Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Cienfuegos is a city on Cuba with a beautiful city center in French style. The bay was first discovered in 1494 by Christopher Columbus. In 1745 a fortification was built and in 1819 the Spanish rules brought French families to the area; their influence is still visible, for example in the triumphal arch. Continue reading “Colonial Cienfuegos”
On the southern coast of Cuba, not far away from Cienfuegos you can find the Bahía de Cochinos (“bay of pigs“) with its two beaches Playa Larga and Playa Girón. The area became well known in 1961 because of the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion by the United States and Cuban people living in the U.S. – today you can learn more about the Cuban view on this event in a museum at Playa Girón. Continue reading “Bahía de Cochinos”
The Valle de los Ingenios (valley of the sugar mills) is a valley close to Trinidad, Cuba located between the Sierra de Escambray and the Carribean sea. A lot of sugar mills and colonial houses form a UNESCO world heritage site. Continue reading “Valle de los Ingenios”
The Monumento al Tren Blindado is a national monument commemorating the battle of Santa Clara – the final fight before the Cuban revolution succeeded. In 1958 dictator Fulgencio Batista sent an armored train with 378 soldiers and weaponry to end the revolution. As it arrived in Santa Clara it was attacked by Che Guevara and 18 guerilleros. Continue reading “Monumento al Tren Blindado”
The Museo y Monumento Memorial Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara is a monument, museum and mausoleum commemorating the life of Ernesto Guevara and is located at the Plaza de la Revolución in Santa Clara, Cuba. It consists of a six meters high statue, a museum collecting items from the life of Che, the graves of several fighters from the Cuban revolution and an eternal flame.
Continue reading “Museo y Monumento Memorial Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara”
El Capitolio in the center of La Habana, Cuba is the former parliament of the island. It was built in 1929 and served for that purpose until 1959. It is currently under restauration and in 2018 the parliament shall move back in. People often see similarities in architecture with the Capitol in Washington, US. In fact, both buildings copy the style of St. Peter’s Basilica in Roma, Italy. Continue reading “El Capitolio”
Malecón is simply the Spanish word for a wall at the shore of the ocean. Often it is a wall next to a street built afterwards in front of buildings close to the ocean. When using the word most people think of the Malecón in La Habana, Cuba – but most cities located at the shore on Cuba have a Malecón. Continue reading “Malecón”
Bellagio is a small but wonderful village on a peninsula at the center of Lago di Como. It is has only 3700 inhabitants but many tourists get here by boat from Como – mainly because of the beautiful landscape. Continue reading “Bellagio”
The Lago di Como is a lake in northern Italy and named after the city of Como located on its shore. It is shaped like a “Y” and contains many fishes. Characteristic are the many small villages and villas at the shore. The area became rich by growing silkworms. Continue reading “Lago di Como”
Directly next to the Duomo in Milano, Italy you can find the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – a shopping mall from the 19th century. It is named after the former king of Italy and was opened in 1867. Today it is full of shops of well-known brands with high prices. Continue reading “Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II”