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A handle on history

June 4, 2012 By Jillian

What kinds of hands have held this handle? Wandering through a place like Khiva, Uzbekistan you can easily get wrapped up in a dramatic fantasy about the people and places that walked through those doors. It was after all, a popular stop on the famed silk road from China to places like India and Turkey.

This door, decorated in wrought iron and carved with intricate designs, is still used. It sits at the entrance to a madrassah, or religious school. The well worn handle speaks to its current use, but I love the cracks and old feeling of the original wood. Itchan Kala, or the walled old town of Khiva was the first World Heritage Site in Uzbekistan. With hundreds of old homes and monuments, the old city has a feeling of being taken back a few hundred years into a Persian dynasty.

IF YOU GO: Khiva is the most intimate and perhaps the most authentic of Uzbekistan’s “silk road cities”. Much of the original building structure remains, as do a number of schools, museums and tourist shops. At night the city is eerily quiet, a nice change of pace to the larger cities of Central Asia. If you’re interested in more, we wrote a short guide to Uzebekistan which will give you the basics on travel and tourism in country.

Orbeliani Baths in Tblisi

May 21, 2012 By Jillian

The Orbeliani Baths in downtown Tblisi are not a typical spa. Sure they offer scrubs, massages and sulfurous skin treatments, but there’s no soft music, plush locker rooms or big fluffy robes. You can read more indepth about my spa experience at the Orbeliani Baths if you dare.

Culturally, bathhouses are traditionally places for people to gather, gossip and exchange news. In Tblisi, the bathhouses are grouped together in a neighborhood called Abanotubani or “bath district”. Sitting down by the river in “Old Tblisi” at the foot of the ancient fort, Several bathhouses, ranging in price and luxury sit together, mostly under ground where the sulfurous water bubbles up from the earth.

I love looking at this picture of the bath because it reminds me of the tile work we saw later on the silk road, especially in Uzbekistan.

IF YOU GO: Don’t be scared by my experience. It was humiliating and a bit strange, but honestly, I went back! The whole experience felt incredibly authentic. There are many great restaurants and shops near the river in Old Tblisi and at the time we were there a new pedestrian bridge was nearly complete to cross the river.

Tomb of Tu Doc, a man with 100 women

May 16, 2012 By Jillian

The Tomb of Tu Doc, a 19th century Vietnamese emperor, is pretty indicative of his “living the good life” lifestyle. His tomb, outside of the city of Hue, is elaborate – with expansive hunting grounds, a fishing pond and even a spot for his concubines to relax over the lake. That’s right- according to history, Emperor Tu Doc had nearly 100 wives and concubines. Tu Doc was certainly living the “good life”.

Interestingly enough, the tomb of Tu Doc doesn’t actually hold his remains – instead it is used as a temple to worship the Emperor. At one time it was probably filled with art and treasure, now lost. Like all good royals, the Emperor left a mystery- the location of the Emperor’s remains are unknown because the servants involved in his burial and death ceremonies were beheaded to keep his final resting place a secret. Likely, he’s somewhere on the tomb’s grounds… maybe near the concubine’s hang out.

This is actually a picture of the Stele pavilion at entrance to the tomb. A stele is used to tell a story. Tu Doc’s stele is enormous and chronicles his reign. Perhaps most unusual about the stele is that it documents his illnesses and mistakes. A shockingly honest ruler for a man that beheaded his servants.

Behind the stele are the remains of scaled down horses, elephants and soldiers to remain with him in the afterlife.

IF YOU GO: Vietnam makes a great choice for tailor made holidays as there’s a lot to see and unless you have unlimited time, not enough hours in the day to get it all in. Until 1945, Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty. Outside of Hue there are several royal tombs that are often combined into one day. We went to the tomb of Tu Doc, Minh Mang, Kali Dinh and the Thien Mu Pagoda, but there are plenty of smaller tombs and sites along the river if you feel the need to explore. The tombs are a decent distance from the city, so unless you’re up for a long day of biking, skip the DIY bike rental. If you’re looking for inexpensive souvenirs, there’s a small tourist market near the Thien Mu Pagoda that is worth a look if you’re up for bargaining.

Photo: Sevilla’s Plaza de Toros

December 14, 2011 By Jillian

The oldest building in Sevilla is the Plaza de Toros. It was once the site for the famous Feria de Abril (one of the bull fighting festivals which is famous all over the world). The ring is regarded as tone of the city’s best and most enjoyable attractions for tourists.

The construction of Plaza de Toros began in 1749, by Pedro y Vicente de San Martin and Francisco Sanchez de Aragon. The inner facade, called the Prince’s box, was originally completed in the plaza in the year 1765. It consisted of two main parts. One was an access gate where the bull fighters who were successful went out and the other was a theatre box which was exclusively reserved for the Spanish Royal family. There are four arches in the top most part which is covered by blue and white tiles. The Palco was actually built for Felipe de Borbon, the son of Isabel de Farnesio and Felipe V.

Bull fighting remains legal in most of Spain today. However, a growing movement to end bull fighting, especially in culturally distinct areas like Catalonia and Pays Basco, has begun to widely prohibit the practice.

IF YOU GO: Do visit the entire tourist attractions of Sevilla and don’t just get locked in Sevilla apartments. The city is more than 2000 years old so there is plenty of history and rich culture to explore.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user AustinEvan via a creative commons license.

Photo: Is He Naked?

November 23, 2011 By Jillian

Just Kidding. When you think of Florence though, what comes to mind? Hopefully it’s art, art and more art. Florence is literally busting at the seams with incredible art. The heart of the renaissance, Florence and the Medici family attracted the best sculptors and painters from around Europe. Their work remains in the churches, public buildings and yes, even homes, today.

One of the most spectacular buildings to come out of the renaissance is Florence’s Duomo. Constructed by architect and artist Filippo Brunelleschi, the dome is actually comprised of two domes. After city fathers refused to allow buttresses to hold the weight of the dome, a contest was held to see who could devise a new way to distribute the weight and build the enormous dome. Brunelleschi won and with his design, the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore became one of the most well-known roofs in the world.

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.

IF YOU GO: Try to avoid high tourist season in Florence. The city has so much to offer it’s hard to get through the crowds during high season. If you leave the main tourist area and venture across the Arno or out toward some of the lesser known piazzas you’ll be charmed by the beauty of the every day. Apartments in Florence tend to be popular with art students, who still come to study and learn from the masters. You’ll enjoy getting to know the local gelaterias (ice cream shops) in your neighborhood. It’s common to have a cone with two different flavors, just keep it in the same family (fruit or cream, not both!)

Photo Credit: Flickr user Chiarra Marra under a creative commons license.

A handle on history

Orbeliani Baths in Tblisi

Tomb of Tu Doc, a man with 100 women

Photo: Sevilla’s Plaza de Toros

Photo: Is He Naked?

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