Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Not far away from the capital of Chile, Valparaíso was once an important harbour that has been threatened several times by major fires. After the opening of the Panama canal the harbour usage declined and most goods are now transported to the nearby harbour of San Antonio. The city has been founded in 1544 in an area where the native Changos were once living and it has always been an inspiration for writers and painters – that’s why this city is known around the world.
I always love to see cities from above. That’s why I climb church towers or get to mountains close to the city. In Santiago de Chile I was a bit disappointed because of the smog hanging over the city – there wasn’t much to see. But visiting the Cerro San Cristóbal in the city quarter Bellavista (a good joke) is still a good idea.
The hotel Principado de Asturias is a middle-class hotel in Santiago de Chile, Chile. It is a good place for a first night in a foreign country and it’s only some minutes from here to walk to the city center. The nearest metro station is Baquedano and in front of the hotel there is long stretched green park.
The most important place in Santiago de Chile, the old coin making palace and later on presidential seat of Chile is located at the Avenida Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins in the center of the city. It is a beautiful palace which was scene for the CIA-backed military coup d’état on September 11, 1973. Today it is seen as a major event of the Cold War with a symbolic power equal to the Cuban Revolution.
The international airport of Santiago de Chile is the most important airport of Chile. Is named after Arturo Merino Benítez, the first commander of the Chilean air force and the founder of the civil LAN airline. It was opened in 1967 and is an important hub in South America.
Continue reading “Aeropuerto Internacional Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez (SCL)”
I first experienced the airport of Madrid-Barajas “Adolfo Suárez” only as a transit passenger, but this several times. It is the largest airport in Spain, the most important hub of the country and vast in space. You can roam this very modern place for hours, switch via terminals by subway train – but I never found it to be a very welcoming place.
Continue reading “Aeropuerto Madrid-Barajas (MAD)”
Freiburg im Breisgau is a beautiful town in the south of Germany, very close to the border to France. I stopped here on my way to Marseille and got and returned a rental car here. Freiburg dates back to the year 1008, has about 220.000 inhabitants and is located at the river Dreisam.
Maybe the most beautiful building in Avignon, France – the palace of the popes. At the beginning of the 14th century Avignon became the seat of the Catholic popes for about 70 years (because Rome, Italy wasn’t secure enough). Therefore a palace vast in size and strongly fortified was built which was home to seven popes and five antipopes.
I guess everyone has heard the chanson “Sur le Pont d’Avignon” before. Today the Pont Saint-Bénézet in Avignon, France isn’t a real bridge anymore – it is only a ruin, a stub leading on the river Rhône. But it is still the landmark of the town. It was built in the 12th century and was 900 meters long – making it the longest bridge in Europe by that time.
The Pont du Gard is a famous Roman aqueduct crossing the river Gard or Gardon close to the city Vers-Pont-du-Gard, France. It is an impressive building from the 1st century CE and was part of a 50 kilometers long system transporting water to the city of Nîmes. It is 49 meters high and is surrounded by a very good touristic infrastructure.