Here and There Blog

This was along and under a street overpass/bridge area. Various artists and styles. The elephant is what caught my eye.  And I liked the iguana.  This one with the dragon was my favorite.  And this one is not my style but the big butt could not be resisted! I liked the colors in this one. Walk a few minutes off any side street or under a road and you'll find all types of people making their mark on the concrete canvas.

In a city made up of concrete and steel, finding green space becomes a challenge. A few urban parks dot the city and offer relief from the sun. If you are out walking in Sao Paulo it is best to start as early as possible since the temperature rises rapidly.  This small park was fun to walk around and was safe and family friendly.  But all trees are in the shadow of the city. And sometimes not even that scenic. Walking is the best way to see a place and get the feel for a city. My take so far on Sao Paulo is it is all urban. Some parts rich and some parts poor and all the usual in-between.

Almost all shops and restaurants are closed today in Sao Paulo. People are at home and traffic is light so it was perfect to go out and walk around. These are large decorations near the high end shopping district. The plastic globes were larger than they look in these pictures. Snow globe fun!  Santa and New York in snow  The trees around a bank building  And this was hung across a major street, greeting drivers and pedestrians alike.

Most Hobbit minded people have already seen the latest installment so this is for those of you waiting for the crowds to go down. Part 2 is much better than part 1. This applies to all viewers. Where the gap happens if you have not read the book (including the appendices) you will probably like the whole movie. If you've read the book and taken the time to read the appendices, then you'll appreciate the back story that's presented here. The spirit of Tolkien is present and Desolation of Smaug fits well within what will become a 6 part movie. What I liked....The opening sequence. This is not in the book and I had to look it up in the appendices and sure enough, Gandalf and Thorin did meet in Bree. Thranduil and Legolas father/son relationship. I liked it. While only a mere mention in the appendices, in this movie we see Legolas loyal to his father. That Legolas doesn't mesh with the person he becomes and it will be interesting to see what happens to Legolas in the nex...

Everything that I've read indicates Sao Paulo is a great city for street art. Most of those places have to be hunted out and probably not the best place for a casual camera toting tourist to go to. These are from a wall behind the Hyatt in the business district. Simply crossing the street, I was targeted by a car for harassment. I saw it coming and stayed out of reach, walking on down the road until the car left a few seconds later. Then I was free to photograph the wall.      

People think I've been everywhere but that isn't true. Yes, I have seen much of the world but in terms of the entire earth, I've barely been anywhere. Case in point - Brazil. It's my first time here. While I'm staying in the business district, the drive from the airport here went along many areas. First impressions, it's a prettier city than most of Ecuador and much, much poorer. Except in the city center. Food is spicier. I took some sliced asparagus and while tasty, it was coated in diced chili peppers. Time for fruit instead. Now I have to get adjusted to the 6 hour time difference which for me is always hard. I'm much better with 12 or 16 hour changes. Waking up at 2:00 am my time doesn't sound fun!

One of those mysteries of life is how is it always a perfect day in Carlsbad right as I'm about to board a plane! Warm, sunny, uncrowded beach....it doesn't get much better than this! The good part about this is I know what I'll come home to! Pending all travel going as planned, my next post will be from Brazil!

It's mid-day and the curtains are open in the house to let in the light. I'm downstairs cleaning the kitchen when in the back of my mind I notice that room is getting darker. Not sure why and thinking maybe I'm imagining things I ignore the dimmed light to finish up the dishes. As I look up and out the window I see.... Rain. Oh. It is true about Southern California. It never rains here at least in our minds. We natives have short term memory about water falling from the sky so each time it happens it's a little shock to the system. I have to admit, the rain is great for the plants. The Bird of Paradise is starting to bloom!

It looked better upstairs than in the back yard but with the windows being dirty and all, the photo op wasn't the same. Hard to comprehend that millions of people are already in the time of snow while we're in t-shirts this week. Life is good.

That's probably a personal record in lagging behind on my blog. I remember coming home from Europe and getting sucked into a vortex of work that was waiting for my return. That vortex included a broken toilet that did some not fun damage to the floor and baseboards but nothing critical at least. I must have really needed this time in the US since I can't remember what all I've done but I know I've been busy. The Christmas decorations came out and are partially up. Partial is all it's going to get since it looks like I'm leaving for Brazil this coming Friday night and won't be home until January. Yay Brazil! but bad timing! 4 more nights in my own bed and then I'm off. Next year I'm promised it will slow down at work, mainly due to budget constraints. January 2014, I am ready for you!

Bologna has a limited tourist interest so after a day it was off to Venice. Upon arrival it was drop the bags and go straight to the canal boat. Venice and the Grand Canal is one of those places that never looks as good in pictures as it does in real life.  I love exploring the city from all the alleys and bridges.  Looking down the side streets gives you a glimpse of life that's off the tourist path.   Even in November, there are groups of people everywhere but nothing like the summer months. You can even get in a photo op without hassle and people share the bridge.