Ski Jump?

DSC_0011.JPG, originally uploaded by nicholasngkw.

No, it’s a high school design by the Austrian firm of coop-himmelblau. Located opposite the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels along the 101.

Looking Back

Looking towards to Arctic Ocean (North Pole): It's almost 9pm.

This is probably a few months too late, but looking back at my whole trip, I really missed my travels around Scandinavia. It’s hard to say which city or country was my favorite as they all have their own distinct and unique features. However, the trip above the Arctic Circle was probably my most adventurous experience so far. Getting around without your own car can be quite difficult as there’s no rail line, one have to rely on the local buses and making sure you have the correct schedule to your connection for the next destination. It was a real pain in the ass, but the experience above the Arctic Circle was amazing. I’m not sure why and how to explain, maybe it’s because of the fact that Scandinavia is so far up north, sitting on its own, or perhaps it’s the mysterious glow of the midnight sun that has charmed me.

The ever changing northern skies. Taken around 11.00pm

Los Angeles

Los Angeles, originally uploaded by nicholasngkw.

In about a week and a half, I’ll be heading west to Los Angeles again as well as a trip to San Francisco. The last visit there was a short one, a preview of LA rather. With an existing image of LA in mind, I hope to uncover hidden gems and other interesting finds in the city of angels.

Boston

It has been a long journey and I’m glad to be at a place where I don’t have to run constantly. It’ll be a while till this blog gets updated as school begins real soon and I have no big travels anytime in the  near future, except for travels within New England, New York or  California. However, there will be a new blog dedicated to the abstraction of things I see in life. It’s still a work in progress and in the meantime, I’ll be revisiting this blog to fill in any gaps I might have left out now that I’m beginning to upload my pictures. Till then, I’m signing off for the weekend.

Paris

Being my second time in Paris (actually third, but the first one didn’t really count as I was only in the city for a few hours), I’ve began to like Paris more. Such a beautiful city, with its grand avenues, majestic buildings and this time, I was able to enjoy Paris in a quiet relaxing environment, as most of the local has gone off for holiday. It was a different side of Paris I’ve never seen before. I’m off the London now to spend a few days before heading off to Boston next week. Overall, it has been an amazing trip and Paris was definitely a good city to end my grand tour.

Lisboa

Lisboa (Lisbon) has been a great city. Chic, bohemian, edgy, and gritty, those are just a few words Lisbon portrays itself and walking around the city has also showed me the colorful and artistic side of Lisbon. With new urban development, modern infrastructures and facilities, Lisbon is also preparing its citizen for the future. It was unfortunate for me that I only spent a short time here as there are still much to know about the city, its culture and its citizens but that, however I'll leave it till next time. I've arrived at Paris today, and will be spending the rest of the week here.

Andalucia Spain

The region of Andalucia is quite captivating. With its mountainous backdrop of the Sierra Nevada, cities like Granada inspires the traveler to close their eyes and relive the past of the great muslim rulers who made Granada their sanctuary. Scents of citrus trees, exotic wildlife and sounds of water flowing through the fountains and pools in the palaces of The Alhambra in Granada stops the lone traveler, who is passing by the region in search of eden should look no further. I based myself in Sevilla, an hour away by train from Cordoba and three hours away from Granada. A visit to these three cities is a must for travelers visiting this part of Spain. Words can only describe the sights but one must be in presence to experience the sounds of horses' hoofs drawing the carriages on the city streets, the magnificent landscape and sounds of water flowing in the courtyards of the many palaces and churches around the region. All three cities are quite amazing on its own and doesn't fail to impress travelers who wants to experience a different side of Spain. I leave Spain for Portugal today inspired by its beauty, its culture and its architecture.

Sunset? Sunrise?

It's actually sunrise at 7.30 in the morning in Spain. Amazing!

My First Cinqo

I had to catch a 7am train earlier today and decided to stop by the cafe at the station for a cup of coffee and a croissant. Later, I asked for the bill, took out a clean, crisp 10 euro bill I had acquire the other day from a vendor and paid one of the staff (we'll call her staff one). When I got the change back, it was 5 euro short. I told them the change is incorrect, and of course no one spoke a word of english and Staff One kept saying I gave her a 5 euro bill, and I kept saying no. Staff Two (She) who was handling the cash machine at the moment of course believe Staff One, but my question to her was how was she supposed to know when she was also taking another customer's money without paying attention. (I was standing at the cashier witnessing the situation at that moment) This went on back and forth, me speaking english and them speaking spanish. (Apart from everything else they said, I only understood the number 5)

The whole situation was so ridiculous and I stood at the cash machine till Staff Two came back and still kept telling me no, I gave them a 5 euro bill. Minutes passed and the only male staff walked in and seems to be asking what was going on. Staff Two and him were talking and somehow Staff Two took out a receipt from the customer before me, both of them looked at it and Staff Two took out a 5 euro bill and gave it to me without saying a word. And she didn't need to because clearly she wasn't paying attention and it was her fault, the other customer got more change than he needed, of course he didn't complain. I walked out saying "Gracias".

Valencia

Well, it has been a relaxing past two days at Valencia, and now I'm at Sevilla, in the Andalucian region south of Spain.

Valencia is architecturally a stunning city, crowded with its many Beaux Arts and medieval architecture. The city center, the old city is small and most major attractions are within a 5 – 10 minutes walk. Compare to its neighbor city of Barcelona, Valencia is nothing like it, though they are both less than 3 hours away by train. Valencia is smaller and signs of its medieval part can still be appreciated by taking a stroll along its narrow streets and alleyways. In terms of the city's architecture, if Gaudi was to Barcelona in the 20th century, then Calatrava is to what Valencia is in the new millennium. The City of the Arts and Sciences is a leisure and learning complex that houses many of Calatrava amazing architecture. It is also one of the largest leisure complex currently being build in Europe and consists of a performance center (second picture above), a science museum, botanical parks, an oceanography museum and a new agora (not sure what it's going to be used for) that is under construction at the moment. The land that the buildings are build on used to be a river that runs along the northern part of the city and since the mid 20th century, the river has dried out and has since been replaced with botanical gardens and sports facilities. It is certainly one of the most environmentally interesting use of land and resources.

The heart of Valencia has never been about its beaches. However, the closest beach to the city is only a 20 minutes train ride away and it is one of the nicest beach I've seen so far. Compare to the city beaches in Barcelona, it might not have the best water sports or activities along the beach, but the fine soft powder sand is enough for me to appreciate its beauty.

I arrived at Sevilla late last night, but between Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla, some might say that Valencia is too sterile or too clean and has lost its old charm within the old city. Even the central market seems organized, brightly lit and a pleasure to walk around. The building facades seems to have been clean or freshly painted. In either case, Valencia is still a beautiful city to spend a few days at. I enjoyed my two days at Valencia, and the reason being (apart from its architecture), there were very little or no foreign tourist. Things may change at the end of the month as the city is preparing to host the Formula One race.

As for me, my trip is coming to an end soon. From Sevilla, I'll be taking day trips to Granada and Cordoba during my time here. Next week, I'll be heading to Lisbon, Paris and ending my adventure in London.