It may not yet be New Years Eve but that doesn’t mean it’s too soon to wish you a happy new year. May it be filled with love, happiness and all the other good things there are in life. Whatever you do though, make sure you inner Pharaoh treats his people well and doesn’t drink too much.
Archives for 2011
Photo: Rome’s Pantheon
The Pantheon is one of the most famous buildings in Rome. It was originally commissioned by the famous Marcus Agrippa as a temple for gods of Rome. An Emperor named Hadrian rebuilt the circular monument in 126 AD. Somehow, despite being used continuously since the 7th century, it is one of Rome’s best preserved buildings.
Part of the allure of the Pantheon is that at 2000 years of age it remains to this day the world’s largest dome made of concrete. It has a portico of heavy granite and a vestibule which is rectangular in shape and it has a beautiful opening, in this photo here, to the sky in the center. Both the diameter and the height to oculus remain the same distance making the dome something of a sphere.
IF YOU GO: There are lots of similar buildings in Rome like Pantheon. There are some beautiful Rome apartments for rent as long as you remember to keep exploring the beauty of the city. Enjoy the vibrant and dynamic mix of architecture which the buildings in Rome have in store for you.
To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user Steve p2008 via a creative commons license.
A Christmas Controversy
We’ve all experienced culture shock at one time or another, but few of us would expect Christmas celebrations and customs to be shocking. After all, Christmas may be one of the most universally celebrated holidays in the world given how many non-Christians participate in the non-religious commercial aspects of the holiday. We all recognize the jolly fat man with a white beard dressed in red, and few of us wouldn’t be able to identify a decked out Christmas tree and yet cultural differences created quite a controversy this year in Canada.
In the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas is accompanied by Zwarte Pieten “Black Peters”, who distribute candy and presents to the children on Saint Nicholas day (December 6th). Not terribly shocking. What has created the controversy though, is that Zwarte Piet is generally portrayed as a mischievous character in blackface dressed in colorful pantaloons. With exaggerated bright red lips, afro wig and blackface, the character is an uncomfortable black character. In North America and the U.K. blackface is considered offensive and even in the Netherlands where the character is beloved, there is a small but vocal anti-Zwarte Piet movement. Some find the character insensitive given the Dutch position in starting and later participation in the Atlantic slave trade.
Dutch officials have tried to alter the appearance of Zwarte Pieten in the past, replacing the blackface makeup with multicolored, rainbow face paint. However, the practice was discontinued the following year. This year, four people were arrested in the Netherlands for wearing “Zwarte Piet is racist” t-shirts.
The controversy really gained traction this year in Canada. The largest Dutch Sinterklaas celebration in Western Canada was canceled this year after vocal outcry against the inclusion of Zwarte Piet. Organizers cancelled the event – saying that Sinterklaas can’t be without Zwarte Piet. Suriname, a former Dutch colony, also stated that the character is a slap in the face to Suriname’s black community, vowing not to promote the character in the future. The history of Zwarte Piet is unclear, but it’s clear that it’s a favorite tradition in the Netherlands.
As a traveler, have you ever experienced cultural traditions that you’ve found shocking or offensive? How did you deal with it? Conversely, should a tradition be changed to be more in line with the times or is tradition tradition?
Photo Credit: Photo 1 from Flickr user zoetnet. Photo 2 from flickr user hans s. Cover photo via flickr user pasukaru76. All are licensed via a creative commons license.
Photo: Prague Castle
As children we watch with awe as our military perform rituals such as these. The guards at Buckingham Palace are legendary and although I’ve never been, each time I’ve seen the US Marine Corp I’ve been impressed as well.
I love this picture because it captures a moment in time, allowing these almost robotic soldiers to become somehow more human. Watching them live, they seem perfectly in tune and unblinkingly united yet this still frame shows them how different and unique each one is. Somehow I don’t think they would like it very much.
IF YOU GO: Prague is a beautiful city and we decided it was worthwhile to splurge on a day walking tour of the city. We managed to find a 50% off coupon in one of the hostels and were surprised when we were the only ones on the tour to pay such a low price. It was an enjoyable day in a beautiful, yet extremely touristy city.
Photo: Zulu Medicine Dance
While in South Africa, one of our hostels recommend we go and visit one of the nearby traditional villages. Usually we skip places like this but figured this time we’d give it a try. The Zulu living there lived in a version of modern squalor but through tourist dollars found a means to keep their traditions alive. After a rather interesting warrior dance with costumes and drums we were taken to the part of the village they actually lived in where we could meet the medicine woman.
Here in her hut she donned several special anklets made of soda can tops and then proceeded to do some kind of ritualistic dance. The mix of modern and past is was fascinated me and why I worked so hard to capture the motion of those soda can tops as she danced around the small room.
IF YOU GO: Most Zulu type villages are where the Zulu live. This one we visited outside of St. Lucia before heading onto Lesotho. This was a fun place to visit but I still struggle with the question: Was this responsible tourism?
To see more of our favorite photos from around the world check out our travel photo page. Let us know your favorites and we’ll include them in our photo of the day series.
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