TravelswithCharie

Blast Furnaces of Vizcaya, Juan Luna, 1893 I love small museums where I don't have to rush from painting to painting so I can see everything in a few hours. I like to linger, take a photo if it's allowed, leisurely read the attribution card or the brochure and check out the works of art as meticulously as possible. The Yuchengco Museum in Makati is an ideal place to visit and learn about Philippine art in an intimate setting. It wows with its collection of paintings by the masters of Philippine art including Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos "Botong" Francisco and a host of other artists, some of whom I've included below. During my visit in July, I was lucky to have seen the Benedicto Cabrera Tribute Exhibition, BenCab in Two Movements . Juan Luna (1857-1899) made a name for himself in 19th century Europe where he was nurtured in the classical style of painting. This education gave birth to such works as the Spoliarium which won him the first gold med

Lunch at Arirang Folk Restaurant Any visit to Seoul easily turns into a food trip.  As soon as we checked into our hotel at the Seoul Plaza, we were prowling the streets checking out the various restaurants in the neighborhood. And as it happened, we chose Arirang Restaurant for our first meal in Seoul. That was a great pick because we had a very good lunch at Arirang. I ordered the Korean style seafood pancake and it looked and tasted like it spent just the right amount of time in the pan. My brother cleaned up his bibimbap hot pot. The japchae was a rich mix of sweet potato noodles, stir fried vegetables and shredded beef. The black cod boiled down in soy sauce was the amazing reveal.  It was both flavorful and moist. It was the very first time in my life that I really appreciated cod. And the service was commendable. Address: 23, Namdaemun-ro 7-gil, Jung-gu (behind the Westin Chosun Hotel) Bibimbap My favorite dish is bibimbap but I couldn't fin

Altarpiece of our Lady of Life. c1580 This altarpiece was partially destroyed during the 1755 earthquake. It is composed of 1,498 tiles in a multitude of hues. The top section with missing pieces is the Annunciation. The Adoration panel in the center is flanked by the images of St. Luke on the left and St. John on the right. The arrangement of this altarpiece resembles that of a retablo. It is attributed to Marçal de Matos, one of the masters of Portuguese azulejo painting. Franciscan scenes, Manueline Hall Tiles were introduced to Portugal from Southern Spain by King Manuel I after his visit to Seville in 1503. The Portuguese imported tiles until the 17th century when they started to produce their own. Churches, palaces, houses were decorated with blue tiles. A fine example of these adorn the walls of the Manueline Hall in the Madre de Deus, the church within the Museu Nacional do Azulejo. This tile composition depicting St. Francis with the crucified Christ and angels

Hydrangeas DO NOT SEND ME ROSES Do not send me roses Roses do not surprise Lavish me with sweet hydrangeas Their delicate bunches a feast for the eyes...... Rhonda Johnson-Saunders Please read the rest of this beautiful poem in The Poetry Soup. http://www.poetrysoup.com/poem/do_not_send_me_roses_371614 ***** Image by TravelswithCharie

Padrão dos Descobrimentos  Belém, on the banks of the Tagus River, hosts a multitude of attractions, so many in fact, that it would be hard to see them all in a day. But walking along the banks of the Tagus River will give one a preview of the Age of Discovery. The Padrão dos Descobrimentos or the Monument of the Discoveries is a commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Age of Discovery when Portuguese explorers roamed the "unknown" world and brought untold riches back to their native shores. On the ship shaped monument are Prince Henry the Navigator followed by personalities who had a hand in the discoveries. On the northern flank are King Alfonso V, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, Bartolomeu Dias and St. Francis, among others. Two interesting figures on the southern flank, which can be seen on the image above, are Luis Vaz de Camões, Portugal's national poet and a woman, Queen Philippa of Lancaster, the mother of Henry and the brain of the discoveries.

The Alentejo wine region is situated east of the Tagus river and north of the Algarve region in southern Portugal. The vineyards have been here before the Roman era. After the phylloxera epidemic ravaged the vines followed by two world wars, the vintners in the region were encouraged to grow wheat and grain instead of grape vines so as to provide food for a nation gripped by an economic crisis. But slowly viticulture was restored toward the end of the 1940s. Today, there are over 250 wine producers in the Alentejo region and one of them is Herdade do Esporão. The vineyards of Esporão grow about 40 grape varieties and 4 types of olives.  Esporão also owns vineyards in other parts of Portugal including the Douro Valley.   About 73 vintners participate in the wine tourism program of the Alentejo region and are open for tours and wine tasting. Check the Alentejo wine route at vinhosdoalentejo.pt for more information. Barrel Tunnel and Cellars The tunnel is 15 meters wide and extends 12 met

Temple of Diana After days of rain, I finally got a healthy dose of Vitamin D while exploring the old town of Évora. The blue sky above this Roman temple from the 2nd century can attest to that. Fourteen granite Corinthian columns of the original eighteen have withstood the ravages of time. Meanwhile, time has given archaeologists fodder to believe that this temple may have been dedicated to Emperor Augustus and not to Diana, the Goddess of the Hunt and of Fertility. Food for thought: Not everything we believed to be true yesterday may not hold water today? Hmmmm. Praça do Giraldo and the Igreja de Santo Antão Who would have thought that this peaceful plaza surrounded by whitewashed townhouses with wrought iron balconies and graceful arched passageways was once the site of public executions during the Inquisition? It's noon and the folks have gone home to eat lunch leaving the plaza to a few wandering souls. Nossa Senhora do O This 15th century statue is