Bike & Art

The day started with a beautiful short walk on the beach. 

It was still early, the beach was still quiet and it was not too hot yet. 

A photoshoot here.

A selfie there.

I just thought this was an interesting architecture decision: a suspended gigantic egg in an alley. (?)

I decided to take advantage of the beautiful and sunny day to bike around, so the Art Deco tour will have to wait. But here is a little taste of this Miami unique architecture. 

I rented a bike from Citibike service (US$18 for 4 hours) and started biking around towards the mainland, until this Lichtenstein piece caught my eyes. 

FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid_(Roy_Lichtenstein)

Mermaid (sometimes The Mermaid) is a 1979 outdoor sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein, composed of concrete, steel, polyurethane, enamel, palm tree, and water. It is located in Miami Beach at the Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater. Measuring 640 cm × 730 cm × 330 cm (252 in × 288 in × 132 in), it is his first public art commission according to some sources, although others point to a temporary pavilion that predates this work. It is also the second piece of public art in the city of Miami Beach. Since the sculpture was installed, it has been restored several times, and the theater that it accompanies has been restored and renamed twice.

I love the details on the buildings down here.

I took the Venetian Bridge across to the mainland. It has a bike lane all the way, and a fantastic view of the houses at the marina. 

FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venetian_Causeway

The Venetian Causeway crosses Biscayne Bay between Miami on the mainland and Miami Beach on a barrier island in south Florida. The man-made Venetian Islands and non-bridge portions of the causeway were created by materials which came from the dredging of the bay. The Venetian Causeway follows the original route of the Collins Bridge, a wooden 2.5 mi (4 km) long structure built in 1913 by John S. Collins and Carl G. Fisherwhich opened up the barrier island for unprecedented growth and development.

It took me about 40 minutes biking - stoping sometimes for pictures and view appreciating - to arrive at the Wynwood neighbourhood.

The Wynwood Art District was on top of my list of places to visit in Miami. 

This is probably the coolest area in the city. 

To get there, though, I biked through not so nice streets, with abandoned buildings, most of them for sale.  I felt safe, but this is a sketchy area for sure. 

For blocks and blocks before arriving at the Wynwood Walls, there are graffiti art everywhere, including on the sidewalks. The place is pretty rundown, but this building being constructed shows that it won't be like that for much longer. This area will, for sure, be revitalized in the near future. 

FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wynwood_Art_District

The Wynwood Art District Association was founded in early 2003 by a group of art dealers, artists and curators Mark Coetzee, Nina Arias and Nick Cindric. Mark Coetzee initiated the idea based on a similar project, Art Night, which he started in his hometown, Cape Town, South Africa. Founding members at the first meeting in Rocket Projects media room were Brook Dorsch of Dorsch Gallery, Weston Charles, Cooper and Elizabeth Withstandley of Locust Projects, Mark Coetzee of the Rubell Collection, Nina Arias and Nick Cindric of Rocket Projects, Bernice Steinbaum of Bernice Steinbaum Gallery, and Marina Kessler of Marina Kessler Gallery. The association created the Second Saturdays Gallery Walk, designed the Manhole cover logo along with the light banners that hang on street corners, and publishes annual brochures with a map and a list of the association's members. 

It was once home to over 70 galleries, five museums, three collections, seven art complexes, 12 art studios, five art fairs, and the Wynwood Walls. Gentrification and rising rent prices have pushed out most of the smaller galleries. In 2018, less than ten galleries remain.

Frida Khalo.

Bob Dylan.

David Bowie.

A very powerful mural.

The Wynwood Walls in a kind of open air art gallery, filled with murals of well-know street artists. 

The Wynwood Walls were created in 2009 by the late Tony Goldman in an effort to develop the area's pedestrian potential. Goldman bought his first building in Wynwood in 2004, and owned nearly two dozen properties by 2008. Artists from around the world have contributed to the Wynwood Walls. The Walls have been covered by media such as the New York Times and the BBC bringing international attention to the destination. It was also featured in the docu-series entitled Here Comes the Neighborhood. The Walls have expanded to include murals outside the neighborhood, including Outside the Walls which features art covering entire buildings. In 2010, Goldman added the Wynwood Doors to highlight smaller artists. Curbed listed Wynwood Walls as among the 16 most Instagrammable places in US cities in 2018.

Every second Saturday of each month, a community-wide art walk is held. Galleries, art studios, alternative spaces and showrooms open their doors to the public for art, music and refreshments.

Inside the walls, you can purchase a piece of art from some of these artists... if you are ok to spend tens of thousands of dollars. Here are some of my favourites:

Kobra's Picasso - US$ 32 thousand.

For more on the Wynwood Walls, here is their website: http://www.thewynwoodwalls.com.

The area around the walls is fun, of cafes, restaurantes, shops and galleries. It's worth a walk around, outside the Wynwood Walls. 

I love this piece from one of the galleries around there: "In case of brokenness break glass."

Taco Coyo - still in Wynwood area - was highly recommended by a friend in Toronto. 

Very good!

From Wynwood, I biked south to downtown Miami. Just beside the port, there is a shopping area called Bayside. It's a nice little place for more affordable souvenirs, gifts and food. 

After all this, my feet deserved some rest time as well. So, I made sure I spent the end of the day by the pool, relaxing. 

And soaking up the sun... before it went totally down. 

Heading south to sunny Miami... ALONE!

I am not very good with selfies

“YES! I AM GOING TO MIAMI TO BE ALONE!”

I think most moms understand how I feel. As much as we love our children, and partners, we often miss our individuality and the time we used to just pack up and go. Perhaps not all moms, but certainly me. 
Travelling is one of my favourite things, and I love exploring the world with the girls (who BTW are wonderful travelling companions) and Mike, but I am super excited to do something alone for 5 days. 

For 5 days, I will eat what I want and when I want. I will go to bed and wake up when I want - no cuddles, though :(. I will visit art galleries, museums, and see street art without worrying  that “it’s too much.” I will not worry about anyone else, but myself - although I can’t really stop myself from calling back home and checking on the girls once a day at least.  

It took me 9 years to realize I desperately needed a “momcation” - a ridiculous term for moms going on vacations without their family. Still, it’s never too late. 

I am not going to hide that this is also a searching trip, as I now realize my children are getting older (they will be 7 and 9 this year) and I need to figure out what I want to do with myself in this new phase of our lives. I feel like the hurricane had passed, but the sun has come out. I see palm trees, a beautiful white sand beach and a calming sunset. A perfect scenario for self-rediscovery. 

At the end of the day, I am not quiet sure what I am going to find… really. At least, I hope to have some fun. :)

Downtown Toronto

FLIGHT DELAYED ONE HOUR AND HALF

Tip to passengers: I know you paid lots of money for your plane ticket and you want to be comfortable, as much as possible, while seated like sardines in a tight space. Me too! As we are all have the same goal - to get to our destination -, please try be kind to other passengers who boarded just behind you and can’t find any space on the top compartment to put their carry on bags. Backpacks and jackets can go under the front seat. Leave space for the small suit cases on top. Again, we are all in the same boat, - I mean, plane - so if you don’t do your part, we’ll be all be stuck inside the aircraft and NOBODY goes anywhere. Thanks for your cooperation. 

PS 1. I was one of the “volunteers” who had to stay longer at the Miami airport because my carry on bag had to be checked, delaying the plane. 

PS 2. I am pretty sure if people had collaborated with the flight attendants, all bags would’ve fitted.

PS 3. Yes, some folks… you missed an opportunity to be civilized. 

HOTELS “MANDATORY BS FEE”

I am overall happy with my hotel choice. The 3-starts Hotel President is in an excellent location - on Collins Ave, super close to the beach - the building looks welcoming, clean and the room looks great. The staff is nice, so far. Although this is exactly what I wanted, I have to register here my surprise when I got an email few days ago informing me I needed to pay a “mandatory resort fee” of $20 a day. What is that????

I travel quiet a lot and have never heard of such a mandatory fee. I understand if the hotel charges extra for EXTRA services like laundry, room service or massage, for example. But to charge for towels? Breakfast, when it was advertised as “included” when I booked the room online? Or water bottles, where I can drink from the tap? Wi-Fi in 2020?

Apparently this is a “Florida thing,” as I found out talking to friends about it. I just call it “sneaky, Florida hotels.” It would’ve been much more honest if you have charged me $20 more per room/night, instead of surprising me with your “mandatory BS fee.” 

FROM WIKIPEDIA : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resort_fee

RESORT FEE

In the United States there is no specific legislation that either allows or outlaws undisclosed fees, such as resort fees. 

In 1997 some resort hotels began to charge mandatory fees, regardless of which facilities were actually used by the guest.This enables the hotel to advertise a cheaper room rate, making up the balance from the mandatory fee.

Resort fees originated in North America. Though mostly found in tourist destinations in the United States, some resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean now also charge resort fees. A handful of hotels in Canada have also recently taken up the practice.

Resort fees are most prevalent in tourist locations and are usually seen as a nuisance by travelers. They  also affect international tourists who are unfamiliar with the breakdown of a US hotel bill and may not speak English.

Resort fees are also commonly located in tourist areas, where there is collusion, and every hotel decides to charge resort fees. Currently, resort fees apply to all 62,000 rooms on the Las Vegas Strip. Resort fees, along with the recent introduction parking charges (neither of which are typically charged at the numerous alternative gaming locations in the United States), are believed to be a major cause of a reduction in tourism to Las Vegas.

Resort fees are not found just at resorts. Many budget hotels also charge resort fees. The Days Inn in Miami Beach, the Super 8 in Las Vegas and the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City are all two star hotels that charge resort fees.

New York City has seen a surge in hotel resort fees. In New York City the fees are often called destination fees, facility fees or amenity fees. There were 15 hotels in New York City with resort fees in 2016. In 2018 there were 84.

  

RANTING DONE. 

BACK TO FUN.

I made a friend at the airport, a woman from Sweden, and we shared a taxi to South Beach. I think it will actually be hard to be alone here.

It's 23 degrees Celsius and people are hanging out outside. 

I think I will like this place. :)

Good night.

Day 8 - Interlaken, Lucerne and Zurich - April 20

NOTE TO THE FOLLOWERS:

Sometimes writing this blog - at the end of a busy day, tired - it's not as fun as it seems. The biggest challenge comes when I encounter technical difficulties. 

After trying unsucessfully to publish this entry three times and losing all the content, I just gave up at the time. And time passed by.

EIGHT MONTHS LATER I decided to finally publish about the last day of our France/Switzerland trip. I apologize for taking so long... but here it is: the closing day. 

We left Interlaken right after breakfast and got on a train heading to Lucern.

The landscape was absolutely beautiful, which made the trip even more pleasant. 

I looked at those houses and villages and wondered what life would be like around here. We didn't see too many people walking around, outside the houses. It's a big mystery: how is the place so organized and clean if we don't really see people working outdoors. I am sure it's a lot of hard work to maintain this pristine look. Perhaps they use magic. 

We arrived in Lucern early enough to enjoy the town getting busy on this Saturday morning. Ten out of ten people we talked to about Switzerland, before our trip,  suggested we visited Lucern. Here we are -  with a bunch of other tourists, of course. 

SOURCE WIKIPEDIA: 

Lucerne is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the district of the same name. With a population of about 81,057 people (as of 2013), Lucerne is the most populous town in Central Switzerland, and a nexus of economics, transportation, culture, and media of this region. The city's urban area consists of 17 municipalities and towns located in three different cantons with an overall population of about 250,000 people (as of 2007).

Owing to its location on the shores of Lake Lucerne and its outflow, the river Reuss, within sight of the mounts Pilatus and Rigi in the Swiss Alps, Lucerne has long been a destination for tourists. One of the city's famous landmarks is the Chapel Bridge, a wooden bridge first erected in the 14th century.

The official language of Lucerne is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the AlemannicSwiss German dialect.

We started our exploration at the Inseli Park, very close to the Train Station. From there we had a partial view of the city and the lake in one side and the sculptures and ducks arounds us. Apparently this place is famous for having live music and street artist performances on the weekends. 

I love our rare family photos.

Lucern Station.

As we walked towards the centre, the streets started to get busier. 

The main attraction is the Chapel Bridge. 

FROM WIKIPEDIA: 

The Kapellbrücke (literally, Chapel Bridge) is a covered wooden footbridge spanning the River Reuss diagonally in the city of Lucerne in central Switzerland. Named after the nearby St. Peter's Chapel,^[1] the bridge is unique in containing a number of interior paintings dating back to the 17th century, although many of them were destroyed along with a larger part of the centuries-old bridge in a 1993 fire. Subsequently restored, the Kapellbrücke is the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe, as well as the world's oldest surviving truss bridge. It serves as the city's symbol and as one of Switzerland's main tourist attractions.

What a fun and unique place.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: 

Part of the bridge complex is the octagonal 34.5 m (113 ft) tall (from ground) Wasserturm, which translates to "water tower," in the sense of 'tower standing in the water.' The tower pre-dated the bridge by about 30 years. Over the centuries, the tower has been used as a prison, torture chamber, and later a municipal archive as well as a local treasury. Today, the tower is closed to the public, although it houses a local artillery association and a tourist gift shop.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: 

The bridge itself was originally built c.1365 as part of Lucerne's fortifications. It linked the old town on the right bank of the Reuss to the new town on the left bank, securing the town from attack from the south (i.e. from the lake). The bridge was initially over 270 metres (890 ft) long, although numerous shortenings over the years and river bank replenishments mean the bridge now totals only 204.7 metres (672 ft) long. It is the oldest surviving truss bridge in the world, consisting of strutted and triangulated trusses of moderate span, supported on piled trestles; as such, it is probably an evolution of the strutted bridge.

By mid-day the restaurants along the canals were getting busier and finding a free table at a not so expensive place can be a bit challenging.

I absolutely love these murals on the walls of the Old Town. 

They are designs of scenes telling a story.

This is the house where the German writer Goethe stayed during his visit to Lucern.

Probably the last beer of our vacation. 

Photo by Julia.

These are the 14th century city walls.

We didn't explore this part of the city, but the site AFAR (https://www.afar.com/places/lucerne-city-walls-lucerne) suggests a walk through Musegg Wall and it's nine towers.

Walk Lucerne's Historic City Walls

Lucerne's well-preserved Medieval city walls date from the 13th century. The historic fortifications are accessible to the public and provide a broad view of Lake Lucerne, the old town, and the Swiss Alps in the distance.  

There are nine towers, three of which are open to the public - Schirmer, Zyt and Männli. Take the stairs up one of the open towers to access the short walkway on top of the walls.

And be sure to look at the inner workings of the city's oldest clock, built in 1535 by Hans Luter in the Zyt tower.

The town was vibrant due to a dance festival. As we moved around from corner to corner, perfomances were popping up everywhere. Kids, young people, adults and seniors dancing many different styles, contributing to our entertainment.

After a wonderful time in Lucern, we headed got back onto another train and headed to Zurich, Switzerland's biggest city. I would've loved to spend more time there as well, but unfortunately our trip was coming to an end as we caught a flight back to Canada from there the next day. 

Bye bye Switzerland. 

Travelling in France, visiting our friends in Lyon was awesome, fun and just felt good. 

Going to Switzerland felt like something new and prestigious. Although it's an extremely expensive place, it offers a unique experience, full of astonishing mountain views, extremely well educated and polite people, and incredible examples of an almost perfect society. Everything works in such a syncosy that I am not sure how I could fit in this standard of living. Nonetheless, it was a learning experience for our family.

To this day, 8 months later, the kids still talk about "the cleanest place they ever visited."