Herbert Can Be Ever Ready

Dubai has come to shine as one of the most exciting destinations for travelers these days.  It’s a fantastic place to get a taste of what’s happening in world culture, from art to music and beyond, and it’s also one of the major financial centers of the world.  People come here for a variety of reasons, and sometimes the reasons are more splendid than others.  There’s a lot to see in Dubai.  Beach resorts are a great way to see this world from a very particular perspective, a place where luxury reigns, and connections are made between the body and nature, in some of the most elegant beach settings the world has ever seen.

There is some fantastic art in Dubai, and it’s not only visible during the art fair, when the international scene comes to see what’s happening here and everywhere.  One of the first galleries to open and pave the way for a real art boom, was the Green Art Gallery.  Its focus then and now was on art in the Arab world, offering a look into the modern and contemporary art practices happening here.  It’s a very capable barometer for assessing what’s happening right now, and a bit into the future as well.  One of the most anticipated shows is its next exhibition, where Dubai can see the work of Turkish artist Nazif Topcuoglu displayed in all of its troubling and sublime connotations.

Topcuoglu has two master’s degrees, one in photography, from Chicago, and the other in architecture, from Ankara.  He has had a spectacular career, with works displayed all over the world.  His work in photography is extremely evocative, with a splendid surface holding multiple meanings, as if the photograph itself were investigating the architecture of memory.  The subjects are almost always affluent young women from Turkey, enacting interesting and lively dramatic scenarios, then captured in a tableau for the camera.  The effect is rather stunning, not only for their elegance of composition, but for the complex references buried in the imagery.  He places elements of literature, art history, and religion in the works, to create a sense of memory being erased in the moment, and an unspeakable longing for a moment that’s fading before our very eyes.

Filed by Herbert Jones at 1:35 pm under Travel
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With its magnificent combination of green jungle, white beaches, and beautiful blue ocean, Mauritius just might be that perfect island that everybody dreams of.  There may no longer be a dodo bird, but the dreams of a paradise on earth were always based on something, and spending any time here can feel pretty close to that idea of the ideal.  There is plenty to do and see here, but more often than not, the best ideas revolve around doing nothing.  Perhaps you might want to spend a few days on end at the beach, and for exercise, look into the history of Sega music, and try to find out who your favorite players today might be.  It is a very complex place with a complex history, but your stay here can be simple, enjoying food and the ocean.

There are many excellent places to stay in Mauritius.  Luxury hotel accommodations are plentiful, and the best of these will offer a spectacular hospitality, with just enough of contemporary sensibility to keep you comfortable and wired to the virtual worlds as much as you like, but plenty of local flavor that speaks of an island with a mix of African, French, Indian, and Chinese culture.  The rhythms of the cultures sometimes come through the music, and sometimes come through in its spoken form.

Mauritius has a long line of famous poets who were born here.  This is probably not surprising, or at least it will be very apparent when you’re here, because the presence of the sea pervades over everything, and the rhythms in that large mystery are unresolvable, and so deep that no one knows what lies at the bottom of it.  The intense political history of the place, along with the daily life in the more urban parts of the island, also play a part in inspiring its sons and daughters to find a voice and begin to speak.  One of its most famous contemporary poets is Yusef Kadel, who has been making appearances on the world literary scene for a few years, reading from his new and published works, and he is also a very active force in the local literary community.

Filed by Herbert Jones at 12:23 pm under Travel
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One of the most popular attractions in the city of Baltimore was built by a man who grew up in New York City.  Harvey Smith Ladew grew up in luxury.  His father had started a business making leather belts for use in factories, and by the time Ladew was a young boy, the family business was profiting in the millions.  Ladew became a self-proclaimed man of leisure, stating that he would tour the world and have fun during his younger years, and then go to work when he turned fifty years old.  He wanted to reverse the the way most people lived their life, of work in the younger years, then play.  Ladew wanted to enjoy life first.

He traveled extensively to Europe, where upon the onset of WWI he headed back home to New York.  He spent spent the time following the war as liaison officer for the US Army.  He left the family business soon after and dedicated his life to fox hunting.  This is what he was doing when he came upon the house that is now the Harvey Smith Ladew Topiary Gardens.  He found the house in the middle of Pleasant Valley just outside of the city of Baltimore.  Plumbing and electricity were not included, and the house was in a shambles.

The year was 1929, and Ladew was starting his life over at the age of 43.  And although he was used to staying in castles, living in mansions on Long Island surrounded by gardens and greenhouses, Ladew was intent on staying in Maryland to pursue fox hunting, and so the run down house with one wilted and dying lilac bush became his home.  He began redoing the house immediately and did so for the next forty seven years, the rest of his life.  The garden that now grows there makes up 200 acres of Ladew’s dedication.

Ladew was the designer of all of the renovations, but James O’Connor his dear friend and architect, is the one who saw the designs through to fruition.  The house is open to the public, and is just as Ladew left it.  There are many paintings, statues, carvings and priceless pieces of furniture in the house, but what the site is known for are indeed the gardens.

There are more than thirty different sections to the garden, and many are with a touch of Ladew’s sense of humor, such as a sculpture of Adam and Eve located in the apple tree orchard.  Topiary statues surround the grounds, there is a cafe, and guided tours.  Each December the celebration, “Christmas at an English Country House” draws many to the gardens.  This is a must see site, a New Yorker who left his legacy in Baltimore, in the form of flowers, trees, gardens, art and culture.

Filed by Herbert Jones at 10:57 am under Travel
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If you ever find yourself in the Southern hemisphere and landing in the second largest city of Australia, it might be helpful to know that this city’s name is pronounced closer to Mel-bin, as opposed to Mel-born, a mistake travelers might easily make, considering the spelling of the city’s name: Melbourne.  I recently made the same mistake myself when speaking to an Australian resident.  He assured me there was no “born” in Melbourne, in one of those quirks of pronounciations that tend to confuse visitors, somewhat in the same way New Orleans, if you’re in Louisiana, is usually pronounced N’awlins.

Of course, like many world class cities, it wasn’t always known by the same name.  The settlement was first known as Bearbrass, but by 1837, the name changed to honor the 2nd Viscount Melbourne, William Lamb.  Ten years after that, Melbourne officially became a city, declared by Queen Victoria, and it became the capital city of the Victoria colony.  Like California on the opposite side of the world, in the 1850s, Melborne experienced a gold rush, known as the Victorian gold rush, and it was this period that molded Melbourne into one of the great cities of the world.  When nation of Australia was createad in 1901, Melbourne was its first center of government.  Today, if you find yourself in a Melbourne luxury hotel, outside your door, you will find a city that is now a center for a whole range of entertainments:  Here is the city in which Australian film and televison was born; it’s where the Heidelberg School of art (the impressionist art movement) began.  From film to dance to music to sports, the city well deserves its title as Australia’s cultural capital.

In another recent talk, I learned that four million residents of Melbourne are also called Melburnians.  Why not Melbinians?  I’m not sure.  Looks like I’m going to have to go back to my friend from Australian with even more questions.

Filed by Herbert Jones at 1:31 pm under Art, Travel
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Curtis was absolutely thrilled when his friend Dale told him that he had won two round trip airfare tickets to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In fact, he seemed to be almost more excited than Dale himself. And from there it only got better. He also won full accommodations at one of the Fort Lauderdale luxury hotels. Curtis almost fell on the floor when Dale added that bit of information. What Curtis seemed to be missing at that point was that Dale hadn’t officially invited him along. And, he was considering taking his girlfriend. Well, to be fair, she wasn’t really his girlfriend and the two of them had only been dating at the casual level for about three weeks. So, watching his best friend of twenty years respond the way he did, Dale didn’t have the heart to tease him or otherwise indicate he may not be going. The two friends were headed to the fabulous beaches of Fort Lauderdale, and that was all there was to it.

Of course when Dale’s girlfriend, of sorts, found out about the trip and the fact she wasn’t going, she immediately broke up with Dale. Dale’s only response was to guess that she actually had been his girlfriend after all, otherwise she couldn’t have broke up. He then got busy packing and soon he and Curtis were on a plane to Florida. And their first morning in the city they had a quick complimentary breakfast and headed straight for the beach. That night they decided to tour some of the local nightclubs but they didn’t get further than Crazy 8s Sports Lounge. Once they arrived they settled right in and enjoyed the entire evening there. The next day it was more of the same. They headed to the beach and later in the evening Dale suggesting finding a new club. His reason was that he needed to recover from his recent breakup heartache. Curtis was willing to assist his friend and that night they spent time in the Rose and Crown Pub as well as Dicey Riley’s. They had an incredible time at both places as well as their final two days in the city.

Filed by Herbert Jones at 12:34 pm under Travel
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There are few places in Spain that are not worth visiting at least once, and Mallorca is a place that bears repeated trips.  Despite its long history as a sleepy fishing village, it is also a very lively place, where cultures meet and reinvent themselves every evening.  There are a number of spectacular attractions here, with historical tours that will take you to Mallorca’s prehistoric past, and up through the staggering number of civilizations that have passed through here.  And there are also plenty of art galleries and museums where you can see the products of inspiration by the local artists, along with many international works of visual beauty and imagination.  There are many things that can bring travelers to Mallorca.  Hotels are certainly among the big draws, as the hospitality industry here has it down to a magnificent art form.

You’ll enjoy waking up to the splendor inside and outside your hotel, and on some mornings it might be hard to decide between the spa treatments inside or the call of the sea outside.  But island life here is laid-back, and the days are made for pleasure, so there’s no such thing as the wrong decision.  Once you do make it outside, however, you’ll see what the place has to offer, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.  It’s a rather sophisticated place, with pockets of artists and intellectuals where you can enjoy passing the days talking about the world at large.  There are also opportunities to escape into fun, at places like Westen Park.

This water park has a Wild West theme, and some Wild West shows that would make Baudrillard very happy indeed.  There is a diving show, where people perform amazing feats diving into the water, and the western theme comes to play here, reminding people of when cowboys used to jump into swimming pools.  Then there is the wheel of death, to please the kids, an acrobatic spectacle, and finally a simulation of a bar fight in Guadalupe.  The European fascination with the West in general is in itself fascinating, and here there are plenty of chances to see it in action, all while enjoying the pleasures of a water park.

Filed by Herbert Jones at 10:22 am under Travel
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Malaysia is an amazing country, with an amazing history.  Time has crafted this place into an amazing array of cultures and traditions, and some of the cities are enormously cosmopolitan in scope and perspective.  There are also plenty of more isolated areas where traditions from family ties that go back for many generations are still practiced by the majority of the populations.  There are many different spiritual beliefs, languages, and customs here, and it’s one of the most fascinating places on the planet.  Having the opportunity to spend any time at all here is a great thing, and interesting adventures wait for you.  If you’re looking for world-class luxury hotels, Malaysia can certainly accommodate you.

There is a gracious sense of hospitality here, based on the latest ideas in hotel management, along with an old-fashioned sensibility that welcomes travelers from all over.  There is a sumptuous blend of the old and the new, to give you a real taste of Malaysia, which is on the cutting edges of design and style, and maintains ties to its complex and fascinating past.  It’s a splendid thing to wake up in the kind of beauty you can only find here, and to begin the day knowing that more adventures lie outside the doorstep.  If you’re looking for some tasty food in a new place, then Malaysia has some spectacular delights waiting for you.  If you like curries, if you like seafood, and if you like coconut, then there are plenty of options, but there are many many flavors and tastes beyond these.

However, coconut milk is one of the most treasured tastes around the world, and here it’s used in a multitude of recipes.  You’ll find it in interesting places, beyond the expected soups and curry dishes, but of course, these are fabulous as well.  There are many health benefits to coconut generally, in its grated, sliced, milk, or powdered milk forms, but too much of a good thing has its limits.  Excessive consumption of coconut milk can lead to sugar-related disorders, so look into it if you have a history.  But if you don’t, and you’re here for a week or two, relish every bite and spoonful!

Filed by Herbert Jones at 2:01 pm under Food, Travel
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Charlotte had been dreaming of the day that she could actually sit in a Broadway theatre and enjoy in person one of the great world musical events. This dream has been with her for the last twenty years. It originated when she was five saw a production of The Wizard of Oz at their town community center. There at that performance a love was sprung from this small child for musical theatre. She didn’t quite realize what that meant but for two years she repeated sang the tunes from that show and the words off to see the wizard rang throughout the house.

For the next fifteen years Charlotte imagined that one day she would be performing on the Broadway stage. However, as she continued to mature emotionally and intellectually, she began to realize that she had an extreme case of stage fright and simply dreaded getting onstage. This first struck her in high school and it was the first time that her dreams met the real world and she was crushed by the revelation. Charlotte could not bare to stand on the stage to perform, though she still loved it more than anything. During this transition, she remembered that one of the things that struck her most about that production of the Wizard of Oz so many years ago was the great costumes she saw. This led her to think that perhaps she was more suited to be a costume designer, and suddenly a new world opened up and Charlotte realized what her true passion was.

However, that did not change the fact that she still longed to sit in a New York theatre and see up close and personal a Broadway musical. But instead of imagining herself to one day be up on that stage, she imagined herself designing the costumes for the production. So, when she graduated from college with her degree in theatre and an emphasis in costume design, her parents gave her a couple of New York Broadway tickets to the Lion King as a gift. Charlotte could not have been more pleased and beamed as she sat there fascinated by the Disney production and the costumes and wondered how she would have designed them herself.

Filed by Herbert Jones at 2:34 pm under Travel
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Ibiza Town or Eivissa, whatever name you choose to call the capitol of this island, it’s a place which is hugely popular for its nightlife and its beaches and, because of this, travelers may be quite surprised to find there’s a greater world here that goes well beyond clubbing, so here are a few reasons you might want to see this place.

Of course, terrific weather is a given for Ibiza, and there is a great nightlife.  But there are also fine Ibiza restaurants, and a people and country that’s rich in history, appealing far beyond the town’s seeming twentysomething demographic.  If you want to see that side of Ibiza, then you should arrive either early or late in the season (which runs generally from late April until October).  By October, then, most of the clubbers have left, and the town is given over to travelers more intrigued by history and culture, seeing the town’s interesting cathedral, or seeing its various museums.

If you want to see Ibiza Town for its history, the place been the home down through the centuries to Moors, Romans, and Phoenicians, and like many ancient towns, it contains various areas, such as D’Alt Vila — the old town on the hill.  King Felipe II built this ancient fortified city, protecting it from sackings and invasions from pirates who sailed the Mediterranean.  Walls and watch towers have all been preserved, and you can have a really fine view of the bay here.  Another key spot to visit, would be the town cathedral, a Gothic Baroque building, the Church of Santa Maria, which was built some time in the 14th century.  While Ibiza Town itself doesn’t have a beach, but the beaches are close by, at least three within a mile or two, especially Playa D’en Bossa, which is about a mile and a half or so from the center of town.  About a fifteen minute walk past the marina will take you to Talamanca, as well, which has a sandy beach and is very peaceful.

Filed by Herbert Jones at 11:35 am under Travel
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Prague, Czech Republic is an incredible city with an amazing history and is filled with numerous historic buildings to testify to this. It is the capital of the Czech Republic and has played an essential role in many aspects of the country’s development and has been significant to many royal European lineages. The city can be viewed as walking museum, though it also has a completely thriving contemporary society cultural scene. For many tourists staying in one of the Prague Czech Republic hotels every building on the street, including their hotel is major point of interest.

One of the most popular attractions for most tourist who visit the city is the Prague Astronomical Clock. It is located in the Old Town Square and is mounted on the external wall of the Old City Hall. There are three main components to this Orloj and each serves its particular function. The astronomical dial includes various astronomical details and represents the position of the earth and the moon. The Walk of the Apostles in a particularly striking feature of the clock and presents and hourly display of moving apostles and other figures and sculptures. There is also a dial that represents the calendar and features various symbols that serve as the months.

The astronomical dial and the mechanical clock are the oldest parts of the Orloj and they date as far back as 1410. They were made by the early 15th century clock maker Mikulas of Kadan and the professor Jan Sindel. The calendar dial was added later and shows the gothic sculptures. This is estimated to have been added around 1490. The astronomical dial was a medieval device used for astronomy. The zodiacal ring in the dial display the astrological signs (http://www.astrologycom.com/signs.html) in an anticlockwise order. It displays the suns positioning as it travels through the astrological signs.

Filed by Herbert Jones at 12:27 pm under Travel
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