Summer 2011 - Italy, Part 1

After checking out of our hotel in Chamonix, our next destination was Milano (Milan). First part of the journey was through to Vallorcine for a change from a French train to a Swiss one. We enjoyed the spectacular mountain scenery and then the descent into Martigny which took one’s breathe away. A stop at Brig allowed a couple of hours to explore, and buy a cable so that I could charge the batteries on my camera. The 1444 hrs train to Milan left Brig on time and headed into the Simplon Tunnel to emerge in Italy about 25 minutes later.

The scenery in this part of Italy along Lake Maggiore makes one want get off the train and stay.

Lake Maggiore - internet photo

.

More photos can be found here.

No wonder this part of Italy has been a popular holiday destination for well over two thousand years.

Milano ( Milan)

Checking into our hotel, a two hundred metres from the railway station there was time left to get the metro around to the Piazza del Duomo.  After the cool mountain air of Chamonix, Milano was decidedly warm and sunny.

Next day was a scramble to do a tour of the Duomo, the excavations underneath the Piazza and the Castella Gardens before coming back to La Scalla and then Museo Poldi-Pezzoli.

No visit to Milano is complete without some window shopping in Galleria Vittoria Emanuelle II (constructed 1865- 1867) one of the most exclusive shopping arcades anywhere. Here you will find all the most expensive brands of designer gear, Prada and Louis Vuitton to name only two.



Galleria Vittoria Emanuelle II

This shopping galleria links the Piazza del Duomo with Piazza della Scalla.



Duomo della Santa Maria Nascente



Teatro della Scalla

La Scalla is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. This is where Verdi, Paganini and Toscanini's opera were made famous. Every budding opera star must pass the test of "the chicken coop". This is an area upstairs where there is limited visibility but the acoustics are marvellous. Applause from the critics in the so called chicken coop means you've "arrived" on the opera scene. Maria Callas is still regarded as the best diva ever to have sung at La Scalla and performances are often measured against hers.

Not far away we came across this parked on the footpath amongst the scooters the Italians love.



2 seater 4 wheeler -  a scooter on steroids?

This was on the way to Castella Sforesco built in 1450. Unfortunately photo opportunities inside were a little limited as there was extensive restoration going on.



The fountain outside the main entrance.



The filled in moat and main gate of Castello Sforesco

Walking through the castle grounds and to the other end of the park there is this magnificient gate across a rather busy road. I was lucky to get a break in the traffic for this shot.

I must comment here about the lovely deep blue sky. Coming from the Middle East and now wrtiting this from China, Europe has benefited from EU regulations in terms of air quality standards. Everywhere we have been in Europe over the last 5 years has been noticeable in the lack of any form of atmospheric pollution.

Only two nights existed in our itinerary for Milan – a good day trip from here would down to Cremona where Antonio Stradivari made his 1100 violins. Next stop Firenze (Florence)

Firenze (Florence)

Firenze needs no introduction. One of the cultural and scientific treasures of Italy.



Ponte Vecchio



The River Arno from the Ponte Vecchio.

This photo is one of my best shots of the trip. It was taken early in the morning before the breeze got up to ruffle up the water. The reflections are quite nice.

The next two photos are late in the afternoon when the low sun provides a wonderful golden glow along the Arno.



A hidden bell tower in Florence



Campanile from our hotel roof top bar.



Another view from the hotel roof top



Another view from gardens of Palazzo Pitti

Cropped shot of above photo.

Michelangelo's David originally stood in the Palazzo Vecchio for several hundred years before being shifted inside to the Acadamia. This magnificient statue, carved over 500 years ago, is now showing signs of deterioration. This replica stands in the original position.



David replica

Our next stop was to be the small hillside village of Caprile in the Liri Valey south of Rome. We decided that we would only spend a short time in Rome as we had been there previously and seen the major attractions in 1975. The plan was to leave our cases at the station and spend 5 or 6 hours before heading on. In the end we arrived in Rome around 3 hours later than originally planned.

Leaving Florence by train turned into a mission. There was a strike by the the ticket sellers and lots of trains cancelled. We eventually got on a train, after an hour and a half in a queue to get a ticket, and then took ages to get to Rome as there were delays over the network. Part of the problem was a major industrial fire next to the tracks a kilometer from Rome Central which sent  dense clouds of smoke over the tracks. It was still burning when we finally pulled in.

Roma (Rome)

As a result of the delays, plans were changed and a quick trip on the metro the see the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain was all we could manage. No photos of the Spanish Steps as I didn't consider any of the angles suitable.



Trevi Fountain

This is one of the sights that people go to see in Rome. One had to be patient and get to the front to get the shot.



The crowd at the Trevi

This is the crowd that have come to see the Trevi Fountain!

Our next stop was Roccacessa to be met by Kay who was to show us around the WW2 battlefileds at Cassino and to stay with her in Caprile.

Vietnam - North and Central

Three weeks for the Chinese New Year from 14^th January was an opportunity to get away from the cold, damp, and occasional snow showers of a dismal winter in Nanjing.  (We have had fine sunny days since returning here too.)

More photos can been here.

Landing in Hanoi via a change of planes in Hong Kong we welcomed the much warmer temperatures of around 19°C. Hanoi and the rest of Vietnam is the land of scooters and small motorbikes, like around 25-30 million of them for a population of 90 million! Also it is the land of the street vendors with everything carried on a bamboo pole or a bike.

Hanoi street.

We arrived in Hanoi during a rather wet spell. Underground wiring in not a feature of the infrastructure here nor is it in most of Asia. This was near the mausoleum to Ho Chi Minh.

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum



Ho Chi Minh's quarters

Ho's living quarters were on the upstairs part of this building. His office was at ground level. 

Uncle Ho’s office

Great throngs of Vietnamese (from the north) pay homage to Ho at the mausoleum and still openly weep when filing past his glass coffin. His office shown here was where he directed the Viet Minh against the French then the Viet Cong. We were to see many reminders of the Vietnam wars during our travels through the country.

No visit to Hanoi would be complete without a visit to "The Hanoi Hilton". During the independence struggle those Vietnamese who opposed the communist regime were held in rather shocking and inhumane conditions here. The so called “tiger cages” are still there for all to see as are the shackles etc.

The term “Hanoi Hilton” was used because this was where American pilots shot down were kept in better conditions than those other prisoners. Among the Americans held prisoner included Bob Kerry and Senator McCain – both Presidential hopefuls during past US elections.



Hoa Lo Prison – “The Hanoi Hilton”



Rebels were shackled here.

Guardians at a nearby shrine.

Gate at the Temple of Literature, Hanoi

These two girls were posing for a professional photographer, at the Temple of Literature, and didn’t mind my taking a pic.

One of Vietnam’s highlights has to be Halong Bay. Although 180km from Hanoi, it was  long way over rather poor roads taking around 4 hours each way. Being winter time, atmospheric conditions were poor with low cloud and a completely washed out sky. Good photos being near impossible under those conditions.



Kiwis in Halong Bay

Hundreds of junks ply the tourist trade around the bay offering from a half day to 3 day trips staying on board. We did the half day trip which was enough. Although it looks great from the brochures and Internet, the amount of rubbish in the water and the sea as open sewers around the floating villages was enough to make us pleased we opted for the day trip from Hanoi. Food hygiene standards on the junks is another issue too as we found out a few hours after lunch – it was the spring rolls!



Limestone cave lit up.

Must see in Hanoi: Ø the War Remnants Museum. This gives a matter of fact view of the Vietnamese side of events; if you are an American you would not be proud of how they conducted themselves with things like Agent Orange, napalm and cluster bombs. The effects of these are still able to be seen on the streets with people who are missing limbs, showing signs of birth defects and the scars left by exposure to chemical warfare. Begging to live is a way of life for many. Ø The water puppets. Ø The Women's museum, History and revolution museums.

Also worth considering is a day trip out to Hou Lu and Tam Coc for a trip on the water through the karsts. (3 hours by bus each way.) A bike ride is included through the villages and well worth it .

On the river at Tam Coc

Our boat lady

One of three limestone arches

An hour’s flight to Danang and 40 minutes by taxi past China Beach saw us at the delightful Nhi Nhi Hotel in Hoi An. Hoi An seemed to escape the war with the old town being the main attraction.

We arrived in Hoi An a few days before Tet, the Vietnamese New Year celebrations. The town came alive at night with all the lights and lanterns along the river. Not too many tourists, as it was winter (around 23°C) around and as a result, plenty of spaces available and restaurants of which there was an excellent selection.

The town was lit up for the Tet New Year.

There seemed to have been a lantern competition for Tet that schools had entered. There were dozens of different designs along the river bank.

Traditional fishing boat at Hoi An

This one is just for show as this part of the river is blocked off between two bridges although the the bridge behind here does have span that can or has been able to be raised.

Hoi An Market

Market vendor

The Japanese Bridge

Temple remains at My Son.

Temple remains at My Son.

A day trip from Hoi An out to the UNESCO World Heritage site at My Son (pronounced “me cern”) to the ruins of some temples. These were built from 200AD and were extensively bombed by B52s because the Viet Cong used this area as a camp as it is close to the mountains and the Ho Chi Minh trail. We could have missed these ruins as we saw dozens of spectacular ruins at Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

From Hoi An it was another short flight down to Ho Chi Minh City – still affectionately known as Saigon. The Vietnam war was all about unification of the country, the south did not want communism, hence everyone calls the city by its former name.

More photos can been here.

Saigon has its own blog entry.

China - Hangzhou

We recently had the opportunity to spend 4 days down in Hangzhou because the school was shut down for Gao Kao. This is the Chinese University entrance exam, 9 million competing for 7 million places!

Larger photos and more can be seen here.

The fast train from Nanjing to Hangzhou made short work of the trip at a top speed of 303 km/hr.

Photo courtesy of NY Times.

The Huachen Hotel proved to be good choice in all respects. Only a 10 minute walk to the West Lake and a lot cheaper than the Hyatt on the lakefront. The breakfast at the Huachen has a good international selection too.

The West Lake is a real gem with several kilometres of parks and restaurants. The main feature is the fountain. We first saw it playing at 4.30 pm the day we arrived, then again at 7.00 pm as dusk was falling, then spectacularly at 8.00pm the next night.



The fountain at night



The finale

The West Lake

Most of the photos here shows signs of the pollution affecting China. The sky is a constant shade of light grey. Hence all the photos parts are blown out, however despite this, Hangzhou is really worth a visit if you come this way.



The pagoda on the lake

King Qian's Temple

Inside the temple

Inside temple grounds



Inside temple grounds

Marble guardians in the temple grounds



Inside temple grounds

Gate way next to the entrance to the temple

One of the feature holes, called a "moon gate" in the wall along the lake.



Moon gate, different photographer's perspective



Bridge at Westlake.



Tourist paddle boat

Pagoda on the other side of the lake

Hefang Street is the centre of the ancient  city .This is the central tourist attraction as the people still live and work on the streets. This is famous for its traditional Chinese pharmacies which are still in operation. You can buy a huge selection of souvenirs, even some good quality ones too. 

A few photos below here show what there is here.

The "guardian" of Hefang Street.



Food stall, making sweet cakes



You like tea? Come in and try, we have lots for you to choose from.



Inside a traditional Chinese medicine dispensary

This lady was collecting bags of empty plastic drink bottles. Unfortunately the shot is not composed very well as there were lots of people about and I had to quickly take the shot before she got up and dragged her booty away. Lots of people scavenge in China to get a few extra yuan for their next bowl of rice.

Hefang Street



Hefang Street shop



The drum tower and gate in the city wall.



The huge drum



The drum tower with bronze guards "on duty".

The pagoda across the street from the Drum Tower.

Xixi Wetlands Park

A half hour taxi ride from Hangzhou finds one at the wetlands park. A little disappointing as we only saw around 12 birds but when one considers the air pollution its no wonder there are not more to see, although I might be wrong and it was the wrong time of the year.




Battery boat.

 A fleet of eco-friendly boats silently whisk you around the wetlands stopping on the way to explore the various villages and walking tracks. (The electricity to charge the batteries is mostly likely to have been generated in coal fired stations which contribute significantly to the degraded air quality. "You can't have your cake and .... !")

A distant bridge showing what is is like on fine day!

These old boats are made from cement



The dragon boat course is lined with flags.



XiXi Wetlands village



I am not sure what you would do with just a big pot of water and a fire.
These were everywhere.

The tea maker

This is the traditional way of making green tea. A heated bowl dries out the leaves as they are swirled around by hand. In ancient times, tea would have been made in a similar way using a pottery bowl and fire underneath, low tech but effective. This method of making green tea is widely used in China and is in complete contrast of how black tea is made in India.

More photos and can be seen here.