last rulers of the Alhambra may have been a stroke of wisdom in the face of inevitable defeat or one last act of complacency. Yet in loosing what they had in the present, the Alhambra’s final rulers left their legacy to the future we’re in to enjoy today.

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The Pride Of Lubeck, Germany’s Crooked City Gate: The Holstentor

Anil P. — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 06:00:41 +0000

Admittedly, Germany‘s orderly architecture with its brick foundations dotting the landscape of uniformity doesn’t interest me very much. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great for the Germans – who doesn’t like clean streets or houses that last from one World War to the next – but efficiency can be rather cold. So, when I came across a building in Lubeck that’s lopsided – and intentionally at that – it grabbed me immediately.

Back when cities had gates to keep thieves and conquerors out, the wealthy state of Lubeck (tied to the Hanseatic League at the time) put up several gates and fortifications around the city. There was actually a complex of 4 Holsten Gates, each demolished over the 1800s to make space for development. And because they kept sinking into the marshes they were built upon.

What you see above is actually the Middle Holsten Gate, the only remaining one that was saved by a single community vote in 1863. That vote sealed the fate of the Holstentor, which was half a meter in the ground already until it’s restoration 8 years later. Of course, it’s not the design of the Holstentor that’s the problem but it’s position along the Trave River. Although an excellent defensive position along the water’s edge, a high water table means the land is often saturated, making it too soft to plunk several tons of Holsten Gate on.

So, again, in 1934 the Nazis came to Lubeck, restoring the Holstentor “once and for all,” and converted it into a museum. A rather odd gesture, considering that Adolf Hitler hated the city for not letting him campaign there 2 years earlier. (Ironically, the Holstentor was the last public building to adorn a swastika until it was stolen in 2005.) The Nazis, being the type to exaggerate and ~~bend~~ make up history didn’t do the best job on the Holstentor however, lasting only 15 years before needing another touch up.

Fast forward to 2006, the last time the Holstentor was restored to prevent it from collapsing. (The Germans should really start a Holstentor-Didn’t-Crumble-This-Year celebration or have Holsten-Nicht-Kaput-Fest.) It’s still crooked as you can see and how long it will last this time is anyone’s guess. Over the last 150 years the Holstentor has come to represent of the City of Lubeck – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – ensuring its residents will continue to support their slumping symbol with pride.

The Holstentor (aka. Holsten Gate) museum is open most days of the week and costs about 5 Euros to enter.

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The Palace Of Westminster Past And Present

Anil P. — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 06:00:45 +0000

The Palace of Westminster is where the House of Commons and House of Lords get together to argue, pass legislation, and argue some more. This meeting place of the United Kingdom’s Parliament and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been around in some form or another for over 900 years. Though Westminster’s latest Gothic look was introduced in the mid-1800s, after it was destroyed by a fire in 1834. (Deleting spreadsheets was a lot more hazardous back then.)

One of the stranger sites right outside of this quite dignified building are along Westminster Bridge that goes across the River Thames; of which you can see a sliver of on the far left above. Across most of the bridge span, doing their best to hustle the bustle of tourists are men, offering some version of the three-shell game. Mostly eastern Europeans with quick hands, you feel like they should dressed more in Charles Dickens-era attire to achieve the complete time travel effect.

You’ll want to keep your eye on your purses and pockets though; if you spend enough time sitting at the corner of the bridge, you can almost see organized pickpocket gangs at work. Stragglers hanging around crowds as the bulge, alternating in a suspiciously inconspicuous pattern over the course of several hours. The type of sightseeing perhaps only a former hacker and security expert can find so persistently interesting.

You can see more of my photos from London here.

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