Archive for the 'Travel' Category

高野山 Koyasan, Japan

Published on 21 May 2010 in Travel. 1 Comment

Koyasan (located near Osaka) is the monastic centre founded 12 centuries ago by the priest Kukai (Kobo Daishi) for the study and practice of Esoteric Buddhism. Before I went there I thought there was only a temple, but actually the place was a complex of temples, pagodas, Buddhist statuary and a cemetary of some of the most famous Japanese people.

   

There were mainly Japanese tourists and a handful of foreigners. The place was tranquil and serene, and strolling along the temple-filled streets was spiritually-refreshing. The cemetary was located deep in the woods and the graves were safely guarded by tall big trees. When I was there I felt extremely relaxed and peaceful, which was a state of mind long-missing when I am in HK. It seemed like all worldly troubles have gone away. 

   

Unfortunately I only had time to do part of the Koyasan, hopefully next time I can stay in a temple there and make a full round trip among all the temples, and do some meditation there.

 

Arts in Shanghai

Published on 16 May 2010 in Arts and Travel. 0 Comments

I guess it’s no surprise that Shanghai’s arts scene is much more flourished than what we have in Hong Kong. There are a couple of artist clusters like 田子坊, which unfortunately has become a bit too commercialised. And the city government is doing a good job in turning deserted industrial buildings into museums and art galleries, for example 紅坊 where you can find Shanghai’s Sculpture Space and the Minsheng Art Museum. Apart from the above I also visited the Arts Museum and the Contemporary Arts Museum after I escaped from the heat of the World Expo.

Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to see quite a number of works of some modern Chinese artists at various exhibitions in Europe and Hong Kong. My general impression is that these works lack originality, and the artists’ techniques are not particularly outstanding. There are exceptions of course, like the one in the above photo, but so far I have yet to encounter a piece of work by a Chinese artist that touches me.

 

World Expo, Shanghai

Published on 14 May 2010 in Travel. 0 Comments

Frankly I wansn’t particularly keen on visiting the World Expo, but as it’s held in Shanghai somehow we all felt ‘obliged’ to go there and have a look.

No doubt a lot of efforts have been put into it and the event is overall speaking well organised. However, as it’s held in the most populated country in the world, one should come fully prepared to meet crowds of loud-speaking people who may sometimes have little respect to the queqeing system and care more about collecting stamps than looking at the exhibits.

I was quickly turned off by the long queues everywhere and escaped the action scene very soon. A few comments on some of the pavilions I visited:

1) Africa

A huge hall which houses almost all the African nations. From their exibits one can easily tell the economic conditions of these countries. Quite interesting for those who know little about Africa like me.

 

 

2) Belgium

Diamonds and chocolates and smurfs plus a nice restaurant serving authentic Belgium beers, everything famous from Belgium are there.

3) France

Disappointing. Large screens showing sceneries in France, a few paintings, and finally a LV section, which obviously is there to appeal to the mainlanders.

4) Denmark

The little mermaid statue is a major attraction to me but it’s hidden in the middle of a small pool which is unaccessible. What a pity.

5) China

Didn’t expect to visit China pavilion but managed to get in after a long wait. The stunningly enormous animated 清明上河圖 made the wait worthwhile, and is probably the most impressive exhibit in the whole Expo.

I have wanted to visit Germany and Hong Kong, but there were too many people… 

日本四國遊 Shikoku, Japan

Published on 4 December 2009 in Travel. 1 Comment

11月下旬去了一趟日本的四國，行程大部份參考joetsang的2007年四國之旅。我倆最大不同之處是我是自駕遊，而他則用公共交通。

原以為11月下旬已是紅葉遍遍，可惜今年氣候變暖，紅葉只開了30%左右，比想像中略為失色。但當然四國仍是美景處處，加上其鄉土風情，令整個旅程十分輕鬆愉快。

這次由於時間所限，並未能到訪高知縣，有點遺憾。

Les fleurs de Grasse

Published on 1 July 2009 in Europe, Travel, Western Europe and Whatever. 0 Comments

I first learnt about the town Grasse when I read the book Perfume. So naturally while I was visiting the perfume factory in Grasse I couldn’t help thinking about that dreadful story. The factory guide told us that there are only 15 qualified perfumers (also known as “the noses”) in the world. These perfumers have to undergo extremely demanding training (3-5 years) in either one of the two perfume schools in France, and have to be very good in chemistry. Our olfactory senses were numbed after smelling four to five fragrances. So the protagonist in the book or the existing “noses” must have been genius…

 

The French Riviera

Published on 30 June 2009 in Europe, Travel and Western Europe. 0 Comments

 

 

Cloudless sky and sparkling blue sea

Far-stretching coastline and endless beaches

Scorching sun and soothing sea breeze

Delicious food and cosy restaurants

Ornate casinos and glamourous celebrities

Colourful nature and seductive scents

Loving couples and sexy youngsters

Travellers’ paradise and artists’ dreams

All found in the French Riviera…

More photos here.

The Switzerland Formula

Published on 22 June 2009 in Europe, Travel and Western Europe. 1 Comment

Lakes + Mountains + Chocolates = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

  

(Picture here: Lugano + Maienfeld / Heidiland + Merkur chocolates)

Angkor Wat

Published on 7 June 2009 in Travel. 2 Comments

Went to Angkor Wat recently.

It’s very impressive.

But yet, to my astonishment, I was not touched.

Perhaps it’s because my moods were disturbed by the locals who were trying too hard to squeeze pennies out from tourists.

 

 

 

 

Ludwig II: Murder or Suicide?

Published on 8 November 2007 in Germany, Movies and Travel. 0 Comments

For over a century Mad King Ludwig II’s (1845-86) death was a topic of debate between two camps: his supporters who claimed that he had been murdered, and the official stand and his family the Wittelsbach House who believed that (and upheld today) that the king committed suicide and refused to have his body exhumed.

ludwigIIBavarian King Ludwig II was most famous for his construction of fairy tale castles, namely Linderhof, Neuschwanstein and Chiemsee. He came to the throne at the age of 18, and had never been properly trained nor educated to take up the post. He was a romantic introvert, a great Wagner fan, and had little interests in politics. He spent huge amount of money building castles to fulfill his dreams and serve as his refuge. The Bavarian government, worrying that the king would ruin the country financially, finally disposed him by claiming that he was mad, based on medical report by doctors who had never diagnosed Ludwig in person. He was then grounded in a small castle near Lake Starnberg. Three days later, he was found “drowned” with his doctor in the lake. Since then there had been many theories about what had really happened;

  • ludwigdeathThe king might be trying to escape by swimming across the lake, but he suffered from heart attack as he had become overweight throughout the years and drowned.
  • He might have become too disheartened and decided to kill himself. 
  • He might have been assassinated by the Bavarian government who feared that he would return to power.

Now Der Spiegel has an article about new evidence pointing that the king might probably have been shot. A banker has given a statement that 50 years ago he saw a bullet-ridden coat which had been worn by Ludwig II on the day he died. But the coat has been destroyed by fire. This new evidence, apart from fanning the never-ending debate, doesn’t seem to help much in solving the puzzle.

Perhaps for the historians the truth is important. But the king had once said, “I want to remain a mystery for the world and for myself”. And so maybe we should respect his wish and let his death forever remain an enigma. This serves to remind us how tragic his life had been, and how much wonders his so-called “madness” had generated for his kingdom and people from all over the world.

neuschwanstein1

P.S.

Visconti made a 4-hour movie about the king called “Ludwig” in 1972.

Museums in Athens and Munich

Published on 7 October 2007 in Arts, Germany, Travel and Western Europe. 0 Comments

A quick review of the museums I went to in Athens and Munich:

Athens: National Archaeological Museum

My guide book said that I should go there twice if possible, but I only had 3 hours’ time before my flight. It was really a shame because admission was free that day (didn’t know why) and the museum was huge! It is definitely one of the best museums in the world which houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. The collections of sculptures and grave reliefs were captivating, and the artifacts which I normally were not so interested in were also fabulous.

Munich: Lenbachhaus

The Lenbachhaus is a villa which originally belonged to painter Franz von Lenbach and now is a city gallery which houses mainly 20th century and contemporary arts. It is most famous for the large collection of paintings of Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), a group of expressionist artists established in Munich in 1911 which included among others the painters Wassily Kandinsky, Gabriele Münter, Franz Marc, August Macke, Marianne von Werefkin, and Paul Klee. I pretty like the blue riders, especially Jawlensky.

Munich: Neue Pinakothek

Founded by King Ludwig I, it houses mainly European paintings and sculptures of the 18th and 19th centuries, and is now the world’s most important museum of art of the 19th century. It’s my favourite art period and the museum gives me lots of pleasant surprises. It is spacious and not crowded, and it contains many masterpieces. A free audio guide is offered to all visitors, and so one can spend a long time there appreciating the paintings leisurely with expert advice. Some of the more impressive works include:

Caspar David Friedrich: Summer

Egon Schiele: Agony, 1912

Gustav Klimt: Margaret stonborough-Wittgenstein, 1905

Van Gogh: Sunflower, 1888 (I was wondering why it wasn’t in Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam when I was there in July)

Max Liebermann: Munich Beer Garden, 1884