Dave's Photo & Travelblogue

Relaxing in Budapest

German holidays are great, as long as you can avoid the traffic. Leaving at 7am from Munich we missed most of it and made it to Budapest in the early afternoon. Our greeter was an enthusiastic howler in need of a toenail trim:

Late lunch at the hotel restaurant. This fantastic dish of homemade smoked salmon and quail eggs was six euro. (The pumpkin soup was also up there with the best I’ve ever had, for 2.50).

After wandering around the beautiful castle above the city at sunset…

…we had a coffee and enjoyed this great night view! I think this is officially the best view I ever had from a coffee shop. It was definitely worth the pricey cuppa. (Hungarian expensive = Munich standard price!).

I’m already looking forward to the next 2 days of sightseeing!

Happy Easter. Just to cover my bases, I’ll be pouring one out for JC… probably a real Czech Budweiser

Catacombs and Crypts of Rome

Maria Rainer is a freelance writer & backpacking enthusiast. She’s written a great article for the Travelblogue about catacombs and crypts in Rome. As photography is not allowed in the crypts, she’s included a few various photos of famous Roman sights nearby. Enjoy!

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Originating from about the 2^nd century AD, the Christian Catacombs of St. Callixtus (also known as St. Callisto) takes you to a whole new level of history—literally. It stretches nearly 90 acres twenty meters below the surface across 4 vertical levels. They’re named after the deacon Callixtus, who was appointed by Pope Zephyrinus as the administrator of the official cemetery of the Church of Rome.

When you arrive, you’ll have to wait to join another group of tourists before you go under (the ground, that is). The full price is 8 Euros, but the reduced rate (effective as of 2010) is 5 Euros.

Going down

Walking down into the catacombs is like being swallowed by darkness, to employ a tasteless but a very accurate metaphor. The air instantly cools and feels slightly thicker in your nose with moisture. It gives you a sense of uneasiness entirely separate from the fact that you’re entering a millennia-old crypt.

An unlikely story

Although one assumes that so many Christians buried underground means they were sent there by some form of prosecution, the tour guide surprises you with a little known fact: the tombs were never secret. Christians buried here were never “driven” underground. Instead, the tomb represents one of the most fundamental Christian beliefs: resurrection. Since pagan Romans preferred cremation, ancient Christians buried their dead (all 500,000 of them, including 16 popes and tens of martyrs) underground outside the city limits.

Boo, no photography

The tour guide lets you know before entering the catacombs that no flash photography is allowed, since such bright lights can over time damage the delicate frescoes representing early Christian art. This makes me a very sad photographer, but at this point I’m too numb to really care. It’s too dark for cameras, anyway, and flash photography in what’s basically a narrow cave is hardly artful. The wannabe archaeologist in me was just happy to let my palms run lightly against the cold walls.

Navigating the crypt

The first thing you see when your eyes adjust is the crypt of nine popes. Some of the marble tablets on their tombs are the originals. Later, you come across the crypt of St. Cecilia. She’s the patron saint of sacred music. How did she become a martyr, you ask? She took three axe blows to the neck. Ouch.

As you go on, the passages grow narrow. They wind, networking for almost 19km. You’d be here all day just trying to find your way out, but lucky for you, the tour guides know where they’re going (you hope). Occasionally, you glimpse stumbling tourists in the group behind you, but seemingly miles down a long passageway that you swear wasn’t there a moment ago.

Still later, you get to admire ancient frescoes that, admittedly, leave more to be desired if you’re used to the stuff in the Sistine Chapel. Much of the 3^rdcentury art in the famed Cubicula of Sacraments is deteriorated, but you have to admire that it stuck around at all almost 2,000 years.

When the tour is done, you have the option of dropping by the gift shop. There’s nothing terribly fascinating there, so you might as well keep exploring the other catacombs in the area.

Also on the Appian Way, and another creepy place

If you’ve still got time but want to see something other than catacombs, consider strolling along the Appian Way. It boasts a beautiful countryside complete with stinky but adorable sheep and quaint houses as well as the Church of Domine Quo Vadis. Although you’d never think it by its exterior appearance, this tiny chapel houses the stone that supposedly shows the indentation of Jesus Christ’s foot [see top of article]. The church gets its name from the story that Peter, escaping Rome and persecution, met Christ along the Appian Way. “Domine,” Peter said to Christ, “quo vadis?” (Lord, where are you going?) Christ supposedly replied, “Rome, to be crucified.”

Not too impressed by the catacombs? No big deal. Once you get back to Rome, check out the Capuchin Crypt beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini on the Via Veneto (near Piazza Barberini). In the 17^th century, Capuchin monks made use of the 300 cartloads of dead friars they’d brought along by making art with their skeletons in a series of underground rooms. Some of the bones are those of children, and don’t be surprised to find arches, altars, candelabras, and even entire walls of brown, oxidized skulls. The Catholic Church says it’s not meant to creep you out (are they kidding?). It’s meant to express the brevity of life. Unfortunately, no photography (flash or no flash) are allowed inside.

Catacombe di San Callisto (Catacombs of St. Callixtus)

Via Appia Antica, 126

00179 Rome, Italy

www.catacombe.roma.it

9:00 AM– 12:00PM, 2:00PM – 5:00PM

Closed on Wednesdays

How to get there:

From Roma Termini Station, take bus 714 to Piazza di San Giovanni in Laterano. Next, take bus 218. Fosse Ardeatine is the 10^th stop on this bus. The catacombs are just opposite it, so get off there. When you’re done crawling around catacombs, take bus 218 back along the Appian Way back into the city.

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Thanks again for the fantastic article, Maria! You can find more from this lovely guest author at the online degrees site.

Christmas Pet Photos

When traveling in my home country, visiting friends and shopping in strip malls, I don’t have such the incentive for scenic photos. But I do find other subjects at which to point my camera. In the holiday spirit, here are a few random photos of friends’ pets being cute…

This is Diesel, the one-eyed horse:

“Eat the kitty!”

Encyclopedia Brown and the Mystery of the Symmetrical Hounds:

“This thing had better not run over my toes.”

Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays!

p.s. for the Encyclopedia Brown fans, the answer is that Bugs Meany has drugged their food and arranged them in this curious pose. This way he could egg(nog) Encyclopedia’s house while the young detective was busy figuring out what happened to the dogs.

Haidhausen Weihnachtsmarkt

Christmas Markets in Germany are something special, where you can enjoy a mulled wine, a tasty dessert, and a bit of craft-oriented shopping. Here are a few shots from this year!

The famous Glühwein hut, where you can get a mini Feuerzangenbowle (flaming punch made with 80% rum):

Beautiful glowing candles.

Delicious cakes, cookies, and desserts abound at the Christmas Markets!

This water bowl from Grünhorn was particularly cool. The German word, Wasserspringschale, literally means jumping water bowl. By rubbing the handles you get a variety of tones, and the vibrations make the water move in some interesting ways!

With a bit more effort, the water springs out of the bowl as if it were boiling madly, though it’s just room temperature.

If you’re looking for a cool decoration with endless relaxation and entertainment potential, check out a water spring bowl!

So far it’s a wonderful Christmas Market season. There are just a few days left, so for those in Germany who haven’t been to one yet, now is your chance!

Roasted Garlic Habanero Hot Sauce

So, I’m out of Blair’s Death Sauce, at least the “less strong” varieties like Salsa de la Muerte that are usable straight over food. I decided to try my hand at some hot sauce of my own. For those that know the habanero, it’s one of the hottest peppers in the world, 50-100 times hotter than a jalapeno. Here are the ingredients of my sauce:

List of ingredients for Roasted Garlic Habanero Hot Sauce:

• 20 habanero peppers
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 3 rawitt chilis
• 1 large shallot (not pictured in photo!)
• 1 head garlic
• 1/2c white vinegar
• 1/2c water
• 1/3c lemon juice
• 2tsp brown sugar
• 1tsp roasted cumin
• 1tsp salt

I halved and then roasted 3/4 of the habaneros (seeds and all) along with the jalapeno and the peeled garlic cloves. This was done in the oven, maybe around 350°F for 15-20min until lightly browned. Then everything went in the blender including the remaining (uncooked) habaneros. Roasting supposedly reduces the heat a bit (nooo!), and I also wanted to keep some fresh habanero flavor, so I left 1/4 of the habanero pods raw & unroasted.

Here’s the final result:

The flavor is amazing! Perhaps because it’s so fresh, and hasn’t been processed as much as your average store-bought hot sauce. Due to the high acid content with vinegar and lemon juice, I suspect this will keep for a very long time (months or more). Although I am a bit concerned that it could grow mold eventually. I’m also looking for some pH test strips to check the acidity, as this will tell how safe an acidified food is. I suspect it’s in the mid to low 4’s, making it long-term shelf storage safe, but for now it’s in my fridge.

If you do give homemade hot sauce-making a try, let us know here! Until then I recommend Blair’s Death Sauces. Available in Germany at www.importladen.de. My favorite is Salsa de la Muerte, as most of the hotter ones have to be diluted – I like to drizzle my food with sauce.

Happy tasting, and don’t numb your tongue too much!

Forum Vini 2010

By: David Douglas

For longtime readers, you might remember last year’s Forum Vini article. I went back this year for my fourth Forum Vini dose of fine food, wine, and spirits! This year I experimented with only natural light: no flash, and all photos are using my Nikon 35mm f/2 lens + Nikon D90. I often white-balanced on an index card before each shot.

Delicious Goufrais chocolates… amazingly cool on the tongue. True fine chocolate truffles.

Once again, Enoteca Palmieri was in full force with some great wines (more photos below in the full album). Check out the shop at Augsburgerstr. 25 in Dachau. Palmieri had the largest bottle of wine that I saw at Forum Vini!

Palmieri also had something else special: grappa infused with olives! This is a really unique, delicious spirit. And that’s coming from someone with a big (and varied) liquor cabinet.

Delicious oil, vinegar, and sherries from Aecovi Jerez:

Once again I stopped by Dr. Schätzl of Moosburg to check out this year’s display. Here’s a stunning array of different exotic oil: pumpkin seed, poppy seed, walnut, and more…

And a list of other exhibitors who are shown below in the gallery:

• Wein- und Sektgut BARTH, with a unique German sekt.
• Wein aus Portugal from Brissac.
• Varied wines from Italy, Chile, and Australia from San Rocco.
• Vinos La Vid: importing from Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Austria.
• Fancy glasswork from Weingut Freiherr von Neveu.
• Strawberry-chili liquor from one of last year’s favorites, Weingut Michel-Roos.

Thanks to those at the stands who allowed me permission to photograph them or their products. I had a great time, and (I think) found some great photographic opportunities!

Full album of photos:

Forum Vini 2010

Stubai Glacier

The Stubaier Gletscher, as Deutsch speakers would call it, is one of Austria’s premier glaciers. For someone living in Munich, it’s ideal: just 2 hours 15 minutes away. That’s a few minutes farther than Hintertux, and almost an hour closer than Soelden. Early in the season (which is when I hit up the glaciers), it seems like there’s a LOT more open at Stubai than at the other glaciers. Hintertux has quite a few slopes, but early in the year a huge number are used for closed-off team racecourses (I counted 4 slopes last week, totaling ~40 racecourses). Another plus at Stubai: tons of chairlifts, and not many T-bars.

A lot of glaciers have mostly gondolas (where you have to take off your skis/board) and T-bars (which are less susceptible to wind). That’s another thing: I feel that Stubai generally has lower wind speeds than Hintertux. That’s super-important when your starting temperature is often –10C to –20C (-20C is –4F!), before wind chill.

Before you have too long to drool over the fresh tracks in a foot of new POW, here are my new goggles. The old ones lasted me a good 10 years before the foam started to disintegrate. Not a bad view in the background, eh? That’s the Stubaital, or Stubai Valley.

I ended up at a Pension (B&B) in the center of Neustift im Stubaital. My normal plan worked well – just go to the tourism bureau after a day of boarding and ask for a room. Took under 10 minutes to find one for €30, including breakfast and wifi.

Here’s an interesting twilight view. I love the transition from a few hanging autumn leaves to full on, snow-encrusted evergreens in the clouds just a few hundred feet higher up.

That’s all for my brief return to on-the-road blogging. Dinner is calling me, perhaps a venison schnitzel or a steak with potatoes! Mmm…

Omakase at Sushi-Dai

At Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market, there are several sushi restaurants where tourists try out never-frozen fish at what is truly a bargain price for some of the world’s freshest sushi. I went to Sushi-Dai. After a mere 2h in line (starting at about 7:30am) I sat down in the tiny restaurant for my Omakase (chef’s choice) breakfast. This is the entire restaurant, which explains the long wait times:

Here’s my delectable piece of Toro, or fatty tuna:

This one I don’t recall the name, if anyone knows just leave a comment. I am guessing red snapper?

The first piece is Uni, or sea urchin. The second, Aji or horse mackerel (I think).

Yet another “no idea” (I should have brought a pen and paper!).

A few rolls, then Anago (Sea Eel) and another slightly-unsure.

There were a few more, 10pcs in all plus 1 more of my choice (anything on the menu); then the rolls, layered egg nigiri, and miso soup. Well worth the 3900 yen (roundabout $40 depending on the exchange rate).

Let me be clear: this was the best sushi I’ve ever eaten anywhere, for any price. By far. Never frozen, well prepared by a good (and friendly) chef. Tsukiji is truly amazing!

Verona at Night

When I arrived in Verona with a friend, the first thing we found was a lingerie fashion show in the central square. Verona is one happenin’ city! I’m going to have to pore over those photos… maybe I can find one or two that are (ahem) suitable for a later post… but here’s what we saw afterward. All photos taken with a tripod.

The Arena in Verona dates from Roman times:

As the evening’s pop concert emptied out of the Arena di Verona, I got some ghostly photos of high heels and a bike on the Piazza Brà. ISO200, f/5, 2s.

Here’s what 0.8s will get you:

And finally, an interesting church, well-lit at night.

Verona is a great city to visit, and even though you can’t shop at night, the town is abuzz with activity. Bars, events, and restaurants are packed full, spilling out onto the streets. It’s definitely worth a full weekend looking around this beautiful city!

Double-Wide Bank

This ain’t gonna win any photo contests, but it made me laugh. I saw this temporary institution near where I live in Munich. The normal Commerzbank building was being renovated, so the bank moved into a trailer home.

It occurred to me: if someone wanted to rob this bank, they could just drive up with a big trailer (or a huge helicopter?) and steal the whole bank.

Now, the getaway plan would have to be something special to make that work. I’m thinking Ocean’s 14… this plot idea (© 2010 David Douglas) is now up for sale!