burgos: crash and burn ...

hey michelle ho.

so, you have planned your trip to south america yet ? btw, thank you very much for the spanish book. it has come in very handy especially those long train rides. i am learning a few words a day. i figure, at this rate i am going, i'd probably speak perfect spanish when i am 95 ! hah.

btw, do u have a twin sister who is traveling in spain atm ?

burgos
friday 14th - saturday 15th december 2007
days 92 - 93

(burgos: random shots.)

ok. i am going to whine about the public transportation here in spain again. i wanted to go to gijon but the train dont go there. the only way by train is to catch a 6 hour train ride to leon and then catch a connecting train there the next day. or else catch an 8 hour bus. if you look at the map, its only 3 times the distance to bilbao. so if one does the math, it would only take 4 hours max. go figure. instead i should catch the train to santiago de compostela but would have to take a 11 hour train ride. ! gawd. so i decided to break the trip up to 3. catch a 3.5 hour train ride to burgos then 2 to leon and then 6 to santiago de compostela.

the train ride was nice. met a girl from hawaii who was going to santiago de compestela (same train). we chatted the whole journey and time was easier to pass. interestingly she looks asian, looks like michelle and talks exactly like michelle and thats not all. she even thinks like michelle. hah. perhaps her sister ?


(burgos: the main square.)

burgos is a little town. the main attraction is the cathedral. i notice that the cathedral seems to be the focus of EVERY spainsh town/city. its like the town hall for other country. apart from that, i didnt find much character to this place. also i was so exhausted i totally crashed. i had a really nice lunch in this restaurant. the even gave me a whole bottle of wine which i only drank like a glass. hah. what a waste. i crashed from 3pm right to 9.30pm then crashed again from midnight to 8am. i totally needed it . now i feel recharged to go on.


(burgos: the cathedral where everything revolves around it)


(burgos: some demented trees paved the roads)

just when i thought i got away from the cold, it just got colder. i woke up to -3C. urgh !

xxx. j.

boston: time stood still ...

dear basil, michelle & susanne,

so, you bostonians ... susanne, u r too right ? well anyway, i took a break from the big apple and went to visit your city. got the chinatown bus 'feng wah' from corner of bowery and canal st for only 15 bucks one way. it went all the way to south station in boston, the same place greyhound stops. and the greyhound buses would cost 49 bucks one way. the chinese sure give good deals worldwide.haha.

i must say boston is a very beautiful city. to my surprise, its nothing like atlanta at all. people here are not fat nor that ugly. what i found that funny was the guys here either look like basil or at least have the same haircut hahaha. everywhere i turn i was like omfg. is that basil hahaha.

again its a beautiful place but coming from NYC, i think i m abit spoiled. it was not as exciting so i ended up chilling quite a bit...

Monday 26th - Thursday 29th November
Day 71 - 74

basil gave me a really good guide to follow. couldn't have done boston any better... so i am going to be lazy and quote him because i cant do it any better ..."

lets start with MIT ...
"The MIT chapel is, in my opinion, the best piece of architecture in Boston. It's by Eero Saarinen. Very compelling piece of modern architecture. However, it is much better in summer than winter, as they have a reflecting pool that surrounds it in summer, providing fantastic light effects. Still worth the trip."


(boston: massachucetts ave bridge - on the way to MIT)


"While on the MIT campus you could also see buildings by Aalto, Steven Holl, and Frank Gehry (currently going through a major lawsuit)"


(boston: the gehry building)

i must say .. great use of stainless steel ... great photo op.


(boston: the gehry builing - LOOKS GREAT WITH ME !!!)

Harvard.
"Harvard is worth a trip just to see the campus and the community around there. There are also some notable modern architectural pieces there, the Carpenter Center being the most well known - Corbusier's only building in the US. The Moneo building should be finished by now, and there is a Stirling building (post modern) and a couple of others which would be notable but not really considered great buildings."


(boston: fall near harvard - nice !)


(boston: le corbusier's piece)

while i was here i went to a really cool burger joint called mr and mrs bartney. its voted as the burger place by time magazine. and its great. also i got adopted here. i was eating there and there was this really nice old lady sitting in front of me. we got into this really amazing conversation about our lives. there were laughters and there were tears. on not me. i m a guy and i dont cry. so anyway at the end of the conversation, she said she was gonna adopt me as a nephew. haha. and i called her aunty. we are gonna keep in touch and since she dont use the computer, i m gonna write the conventional way. how cool is that !

also i went to a talk by Francisco Mangado( Principal, Mangado y Asociados, S.L., Pamplona, Spain) Left Handed Architecture. seeing that i'll be visiting spain, i thought i should learn abit about spanish architecture.

Back bay.
"Back Bay is the most expensive shopping area in the city. A trip down Newberry street or Commonwealth Ave, or Boylston Street will give you a feel for the place."


(boston: still love them stairs)


(boston: backbay)

"Boston's two tallest buildings, the Hancock building by IM Pei and the Prudential Centre are in this area and have observation decks at the highest levels."


(boston: higher ground)

charles street.
"Charles Street is the main street trough this area, and is worth a walk, but make sure you walk up the hill as well, or down towards the water, to get a feel for the place. There is a good lunch place along Charles Street called Panificio. John Kerry, the former presidential candidate, lives in Beacon Hill. The State House is also here, and is quite a nice building."


(boston: charles st.)

parks.
"Other than this, I would say that the downtown is worth a good walk through. The parks are nice. Both Boston Common and the Gardens. You should be able to go skating at the Frog Pond in the Common, an outdoor ice skating rink. Beacon Hill is right next to this, a small area of large red brick townhouses which is the most expensive area of the city."

the park is ok i guess but was closed for renovation. yes ! a park closed for renovation. go figure.

misc.
"As an aside, if you are looking for additional cites to see, Washington is good for tourist value. You can see the Capitol building and the Mall which has fantastic museums, all free. The art gallery is fantastic. The Air and Space museum is too. So is the Smithsonian. And if you get bored with one, there's another right next door. Georgetown is really good, too. So is Dulles airport, also designed by Saarinen, but it is a little bit outside of the city. The only tip on Washington is, don't get stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time. There are some rough areas there, too."


(boston: misc pix)

"The Institute of Contemporary Art by Diller and Scofidio. It should be worth a trip as well, but I can't say I've ever been there. Boston has a regular Art Gallery as well, which is very good but not as good as the Met in NY. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is also good, and not too far away. It all depends on how much time you have. For a quirky museum, if you're planning to go to MIT anyway, is the MIT museum. It is a quick visit, and they have a fantastic collection of holograms, history of robots, and good time lapse photos. A good place to get in from the rain."

once again .. thank you basil ... you're the best !

xxx. j.