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Love, Love Locks and Paris

L'amour is alive and well but it's beginning to take a toll on the Pont des Arts in Paris. The growing tradition of hanging love locks on bridges around the world has destroyed sections of this footbridge. The city of Paris has previously removed and replaced certain sections of the railing as the locks weighed them down and caused the grates to separate from the railing. The Pont des Arts is checked regularly as damaged railings pose safety issues as well. Some of the locks are fancy and well thought out, some are engraved with the couple's names but most locks are plain and heavy and the names hastily scribbled with a marker. Many locks are now rusty and the names have faded into oblivion. If you arrive in Paris and want to hang your love lock at the Pont des Arts but you didn't bring a lock, worry not. There are lock sellers around the bridge who will gladly sell you one along with postcards and other souvenir items. These resourceful street peddlers

Perigee Moons of 2014

July 12, 2014 What a year it has been for skywatchers. The night sky was ablaze with three perigee moons and two blood moons. It was a challenge to get a photo of la pleine lune  with my simple IPhone camera. I wanted to record a "bigger than life" moon (that's why they're called supermoon) but the zoom feature couldn't really do the job. (I need a DSLR camera.) Here are some impressions from my IPhone and IPad cameras anyway. August 10, 2014, early evening August 10, 2014, against the black of night September 9, 2014 I missed the blood moon and the lunar eclipse on October 8th. Below is a photo I took from the park during my late afternoon walk on the 7th. October 7, 2014  Obviously I was over the moon to have witnessed these natural phenomena. "Tell me the story About how the sun loved the moon so much That she died every night Just to let him breathe." Hanako Ishii *  *  * Images by TravelswithCharie

Antique

One fine September day, my friends and I decided to drive around Panay Island starting from Roxas City. We planned our itinerary to include lunch in Kalibo then drive through Nabas to Pandan in Antique and down the coast to Iloilo City. It was a short drive from Nabas to the border of Antique but it was a long drive down the coast to Iloilo.  And it rained buckets in late afternoon. This didn't dampen our road trip though. Antique is relatively free of traffic and the main road is well paved. There are many old bridges to cross along the way, most of the time within sight of the beautiful coastline marked by some rocky beaches. We stopped in the town of Tibiao to see the falls and try bathing in a "kawa". (The kawa is an oversized wok-shaped cauldron formerly used to cook muscovado sugar.) Alas the road up the hill was under construction and the entrance to the falls was closed. We got as far as the zipline where there's a marvelous view of the mounta

Advocacy: Balay ni Charie

Lacaron Elementary School Continuing with our school distribution program, we went to Lacaron Elementary School in Dao, Capiz last July and reached out to approximately 240 children. The last time we were in Lacaron was in December 2011. It was really nice to be able to revisit Lacaron this year.  Typical of July weather, it was a hot and humid day and we stayed outdoors under the UNICEF donated tent classroom. With the school principal, Milagros Jore Derayo, we gave each of the children notebooks, pens and pencils. Some kids took home prizes like crayons, toys, pencil cases, coloring books and more school supplies for giving the correct answer to our math, spelling and history questions. Here are the young students raising their hands to answer a particular question we posed to them. The little ones are sometimes shy but generally eager to answer our questions. They are always excited to receive a prize. Everyone gets involved including teachers and parents who prod their

Beware these Travel Scams

I've been the victim of expensive taxi drivers in Rome, Paris and Vienna even though the taxi or airport shuttle was ordered by the hotel. And I've been surrounded by gypsy children at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris who I thought were so sweet and cute without realizing they were opening my handbag until a companion forcefully told them to go away. And recently in Italy, inside the train on our way to Rome from Padua, both of my cousins were pickpocketed as they were trying to put our luggage in the storage bins. No one is exempt from these scams, not even seasoned travelers.  J ust the Flight details 40 scams to avoid in various situations: On the street Travelling (by car, bus, train or taxi) Shops and Services Locals and Children Check out this link: www.justtheflight.co.uk/blog/16-40-tourist-scams-to-avoid-this-summer.html Forewarned is forewarmed. *  *  *

Random Berlin

Our flight route from Amsterdam to Berlin passed over these rich patchworked fields. Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church The restaurant on the top floor of the department store, Peek and Cloppenburg, not only serves a selection of entreés prepared on the spot, it also has one of the best views of what remains of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church after World War II and the modern steeple beside it. Peek and Cloppenburg is on K Ü rfurstendamm. The Memorial Church is under renovation hence the white structure surrounding it. Berlin Wall This fragment of the Berlin Wall says it all. The dates 61 refers to the year the wall went up and 89 when the wall started to crumble. At the bottom of this fragment are two hearts representing East and West and the words "l'amour tousjours" or love always.  "All free men, wherever they may live are citizens of Berlin. And therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner!'." -- John F. Ke

The Market Gate of Miletus

The Market Gate of Miletus at the Pergamon Museum was rebuilt around 1925-1929 from hundreds of tons of fragments excavated in the ancient city of Miletus and shipped to Berlin by German archaeologists. The original gate dates back to the 2 nd century AD and was at the northern entrance to the southern agora or market. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 10 th or 11 th centuries and suffered damages during World War II. On each side of the center door are statues, one of which is believed to be that of Hadrian (with a vanquished slave). The columns supporting the gate are Corinthian in style and the gate itself was originally constructed from marble. However, this reconstructed gate now consists of brick, cement, steel and the fragments from the excavation. On the floor in front of the gate is a mosaic taken from a private home in Miletus . It depicts Orpheus with his lyre. According to classical Greek mythology, Orpheus could charm all living things with h