Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Travelling to Cuba brings you the strange situation that within the country two currencies are circulating: CUP and CUC. The Cuban peso (CUP) is the actual currency of Cuba, divided into 100 Centavos. As it is a weak currency, the US dollar was used in addition on the island. Continue reading “One country, two currencies”
The hotel Riviera at the Malecón in La Habana, Cuba was my first hotel on the island. I chose this hotel not only because of its wonderful location, but also because of its spectacular history. It was opened in 1957 and its 21 floors still preserve the style of the 50s. Continue reading “Hotel Riviera”
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”
The airport of La Habana, Cuba is old-fashioned but functioning well. 70s style wallpapers, shabby toilets and a non-waterproof roof give you a reminder where you have landed. It is named after the famous liberator of Latin America, José Martí. Continue reading “Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí (HAV)”
It was an easy decision: when one of my favorite scientific conferences decided to hold the annual meeting in a hotel at the shore of wonderful Lago di Como, I wrote and submitted a paper. Some days in advance I took a flight to Milano, Italy and went with a rental car to the south.
Continue reading “Firenze, Toscana, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Milano and Lago di Como”
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”
The Grand Hotel di Como is a nice hotel and conference center in Como, Italy. I came here for a scientific conference on Mobile Business. The hotel doesn’t have direct access to the Lago di Como but it offers a pool and the stop for boat cruises isn’t far away. Continue reading “Grand Hotel di Como”
The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza – also called San Siro – is a famous soccer stadium in Milano, Italy. The clubs Football Club Internazionale Milano (Inter Milan) and Associazione Calcio Milano (AC Milan) play here in front of up to 80000 spectators. Continue reading “San Siro”
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”