Trinidad & Tobago in September 2013 – Feelin’ Hot Hot Hot!

In September 2013, I was in Trinidad for my wedding anniversary.  My last visit to Trinidad was in 2008 and I had forgotten how beautiful this island and the people are.  I love Trinidad and Tobago, always!

My husband made this trip with me and I was very curious about what his experience would be like.  He longed to go to Trinidad for many years and when we finally got there neither he nor I could believe that he was truly there.  He saw one of the places where I lived, the hospital where I was born and places where I had eaten when I lived in Trinidad.  He loved Trinidad very much and is already looking forward to going back.  His only wish is that the heat would not be as intense as it is. 

Our hotel, in the heart of Port of Spain, has a panoramic view of the ocean.  This great location also offered the best sunsets I’ve seen anywhere.  The colors that the sky takes on during dusk are mesmerizing.  My husband especially enjoyed the view from the pool, where we watched boats and ships as they sailed by.  I enjoyed the same view from the room.  We could get to all major points from this location, many of them by foot (albeit slow due to the heat), or by a short car ride.

My husband loves zoos, and we always go to the zoo in any new city we visit.  So of course, we visited the Emperor Valley Zoo at the Queen’s Park Savannah, which has a great collection of exotic animal exhibits, birds and aquatic life, including a 16-foot anaconda found in the swamps in Caroni, Trinidad.  This is currently one of the zoo’s main attractions.  We also walked around the Savannah (the world’s largest roundabout) and visited the Botanical Gardens where we saw horticulture beyond our imagination.  There were very old trees, very tall trees, brightly coloured plants and flowers, some of them strange looking and ones we had never seen before.

Walking around the capital city of Port-of-Spain brought back so many memories of my childhood.  The sights, sounds and smells were all still there as if I had never left.  The sidewalk vendors are a permanent fixture in Trinidad and tell of the entrepreneurial spirit of many Trinidadians.  They still sell many of the treats I grew up loving and realized that I still love.  My husband tried only minimal local cuisine (not risking upsetting his stomach with intense seasonings and spicy heat that he’s not used to), but I got my fill of the foods I grew up eating, that were so fresh and finger-licking good.  A popular place near the docks in Port of Spain is called the Breakfast Shed.  But, if you imagine order bacon and eggs or waffles and syrup, you can forget about it.  The Shed serves heavy duty meals that are sure to sustain you throughout the day.  It is a good place to get a true taste of the local cuisine (pepper sauce on the side).

Independence day was only a couple of weeks before we arrived in Trinidad and the city was still draped with every size of the national flag hanging from every building, street lamp, tree or pole that was in sight.  The city was beautiful to see covered in the national colours of red, white and black. It gave me a real sense of pride to be there during this time and my husband was proud to be there with me.

We did not make it to Tobago, but we hope to get there on our next trip so stay tuned for part two of this blog.

Written by Screenname TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R) on 10/10/13. All photos taken by and are property of TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R)

Berlin in August 2013– From West to East

On this trip to Germany in August 2013, I celebrated my birthday in Berlin.  This was my first trip to this memorable city with so much to offer and lots to see and do!  My hotel was in West Berlin in the heart of Potsdamer Platz, but I ended up spending much more time on the former East side of Berlin.  With its many restaurants, bars, museums and energetic atmosphere, I could not believe this was the city with a past that was as the history books described.  It was so intriguing, that one day I walked about 4 kilometers into the former East side before realizing how far I had walked.  Berlin was captivating and I got two different but exciting views of the city, one by water and by land. 

 Berlin’s greets you with its past “in your face!”  Reminders and remnants of the Berlin Wall are everywhere.  Museums also display pieces of Berlin’s history.  Just walking along the street is filled with information and invitations to view the city’s past.  Staying in the heart of Berlin at Potzdamer Platz allowed easy access to all vantage points, attractions, bars and restaurants.  Through all the excitement, I found Berlin to have a laid back atmosphere.

There is so much ground to cover of the city’s past before you can even begin to enjoy Berlin’s present, which makes Berlin this very diverse city a great place for history buffs.  As I crossed the Brandenburg Gate freely from West to East, I was reminded of the time when this was not possible for Germans and felt almost transported back into the past.  I imagined the East side before the Wall was torn down.  I also imagined how people who lived on the former East went about their daily lives, knowing just over the Wall were relatives and friends from whom they were forcibly separated.  There is a cobblestoned path throughout Berlin, which follows the exact path of where the Wall once stood, and following this path puts into perspective the dramatic division of Berlin.

 The city’s historic reminders pulled me in.  I walked past the Tears Palast, which was the last station where loved ones on the West side said goodbye to those who were going to the East side.  I did a boat ride on the River Spree and saw the city palace and Berliner Dom, which is about 100 years old.  I also spent the day at the Berlin zoo, which is the biggest zoo in Europe.  And it was easy to see why Berlin is the greenest city in Europe and the greenest capital city in the world.

Berlin today is very modern and is under heavy construction.  There are restaurants, bars and trendy lounges, cafes, stores and shopping malls springing up everywhere.  In addition, some of Berlin’s original buildings which were damaged during war were also under restoration construction.  Sad that many of those original buildings were completely destroyed.

Berlin is a very diverse city, both in race and cuisine.  People from all around the world work in Berlin and the food is also representative of this diversity.  I found Indian food, Thai food, French food, Italian food and of course German food in Berlin.  I had dinner inside the amazing Sony Center and watched the light show at night.  It was pretty cool to see.  I walked along the famous Unter den Linden Strasse, went to KaDeWe, a huge shopping center in Berlin with endless floors of merchandise.  I took a photo at Checkpoint Charlie, visited the Reichstag, saw the famed TV Tower, the Rote Rathaus, the DDR Museum.

I sailed by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office building, which is known as the Washing Machine and the other German politicians office building, which is known as the Ironing Board.

I jumped on a “hop on hop off” tour bus to get a feel for the city, but mostly to see where all of the monuments and attractions were located.  I was then able to go back and find them on my own schedule.  While wandering through Berlin you will be sure to encounter the Berlin buddy bears, which are scattered throughout the city and are the Ambassadors for the city.

All in all, my Berlin experience was amazing.  I was excited to visit this city but was not sure about what to expect.  I can affirmatively say that my travel experience was greatly enhanced by a visit to this city.

 

Written by Screenname TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R) on 10/9/13. All photos taken by and are property of TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R)

Rocking with Reggae at Linganore Winecellars in Mt. Airy, MD - July 2013

Banner at Linganore Winecellars vineyard

The Linganore Winecellars sprawling vineyard and wineries, located in Mt. Airy, Maryland, was the setting for a very popular annual Reggae Festival.  The festival, which included wine tasting, drew crowds from all around the metropolitan area and the country (mostly the East Coast). There was wine sampling galore and music provided by some of the area's most popular reggae bands.  Hundreds of festival goers got to the venue early in order to claim prime real estate to set up tents, umbrellas or whatever would provide some shade from the scorching temperatures that Mother Nature chose for the day.  Hundreds more of friends and family began arriving soon afterwards to get the festivities started.

 

It was my first time at the festival, but there were hundreds and hundreds of repeaters. Everybody seemed to know their way around very well and, maneuvered through the tents and crowd expertly.  The atmosphere was very relaxed and most people were generally having a good time.  (Others had already had their fair share of wine sampling! LOL!!)

 

A variety of music was provided before the bands took the stage, there were food tents for those who chose not to pack a cooler with goodies, and arts and crafts tents to indulge the creative side.  Parking was free and easy to navigate, and the festival entrance fee allowed for sampling as much wine as could be tolerated.  There was also souvenir glass to take with you.  (Be warned, you'll be sure to make some new friend while standing in the wine sampling line, as you won’t be the only one waiting to be served.  Just be patient, once you get to the front, no one can force you to move until you're satisfied.)

 

Despite the heat and humidity, this was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  Hundreds more went back to the vineyards the next day to do it all over again.

 

Written by Screenname TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R) on 7/28/13. All photos taken by and are property of TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R)

Sicily/Rome in April 2013…still as intriguing as the first two times!

Photo taken by and property of NSL-R a.k.a TriniDiva

On this trip to Italy, I went back to two cities I love, Rome and Sicily.   I never get bored there seeing and doing the same things over and over again, especially eating and drinking wine…Mamma mia!  The weather was perfect and the people were just as warm and inviting as they always are and Sicily and Rome welcomed me as they always do.

This time in Sicily, there was some excitement from Mt. Etna.  She (Mt. Etna) put on a show like I’ve never seen before with accompanying visual and audible effects.  Yes, Mt. Etna erupted while I was there.  What a sight!  Something so deadly as red, hot lava looked so beautiful against the night sky.   The lava would shoot up towards the sky and then gracefully flow down the side of the mountain.  This show was enhanced by the patches of snow that were still sitting on top of the mountain.   So many of Mother Nature’s forces coming together in one place.  The eruptions caused the earth to shake, similar to an earthquake.  I should also mention that this eruption was not too big or dramatic, but it was enough to cause the airport in Catania to close. 

Photo taken by and property of NSL-R a.k.a TriniDiva
 

I actually took a trip to Mt. Etna two days before the eruption.  It was a beautiful but very cold day and it was very peaceful because there were not too many other people there.  (On top of the volcano is always about 10-20 degrees cooler than the actual temperature.)   While I was on the mountain, there was no indication that an eruption was eminent, except for later that night when I heard and felt some slight rumbling.



The day after the eruption, Mt. Etna simmered down but she sent enormous plumes of smoke into the air.  This smoke was filled with ash and, which can be blown by the wind many, many kilometers away from the mountain.  The ash is very crunchy when dry and when you step on it, it crumbles into tiny black pellets or sometime into black dust.  These are very difficult to clean up, and the streets, sidewalks yards and balconies of homes are sometimes completely covered with the ash.  Sicilians have learned to deal with this minor inconvenience as the as contains many nutrients that help the agriculture on the island.

Photo taken by and property of NSL-R a.k.a. TriniDiva

The market place in Catania is a glorious fanfare, with fish & meats, fruits & vegetables, cheeses & preserved food vendors all vying for your attention and your euros.  Some of them will sing or yell what they are selling while others offer you samples of their fare.  It’s a beautiful scene.

Taormina is a beautiful old town on a cliff with a long and interesting history.  The small streets are filled with all sorts of vendors, and you are never far away from an amazing view of the ocean or the mountains.   A side trip to Isola Bella was also part of the Taormina agenda.  You can get to this adorable little island from the shore by literally walking across the water during a low tide, since it’s only a short distance away.  It looks as if you are walking on water when you cross over to the island.  It was still cold so swimming was not an option, but it was fun to walk along the shore next to the water.

Photo taken by and property of NSL-R a.k.a. TriniDiva

Rome was also very exciting.  Starting with a trip to St. Peter’s Basilica where Pope (Papa) Francesco and some of the cardinals were having service.  There were thousands of people from all around the world in attendance and the standing room only courtyard of the Basilica had gigantic jumbotrons to make sure that no one missed seeing the beloved Pope.  Papa Francesco did a good job of involving the crowd in the service and egging crowd  participation.  The audience absorbed every minute and second of every word he said during the service.  Each nationality was clearly proud to be in attendance and even more proud to represent their country.  The thousands and thousands all displayed their national flags in the courtyard and other memorabilia they had with them.  Each group also responded to Papa Francesco in their national language.


Photo taken by and property of NSL-R a.k.a TriniDiva

Inside the Basilica is absolutely breathtaking!  I am always wowed beyond imagination by the statues, the commanding structures and other works of art on display.  Whether they are big or small, they are wondrous sights to see.  You can look up, down, left or right and something is sure to capture your attention.

Then it was on to the other monuments, the Pantheon, the Colloseum and the Forum, the Vittorio Emmanuelle, and the many other churches throughout the city.  They were just as impressive as the first time I saw them.  I did a lot of walking in Rome because it’s the best way to make sure you don’t miss anything.  Walking around this sprawling metropolis is fascinating and getting lost only leads to another adventure.

I really believe that I can go back to Italy and Sicily over and over again and never be disappointed!

Written by Screenname TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R) on 6/8/13. All photos taken by and are property of TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R)

China, My Far East Experience in Otober 2012



Great Wall of China (Photo by TriniDiva a/k/a NSL-R)

To enjoy a visit to Beijing, China you must be willing to accept and submit to the assault this city will be sure to have on all of your senses.  Don’t fight it…just give in! The sights will astound you, the sounds will excite you and the smells…well the smells can best be compared to the shock of an ice cold shower when you first awaken.  All of this before you even leave the airport.  You must also be willing to accept these elements very quickly or else you will be left in a head-spinning, tailwind going nowhere.   To understand China a little more, you must also be willing to put aside a lot of what you’ve become accustomed to in the West, and be open to the experience you’ll be sure find severely different in far East.  If you have the opportunity to go to China, especially Beijing, go with an open mind.  I went there not expecting anything and left with a new-found awareness for the Chinese culture.

Emperor's Silk Robe (Photo by TriniDiva a/k/a NSL-R)

Being alone in such a megatropolis is one of the most intimidating situations to be in.  You become lost the moment you step into the bustling crowds.  If you don’t know a few key survival words, you’ll be lost.  Be sure to learn some if you plan on visiting.

My Beijing experience begins with a tour of the Ming Tombs.  I visited Chang Ling (where the first Emperor Yongle in Beijing and his Empress Xu are buried).  The tombs themselves are not open for public viewing, but the museum and monument to the Emperor are quite fascinating.  There is an impressive statue of the Emperor in the middle of the museum.  You can’t miss it!



Emperor Yongle (Photo by TriniDiva a/k/a NSL-R)

My excitement was uncontainable as the next experience was the Great Wall  of China.   Did you hear me?  I visited the Great Wall of China!  The Wall (1,700 years old) at Badaling (this section is from the Ming Dynasty), is the most famous and best-preserved section of the Wall.  The moment you see the first sighting of the Wall, it’s breathtaking!   Once you are one the Wall, it’s one of the most surreal experiences you can have.  Nothing can prepare you for the feeling you get once you are there.  There are expansive views that go on as far as the eye can see through the mountains.   I tried hard to block out the hoardes of tourists who were climbing the Wall and tried to envision it in its purest serenity.  I could just have stared at the Wall for days and still not believed where I was.  The Wall is approximately 6,000 miles long, but only a mere faction (one mile) of that distance is open to tourists.  During building, it is reported that about one million people died and are buried in the Wall.

After the excitement of the Great Wall, I saw a Chinese acrobatic show.  The Chinese take this craft very seriously.  The show was fascinating.

Next day was a city tour beginning in Tian’anmen Square.  The 1989 incident, which I had only seen on TV and read in the news, was amplified by the expansive area that is Tian’anmen Square.   Right next door is Chairman Mao’s mausoleum.   Experiencing this with hundreds of thousands of other people was mind-boggling.  No one can speak freely of the “incident” that happened in the Square, but being there and knowing the history took me back to the time when the event happened.

Nine Dragon Screen (Photo by TriniDiva a/k/a NSL-R)

The Forbidden City...wow!  Where to begin is exactly the feeling when you start exploring this area.   It is an endless expanse of temples, gardens, land and more gardens and land.  As I wandered around the compound, I was taken back to my childhood days growing up in Trinidad, running around with no shoes.  The temples stand impressively as you approach them, and they invite you to peek in and see what stories they tell about events that happened hundreds of years ago.  The Summer Palace (largest imperial garden) also known in China as a museum of gardens.  The Temple of Heaven is also a sight to behold.  The Nine Dragon Screen of the Place Museum is a display of nine dragons each painted with a different color.



Jade Chinese Cabbage (Photo by TriniDiva a/k/a NSL-R)

I visited a jade factory (government-owned and operated, of course) and learned how to tell the difference between real and fake jade.  Jade is a living organism and needs water or moisture at all times.  There were many exotic creations at the Jade Factory which were made on-site.   The pieces were very creative and represented many of the things that the Chinese people believe.  For example, the color green means good luck, a Chinese cabbage is supposed to bring you good luck, etc.

Visiting the silk factory was also amazing.  I saw how silk thread is turned into the most beautiful pieces of fabric used for linen and clothing.  The work to turn the threads in fabric is cumbersome and much patience is needed.

Driving is pretty intense on the highway.  In most countries, the shoulder of the road is reserved for emergencies and the like, but in China, the shoulder apparently serves the purpose of a passing lane.  On any given day, there are hundreds of fender benders in China.  I witnessed several dozen during the National Day holiday on my way to the Great Wall.  There are so many cars on the street, and the streets are so congested that this is not so surprising there are not many, many more accidents.

I visited a traditional Chinese medicine shop (which was one that used to provide herbs and medicine to the last emperor of China) where a Chinese doctor took my pulse and was able to tell me a couple of things that were going on in my body.  He was exactly on point with his diagnosis.

I saw a traditional Peking Opera at Liyuan Theatre.  Honestly, it took a lot of effort to sit through this opera.  To Westerners, this show would be unbearable because of the tones used by the performers, but the Peking Opera has a very long history and played a very serious role in entertaining the Emperors.  The performers take their craft seriously and are very meticulous in applying their makeup and getting dressed, before the performance begins.  The Chinese language is very tonal, and these tones carry over into the performance of the actors.  They are not tones that a Westerner has ever heard nor is accustomed to.

Sleeping Panda at Beijing Zoo (Photo by TriniDiva a/k/a NSL-R)

We all know that a visit to China without going to a panda house, would be a unheard of.  Seeing the Pandas in the Panda House at the Beijing Zoo was thrilling.  Even though they were mostly sleeping or just lazing around, it was exciting to see them in China in their original habitat.  The Chinese are very proud of their pandas.

At the Yonghe Lama Monk Temple (Tibetian style Buddhist temple) the strong smell of incense reminds you of where you are.  The fires burning in the huge pits give you a chance to make an offering to Buddha.  Don’t forget to rub the laughing Buddha’s belly for good luck (another Chinese ism).  There is a commanding 18 meter Buddha statue inside the Temple that is a sight to see.

Visiting old Beijing and riding in rickshaws in lanes where only the rickshaws and pedestrian traffic is allowed was very relaxing on the Hutong tour.  These were not traditional rickshaws where the driver is on foot, these rickshaws were attached to bicycles.



Temple/Forbidden City (Photo by TriniDiva a/k/a NSL-R)

I also visited a Tea House and learned how to pour tea from a teapot and how to hold a tea cup to drink tea.  The most important part of making tea is the temperature of the water.  The Chinese use a “pee pee” boy (a gadget) to test the water temperature.  When drinking tea, a woman should point her fingers one way and a man should point his fingers another way.   I saw tea that was 50 years old, which is an acquired taste, but the health benefits are said to be superior.

Water Cube (Aquatic Center) is spectacular on the outside.  I did not go inside, but heard it is the same on the inside.  There is a kaleidoscope of colors on the outside of the cube.



Dragon Boat/Summer Palace (Photo by TriniDiva a/k/a NSL-R)

The Bird’s Nest (Beijing 2008 Olympic Stadium) is now a tourist attraction, but is an amazing and commanding sight from the outside.  It truly looks like a birds’ nest for a teradactyl.  The location of the Bird’s Nest is expansive and you can check out the inside for a fee.

Pedestrians cross anywhere in China.  Crosswalks would be useless there.  Personal space is at a minimum, almost non-existent.  You will get bumped and bruised when you are out and about, but don’t expect an “excuse me.”  This is just the way things are and is quite normal.

Very apparent is the age of China’s workforce, which is very young.  When shopping in stores in China sales people are pushy, eager and will try to sell you something you did not even know you wanted.  They approach you when you’ve barely entered the store and are all over you before you’ve had a chance to look at anything.

This blog has not even scratched the surface of my experience in China, but it captures enough of what I experienced while I was there.

Written by Screenname TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R) on 2/1/13. All photos taken by and are property of TriniDiva (a.k.a. NSL-R)