Route
- Start in Glasgow
- Drymen
- Aviemore
- Thurso
- Possible extension to Orkney Islands
- Gairloch
- Isle of Skye
- Inverraray
- End in Glasgow
The plan:
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Saturday 30 January 2010
Possible new plan for Scotland only
Wednesday 27 January 2010
Bad behavior
Yesterday evening I got me a new proposal for Scotland/Ireland from the travel agency, which was almost 10% more expensive. They state because I did not answer them within 48 hours. Be aware they send me the proposal Friday evening. Normal people are away in the weekend or are at least not reading the mail, so I answered them rather early Monday morning on the previous proposal. But as written they say the answer was too late so now it is much more expensive ... I think bad behavior, most probably resulting in not organizing with this company. I will reveal the name in the entry when they do not come up with a better proposal.
Sunday 24 January 2010
New iPhone App: TripJournal
I dl and bought the app yesterday, and it's great!
It is tracking where you are and the export can be to Google Earth with a KMZ file. Meaning the complete tracking and pictures if taken are exported to a file for Google Earth and will show like below example:
from what I did this morning. You can even experience yourself by dl the file
and open in Google Earth.
Another possibility is direct exporting to Picasa, see example.
Check the product at their website.
What they write:
Trip Journal is the ultimate trip tracking, recording, documenting and sharing solution that is currently available for the iPhone and Android powered smart phones.
Use Trip Journal to document your vacation experiences and share them with your friends and family. Track your traveling route, record waypoints, photos and notes and attach them to the trip. Visualize the recorded information and follow your position on the map.
Impress your friends by sending them real time updates from the places that you are visiting, and let them know about what you have been doing lately, share your recorded information as nicely designed KMZ files that can be viewed in Google Earth.
Saturday 23 January 2010
Thursday 21 January 2010
Catching up
Yesterday evening had a nice dinner with one of my old colleagues from the University. We started with a drink in "In den Uiver" and had dinner in "De Ark", both in Haarlem. I think Haarlem is one of the nicest cities, with lots of bars and restaurants, in the Netherlands. It is very close to Amsterdam and also close to the sea, a very goo combination to live in.
BTW the name Harlem in New York comes from this Haarlem.
Haarlem, in the past usually Harlem in English, is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is also the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic.
Haarlem had a total population 148 885 in 2009. The municipality of Haarlem also comprises part of the village of Spaarndam, a newer housing estate of this village forms part of the neighbouring municipality of Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude.
The city is located on the river Spaarne, about 20 km west of Amsterdam and near the coastal dunes. It has been the historical center of the tulip bulb-growing district for centuries and bears the nickname 'Bloemenstad' (flower city), for this reason.
Haarlem, in the past usually Harlem in English, is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is also the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic.Haarlem had a total population 148 885 in 2009. The municipality of Haarlem also comprises part of the village of Spaarndam, a newer housing estate of this village forms part of the neighbouring municipality of Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude.The city is located on the river Spaarne, about 20 km west of Amsterdam and near the coastal dunes. It has been the historical center of the tulip bulb-growing district for centuries and bears the nickname 'Bloemenstad' (flower city), for this reason.
Monday 18 January 2010
My web presence
With the latest PBWorks site I am now present at many different url's and with many different products, still not knowing which one to use in the long run.
In another entry I will write about the pro's and con's of using a blogging, social and wiki system and what I like about the different systems.
Sunday 17 January 2010
PBWorks
Testing another wiki site; PBWorks. As written earlier I am looking more in-depth in the functionalities of wiki systems. I tested many in the past but always came back to blogging systems, but now with many additional functionalities in Springnote and PBWorks I think they are getting interested. Check out my Visit me Daily site at PBWorks.
Haiti
Most of the time I write about nice stuff, but I am not able to not do anything about the Haiti disaster. As today it became possible to easily donate by iTunes I sent an amount to help the people and organisations. It is just little what I can do and whatever we all send will not be enough to overcome this tragedy. I hope the country over time, and that will be a very long time, will become stable again and people can work on the future.
Friday 15 January 2010
Monday 11 January 2010
Saturday 9 January 2010
Springnote
Always looking into other means of sharing info and I found Springnote, it is a Wiki system, but very extensive, which could even work as your blog. Check it out at my Springnote site at http://yimvmd.springnote.com.
Sunday 3 January 2010
Rome Day 6: Leaving at a beautiful day
Just to end it correctly visiting the St. Pietro square at the vatican again, especially while it is a perfect day, 8 degrees and very sunny. I did not some fast shopping close to the Vatican and had a last Espresso Doppio (actually a bit more ..). Checking out at the hotel paying way too much for the drinks from the minibar and getting my private driver to bring me to the Fiomucino Airport. Checking in was very fast and even through customs was fast, so I was rather early near the gates. First people I saw were the other family from Gaia (Portugal) and I had a last Cappuccino (my first in Italy) and joined them to their gate.
My verdict
Overall I think Rome is one of the most interesting and hectic cities I have ever seen. Being here six days and trying to do and see as much as possible also is wearing you out, walking all day, only going in the hotel to sleep, it is a tiring experience but also a very rewarding one.
I also think some things are less nice. Most Italians we met, in the tourist spots, but also in the hotel and at the restaurants were not very nice. If compared e.g. to Portugal, or the USA, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the Scandinavian countries (just to mention a few countries I recently visited) they are rude, non inviting and bad mannered. This seriously lowers the overall score.
There are so many interesting spots, it is difficult to mention the best. I think the Church St. Maria in Trastevere was my favorite. Doing the Vatican Museum with only a few people in was the second best. The rest was also very interesting, like the Trevi Fountain at night.
The food I had was less than expected. I have had much better food in the north of Italy, in Tuscany and near Genoa it is much better.
One other serious issue, there are way to many tourists .. and yeah I know I am one of them :-).
Overall I would give Rome eight out of ten, when considering the behavior of the Italians … the score is going down …
Will I come back? I think I will as so many things I did not see, or I did not see in-depth.
OK, now it is almost over again, back to Amsterdam, back to work.
Saturday 2 January 2010
Rome Day 5: Colosseum, Forum Romanum, St. Pietro
Early start to get in before the cue becomes unacceptable we visited the Colosseum. It is a major achievement and I compared to the Ajax Arena in Amsterdam, it is so much more.
The Colosseum or Roman Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is an elliptical amphitheatre in the center of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.
Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between 70 and 72 AD[1] under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus, with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96). The name "Amphitheatrum Flavium" derives from both Vespasian's and Titus's family name (Flavius, from the gens Flavia).
Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. As well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.
It has been estimated that about 500,000 people and over a million wild animals died in the Colosseum games.
Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome and its breakthrough achievements in earthquake engineering. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and still has close connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.
The Colosseum is also depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin.
From there we went into the near by Forum Romanum. We bought the combined ticket already in the Colosseum, so not cues for us. Today the weather is much better, actually is was rather Sunny, giving it a Summer atmosphere. The Forum is very big, so we could not see it all, but we tried to at least visit the most interesting parts.
The Roman Forum (Latin: Forum Romanum, Italian: Foro Romano), sometimes known by its original Latin name, is located between the Palatine hill and the Capitoline hill of the city of Rome, Italy. It is the central area around which the ancient Roman civilization developed. Citizens referred to the location as the "Forum Magnum" or just the "Forum".
The oldest and most important structures of the ancient city are located in the forum, including its ancient former royal residency, the Regia, and the surrounding complex of the Vestal virgins. The Old Republic had its formal Comitium there where the senate, as well as Republican government began. The forum served as a city square and central hub where the people of Rome gathered for justice, and faith. The forum was also the economic hub of the city and considered to be the center of the Republic and Empire.
The area of the forum was originally a grassy wetland. It was drained in the 7th century BC by building the Cloaca Maxima, a large covered sewer system that drained into the Tiber River, as more people began to settle between the two hills.
According to tradition, the forum's beginnings are connected with the alliance between Romulus, the first king of Rome controlling the Palatine hill, and his rival, Titus Tatius who occupied the Capitoline hill. Accordingly, an alliance formed after combat had been halted by the prayers and cries of the Sabine Women. Because the valley lay between the two settlements it was the designated place for the two peoples to meet. Since the early forum area was mostly pools of stagnant water the only accessible area was the northern part of the valley which was designated as the comitium. It was here that the two parties laid down their weapons and formed an alliance.
The forum was outside the walls of the original Sabine fortress, which was entered through the Porta Saturni. These walls were mostly destroyed when the two hills were joined.
The second king, Numa Pompilius, is said to have begun the cult of Vesta, building its house and temple as well as the Regia as the city's first royal palace. Later Tullus Hostilius erected the Curia and enclosed the Comitium. In 600 BC Tarquinius Priscus had the area paved for the first time.
Over time the Comitium was lost to the ever-growing Curia and Julius Caesar's rearranging of the forum before his assassination in 44 BC. After Caesar's death Octavius finished the work.
Many of the forum's temples are from either the kingdom or the Republican era. Many have been destroyed and rebuilt several times.
We had a rather good dinner before we went to the Spanish Steps again, where my friends had to leave as they departed today again to Portugal. I joined them to Termini Station and got them their tickets while they got their luggage. Just one minute before their train left the station we met to hand over the tickets. I left the other family at the Spanish Steps, to have them have their family evening and me a night off :-).
As I did not visit the St. Pietro itself yet, this was the plan for the evening. Being late has some advantages, as there is no big cue. It took me about 15 minutes to get through the scanners and get in to the Basilica.
There is so much to see, but it is by far not the appealing Basilica I visited, but the grandeur is evident. Especially with the Pietà from Michelangelo and the statue of St. Pietro (St. Peter), which most people kissed or at least touched.
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), officially known in Italian as the Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St. Peter's Basilica, is located within the Vatican City. St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world, holding 60,000 people. It is the symbolic "Mother church" of the Catholic Church and is regarded as one of the holiest Christian sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom". In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession.
Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on April 18, 1506 and was completed on November 18, 1626.
St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions and for its historical associations. It is associated with the papacy, with the Counter-reformation and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age.[6] Contrary to popular misconception, Saint Peter's is not a cathedral, as it is not the seat of a bishop. It is properly termed a papal basilica.
Pietà
La Pietà (1499) is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture by the renowned artist Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. It is the first of a number of works of the same theme by the artist. The statue was commissioned for the French cardinal Jean de Billheres, who was a representative in Rome. The statue was made for the cardinal's funeral monument, but was moved to its current location, the first chapel on the right as one enters the basilica, in the 18th century.
This famous work of art depicts the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary after the Crucifixion. The theme is of Northern origin, popular by that time in France but not yet in Italy. Michelangelo's interpretation of the Pietà is unique to the precedents. It is an important work as it balances the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty with naturalism. The statue is one of the most highly finished works by Michelangelo.
Ending with the best pizza slices I had in Rome.
Friday 1 January 2010
Rome Day 4: Vatican and city center
Today it's New Year's Day, meaning he Pope will do a mass and will bless all people live from his quarters at the Vatican. I was early, the Portuguese were "late", but they told me the Pope waited for them to arrive as he started from his private quarters the minute they arrived. It was rather busy at Piazza St. Pietro, all these people wanted to see the Pope and/or getting his blessings, I think, although I am not religious, that it was a special moment.
Actually this was a bad day. It was raining Cats and Dogs all day and we just walked most of the time through the city using our umbrellas we bought earlier.
About these umbrellas. If there is a drop of rain, from every corner Indian people are swarming the streets to sell the umbrellas. Although not very expensive and you can bargain, 2-3 euro is possible, they are also crap. You can see that the next day (or even earlier) as most are broken and many garbage collectors are full of these broken umbrellas. This product is to say the least not green at all, as next day you "need" to buy another one.
One of the more interesting areas we came across was Campo de' Fiori. Campo dei Fiori is a rectangular piazza near Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy, on the border of rione Parione andrione Regola. Campo dei Fiori, translated literally from Italian, means "field of flowers." The name was first given during the Middle Ages when the area was actually a meadow.
In Ancient Rome the area was unused space between Pompey's Theatre and the flood-prone Tiber. Though theOrsini established themselves on the south flank of the space in the 13th century, until the 15th century the square remained undeveloped. The first church in the immediate vicinity was built during the pontificate ofBoniface IX (1389-1404), Santa Brigida a Campo dei Fiori; with the building-up of the rione, the church has now come to face that part of the former Campo that is now Piazza Farnese. In 1456 under Pope Callixtus III, Ludovico Cardinal Trevisani paved the area: this was part of a greater project of improvement of the rione Parione. This renewal was both the result and cause of several important buildings being built in the surroundings; in particular, the Orsini palace on Campo dei Fiori was rebuilt. The Renaissance Palazzo della Cancelleria can be seen in Vasi's etching, rising majestically beyond the far right corner of the Campo.
Campo dei Fiori itself has never been architecturally formalized: the illustration above shows that the edge of the façade of the 17th-century Palazzo Pio offers no finished formal front in the direction of the Campo. Instead, the square has always remained a focus for commercial and street culture: the surrounding streets are named for trades—Via dei Balestrari(crossbow-makers), Via dei Baullari (coffer-makers), Via dei Cappellari (hat-makers), Via dei Chiavari (key-makers) and Via dei Giubbonari (tailors). With new access streets installed by Sixtus IV— Via Florea and Via Pellegrino— the square became a necessary corridor for important people passing between the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano and the Vatican, thus bringing wealth to the area: a flourishing horse market took place twice a week (Monday and Saturday) and a lot of inns, hotels and shops came to be situated in Campo dei Fiori.
Capital punishments used to be held publicly in Campo dei Fiori: in Vasi's etching the tall permanent gibbet stands in the horse and cattle market. Here, on 17 February 1600, the philosopher Giordano Bruno was burnt alive by the Roman Inquisition because his ideas (such as heliocentrism) were deemed dangerous and all of his work was placed on the Index of Forbidden Books by the Holy Office. In 1887Ettore Ferrari dedicated a monument to him on the exact spot of his death: he stands defiantly facing the Vatican, reinterpreted in the first days of a reunited Italy as a martyr to freedom of speech.
The theologian and scientist Marco Antonio de Dominis was also burned in this square, in 1624.
The demolition of a block of housing in 1858 enlarged Campo dei Fiori, and since 1869 there has been a vegetable and fish market there every morning. The ancient fountain "la Terrina" (the "soupbowl") that once watered cattle, resited in 1889, now keeps flowers fresh. Its inscription: FA DEL BEN E LASSA DIRE ("Do well and let them talk") suits the gossipy nature of the marketplace. In the afternoons, local games of football give way to set-ups for outdoor cafés. At night, Campo dei Fiori is a popular meeting place for young people, both Italian and foreign.
As most interesting places were closed the day was long and trying, not the best day at all, but hey that is most of the time the same for New Years Day :-).
Happy New Year
Een heel goed, gezellig, gezond en gelukkig 2010 gewenst vanuit Rome.
A great and Happy New Year to all of you!
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